Sunday Sevens #59 27.11.16

November 27, 2016November 27, 2016 ~ Making Stitches ~ 16 Comments

Hello there, here’s this week’s Edition of Sunday Sevens. I hope this finds you well and not being too battered or soggy by the winter weather we’ve been seeing in both Britain and this part of the world this week! Here goes:

Touchline crochet

Last Sunday I had an early alarm call. One of the Little Postcard had a football match with a kick off at 9am. It was our first early kick off of the season and hopefully there won’t be too many more!

A thermos with coffee and a spot of touchline crochet took the edge off the early start. Not quite as good as a lie-in but at least they won!

I must get organised…

On Monday I had nothing in the diary at all while the Little Postcards were at school – a very rare happening in my usual routine. I used my time wisely and finally attempted to get my crafty broom cupboard sorted out.

An avalanche of bags of fabric & yarn had been preventing me from getting the door open for weeks… I’m not brave enough to show you a before picture 😬. I’m pleased with what I achieved.

My cupboard isn’t very big (180cm x 88cm) I had to stand in the hall to take the picture. But it’s my own little space and I feel very lucky to have it – it’s the first time I’ve had a dedicated crafty corner in any of our homes (and there have been a few over the years).

Dressmaking class

My lining and outer fabric are joined on my princess-line top. Please forgive the shot on the ironing board. The alternative was a white table – and the top would have disappeared! Side seams and invisible zip next – arghh!

My latest project

I’m working on something for a friend at the moment and it’s in chunky yarn. Oh the joys of chunky yarn…. you get results so quickly! Loving that I’m now one third of the way through already!

Beach huts – finished

My interpretation of the beautiful beach huts at Southwold is finally finished. I’m really pleased with them. I think this one’s a keeper. Watercolour class next week will mean a new project – what next I wonder?

Happy post!

You may remember last week I was a bit browned off that the Post Office had lost my parcel. Well on Tuesday I got a phone call from a very nice man to say they’d found it. It took until the end of the week to be able to go and pick it up, but it was worth the wait.

I’m chuffed to bits with my new Lana Bou ‘crocheter’ glitter necklace. You can find Lana Bou on Instagram and her Etsy shop is here : Lana Bou Shop

Hitting the virtual airwaves

Did you see my post yesterday? I’ve been having a play about on the computer ably assisted by Eldest and made my first ever podcast. It was good fun (if slightly difficult) to make and I’m hoping to make some more, longer ones in the new year.

I spend quite a bit of my time listening to podcasts during the day when I’m busy getting stuff done about the house and they cover a wonderful array of topics. They are like tailor-made radio shows just for you – I really love them. Here’s my first offering in case you missed it yesterday : Podcast 1

Another thing…

One of the things which spurred me on to press publish on the podcast was reading this wonderfully moving post by my online friend Nancy of Avocado Fairy. It’s really worth a read and reminds us that life is short and it is what we make it. Thank you Nancy for the kick up the backside I needed to get on with it!

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series created by Natalie at Threads & Bobbins.

Until next time, have a great week!

My first ever Podcast!

November 26, 2016 ~ Making Stitches ~ 15 Comments

Hello there! This is quite a big day for me, this is something I’ve been wanting to do for some time now and with the fantastic assistance of Eldest Postcard and his super whizzy technical skills, you lucky people will be able to hear my dulcet tones for the first time!

Please let me know what you think of my first attempt at Podcasting, I welcome constructive criticism so long as you aren’t too harsh please 🙂

Just click on the link below and you should be able to hear it….
Postcard from Gibraltar Podcast No 1

Convent Christmas Fair 2016

November 25, 2016November 25, 2016 ~ Making Stitches ~ 10 Comments

It may have been a pretty damp and grey day yesterday, but that didn’t put the crowds off coming along to the annual Convent Christmas Fair this year. For those not familiar with Gibraltar or the Convent, it’s the official residence of the Governor of Gibraltar (the Queen’s representative here), so naturally there are a few royal pictures about the place…

A quick stop at security, and we were in.

