A Casa Formosa

Here are a few details of my Guest-House , a Casa Formosa.

It´s been two years since we started with no experience, a tight budget  but a lot of willpower and a dream in our minds - i feel so proud of all the nice reviews and feedback from our dear guests!

I hope we can grow keeping up with the good work, providing a warm welcome for those who come to Porto and choose us as a starting point to know the city.

1. The doorbell

2. Our hall and guest's notebook

3. One fluffy rose pillow

4. The living room lamp

5. Fresh fruit in the table

6. The record player 

7. The sofa

8. One of the bedrooms pillows

9. Some succulents in one of the terraces

One of my favorite spots in the house right now

2010

While doing the endless task of organizing my photo files i found this pictures i took of Maia in the barbershop two years ago.
I love barbershops and i recall that Maia was the first friend that agreed to enter and ask to take some photos.
This reminded me to be a little more brave and look into the eyes of strangers more often.

 I have to recognize that what sometimes i consider to be 'my comfort zone' is simply just fear of the unknown and what i can not control.
People can be nice,Sara.

Animal patterns

This week i was looking around in a fabric store and these two patterns caught my attention and i could not resist bringing them home.
Soon to become lovely new shirts!

my room in the morning

Introducing ...

Tone

 My niece found Tone two years ago, abandoned with two other newborn kittens inside a bucket in the train station near my parents house.
She brought them home and we tried to understand how old were they and if they would survive without the mother.
I bought some powder milk from the pet store and we fed them with a baby bottle.
Tone's siblings did not survive but he made it, turning into one of the beautiful and funniest cats i ever seen.
My 17 year old female cat, Estrelinha still lived a year with him and they were best friends to her last days (she past away earlier this year).
He is now the pride and joy of my parents house.

Orange

5th of October is a holiday in Portugal.
From my window i can see the streets are very quiet, there is always a lot of people that elope the city on long weekends and i feel a true feeling of peace.
Later i will gather with some friends to grab pizza and catch up on the conversation.
I hope everybody out there  has a great weekend.

A ride with a view

João surprised me two days ago and took me for a ride in a chairlift from the riverside of Gaia to the Jardim do Morro.
I'm afraid of heights and the last time i was on a chairlift was over ten years ago and i thought i could not ever do it again.
Well, i did and felt really happy with myself.
In the end João said he did this for me to feel i can do anything if i put my mind to it.

What a great afternoon.

October

Tomorrow will be, most likely the last day of my sick leave.
I have treasured very much each day spent at home, spending quality time hanging around with the cats, taking pictures - relearning to relax.
I feel better but not quite ok to return to work, but i don´t know if it will be possible to extend the leave and i don´t want to run or hide from the fact that this job is something to be over with until the beginning of 2013.
Tried my best to unwind during this time but now i want to focus for i did not yet found a solution for what exactly would make me happy in the job department.
Need a plan and faith.

Need to tell myself i can do this.

  

Natacha

This picture was taken three years ago and since then i only saw Natacha once more in 2010, although she is one of my closest friends.
We text messages and send emails, very rarely call but still i think she is one of the few people in the world to whom i tell a whole lot of myself.
I wish for more time in real life with people i love.

'The days are long, but the years are short.'