COLOURFULWORLD

Monday, 4 August 2025

Monday Murals - at Vila Nova da Cerveira

I love murals and street art. If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme is for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  Once you start looking you will find murals everywhere.  The "Monday Mural" meme goes live on Monday at 12,01AM, Perth,Western Australian time. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters. Looking forward to your mural finds this week.

Thanks Sami  

When we visited our long time friends C&M, who now live in the very pretty town of Vila Nova da Cerveira (north of Portugal, bordering with Spain) we spotted some murals around the small town. 

In Rua 25 Abril 1, (25th April Street), on the walls of the Cine-theatre, ia a 10mt high mural, painted by Juan Domingues, a Venezuelan artist, son of Portuguese immigrants. It is a tribute to the artist Henrique Silva, one of the founders of the Cerveira International Art Biennial - and portrays the "eternal master of the restless" in his youth and presently.

 

On the other side of the cine-theatre is an 8 meter high mural entitled "Gaps in memory", which was painted over 4 days in 2016, by Brazilian artist Elton Hipólito, portraying the master José Rodrigues (1936-2016) - a Portuguese artist known for his work in sculpture, drawing, illustration, and scenography.     

The artist chose to paint using natural pigment paints, with light and dark soil collected from 2 different areas in the region, which at the same time draws attention to the problem with fires in the area.




Just down the road, another mural by the same Brazilian artist Elton Hipólito, painted in April 2019, measuring 17,50mt x 4,30mt and entitled "Women of the April revolution", portrays writers Maria Teresa Horta, Maria Isabel Barreno and Maria Velho da Costa - or the "3 Marias", to perpetuate freedom of expression, marking the 45th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution (25th April 1974, a military coup that overthrew the dictatorship and established a democratic regime, without a single loss of life) 




At Praça do Alto Minho (Square of the Upper Minho) , artist Acácio de Carvalho commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Cerveira International Art Biennial.



The following two murals were spotted inside the old fortress in the nearby town of Valença. 




Monday, 28 July 2025

Monday Murals - Bordalo and others in Viseu

I love murals and street art. If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme is for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  Once you start looking you will find murals everywhere.  The "Monday Mural" meme goes live on Monday at 12,01AM, Perth,Western Australian time. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters. Looking forward to your mural finds this week.

Thanks Sami 

Some odd murals around Viseu.

Painted by "Bigod" aka João Domingos, inspired by the winemaking traditions of the Dão region (in the centre of Portugal). It can be found in Rua Escura (Dark street :) )

"In Vino Veritas" (In wine there is truth), painted for the 2016 Tons de Primavera (Colours of Spring) by Draw & Contra (Frederico Draw and Rodrigo Alma), at Rua Silva Gaio 52.

            


This last one called "Barbary Baby and Mom Monkey" , was created by Bordalo IIaka Artur Bordalo, who was born in Lisbon in 1987. 

He grew up watching his grandfather - Artur Real Bordalo da Silva, a famous Portuguese artist, paint landscapes of Lisbon. 

He's renowned for his large scale art installations using trash and discarded materials, to raise awareness about waste and environmental issues. The mural can be seen in a dilapidated house at Rua do Coval 219 and was created in 2020.

This mural seems to have lost some pieces...

              


He's got some beautiful murals all over the world, I saw two of his murals in Lisbon a few years ago, and there's one in Porto too. 

The Bee - mural at the LX Factory in Lisbon.


The Fox - at Avenida 24 Julho (Avenue 24 July), in Belem (Lisbon) not far from the Mercado da Ribeira (a food and produce market).



The Rabbit, in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto.



Wednesday, 23 July 2025

Monthly Wrap-up - June - and Signs

Linking to Tom's signs. Please check his blog for other signs from around the world.

Sunday 1st - the start of Winter with temperatures still in the mid 20's C (68F+)

I visited my friend/neighbour Maria, who had been discharged from hospital the week before after an op to take her some food.

Monday 2nd - public holiday - WA (Western Australia) day. Once again this year it rained, so only Fremantle seemed to be celebrating with outdoor music events. With Jose away, I decided to stay home and instead did a bit of decluttering and gave away stuff on Buy Nothing.

I also decided to re-paint my kitchen island and laundry cupboards, that I had painted two years ago. The blue I had used then was not exactly what I had imagined, so because we have a black countertop, I decided on black, and I'm so much happier with the result.

We installed the Ikea kitchen and laundry cupboards about 16 or 17 years ago. We bought the glossy type for the kitchen, but bought the cheaper unglossed version for the laundry. A few years later I noticed they were getting yellowish, reason I painted the 2 top doors white and the others in blue and now in black.

Black & white - the last incarnation of the laundry cupboards

The blue phase - painted in 2023

The all white original laundry

Thursday 5th - took my first shingles vax (free over 65 years of age), the 2nd dose will in 6 months time later.

