Hello there! It’s Mothering Sunday here today, I hope it’s been a good day for you. Here’s this week’s Sunday Sevens.
Sunday wander
Last Sunday we took a wander into the Alameda Gardens. It was such a grey day, but the gardens still looked beautiful. A true oasis which we are so fortunate to have on our doorstep.
Au revoir
On Monday morning I waved goodbye to one of the Little Postcards, who was off on a residential school trip. It was his first time away from home, and I have to admit to having a bit of a wobble, I really missed him. (He had a good time and made it home in one piece I’m pleased to report).
Housebound crochet
I was housebound for a couple of days this week as a nasty bug struck the household. Thankfully just two succumbed, a Little Postcard and me… while I was looking after him, I got my hook out and did a spot of granny square making, so every cloud and all that!
Finished!
It’s been an awfully long time in the making, but this week, amazingly, I finished my jacket at Dressmaking class. It’s been worn already!
Floral bathroom
We’ve been suffering a few gale force gusts this week, so we had to bring some of our balcony pots and boxes in to stop them being blown to bits. We ran out of spaces to put them, so these ended up in the bathroom. Eldest said it looked like a posh public loo!
Stormy seas
The aftermath of the storms was evident in Camp Bay afterwards. Mr Postcard took these photos while out on a walk on Thursday. The waves must have had some force to throw those rocks so far! I’m glad we brought the plants in!!
Grey skies again
The grey skies which have been a feature for a lot of the week were with us again yesterday- and we had that lovely drizzly rain too. Delightful!
Here’s to a brighter, less windy and germ-free week next week. Fingers crossed!
As always I’m linking with Natalie from Threads and Bobbins for this weekly blog series.
Yellow is the theme for this week’s photo challenge with Alison in Andalucia. It reminded me of the Selfridges Bee at Bee in the City in Manchester last summer, as well as a couple of crafty projects I did last year…
Hello there! Nearly missed Sunday Sevens this week, by my reckoning it’s almost Monday Sevens! Here goes…
Med Steps
I took advantage of a day without commitments last Sunday to take a trip up the Med Steps. It was beautiful, not too hot and very verdant. Spring has sprung!
Lining time
At my dressmaking class this week, a lot of time was spent attaching lining into my jacket. I felt like I was on the home straight until I remembered I still have to do the button holes – eek!
Exhibition
An interesting traveling exhibition has arrived in Gibraltar this week. Detailing our relationship with our Neanderthal ancestors, it is a lovely temporary addition to Commonwealth Park.
Ah revoir to another sub
We seem to having rather a lot of submarines visiting port lately. They’re always fascinating to me, and remarkably small. I couldn’t bear being in such a confined space!
Breakfast with friends
A lovely crafty friend of mine has recently left this part of the world to move far away. This week, she made a quick trip back and three of us had a lovely breakfast together and a great chat. It’s so nice just to stop what you’re doing and catch up with pals.
Rough seas
Friday morning brought with it high winds and rough seas. Not a day for going out in a little boat!
Football fever
Football fever gripped Gibraltar yesterday, as The Gibraltar Football Association hosted the Ireland team in the 2020 Euro qualifiers. It was fun to count a tally of Irish football shirts and flags in town (we lost count around 50). Our visitors may have been unlucky with the grey skies and strong winds but they got 3 points and headed home with a 1-0 win.
That’s all for this week, I hope you have a good week ahead!
As always I’m linking with Natalie from Threads and Bobbins for this weekly blog series.
Hello again! As promised, here is part 2 of my Postcard from Stockholm…
As I mentioned in the first part of my Postcard from Stockholm last week, we visited a few museums and tourist sites while we were visiting the beautiful capital city of Sweden. Our first museum visit was to the ABBA Museum in Djurgårdsvägen. It’s an amazing place, which charts the lives of the four band members from their childhoods, to their first meetings and the relationships which developed.
