Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais: Where I live

This is Loro. He is a parrot that lives in the house where I am staying in Belo Horizonte. There are also two cats, one with a heavy wheezing problem and one stray, and two dogs, Jaco and Juca. Loro knows that I like him, so do the dogs, which means I keep getting into trouble with them. Loro doesn't like everyone, but has started to take advantage of the fact that he knows I like to pick him up. Everytime I go by his perch he lifts his foot for me to take him with me, which I do. Then when it it time to go back he refuses and we are stuck at a face off of stubborness, me trying to make the bird submit to my will and he trying to make me submit to his will. Really I don't mind because he is so entertaining. This morning when he was missing it was because he was taking in the sun in a tree in the garden. In the afternoons he likes to talk and sing and he even does a fabulous imitation of Gigi's husband's laugh.

I am staying in a very nice house. The construction is so different than in Canada because the temperatures here are so much more mild. Also peole like to host guests for dinners often that kitchens, I have discovered, both indoor and outdoor, tend to be a focus of most homes.

The house I live in is pink with blue windows. The neighbourhood is quite rural by Brazilian city standards, as the drive to town is about 25 minutes. Our neighbours include a riding school where there are often kids training with their horses.

The garden is maintained by a gardener twice a week and is very elaborate with a number of sitting areas, shrubs, fruit trees, a little garden and a boardwalk system. Also he is in charge of maintaining the hedges around the property to keep prying eyes out and to hide the fence that keeps the animals in and the people out.

Across from the house is the big kitchen - my favourite part of this property. I can only hope to one day have a similar setup where I live. The big kitchen has an industrial size dehydrator, two fridges and freezers, a stationary stove and a moveable stove (for when you want to be heating something right beside the table), a wood oven and so much space to work! There are two dining tables and even two couch areas for people to lounge which others prepare the food.

On Saturday night we hosted Carol and Lucas as well as Lu's brother, Bruno, and his wife Anna and their toddler Nina. We made pizza in the wood oven, and Nina slept on one of the couches.