A Creative Spirit
When I was young it was called graffiti now it's moved upmarket and is called Street Art or Murals. At least it has given some artists an outlet to display their work. A few years ago I was walking down a side street in Lagos on the Western Algarve and happened upon this larger than... Continue Reading →
There is a new addition to the disabled and mother and baby parking bays. Or maybe it's always been there and I've never noticed. There is now designated parking close to the entrance of the store for people with walking disabilities. (At least that is what I think the sign means). Fourteen months after injuring... Continue Reading →
Nearly a year after starting my 'tree of life' aka 'tree of patience' mosaic picture, it is finally finished! The substrate for the base was clear glass and the printed picture beneath acted as a rough template. I cut each piece of stained glass to shape before gluing into position. Many hours, days and even... Continue Reading →
Growing succulents and cacti has become my passion. Unfortunately for the plants in my care, I am still relatively new to the sport so have much to learn with watering being the biggest challenge, until now! Imagine my despair when I discovered my prize Crested Eve's Needle (Austrocylindropuntia subulata f. cristata) was covered in a scaly... Continue Reading →
The Rota Petisco (Tapas/snack route) starts on the 4th October through to the 4th of November. There are 277 participating establishments along the Algarve. So wherever you are located (from Odeceixe in the west to Odeleite in the east) you have no excuse not to participate. Each establishment will have a set snack + drink... Continue Reading →
On one of our many visits to see our French grandchildren we went to the picturesque town of Annecy in the Rhone-Alpes region of southeast France. If you've never been, I can thoroughly recommend it. The scenery is stunning and the historic old town reminds me of Venice. Anyway, I digress. My pet peeve, on... Continue Reading →
Have you ever felt grounded in the daily groove like a bicycle trying to escape from a deep tyre rut on an unmade road? The rut of random puddles and hidden potholes sucks you in and throws you off balance. You keep pedaling but to no avail. You are the tyre stuck in the rut.... Continue Reading →
I am usually not too squeamish when it comes to insects, but snakes... ewww... Natrix_natrix_(Marek_Szczepanek).jpg Last week, I was walking in the garden at the side of the house when a snake, about 1.5m long, slithered onto the path in front of me. I froze in terror as it reared up and then zig-zagged towards... Continue Reading →
About eighteen months ago I was given a small, insignificant looking cactus. I had no idea of its name until I stumbled across a facebook discussion group for 'cacti and succulent' enthusiasts. One of the members had posted a photograph of the plant (no flowers) and was trying to identify. I immediately had an 'aha'... Continue Reading →
Upcycling vs. Recycling For some reason I'd always assumed (ass-U-me) that anything we 'reused', rather than throw in the garbage, was recycling; apparently not. Upcycling is reusing an item, such as the plastic crate pictured below, and creatively using it for something else. While recycling is taking items made of plastic, metal, paper etc. to... Continue Reading →
Today is day one of NaPoWriMo so I will start the month with a fun poem. (Please don't worry, I wont be posting a poem to my blog EVERY day for a month. I will share them on our NaPoWriMo forum). Thirty in Thirty! De clock is a-ticking and NaPo’s begun so engage dem braincells,... Continue Reading →
Calling all poets. Wherever you live, April is National or Global Poetry month. Can you write 30 poems in 30 days during April? Why not join us on on our NaPoWriMo forum for moral support? Register now on WritingForums.com. See you there!
Last September I injured my knee, so after months of pain I finally consulted with an orthopedic specialist who organised an MRI scan and X-ray. The diagnosis: I had a ruptured meniscus, tendonitis, arthritis and a crack in my knee bone. Ouch! I consoled myself with the fact there are people far worse than myself... Continue Reading →
In the Western Algarve growing strawberries in January is relatively easy. Dare I say we do not have ground frost and temperatures can reach a high of 18c during the day and from between 2C to 12C at night. I have found the best method of growing strawberries during the winter months is in containers... Continue Reading →
One of my pet peeves is the straw flowers they add to cacti. Not only is it cruel to stick a sharp stick into the flesh of the cacti it is misleading to the unsuspecting buyer. This is one of the first cacti I purchased and I was not aware such a practice existed. It... Continue Reading →
In my quest to use as many natural products in the garden as possible I consulted Google and found this informative article by Backyard Boss who kindly gave me permission to repost some of the article here. WHAT ARE EPSOM SALTS? To begin, I should probably explain what Epsom salts are. Epsom salts are... Continue Reading →
When you drive from Lagos along the N125 towards Sagres, after about 20 km, you will discover the most amazing and probably one of the best selections of pottery on the Algarve. It is the second pottery shop on the left-hand side just before Vila Do Bispo. You can't miss it It's easily recognizable as... Continue Reading →
I have a delightful new addition to my cacti/succulent family. It was a present from some dear friends who attended the Mediterranean Garden Show in the Eastern Algarve. They know I love quirky, so they bought me quirky. Thank you *big smilie face* After thanking them for the gift I asked them for the name... Continue Reading →
Hibiscus are my favourite plants (shrubs) because they are SO easy to grow and reward me with an abundance of beautiful flowers throughout the year. I began experimenting as to the best method of propagating hibiscus from cuttings a couple of years ago when the cost of buying plants in Portugal rose significantly. I’m talking... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 