the remains of the year

yesterday as I was going through my 2009 moleskine© and moving some information into a brand new 2010 diary I found many dried leaves and flowers in between the days. many, many more than words worth mentioning. I suppose it was a silent year!

wishing you a joyful and peaceful year!

pale rose

so wintry in a way and yet there is still a wonderful faint scent remaining ...

winter landscapes in blue

some landscapes are unforgettable ... somehow they become part of our skin.

first image is a still from a short movie I made while traveling years ago. I remember there was a moment when a flock of birds hovered above the river. so beautiful and peaceful! the movie is now regrettably lost.

notes

the day is dark and gray and I have been working on a little project to give away ...
it feels quiet and the silence is wrapped in whole sorts of memories. untouchable memories!

le petit prince

maybe not an usual christmas tale but I so enjoyed the peaceful moments re-reading it ...

"the men where you live," said the little prince, "raise five thousand roses in the same garden and they do not find in it what they are looking for."

"they do not find it," I replied.

"and yet what they are looking for could be found in one single rose, or in a little water."

"yes, that is true," I said.

and the little prince added:

"but the eyes are blind. one must look with the heart ..."

a brief excerpt from the little prince by antoine de saint-exupéry

christmas day

if only I had a magic wand I would make it christmas everyday
for all those who are ill and disturbed
for all who are in danger
for all who are silently lonely
for all who feel lost
for all those other creatures who are neglected, hungry and frighten
in need of a hug
for all the bits of nature mistreated and damaged
in need of consideration and admiration ...
but since I'm no fairy I can only hope to share some peace with my neighbour everyday.
wishing you some inner peace on this day!

image from december 2007

anatoltorte

in the end I simply dusted it with good quality cocoa powder and some stars ... have a joyful christmas!☆✩✩ ... the recipe is here

the ingredientes ☆✩✩

looking for something special to make this christmas I found this rather unusual cake. it is made with cooked chestnuts and no flour involved. I'm trying it today ...

anatoltorte (from country living uk december 2003 page 136)

✩ for the cake

150g unsalted butter, softened

150g icing sugar

5 eggs, separated

210g sieved, cooked chestnuts

30g grated dark chocolate

✩ for the cream

3 egg yolks

100g icing sugar

3 tbsp double cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

60g plain chocolate, melted

120g unsalted butter

it also takes 5 whole marrons glacés, halved and 12 gold or silver sugared almonds for decoration but since I was unable to find these I will try something else

line the base of a 23cm cake tin with non-stick baking parchment and butter the sides. pre-heat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/gas mark 3.
to make the cake, begin by creaming the butter and sugar until thick and fluffy, then beat in the yolks one by one, alternating with spoonfuls of the chestnut purée. beat in the rest of the purée and the grated chocolate. whisk the egg whites until stiff, then slowly fold into the mixture. scrape into the prepared tin, smooth down and bake for 50-60 minutes until firm to the touch. cool on a wire rack, then cut in half horizontally.
for the cream, begin by whisking the egg yolks with the sugar, cream and vanilla extract until pale and very thick. cream the butter until fluffy, them beat in the cooled melted chocolate and fold in the egg yolk mixture to make a chocolate butter cream.
sandwich the two halves of the cooled cake together with half the cream, then use the remainder to cover the top and sides. decorate with the marrons glacés and sugared almonds if using or create your own festive decoration.

tenderness

I woke up with her sleeping on my shoulder softly breathing ...

winter herbarium

some reasons to love winter ...

the quiet light, the soft sounds, the drops of rain drawing on the ground.

the mist collected in the morning windows, the slow waking cold-nosed, the little birds swaying high in the white gray sky and a pause to simply observe the trees sleeping in the yards.

images taken december 2 years ago

this morning

just picked this sunday morning from the ground. the trimmings of someone's garden ... so cold outside!

orange

orange juice in the morning everyday from late october till march ... keeps colds and flu away!
orange baubles bright as stars on christmas nights ... so very close now!

children's herbarium

look in detail! made by tiny hands discovering the secret world of plants. the beauty of indigo blue delicately impressed with drawings and nature.
from early this month ... a simple exhibition just around the corner from home
exhibition at casa da cerca (in portuguese only)

a hand full of ♡♡♡

so simple, so touching ... a garland made of little paper hearts that open like small petals of a flower. thank you for your simple gesture. I love it!*

me in my new hat

I received a new handmade comfy toque this morning in the mail. it was handmade specially for me by dear Melanie. thank you so much, I love it!

cold hands warm heart

with the chilly wind whispering in the trees and frozen hands and feet I spend the most wonderful moments of the weekend at the crafts fair ...

thank you everyone who participated and made it possible!

thank you for your beauty and for your hands!

thank you for your luminosity!

thank you all friends who took the time to visit and those who passed by and smiled!

at crafts & design

otchipotchi is going to be at "crafts & design" in jardim da estrela, lisbon this weekend with some lovely bags and little christmas presents.