Today it was the first day of activities extra school after two weeks at home. I miss him so much. I sigh every second and think of him every moment. He is all cheered up there, most probably, with million things to tell when I go and pick him up in school.
But there's no doubt, the house seems so empty...
I don't remember for how long I've been keeping these fabrics. They are pieces with which I made rag dolls, samples of curtains, flounces, bars, ribbons and some other stuff. I don't know what to do with them but I can't throw them away either. Some have already been useful to nail some bars to the cupboard shelves. It's so beautiful, so homemade, so cozy.
My rags. They are relics. Linen. The oldest I know. Pieces given by my mother, given to her by grand-mothers. I'm almost afraid of touching them, afraid to loose the magic under my hand's touch. But I haven't lost the hope of loosing this fear and doing, just as a begining, a small table cloth with crochet around it. White. All in white, one of my favorite colors, because the white gives color to the other colors and goes well with all of them.
Who hasn't got a fabric like this, patched by a grand-mother or an old aunt? That's incredible how they could do this. It's an art. And the truth is that I feel richer by heaving them, pieces of old linen, which origin nobody is certain of, but they will certainly tell many stories. This was a good Sunday, don't you agree?
I couldn't resist taking such green photos, today. So are my surroundings. I live in a privileged place. Quiet, nice, green and flowery. There are so many flowerbeds around here. The gardener, a very nice, speedy and talkative man, takes very good care of the area. The residents also have lots of vegetation in their balconies. It's so beautiful. We have a neighbor that I suppose she has a tremendous disgust by not living in the country side. She has so much vegetation in her balcony: vases with flowers, a pine tree, an olive tree, a lemon tree and something else that I couldn't identify. The funny thing is that it's nice to see it, since everything is proportional to the balcony's dimension. It's a very good place, this one where I live.
My father-in-law was so excited to give me this chilly plant to put in my balcony. I was a little bit upset. A flat is a flat, not the country-side. The truth is that this plant seemed to like the balcony. It has already grown up, I had to change it to a larger vase and it even flourished. The next stage, according to him, is to bear fruit. Is it? I can't wait to know if the next photo of this plant will have some little red things on it. It's good to make more homemade chilly, since my husband finds those we buy in supermarkets like ketchup. He even changes his color with this one!
I use to make a desert very often. Today, Sunday, I could not miss it. Sweet Potatoes Filhós (similar to a Donut, typical from Portuguese Christmas). It seems a little bit heavy for the summer, with temperatures above 35º, but I decided to do it in the same way. It's not much sweet. I even can say that the only sweet it has is the mixture of sugar and cinnamon that covers it. Delicious.
My son was caught in the act. He stole one and cracked it immediately. We ate almost all of them after lunch! I still don't know if it was the desert or anything else, he spent the day asking how much time it is until Christmas. He's like his mother. We both love this season and everything that has to do with it. I checked the calendar today. Christmas Day is on a Saturday this year, wich will make my life difficult since I will work on Christmas' Eve. I will do myself damndest to make all the sweets and our traditional King Cake. Yuppie! It's hard-working but it's a pleasure! It is kneading, beating, mixing, working with arms and hands, getting tired and sweating in the winter. But the result is amazing, after that. A King Cake made and decorated by me. Well, what am I doing? We are in August, time for the beach, the swimming-pool, the river or any fresh puddle. It's great to have all the seasons of the year. Let's enjoy them while we have them.
My liqueurs showcase.
This one is the Tangerine Liqueur. It was made with green tangerines, which gives it a special but not unpleasant tang.
This one, according to S., almost an expert on this matter, is my masterpiece. That's why I show two photos of it here. In fact, it is very good. Pennyroyal Liqueur. A menthol, different flavor. Unique, according to him.
This one is the Fig Tree Leaves Liqueur. Very good too. It's a little bit thick due to the evaporation of the alcohol, which brings out the sugar content. It was made with the leaves of this fig tree, three years ago.
Coffee Liqueur.
Orange Liqueur. Nice.
Pineapple Liqueur. It was made with an old brandy to give it a special flavor. Although it's equally "powerful", it's mild in taste.
Strawberry Liqueur. Delicious. It's almost in the end. I have to repeat this experience, nest year, when it's the strawberry season. This one has already one year.
This one is not mine. It was made by my mother, 30 years ago! Cherry With Them (it means that the liqueur has the cherries inside the bottle together with the alcohol). This was a very famous liqueur but I've always found it a little bit agressive due to its high content of alcohol. Despite that, I admit that the passing time has given it a special taste, maybe an exquisite taste.
"Hey aunt, you still have some brown hair behind here!" They are such a dear, aren't they? I love my nieces. But I have to find someone else to respect my khans. If this wasn't told with innocence and with that air of who is happy to confirm that someday, in fact, I had brown hair (!), they would go without dinner.
