I don’t wish to sound like a broken record, but for this photo challenge, there can only be one venue… the Med Steps!
For those of you who haven’t seen it already, here’s my most popular post of all time…. The Med Steps: a few facts & figures.
And I almost forgot, my second ever Stroll around Gibraltar post was about the many steps you can find on the Rock.
Things have been a little bit manic since we returned from our holiday, so a little bit later than expected, here’s week 4 of my Summer Craft Challenge, if you’re interested!
Day 22 (Saturday 28th July)
This My Picot pattern for the leaf scarf I’m working on at the minute can be a little trying at times – well only if I don’t concentrate. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I have had to unravel a few rows to get the stitches right! Never mind, even if Saturday evening did end with me frogging crochet, at least I was able to pick up this lovely hand dyed yarn skein from Worstead Festival during the day! I can’t wait to make something with it, it feels lovely. (Hopefully a post all about our trip to Worstead will appear before too long).
Day 23 (Sunday 29th July )
Crochet wise, things worked a lot smoother on Sunday. I just love the colour changes in this Scheepjes Whirl. It makes me smile as each new colour variation appears on my hook as I make progress through it.
Day 24 (Monday 30th July)
We had a busy day planned a the shops on Monday buying school uniform to take home to Gibraltar, so I had to plan my crochet time a bit better. I got up before the rest of the family and sat happily with a mug of coffee as everyone else woke up and got busy.
Day 25 (Tuesday 31st July)
You can’t beat a crochet session with a lovely view! An evening pub meal on the Norfolk Broads with crochet for dessert as the sun went down – just the ticket!
Day 26 (Wednesday 1st August)
Yay! The first strand of yellow appeared in my work! It feels almost like I’m on the home straight!
Day 27 (Thursday 2nd August)
On our last full day on holiday, we made one last trip to Southwold Pier for a beer and an alfresco crochet session as the waves did their thing beneath our feet. Sadly the tranquil moment was cut short due to an invasion of wasps, but it was nice while it lasted!
Friday
So Friday was Day 28 of my Summer Craft Challenge and it was a day of traveling, about 11 hours door-to-door. Although I had my crochet in my bag with me on the plane, I wasn’t feeling it, so it stayed in my bag. Therefore no Craft was done at all. However, just before we left on our epic trip, I called into the pottery painting shop to collect our works of art. The Little Postcards painted Pokémon characters, I opted for rainbow dots. Here’s mine, all finished and it survived the trip back to Gibraltar.
That’s me officially half way through the long 8 week school holiday, and I have had my craft challenge to keep me going. I can’t believe we’re halfway through already!!
Well, this week we spent most of our time with family in the UK before heading back home to Gibraltar. I have to say that although the temperature at times in England was warmer than on the Rock, the humidity since getting back home has totally wiped me out. On the positive side, we had a wonderful fortnight in leafy Suffolk and Norfolk and we all made it safely back home. Here’s this week’s Sunday Sevens (or Sunday Nines, as they should be this week!):
Stormy weather
Last Sunday we were treated to some rather inclement (though warm) weather in Suffolk. To look at that photo, you would think it was taken in January, not July! Can you believe that someone was actually kite surfing in those rough waves?! We could barely stand upright in the wind and horizontal rain!!
A shopping trip to Norwich
We made the most of the shops on Monday and hid in shopping centres from the monsoon rain we were experiencing. Thankfully by lunchtime the weather cleared up and we were free to wander at will in the sunshine. I just love the art nouveau architecture of the Royal Arcade. Everything about it is delightful right down to it’s resident hare!
Europa’s trip to the races
Do you remember Europa the Unicorn, who came with us on our summer adventures last year? Well she came with us on holiday again. This time though, she only made it to one day out… the horse racing at Great Yarmouth. We had a great day at the races, and she was my lucky charm, I won £46 from a £4 stake on the race going past her in this photo.
The winning horse was Final Rock, who’s father is Rock of Gibraltar, which is owned by Sir Alex Ferguson. I know nothing about racing, I just go off the name, and this one stood out to me with the Gibraltar connection, and it paid off! (I won’t mention the races I lost money on… let’s just say I broke even on the day after buying ice creams and juice!).
Burgh Castle
While we were in Norfolk one day, we took a trip to Burgh Castle. The ruins there were once a Roman castle and stand proud overlooking the Broads close to Great Yarmouth. We have visited many times over the years and this walk across the fields to see the ruins brought back many memories. After the walk, we met some family for a lovely dinner at a nearby pub as the sun went down…
An evening stroll on the dunes
On Wednesday evening we took a walk across town to have a lovely meal at another pub, this time, on the southern side of Southwold. The meal was lovely, and was followed by a fun walk back to our accommodation across the dunes. The Little Postcards scrambled about and played catch as we made our way back home following the light from the Southwold lighthouse.
Whenever I walk through dunes and marram grass I’m reminded of a story book I had as a child called Hannibal the Hamster, about a hamster who escaped from his home to run free in the marram grass! It’s funny how some small things can bring back such vivid memories of childhood…
Under the pier
So on Thursday we said our last goodbyes to Southwold, it was a marvelous host for us for two weeks as we travelled about the place visiting our relatives in this part of the world. So long Southwold, until next time…
Homeward bound
I usually try to take a photo out of the plane window as I head back to Gibraltar. Normally it’s of a patchwork of green fields, this time, though, I looked a tad more golden than green. This was just after take off from Stansted Airport, in normally green Essex. You can clearly see the toll the long spell of dry and hot weather has taken on the countryside.
So there you have it, Sunday Sevens done for another week, I doubt next week’s will be as varied as this one, sadly! Until next time, bye for now, and thanks for stopping by!
I’m linking with Natalie from Threads and Bobbins for this weekly blog series.
I was racking my brains as to what to use for my photo challenge this week, when rather fortuitously we visited the most glorious garden yesterday. Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk sits slap bang in the middle of where our relations live, so it was the perfect place for a final meet up before heading home today to Gibraltar.
A popular venue for weddings, the current residents (Lord & Lady Somerleyton) decided to redesign their sunken garden with a predominantly white colour scheme. It is stunning.
It proved very popular for a pair of ducks…
Normally at the start of a new month I give a monthly round up linking to other participants’ photo challenge entries, however, as I’m on holiday, I haven’t had the chance. It will follow at a later date, I promise :-).
