A Creative Spirit
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 →
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 →
Piglet in Portugal 