WELCOME TO Val's Alentejo -I write about my region of Alentejo. My art ,painting, my cottages, Family life, my animals -Travels And my love for Roses- and rural country life.

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Yellow ,Mellow days.

The colour of sunshine.
Many have written.   Yellow is for happiness, hope, rememberance,loyalty and joy. I am sure it can stand for many other things too.
For me its happiness and joy..  Yellow draws our attention to it. . Its attractive and warm.  It always make me think.!!  Think of many things, also of softness and sweet smells and friendship.
Flowers blooming in my garden this morning..and lemons from my new lemon tree.
.
Yellow flowers in the fields..thoughts of love and  long walks  along the lanes.. sitting under the trees with the warm bright yellow sun shining down.
                                      I painted this over 25 years ago.. It was a litte touch of van gogh.
Yellow is a warm colour it can enhance your vision and a great colour to combinate with.

                "There is no blue without yellow and without orange"  -- "Vincent van Gogh"
                                        My one and only yellow table cloth. I use it at easter time.
                                      A little bunch of yellow roses - hand painted on porcelain by me
"Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot. Others transform a yellow spot into the sun"--"Pablo Picasso"
                                      This photo is for  'Meggie'- she showed her beautiful field of yellow on her post this morning.   My fields are full of these sweet yellow wild daisies.
Lemonade days are on their way.

  Sending warm sunny greetings to you all.

Yellow for -Romance, laughter, joy, friendship and happy days ahead. -Today, I feel Mellow-Yellow, the birds are chirping and are happy in the warmth of the sun. The bees are busy about the pollens.
Life is good, and I hope that you are all enjoying your day today.

Maybe you would like to tell me about your favorite color.   

Monday 22 April 2013

Spring Sunshine and Flowers

It was only more or less over a week ago, that it stopped raining.  I never thought that it would end. It really was a very long winter. Especially for us here in Portugal. We are used to having bright Easter's and sunny days.  I know though, that most of the world seemed to have very unusual weather patterns this year. I was beginning to get a depression.   
  Within a week , my garden flowers are just blossoming and blooming . Finally I have some colour around the 'quinta'.   The bottle brushes are full of their red long stemmed flowers.


This jar  with the close up yellow rose is the  first I cut of the spring roses .  I can tell you, truly they are so enormous. They seem to get bigger each year.  I think I might have mentioned before, what I think is the secret. Is  the feed.  Roses  love to be fed and watered..pretty much like us ):  I particularly like the yellow bloom.  I married with a bouquet of yellow roses.   Ohhh..that was a long time ago. The white one at the end is a close up of my soleno bush.. its just busting out all over.
"SHEILA"  blissfully grazing down the bottom feild.  Both her and Pascoa are just soaking up these warm spring days.
 This rose, when closed is more of a yellow colour.   Then it turns into orangy,pink and yellow.. its beautiful.   I do not know the name of any of the roses I have.   I just know that I love all of them. Most give beautiful scents.
                                Here are some of my bushes.  The earth is getting dry.. watering tomorrow.
Look at the size of this perfect bloom.  Its delightfully beautiful.
                                I think this plant belongs to the family of verbena.. but like many of my followers know.. I am hopeless at flower names.

Today, the birds have been chirping.  The sun has been warm -Its been as perfect as it can get for a spring day.
I have started putting my patio furniture in place.. and slowly getting my outside space comfy for the summer months.
Hope that you are all having wonderful spring days, wherever you are.

Blowing big handfuls of warmth and best wishes to you all.
I would also like to thank many of you , who have bared with me through these last blogging glitches.
If you cannot get my updated posts on your blogs.. please just join my site again.  It seems to work.
"blogging"- I think one needs to go to MIT to understand it.

