Super Lua / Supermoon

No Domingo passado a Lua esteve visível com maior dimensão e brilho mais intenso do que é habitual. Mais precisamente, pudémos observá-la 14% maior e 30% mais brilhante. A explicação deste fenómeno cíclico é simples e quem gostar de saber os pormenores pode encontrá-los aqui. De uma forma resumida, a Lua tem uma órbita elíptica em redor da Terra, pelo que não se encontra sempre à mesma distância do nosso planeta. Adicionalmente, a Terra não se localiza no centro da elipse, mas sim mais perto de um dos lados. Isto faz com que haja alturas em que o satélite se encontre muito mais próximo da Terra (o denominado perigeu, por oposiçaõ ao apogeu, posição em que a Lua se encontra na sua posição mais afastada da Terra).

Claro que este era um acontecimento a mostrar às crianças e por isso mesmo, depois do jantar, pusémo-nos a caminho para ver a lua nascer. E não ficámos desiludidos...

Se quiserem saber quando terão lugar as próximas super luas, podem consultar esta tabela disponibilizada pelo Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa, um site cheio de informações interessantes que já há muitos anos faz parte da minha lista de favoritos.

Eu já anotei a próxima na minha agenda: dia 10 de Agosto de 2014 - lá estaremos!

Last Sunday, the moon could be seen larger and brighter than usual. More precisely, 14% bigger and 30% brighter. The explanation for this phenomenon is simple. Basically, the moon has an elliptical orbit around the Earth, so it isn't always at the same distance from us. In addition, the Earth is not located at the centre of the ellipse, so sometimes the Moon is considerably farther from us and other times considerably closer. The moon’s closest point to Earth is called perigee. A supermoon happens whenever there is a perigee full moon.

Of course we couldn't let this date pass unnoticed so after dinner, we set out with the kids to watch the supermoon rise. And we were certainly not disappointed...

If you want to know when the next supermoon will take place, you can look at this table (it is in Portuguese but easily understandable, I'm sorry but I couldn't find this in English).

I already took note of the next one in my agenda: 10th of August 2014 - we'll be there!

Pescar, desenhar e observar aves no rio Sabor / Fishing, sketching and birdwatching at river Sabor

Sempre que passo um dia no rio Sabor, fico maravilhada com a paisagem, a natureza e o sossego. E penso na sorte que tenho em viver a dois passos de um sítio como este, especialmente quando o comparo com a maioria dos rios europeus, por norma tão artificializados. Infelizmente, o Sabor não será excepção por muito tempo, uma vez que uma grande barragem se encontra já em construção. Sendo a obra mais para juzante, este sítio irá permanecer inalterado, fraca consolação, mas ainda assim...

Houve tempo para fazer um piquenique, desenhar, nadar, pescar e até vimos uma magnífica águia-real (Aquila chrysaetus) a ser perseguida por um peneireiro. A fotografia não está famosa, mas se clicarem nela, ficará maior e será possível observar as manchas brancas que permitem saber que se trata de um juvenil e não de um adulto.

O desenho foi feito com caneta preta à prova de água e aguarelas, e mostra as minhas filhas - uma delas a desenhar e escrever no seu recém-estreado diário de férias (uma ideia de que falei aqui e de que ambas gostaram) e a outra tenta apanhar peixes com o camaroeiro. Havia muito mais para desenhar, mas às vezes apetece mais estar do que fazer. Sabem a que me refiro?

Each time I spend a day at river Sabor I marvel at the scenery, the wildlife and the peace. And I think how lucky I am to live close to a place like this, by comparison with the standard European rivers, most of them heavily modified. Unfortunately, Sabor won't be an exception for long (a big dam is under construction downstream), but at least this spot will remain untouched.


We had time for a picnic, sketching, swimming, fishing and we even watched a magnificent young Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetus) being beaten by a kite! The picture is not amazing, but if you click it to enlarge, you can see the white spots in the plumage that show the bird is a juvenile.

