The lost puppy that came in from the cold! Christmas in Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Lemanota (little lemon)

After months of treking in South America we were determined to spend Xmas and New Year on the beach.

We headed for Florianopolis’s eastern beaches and crashed in a little pad on one of the islands peninsulas.  The hostel had a living space and small kitchen upstairs which we shared with 4 other people.

The beaches were clean, sandy white and empty.

During the day the sky was blue and the air temperate.

But At night the rain lashed down, obliging us by stopping in the morning so we woke to the smell of fresh damp foliage.  Bliss, bliss and more bliss.

One morning I wandered out into the living area and found that father  christmas had been to visit.

Lying on the sofa, looking scared but very cute was a black puppy – of course I feed her.

Seriously – how could anyone abandon this cutey?

She had obviously found her way up the stairs and taken shelter from the cold wet night.      The owners took a shine to their new lodger and after asking around to see if she was lost (no) Lemonata (little lemon) was adopted by the hostel and became a huge hit with us all.  She in return used to greet us with masses of affection every time we came back from the beach, restaurant, bar.   Despite being abandoned Lemonata was one little puppy with a huge heart.

If it had not been for the generosity of hostel owners in taking her in that little puppy may well have not been alive today – and for me that’s what Christmas is all about.