Hallelujah

I've heard about this baby boy
Who's come to earth to bring us joy
And I just want to sing this song to you
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
With every breath I'm singing Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

A couple came to Bethlehem
Expecting child, they searched the inn
To find a place for You were coming soon
There was no room for them to stay
So in a manger filled with hay
God's only Son was born, oh Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

The shepherds left their flocks by night
To see this baby wrapped in light
A host of angels led them all to You
It was just as the angels said
You'll find Him in a manger bed
Immanuel and Savior, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

A star shown bright up in the east
To Bethlehem, the wisemen three
Came many miles and journeyed long for You
And to the place at which You were
Their frankincense and gold and myrrh
They gave to You and cried out Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I know You came to rescue me
This baby boy would grow to be
A man and one day die for me and you
My sins would drive the nails in You
That rugged cross was my cross, too
Still every breath You drew was Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

CLOVERTON LYRICS
"A Hallelujah Christmas"
(originally by Leonard Cohen)

The Strawberry Tree

Arbutus is a genus of 11 accepted species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to warm temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, the Canary Islands (Teneriffa) and North America. The name is borrowed from Latin, where it referred to A. unedo

Arbutus are small trees or shrubs with red flaking bark and edible red berries. Fruit development is delayed for about five months after pollination, so that flowers appear while the previous year's fruit are ripening.

The Arbutus unedo tree makes up part of the coat of arms (El oso y el madroño, The Bear and the Strawberry Tree) of the city of Madrid, Spain. In the center of the city (Puerta del Sol) there is a statue of a bear eating the fruit of the madroño tree. The image appears on city crests, taxi cabs, man-hole covers, and other city infrastructure.

People have used arbutus bark and leaves to create medicines for colds, stomach problems, and tuberculosis, and even as the basis for contraceptives. 

The fruit is edible but has minimal flavour and is not widely eaten. In Portugal, the fruit is sometimes distilled (legally or not) into a potent brandy known as medronho. In Madrid, the fruit is distilled into madroño, a sweet, fruity liqueur.

We didn't do any of the above with our madroño fruit. We decided to try madroño pie, with madroños and some reineta apples. Why not, right? 

My love's an arbutus is the title of a poem by the Irish writer Alfred Perceval Graves (1846–1931), set to music.

Hasa el Último Hombre

Hasta el Último Hombre - Altamente recomendada.
Normalmente evito películas de guerra y su sangre y violencia como a la peste. Nunca me verás viendo Platoon, La Colina de la Hamburguesa (Hamburger Hill) y me costó mucho ver Salvar al Soldado Ryan. Pero, Hasta el Último Hombre, una historia verdadera de un pacifista que quería servir a su país y salvar vidas, realmente vale la pena.

Una entrada que ha hecho Enrique.

El Gato Maragato

La leyenda del gato maragato

Todo empieza "bajo la protección de una mágica y vetusta encina en el pueblo maragato de Castrillo de los Polvazares," que está cerca de Astorga y a donde hemos ido con mucha frecuencia, haciéndolo muy nuestro. Así, esta historia me resulta entrañable, especialmente al conocer los rincones de las calles y casas del lugar.

Y si has tenido la gran fortuna de vivir en León, conocer a su gente, su habla y sus costumbres, este relato infantil te va a encantar. Vas a sentir muy profundo los olores a jara y tomillo y los sonidos de los grillos. Mercedes no ha dejado de lado ningún detalle.

Esta leyenda trata de una familia arriera, cuando hace muchos años los hombres salían largas temporadas del pueblo con su mercancía y la llevaban a otras partes y a la vuelta traían cosas de otros sitios. Castrillo de los Polvazares era un pueblo de arrieros, comerciantes que dependían de sus burros y mulas. Era un lugar acostumbrado a la ida y a la vuelta de la gente, por lo que los ladrones que en este caso aparecen, se aprovechan de un arriero cuando éste no está en casa.
Te preguntas, ¿qué tiene eso que ver con un gato? Y, ¿cómo es que un gato puede ser tan maragato hasta decir que lo vemos entre las constelaciones? Pero, para eso, tendrás que leer esta leyenda.

Seguro que te gustará tanto como a mí. Y si no fuera poco, termina la leyenda con unas actividades para divertirse; una sopa de letras, un crucigrama y más información sobre la Maragatería y sus habitantes. Es el regalo ideal para deleitar a ese niño especial en tu vida en estas navidades o en cualquier otro momento.