The sketch was made with watecolours and water-proof black ink pen (Uni-ball Eye UB157 Rollerball Pen) and shows my kids - one of them is drawing and writing on her new summer diary (an idea I was thinking about here and they both happened to like) and the other one is trying to catch some fish. There was so much more to sketch. But sometimes, you just feel like being, instead of doing. Do you know what I mean?

Leituras de fim de semana: acerca das férias e das crianças / Weekend Reading: about children and holidays

Com o início das férias escolares, este fim de semana dei comigo a ler uma série de textos, noutros blogs ou sites, em que se falava deste tema, directa ou indirectamente. Trata-se de blogs ou sites que sigo através do Google Reader, mas com a sua desactivação, já daqui a duas semanas, vou ter que arranjar outra forma de o fazer. Provavelmente irei fazê-lo através da “reading list” do Blogger (que contem os sítios da lista da barra aqui do lado direito), mas não vai ser a mesma coisa. Se alguém tiver outras sugestões e quiser deixá-las nos comentários, agradeço.

Mas vamos às leituras:

Gostei muito do texto Frugality and Children, do Trent Hamm, do The Simple Dollar, um sítio que leio com assiduidade, pois gosto da forma simples e prática como fala de finanças, poupanças, gestão do dinheiro e frugalidade, entre outros assuntos. Neste texto, o Trent descreve um dia de férias dos seus filhos e como uma série de actividades e hábitos simples podem ser a melhor forma de crescer de forma saudável e construir memórias que todos terão prazer em recordar no futuro.

Marquei nos favoritos esta Garden hobbit house, da Sarah, do Imagine Childhood. Este blog é dos mais bonitos que conheço e tem uma loja associada com brinquedos escolhidos a dedo, que teriam feito a minha felicidade há 35 anos atrás. Alguns deles fazem agora a felicidade das minhas filhas. Neste texto, ensina-se a fazer uma casa de jardim para um hobbit, que podemos adaptar para duendes, fadas, ou simplesmente sapos, que serão os inquilinos mais prováveis...

Também guardei nos favoritos o Diário de Vacaciones, da Marvan, do Orca: Observar, recordar, crecer y aprender. Este blog (escrito em espanhol) relata o dia-a-dia de uma família hispano-belga que educa os seus filhos em regime de ensino doméstico e contém um manancial de informação e ideias interessantes tanto para pessoas que pratiquem ensino doméstico como para as que têm os filhos no ensino convencional.

Gostei muito do post This Week in my garden: June 13, da Amanda Soule do blog Soule Mama (escrito em inglês), que sigo há já bastantes anos. Gosto das descrições da vida simples desta família e encontro sempre aqui muitos motivos de inspiração e desta vez fiquei a pensar em escrever um post sobre a nossa horta e participar no desafio que ela aqui lançou.

Para terminar, Guest Post @ A Soma dos Dois, um post convidado, como o título indica, da Constança Cabral, do Saídos da Concha, um blog bilingue (português/inglês), que fala de tudo um pouco: decoração, culinária, costura, jardinagem, livros... Neste post a Constança fala dos seus livros de infância favoritos e dos do seu filho, de 3 anos.

and now in English:

With the beginning of the summer holidays, I found myself reading several texts that inspired me with ideas to put in practice with my children during the months ahead. These texts are either from other blogs or sites that I follow through Google Reader, but now that my favourite News Feed Reader is being discontinued, I'll have to find another way to keep updated. I'll probably do it through Bloggers' Reading List, but it will not be the same. If you have any suggestions, please drop me a line in the comments below.

But let's talk about the reading.

I really liked Trent Hamm's text Frugality and Children, at The Simple Dollar, a site I visit regularly because I like the simple and practical way it talks about finances, savings, money management, frugality and so much more. In this text, Trent describes a day in the life of his children, filled with activities and habits that although simple, can be the best way to grow healthy and build long lasting memories.

I added to my “favourites” list this Garden hobbit house by Sarah from Imagine Childhood. This blog is one of the most beautiful I know. It has an associated shop with carefully selected toys that would have made me happy 35 years ago. Some of them make my children's happyness today. In this post, we learn how to build a garden hobbit house, that we may adapt as a fairy or elf house (my kids don't know who the hobbit is yet) or most probably as a toad's house.

