Rain has arrived

A very bigto all my dear blogger friends who wrote such kind kind comments on my post about my dear Lady, who is now at peace in doggie heaven. I buried her in my garden.  Soon to plant lots and lots of bulbs there for her.  Her being close to me, I am also rested with that thought.

Thank you so so much. All who left those wonderfully uplifting comments.. they helped me get through this last week.

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The rain arrived day before yesterday, for a short while in the morning.  Then the heavens opened up and it rained and poured down.   You can imagine the delight.  I stood outside for a while watching it fall.  My flowers saying thank you lord.  Looking in my diary, it last rained on the 24th of May. So its about 4 full months of no rain. 

Buying my bread in the village bakery.. everyone was elated, and laughing.  and saying"its raining , at last"..

I suppose some of you out there have had lots of rain.  Our summer stint was a little too long without some  rain.

The animals, the fields, gardens, dams, wells, drains, and everything gets a new fresh wash.  Its not cold.  Its Autumn rain. We do get respite and mr sun shows his face now and again, for a brief moment.

                                  Saturdy morning clouds forming over head

                                      The garden getting a good soaking. Nice not to have to water

                                      All the plants are looking perky again.

                          The heavy rain washed off the dying dead heads on my roses.. but here are a few still enjoying their Autumn blooming.

                               Its still brown with no growth.. but soon the green will start showing though  and the fields will look prettier.

                     The fig tree that seeded itself in my one rose garden, is now growing so high. Not sure if I should transplant it.!

Sending best wishes for a happy blessed sunday.


val

In memory

Dear blogger friends.  As the tears roll down my cheeks.  I write to tell you all that my dear little Lady of 13 years  fell very ill and I had to put her to sleep.  When a pet leaves us, they are family too.  

I am taking a time off blogging for a while.  We have just finished burying her.. She will have her own garden. and is close to me.  There is a strange silence here on the quinta.. her children and grandchildren know she has gone.  I will miss her so.  My sweet sweet Lady.  

Until next time.. val

7am Friday.

I have been waking early for the past week.  Walking out with the dogs and to savour the early morning. This was the moon at 7am.  by 7.15, it was gone.   So very still and quiet no breeze,not a tree is moving ,only the sound of some strange bird that I have not heard before.  The Autumn days are here, and with them bring different light to the skies.

The sun is slowly rising over the olive trees.    Its going to be a very hot Autumn day again.

                                    Someone is leaving on a jet plane.. its jet stream of light pink dashes above in the sky.

                                              You can see how light it is and the moon is still saying hello.

                                               one of my family of doves.

                                I came in last night, as the sun was setting .  I spent about 4 hours in the garden. pruning my roses .  I am feeling a little sorry for them and the garden in general.  I have mentioned before in a post. We have had no rain since May.   Its now getting into a drought situation.  Our weather is still hot , becoming cooler in the early morning and evenings. That is nice, as one can sleep better.   Cuttings ready for the cutting heap.   We can only burn our excess wood and leaves from the 15th of October to the end.  Otherwise its a hefty fine.

 My "Gerda" is growing so high.  Its now higher than the fence.  I really like this bush.. it flowers the whole year around.  
I had hopes that it would rain today.      Up and out early, the skies looked as though rain was on its way.
I suppose I should not complain.   Once the rain comes.  It really is heavy.  Then I will be wishing it be summer again.
Autumn brings a new dawn each day .  September is one of my favorite months, although sometimes  just a little too dry.


What is your favorite month.?

Wishing you all a happy day.

val.

Stung !

Its been many a year that I was stung by a bee.  Yesterday around lunch time .   I felt a sharp pain in the left leg. I thought it was my back again.. Amazing how a thousand thoughts can go through our mind in seconds, my mind was racing. Oh no! not my back again.!   Sitting down to rest, I then felt a very bad pain on my left b....x.. wow.. I let out a big scream.  Never ever dreaming it could be a bee.  I was stung three times.    Rushed to get my medical box out. I thickened the areas with "Fenergan cream".  After an hour the pain started to subside a little, but still very painful.  About 2 hours after.  I started to get the shivers and went cold and didnt feel well at all.

    Looking up this morning about bee's and bee stings on "wikipedia" I was amazed to read  the difference with bites amongs the bee families.   

If it was a honey bee, it would only have bitten me once, then died.. I was bitten 3 times. So not sure what kind of a bee it was, but it couldn't have been a honey bee!    Today its left me with a couple of lumps.  