Their Eurovision Song Contest winning medal was on display with many pieces of memorabilia from their time at the top of the charts. There were mock ups of recording studios they used…
…and even their costume making department, which I particularly enjoyed being a dressmaking student myself.
Many of their stage costumes were there for you to admire up close too…
I couldn’t get over how slim they all were!
The work which must have gone into their costumes was incredible.
They even had the Spitting Image puppets which featured in this video…
The museum was such fun, there were Karaoke booths for you to sing along, mixing desks for you to have a go at recreating the ‘ABBA sound’, a stage where you could dance and sing along with holograms of the band and I even got to sit in a helicopter just like the one which featured on the album cover ‘Arrival’.
I had a whale of a time and on a couple of occasions was disowned by my teenaged travelling companion. But it would have been rude not to have completely got involved in everything – don’t you think?!
I would highly recommend a visit to any ABBA fan, whether you remember the music the first time round or whether only came to know them recently through the Mama Mia films. ABBA, thank you for the music!
Nordiska Museet
The imposing building of the Nordiska Museet is just one tram stop along from the ABBA Museum in Djurgårdsvägen. Initially built to house exhibits from all the Nordic countries, it now only houses items from Sweden.
Inside it was equally beautiful…
And this rather portly regal gentleman welcomed us in…
King Gustav Vasa
The museum itself is dedicated to the cultural history of Sweden as well as its ethnography. Our first port of call was the exhibition detailing how Swedish homes have evolved over the years beginning with a typical farmer’s dwelling, which would have been shared with workers and livestock – especially in the cold winter months.
Right through to a 1960s style government built apartment, then a modern home decked out for a mid-summer celebration.
There was also an extensive collection of Swedish furniture over the years.
The exhibits which resonated with me most of all were the ones featuring arts and crafts. From the beautifully decorated clothes worn by the native Sami people..
To the folk art and traditional dowry gifts made ahead of weddings.
The embroidery was just beautiful…
Sweden is famous for its woven fabrics and literally thousands of examples of weaving were on display.
There was even a woven pictorial bible…
One exhibition which was right up my street was one dedicated to women’s fashion in the 1950s & 1960s and particularly home sewing.
Oh, to have a nipped-in waist to be able to carry one of those dresses off!!
City Hall (Stadshuset)
Another interesting place we visited while on our Stockholm adventure was the City Hall (pictured below in the view from our hotel room) on the island of Kungsholmen.
This beautiful red brick building is less than 100 years old and was built as a home for the local city council.
As it’s a functioning building and home to the City Council of Stockholm known as Stadshuset, tourists aren’t allowed to wander around at will. We signed up for one of the English speaking tours and were taken around by a lovely guide called Christopher.
The Blue Hall (above) was originally going to be plastered and painted blue but we were told that the architect liked the look of the traditional red bricks so left it like that – but the name stayed! Christopher led us up from the ‘Blue Hall’ and along a corridor which offered views to the internal courtyard below.
We were led into the council chambers which are used on a regular basis for political meetings and debates which can be viewed by the public from the public gallery (see auditorium at the rear of the chamber in photo below).
The ceiling in the chamber was beautiful. It was made to resemble the open roof of a traditional Viking longhouse.
As was the ceiling in one of the stairwells…
Above this ceiling stands the tower which has on its summit the three golden crowns, the crest of Stockholm. Our tour guide told us that as the tower was being built, a civic building in Copenhagen was also being built at the same time. As the Danish tower was taller than this one, the plans were altered to extend the original tower height, so that this one would stand 1 metre taller!
On from the stair well and into this beautiful hall, known as the Princes’ Gallery…
….where the walls were covered by murals painted by royalty – Prince Eugen.
Our next room was a true show stopper- the Golden Hall…
At the far end, the image shows the Queen of Lake Mälaren who sits on a throne and has the city of Stockholm on her lap. To her left is the western world, complete with the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower and the Tower of London among other images of the ‘West’.