Also added to my favourites list is this Diário de Vacaciones (Holiday Journal), by Marvan from Orca: Observar, recordar, crecer y aprender. This blog (written in Spanish) is itself a journal of a Spanish-Belgian homeschooling family that always has loads of interesting information and ideas both for homeschoolers and children attending regular school.

I really liked Amanda Soule's post This Week in my garden: June 13, from Soule Mama, a blog I follow since several years ago. I like the stories of the simple life of this family with five children and I always find inspiration from reading it. This time it left me thinking about writing a post about our vegetable garden.

Finally, I liked to read about a mama and his 3 year old favourite books in the GuestPost @ A Soma dos Dois, by Constança Cabral from Saídos da Concha, a bilingual blog like mine (Portuguese/English) about several of the things I like: gardening, books, decoration, cooking, sewing...

Concentar-se como uma raposa / Focus like a Fox

Quando terminei o curso de Biologia, já lá vão muitos anos, desenvolvi a minha tese de licenciatura sobre a ecologia da raposa. Durante cerca de um ano, fiz radio-telemetria e aprendi muito sobre estes fantásticos carnívoros, numa das mais bem conservadas áreas naturais do nosso país. Mas nada se compara à observação directa destes animais durante uma sessão de caça. Quando detectam uma presa, as raposas ficam completamente imóveis, enquanto, totalmente concentradas e alheias ao que as rodeia, procuram a sua localização exacta por entre as ervas ou sob a terra. Assim que o conseguem, lançam-se num salto que lembra o de um gato, e imobilizam a presa contra o solo. Foi isto que esteve na base da criação de um novo cartão que está, a partir de hoje, disponível na minha Loja CGU. A ideia é que, quando nos encontramos assoberbados de trabalho, devemos procurar comportar-nos como uma raposa: escolher apenas uma coisa à qual nos dedicarmos de cada vez, e concentrar nela todo o nosso esforço para, desta forma, conseguirmos maior produtividade. Eu, "multitasker" confessa, tenho-me esforçado por aplicar esta estratégia, e devo dizer que me tem ajudado bastante.

A long time ago, when I finished my degree in Biology, I developed a thesis project on the ecology of the red fox. Along nearly one year, I radio-tracked these amazing animals in one of the better preserved wilderness areas of my country and learned a great deal about them. However, nothing comes near to a direct observation of these creatures during a hunting session. When a prey is detected, red foxes stand motionless. When they pinpoint the location of the prey, they launch themselves into the air, pinning it to the ground. This is what inspired me to create this new card, which is now available at my GCU store.
The idea is that when you are overloaded with work you should try to behave like a fox and focus: pick just one thing to focus on and you will be able to accomplish more. Being a natural multi-tasker myself, I find this strategy helps me a lot in times of stress.

Leituras de fim-de-semana: O Poder do Menos / Weekend reading: The Power of Less

Já tenho escrito algumas vezes sobre os livros que estou a ler e gostar, mas sempre de uma forma bastante irregular. Em parte porque, evidentemente, nem sempre gosto o suficiente dos livros que leio para os recomendar. Mas algumas vezes também acontece os temas dos livros não terem muito que ver com os perfil deste blogue. A principal razão, no entanto, parece-me que é mesmo o facto de ultimamente eu andar a ler muito menos do que gostaria...

Gosto muito de ler e apesar de não chegar aos pés de alguns leitores que conheço através do BookCrossing ou do GoodReads (dois sites que recomendo vivamente a todos os que gostam de livros), já houve anos em que li bem mais do que agora. Não leio para atingir um determinado número de livros, nem avalio um “bom ano” de leituras como aquele em que li muitos livros. Nestas coisas, como em tantas outras, é a qualidade, e não a quantidade que interessa. Mas desde que me inscrevi nestes dois clubes de livros, passei a ter informação exacta acerca dos livros que leio, pelo simples facto de os registar nos sites e escrever um comentário cada vez que acabo de os ler. Foi assim que passei a saber exactamente quão menos tenho andado a ler nos últimos anos. E a verdade é que sinto falta de ler mais, de conhecer novas histórias e novos autores, dos momentos de calma e silêncio passados com um livro nas mãos, que ajudam tanto a relaxar no final (ou início) de um dia de trabalho.