The Convent Christmas Fair Committee put an awful lot of work into putting the fair on each year. It costs £2 to get in and you are accosted pretty quickly to buy raffle tickets and tombola tickets for some wonderful prizes. All of the money which is raised at the event goes to support local charities.

Up the grand stairs and into the fair….

The first table I came to was Kate Davies’ beautiful stall showcasing some of her lovely fused glass work. I have been a fan of Kate’s work for a few years now and I have several of her pieces hanging around the house from windows. I’m looking forward to going up to Kate’s shed to see her at work soon, I’d love to know how she does it!

Next I headed into the very grand dining room which had been given over to a vast array of stalls featuring all sorts of different crafts and goodies.

Craft fair regular, Debbie Yeo was there with some of her beautiful things. Debbie can turn her hand to so many different crafts. She had paper crafts, hand sewn gifts and beautifully painted items for sale.

This painted glassware and candles on Debbie’s stall are just exquisite.

My next port of call was the ‘Beyoutifully Homemade’ stall made by Sally. The talented stitcher makes cushions (some featuring Star Wars characters & Pokemon balls), bags, lap quilts, memory items using your own children’s baby outfits and recycled denim projects. She had so many lovely things she had on offer.

Not only did I make a purchase, I also got some inspiration for something else to add to my never ending ‘To make’ list! My next stop was the ballroom…

In this venue there were some very tasty treats on offer along with many stalls representing local charities. My attention was caught by small local business Just Because Macarons…. you can see why!

There were loads of very appealing flavours on offer… ooh which to choose?

Then it was time to choose the name of the knitted reindeer on the Cancer Relief stall (many apologies to Grainne [Santa’s little helper] I only took one photo and she looks a bit browned off in it! I promise she was smiling a split second before this was taken!!).

All of the things on this Christmas fundraising stall were made by patients who use the centre, their families and the centre’s many wonderful supporters. They have a craft club once a fortnight and the items made during the sessions were used to fill the stall. Among the lovely items on sale were doggie treats, human treats (including the most wonderful rocky road bites – I accidentally ate a few before the family came home – whoops) and handcrafted decorations and toys.

Alas, it was time to head home in time to pick the Little Postcards up from school. It was a brilliant fair again as always. I went early-ish so didn’t see it at it’s most busy. From previous experience I know it gets really packed when the schools finish for the day and the queue to visit Santa in his grotto can get quite long. I took Littlest Postcard last year and he was a little bit unsure, so I didn’t repeat the trip this year.

So what did I buy? Well sadly, quite a lot of it will be going into Christmas presents to people who may read this, so I can’t share too much…. But these mmm… I can’t wait to try one of these. I doubt very much they will stay in their packets much longer. Just need an excuse for giving the boys a treat…. Mint Chocolate, Milk Chocolate and Minion flavour macarons. (What do Minions taste like I wonder?)

And this lovely crayon roll made by Beyoutifully Homemade will be going in the post to a special little man we know.

So that’s it for another year. I hope you enjoyed this trip to the Convent Christmas Fair, I’m very pleased to say I have officially begun my Christmas shopping – well I had got a few bits and pieces already but it’s the big push now from here on in.

Jingle bells…jingle bells… I wonder whether the guard made it in to see Santa? 😉

If you would like to see last year’s post about the Convent Christmas Fair 2015, you can find it here.

The adventures of Blizzard the bunny

November 20, 2016November 23, 2016 ~ Making Stitches ~ 7 Comments

Are you sitting comfortably? Good, then I’ll begin. Here’s the tale of Blizzard the bunny.

On Sunday afternoon, the Postcard family enjoyed a lovely Sunday lunch together in Queensway Quay marina.

We decided to put off going straight home, so we went for a wander into the Alameda Gardens to show the boys the Green Men.

It had been a very grey day, but as the sun was going down, it poked through the clouds and we had a really lovely half an hour or so in the leafy glade.

