It's Spring or what?

Spring here is very reluctant. Sometimes looks like it's coming in full force and then there comes the rain again.
Look at that!

Even so, I feel already that nesting instinct I have in the begining of Spring. I feel I want to clean, to tidy up, to do some gardening...

Some days ago I found in the market these nice flowers. Aren't they beautiful?
Well, time to stop dilly dalling in the internet. Back to homemaking.
See you tomorow.

To do

Aren't they beautiful? I have a passion for this plants and have a lot of them. I found those ones for sell and it's a pitty it doesn't show properly the exact colour here.

Now, thinking of homemaking.

I have a lot to do, begining with emptyimg the dishwasher and refill it.

Shine the stove.
If you are thinking on what is that in the middle I say: it's a grill, also in need of a good cleaning.

Empty the washer machine. I'd like to put the clothes on the line but I don't know if I can. It has rained so much. Maybe it's better to dry it in the machine. Mine is both things, washer and dryer.

Clean the microwave. Not much in need but I always give it a good clean every saturday.

Vacuum. Mmmm... Looks like the vacuum machine needs a cleaning itself.

Clean and tidy the cupboars.

Prunning some of my plants.

See the plants behind? They do need some work.

Make some bread?
Well, so many thing to do, these and a lot of others.
It's so good to be at home and do homemaking.

Where is Spring?

Looks like it was Christmas yesterday and we are already heading for Easter.
I like it very much. Looks like all the nature praises Our Lord.
Well, not yet. The Winter has been quite strong. It's always raining and it's cold.
I wouldn't mind if the rain stopped for a while so I can do a bit of gardening and dry my clothes on the line.
I do like Winter and cold but I think I need a bit of sun.
I've been looking in other blogs and many are making the same complaints. Where are the signs of Spring?
Let's be patient and wait a bit more.
Image above: Christmas pudding and custard we had last Christmas.
Here: pictures of past Easter.

Hello there

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

I'm missing you a bit so I just came here to say hello.

Madeira Island

I'm always talking about Madeira Island and how beautiful it is.

Now I must say they were hit by a catastrophe yesterday. Until now, 38 people died because of heavy rain and mudslides. By what I saw in television this morning, 250 people were missing. It's devastation everywhere. Looks like an impossible thing to happen because that island is a kind of paradise, everybody says so.

You can see my pictures on Madeira Island here and here.

So beautiful and now it's as we can see in the news. (Also here, here ,here and here).

I hope the can fix it soon.

Rain and sun and some plants

I wonder why, these flowers where light pink when I bought the plant, as you can see here.

Now they turned white. Later on, some new ones were born and they are pink. They are so beautiful, a way or another, good to brighten our day.
We are now having sun and rain. I was so pleased to see a lot of sun when I woke up and then a big rain fall down. Now is sun again. I hope it stays because I have plans to do some gardening

and wash a lot of clothes.
Let's see how the day goes.

A bit of pink

Today it's raining a lot. The same yesterday. It's gloomy and cold. I like the rain, as everybody knows, but I must say, I need some sun. As I'm at home today - yeeees! - I planed to do a lot of things. No. I'm doing just some little things. I feel I want to seat and read.

Mum need to rest too, said my 10 yo girl. Yes. I'm tired.

Well, to brighten a bit the day, I thought about posting some pictures of my flowers.

They don't mind the cold. Looks like it's always spring, around here. I'm dreaning with a bit of snow but n0thing happens.

That's ok. Maybe the snow would burn the flowers.
Pretty, aren't they.
See you tomorow, maybe.

Carnival and Valentines Day

We are in carnival days.

I don't like it.

When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to make me nice clothes for these days: a fairy, a ladybird, a butterfly...So many nice things.

Now I don't like it and I always make the effort to dress the girl that is in the first years at school because it's required that they are dressed for carnivals ' friday. So my little one was a stawberry. I would like to show you but since I decided not to post their faces in the internet, I can't.

Carnival will go untill tomorow, the last day, followed by Ashes Wedensday with fasting. Because here most people say they are catholics but they don't even know what is to be a catholic, most people don't fast. I do. If any catholic is reading this I say: have courage and fast. It's good for your soul. God doesn't need our fasting but we do. We need to fast for our sins.

...

On Valetines Day.

It was not a thing of our culture but shops thought it was a good way of making some more money and began to fill the shops of valentines things and now everybody buys them.

First it was nothing for me buy when I married an englishman it became a bit important .

So, yesterday my husband gave the beautiful chocolate box you can see.

Pitty I couln't take a nice picture but it will give one idea of the beauty.

He invited my parents to lunch with us.

Camembert, Stilton and Cheddar

Looks like a turkey, so big it is

Roast potatoes and parsnips

Can you see the steam?

Apple crumble. The apple made by me and the crumble by my 8 years old girl.

Coconut cake, given by my mother.

It was such a good day.

From Madeira Island

My husband gave me.
He went to Madeira Islans and come back with these beauties to me.
Aren't they beautiful?

Read about Madeira Island here and here.

6 years old

I'm very sorry to not going to visit blogs as I would like. Between working outside, taking the girls to schools - each one in a different school - taking the big one to the station so she will take the train everyday to university in Lisbon, shopping and homemaking, there's not much time left.

...

Last sunday it was my little girl birthday. She is now 6, praise the Lord.

We invited a lot of friends from her school and they were very happy here, eating, playing and seeing a movie.

She likes so much Kitty from Hello Kitty that I ordered a cake with it on and most friends gave her present related to Kitty.

Even the napkins and paper glasses had her on them.

She was very pleased.