MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

The Lady, without mourning, is back to run the show: “Hi, how are all of you?”

Cristina Fernandez holding the pup Simon, a gift from Hugo Chavez brother Adan and next to a giant penguin sent by a well wisher

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez reappeared Monday in a video for the first time since the October 8 cranium surgery to remove blood clots. Very much in control of the situation and specially impressive for the occasion the Argentine leader reopened her Twitter and with a first message in 45 days that said: “Hi, how are all of you?”

 Cristina Fernandez, who has worn black since her husband and predecessor Nestor Kirchner died in October 2010, wore a white blouse in the pre-recorded video taken by her daughter Florencia. The 60-year-old leader said that she lived through difficult moments in her health battle, which involved the removal of two blood clots near her brain, and thanked well-wishers who sent thousands of letters and everything from dolls to flowers to a giant stuffed penguin.

“From a routine heart exam to being told they have to open your head,“ Cristina Fernandez said in the video, sitting on a white sofa with red roses next to her.

”It was a difficult moment, the head is the head...But as always here we are: up front with all our determination and once again thanking all of you for your preayers and good wishes".

The president ended the seven-minute video by holding up a white dog that was given to her by Adan Chavez, the brother of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. She said the Venezuelan leader had promised her the pet, which she named “Simon” after the Venezuelan independence hero Simon Bolivar, before his death.

During her convalescence, Cristina Fernandez missed Oct. 27 congressional elections in which her ruling alliance garnered just 33% of the votes nationwide and her main candidate in the province of Buenos Aires lost by 12 percentage points. While her alliance kept their hold on Congress, the results ended any hopes she may have had of seeking a third consecutive term when her current period ends in 2015.

“Simon is going to rest now and I’m going to get to work” Cristina Fernandez said at the end of the video.