As we headed for home we found two ladies with their young daughters standing by one of the flower beds pointing. As we approached, we saw what they were pointing at, 3 rabbits. A white one (below) …

…and two brown ones. Along with a cage, which was left with the lid off and a sack of food.

The bunnies had clearly been abandoned as they were right next door to the Alameda Wildlife Park (which has some rabbit inhabitants). One of the ladies called the police to find a number for someone to come and collect the rabbits. We waited for well over half an hour and no one was coming and it was getting increasingly dark.

We decided that we would try to catch them and get them into the cage before it went dark – otherwise we wouldn’t be able to see them (especially the brown ones). The white bunny was very docile and sat for quite some time under a clump of dead flowers so was easy to pick up. The other two, however, were having a whale of a time running free in the undergrowth and they scarpered. Spotting an exit point from their location into the slope behind and through the trees and brushes beyond.

After more time passed waiting for someone to show up, we decided to take the white bunny home with us rather than leaving it out in the stormy rain which was forecast for Sunday night. We must have been quite a sight walking along the road with a rabbit cage!

Poor bunny, fancy abandoning a lovely creature like that?

I feel at this point I need to make something clear… I am NOT an ‘animal person’. I had several goldfish and a 1/4 share in a grumpy arthritic blue and grey budgie (called Nicky) as a child, but that did not make me particularly fond of creatures up close and personal. I can appreciate the beauty and elegance of a cat and I can see the merit of a pet dog (if you have the time and room and desire for one) but I’m happy as I am thank you very much.

So, just to recap, we went out to lunch on Sunday and came back with a very quiet, furry lodger.

Once back at our house, the bunny (who had now been named Blizzard) got a bowl of spinach, clean litter and hay, and the empty water bottle on the cage was refilled. The cage was placed next to Bunny Postcard’s run so they could get to know each other…

I’m not sure that Bunny Postcard was too impressed with the new arrival!

Sunday night went ok, but by Monday morning, there was an almighty racket coming from Blizzard’s cage. I was witnessing some completely new rabbit behaviour. Thumping. Every minute or so, Blizzard was thumping his/her back leg against the floor of the cage in a very aggressive way. A quick Google search revealed this could mean a whole host of different things, fear, anger, threat, territorial dispute, upset etc. Well the poor rabbit had just had a very upsetting 24 hours, abandonment, being caught by strangers and brought to a strange house with a rabbit already in residence.

On Monday morning, I returned to the Alameda Gardens and visited the wildlife park. The lady there had been alerted to the the bunny situation by the police and had actually seen one of the brown escapees running through the bushes close to where they were last seen. Sadly, this is not the first time that animals have been abandoned outside the park when it’s closed.

She told me that one morning, they had arrived to work to find a cage of ferrets which had been abandoned and left overnight in a stormy wet weather. How can you do that? Anyway, the main reason for my visit was to see whether they had room for a new addition. The short answer is no. They are not an animal shelter although they do take in exotic animals seized by Customs. Looks like we may be adopting a bunny.

Next stop, the vets…..

I can now reveal that Blizzard is a girl (may need to rethink that name). She appears healthy, although a little overweight. She had a treatment for fleas and parasites, a pedicure (as her claws were a little long) and a scan to check for baby bunnies (eek).

So far there is no evidence of babies, but as bunny pregnancies only last a month, the vet couldn’t rule it out. We have to return in a fortnight for a second scan and then we can get her injections done.

So there you have it, we now have another girl bunny in the house. We can’t put them together yet, as they need to get to know each other a bit first. So after 2 weeks of being side by side, we will try putting them together in neutral territory (vet suggested the bathroom) to test how they react.

I will keep you posted on Blizzard’s progress and ours…

Sunday Sevens #58 20.11.16

November 19, 2016November 20, 2016 ~ Making Stitches ~ 4 Comments

Hello, and welcome to my latest edition of Sunday Sevens. I hope you have had a good week. I’m slightly later posting this today as I have been to a football match already this morning! More on that in the next edition.