And to her right lie images of the East including an elephant, tiger and camel.
Stockholm’s industry and important Swedish historical figures as well as other significant chapters in the city’s past were depicted in the stunning mosaics.
It’s an absolutely mind blowing place – and to think all this mosaic work was completed in just 2 years!
We left the Golden Hall to return to the Blue Hall again, where we learned about its role in important celebrations. It is here where Nobel Prize winners are entertained with a banquet after the prize giving ceremony.
And those stairs down below were specially designed to assist the prize winners and other dignitaries (especially the ladies in their long dresses and high heels) navigate the stairs on their way down to the banquet while all eyes are upon them.
The stairs are apparently shallower in depth but are longer in length than ‘normal’ stairs to allow for a graceful descent and a special star (below) carved in the wall ahead is the point at which you should look to prevent you from falling or from looking down so the press photographers can get a decent photo of you!
Our tour was finished as we left the Blue Hall and said our thanks and goodbyes to Christopher, then we went outside to cross the courtyard and see the gardens and waterfront on the other side of the Stadshuset.
It was rather nippy outside for us Southern softies from the Med! We don’t see ice on the water where live!
Our trip to Stockholm was truly lovely, and if you ever get the chance to visit it for yourself, I’d highly recommend it. We were made to feel so welcome, and we hope one day, that we will be able to return.
Another week has passed and here’s another Sunday Sevens!
Homeward bound
On Monday I flew back home after my parents’ Golden Wedding Anniversary celebrations. I left a sunny Manchester for a sunny Malaga!
Commonwealth Day
Can you spot the Commonwealth flag flying? It was Commonwealth Day on Monday and schools and government offices were closed. Many schools took an extra day off on Tuesday too, so no dressmaking class for me this week.
Crochet in the sun
We’ve had a few stunningly sunny days this week. Perfect for a bit of crochet in sunshine…
Watercolour flamenco
I don’t like painting people or animals, they usually end up looking like aliens! This flamenco dancer had an unusually long giraffe-like neck for quite a while… flowers & buildings are more in my comfort zone!
Rainbow lunchbox
I treated myself to this gorgeous falafel salad for lunch one day this week. It was as tasty as it looked.
Fun at the park
We’ve made the most of the good weather this week and had a couple of trips to the park at Europa Point. It’s been great to get the kids out for fun and fresh air.
Golden Hour stroll
Yesterday evening we had a lovely walk just as the sun was setting, everything looked so pretty in the golden light.
And that’s it for this week, I hope it’s been a good one for you in spite of the terrible things which have happened this week.
Sunday Sevens is a blog series which was created by Natalie from Threads and Bobbins.
This week, reflection is the theme for Alison in Andalucia’s #52fridayphotos and a trip to the park at Europa Point early this week was a perfect opportunity to catch this reflection. You can just make out the southern end of the top of the Rock behind the mosque at Europa Point reflected in my Little Postcard’s sunglasses.
Recently I went on an adventure to Stockholm. It was a short city break but we packed a lot in!
I was traveling with Eldest, a Mum and son adventure. Our first taste of Sweden was at Stockholm Arlanda airport. The quietest, and most pleasant airport I’ve ever visited. People spoke in hushed tones – even the children in the play area sat quietly reading!
There was seating for so many people… no need to sit on the floor here! How civilized!
There was no problem finding out where to go to get the train into the City Centre! What a stunning station…
And here comes the train…
Our first impression of Sweden was incredibly positive….
…if a little bit colder than what we had left behind at home!
The view from our hotel room (above) was amazing – look at the frozen waterways below! The building with the golden tipped tower is Stockholm City Hall – where the Nobel Prize celebrations take place. There will be more on that later on…
On our first evening we headed out for a stroll to get our bearings. It was really rather chilly, but incredibly beautiful.
This building (above & below) belongs to the Swedish parliament.
And this square looked like something out of Bladerunner when it was lit up at night!
