OK This Could Be It?

So maybe this is really spring now....stuff is coming up in the garden everywhere including the grass and weeds but the sun has started to stay for longer than 5 minutes so here's hoping that it is here to stay.

I got back from granny duty the UK on 6th April much to the dogs and Fraser's delight, and we had our first bout of sunshine for a week after nearly another month of rain. Poor Fraser was down with another cold and cough but the sunshine helped. In London the weather had been really pretty good the whole time I was there so Lexa and I managed to go out and about most days.

Dinosaur vertebra

Let's go up again Granny!!!!

We had a special day out at the Natural History Museum along with school parties from the rest of London and the world it seemed. But we had a lovely time being intrigued by dinosaurs, bugs and going up into the lava filled middle of the world three times because it was so scary.
 
  Actually managed to be around for Mother's day so had lunch out with Rich and family and Jo's Mum and sister. James and Adela were away that weekend though which was a shame, but managed to have lunch with them both on arrival in London and caught up with James the following weekend just before I flew back to Portugal.

But now that I am back it has been full on..spring cleaning, garden, land and general sorting ready for the summer. And boy there just seems to much of it to sort and clear or clean. Ness and Steve helped with strimming the terraces but they are hairy again after yet another week of rain, fluctuating temperatures and we have even had a few nights where we lit the log burner in the lounge.
We have decided to paint the place this year since it has been at least 5 years since some of the rooms were done. Still waiting for slightly more stable weather so we can keep the doors open to dry quicker.

Easter came and went with little impact on us both apart from an increase in chocolate consumption and we went out for dinner on Fraser's birthday.

I spent this last weekend at an Arts Fair in a local town centre with a large  number of other expats and some Portuguese in collaboration to show what creative talents we have between us. It was a fun weekend where we got to know what other people were doing and we celebrated not only material arts but other talents such as poetry, music, singing, dance and displays of Aikido and Tai Chi. We exhibited some canvases and wall hangings and got to meet some new people.

Last weekend was the local Gardening group's first flower festival in Tábua where I was selling Bric a Brac again for Lili's dog shelter (made 84 euros) as well as putting some entries into the home made liquor, jam, photographic and watercolour competitions. I was also judging entries in the fabric art category..only one entry though and early spring vegetables. Fraser also entered two photos for that category.
It was all good fun- I got third certificate for my jams and for my watercolours and a first for my Limoncello and sloe vodka. Shows where the focus has been,  right? And Fraser got second prize in the photography category.

The food storage shed at Lili's shelter is now up. Thanks to friend Margaret for buying it and for the team that managed to put it up. Lili now is registered as a shelter. All good news

And in the meantime the sleeves are rolled up and it's elbow grease time.
James and Adela are coming over on 14th May to lend a hand which will be much appreciated...gonna leave all the messy stuff for them :)

This is the latest pan of the front entrance and a few close ups below.
Closing with a few shots from out gardens which are just gorgeous at the moment. 
The perfume of jasmine coming in the front of the house and honeysuckle in the kitchen and out back the little orange tree is full of blossom so we are perfumed from all sides. 
And everything seems to have grown because of the rain.