Without further ado, here’s this week’s offering:

Remembrance Sunday

It doesn’t matter where I am, but every Remembrance Sunday at 11am I am transported back to being a Girl Guide and standing to attention with my friends at our local parish church during the 2 minutes silence. I have no direct relatives (that I know of) who fought in the either of the World Wars or since, both my grandfathers were involved in war duties at home. It is such an important time to be still and remember the sacrifice made by so many people for our benefit. In the light of recent events and the precarious nature of world politics, it seems even more important to remember what’s gone on in our not too distant past and hopefully not make the same mistakes again.

Super Moon

Those of you who follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram will have already seen this photo, but I had to include it. On Monday night, Mr Postcard rushed out after dark with the Eldest to see if they could spot the super moon, they did and on their return urged me to go out and see it too. A short drive from our home and I was at Europa Point. I can honestly say I have never visited this part of Gibraltar after dark and it was weird to be adjacent to a play park we regularly visit but at night time and without children! It was so busy there – I presume it was because other folk wanted a good view of the super moon too.

So here is my attempt at capturing it, it was quite difficult. I’m a bumbling amateur when it comes to using a camera and I’m sure people who know what they’re doing would have been able to manage a much more sophisticated version! I’m rather pleased with it though…

Dressmaking class

Apologies for the uninspiring photo but it’s just to illustrate that at last my lining & outer section of my princess-line top have been joined. It’s been a long slow process but at last I feel like I’m getting somewhere 🙂

Watercolour class

Progress is also being made at watercolour class. Slowly, slowly my beach huts are edging nearer completion. I’d been having difficulty deciding how much detail to include in the middle of the picture, so my teacher told me to turn the original photo upside down to get a better perspective – it really works!

Glum Friday

I didn’t have the best day on Friday, I seemed to be in a bad mood when I woke up and despite a lovely impromptu coffee with friends, the blue mood persisted. Can’t explain it, I just wasn’t happy. The mood of the day wasn’t helped by the post office losing a parcel I’ve been waiting for with great excitement for 2 weeks or the fact it took us over 50 minutes to queue our way out of the new multi-storey car park on Friday night….

Festival of Light

The reason for us all being in town in the car on Friday night was to see the Gibraltar Christmas lights switched on in the Festival of Light. The Countdown to Christmas has officially started – eek!

Pokémon cards

Do you have Pokémon cards in your house? I do. They have become a bit of an obsession of late for Middle and Littlest Postcards. They had been promised that good behaviour would result a trip into town on Saturday to buy a few more packets.

Such was the level of excitement, they couldn’t wait to get home before ripping them open, so on the steps to the Parliament building they were opened and admired! Pikachu and Chespin are favourites in the Postcard family and both turned up in this haul so for them it was a very successful trip!
Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series created by Natalie at Threads & Bobbins. If you are a blogger and would like to join in, pop over to Natalie’s blog to find out more.

Thank you for joining me this week, I hope you have a good week ahead. Until next time, goodbye for now!

A stroll around Gibraltar No. 15: Alameda Gardens Part 3 (The Green Men)

November 14, 2016January 29, 2017 ~ Making Stitches ~ 5 Comments

Regular readers of Postcard from Gibraltar will know that one of my favourite places in Gibraltar is the Alameda Botanical Gardens. So far I have published two posts dedicated solely to this beautiful green space we are lucky enough to have on our doorstep. No matter what the season, there is always something of beauty there. You can find my previous posts them here and here.

Anyone who’s visited the gardens in the past few months will have noticed the arrival of several wooden sculptures, from an ape to plants and now some mythical characters are lurking amongst the trees. They have all been created to mark the bi-centenary of the botanical gardens, and were created by environmental artist Paul Sivell.

The first I heard of the new arrivals was on Instagram, where photos have been appearing recently. As we are enjoying such gorgeous sunny autumnal weather at the moment, I took myself off for a lovely walk earlier this week to investigate.