Everything begins "under the protection of a magical and ancient oak in the Maragata village called Castrillo de los Polvazares." Because Castrillo is near Astorga, we have visited frequently and I remember the streets, houses, nooks and crannies as I read, making this children's story especially endearing.

And, if you have had the great fortune to live in Leon at some time in your life, to get to know its people, its way of talking and its customs, this legend will enchant you. You will feel an immediate connection to the smells, the rockrose and thyme and be able to imagine the sounds of crickets. Mercedes hasn't left out a single detail.

The legend deals with an muleteer family, when many years ago the men would leave their villages with their merchandise, take it to other places, and on the return bring things back home to sell. Castrillo de los Polvazares was a village of such muleteers, merchants who depended on their donkeys and mules. It was a place accustomed to the going and the returning of many people, a reason why there were also thieves, such as the ones that appear in this story and try to take advantage of one muleteer's family when he isn't at home.

You wonder, what does any of that have to do with a cat? And how is it that a cat can be so "Maragato" as to say that we see it among the constellations? But, to find out that you will have to read this story for yourself!

I'm sure you'll like it as much as I do. And, as if it weren't enough, the legend ends with some fun activities; a word search, crossword puzzle and additional information about the Maragatería and its inhabitants. It's the ideal gift with which to delight that special child in your life this Christmas or at another special time.

El relato está ilustrado con unas acuarelas preciosas por la artista e ilustradora, Eva del Riego Villazala, cuyos pinceles mágicos pusieron caras e imágenes a La leyenda del gato maragato.

This tale is illustrated wit beautiful watercolours by the artist and illustrator, Eva del Riego Villazala, whose magic paintbrushes put faces and images to The legend of the Maragato Cat.

La autora, Mercedes G. Rojo, nació en Astorga, y dice que su infancia transcurrió entre la ciudad y las tierras maragatas de Castrillo de los Polvazares donde a menudo su imaginación se desbordaba creando historias y personajes que luego pasaron a formar parte de sus relatos y poemas.

The author, Mercedes G. Rojo, was born in Astorga, and says that her childhood was spent between the city (of Astorga) and the Maragata lands, such as Castrillo de los Polvazares, where her imagination overflowed creating stories and characters that form a part of her tales and poems.

Unlike Leaves

"Mientras a nuestro alrededor la naturaleza se desnuda y caen las hojas, la fiesta de todos los santos nos invita a mirar a lo alto; nos recuerda que no estamos destinados a marchitarnos en tierra para siempre, como las hojas."

"While nature is stripping itself and its leaves fall, the festival of All Saints' Day invites us to look up; it reminds us that we are not destined to whither on earth forever, like leaves."

My Saint on All Saints Day

El Silencio

Distance doesn't separate people . . .
Silence does.

No es la distancia que separa a las personas. . . 
sino el silencio.
Jeff Hood

La Capuchina

Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) are rewarding to grow. They take little care, prefer poor soil, make good cut flowers and the leaves and flowers are edible. Native to Central and South America. This was my first year growing them in the large cobalt blue terra cotta climbing rose pots. In August I thought they were dying out for the oncoming winter and tore a number of them out and was so sorry later because the couple I left leafed a second time and flowered beautifully, cascading down from the lower balconies.

La capuchina, taco de reina, espuela de galán, flor de la sangre, llagas de Cristo, marañuela, mastuerzo de Indias o pelón, es una planta ornamental originaria de América que se cultiva en parques y jardines. En las zonas de costa en España se ha asilvestrado.

Es una planta anual, lampiña, suculenta y extendida. Existen numerosas variedades con flores rojas, anaranjadas o amarillas.

El término tropaeolum deriva del griego Τροπαιον, o pequeño trofeo, debido a la disposición de sus hojas y flores. En algunas zonas se la denomina capucha de monje, expresando la forma de sus flores. Los jesuitas introdujeron la planta a Europa en el siglo XVI, dando constancia de su utilización culinaria, tanto de sus hojas como de sus flores. Se denominaba mastuerzo de las Indias, berro del Perú o de los jesuitas. El botánico Dodoens la cultivó en su jardín en 1600. En los altiplanos de Bolivia y en el área andina en general, existe la especie Tropaeolum tuberosum, que tiene unos tubérculos del tamaño de una castaña, unas flores de bello color carmesí, cuya altura no sobrepasa los 50 cm. Estos tubérculos tienen un sabor áspero muy acentuado y un sabor que recuerda al de la capuchina. En estos países es un alimento bastante consumido.

