Dear friends

It's so good to feel so welcomed by all of you! It makes me feel sad that I stayed away for so long but it also makes me feel good realy wonderful to be back.

Though you may not know it, I have kept up with you, through Google Reader (most of you) and Facebook, some others. I've been happy and sad with you, and seen all the beautiful things you have been making. As for me... it will take me a while to mention all the things I wish to share with you. These are just a few of them...

I have joined a knitting club in Lisbon. Did I mention last year going to a knitting meeting in Sintra? It was wonderful, a lot of fun, and I met a lot of lovely ladies who share my love for yarn and chatting. Then one day I decided to go to another meeting--this time in Lisbon. It's held in a shopping center, in the restaurant area, where there's plenty of space and light to work, eat and drink some goodies and especially to be with my new friends. They're the "Cenouras", (the Carrots, named after one of the original ones who's the sweetest strawberry blonde you can imagine). Since then I try to make sure I go everytime I can, because each meeting I skip makes me feel like there's something missing. And there is. The friendship, the companionship, the lovely hours spent around a table covered in yarn, projects, cake and tea, and all the chitter-chatter and sharing that go along with it.

Here we are, with Cristina's new yarn standing out in front of us--she went on a yarn-fast for a full year and we decided to reward her for her persistance with a bunch of alpaca skeins in her favourite (green!) color, from Drops Garnstudio. It was such a pleasure to see her happy face when she oppened the parcel, carefully wrapped in many layers to make it more fun!

Another one of the highpoints of the meetings was Ana's party. This was her cake. And who's Ana, you may ask?

A year ago in the beginning of the year (before I joined the group) Ana, a 20-something-year-old journalist, showed up at the meeting and introduced herself. Hi, my name is Ana, my sister gave me this skein of yarn and these needles for Christmas and I want to learn to knit. So she did. She now makes beautifull sweaters, mitts, and the other day was teaching all of us to make moebius (more on that later). So to celebrate her 1st year as a knitter we surprised her with this cake, baked and decorated by the daughter of one of the girls. Isn't it stunning?!

Needless to say, she was utterly surprised and absolutely loved it. Great job, Ana!

Now on a different note... after a long struggle with tumors and 3 surgeries, I finally had to acknowledge it was time to let go of my sweet friend Pantera and let her go over the rainbow bridge. To help soothe the sorrow we had taken in another little girl, Janis who is a half Norway Forrest cat but is really tiny, because she didn't eat enough as a baby.

And lately we gave her a little "brother"--who in spite of only being 4 months old, is a big as she is :)

Of course I find myself calling her Pantera all the time (black as my dear baby) and think about her all the time...

And it's so cute to see her mothering him, though they're the same size!

So... what have are you up to, these days? 

XXX

It's been too long...

Yes, it has. 

Everytime I think it's been 9 months since I last wrote here it makes me cringe. A baby could have been born (no, no baby was born, mine at least :) )  But creativity has been up, and I definitely have not been idle these months. And I have kept track of many of you through Google reader.

There have been many changes in my life. I daresay most have been good ones. But changes, anyway. 

So I'm back. With lots of things to tell you about, and pretty things to show you. Some that I made, some that I saw. It will take a little time...

And in the meantime, I'll leave you with something that I keep on my mind, at all times. 

It's good to be back. I've missed you.

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

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

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

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

International Women's Day

To all of you beautiful, wonderful ladies

Happy International Women's Day!

xxxxx