The sun was shining and although it’s well into autumn, the place is still as green and lush as ever. On my way to find the Green Men I passed a few of the other large wooden sculptures.

Postcard from Gibraltar- a stroll around the Alameda Gardens part 3 — Pine cones

This ape sits above carvings of two of the Rock’s national plant species the Gibraltar Campion and Gibraltar Candytuft.

I found myself in one of the most beautiful spots in the gardens, the Lions Pond. Here is where the Green Men are hiding.

But where are they?

Can you spot any of them?

There are four of them in total and they are all stunning.

I don’t know whether they have names. I think they should do – don’t you?

How wonderful to have these wise faces looking out at you from the trunks of these beautiful mature trees.

They are such a wonderful addition to the Lions Pond area.

If you should find yourself in the Alameda Gardens, I really would recommend you seeking out the Green Men and paying them a visit.

Sunday Sevens #57 13.11.16

November 12, 2016November 13, 2016 ~ Making Stitches ~ 11 Comments

Hello again, wow, it’s been quite a week with everything that’s been going on on the global political scene. I can’t help but feel uneasy about what the future may hold for us all, but I’m staying away from politics and looking at the smaller, positives that have happened this week for us. Here goes….

Med Steps in the November Sunshine

Postcard from Gibraltar — View across the Strait of Gibraltar from the start of the Med Steps

On Sunday afternoon after we had returned from our mid-term break up the coast, and after I had finished unpacking and got the first load in the washing machine, I headed off on my own for a lovely walk up the Med Steps. It was such a stunningly beautiful November day and it was a crime to stay indoors. The younger Postcards were more content to stay at home and reacquaint themselves with all their stuff after a week away so I made the most of the peace and quiet.

It was the first time I’d attempted the Med Steps for ages and it took me a while longer than on previous occasions because I kept stopping to look at everything. Unlike back in the spring, when everything looked so luscious and green, a lot of the vegetation was crisp and brown after the long, hot Mediterranean summer days but here and there there were little shoots of fresh green sprouting through and even some dwarf narcissi.

As I reached the midway point, I was greeted with this stunning view back towards the north.

Crochet-on-the-go

Monday meant one of the Little Postcards returned to school but the two other had an in-service day. The lovely sunny weather continued on from Sunday and after the joys of ironing and putting away of clean laundry, we headed down to Europa Point for a bit of fresh air. After a scoot around the park, they found a new friend to play football with. While they were happy having a kick around on what could be the most southerly football court in Europe, I enjoyed a spot of crochet in the sunshine. (I can’t call it a pitch because it’s made of concrete and surrounded by chain link fencing…. so surely it’s a court?)

Dressmaking class

Tuesday morning and all three of the Little Postcards were in school for the first time in two weeks (thanks to a virus and then mid-term) and I headed back to my dressmaking class. At last, after weeks of planning, pattern cutting, fabric cutting, pinning and tacking, I got the sewing machine out! I completed the princess-line seams on the lining and then promptly ironed the bust seam flat and reduced it from a 3D piece of fabric to a 2D one…. whoops.

The morning after the night before.

So, on Wednesday morning, we awoke to the news the America had nearly elected a new President. By the time we were on the school run, the result was pretty much sealed. In tumultuous times, I find it’s sometimes good to just stop and take a deep breath and realise that life goes on. The world kept turning and the boats were still out in the Bay.

Watercolour class

It’s been three weeks since my last watercolour class and I’ve missed it a lot. Us students often joke that our teacher should charge us more for the therapy we get from her classes. Work continued on my interpretation of the beach huts in Southwold. Slowly but surely I’m getting there…

Blue skies

We really have been blessed with the weather this week. You can’t help but feel positive when the sky is as blue as this can you?

Stunning sunsets

The lovely clear weather has resulted in some lovely sunsets for us too. This one was last night. Although the sun’s been shining away, you can’t help but notice it’s November as there’s a distinct chill in the air once you are out of the sunshine.

