quarta-feira, 11 de abril de 2012

I've been having fun...

Hello there... or should I say Hello Kitty? :)

Before anything else--for those of you who have been such sweethearts to ask and worry, I had my 1st year checkup after chemo and everything is fine and dandy! But I do need to get more sun, drink a lot more milk, get some exercise because... you guessed it, osteoporosis is trying to set in and we can't have that, can we?!

It was fun to see again so many of my companions of surgery / treatments... and have to recognise each other through our companions, because we all look so different, much thinner without the cortisone and especially... with our hair back! :) We'll all be back in 6 months, all well again, we hope!

Now the pic's...

I've been having fun... making up little friends for little children (or not so little ones!)


Isn't she cute? She loves flowers... that match the bow in her head


"My picture?! I'm cuter than that, right?! Plus yellow is not my color..."


Sitting down and behaving like the little lady that she is!


And this cute little fella... he's Robbie Monkey, named after Robbie Williams' song "Me and my Monkey". 

He was finished during a football match where my club was playing (Sporting Club de Portugal, Sporting for short)and he was rooting for his friends the lions. And he's going to a Sporting fan who's also a fan of that song, of course :)


Ohoh!!! Sorry! (isn't this little doll house bathroom the sweetest little thing?!)

It's cooler around here again, the garden is doing fine, thank you for asking ;) but it misses the warmth and so do I!  But we need a lot more rain...

Hoping all is well in your corner of the world...

XXX

sábado, 7 de abril de 2012

Going green... and pink!

These are some of the things that have kept my busy and happy... my "green garden"!

Last year when I started thinking about it I Was told I was being silly, what's the point? If only we had a real garden... It didn't make sense, I was told. I I was quiet about it and kept the idea in the back of my mind. With the economy getting harder and people managing to struggle, they are coming up with ways to save some money and I found tons of photos and ideas that made my heart jump in joy... yes, it is possible to have a green garden in a balcony! 

So I decided...heck, I want one! I want to get my hands dirty in the ground, to pluck out the old leaves water them and see them growing day by day, and above all, to feel the joy of picking your own vegetables just before lunch or dinner and eating what you so caringly have raised!


I particularly liked an image of a wooden palet turned into shelves for herbs. A friend of mine from work thought it was a funny idea and offered me the palet from her husband's company.



I've been using up new and old vases and even large water bottles as vases to hold the plants... My hydrangeas now sit next to baby leaf lettuces and scalions, on the rack there are 4 strawberry plants blooming away and a few more just seeded today.



The seashells decorate the vase of the gingerroots and the basil is thriving in the red pot... in the back, there are some plants budding from seeds that I gathered last year from a plant I don't know that gives out the most gorgeous little flowers, all colors in the same plant! Maybe when they bloom you can help me identify them :) and in the blue pot I just planted some sweet peas today, hopefully they'll make it too :)


The hydrangeas are looking lovelier by the day sitting next to a little palm tree and a vase that's waiting for the tomato plants.



A catus peeking out the balcony, next to the bush of lemon verbena--I don't think I've ever seen it looking so nice, could it be it's enjoying the new company of the other plants? Especially the potatoes that decided to sprout from the peels I put in a vase for compost?!



I even have my very own potting and srpouting bench, recycling old  pet water bottles and plastic icecream boxes for little nurseries (they work! perfectly!) for more lettuce, tomatoes and even rucula (aragula, is that what you call it?)



This was today's acquisition. Peppermint, lavender and rosemary.



In one of the hydrangea vases there are some tiny little plants developing. I have no idea what they are. Probably just some seeds I threw in there, some day. Believing nothing would come of them because they were past their expiration date. But they did. And there are tiny little flowers beginning to show up--could they be forget-me-nots, I have a slight recollection of buying some seeds long ago?



The hydrangea don't seem to mind them at all, in fact they are the largest and prettiest so far...



But all of them are beginning to show their blooms :)



Another acquisition from today... I've always loved those balconies with hanging petunias (here's to you, Annette! :) ) and today I got one to mix in with the other hanging plants. They look drab now, next to the bright petunias... but they'll look better soon :)

So far we've had a few lettuce salads with coriander and basil, I've made lemon grass and verbena teas, and can't wait for the new babies to grow :) 

On the eve of Easter...I thought this would be appropriate as a sign of rebirth and renewal.

Happy Easter, everyone XXX

sexta-feira, 6 de abril de 2012

Ramblings...

I sometimes wonder... why do I buy more and more yarn and fabric without putting a dent into the stuff I already have? Why is it that it's so vital to have tons of projects, tons of ideas lurking in my mind, tons of things I want to do for everyone and for myself?