Por esta razão, e para me ajudar a ler mais, decidi começar a escrever aqui, com mais regularidade, acerca dos livros que vou lendo.

Hoje vou falar sobre um livro que terminei há poucos meses, mas que é daqueles que contém informação à qual sei que vou recorrer uma e outra vez, ou ideias que vou tentar aplicar no dia-a-dia. O livro chama-se The Power of Less: The 6 Essential Productivity Principles That Will Change Your Life, de Leo Babauta. Leo Babauta é um blogger que escreve sobre vida simples e minimalismo, cuja escrita eu já conhecia e apreciava, através dos seus blogs ZenHabits e mnmlist.com. Ainda assim, gostei de ler este livro, que inclui bons conselhos para quem procura colocar um pouco mais de ordem no dia-a-dia demasiado ocupado, ser mais produtivo e concentrar-se naquilo que é mais importante. Na verdade, nada do que aqui é dito é verdadeiramente revolucionário ou inovador, muito é mesmo simples bom senso, por vezes tão simples que dei comigo a perguntar-me porque razão não tinha ainda pensado nisto ou naquilo... Uma coisa que gostei neste livro foi o facto de muitas das propostas que o autor faz se basearem na sua própria experiência. Gostei também do humor da escrita, que torna a leitura ainda mais agradável. Eu li este livro na versão original em inglês, mas sei que existe uma tradução em português, e embora não a conheça, aqui fica o link, se alguém quiser pesquisar: O Poder do Menos. A Ilustre arte de se limitar ao essencial... nos negócios e na vida.

 and now in English:

I've posted in the past about books I was reading and enjoying at the time but I've done it on a fairly irregular basis. On one hand, because I obviously don't enjoy everything I read enough to post about it, but also because sometimes, I find the subject matter is not related to the main content of my blog. But the main reason is really because I've been reading way less than I'd like to.

I love reading and although I don't come near to some heavy readers I know from BookCrossing or GoodReads (two sites I highly recommend to all booklovers), I've had years in the past when I managed to read way more than nowadays. Don't get me wrong, I do not read to achieve some set number of read books, nor do I evaluate a “good reading year” as a year when I've read a big number of books. It's the quality and the enjoyment they provide that counts, of course. But since joining those two bookclubs, I get an automatic reading count just by registering my books and marking them as read whenever I write a review. And that's how I came to know exactly how much I've been reading, year after year and the fact is that I've been reading way less than I'd like to. And I miss it. I miss getting to know new stories and new authors and I miss the quiet time spent with a book on my lap. For me, it is one of the best ways to relax from a working day and slow down from the sometimes faster than desirable day-to-day pace.

So as a way to help me commit to read more often, I've decided to post more often about my reads.

Today I am posting about a book I finished a couple of months ago, but because it is one of those that sticks with you, I thought it made sense to write about it, even if some time after I've finished it.

The book is ThePower of Less: The 6 Essential Productivity Principles That WillChange Your Life, by Leo Babauta.  And I believe the US equivalent is The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential...in Business and in Life.

Leo is a simplicity blogger and author and I already knew and liked his writing from his blogs ZenHabits and mnmlist.com. Even so, it was a pleasure to read this book, that has very good advice on how to put some order in our daily busy lives, concentrate on what is really important and get more done. Nothing revolutionary - most of it is plain common sense and simple advice - sometimes so simple that we wonder why we haven't thought about it... I like the fact that most of the actions proposed by the author are based on his own experience and I also liked the humour throughout the book that makes the reading so much fun.

Notícias da Troca de Esboços / Sketch Swap News

Recebi o segundo esboço da Troca de Esboços organizada pelo Tom Serrati, desta vez da Sandy Williams. Mais uma vez, vai muito além de um simples esboço. Na verdade, trata-se de uma verdadeira pintura em miniatura, feita com incrível pormenor, de uma espécie de veado existente nos EUA, diferente da que temos aqui - obrigada, Sandy, o postal é lindo!