We often joke that you can very rarely sit out on our balcony because it’s either too hot or too cold. In the summer time it’s like sitting on a spit roast when the sun’s shining on the front of the building, in autumn and winter, once the sun drops it’s suddenly really chilly. I know, I know, I’ve turned into a softy… you wouldn’t think I’d been brought up and spent the first 30-odd years of my life in the north of England would you?

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series created by Natalie at Threads & Bobbins blog. Thank you so much for stopping by, I hope you have a good week ahead.

Mapping Gibraltar’s Past

November 9, 2016 ~ Making Stitches ~ 9 Comments

An absolutely fascinating exhibition of documents and maps from the Gibraltar Archives are on public display at the Fine Arts Gallery in Casemates Square at the moment. The exhibition, which has been put on to ‘remind’ the public that the archives are there for anyone who’s interested to access and find out more about the history of the Rock we live on.

I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to the history and geography of where I’m living, we’ve moved about quite a bit since we got married and I always like to find out about the place where we call home.

A chance visit to the Fine Art Gallery on an errand for a friend brought me face to face with some fascinating documents dating from when Gibraltar was ruled by Spain up to the latest 2016 Ordinance Survey map of Gibraltar.

Among the items on display are plans drawn up by the Royal Engineers for the Devil’s Gap Battery (you may remember my post about it A stroll around Gibraltar No. 10: Devil’s Gap Battery). There were also plans of Kings Bastion (now our leisure centre, housing a cinema, bowling alley and ice skating rink).

The exhibition, put on by the Gibraltar National Archives forms part of the department’s outreach programme for this year. The idea being to showcase original documents and digital images of many of the important items stored within the archive.

There are over one hundred maps on display and several thousand available digitally. Some feature battles fought by war ships off the coast of the Rock, the one above shows locations of where missiles landed which were fired from the ships in the Bay.

Another exhibit charts the route taken by the Queen and Prince Phillip on their visit to Gibraltar in the 1950s.

An interesting plan drawn up in the 1980s shows all the properties along Main Street, detailing the shops or businesses contained in each and what kind of state each building was in at the time. Either freshly painted, in need of attention or dilapidated!

It looks like the outside of what is now Marks & Spencer needed a clean!

There are even plans from twenty years ago, when a formal garden was planned for Casemates Square in 1996.

If you want to see it for yourself and are in Gibraltar, or will be visiting before the end of the week, you will need to be quick as the exhibition closes on Friday. Do pop in though if you have the chance because it’s really interesting and there are experts on hand to speak to about the exhibits or answer any questions you may have.

Sunday Sevens #56 6.11.16

November 6, 2016November 6, 2016 ~ Making Stitches ~ 5 Comments

Sunday seaside stroll

We started our mid-term near Puerto Banus on the Costa del Sol, I do like it there, but not for the reasons most folk do. It’s very glitzy and has very posh designer shops jostling for position along the marina quayside. The super rich clientele park their large posh cars on the waterside next to the super yachts. It’s a place for people watching and being ‘seen’.

My favorite part though, is away from the razzmatazz. There’s a lovely promenade which follows the coast from the edge of the glitzy marina along the beach and across the Rio Verde. We’ve had many walks along here over the years with Littlest Postcard at just a few months old and on several different mid-term, Easter or Christmas breaks since.

On Sunday there was a fishing competition going on and we watched the fishermen preparing their vast array of technical equipment – who knew it was such a science? I thought a rod, line, hook and bait was all that was required!

Heatwave colours

I’ve been waiting for the right time to begin my Weekend Bag kit I bought from the Attic 24 stall at Yarndale in September. I bought two kits, but wanted to work on this one first because I thought the colours were more suited to the autumn and winter.

Our home for the first bit of our holiday really matched the ‘heatwave’ colour scheme don’t you think?

