Show and Tell

Inspired by Mel's post, I decided to show off where I'm headed at Easter weekend. No guessing game, though. As usual, we go up to the hills, heading north to the town where my parents live, right on the Spanish border. One of the great Easter traditions here in the north of Portugal includes going house to house in a quasi procession, led by the priest holding the crucifix. After the priest says somes prayers and blesses the house, villagers and family members kiss the cross and then greet the hosts of the house, wishing them well for the year, before running off to another house to repeat the same ritual. Needless to say that this involves high alcohol consumption so, as my parents' house is the very last one, it's always good fun watching the priest trip over his robes or muddling up the prayers. I have to say, I'm not big on the whole religious part of it, nor do I find it hygienic to be kissing a cross covered in all those germs, normally we just pretend to kiss it, but I do like to keep up traditions that are part of our heritage.

Here you can see the priest and his aides heading off for the the next house.

Here we have the town church, behind the centre square, where you can find an underground museum with Roman ruins



This is the old jail house that has been transformed into a wine cellar, promoting the local white wine.

To see what the rest of the class is showing and telling, check out Mel's Show & Tell.

Show & Tell: Spring Blooms

I have to admit I'm cheating here. This post was published yesterday to celebrate the beginning of Spring and I'm back today editing it for Show & Tell. Does that disqualify me?

A few weeks ago I showed off my magnolias, the very first blooms in my garden hinting that Spring was near. Well, Spring is now here in all its beauty, having Mother Nature created a piece of heaven in my garden. I look around and I see perfection. All of nature's elements in perfect harmony. The colours, the scents the sounds are my source of inspiration.

Here we have jasmine creeping along the porch. My husband says I need to trim it otherwise it will be inside the house pretty soon. It's a pity I can't capture its scent in this photo. It is said that the jasmine fragrance is associated wth inner feelings, purifying the emotions and relieving melancholy.

All I have been is pollen dusted,
oh the wisteria sweet
kissing deep,
till I feel the promise of fertile,
drooping fat on a vine
petals that promise nothing,
but hint at all.
(Wisteria Woman by Lisa Shields)

My wisteria was the very first flower to be planted in my garden. I was lying underneath this lilac canopy to take the photo while bees were buzzing away around my head, kind of telling me to get lost.

I don't know what these are called but they have an extra-special place in my heart. My mother brought these cuttings from my grandmother's garden when I moved into this house. My grandmother passed away many years ago but I have some wonderful childhood memories of summers spent in Portugal with her. She passed on to all of us her love for nature.

As you've probably guessed , hues of purple are predominant in my garden. My little guy loves this flower and he is the one that tends to this strip of the garden. I'm so pleased that he shares my passion for all life forms in our garden.

This is my piece of heaven. With these colours, sounds & scents I could not wish for more.

To see what the rest of the class is showing and telling, check out Mel's Show & Tell.

Show & Tell - And a year later...

...I'm still around in the blogosphere. Who would have thought? Those who know me well enough must find it strange that I've stuck to this blog for a whole year, albeit on & off, but still hanging in there. Journaling is really not my kind of thing.

"We read to know we are not alone"
C.S. Lewis

Infertility was the loneliest and most painful journey of life and only after conquering it did I realise how many other travellers there were out there. Thanks to Mel at Stirrup's, I have discovered that I am not alone, that others have walked or are walking the IF Camino. My blog has been the vehicle used to navigate the land of IF. I reached my destination 8 years ago, with the birth of the little guy, but the walk continues so that others may know that they are not alone.

Some say that infertility makes you a better person. I don't know about that. But if I am a better person, it is probably from reading all those amazing ALI blogs, - my source of inspiration, with so many lessons learnt. I am honoured to be part of this community.

My little guy insisted on adding this picture to the post. I couldn't refuse the request as he was the photographer today.

To see what the rest of the class is showing and telling, check out Mel's Show & Tell.

Show & Tell: Kyoden Tenugui

A friend of mine just got back from Japan and brought me back this beautiful Kyoden Tenugui, which I've already framed and is hanging on the wall of my study. My friend took the picture above to explain the print on my tenugi (click on the picture to read), as he knows how passionate I am about theatre.

Along with this tenugui, I've ordered a wonderful book (recommended by my friend) that I can't wait to read. Unfortunately, no time right now, so I'm leaving it for the Easter break when I'll be able to really enjoy it.

http://harvardpress.typepad.com/hup_publicity/2007/01/manga_from_the_.html

To see what the rest of the class is showing and telling, check out Mel's Show & Tell.

Show & Tell

Today I've decided to show off my magnolias. This tree has an extra-special meaning for me. It was planted around the time I was doing IVF #3 that would lead to the birth of my little guy. We had just moved into the new house and I had my heart set on getting a magnolia tree. But everyone kept telling me how delicate they were and that it wasn't the best time of year for planting them. But turning a deaf ear to all the green-thumb counselling, I went ahead with the plan and came home one day with a wee plant, that I nourished and cared for. Around that same time, I also came home one day with a wee life form that had been planted inside my womb. Both have grown and blossomed into masterpieces that fill my life with beauty and love.

I'd like to offer each one of my blogger friends a (virtual) flower from my tree as a symbol of my appreciation for their patience during my disappearing acts. I feel like the prodigal daughter returning home. It was a difficult month and much has happened that caused me some grief, but I'll post about that at a later date. Thank you for still being out there.

