CHANGES

I have been trying and trying to make this blog work the way I wanted to...but the more I twinkled with it the less I liked it and so I worked on making all over on a new blog... so follow me on This'n That...Chez Ilona!!... Hope to see you there!

winter days!!

Well it seems that winter arrived for us, after an unusual warm fall!!  Days have been cold, nights even colder and all we want is stay under warm blankets and all the goods things we do on these days, watch movies, linger with family and talk, the obvious hot chocolate and food!!! Days have been beautifully sunny, so not so bad!
I'm still working on my blog, haven't yet arrived to what I want!! and learning how to do this html stuff!!

But you are invited to go and visit my follows!!! these ladies are wonderful and they have beautiful things... I'm also preparing an album with the pics of the gorgeous flowers in my garden and etc...

Thank you for dropping by!!



 

Manacá

The picture you see, the 1st blooming of a tree we planted!
This is a native tree of the Brazilian Mata Atlântica, this forest used to follow the eastern shore in the coast. Today the forest survived in some areas where it has been preserved by environmental laws. The Manacá tree is abundant where I live, and this specific tree was planted in our property! Isn't it gorgeous? The forest is speckled with it's flowers at this time of year, it's fall for us, and in contrast to beautiful blue skies it paints a beautiful painting to wake up to!

almost over

...well it ssems I am almost getting there finally!! formatting has so many variables, if you mess with one you have to mess with another, and on and on...but I wan't to make it pleasant to the eye ... can't believe how the screen has bothered my eyes as of late!! my glasses don't help at all.... and I don't even need reading glasses... anyway...will soon be onto more pleasant things!
Today was a holiday, Corpus Christi,.... a catholic country with catholic holidays of course!... long weekend... São Paulo almost becomes a  ghost town... not quite... impossible with 12 mil people if not more by now! so it was a lazy day for lots of people, and I have spent the last few days setting up my blog... never worked with html.... completely new language... but am getting the hang of it!
As I was setting up my blogging list I marvelled at the creativity and meticulous work of some of you that I have followed! So many beautiful places on your vacations and working nooks; so many gorgeous needle work!  But sorry you all... I have to say that my Hungarian friends, if you will let call you that, have "fairy hands" as we say it in Portuguese!   I learned my first tricks watching anuyka, mom, do her work.  When she 1st arrived in Brazil after WWII coming from a displaced persons camp in Klagenfurt, AU, she didnt speak Portuguese and needed to make a living, and needlework was her start! And for those of you who don't know that, European women have a long tradition in needle work, and the Hungarians prized in the intricate emboidery of men and women's apparel.  I love to see the long capes the shepheards used to cover from the bitter cold in the plains!
There is a blog in my list that shows  the beautiful Mágyars.  Thank you all for sharing your gorgeous handwork! ou certainly are an inspiration to me!

still working

I am still working on building my blog and formatting it to what I want is giving me some workaround... so please bear with me... hope to get there soon!!

Good reading

As I was searching for some good links for this blog I came across some free downloads from www.deseretbook.com -- they are free for a period of time only, don't know for how long though, so if you are interested in good uplifting and wholesome reading just link in and download free 9 excellent reading materials, download is in pdf.. so read on!

A little bit at a time!

Well, this has been an adventure! so much going on ... I have finally worked a little bit on this blog set up, not quite finished yet, but closer to what I want!

We are just about getting into winter, the flowers you see are the flowers chosen to represent our city. This time of year they bloom all over, with different hues of pink, lavender and purple... from lighter to darker as they bloom... the native Mata Atlântica gets sprinkled with these colors everywhere.  But because I love the change of colors during fall I have planted some maple trees in the property... They are almost naked now... will post some of the blooming at this time.  Brazil has this wonderful quality of having flowers during fall and winter!!! in fact, it seems we have more flowers now then during springtime, and I love flowers, so I've arranged to have flowers blooming all year round and humming birds and others, cute little singing creatures, come to visit and honor with their pretty and joyful singing!  Tucans and wood peckers are around along with different kinds of little parrots and their many different cousins!  And I feel so blessed to have this display of sounds and images all around and all the time... to wake to them is a pleasure!  On this one occasion I was able to count at least 25 or so tucans flying from tree to tree, or little parrots doing just the same!! Tucans a little devils though... they want to eat the other birds eggs... but their colors are magnificent!
Well it's late ... will post more this week!