www.thegilmours.co.uk

I’ve noticed that besides a collection of Opels (our Vauxhall), taxi collectivos who congregate outside supermarkets and office blocks, also employ plenty of Daewoos, a korean car-maker that has bought the rights to use chassis design and engines of former Opels/Vauxhalls.

To avoid duplication and, presumably, to improve branding, Daewoo have given the models new names. However, clearly unaware that a suave, sophisticated word in English might not mean the same thing in spanish, the name given by the Koreans to the most popular Daewoo taxi here in Chile is “Espero”, meaning “I wait”!

More appropriately, it could mean “I hope”! As i step into a taxi, i often hope that i will live to see my desired destination! Taxis here in Santiago drive very fast and generally ignore all rules of the road!

I’ve discovered an office of Adecco here in Chile. And this reminded me that some years ago i received a copy of an advert they used to promote their company. Thanks to John E, who received it and passed it on while working in a deadly serious job in the European Commission!

Adecco Advert.mpe

(2Mb- so only view if you have a broadband connection!)

I’ll start my job search for real in the New Year i guess…

Well, we might have evaded an onslaught of vases at our wedding, but Christmas has brought us a bumper collection of calendars with scenes of Scotland, Shropshire, Sheep, More Scotland, Sheep, Snow and maybe even the odd Santa Claus!

Thanks very much for your pressies! We’ve enjoyed opening them today, in 32 degrees, around our 1 foot high christmas tree!

Seeing the pictures in the calendar reminded me of a picture I took recently, of Scotland, on the way out of Killin… whoever thought this signing system would work?

Can you be done for speeding in Killin?!

I’m missing Scotland’s cool, wet, mountains and clouds… haven’t seen even one cloud today. Since everyone is staying at home today, we’ve seen the snow covered mountains to the north of the city all day today, for the first time ever!

Well after much protestation and consternation, i’ve uprated Chris R from a non-existant blogger to an amateur blogger…. Merry Christmas!

However, Kez, the blog dog… i’m sorry, but you know your real name is Tesco. And that you’re a dog who struggles to coordinate those little paws. Very photogenic, not very blogo-genic.

Anyway, given that its Christmas Day, i’m just online briefly to say keep watching our site! The site statistics (number of visits, those regularly reading the blogs etc..) are very impressive! We’re delighted that so many people want to stay in touch. And it keeps me entertained and busy managing the content!

Well, i met a really interesting contact today at Church… it seems Santiago Community Church contains half of the movers and shakers in Chile! He told me good and bad news- my key contact at a european strategic economic organisation has retired, but, he welcomed me to visit one day in the New Year to meet some people and have lunch. Given the standard of ESO lunches, i’m looking forward to that bit as much as I am the “job hunting” bit!