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.

Friday 1 November 2013

November

The 1st of November "All saints day" honoring all the saints known and unknown.



Its 9.30am.. A most beautiful Autumn morning .Bright blue skies. Jet planes flying overhead. To mark the feast day for this 1st November.  
"Do a little more each day than you think you can"
"lowell Thomas."




"It is not the strongest of species that survive nor the intelligent, but the one most responsive to change"
"Charles Darwin.
 Garden is going wild with the soaking from the early morning dew, and the  lovely warm sun during the day. How I wish it looked like this during our hot summer months.      

The yellow flowers are starting to show again.

Thinking of my dear Mother and Father today.  Unfortunately .. I have to look for a photo of my dear mother.. My children are always taking photos away.
Me and dad 2002,, Vilamoura. Algarve.
My father was born in 1915 and passed away in 2004.  I used to love sitting on his knee, and him telling me stories of when he was young.  I owe so much to him. He always told me to look forward. dont look back. Be happy, always be thankful.  He woke smiling and went to bed smiling.  
I miss them both very much.  To me they were both saints.



Wishing you all a very Happy 1st of November ..All saints day.


Our annual fair opened this morning, until sunday night.  So its off to the fair for me later.


Val







24 comments:

  1. Happy Saints day to you too Val. I love that you regard your parents as saints too, such a lovely tribute to them. I like the Lowell Thomas quote and it's certainly something for me to think about. Have great fun at the fair and enjoy your weekend.
    Hugs Patricia x

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  2. Lovely weather for a day at the annual fair - enjoy yourself. What lovely words you have written about your dear mother and father, sharing some special memories you have of your father .

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  3. Your dad taught you so many good things, Val. I love this picture of you and him.

    You know, there are a few Saints that are special to me, but my most beloved one is St. Jude. My son bought me a candle of St. Jude, and sometimes I light it and just sit there for awhile appreciating it. I really like the "change" quote, and aaahhh, those red roses.

    Have a peaceful and nice weekend, Val. Happy November!

    Love,
    ~Sheri

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  4. Happy All Saints Day to you. My Daughter is like that about pictures. She loves taking them with a camera and from my photo book. I am just glad she is interested in our family pictures.

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  5. Happy November my dear Val :)

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  6. Nice memories there - and Happy All Saints day - is it a holiday to be happy about - I thought it was to remember our lost loved ones? sandie

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  7. November has come around quickly. It is so nice to remember your parents with such love and pride.
    Hope you enjoy/ed the fair. Lots of Spring fairs around here at present.
    Betty

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  8. Happy November dear Val!!
    So sweet memories from you parents!
    I miss my mum too!!
    Have a lovely weekend!
    Dimi...

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  9. All Saints Day is one of my favourite church festivals and I really appreciated your loving tribute to your parents, especially your father. Enjoy the fair.

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  10. In France November 1st is called “La Toussaint” and is a public holiday. November 2nd is considered the Day of the Dead but since it is not a holiday, the custom is for people to go to the graves of their families on November 1st to place flowers, mostly chrysanthemums. In olden days La Toussaint used to be a religious holiday but it has become a secular day really as people from all religions in France, including Muslim, go on that day to place flowers on the graves. I don’t think they have that custom here in the US. Thanks for coming to my blog. Please send the link to your daughter. It must have been a lot of fun to go on the journey she did.

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  11. Hello dear Val

    this is such a beautiful post

    You have found my new blog I've just seen the lovely comment you wrote there.
    An easy way to access it must be to put in on your list. Otherwise I don't know how.

    I am wishing you a relaxed Sunday

    love, always xoxoxo
    demie

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  12. You always have the nicest blog posts Val and this one is no exception. No we don't have the All Saints Day celebration in the US. What a treat it would be if you could posts photos from the fair! Love the sentiments you express about your parents. I feel the same way about mine too! Have a lovely week!

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  13. I know what you mean...I sure miss my Dad. We always will. I hope you got to go the fair and have fun. I like the quote 'Do a little more...'. I told my hubby it was for him! He always tries to do so much each day. Sweet hugs!

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  14. Dear Val, I believe your parents would be so proud to read this and they look lovely on the photo! They made you a happy person too - after all you are a combination of them! I went to Lucerne and visited my Dad's grave. My mum is still very sad after all these years - for me he is in my heart - I will never forget him - he was a wonderful and caring father. Your roses are still so wonderful and blooming! Take care, Christa

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  15. Belated wishes for All Saints Day, Val. (I have been away - just catching up on posts). What a beautiful tribute to your parents, and a perfect day to remember them. I hope you had fun at the fair. xxx

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  16. Wishing you blessed days in November Val, all your pics are lovely and very inspirational as always. Shell - A Darlings Nest

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  17. Val, why aren't your posts showing up on my blogger list??? I have to manually find you...any idea????...:)JP

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  18. My dearest Val ,so many lovely memories from your parents ! I hope that you are well and you have good time ! I see something that I think is from a very good friend of you ....Have I right or I make mistake ??

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  19. What a great father you had. Waking up smiling and going to bed smiling- that is beautiful! I'm glad you got the rain you needed and everything is beautiful for you. I am wishing you a wonderful week!

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  20. Sorry to hear you have had blogging problems. Hope they will soon be sorted out and everything is OK with the family,
    Sarah x

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  21. Hi Val. Looking at the date on this post, I can't believe I haven't been in touch. Time does get away from us all, but that is no excuse. I was thinking of my dad on Nov. 1 also.. It was his birthday and he would have been 101. Can you imagine?! Hope all is well, I see from the above message you have been having computer problems. Hope you are able to get it back to rights soon. I will talk to you later..Judy

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  22. Hi Val, me again. I just noticed that I didn't answer your question about the pink coffee filter wreath. I'm sorry if I mislead you but I don't use a flash. The one from my particular camera seems to be so bright and glaring. I just turn on all the lights in the room and count on them for light, but sometimes it doesn't turn out right. The wreath is in the library and being a inside room there is no natural light in there. The wreath is made out of the unbleached filters so it is a light brown color, but in the lighting it does look a little pink. But I do know that some have dyed the filters using Rit dye so you could probably make a pink one. Hope this answers your question..Happy Wednesday..Judy

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  23. Oh, my goodness, Val! Just saw that your posting does not work! Just a few minutes ago I tried to find your blog but couldn't and by accident I saw on Sarah's blog that you are having problems! If I can do something for you - let me know! I am missing you! Christa

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