Los Galgos de Sendo

Sendo's Greyhounds
I'm a big fan of Sendo García. A true enamoured fan of his pencil sketches, perspective, both in still frames and ones filled with movement.
However, for as much as I admire his gift and for celebrated as he is, there's an important detail I can't forgive him for. It's his depiction greyhounds. While examining his work a the last exposition, "40 Years of Movement and Aggression," put on by The Town Hall of Astorga and Friends of Casa Panero, I was distressed to see the up close rendition of what I had most eagerly hoped to see, the greyhound in motion. I was terribly disappointed.

While all the greyhounds he sketched and painted were indeed, in thrilling motion, the exhilaration for anyone who has ever been with greyhounds suddenly fades as soon as one looks at the faces and teeth of Sendo's greyhounds. All of them are seen with fierce, cruel faces. Sendo's greyhounds are an ugly distortion of the true nature of the breed, even during the hunt.  It's not just a determination you see in their eyes, the joy of the chase, of the hunt, but the barred and sharp teeth of killers. The normal result is that any person, especially a child, visiting the exposition would sadly leave unjustly horrified by greyhounds, perhaps forever.

One who knows the breed knows that greyhounds are not like lions or other carnivorous animals who capture their prey in order to tear their flesh into shreds. On the contrary, greyhounds have been valued for thousands of years as a hunting dog because they simply catch their prey, never ripping or shredding it apart. They are by nature calm, with a gentle nature.

The truth is that greyhounds dazzle with their agility or ability to race and to outrun their prey. Then when they catch it they simply shake the hunted animal leaving it in prime condition, the meat unbruised and ready for the kitchen, perfect for any king's meal.

If you have never watched a greyhound run, there is nothing in the world comparable with the beauty and emotion of the experience. It's exhilaration in its purest form. Greyhounds run when they are happy and they enjoy when they run. And when they are still they are sweet.  Never do greyhounds show the ferocity or cruelty that Sendo's has drawn and painted.

Soy muy fan de Sendo García. Una fan enamorada de sus dibujos a lápiz y perspectivas, tanto imágenes fijas como las llenas de movimiento.
Sin embargo, por mucho que admiro su don y lo célebre que es, hay un detalle importante que no le puedo perdonar. Es su representación de los galgos. Mientras examinaba su trabajo en la última exposición "40 Años de Movimiento y Agresión", que promovió el Ayuntamiento de Astorga y Amigos de Casa Panero, me angustió mucho ver su interpretación de lo que llevaba tiempo con ganas de ver; el galgo en movimiento. Y me decepcionó mucho. 

Mientras todos los galgos por él dibujados o pintados estaban, de hecho, en movimiento emocionante, la euforia que siente cualquiera que haya estado entre galgos se desvanece tan pronto como mira la expresión de las caras y los dientes de los galgos de Sendo. Todos se ven con caras feroces y crueles. Los galgos de Sendo son una fea distorsión de la verdadera naturaleza de la raza, incluso durante la caza.  No se les ve sólo con la determinación que se notaría en sus ojos, la alegría de la caza, sino mostrando dientes afilados y babeantes de asesinos. El resultado normal sería que cualquier persona, especialmente un niño, que visitase la exposición se quedaría erróneamente horrorizada de los galgos, quizás para siempre. 

Los que los conocemos, sabemos que los galgos no son como hienas u otros animales carnívoros que capturan a sus presas con el fin de desgarrar su carne en pedazos. Por el contrario, los galgos se han valorado desde hace miles de años como un perro de caza porque simplemente atrapan a sus presas. Nunca las despedazan. Son animales por naturaleza tranquilos con un carácter manso.

Lo que sí es verdad, es que los galgos deslumbran con su agilidad y compiten para correr más rápido que la liebre. Luego, cuando la cogen simplemente agitan la presa dejándola en óptimas condiciones, sin magullar la carne, dejándola lista para la cocina, perfecta para la mesa del rey.

Si no lo has experimentado, no hay nada en el mundo, nada comparable con ver la belleza y alegría de ver correr a un galgo. Es euforia en su forma más pura. El galgo cuando está contento corre. Y cuando corre es feliz. Y cuando está sereno es dulce. En ningún momento tiene esa expresión de ferocidad y de crueldad con la que Sendo los ha dibujado.