Back at our hotel our view came alive at night.
On the first full day of our trip we headed by tram through the City Centre to get to somewhere I just had to visit…
….the ABBA Museum!!
It was amazing and told the story of all four band members from their childhoods to their 1974 win at the Eurovision Song Contest and beyond…
I will be writing another post about all the museums and buildings we visited because there is too much to put into just one post!
Suffice to say, it was magnificent and a must-visit for any fan of ABBA!
Lunch had to be at Starbucks – I was traveling with a fan of the place and as we don’t have one in Gibraltar it’s a novelty. We did have a taste of Sweden though – this Cardamom Bolle was utterly delicious.
Talking of edibles. We had no end of giggles at the name of the chocolate (which is very nice by the way!)
I couldn’t visit a new country without going into a crafty shop could I? I was very restrained though and only bought one ball of yarn… but I could’ve got so much more if I had a bigger case!
Late afternoon/early evening we headed out to a dinner date which had been planned for us by Mr Postcard in advance. I think he wanted to make sure we tried some proper Swedish food, so he booked us a table at an award winning restaurant.
The atmosphere was cozy and welcoming, and the food very interesting…
We had crispy pork rinds with smoked mayo & dill flower as an appetizer. Then pork & chicken skewers, with baked cabbage with buttermilk & lovage. And for dessert, Petrus Bun bread pudding with Swedish punsch crème. The flavor combinations were completely new to me but very tasty.
Then it was back on the train to the hotel for the night…
On day 2 we crossed over from our hotel to visit the City Hall.
It’s a magestic building and only around 100 years old. This amazing golden hall took just 2 years to complete the mosaics! It was stunning to see.
It’s also the home of the Stockholm City Council….
… the council chamber has the most amazing ceiling.
After the City Hall, we took a tram to visit the Nordiska Museet (Nordic Museum).
Another imposing building…
With a rather regal gentleman to greet you as you enter!
It documented all kinds of Swedish life, from homes & furniture to celebrations and death. More will follow in part 2 of my Stockholm postcard.
On our wanderings we passed the Royal Palace (above) and had a mooch around the old town on the island of Gamla Stan…
…which is charming and full of character.
As night began to fall, we headed back out again in search of something we couldn’t come to Sweden without tasting….
….meatballs!
They were a bit special! And washed down perfectly with some Swedish beer! And that lovely meal brought our fabulous few days in Stockholm to an end, this was our last sunrise before heading back to the airport and flying home.
Thank you Stockholm for having us to stay and making us feel so welcome, we had a wonderful time and hope to return one day!
Remember that chocolate with the funny name? Well being the mature individual that I am, I had lots of fun with some other words I spotted on my travels…. (I will never truly grow up!).
Next week, I will share more about the museums we visited and the City Hall. Look out for part 2!
Hello and greetings from Manchester! I’m over for a flying visit to celebrate my parents’ Golden Wedding Anniversary. Here’s this week’s Sunday Sevens!
Sunday stroll up the Rock
Last Sunday it was a beautiful warm spring day and we opted to take a wander up the Rock with the Little Postcards. It was rather busy with tourists, but we found little pockets of solitude and enjoyed our mosey through the nature reserve and then dropped down into town via Castle Steps and were about the admire the Octopus House and the new street art paying homage to Gibraltarian artist Gustavo Bacarisas.
Monday morning walk
I was out pounding the streets again on Monday morning, I had an appointment to speak to someone who lives in Upper Town and rather than catch the bus, I walked there. It’s nice sometimes to just wander, don’t you think?
Pancake Day
I don’t know about you, but I’m a traditionalist when it comes to pancakes, lemon & sugar is the winner for me. We had all sorts going on pancakes in our house on Tuesday!
Dressmaking class
The sleeves are on my jacket, and so are the linings…. hemming time now!
