A Creative Spirit
The prompt for this week's photo challenge is bridge. Unfortunately, after an extensive search through my photos for an inspiring bridge in Portugal, I drew a blank. Will a bridge in Venice suffice? On our first evening in Venice we sat at one of these tables sipping wine while watching the Gondoliers at work. It... Continue Reading →
A poem dedicated to my Fitbit. I have a trusty Fitbit it likes to keep me trim It puts me on the treadmill so walking’s not a whim. Ten thousand steps my daily goal is harder than it seems So I find my feet still walking even in my dreams. Competing with my Fitbit friends... Continue Reading →
On a recent trip back to the UK we found, much to our surprise, driving far more stressful than in Portugal. Okay, you probably don’t get so many crazy drivers taking unnecessary risks, but that is probably due to the fact that most of the UK roads we traveled were nothing more than one long... Continue Reading →
My passion for gardening has now extended to include collecting succulents and cacti so every time I visit a garden centre my first port of call is the succulent and cacti bays. So far choice has been limited as most garden centres and shops sell nigh on the same plants. If anyone knows any specialist... Continue Reading →
Do cats and dogs need us as much as we need them? When I was a child I had two cats both of which were killed on the road. When I lost my first cat I was heartbroken so my parents, in an attempt to soften the loss, bought me a kitten which I named... Continue Reading →
Today I was driving down a very 'wibbly wobbly', twisty narrow road to my mosaic class. Given my knowledge of the road I drive steady. Real steady. I call it the road of Hell or the pathway to Heaven. I always anticipate the unexpected as it is not unusual to drive round a bend to... Continue Reading →
I need some help from my followers, please. As it says on the tin I am 'Revamping My Blog', aka moving the furniture around and giving it a fresh coat of paint. After seven years it's well overdue some TLC. I've tried posting to the WP Community Pool and I've lost the will to live... Continue Reading →
Imagine eating your own home-grown organic cucumbers. Hmmmm... delicious! Why not challenge yourself to grow cucumbers in pots or indeed any container which has adequate drainage. Even if you only have a small garden or sunny balcony give it a try and let me know how you get on. I usually buy about six seedling... Continue Reading →
I was searching through my photographs when I came upon this mystical sunset. The cross was evanescent, fading just as quickly as it had appeared. I still wonder if there was some spiritual significance.
The theme for this week's WordPress photo challenge is Heritage. Thinking of the words 'heritage' and 'Portugal' in the same sentence the first thing that comes to mind is Fado. We were fortunate to see the highly acclaimed Fado singer Mariza in concert in 2010. It is one of those treasured memories that will always... Continue Reading →
Photocredit: Pixababy.com I've just been notified by WordPress it's my seven year anniversary. Have I really been blogging that long? My goodness, how time flies! Unfortunately, due to my admin interests at writingforums.com I neglected my blog and lost touch with my blogging buddies for several years. Now I click through my blogroll and most... Continue Reading →
It's day seven of the WordPress 'Ten Day Poetry' challenge. Today we were asked to write or should I say create a 'Found' poem. What is a Found poem? You may well ask, and I can tell you it is far harder than it looks! From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Found poetry is a type... Continue Reading →
It's day six of the WordPress ten day poetry challenge and my creative enthusiasm is beginning to ebb. Today's challenge is 'enjambment' which (as per the WordPress defintion is Enjambment is all about the arrangement of words on the screen (or page, as the case may be), and how that arrangement affects the pace of... Continue Reading →
It's day five of the WordPress 'Ten Day Poetry Challenge' and I am on a roll. Well, not quite. For today's challenge we were asked to write a Limerick but after several stressful hours of tapping out the rhythm I almost conceded defeat. The Limerick is a far tougher form than it first appeared. Imperfect... Continue Reading →
Day four in the WP Ten Day Poetry Challenge and we are tasked to write a poem which include similes. Always up for a challenge I dedicated this nonsense poem to the humble simile. Why is poetry so exclusive? It’s meaning to Joe Bloggs, elusive, like a crossword of cryptic clues. A jigsaw puzzle in shades of... Continue Reading →
Day three in the WP Ten Day Poetry Challenge and we are tasked to write an acrostic poem. Poetry, Often opaque in delivery Elusive metaphors Tormenting - testing – teasing Readers Yet, sublimely addictive. According to the young writers poetry website An acrostic poem is a type of poetry where the first, last or other letters in... Continue Reading →
When I bought my geraniums at the beginning of March they were healthy and produced lots of repeat flowers. I religiously dead-headed the plants on a regular basis and fed with MiracleGro to encourage growth. and by April the flower stalks had started to rot. I sprayed with a fungal spray but it did not... Continue Reading →
Looking for inspiration and a cure for writing procrastination I decided to accept the WordPress Challenge and write a poem a day for ten days. Okay, I can already hear the footsteps of a herd of elephants in retreat at the mention of the word 'Poetry'. My first attempt is a Tanka. The Prompt: Water... Continue Reading →
WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: this week's challenge is 'Reflecting I was taking a walk though the Portuguese countryside when this reflection caught my attention. Can you see what is missing from the picture that is reflected in the rather large puddle? '
Piglet in Portugal 