Sunday 8th - Staff of our medical clinic met at Henry M's Cafe in the suburb of Manning, for a farewell high tea for 2 colleagues retiring end of June.

Most of the Doctors and receptionists at the farewell (I'm third on the right)

             


Thursday 12th - Just as I woke up and opened the bedroom curtains I spotted the sunrise. 


Friday 13thIn the morning I met up with my friend W for coffee at the nearby Riverton Cafe.

In the early afternoon I attended a physiotherapy appointment for my hand at the Claremont Hospital- my last one, as the therapist agreed it wasn't doing anything and I was just wasting money.

I went to the local shopping centre - Claremont Quarter  - where they had a free immersion art installation - The Airship Orchestra - 16 inflatable "beings" (some up to 8mt tall) that responded with movement to noise and music. The exhibition ran from the 21st May to the 17th June. It was quite cool :)

                

On the top floor, the luxury fashion label boutique "Camilla" had it's windows covered in Portuguese inspired decorations, with photos of streets, tiles, churches...

This from the website: The "Rua do Universo" collection, in particular, is a tribute to Portugal, with designs reflecting the country's rich cultural heritage and Camilla's own travel experiences. 


That evening, after 4 weeks in Lisbon, Jose departed to Doha (Qatar) where he would be staying with Karina and Thomas for 2 weeks to break up the long flight home and to spend time with our daughter. 

They attended free classical music concerts, enjoyed outdoor dinners by the pool, swam daily in the pool. It was very, very hot, so people don't usually go out during the day, but socialize when the weather cools in the early evening.

To make me jealous Jose sent me this beautiful sunset photo taken from Karina's house, with the pool and the lagoon waters just a few steps down 😎


                   

Tuesday 17th  - had dinner with my friend/neighbour Maria at Tiramisu Pizzeria in Parkwood. I had Chicken Scaloppine with mushrooms.

                

Thursday 19th - I woke up to a very, very foggy day, hardly had visibility to the end of the road, so it was a slow drive to work. In the evening news we were shown how the city buildings weren't visible from above.


After work I had a Spirometry to test for asthma due to long term cough. No asthma I can report, so I'm now using an awful tasting nose spray, which is helping.


Friday 20th - Met with Dr J at the lovely French Praline Cafe in Mt Pleasant, for a bit of a chat about work.

        

On the way home I drove via The Esplanade, around the Swan River, with the city to my left. Stopped a few time when I spotted some murals (always a bonus) and captured a rainbow too.


Monday 23rd - woke up and checked my Whatsapp and lots of messages from Karina and Jose re Iran's missile attack to an American military base in Doha.

Apparently the powers that be were advised of the attack so were prepared. The three of them were about to go out to dinner when they heard the "booms" and came out to check. Jose even filmed the missiles going one way and the other! They got a bit of a fright, but luckily it was over very quickly and the air space opened up 1 hour later.


Tuesday 24th - fetched Maria and her friend Michelle, for another dinner for the Community Harvest group, this time at an italian restaurant - Forchetta, in the suburb of Canning Vale. Nice food and service, and good company.

Friday 27th - coffee with Gill and Jan at "Spill the beans" cafe in the southern suburb of Rockingham, just across the beach. It was a nice sunny day and we sat in the outdoor area.

Saturday 28th - Jose arrived in Perth safe and sound, from his overnight flight from Qatar.



Monday, 21 July 2025

Monday Murals - at Santiago Park in Viseu

I love murals and street art. If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme is for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  Once you start looking you will find murals everywhere.  The "Monday Mural" meme goes live on Monday at 12,01AM, Perth,Western Australian time. Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters. Looking forward to your mural finds this week.

Thanks Sami 

At Santiago Urban Park (at Cidade Salamanca street), I found a couple of murals.

Aurora - Painted in July 2021, by "Os Ruido" (The noise), the name of a creative project by Portuguese artists Draw (Frederico Soares Campos) and Alma (Rodrigo Guinea Gonçalves), the mural was inspired by Spring colours

         


Painted by Portuguese artist Bigod (João Domingos), who uses the stencil technique. This mural can be seen in same park, and was inspired by the gardens in Viseu.


This next mural was also at the park (maybe at the back of the Aurora mural, but can't recall now). On top left says "check-up" and shows a man who is bound and gagged in front of a computer.
Couldn't find any info on the artist.



Viseu sign at Santiago Park

Wednesday, 16 July 2025

Signs: Personalised number plates

 Linking to Tom's signs. Please check his blog for other signs from around the world.


I saw this first sign just last week when I went to my local supermarket and had to laugh. I do hope the blind man isn't the driver 🤣🤣










Not sure what BA stands for?