To see what the rest of the class is showing and telling, check out Mel's Show & Tell.

PS: That creeping plant by the stairs is my beautiful jasmine, which has just started budding. In no time the beautiful scent will invade our house, followed by the wisteria, which is on the other side.

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Aos meus leitores portugueses,

Eis a minha magnólia que anuncia com as suas lindas flores a chegada da primavera. Esta árvore foi plantada durante a minha última FIV. Na mesma altura em que cheguei a casa com a árvore ainda bebé, uma outra vida era plantada no meu ventre. Ambas floresceram enchendo a minha vida de beleza, fazendo o meu coração transbordar de amor. A minha magnólia, que foi plantada fora de época, e o meu Zezé, que nasceu quando já não acreditava em milagres, são a prova viva de que a vida é sempre capaz de nos surpreender. Vai uma flor para cada uma de vós.

Show and Tell: The Mona Lisa Smile

One of the great mysteries of my life: how I managed to smile in this picture. And it's not a fake smile, it really is the genuine thing. And it really looks like I'm happy here, doesn't it? Well, this was taken 8 years ago on a trip home to Canada during one of the most painful times of my life. I had lost my second tube after another ectopic pregnancy (loss #4) and I was getting ready for IVF #3, my last shot at pregnancy before closing that chapter of my life. It wasn't a time when I had much to smile about. To be honest, I spent most of the time crying that year. All my hope was lost and I was starting to face the fact that there was a childless future in store for me. Life works in mysterious ways. Little did I know that I would actually have a lot to smile about.

This was taken in Niagara Falls, with the falls in the background, and we were on our way to the casino where I actually made quite a bit of money. The gorgeous hunk on the right is my husband (and the world's worst cook) and the hunk on the left is my sweet uncle Armie who I absolutely adore and is a wonderful cook. My uncle surprised me by inviting a group of my closest friends to join us on that weekend trip. He's such a wonderful person and he went out of his way to make sure I did a lot of smiling that summer. I think he actually saved my life! Believe me, it wasn't a time when I felt I had much to live for.

BTW, it's a scanned photo so not great quality. But it's the smile that counts.

To see what the rest of the class is showing and telling, check out Mel's Show & Tell.

Show and Tell

I'm cheating this week. This is from a post I published some weeks ago. Tomorrow is back to school for my son and I wanted to show one of his masterpieces, the art critic being his mom, of course.

Last year in school, as part of his end-of-year test (can't understand why 1st graders actually need to be tested, but that's material for another post), he was asked to illustrate his interpretation of life. If you ask me, that's a pretty heavy-duty topic for a 6-year-old with hardly any life experience. Anyhow, I think he came up with a magnificent depiction of life's treacherous ways through a maze. Ok, I know, I'm his mom and I think everything he does is wonderful. But just bear with me here.

You have to start at the top left, where you find a little pink fish (actually, facing the wrong direction) that has to find his way through the maze to get to the pond because fish can't survive out of water. Along the way he has to collect "suns" and avoid the "storms". I asked him why there so many suns and so few storms and he said that's just how life is (the naivety of children). He said the fish will also find lots of other beautiful things throughout his journey - a castle full of treasures, love, balloons (celebrations).

My son is a very logical thinker and practically all his pictures involve mazes or some sort of problem-solving task, not always obvious to the observer. It's a personality trait. He loves chess, chinese checkers, monopoly & any type of strategy game. His teacher gave him a "C" for this picture because she couldn't understand it without his explanation and the picture had to be crystal clear. Excuse me, but what do you expect when you give kids a topic like this? She wanted something more along the lines of a house, trees, birds, flowers, etc.

I told my son not to worry because I was ever so proud of the creativity put into this thought-provoking drawing.

Show and Tell

My guys are always complaining about how lazy I am when it comes to walking. It's the absolute truth! I'm embarrassed to say that I will get into my car to drive up the street for a coffee at the corner cafe. Well, today, even though I was feeling crappy because of my cold, I decided to go with them for a walk in one of my favourite places - the grounds of the Monastery of Tibães. The monastery was founded in the 11th century and in the 16th century the monks of the Order of Saint Benedict took over. The gardens and the woods around the monastery are absolutely breathtaking. Visitors can choose from two walks, the short walk or the long walk. Well, guess which one I normally go for? Yup! Always the short one! But today I got up my courage and decided to risk it (yes, because I'm sick) and went the long way round. And we're talking uphill. Funny enough, it did me good. I think the fresh air and the dampness were exactly what I needed. Here are some photos I took along the way:

The walk begins here.


Losing my nerve. A peek back at the monastery. Humm...


Ok, I didn't turn back. Still a long way to go, though. A quick stop to catch my breath.

Just about to chicken out. All those steps to climb.


Exit to the right. I made it!

Update: Just noticed that the cheeky little bugger made his way into one of the photos. Can anyone spot the little guy?

Show and Tell: Infertility Stamp

Actually this a community "Show & Tell". Last year our association entered a competition in the Portuguese Postal Service to design a stamp for a cause. One of our members designed this stamp and we were over the moon when it won the competition. A while back ago we discovered that it might just be the first infertility awareness stamp in the world:

Is This the World's First Infertility Postage Stamp?