Border Queue fun

On Tuesday we had to return to Gibraltar for a few hours before being able to continue with our holiday. Thankfully we were only an hour away and the border queue into Gibraltar was only 20 minutes or so. In the evening, though, it was a different matter. We were put into a kind of stacking system and had to wait more than 40 minutes before we could cross back into Spain.

I don’t think it was anything more than volume of traffic, but crikey I’m so glad I don’t have to do that every day! I feel sorry for those who have this to contend with on their commute to work. I’m afraid we do avoid crossing over to Spain a lot of the time because of the queue, it’s just not fun with small people in the car.

Giant chess anyone?

I ‘played’ (if that’s what you call it) chess with my Littlest Postcard on Wednesday afternoon. His rules… which meant walking around the board with a knight under his arm and basically claiming all of my pieces. I lost, needless to say. I have only played the game a handful of times but I’m pretty sure that’s not the official version….

Poolside crochet

I quite like swimming, when you are allowed to actually swim. However, these days, trips to the pool invariably end up with me being pummeled, dive bombed or used as a vehicle to transport children around the pool. Perhaps that’s my lot in life as a mother of three boys…

I struck lucky on Thursday when Mr Postcard offered to ‘take one for the team’ and went in with the boys and let me stay on the side to crochet and observe the usual high jinks from the safety of a lounger. For the record, I did go in the pool and suffered the usual abuse on the following two days…

I was working on my shawl from the summer after the arrival of the last ball of wool I needed to finish it…. on the final straight!

2 WIPs finished

Oh the joys of holidays and having the time to sit down and crochet! Two of my works-in-progress (WIPs) were completed on Friday. My newly started Attic 24 weekend bag and my first ever lacy shawl begun back in August during my Summer Craft Challenge – I was waiting for the arrival of the final ball of yarn before I could complete it. Many thanks to Marisa (aka @mariwish on Instagram) for the shawl-making & pattern reading lesson and for the yarn delivery last week!

End of our holiday

Our week away began with lovely sunshine and blue skies, but ended with heavy thundery showers and even tornados a few kilometers away! There were some sunny spells though yesterday and this was one of them. The beach was pretty empty yesterday with the inclement weather but we still managed a table tennis marathon, football, basketball, chess, swimming and I ran for 4kms at the gym without stopping – go me!! I ate my dinner guilt free last night! 🙂

October 2016

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series created by Natalie at Threads & Bobbins blog.

English garden appreciation

November 2, 2016 ~ Making Stitches ~ 5 Comments

Row of cottage gardens, Greater Manchester

Now I know I’m incredibly lucky to be able to live where I do. The weather is mostly very good, we’re by the sea and surrounded by great friends and a wonderful community. But you know that old chestnut about the grass being greener… I really do wonder what life would be like to live in a house and not an apartment and have a real garden not a balcony & patio.

I know, I know, I’m very spoiled but I really miss having a garden (a green one full of grass etc). I’ve been seven years without one now and it’s only when you don’t have something anymore that you really appreciate what you’re missing.

Terraced house front garden in Caversham, Berkshire

When I return to England each summertime I see the gardens in the town I grew up in at their absolute best. Hanging baskets galore, neat lawns, climbers, roses and huge leafy deciduous trees.

A row of hanging baskets in Greater Manchester

During my summer break I took quite a few photos of flowers and shrubs in other folk’s gardens – I hope they didn’t mind!! While speaking to a good friend of mine when I was over, she pointed out the fact that I probably notice nicely planted pots and beds of traditional British bedding plants because they are a novelty to me. Perhaps they are, but it doesn’t make them any less special.

No matter how much or how little your patch of earth is, it doesn’t matter. Just look how glorious these hollyhocks look outside this cottage we drove past:

I just LOVE these fuchsias which were in a hanging basket in my Mum & Dad’s back garden. They looked so voluptuous and alive – I doubt very much they are looking as glorious now that we’re in November!!

I appreciate that all of the beautiful gardens and plants I have included in this most probably don’t look like this anymore now that Autumn is well and truly underway in the British Isles, but let’s just revel in that glorious colour a little bit longer should we?