October is the month when International Greyhound Planet Day is celebrated.  
The images we draw shows how individuals and creatures around us are to be treated. In Spain approximately 60,000 greyhounds are abandoned or killed annually. If you are interested in adoption or being part of the solution: SOS Galgos.
If you want to see an honest depictions of greyhounds visit Sombra's page and Pinterest Greyhounds/Mi Galguita

Octubre es el mes en el que se celebra El Día Internacional del Galgo.
Las imágenes que dibujamos muestran cómo tratar a los individuos o criaturas a nuestro alrededor. En España aproximadamente 60,000 galgos se abandonan o se les matan anualmente. Si le interesa adoptar o ser parte de la solución a esta situación terrible: SOS Galgos.
Si quiere ver una impresión verdadera de galgos visite a Sombra en su página y Pinterest Greyhounds/Mi Galguita.

Salvados

Astral is a documentary from the program Salvados (Saved), which is also the name of the luxury yacht that was converted into a rescue boat through the NGO Proactive Open Arms. Salvados has been with the NGO for 10 days, furrowing the Mediterranean Sea rescuing lives.
"This rich sailboat was transformed into a ship for the poor, a small metaphor for what could be with the redistribution of wealth."

Astral es un documental del programa Salvados y el nombre del yate de lujo que fue cedido a la ONG Proactiva Open Arms para ser convertido en un barco de rescate. En la película Salvados ha estado 10 días con la ONG surcando el mar mediterráneo rescatando vidas.

“El velero de ricos se ha transformado en un barco para pobres, una pequeña metáfora de lo que podría ser la redistribución de la riqueza”

Me

I am not the soul that spits in pain or danger's face.
I'm the trembling fast heart beat of a small bird, that slips through your fingers in flight for fear of an unbearable fate.
It's not death that frightens, but disregard and disdainful abandonment.

How I admire the swarthy tough soul that challenges a fight.
But, it's only curious observation, since I can't be anything but me.

Colazione in Vergnano 1882

"Gran lugar para sentarse y disfrutar de una repostería y capuchino viendo las frutas y vendedores vegetariano justo al otro lado de la calle. Por la noche la plaza se transforma con mesa y sillas donde usted puede sentarse y disfrutar de un spritz con los lugareños."

"A great place to sit and enjoy a pastry and cappuccino watching the fruit and vegetable vendors just the other side of the street. At night the plaza is transformed with table and chairs where one can sit and enjoy a spritz with the locals."

Comer en Italia, incluso en las cafeterías como 1882 es elegante y delicioso. Puedes esperar normalmente Son muy detallados en todo, como tener en la mesa la sal y pimiento en amoladores, pan recién horneado y palitos de pan y los bocadillos ligeramente calentados para que se ablande el queso pero ensalada se quede crujiente.

Lunch in Italy, even at the side cafés like 1882 is an elegant and delicious affair. You can usually expect details in abundance such as pepper and sea salt in grinders, fresh baked bread and bread sticks, lightly heated sandwiches, so the cheese softens, but the greens stay crisp.



"Las chicas que lleva este lugar son muy amables. Las ensaladas son un cambio bienvenido de comer pizzas y pastas y la máquina de café que merece la pena ver, hace un buen café. Justo enfrente de una de las partes en el mercado de Padova bajo arcos clásicos hacen de éste el lugar ideal para un bocado."

The girls that run this place are very nice. The salads are a welcome change from eating pizzas and pastas and the coffee-maker coffee that really deserves to be made well. Just in front of one of the sections of the Market of Padova, under the classic arches, make this the ideal place for a bit to eat.

Mmmm, this last photo you just have to see in colour.

Italian Mustard for a Soft Autumn

Color Senape - Mostaza Italiana para un Otoño Suave.

According to the latest fashion advice, this year's autumn bests will avoid blacks and greys and embrace mustard, navy and tan. I personally think that mustard is a fabulously versatile, cheerful colour that will go with any of those staple colours in your closet. With a purchase of one or two mustard accessories you will liven up your wardrobe in unimaginable, spicy ways.

"Autumn is really not the time for harsh colours. Weather and light can be unkind, so we’re drawn towards something with warmth, but at the same time, we want to be cheered. Luckily for anyone feeling a bit glum or a little lost, mustard yellow is trending this autumn, and it has endless possibilities." For A Trend in Autumn: How to Wear Mustard in Style."

Lovely Daniele ,who lives in Padova and works in Venice, poses here with an assortment of stunning handbags.
Verra Pelletteria, 30124 Venezia, S. Marco - Calle dei Fabbri 928

Handblown glass from Venetian island, Murano.

Padova - Please, faux fur only.

Venice on the Bridge of Sighs

Padova - Mustard coloured wool

Bologna - Abstract street art.

Padova

Willing models from Padova

Padova

Bolgna

Padova