                     I must have invaded some bee hive or disturbed a bee at his work.  I was putting all my planting pots together , getting ready for seeding.  So that was the episode with the bee.
    Looking at how dry the land is at the moment,
 My fields are looking so brown and dull.   We have not had rain since May. That is nearly 5 months.

This was the sky yesterday afternoon. Last night I heard thunder in the distance.  Most of us now  are hoping that rain comes soon.  The crops ,the animals and our wells need to be replenished.   We are approaching the winter equinox here in Europe.. it usually rains between the 15,16 or so.

                       I'ts been hard work trying to keep my plants from dying.  They get a good watering once a day.   Not sure, but this could be where the bee was.     I am on the attack for bees now!

I have left these creepers to grow wild and intermingle..but not sure if I am liking it. Another place the horrid bee could have been.!

                      A few of my flowers that are surviving, around my sorry garden at the moment.

lots of dead heading to do,branches to cut.   Some changes to flower beds to enhance them with more flowers for the coming spring.    Fertilizer to be given.
The olive leaves leave such a mess on the ground.  They have to be swept up.
There is always so much to do in a garden.
 I have been away for a while as you all know.. so its a little uncared for at the moment.

Feeling much better yesterday, I sent an sms to my youngest son, telling him about the bee sting.  He replied.. "mum ..some say, its cosmic acuapuncture, and say bees have healing effects."!
reading about the bee this morning, in wikipedia - It says that certain bee serum is used for curing arthritis.   I wonder !   I wonder!   I feel very good today.

Beware of the bees!

Have you been bitten by a bee.?

Happy weekend
val

Markets,veggies,healthy foods,nutrition.

Lisbon's main Municipal market. When I stay at my eldest son's home.. I love to go shopping with my D.I.L here.  Its a very old old market , and full of wonderful healthy foods.

                                               All fresh from the farmers and in to your basket.

veggies I always have in my fridge... peppers.. I love all the three colours.. and they all give a different taste to a meal.  ideal for soups, salads, decoration.

I like to add turnips to my soups.

 red cabbage , tomatoes, broccolli..courgetts  green beans..carrots, cauliflour , onions.    Ideal for a minestroni..

A friend sent me a couple of images..from a Dutch market.  How beautifully they have it laid  out.

Stir fry veggies.. I only use pure olive oil.. (here i boast..its my own)

Butternut.. below roasted with garlic and seasoning. 

Veggies  raw..party dishes..with dips

Portuguese traditional cabbage soup..  "Caldo Verde"  I love it.

A creamy veggi soup with turnip tops finely chopped..
very much another traditional Portuguese soup.

                                      Garlic.  Healthy ..keeps away colds and all sorts of illnesses.. A must in most soups and veggi dishes.

Thick vegetable soup.

butternut and greens..in flat bread wrap.                                                

                                 More images of a Dutch Market stall..  Must take them hours to prepare.

Soups are ready

 Buy  some flowers on the way home.

Pop them on the table

Soup ready..Table set.

                            And   "Voila"   just a few things one can do with fresh vegetables.


From as far back as I remember my mother cooked vegetables,and served them with most of our meals.
"Eat up", she used to say.,"eat all your carrots and you will be able to see the fairies   dark.!
I have always enjoyed vegetables.  
There are a few I do not like, but i love and enjoy eating nearly all of them.
My dear mother, was, as our family always said.  An excellent cook.
She enjoyed cooking good wholesome healthy meals.   She was Into all this "Eating correctly" before all the diet books and cooking channels came onto the TV. What was healthy and what was not.
She had learnt it all from my grandmother. And so passed it on.
My cuisine here at home..is pretty international.   I like to vary , it makes food and cooking interesting.


For more than a year now. I have not bought red meat.   I eat white meat now and again..Chicken or Turkey steaks..fish and seafood.  All accompanied with some sort of veggie , weather cooked or in a salad.
I don't call myself a vegetarian , as i do eat dairy products, and once in a while I will have the odd piece of red meat..but i seem to be eating less and less.

There are so many alternatives to eating red meat.   I feel much healthier.

We all know what nutritious values vegetables give us.    Some full of vitamin C,others with A, others with B, and so on.  Adding to all this.. nuts, beans .. and of course.  Not to forget the boost to our immune system.

Do you like vegetables!  And what is your favorite soup.


Happy Wednesday

val