Penedos, Village life

Village life haircut in blue! Beautiful and heartwarming, Isabel!

(And you managed to take this wonderful photo despite the presence of a cat! It shows anyone can conquer their fears!)

I was quite far from them and didnt see the animal, just did on computer.
Over 62 years since the cat’s attack, I think I will never cope with felines and am quite fed up of people wanting to convince me to take their lively cat in my arms. But if I could ask them to hold a snake they would run shouting with fear… for me a cat does the same effect…

Obrigado Isabel.
Eu não deveria mais falar com você sobre gatos, então miow !

Ops, didn't think about the possibility of it being accidentally taken with a cat in it ... Sorry for making assumptions. As I mentioned before, I have an animal phobia myself (wasps, in my case) and for similar reasons (terrifying childhood encounter of the ... stinging kind). But, of course, I don't have to contend with people trying to convince me of their cuteness or asking me to hold them in my hand. Even as an enthusiastic cat lover myself, I can understand your disgruntlement with cat owners who don't respect your feelings about felines.

I have held snakes in my hand a couple of times and it was a weird but fascinating experience. The temperature and texture of their skin as well as the way it ripples as it moves are such a different feeling! I think in the case of snakes, though, the fear factor comes from a protective instinct and is not generally personal (although there may be some people who have personal bad memories of encounters with them, of course) and perhaps instinct might be a bit easier to overcome than an emotionally charged personal experience, especially one that dates back to childhood. I definitely know that, while I was able to hold the snake without discomfort, I could never hold a wasp in my hand and remain calm. Nor can I go close enough to take a picture of one (which is too bad because I can recognize that they are beautiful and interesting just like any other creature).

Again, sorry if it sounded like I was making light of your fear of felines. It was not my intention. I just thought that you had been brave to put it aside enough to be able to tolerate the cat's presence, at least at a distance, in order to take this photo that I really enjoyed. In my case, the cat's presence actually plays into the "homey" feeling of the shot, but I realize that for you it does not and might, in fact, have spoiled somewhat your enjoyment of the scene if you had been aware of it.

Not funny...

No problem Annalia. I understood what you meant and you did not make fun of me like sometimes some silly people do.

About snakes I guess it is catholic religion-induced, the snake being associated by christians to sin.
In ancient religions and cultures snakes were synonyms of wisedom, healing, transformation and therefore respected. Catholicism erased ancient knowledge and beliefs in order to impose itself by faith only, otherwise it wouldnt have survived nor become an instrument of power and domination throughout the centuries.
In nature snakes are very useful to eat rodents and therefore crop protectors, better than use chemicals or traps.

In my childhood (4 years old) I was eating a sardine on bread and some wild cats appeared agressively. My grandma did the most stupid thing she tells she could have done: she picked me up and raised me in her arms instead of telling me to throw the food at them. They scratched her legs and as blood popped they started to bite her and took some chunks. Neighbours came to rescue but she kept the scars all her life. Now imagine what it means for me... still a nightmare.

In some countries like Australia where cats were introduced by Europeans hundreds of native species were erradicated by them. Now there is a program to capture cats in the wild because more species are endagered by them.
But what bothers me most is that they kill for pleasure... like men !

Wasps... I wouldn't go to close, being attacked is no fun. My Estrelinha has been attacked by them because she stepped on a ground wasp nest... she didn't die because there was a fountain where I throwed her to get rid of the wasps -I dont even know why I was not stung too- we where close to home I and had what was needed and gave her the saving jab. Nevertheless she was in pain...
I made a pic of them under the patio's roof eaves but I will tell you when I will publish, so you can skip it !!!!

Enjoy your weekend my friend !

Then poor Estrelinha had the same experience I had. I too accidentally stepped on a ground nest when I was 4 years old (it must be an age when scary experiences get strongly embedded in our psyche!). My dad scooped me up and ran like mad to the car but we were both stung repeatedly on the way there and the next day I had a high fever and could not open my eyes: they were swollen shut. Evidently, I am not seriously allergic to their sting or I would not be here to tell the story :)

I don't mind seeing pictures of them, in fact I like them. They give me a way to look at them closely, something I cannot do in real life, not without starting to tremble like a leaf in the wind and sweating all over. In a picture, they do not scare me at all and I find them interesting and beautiful in their own way.

I respectfully disagree about cats killing for pleasure. No animal does that. They hunt because it's their instinct and it is what their mother teaches them since they are kittens. They are obligated carnivores (meaning their body can only absorb the nutrients it needs from meat, everything else goes through their digestive system too fast to be absorbed) and hunting skills are therefore necessary for survival. So they hunt to hone their skills and their mother teaches them to hunt so as to give her offspring a chance of survival. There are many things in nature that might appear cruel to our eyes (think of spiders keeping their prey alive so they can slowly suck the life from it, for example) and this is perhaps one of them, but I think it just obeys the laws of nature, like everything else.

Well so I will publish my wasps without fearing to stress you then. Fortunately they are tiny little monsters, LOL !

About felines I will not argue, but always heard many people say the same, that they kill for pleasure. Apparently Aborigens think the same, as per the documentary I saw on Nat Geo.

Now the question would be, as we are also an animal species, is the pleasure men can take in torturing their own kind and other species part of the laws of nature? WAW... hard one for brainstorming...

Well, it is great we are not all alike so we can learn from others and enrich ourselves with our differences.

Buona notte Annalia

Fabulous capture! Stay well!

Admired in:
www.ipernity.com/group/tolerance

Nice photo!
My cat ( one of them) would like your feet Isabel she is so soft, but I understand the fear of anything.

Better not, I would feel too uncomfortable, LOL !

Excellente *************

Le chat attend son tour !

Lire mon comment à Annalia au dessus... et comprendre le pourquoi de mon refus pour certains groupes!
Obrigada Leo

Klasse Foto Isabel! Schönes Wochenende!

Da gibt es wenigstens noch was zu schneiden:)

Yes, thatt is real life

I like the idea of a haircut in the sun. Great to see your news about Andy too, Isabel.

Amazing street-scenery!

Una escena espectacular.

Una escena normal en el pueblo...

I should suggest to my barber he do his clipping outdoors on summer Saturdays, since there is a weekly market right outside his shop. He's a young guy, and he just might do it. I'd volunteer to be the "patient."

In the sun must be very pleasant, let us know if he agrees ?

When I cut Adrian's hair he does not enjoy the experience. This gentleman seems to be loving getting a haircut in the sunshine. I lobe the limited colour palette.

Their house is very very small, better use the outside space ! They are a very close couple.

outside, but the hair go to a dustbin....

Of course...

Une photo bien sympathique.

Obrigada Jean Luc, vie de tous les jours dans mon village...

Cette région a l'air interessante où est-ce ? Je viendrai bien cet hiver pour faire quelques photos...

Tu regardes où j'habite sur mon profil, Penedos est ma deuxième maison 35km plus nord à vol d'oiseau. Contacte par MP si plus d'information souhaitée.
Penedos, Mértola, Beja
Lat, Lng: 37.488324, -7.796254

Si la pandémie le permet, je viendrais vers le début du mois d'octobre. on pourra prendre un verre sur une terrasse.

Je serai absente du 2 au 5 inclus (si la pandemie permet), sinon je serai là.

The gentleman looks very happy with his haircut. A superb picture of everyday life Isabel.

He is a nice and happy guy !

Genial!
Buena semana!

El pueblo... lo es !

EXCELLENT*****