I've just received my second sketch from the Sketch Swap organised by Tom Serrati, this time from Sandy Williams. Once again, the "sketch" goes well beyond a mere sketch and is in reality a miniature painting of a White Tail Deer, done in incredible fine detail - thank you Sandy, your postcard is just beautiful!

Viver com menos: 10 coisas que não me fazem falta / Living with less: 10 things that I don't miss

O texto em português foi publicado na revista Papel no dia 2 de Maio e pode ser lido aqui.

and now in English

 

Living with less when you already own very little can certainly be a problem. But deciding to live with less when you have way more than enough could mean living a better life. This is what this text is about.

Below is a list of things which I don't miss in my life and that in addition, I believe their absence makes me happier. I am in no way suggesting that owning these things is negative, only sharing the fact that I don't own them and have found – in some cases with surprise - that their absence brought me additional well-being. Some of them have gradually disappeared along the years, sometimes by accident and never came back, although at some point in the past I have considered them to be essential. Others have never been a part of my life.

Microwave: I used to have one, but apart from the first couple of years, when I tried out some recipes, its use quickly resumed to heating water for coffee and soup bowls. More recently, after reading some scary research papers about the microwave effects over food, it became restricted to heating water – after all, the possible recombinations of one oxygen and two hydrogen molecules didn't seem that dangerous. Once it broke down, I felt relived. I gained a lot of extra space in the kitchen counter and I had one thing less to clean up.

Iphone, ipad, ipod: I have a tendency to get absorbed in my own thoughts and become oblivious of the world around me (I know...). This is why I don't like to carry too many things around with me. I'm afraid I'll lose them, drop them on the floor and get them broken, or (when traveling) being robbed. In addition, when I am outdoors, I like to focus on whatever I went out to do instead of being (even more) distracted, either with gadgets or anything else.

Watch: I've always owned one and was constantly looking at it, until the day I lost it. I've got used to living without it and although meanwhile I've found it (at the bottom of the picnic basket), I never wanted it back. I was left thinking that someone who takes a watch to a picnic probably needs to rethink his priorities... And I found out that a watch is something superfluous in this world where the time is everywhere: on the mobile phone, the car's dashboard, the radio, on the TV in every coffee shop corner, on the numerous electronic outdoor ads... you name it. In fact, these days what is really difficult is not knowing what time it is. A picnic can - and should - be one of those rare occasions.

Cable TV (or satellite or similar): we don't watch that much TV around here. There are so many other cool things to do... And if we look closely, when you have internet access, TV becomes a little redundant.

A capsule coffee machine: I love coffee but as long as it keeps working, I won't trade my old filter coffeemaker (which is about to complete 20 years) by anything else. I couldn't possibly replace it by something that would make me throw away a piece of aluminum for each coffee I drank. I know capsules can be recycled, but I firmly believe that we should first reduce the amount of garbage we produce, and only when we can't avoid producing it, should we think about recycling.

Electrical kettle: I may be wrong, but it doesn't seem practical to have another kitchen utensil spending energy, taking up space and needing to be cleaned just to heat water once in a while.

Bimby (or any other kitchen robot): I like cooking and I like teaching my kids how to cook so, as in the case of the kettle, I gladly trade an additional household appliance by extra space, energy savings and less things to clean up.

Dental braces: OK, this one was just a joke (and it doesn't count towards the list of 10), but have you noticed the huge number of people of all ages that suddenly started wearing braces? I haven't yet figured out whether this is just the result of an extremely successful orthodontic marketing campaign, or if it actually corresponds to a sudden and genuine discontent of the Portuguese about their dental alignments.

GPS: is there anything better than playing detective and finding out the way on our own? Getting lost and because of that finding the most wonderful place we didn't even dream was around the corner? Or asking directions to someone and getting to know better not just the place we are in, but the people that live in it as well?

