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.

Monday 1 April 2013

April

Wishing you all a very happy 1st of April. No one around to play jokes on me.. ! maybe one or two of you will have some played on you! 

                                    The sun early this 1st of April morning.  Hoping he will show us some more of his lovely face. It was sure cold outside.
                              We so much need some respite from the rain.   Buds are shooting on my rose bushes.
                                  My lemon tree is thriving.  I thought it might die, as its a grown tree, with some good strong sunny days it will thrive even more,  still has two lemons on it.  You can see the damp on the fencing.
                         planted petunias and fuchias together last week.

  They need some sun now. I put them under the canopy for them not to get so beaten down.

                   ................................................

         "and spring arose on the garden fair
           Like the spirit of love felt everywhere;
           and each flower and herb on earth's dark day breast
           Rose the dreams of its wintery rest"
Percy Bysshe Shelly
Percy Bysshe Shelly.
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There is a beautiful music piece written in 1947 by  "Raul Ferrao" as a fado.
 its called             "Coimbra"
It has been sung and played by musicians from all over the world.
Its known also as  "April in Portugal"..

I tried so hard to get it onto my blogger for you to hear Raul playing this most romantic of musics.
If you have the time.  You might like to hear him playing it on ' You Tube'..    He wrote it the year I was born.

Welcoming you all to April.
May your Monday the 1st of the month.. be a splendid happy one.

...........Val......................

21 comments:

  1. Thank you Val...your words are priceless.
    I'm in pain, as you can imagine.

    have a wonderful April 1.

    i love your photos.
    Love
    Isabel

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  2. Creditas, que eu ainda estou chorar para ti. E um dor tao tao forte.. leve muito tempo.
    I am thinking of you.
    thank you isabel..
    stay strong. xxx

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  3. happy april! happy spring and new growth!

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  4. Hi Val, your rose bushes are farther along than are mine. Much rain here as well. I do want to hear the Raul Ferrao piece you mention; I will go to YouTube and listen. Wishing you a good day and a good week!

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    1. Hello Sanda,
      I am sure that you will enjoy listening to "Coimbra"..April in Portugal..played by Raul Ferrao..
      Thanks for coming over.
      Happy week

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  5. Little by little the colour is coming back to the landscape. I wish you warm sunshine to ripen those two lemons!

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    1. Thank you Pondside.
      Yes, little by little ,slowly but surely the warmer days will come.

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  6. Thank you for your Easter wishes Val. I think you had a lovely time with your family:)
    This is a lovely post. So much promise for the season ahead. I remember the name Coimbra was a town in Portugal. "April in Portugal" is a lovely tune. Thanks for this cheerful post.
    Happy days, Betty

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    1. Thank you Betty.. Easter weekend was lovely. Always more movement, when the grandchildren are around.
      Yes, Coimbra is a town in Portugal.. a beautiful city.
      xx

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  7. Hi Val. Hope your Easter was a good one. Our kids came up and we had a wonderful time. I will post about it tomorrow. Your garden plants are all looking good, so with a little sunshine you will have a beautiful garden this summer. My lilacs are covered with buds so I am very happy about that. Thanks for your kind words..Happy Monday..Judy

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    1. Thank you Judy.. Its just great when our children are around.
      looking forward to seeing your lilacs. I really like them.
      Its still raining on and off. So I cant really get stuck into the garden as I would like.

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  8. Hallo Val!You shure had a lovely time with your family!!
    You have a wonderful garden!!Ι planted some flowers today!Have a lovely week!!Happy April!!
    Dimi..

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    1. Thank you Dimi..
      I try to keep my garden simple..but as i get older, i want to do more.
      Happy april to you too.

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  9. ~ Wishing you an April full of sunshine....Val. Always lovely to see a little spring time in your lovely garden...~ with kind thoughts...Maria x Ooh thank you ever so much for your sweet words and best wishes for my celebrations this week....I will be eating lots of cake! x

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  10. Thank you Maria,
    We do need some someshine.. You there in England , have also had bad weather.
    Hope that your birthday is the best ever..
    happy week
    val

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  11. Despite your rain it looks like you do have a lot of Spring at your door, Val! I'm glad no one played an April Fool joke on you. I was lucky, too, and got through the day without being fooled by anyone!

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  12. Hi Val,
    Hope you have a Happy April! I'm sorry you are getting so much rain but it is nice to see the buds appearing on your roses. I'm glad you had a lovely Easter. I haven't been receiving any updates on your blog and suddenly remembered that you were having problems before I went away. I don't know if this is effecting anyone else too.
    Sarah x

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  13. Happy April too dear Val. Your photos of the garden are lovely and here's hoping for some sunnier days.
    Patricia x

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