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October 28 Soaked
This photo of a tiny portion of São Paulo wasn't taken by me. It is a Terra news photo:
It does give you a fairly good idea of what the city is like at the moment. I'd say its rather damp here, wouldn't you? The photo at the top is mine though and is a photo of quebra pedra, a weed (or should that read 'volunteer plant'?) that I spent a very long time uprooting until one of the locals saw me and berated me for uprooting what is considered one of the 'sacred herbs'. 'Quebra pedra' translates literally to 'stone breaker' and is used as a remedy for kidney stones. The locals swear by it. It is a very pretty herb, the raindrops on its dainty leaves looking like tiny jewels. This afternoon, we were meant to go into the village to enjoy the neighbourhood's 80'th birthday party. Vila Zelina is a Lithuanian community and was established in 1927. The celebration was to take place at the square. Pity it was a washout. This photo was taken at the square on a sunny day, the usual gathering of old (and not so old) men playing their dominoes. The dominoes table is always occupied, regardless of the time of day.
October 26 Rainy days
little bubbles float tiny raindrops splash a puddle shimmers a watery fantasy © tint October 25 Raindrops are falling on my head *insert music note*
See what happens when you complain? We have gone from hot and dry to cold and wet. Overnight, the temperatures dropped and it is now cold with constant rain. Make that cold by Brazilian standards, with temperatures averaging 18°C (64°F). In honour of this auspicious event (unaccustomed rain), I present you with one of Tat's favourite treats, Bolinha de chuva. Actually, it was a friend of hers that introduced us to this local confection. 'Bolinha de chuva' translates to 'little rain cake'. Every time this friend would visit, she would haul out the pot and the flour and make bolinha for us. She loved cooking at our place, as she wasn't allowed to at home. Herewith, my translation of a Bolinha de chuva recipe...
Bolinha de chuva (I added the Brazilian version of the recipe just as a curiosity) Temperature: Hot Ingredients: Method: In a bowl, mix flour, eggs, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add milk little by little with a mixer until you have a smooth batter. The mixture is ready when it starts to keep the shape of the balls. Heat sufficient oil in a frying pan to deep fry the balls. When the oil is hot, put small balls into the oil with a spoon. Fry the balls until golden brown and crisp. Remove with a straining spoon and place on paper towels to drain off oil. Toss balls in cinnamon sugar and they're ready to serve/eat/whichever-comes-first ;) Portuguese version: Ingredientes Modo de Preparo October 22 Patterns
Do you see patterns in everything? Do you look at the clouds and see teddy bears, giants, mountainous landscapes? I see patterns all over. In the shower, I amuse myself seeing people, animals, flowers and all manner of other fascinating shapes in the water droplets collecting on the tiles. I will look at the pattern formed by the leaves blown on the grass or the moss on the ceramic pot outside. Heck, I see patterns in the oil in the pan and (shh, don't tell anyone) have even been guilty of photographing those patterns I took bunches of pattern photos yesterday. I can't post them all, obviously, but see what fun you can have with these...  The patterns on the bark of the Eucalyptus tree
 The patterns in a nest in the ground. I have no idea what nest this is. Giant ants?  A piece of bark on the ground?
This last photo has me chuckling. I was hunkered down on the ground and kept having to push Romany away. Me on the ground with him takes him back to his puppyhood and he loves it. I couldn't get him completely out of the photo. See if you can spot Romany ;) October 21 Just up the road
Yesterday, Jorge and I went for a walk to the crematorium up the road. The man is crazy... it was extremely hot and he opted to go right after lunch. I came home looking like a broiled lobster. The dogs flitted from one shady patch to the next. Even hyperactive Dingo spent a lot of time just lying in the shade.  Guess which one of the two is laid-back Romany and which one is hyperactive Dingo. Of course, you can't see her tail whipping back and forth in this photo. I personally think she's a clockwork dog and needs to wind herself up all the time. The crematorium grounds here is where everyone goes for their exercise, to walk the dog and to just get out a bit. Its the only place around here with any amount of green... if you can call it green. Everything is dead. Between the heat and the lack of rain, there was very little green to be found at all.  If you didn't know where you were, you'd have sworn it was Autumn with the banked up mounds of crisp brown leaves. The crematorium is divided into two parts. One part for the wealthier, with little headstones and the other part for those whose dedication is far greater than their purses. Ashes were sprinkled around trees, flowers planted, signs and ornaments put up. It was my first visit there. I had avoided going there for so long, thinking it would be depressing, but that wasn't the case at all. I do hope we get rain soon. Brazil isn't meant to be a dry country... at least, not this part, although a part of me is grateful because, on a more personal note, the dryness is far easier to deal with than the humidity. |
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