Late April from last year

The flowers receive us with joyful and natural colours as we get inside, as they belonged there. We feel at home. It's always good to return.

Looking at the fruit of our work is always a good thing. This centenary iron bucket was tapped to plant petunias, which gladen us with their bright colors and engaging aroma.

Working the land was work that saw the man since the beginning of time. It comforts me to know that this has not changed and that we continue to be given the ability to work and take advantage of it.

Between sowing and harvesting, between plants and flowers and vegetables, we are all enjoying and savoring every moment, vibrating with every victory and thrilling to the beauty, quality and abundance of the land.

These are our first beans in this land.

Our pear tree is here to the pleasure of my little boy, who loves pears since he was a baby and has been asking for us to plant one.

Our first buds, full of promise. 

I understand why they say that green is the color of hope. Anyone doubts?

We can find beauty even in the thorns, teaching us the nature of things in life. Yeah, the beautiful also brings pain, but the good news is that it always teaches us something and helps us grow. That's the beauty of it...

We only can see this beauty by looking up, from which comes the relief and the ability to enjoy all that comes to us and give thanks in everything that affects us.

For now it is time to be thankful for what we have, for what we are given and all this simplicity that fills and satisfies us.

And I leave you today with drops of the rain that fell down on us on that day. This rain that insisted in not letting us enjoy a proper springtime last year, but a rain that made me think that the water is so necessary to our survival, which helps me to be thankful for every drop that falls. Because it falls with a purpose. Like everything in life.

With this rain, I wish you all a great week full of faith!

An afternoon of agriculture and discoveries

This was a day to put our faith into practice once again, placing the product on earth and trusting that the water will arise when it's necessary to make it grow, even if at the moment this is a scarce resource.

The appeal of the earth is stronger than the fear, so faith won and I took the hoe and my farmer baker boy took the blade.

We made holes in the ground, all on a trial and primary basis due to the lack of the necessary tools. But they did not lack. The idea was just to open a small hole to see what the earth can give us. We opened nine, where potatoes, tomatoes and beet seed were placed.

Also inside we made the multiplication of beauty. I never resist the wild flowers!

I imagine what this path that leads to the road will be within a few time. Who has seen it and who sees it now... So different and so pretty.

It started as a bush savannah and it was then tamed by my farmer baker boy, who cleaned and lined it with stones.

Then came the first plants to flank it. All without spending money. Plants from here and there, brought from home and given by friends. For now it is a path of plants trying to survive. What will it be within some time when daisies, roses, geraniums etc. start to bloom?! This is such a beautiful process, the one of waiting without rush and with an happy expectation.

As we work we notice the wild ducks that fly over us and land in the pond near our place. We went there to lurke.

We saw them resting. Of course, two adults and a child frighten anyone so the family got into the water, "quack quack, let's get out of here, we don't know who they are".
  

There is always lots of beautiful life simmering in a pond. They are the insects, the frogs who jump when we pass by and croak in the evening and much more. I lose myself admiring everything as it was the first time. And it is, in some way...

We say goodbye to the ducklings who cheered us with their presence, and in the way back I found out beautiful flowers, born by the path's side. I suspect that God runs around sowing presents only for me, just to make me happy!

When we returned we had a snack time, always a conforting time, although this time the tea had no sugar because we forgot to buy more!

That's ok. We stay with the memory of an afternoon well spent, full of emotions and activities. And the most important is always what we keep in our minds.

Early April

The sun brights shyly but this doesn´t intimidate me. I wait for this sun, patiently. I know that it will return one of these days to stay for a long time. In the meantime and while it doesn't shine to allow the flowers to bloom I have to pick those wild ones.

I love wild flowers. I love walking through the wet paths and bring inside the colours that the earth gives us with joy.

It fills me with happiness to give some charm to this nook of the caravan. This is what fills my soul when it is so small on some gray days.

