# The Grasshoppers #

Last summer we had some visitors here. They used to sing on the trees and flied to our homes. They were the grasshoppers that sang all the time from dawn to midnight. I have never seen so many grasshoppers like last summer.

They reminds me the Aesop's fable "The Ant and Grasshopper". I don't know whether everyone knows this fable, so I'll tell you this story.

The grasshoppers spent the warm summer days singing on the trees while the ants worked to store up food for  winter.  When that season arrived, they grasshoppers begged for the ants for food, but the ants refused to give  them food, so they died of hunger. This story has been  used to teach children the proverb: to work today to eat tomorrow.

The grasshoppers visited us last summer and their songs were very beautiful. I hope you liked it!

Wishing you all a lively week!

HAPPY EASTER!

Wishing you a Happy Easter to everybody! This is my little bunny disguised as a little dog! Just joking.

Cheers, Sandra

Poetic Organ Grinder and His Puppet

There was a poetic group in the club last Sunday. It reminds me my childhood when my mother and I used to go downtown  and there was an organ grinder and his parrot. But this time there is no parrot but a puppet. The Muppet chose a piece of paper and I read the poem while a guy plays an accordion. I read the poem and people got around to listen to the poem. The poem is The Guests by the Brazilian poet Mário Quintana. I took only one picture because I was so delighted that I forgot to take much more.

Enjoy!


The guests by Mário Quintana

This life is a strange inn
From where we almost always go away wildly
Because our suitcases are never packed
And our bill is never paid on time...

The Skies Full of Clouds

Autunm is on the corner and  it is a bit less hot here. I enjoy taking pictures of the sky, so I hope you like the pictures. It reminds me the Cold Play song "the sky full of stars", but in this case it is full of clouds!  I have been busy studying, but always thinking of posting.  Cheers!

Carrot Cake

This is an easy recipe and it is very scrumptious. It is good for your breakfast or a tea time in the afternoon.

CARROT CAKE


Ingredients:

3 big carrots
1/2 cup of oil
4 eggs
3 tablespoons of butter
4 drops of vanilla

3 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
3 tablespoons of yeast

How to make it:
1. Sift the dry ingredients together and put in a big bowl
2. Beat the liquid ingredients in a blender
3. Add the liquid ingredients in the bowl and stir
4. Add the mixture in a pan greased and floured pan.
5. Bake at 180° for 40 minutes approximately.

Icing Cake:
Squeeze two lemons and add 1 cup of icing sugar. Put on the cake and treat yourself!

Santos and the tramway

The first and the second pictures were taken by my daughter B. It is Santos, a city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

You can see Morro Santa Terezinha Hill on the background.

The sea on the background.

This is my picture of Ana Costa Ave. 

A sightseeing tour by tramway downtown. 

This tramway does not run anymore,  but you can still see it on the square as a tourist attraction and take a picture with the dummy on the door.

I do love a trip on the tramway to see the historical points downtown. 

Monte Serrat Hill

Monte Serrat Hill is one of the highest points in Santos. You have the most breath-taking view of Santos up there! 

You can take a ride on the funicular or climb up on foot (there are 415 steps!). There are two funiculars, one that goes to the top of the hill and the other one to the bottom. The funicular has a single set of tracks going up the whole hill except for a small section in the middle where it splits into a double track. This is where the two funiculars pass each other. The view is really amazing and I took many pictures and a picture of a canyon.

On the top of Monte Serrat Hill there are the Monte Serrat Chapel, a big cafe, a shop which sells souvenirs, candles, saint statues, a room with concave and convex mirrors, etc. It is very funny to see yourself on the mirrors!  In the nineteenth century there was a casino on the hill, which was disabled and nowadays it is a cafe, which is used for events. 

Our Lady of Monte Serrat, who is the patron saint of the city, to whom is attributed many miracles, is in the chapel. She was the saint who saved Santos Village from a Netherland pirate attack in 1615 and saved Araguary boat from a shipwreck, in 1926. Our Lady of Monte Serrat Sanctuary has the Miracle room, full of pieces in gratitude to the blessings. Every year there is a celebration of Her day, on September 8th.

The day we went there was not good, so the real beauty of the place cannot be seen properly. This is a wonderful trip! I hope you like it! Enjoy!