Happy days

val

Thursday 18 April 2013

Along the way to a special day

       My eldest son's daughter our dear Audrey Marie turned 12 yesterday. Her daddy took this photo before she left for school.  Didi and her brother Tom, attend the same school as her daddy and Aunt Nina , and her 2 uncles attended.  She was so happy, she always is. She had her big beautiful cake to take for the class and the teacher.    When she arrived home.  I was there. She was so happy to see me.  She did not know that i was going. I left home at 10.30am. a good time, as i miss the lunch time traffic
                              I was given these flowers on tuesday from my dear friend Manuela.. I have put 3 buds away on Audrey's birthday page.   With the heat , they have now withered.
              I had my camera ready to take some photo along the way driving to Lisbon.  It was the most beautiful spring day.  The smell of the pine trees and the wild flowers , filled the air with such a wonderful spring scent.   I am not sure about you my friends, but , I come alive with spring. Its one of my favorite seasons.
           Years ago. Mr. M and my boys would take a dip in this big lake.  It's at the side of the road. When we would leave our home in Cascais.. on a hot summer afternoon.. it was the first stop. Yesterday it looked so lovely. Full from all the rain, and the different hues of green on the trees
                                       The water looks blue
                                   This nest is a famous nest. Its on many post cards.  I have shown it before. Its on the way to the town of Alcacer do sal... The storks have just returned.  If you look closely, you will see a tiny babies head sticking out.  Waiting for mummy to bring some food.  There are little stork babies all around the area. So sweet to see them.
                                        Didi. (Audrey) in the photo on the Cabin wall.  I have to beg my son to send updated photos.
                            Arches in the village of Torrao.. when the roses start to bloom they look lovely all covered with them.

  Very naughty.. but i took a quick snap of me driving over the 25th of April bridge.

                       These bushes are dotted all around during the spring and summer months.  They are called "Esteves".. they are a lovely bush, but a dangerous bush. If someone throws a cigarette out and it hits one of these bushes.. they start the biggest bush fire..

 Arriving home.  The fields around full of wild flowers , just about all colours of the rainbow. This field was just like a lilac carpet.   The above photo I took aproaching Vila Nova.

Didi had a wonderful evening.  With her family and uncles and aunts.  Her daddy spoilt her with super presents, that she has been waiting so long for.

Now 12.  I cannot believe how quickly the time goes by.

This month dear friends.  I have been blogging for 2 years.

I would like to thank you all for your lovely comments and taking the time to visit me.
I have made some lovely blogging friends.. and my life is richer for knowing you all.

Wishing you the rest of a wonderful spring week.
Time for a cup of tea.

val




Sunday 14 April 2013

A little rosey around the garden!

This winter has been a very long and strange winter.  Not just for us here in Portugal, but for many countries around the world.   Here we haven't known as much rain in over 30 years.. I was practically daily rain from the mid January.    
                           Finally , Spring has arrived.  The problem with us here in Iberia..Portugal and Spain, is that it can be raining and cold , and then just within a couple of days we have temps from having been 8 or 9 jumping to 20.       After my morning tea. I took a stroll around my very much overgrown garden.  Due to so much rain, we have been held back.     I took a photo of this little pink rose on my last post.. it was just opening. They are still not in their full state of blooming, but I was thrilled to find a couple already opened and so many buds on the bushes.
                                   Anoher different pink.  The grasshoppers are already about them and i must spray them tomorrow.
                                    The grass is so overgrown and high.  Its green all around. Its ready for trimming now.
                           Many of you will remember 'Surprise' ..she is the little horse on the right of the photo. She is very naughty .  We have had to keep her away from her mother ' Pascoa', as she wants to drink milk all the time.   This is the first time we have put them together here in my pastures.  She is making such a racket. Finally, Pascoa doesnt want her to drink.  Surprise is like a child..she runs off neighing and kicking because she cant drink. Its so funny to watch them.
                                       Rejection from mummy.  She has to learn.. but she is a lovely horse.
                                  The hose pipe came out of its fixture.. so will have to sort that later. Here 'Shiliah' the white horse , she has a few grey spots.. Pascoa, and Surprise.
                             
                            A    little bit of blue.   My Dutch irisis , have given three blooms this year.
       Lots of buds on my rose bushes.   They have had lots of food.   I cant wait for them all to bloom.

Wishing all my dear blogging friends   a lovely  'Rosey'  Sunday, and hope that spring has arrived for you.

Thank you for all your support through my blogging hitches.   If you are not getting my posts on your readers list..  I suggest that you log in again as a member.. it might just work..
Happy spring days

val.

Wednesday 10 April 2013

blogging spam.

Thank you to my dear friends that left comments on my last post.

It seems that some of you are not getting my reader update when i post ..!   I dont know what to do about this, as it appears on other friends blog  list.

I turned back on the word verification ..but today i will turn it off.
If any of you have time to see my latest comment..   Anonymous ..no way to get back to them.
I have had a few of these coming through.. and its really annoying.