Curtains and carpets: I used to have curtains when lived in a flat in town. But now, apart from a rooster that likes to perch on my window-sill, I have no curious neighbors and the views from the house are so lovely that it would be a crime to hide them with curtains. Besides, I would have additional things catching dust and needing to get washed and ironed. The floor, on the other hand, is wooded. Wood is warm and beautiful. Some carpets are nice too, but they also catch dust, dust mites, occasionally stains and... you guessed... they would need to get regularly washed. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against cleaning – I actually really like clean environments and maybe because of that, I prefer to eliminate from the beginning the need to dedicate more time than strictly necessary to cleaning up and use the surplus for more pleasurable activities.

A big amount of clothing: this is subjective, I know. I've never actually counted the number of clothes I own, but judging from some of my friends' wardrobes, I can say mine is quite modest. Not my merit, though. I am far from having a standard size, so I usually have trouble finding clothes that fit (they're usually either too short or too baggy) and on top of that, I don't really like shopping. Not everything is bad, though: apart from saving a lot of money, I rarely take more than 5 minutes to decide what to wear each morning – and believe it or not, this is a daily dilemma for many people.

Regardless of the personal circumstances of each of us, the consumption of non-essential goods is a matter of choice. It is possible to live with less and free up time and money for other things that we find more important – and these may not even be material possessions. But more important than this, and contrarily to what the consumerist society we live in tries to convince us every day, living with less doesn't necessarily mean failure. It can simply be an option and the starting point for a better life.

Quanto custa o seu tempo? / How much is your time worth?*

"Quanto custa o seu tempo?" Pode ser lido em português aqui.

* This is the translation of a text I published in Portuguese this week in the online magazine Papel. As far as I have the time to do it, I'll try to translate my new texts as I write them, as well as some of those that have been previously published. The translation will not be perfect (I'm not a translator), but at least my blog readers who can't handle Portuguese will be able to read them too.

For most people, money is the main yardstick when it comes to assess someone's success. It's no wonder, since it can be exchanged for almost anything: a big house, a luxury car, long holidays at exotic places... But if it is true that money is incredibly valuable, it is also generally agreed that it is not the most important thing on earth. Family, friendship, health and so many others usually come first on opinion survey results.

And yet... when we look at our daily lives, we see that we usually do not behave in accordance to these priorities.

When we work, we trade the result of our labor – and the time we dedicate to achieve it – by money. We can make a simple calculation and divide our monthly income (or annual income, for those working on their own like me) by the number of hours spent working. This way, we get an approximate idea of how much one hour of our time is worth.

Why would we want to do this? For me, once the threshold of basic housing, feeding, health insurance, education and comfort is met, time becomes a more valuable asset than money. Unlike money, I can use extra time and spend it with my family or friends or take better care of my health – by exercising, walking or spending more time cooking my own meals, for instance. This is why I find it useful to know how much one hour of my time is worth. And I have got used to evaluate potential new jobs not just in terms of how much more extra money or professional satisfaction they could bring me, but also in function of how much time they will take away from me.

At a certain point, I started making a similar exercise when I go shopping for non-essential items. To my surprise, I found that in more than one occasion my initial decision to buy something ends up radically changing. I don't need new clothes, but when I go through a storefront and see the most lovely dress on sale for half the original price, I feel really tempted to bring it home with me. But then I make a quick mental calculation and conclude this dress will cost me an afternoon's worth of my time. Suddenly, it doesn't look like such a big bargain anymore... Would I rather spend another afternoon – possibly on a weekend - sitting by my PC wearing a lovely new dress, or jump into my old jeans and head out with the kids to play some football? Or, if the weather doesn't allow it, make a batch of delicious cookies and savor them in front of the fireplace while playing a board game or reading a book? I don't need to think twice. I come back home empty handed but with an empowering sense of freedom...

