Almond trees are blooming,

Энэ жил Португалийн өвөл маш дулаахан болж байна.  1-р сарын 3-нд Римээс буцаж ирэхэд 20 хэмийн дулаантай байсан юм.  12-р сарын дунд хүртэл ч иймэрхүү л байсан.  Яг л монголын зун шиг.  Бороо нь бага шивэрсэн. Үүнээс үүдээд усны нөөц нь багасч байх шиг байна даа.  Өвөл л юм болохоор үе үе хүйтэн салхи салхилж пальто мөрлүүлнэ.

Дулаан байгаа ч гэсэн хүүхэд ханиад томуу хүрэх нь энүүхэнд л байна.  Гурван долоо хоног дараалан хоёр охиноо ээлжлэн гэртээ харж байна.  Эхлээд бага нь долоо хоног гэртээ, дараа нь том нь, энэ долоо хоногт бага нь дахиад л... Сургууль, цэцэрлэгээр дүүрэн л ханиад... Өвөл юм чинь яалтай ч билээ дээ.

Жам юм болохоор миндалийн мод цэцэглэжээ.  Бага охины цэцэрлэгийн хажууд байдаг, өөдөөс харсан хөршийн мод цэцэглээд цагаан цэцэгс нүд баясгана.  8-р зууны үед ч билүү дээ арабаас авчирсан португалийн хааны гүнж цасаа санаад, санаа алдаад байхаар нь хаан хайрт бүсгүйдээ цас авчирч чадахгүй ч хоёрдугаар сард миндаль цэцэглэг гэж модыг нь тарьсан түүх байдаг. 

Амьдралынхаа арван жилийг энэ оронд өнгөрүүлэхдээ цас миний амьдарч буй газарт орохыг ганц л удаа харсан юм.  Уул нь хойт зүг рүүгээ цас өвөлдөө ороод, сургууль, цэцэрлэг, албан газрууд хаагддаг л даа.  Монголд тэгвэл бараг 9 сар хамаг юм хаагдана даа.

Нохойгоо зугаалуулаад ирж явтал гудамжны эхэнд байдаг айл жүржээ түүж байсан.  Одоо ч дэлгүүрээр жүрж зарагдаад, шүүсийг уухад сайхан байна даа. Урд зүгийн жүрж амттай, сайхан чихэрлэг. Аль ч улиралд эндхийн зоогийн газруудад дөнгөж шахсан жүржний шүүс зарна.  Уул нь нэг л газраас ирж байгаа жүрж 1.50 центээс 4 евро хүртэл үнэтэй байдаг юм.  Томхон нэг жүржнээс тал стакан шүүс гарна.  Эрүүл байя гэвэл уугаад л байхаас яахав. Бөөн витамин С. Гэхдээ жүржний витамин С-ний хэмжээ киви жимснийхэд арай л хүрэхгүй. 

Happy New Year!

After almost two weeks in Rome I am back to my routines. Getting up at 7am in the morning to take my daughter to school.  I am spending almost an hour in my journey.  Actually, it is only 20 minutes to drive to a school but I like stay there for a bit while a DD goes to her class. And then back.  If I am lucky I will be back in 20 minutes but as it happened for couple of times that one person's careless driving let thousand people to stay in traffic jams for hours. 

I have now a little more time in the afternoon because DD is taking a school bus back home, which gives me 2 extra hours to stay at home and do my things.  Mostly, I have been clearing up and putting things in order. 

I visited Ikea and bought some draw dividers and containers to put my make up. I am sorry I do not understand why my photos are now upside down.  I need a help to put them right way.  Photos are taken by my iphone and on my picture folder it is fine when they are uploaded on my blog is mess!

For years I have been looking for a red glasses to decorate my bathroom and finally, decided that I will just spray paint on my vase and a soap dispenser.  And it worked!  Sorry for photos.

Now I am really back to my crafty world.  See you soon with some ideas.  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I wish to my readers Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Уншигч Та бүхэндээ ирж буй Шинэ оны мэндийг хүргэе! 

Christmas is around corner but without snow

Many Christmas fairs were held in Lisbon and its surrounding areas.  I attended in some of these fairs.  I like going there to show my bags and buy presents or just look at some very talended people's works. 

When I went to IWP craft fair I learnt how to make Christmas tree using old magazines. Flavia, IWP vice-president,  taught using  Martha Stewart's technique.  I bought some glitters and sprays to make trees but so far I do not have magazines.  I am not the person who buys magazines to read and through away, mine usually kept for a long time because they are about craft or photography.

