The bus journey to San Rafael was uneventful. The buses are really good in Argentina with reclining seats and footrests. There is also a film and a small snack provided. This bus was a double Decker so we had a great view across the plains with the mountains in the distance for the 3 hour trip. Our hosts picked us up from the bus station and we then had a half hour drive to the finca, an Argentinian farmhouse. We had a nice welcome from the 5 dogs, all different shapes and sizes and a roaring fire in the kitchen so it felt like home straight away. Outside there are rows of grape vines interspersed with different fruit trees. At the moment it is early Autumn here so only a few bunches of grapes are still to be seen on the vines near the house. The rest of the vines and trees have lost or are losing their leaves.

For the past week, and until the end of this week, we have been house and dog sitting. Our day starts at 8am walking the dogs and watching the sun rise through the poplar trees that line the vinyards. The clear nights are quite chilly and an early morning mist hugs the ground. We start the walk with all five dogs, but as we circle the property they gradually disperse in all directions disappearing into the mist. One or two sometimes walk with us, usually Scruffy the small black and white terrier and Christina, a small brown mongrel with a lovely face and waggy tail. They are all friendly, even when they run in a pack there is never any fighting. The biggest is Spitz, an ex grayhound, then Negra, a large black softie with soulful brown eyes and finally we have the teenager, Sparky a lurcher pup that is growing up fast and will eventually outgrow Spitz. When we return from our walks they roam the property and bark at strangers. All the dogs have been rescued or have strayed onto the farm and been adopted. The Finca is surrounded by vines and fruit trees which are harvested throughout the season. At the moment some of the vines are being removed and replaced with walnut trees, whilst others are pruned to prepare them for next year's crop. The apricot trees were pruned last week. The farm also produces honey from 13 hives. As we walk past them, even at this time of year, there is the constant sound of buzzing as the morning sun warms up the hives. This area is very flat, on a clear day we can see snow on the mountain tops in the far distance. There are lots of birds here, yesterday a flock of parakeets flew over screeching and making a racket. Burrowing Owls live alongside the vineyards and sit on the treestumps or vine poles, they tell us off by screeching at us as we stroll past. Sparky the teenager takes great delight in annoying them so they resort to divebombing him if he wanders near their burrows.

There are also a lot of creepy crawlies, especially the eight legged kind. The brown recluse spiders, whose bite can be fatal, lives in the log piles alongside small tarantulas. As yet we have only seen the brown recluse, or I should say Chris has come across a few cutting logs and one tried to come into the kitchen through the front door. We also have to keep an eye out for black widows, which are known to live in this area.

25/5/17

Our hosts returned from their 12 day trip on Tuesday having enjoyed themselves travelling around and exploring Argentina. Since they have returned we have visited San Rafael a small town nearby with a variety of shops, but not a lot else. Yesterday we visited a winery and had a wine tasting session with a tour which was very interesting. We tried about six wines and they weren't stingey with the wine. There was a bucket to pour the undrunk wine into between samples, which I did, but Chris wasn't going to waste one drop and was happily glugging it back! There was a big smile on his face when we left.

Today he had another treat when our host took us to a disused train yard with lots of stuffed and mounted trains for him to climb on. The railways have all closed down around this area, so like Santiago, they collect a few old trains and carriages and display them in a park for the children to play on (and big kids like Chris). I enjoyed sitting in the afternoon sun in the park, as it has been quite cool the last few days, especially in the morning. I am beginning to be a bit jealous of the 21° at home in Bovey Tracey, England! However tomorrow is our last day in Argentina and our hosts are having a lunchtime barbecue and inviting the neighbours which will be very nice. Then on Saturday we are off by bus to Mendoza where we catch a plane back to Santiago so that the following day we can fly on to Lima, Peru where we are planning to stay for four nights. No workaway this time, just sight seeing. We have managed to get quite a bit of work done here in the last three weeks. Chris has made a good job of painting the outside of the house as well as using his woodworking skills making well covers and small wooden bridges. I have draft proofed windows and painted the bathroom window as well as cooked and kept house. Of course the dogs have been well loved, fed and walked. We have had a lovely time here and we will be sad to move on as we have enjoyed the last three weeks.