Correio / Post goodies

Acabei de receber o primeiro esboço da Troca de Esboços em que participei no mês passado e veio nada menos do que do próprio organizador da troca, Tom Serrati. Como podem ver, vai muito além de um simples esboço. Os edifícios estão desenhados em grande pormenor e a aplicação das cores é muito bonita. Trata-se de dois dos 17 edifícios que sobreviveram à destruição da Segunda Guerra Mundial... As minhas filhas gostaram imenso do envelope, enviado da Estação de Correios do Pai Natal e endereçado em nome delas, bem como do postal com renas escrito em português, para que o pudessem entender, e eu gostei muito do postal com fantásticas imagens  de auroras boreais - obrigada, Tom!
I've just received my first sketch from the Sketch Swap I entered last month and the first one to arrive was this lovely watercolour by Tom Serrati himself. For me, this goes well beyond a sketch and is closer to a finished piece of art. The buildings are pictured in an extremely fine detail and the colours are beautiful. According to Tom, these are two of the 17 buildings that were left in the town of Rovaniemi after WWII destruction... My kids loved the envelope sent from Santa Claus' Main Post Office and addressed to them both and the lovely reindeer's postcard written in Portuguese, so they could understand and I loved the amazing lights of the north postcard - thank you Tom!

Feliz / Happy

Um dos meus cartões (Sunflower Moving Announcement with cowgirl and wood fence Card - PID#1095264) foi escolhido pela equipa do Greeting Card Universe como Design do Dia, ficando em destaque na página internet do GCU durante 24 horas e sendo automaticamente registado no Concurso Mensal Design do Mês no Facebook.

I'm so happy! One of my cards (Sunflower Moving Announcement with cowgirl and wood fence Card - PID#1095264) has been chosen as today's Design of the Day by Greeting Card Universe staff, and will be featured on the GCU homepage for 24 hours and be automatically entered into their Design of the Month Contest on Facebook!

Carvalho-alvarinho / English Oak Card

Na sequência do post anterior, aqui fica mais um cartão feito recentemente para o GCU a partir de uma das minhas ilustrações botânicas favoritas, de um carvalho-alvarinho (Quercus robur). Este cartão está disponível em duas versões (Parabéns e Dia da Árvore).

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Following my previous post, here is another recent card made for GCU using one of my favourite botanical illustrations of an English Oak (Quercus robur). This card is available in two different versions (Happy Birthday and Happy Arbor Day).

Cartão novo / New Card

Tenho mais um cartão à venda no GCU (Greeting Card Universe). Fi-lo utilizando uma série de ilustrações individuais de plantas da nossa flora. Não me tinha dado conta que as aprovações estavam a demorar tanto tempo ultimamente por isso o tema da Páscoa já está desactualizado. Vendo as coisas pelo lado positivo, é trabalho adiantado para o ano que vem!

* * *

I have a new card on sale at GCU (Greeting Card Universe). I made it using a series of individual illustrations of plants native to Portugal. I wasn't aware card approvals were taking so long these days, so the Easter subject is now outdated, but, well, it's work in advance for next year!

Jacinto-das-searas / Tassel Hyacinth

Os jacintos-das-searas (Muscari comosum) estão agora em flor. É uma planta curiosa, com o seu tufo de flores estéreis violetas, a lembrar uma coroa, sobre as flores férteis, localizadas mais abaixo. São plantas bolbosas, e não crescem em maciços compactos como o rosmaninho. Pelo contrário, encontramo-los dispersos, aqui e ali, ao longo de caminhos pedregosos ou campos abertos (olivais, vinhas, etc.). Esta foi desenhada no campo, com caneta preta à prova de água e aguarelas.

Tassel hyacinths are now blooming. I've always found this plant a very curious one, with its tuft of violet sterile flowers over the fertile ones down below. They grow from bulbs and do not occur in tight patches like lavender, but instead we spot one here and there along rocky paths and near open fields. This one was drawn on site, using a black waterproof pen and watercolours.

Papel outra vez

Mais dois textos publicados na Papel:

Dentes-de-leão de todas as cores
e
Viver numa área repulsiva - uma declaração de amor

A nossa casa / Our house

Este desenho mostra a nossa casa vista da horta, que fica mais abaixo. Vê-se apenas parcialmente, escondida pela vegetação, incluindo um grande lilás que começou há pouco tempo a florir.

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This sketch shows our house as seen from the vegetable garden, below. It is half hidden by the vegetation, including the big lilac that has just started blooming.