Is it because if I do, if I never run out of things I "must" do--and no, I'm not talking about household chores--I have to remain healthy and well enough to fulfill these promises?

There's got to be a reason...
xxx

quarta-feira, 28 de março de 2012

Passion for color...

Hello my dear friends :)

I've been quiet but jumping around and reading your lovely blogs... and loving everything I see and read around blogland!

But for me, there's just too much going on right now...not always stuff to blog about, sometimes just plain busy stuff and a big lack of mojo for blogging. Hopefully this weekend I'll have a bit more time for sharing what's up! :)


Just couldn't wait to share these--some lovely fabrics I've been collecting in the hope that soon I'll start stitching away some nice things :)

Until soon dear readers :)
xxx

quinta-feira, 8 de março de 2012

International Women's Day

To all of you beautiful, wonderful ladies


Happy International Women's Day!

xxxxx

sábado, 3 de março de 2012

Peek-a-boo!!!

Hellooooooooo!!! Peek-a-boo!


Everything all right over there?

Remember this?


Well, I was feeling a bit underdressed.

I needed something sharp looking to dare show my cute little face.
So that that's what was "cookin'" up there...


I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself! I'm Rafa, how do you do?
Well, what do you think of my outfit? Kinda cute, huh?


I'm staying here for a little while, visiting with my little friend Pascoalito, before we both go our ways :)


He's such a charmer, look at the flower he's picked for me!


I'm waiting to go to Rafaela's house (she's a little girl and I really hope she'll like me, because I can't wait to go play with her!)

So... I'll be seein' ya around :)

Have a good weekend, dear friends :)
XXX

quinta-feira, 1 de março de 2012

New project

Hello dear friends!


Can you guess what I'm up to these days...? :) It won't take too long! And it's nice and bright and cheery (unlike the weather here, which seems to have suddenly stepped back to Fall weather! Much awaited rain and thunderstorms!)

Oh... and would you like to visit @ Facebook? I'd love to see you there!

XXX



domingo, 26 de fevereiro de 2012

The Sun...


Hello, dear friends

Just a few snapshots to bring you some sunshine...

The boardwalk
The ocean ahead
A stroll by the ocean
Sunset--on the other side of the river, Spain, the setting sun is reflecting off of some windows
Sunrise in Alentejo

I can't get over all the beauties around me...

Hope you had a fantastic weekend!

XXX

quarta-feira, 22 de fevereiro de 2012

Yes, everything is OK! :)


My dear friends,

It's over, the stress, the fear. Until my next checkup (yes, we all know what that's like even if we try to be rational, rationality has nothing to do with this atavic fear!!)

Everything is in fact OK :) and I'm smiling again and feel like a ton has lifted off from my shoulders!

So here are just a few little flowers... and my THANK YOU for all your positive thoughts (even though I only got to comment moderation after lunch I did read all of your sweet messages before my exam, to fill me up with positive vibes :) )

Have a wonderful week!
XXX

terça-feira, 21 de fevereiro de 2012

"Everything is OK"


It's that time again. 

Time for my checkup and especially time for the mammogram. 


The last time I got one I got the bad news. A year and half ago. Since then I had surgery, chemo, radiation and a long recovery time. Now I believe I'm back to health, in spite of slightly tight movements and aches especially on my arms and shoulders. I've lost most of my weight water gain but still need to lose a few pounds that I have piled up since then. And aside from that, I feel good. Sometimes blue, sometimes sunshiny, but heck, who isn't?!


But I'm scared. 
Super, mighty scared. 
Out of my wits scared. 
Anyone who's been there (or has a loved one who's been there) knows what I mean. 


It's a cold, clamping fear that tightens our throat and the opening of our stomach and won't go away until you hear those words "everything is OK" and then you know you'll have until the next checkup to let go of that fear. 


Fortunately I get to know right away. 
It's scary to look at the doctor's face trying to decypher what she's seeing on the ultrasonograph and any time she clicks and records the image on the screen you flinch. It doesn't hurt. It scares the heck out of you. 


But when she's done you pray to hear those magical words. 
"Everything is OK". Because she knows I need to know right then and there, no matter what the words are. And you know you'll fight like a gladiator for you life, if the veredict is bad. But you don't want it to be. Again.


Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow to tell you those same words. With a smile.


Until then... XXX

Hoping this is now...


!!!

Hello dear friends,

I know, it's a nuisance and I don't like it either. I'm trying to figure this out so please, please let me know if it asks for word verification (I did activate comment moderation but maybe that'll change too...)

