After a Gap, a Gathering of Thoughts (and Pictures!)

Painted Ceiling of the Swan Hall, Royal Palace, Sintra

Several weeks away from Autumn Cottage Diarist pages - during which I have waited for Springtime to properly arrive in the garden (it's been a long, long time a-coming!). I have filled the creative well by travelling to Portugal for a week, and have spent the gaps in between by listening to silence and discovering what it held for me.

Now here I am again, refreshed and renewed, to share some of these events and activities with you. A few weeks before I went away, my old camera 'gave up the ghost' - which was alarming in one way ('oh, no - I'm going on holiday in four weeks time!!) - but an opportunity if viewed from another perspective ('Oh, no - I'm going on holiday in four weeks time!! - perhaps it's time for a new camera??').

The old one was seven years old - ancient and hobbling in digital camera terms, so I awarded myself a new one - a Fuji Finepix S4500 - which has since been set on 'Auto' while I have got used to it, and with which I am - up to now - totally delighted. Don't be surprised if you see more pictures than words here for a while!

Here is a taster of what has been happening for me - in and out of Autumn Cottage - for the last couple of months…

A pheasant thought he was a blue-tit at our bird table

Pip decided that springtime HAD arrived ! 

 

I gritted my teeth to climb on a plane…landing in Lisbon

The view from our apartment

…all worth it, to enjoy café life and watch the world go by

Rossio Square

I was able to immerse myself in colour

and music

May Day celebrations in Rossio

Enjoy wonderful food and wine in tiny, local, backstreet restaurants

Walk in beautiful gardens

University Botanical Gardens, Lisbon

Gaze upon spectacular scenery

The Castelo dos Mouros, above Sintra

Tiptoe through a  City of the Dead

Prazeres Cemetery, Lisbon

...and sit in some rather nice places to do a bit of living...

The Church of Sao Vincente da Fora, from the Porta da Sol

Latin American music at the Porta da Sol

But after all my adventures, I've now returned to Autumn cottage and the springtime garden - which is where you'll  find me for the foreseeable future!

 

Comments

[Jamie]

Oh, so glad to see a new post! Love the pheasant at the bird feeder. And beautiful Pip. :)

[Lorrie]

Welcome back! That's a wonderful photo of the pheasant at the bird feeder. So cheeky!

Portugal looks like a beautiful place to visit. So much color, and warmth.

[Gracie]

Glad to know your absence was for something good!

[Mad Englishwoman and Dog]

Good to have you back. And I'm glad someone else (apart from me) likes listening to silence.