Have any of you had this same experience.   Is it because i dont have word verification active.!!
Any help would be appreciated.

I am loosing heart with blogging at the moment.  It was all running so smoothly.

I have spent so much time trying to get answers from blogger , but cant get the answer i need.

val

Sunday 7 April 2013

Peeping through

Two days of respite from the rain. My poor garden has been flooded, I have lost some of my plants. I hope they might perk up when we get more sun.  These pansies, and my very first rose, poor thing..it looks weary.. have at least given me some hope that maybe spring is really here.
My fields are green green green with wild flowers dotted around.
Our skies are still very overcast.  Patience is he name of the game.
I  found a new way to bring the  Blue magpie closer.  I have been putting bread out on my kitchen windowsill . When i first saw them, i ran for my camera. I frightened them on my return, and they flew away.
To get these photos i was as still as a mouse as one move with their beady eyes they can see everything. I was so delighted to get these photos.  I had my elbow on the sink and just clicked away, spatula and all. ):  In this above photo if you look closely you will see 4.. 3 on the sill and one flying away.
 After a while and once eaten the bread, they became rather curious.   When they are around , all the other birds fly away.    They are such a beautiful bird. I am lucky to have them around my place.

Overcast skies again.   Cant wait for warmer days.

Hope that you are all having a good weekend, and are having some better weather.

val

Friday 5 April 2013

blogging glitches

 I am posting this post, for all my members on my blog list..  that so kindly follow me and leave their much appreciated comments.

It came to my notice early this week, that some of you have not been getting the updates of my new posts.. some have.. and I have received your comments. (thank you)..

I have tried every which way but lose.. to see how I can change or fix this problem.   I cannot see anything out of place with my settings.

Normally , when i write a new blog..like anyone that is a member of a blog..  the posts appear for us to know that a new post has been posted for us all to see ..
This is not happening with me.
I am so confused.. and very irritated. which is not like me.  

Please dear friends.. would you all do me the favour and see if you have my last two latest posts.. one about my grandson Tom.  and the other about the legend of the portuguese rooster..

If anyone hasnt been updated and would like to mention it.. I would be so grateful.. maybe one of you might be able to help..

I sometimes feel like changing from blogger.  !!!


wishing you all a very happy weekend..

your blogging friend   val 

Wednesday 3 April 2013

The legend of the "Barcelos" rooster.

 This is a story about a legend.  "The legend of the Galo de Barcelos"..



The story tells us about a dead roosters miraculous intervention in proving the innocence of a man who had been falsley accused of stealing silver and was sentenced to death.


The silver was taken from a great landowner in "Barcelos" (north of Portugal).  The people of the city were looking for the criminal.
One day a man from neighboring 'Galicia' turned up and became the suspect.
Despite  pleading his innocence- The Galician swore that he was only passing through 'Barcelos' on a pilgrimage to "Santiago de Compostela", to complete a promise.

He was nevertheless arrested and condemned to hang.  The Galician asked them if he could take him in front of the Judge who had condemned him. His request was honoured.
Arriving at the house of the Judge, who was holding a banquet at that time, with friends. The Galician affirming his innocence , and pointed to a roasted 'cock' on top of the banquet table , and explained.

"It is as certain that i am innocent as it is certain that the rooster will crow when they hang me"
 The Judge pushed aside his plate and decided not to eat  the rooster, but still ignored the Galician's appeal.

While the pilgrim was being hanged.  The rooster stood up on the table and crowed as the 'Galician' had predicted.
Realizing his error, the Judge ran to the gallows, only to find out that the Galician had been saved by a poorly made knot in the rope.
 The Pilgrim was immediately freed and sent off in peace.

Some years later the Galician returned to 'Barcelos' to sculpt the calvery or cruz fix to the lord of the rooster.  In praise of the Virgin Mary and st James.

The monument is located within the Archeological Museum in ' Paço de condes'..and is part of the 17th century 'Calvary' that is part of the collection of the museum..

This is a legend dear friends.. and many stories of the "Rooster" have been told.   This is the one that i learnt about over 40 years ago.
When telling any tale.. it always changes from smaller to larger.
Sometimes legends are based on truth's.. who knows if this was so.

Most Portuguese households have a 'galo' in their kitchen.
There are now some modern designers out there making some beautiful 'roosters'.

Hope you enjoy this read.