My bags at IPS Pamper Evening

Between these fairs last Saturday I had Chritsmas afternoon tea party at my house.  Last Thursday night I baked my favourite brownies, which is always made whenever I have party at my house.  I used Delia's recipe but only with walnuts.  Baked sticky date cake, again Delia's, sausuage rolls, cheesecake and scones, which was forgotten to be brought to the table on Saturday.  Now all of them are frozen to take to Italy when I leave for Christmas next week.

Of course, it was Christmas tea party and could not be without mince pies.  I went to GB store to buy mince meat, never made for myself.  The shop moved from Sao Joao de Estoril in Cascais to address Avenida das Comunidades Europeis 415. 

My husband after searching for hours about perfect recipe for mince pies he made them.  They were tasty and guests were happy to taste the British tradition.  But my older daughter who can happily eat marmite did not like it.  While he was baking mince pies I went to my studio to work on my new bag.

After the tea party I had dinner with couple of friends, which lasted until 11pm.  It was nice to meet Fernando, who gave us interesting evening about Portugal and Portuguese culture.

Christmas Decoration Workshop

Christmas is coming soon and of course, we do have to prepare our homes for the festivities.  These Christmas decorations are great for your home or as presents for your family members and  friends. 

I will run workshop on 17 and 24 November.  Please email me if you want to make these fantastic decorations.  threeoldempires[@]gmail.com

November workshop at Patch-Mania

November is the month of the year that we have to think about making and buying Christmas presents for our loved ones. 

5 and 18 November I will be teaching these two very cute bags at Patch-Mania.

 

Another Quick & Easy project will be taught at Patch-Mania on 22 November.  These flowers can make your clothes, bags or hair to stand out.



Matryoshka and clutch with metal frames will be repeated and try not miss.  They are great to have in your wardrobe!

New bags and suddenly winter

Suddenly, Portuguese winter arrived in last Sunday.  Today I drove in heavy rain for for a couple of hours but without meeting accidents.  Although, FM radios were announcing that many motorways had several accidents.  My speed was 70 kmh instead 120.  You can guess how bad weather was.

Anyway, winter has to arrive at one point and it arrived quite late.  Serra da Estrela mountains had snow.  Lisbon areas had rains. Normal.  Poor trees needed some water after several months of not having any drops.

I got inspired recently and made new bags which I will teach at Patch-mania. 

And even I managed to start making a twister quilt. It was easy to sew 5" patches together but I took me three nights to solve the puzzle. I might start sewing tomorrow morning unless I see some problems.  Wish me luck!

Tomas Transtroemer and Lisbon

Swedish poet Swedish poet Tomas Transtroemer has been awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize for Literature. Here is Portugal the news received with great admiration because he wrote a poem about Lisbon and Funchal. Here is the poem.


Lisbon


In the Alfama quarter the yellow tramcars sang on the steep slopes.

There were two prisions. One was for thieves.

They waved through the grilled windows.

They shouted to be photographed.


‘But here,’ said the conductor giggling like a split man,

‘here sit politicians.’ I saw the façade the façade the façade

and high up in a window a man

who stood with a telescope to his eye and looked out over the sea.


Laundry hung in blue air. The walls were hot.

The flies read microscopic letters.

Six years later I asked a woman from Lisbon:

‘Is it true, or have I dreamt it?’

Polo trophy

Weekend went very well with family traveling for an hour for me to take some photos at Barclays Porsche polo game. 

I have seen games on TV so many times and it is considered a "king of sport".  I know that many rich and famous just go there to show off themselves and their wealth.  Even members of royal family play the game.  There was something like that on that day.  I have seen a well dressed man, a little scarf under a shirt, wearing suit on 30 degree heat.  Women bored to d aeath, they did not come to see the game but just show their jewellery. 

Probably, ten percent of spectators were interested in a game but rest just came to be seen.

My experiment went not to bad I think and here are some photos, click here 

Barbie Exhibition

A Spanish superstore El Corte Ingles is well known in Lisbon.  From time to time the shop brings some exhibitions.  Today I went to see Barbie exhibition on the 7th floor.  There were many expensive Barbies costing more than €60 each.  Some of them were collectible Barbie's with from the 1950s.  Many of them were wearing beautiful gowns and costums. Sorry about photo quality, I took photos in my mobile.



This is Asian Goddes and Geisha made in 2006.

These are Japanese collections

 Moderns party Barbies 

Queen Amidala, she is wearing an old Mongolian head dress

 Burberry Barbie

 Coco Chanel

 Empress Josefina

Queen Elisabeth I