Thank you!
XXX

segunda-feira, 20 de fevereiro de 2012

Pascoal part II


Much, much better in the daylight!


Pascoal came to work with me today and he's been quite active around here!


At lunch time decided to catch a bit of sunshine and enjoy the view...


Now tell me... who can resist this sweet little smile? :)

XXX

domingo, 19 de fevereiro de 2012

Meet Pascoal :)

Hello, dear friends!

Meet Pascoal :)

Pascoal is a cute little Easter bunny--less than 20cm tall, that is about 8" I believe. Easter in Portuguese is Páscoa, and that's where he got his name from--he's come here for Easter!


He's acqua and has cute green shiny eyes. And he's smiling at you.

Pascoal has a little turquoise coat with a white button because the days are nice but it's still chilly out! 


"See how tall I am? Thiiiiiiiiiiiiis big!" he says


And it's really hard to get a really good picture of him now, because his color is so much prettier than it looks here!

Pascoalito is looking forward to having a bigger family--'cos I've told him there will be others! And maybe some of them will move to other homes to live in little children's pockets or sit on their beds... but that's ok, because they'll always stay in touch!

You'll be able to find him here too...

Have a great week!

XXX




terça-feira, 14 de fevereiro de 2012

It's real!

Yes, my friends... it's real!


I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than starting something with LOVE... and that's what happened, without expecting it.

My colleague and friend Natacha recently started knitting with me. She hadn't done any knitting in a long time and wasn't very confident or experient. At first. Then she fell in love with it, just like me. And soon enough she was making beautiful things! 

The two of us happily knit along at lunch time, after munching down something really fast to be able to have a bit of time for ourselves. And whenever we can.

She was the main force behind my own will to start a little shop--nothing special, just trying to reach out and show our work and hopefully find some people interested in our love and work.

The name was chosen--Tarekices, what else?
The design for the "brand" was made. The color for the labels was chosen--a lovely silky beige / golden shade that will look pretty with everything, from men's to women or babies' accessories.

Why don't you stop by for a little visit? :) We'll love to see you there!

Here's where you can find us--and if you'd like any clarification, please let us know! 



xxx

quarta-feira, 8 de fevereiro de 2012

Colors that make me happy


Blues, pinks, greens...


...knitting once more...

Hope you're having a super duper week!

XXX

domingo, 5 de fevereiro de 2012

Blue moon

Hello, dear friends

Sometimes you look in the mirror and don't feel happy about what you see. More exactly, who you see there, looking back at you. It doesn't feel like you, for some reason. 

Is it the winter blues? The shorter days, the fewer hours of daylight that get to you? The cold, and it's nothing to compare to the cold that's been going around in the rest of Europe or the World?


It's here, though. The blues. And that feeling you don't want that person to be there looking at you. 



So this is what I do. I go out, for a brisk walk by the ocean, breathe in all that beauty and come back home full of energy. To do even the stuff I don't like to do like household chores (sorry, that's just the way I am... I'm really not one of those people who love to do laundry and tidy up and all that stuff, but I do love a nice and tidy home and all the laundry put away :) )


And decide that girl in the mirror's got to go. Along with the things that make me feel blue :) and get back in my green mode again :)


Or teal... what do you think of my (soon to be) new log cabin patchwork cushion? :)

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

xxx

domingo, 29 de janeiro de 2012

Spinning and Knitting together

Hello dear friends,

Just a few pictures to share with you a wonderful afternoon spent this weekend with some lovely people.

Rosário from dona maria hosted a Spinning and Knitting Meeting at the wonderful, gorgeous Café Saudade in beautiful Sintra. It was a nice, cozy and friendly afternoon spent around wheels and spindles, knitting needles and handspun yarn and hand dyed rovings :) 


Rosário talking to 2 ladies making fantastic socks with Zauberballs in the cutest stripped pattern (a must, I have to learn to knit socks with these two ladies!) and her spinning wheel standing in the foreground


Sporting the prettiest handmade sweaters and cardigans


Even a little one joined us and tried to give the wheel a spin!


Two young ladies giving their first steps at spinning with a drop spindle


And in the mean time the inevitable cup of tea (lemon grass for me, please) and yummy scones with butter.

Even got to meet personally two other nice ladies I already knew from their blogs, Sofia (SofiAlgarvia) and Ana (mãos de sapo & pés de pato) from whom I already bought some hand dyed yarns :)

Definitely... a treat to myself, a day to repeat, and I will certainly try to join those ladies at their weekly saturday afternoon knitting meetings in Lisbon :)

Hope you had a great weekend too!
xxx

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