Leaving on a jet plane
On Thursday I left Mr P and the Little Postcards to Head home on my own to see my parents for their Golden Wedding Anniversary. I’ve been looking forward to this trip so much, to see long time family friends and family. We had such a lovely celebration dinner on Friday evening.
Ta-dah!
Last week, I could only show you a little bit of my freesia painting in Sunday Sevens, because I was painting it to give to my Mum & Dad and didn’t want them to see it before it was given to them. Here it is, finished. I can’t claim credit for the design (I used a Pinterest image for inspiration – the artist is TwoYShop). I really wanted to do a freesia wreath as they are one of my Mum’s favourite flowers and she had them in her wedding bouquet.
Time for crochet
I have a bit of a backlog of Little Boxes of Crochet to work on, and I thought this weekend away was the perfect opportunity to begin one while I’m away from all my usual distractions! Here goes, my first attempt at Entrelac!
That’s all for Sunday Sevens this week, I hope it’s been a good one for you. As always I’m joining with Natalie from Threads and Bobbins for this weekly blog series.
I’m a day late with this, but it was rather appropriate that yesterday’s photo challenge was ‘vintage’ because yesterday we celebrated my parents’ Golden Wedding Anniversary. 50 years is a heck of a milestone. This photo is of the cover of their wedding album, which at 50 years old qualifies as vintage I think.
And here’s a picture from my recent trip to Stockholm. We spotted this fab vintage shop while on our way out to dinner one evening.
Hello there, I hope you’ve had a good week! March already…. who would’ve thought that?! Here’s this week’s Sunday Sevens…
Plane spotting
Last Sunday we had a football match to watch involving one of the Little Postcards. The football pitch they play on is right next to the runway and so plane spotting is a natural side show. It always amazes me that the planes come so close to where we are. Little did we know that just 24 hours later some poor souls would get the fright of their lives as they attempted to land st Gib… if you saw the news on Monday, you’ll know exactly what I mean.
A new project
Last week I was complaining that I haven’t done any ‘fun’ crafting lately as I’ve been too busy doing other stuff. So rather than keep moaning, last Sunday night I picked up my bag of odds and ends and set about granny-square making.It’ll be s long time before I can cover a double bed with it, but it’s been fun…
Stroll at dusk
Camp Bay
On Monday evening, after the crazy winds that disrupted air travel had subsided, I headed out for a lovely evening stroll.
Mosque at Europa Point
It was lovely to see buildings which I usually only see in the daytime lit up so beautifully.
St Bernard’s Church
Dressmaking class
The sleeves are on… and they’re staying on this time!
A jazzy underpass
The decoration of this underpass close to the Alameda Gardens looks like it’s almost finished. I rather like it.
Watercolour class
Now that I’ve finished my Church ceiling painting, I fancied freesias this week at my painting class. The wild freesias are out in abundance in Gibraltar at the moment…
Bunny update…
Diamond’s been a bit naughty this week. I know he’s a bunny and bunnies like to chew stuff but I was rather miffed with his nibbling this week. The bottom of his enclosure was covered with an old Laura Ashley spotted plastic tablecloth (the type of fabric/plastic used for wipe clean aprons) it worked pretty well for keeping the floor tiles underneath clean. But bunny decided he liked to nibble holes in it. He doesn’t seem to ingest the bits of table cloth as he leaves Laura Ashley confetti all over the bottom of his cage.
Over time the tablecloth was looking rather messy and horrible, so this week I threw caution to the wind, threw away the old tablecloth and bought a brand spanking new one. It looked lovely, and lasted less than 12 hours. The tablecloth confetti is back… naughty Diamond.
Thanks for stopping by, that’s all from Sunday Sevens for this week. I hope you have a good one!
I’m linking with Natalie from Threads and Bobbins for this weekly blog series.
The work which must have gone into their costumes was incredible.
Stockholm’s industry and important Swedish historical figures as well as other significant chapters in the city’s past were depicted in the stunning mosaics.
…which is charming and full of character.