There is no growth without pain and self knowledge is a long and difficult road sometimes. It is not easy to find the balance, taking the right decisions is something cloudy sometimes, being a pillar when you're in pieces might be disctructuring.

I don't know if I will reach my way by myself or if I will need help. And if I need it, when shall I find it and where to find it? Questions, so many questions and so few answers for now...

But there is long way to be opened in front of me. It is a slow process, according to my ability and strength. Trusting in God, looking inside and grasping the hand of the next. I will get there! These were my thoughts during a weekend in early April, so this was a good start of the month...

A special snack

Where have I been that I didn't know this wonderful wild flower? My farmer baker boy says that it's very frequent to see it in the countryside. Is it? And I didn't know it?! Unforgivable. But I forgave myself and kept admiring this beauty in ecstasy. Really, I was surrended.

I always feel reluctant when ripping flowers to the earth. Well, but if they are so frequent as he says, maybe there's no harm to bring some to brighten the home, right? I guess so. Because it was wonderful the bliss these flowers brought to our table.

Happiness, that's what nature gives us. Attachment to the simple things that never disappoint us and life is made of full things this way.

Cheering the table of one more special snack, as have been all the snacks of this year.

Reusing everything, everything, The old becomes new and from the almost dead we give a new use  for so long as we can give life to something that was destined for trash.

Until sunset. The ligtht is scarce as the afternoon falls but the days are already bigger by the end of March. We can work until later and the days are enjoyed in a different way, enjoying the outdoors, the free air, the games, the projects and the dreams. And long live the great days!

Sighing for Spring

We all sighed for the Spring to come by the end of March. Suddenly it came in the form of an almost Summer but it was for a short time because Winter returned quickly again leaving us with the sweet memories of nice sunny days. Happy days those when we joined together playing and working near the caravan with my little boy participating in everything.

He participated in all the small planting work, collecting water and burning twigs with full commitment and joy, making me remember my own childhood when I loved to help my parents in the labors of the field.

It was this way that I grew up - between the countryside and the town. And I love that my little boy lives this experience as well learning from both worlds the best he can in order to become a special human being in values and attitudes.

A dirty but happy child entranced by the power of the fire, committed to help loading the cut branches of the trees to the fire. I always heard that the child's work may be rather but those who don't take it are insane. I could see that on that evening since my child gave us his precious help, heager to return on the next day and keep working.

Buckets

No special beautiful photos today. Only one that portrays an afternoon of fatigue and happiness. This day we began to collect the water to fullfill our irragation reservoir. I had to walk to the brook that still run free by this time in the middle of March with one bucket in each hand to fullfill two canisters of 150l each. This way we would have 300l to use in our garden and future vegetable garden. The idea was also to take the rainwater to be conveniently reused in the productive land. My body aches by the lack of habit of walking so many kms with the weight of two buckets of water in every walk but my soul is grateful for such a gift of nature.

Small wonders make a wonderful day

The Flower progresses in beauty. I covered the wall of the right side of the door with floral paper making a cozy entry to those who get in and a joyful view to those who stay in. Both gas hobs are working already and we're planning some wonderful meals here. The skylight is also fixed by this time, middle March. We have lots of projects, all low cost because we're not living good times, besides nature thanks us the sustainability we offer to it. We always leave the caravan with a full soul, surrounded by birdies during the day and the moonlight at night. I keep trying to find all kinds of birds around us there. And I find out, with no surprise, that my patience rate is in its lower levels, which is manifested by the looooong waiting for the birds alight on a  branch of an olive tree or a cork tree. Some are impossible to photograph because they are so fast but they are so funny to be watched. It was because of them that I thought of what God tells us: it´s not worth worrying too much with the problems of life and suffering from anxiety for the day of tomorrow because we are worth much more than the birds and God takes care of them so carefuly - just see them so happy flying and singing, each one in his life and task - wouldn't He take care of us with much more care, we His beloved children? This is when it all seems so simple to me...