Bird in the hand

Here is this week's things that I am grateful for - my "bird in the hand":

Photo by D'Arcy Norman

• my birthday and all the lovely greetings I got from friends and family
• a safe flight over to England
• seeing family and my new granddaughter and grandson
• having a warm coat, hat and gloves! It's freezing here and the snow has started today!
• cuddles and feed-time with babies
• seeing the ducks on a frozen lake

Hope you are staying cozy.

Birthday Parade!

It was my birthday yesterday and I had a wonderful time here in San Miguel.  My birthday - 2nd February - is Candlemas day.  Not a major event or even something most people have heard about!  But in San Miguel they celebrate it as Candelaria Day which also coincides with the first day of spring. The children dress up and parade around the town, ending up at the park which is filled with flowers and plants.

So of course, for my birthday, we shared in the Candelaria activities (except I didn't get to dress up as a flower, or tree or drop of water!).  Here are some photos of the sweet, colorful children:

and the riot of color from the flowers:

And not a mention of groundhogs!! (In the US, February 2nd is known as Groundhog day!).

I had a wonderful day..... which also included a 2 hour massage and a lovely dinner.  Thank you to all of you who sent me greetings and wishes.  A memorable birthday.