Casa Calado ( English) - Australian Shepherd and Golden Retriever: October 2011

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Thinking green ...

We, animal breeders (well or very occasionally breeders) may well think in our effect on the general world and society.

I once read that a pet consumes a lot of resources, but in my opinion, a person really consumes a lot more, since we are not satisfy but just the basic survival needs, and a pet is really happy with the basic, food, care and love. And if having a pet reduces the need for people to have other people in their lives, then … anyway, lot of debate in this matter …

Recently, maybe due to my professional area, I have being confronted with the new iPad and the necessity to make products available for e-reading.

So, how those e-reading really affect our modern world ? in my opinion it really helps reducing the consuming of paper and I already read several reports that newspapers and magazines have decreasing sells, since people already read on-line for the news.
This shouldn’t hurt the news industry, but make then to need to invest in new areas, like e-reading.

For books … well I believe that will be harder, since there is still a image that people need to accomplish having a lot of shiny books on their living rooms. They might not be big readers or even like to read, but to have a library always looks good, doesn’t it ?

So maybe we should make a personal effort to change our cultural label and really think above that. Books can be read by e-readers and there are some that are available to those that can’t spend a lot (for instance the Kindle for Amazon).

Buying a e-reading device used, also helps to recycle, since there wasn’t a need to produce one more to our flavor.

In the end it is the words, the story and the ability to enter in the writer world that matter when we read.

So, one more suggestion from people who like to think green !

Thursday, October 06, 2011

St. Francis of Assisi and Animal day !

This week, on the 4 of October, we celebrate St. Francis of Assisi and Animal day !

St. Francis of Assisi was dear to my father and he always said that when he would dye it was to his heavenly garden he would go to help St. Francis of Assisi to take care of the animals over there, so it is where I imagine my father soul.

For those that don’t know St. Francis of Assisi, he was a man that was born in a very rich family and along his live path decided to dedicate his life to the church and animals. He defended the ideal of a brotherhood that would integrate men with nature and animals.
For him each living being was an expression of God kindness and to love an animal was to love God and his creation.

This year, I lost one of my oldest friend, that was with me since the beginning of my adult life. To her as to the rest of my lost four leg family, I dedicate my memory and prays.

Monday, October 03, 2011

A trip to Aveiro

Aveiro is one of those Portuguese cities you must visit ! Known for its Moliceiro, confectionery and characteristic architecture, leaves an imprint in our memories and hearts.
I remember having visited this city with my parents and perhaps because of the mark that left on my soul, I have tried to show it to other people that are close to me.
So, I organized a special trip with my son and I sincerely hope, like with me, I accomplish my purpose and left a mark he will remember and share in the future.

On our trip we made several stops along the way because I am always delighted with the landscape that unfolds in front of us, when we go to the north of Portugal and is so different from South of our country. It is worth stopping, enjoying nature and walk to stretch your legs simply enjoying ;)

When we arrived in Aveiro we immediately encounter the Parque Infante D. Pedro, a densely wooded area, with varied fauna and flora, and even a lake of reasonable dimensions, where a couple kindly gave some of his bread to Gabriel, and he enjoyed feeding ducks and fish. Inside the gazebo stands wrought iron of the early century, the Museum of Hunting and Fishing and a beautiful tile panel.
My four-legged friends loved this stop, where they had the first olfactory experience of the city of Aveiro.

The Museum of Aveiro city, established in the former Convent of Jesus, women of the Dominican Order, was another point that we decided to visit. Here we found a vast collection of Baroque religious art, and we can visit and therefore get to know part of the convent and the nuns daily life. The Church of Jesus and the tomb of Princess Saint Joan is also in the Museum.

The food and sweets is still a battle between me and my son, because like all children, he is suspicious regardless of what is new and unknown.
But as I had explained to him, and he already had experience with the pastel de Belém, everything that identifies us as the Portuguese and is done in our land, we have to experience and have knowledge to say and talk to other people.
And after he read about the history of Ovos Moles and the Pão de Ló de Ovar, became convinced that he had to taste and he particularly like the Pão de Ló de Ovar and brought with him a barrel of Ovos Moles.

The Ria de Aveiro with its famous Moliceiro, which so delighted my son, is a famous icon of the city.

The hotel where we were staying was the Palace Aveiro where we were well attended, well received and have opened their doors to animals, and was not surprised with our four-legged companions.
The room was excellent (in the words of my son "slept like a baby"), the shower is very good, and heavenly breakfast.
Therefore, a reference;)