So many books, so little time… Gibraltar Literary Festival 2015

November 15, 2015November 15, 2015 ~ Making Stitches ~ 8 Comments

The past four days has seen Gibraltar at the centre of the literary universe (well sort of) as it hosted the 3rd Gibraltar International Literary Festival. This was only my second experience of the event as, I’m ashamed to admit, the first one passed me by. Last year though, I was determined to get a bit of the action and I was lucky enough to meet two of my literary heroines, Kate Mosse and Joanne Harris. I am still star-struck to this day. Kate Mosse borrowed a pen from Joanne Harris to sign my copy of The Taxidermist’s Daughter at the end of a very long queue! (It’s a great atmospheric read by the way).

The Festival brings with it a real buzz to the town and there’s always the chance you may bump into someone famous in the street, on Thursday while waiting to meet my son from school, Maureen Lipman walked past and Nicholas Parsons got out of a car in front of us.

I think the reason why I find the Literary Festival so energising and magical is that not only does it all take place within the small sphere that makes up my day-to-day life here in Gibraltar, but these clever individuals come all this way to speak to us about their work and do it in our everyday venues which my sons have done school plays and sung concerts in! Imagine if a big literary name came and gave a talk in your local village hall or church, it just doesn’t happen – except for here that is.

My first talk this year was at the Garrison Library and was given by William Chislett. Entitled ‘The Curiosos Impertinentes: 19th and 20th-century British Travellers in Spain’ Chislett looked back at accounts by eight British writers who travelled at length in Spain and documented their experiences. The term ‘curiosos impertinentes’ translates in this instance to mean the ‘annoyingly curious’ and comes from Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote. The writers in question ranged from Richard Ford who travelled across the country in the 1830s on horseback wearing a lambskin coat and with two layers of brown paper lining his hat during the summer (presumably to protect it from his sweat) to Michael Jacobs, who died last year, and relied on public transport to traverse the nation as he couldn’t drive and felt it was a better way of meeting real Spaniards than travelling everywhere by car.

The well received talk covered Spain’s clichéd representation as a land of conquistadors, flamenco, and bull fights before touching on more subtle aspects of the Spanish character like the sense of belonging to one’s village, town or city of birth, ahead of a sense of national identity and the national obsession with food, which according to one author was beyond that of the French or Italians. It was interesting to note that in some cases the observations and paintings recorded by the early British travel writers are the earliest documents available on certain parts of Spain, particularly within the rural centre.

(Photo courtesy of gibraltar-stamps.com)

Friday morning saw the launch of a commemorative set of stamps to mark the 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta. Minister for Business and Employment, Neil Costa officially launched the stamps as an introduction to Dr Dan Jones’ talk on Magna Carta – The Making and Legacy of the Great Charter.

With a backdrop of the beautiful King’s Chapel, Dr Dan Jones’ conversation with Paul Blezard was highly entertaining and really brought to life what happened 800 years ago. His insight into the character of the “warlord and despot” King John was at times highly amusing and put a human narrative into the story rather just being a staid history lesson. He told how the Magna Carta was created in an attempt to halt a civil war (which it did, but only for two months) and that the King made promises ‘to his faithful subjects and free men’ which are still of legal importance today. Dr Jones spoke of how the ideas within the Magna Carta have “transcended the Middle Ages” and are believed to have formed the thinking behind the United States’ Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence.

In February this year, all four known remaining 13th Century copies of the Magna Carta were brought together for the first time, and Dan Jones was invited to see them. He explained how each one was very different as they were written on vellum (animal skin) and as animals come in different shapes it leads to different sized and shaped pieces of vellum. Also the styles of writing differ due to the use of different scribes and some are in much better condition than others. There could though, still be more copies out there just waiting to be discovered in library archives.

Dan Jones also discussed his newest book; Realm Divided – A Year in the Life of Plantagenet England which looks at what was going on six months before and after the Magna Carta was drawn up at Runnymede. Among the events he mentioned was the siege of Rochester Castle when King John broke through the castle walls by having his soldiers mine underground and fill the tunnel with wooden struts smeared with pig fat before setting fire to it and collapsing the walls above. He asked us to imagine what it must have been like for the desperately hungry people stuck inside, who had been without fresh food or water for weeks, to smell the roasting pig fat burning below them!

Last year, a number of my friends (who are also Mums) spoke very highly of Christopher Lloyd and his What on Earth? wallbooks. This year was his third visit to the Gibraltar Literary Festival and this time he brought his newest books The What on Earth? Wallbook Timeline of Shakespeare and The Magna Carta Chronicle. The presentation I went to, along with my offspring, was The Complete Plays of William Shakespeare in 60 minutes… at the John Mackintosh Hall. The festival shows which are directed at children are offered free of charge and I can certainly say that the one we experienced was fantastic.

Presented by a man who is clearly passionate about his work and in front of the colourful backdrop of his Shakespeare wallbook, the audience of reception aged children through to grandparents were enthralled.

From early in his presentation, Christopher Lloyd had the audience participation cracked, picking out children (and amazingly remembering their names) to help illustrate his points and bring the stories of Shakespeare’s 38 plays to life. He talked about themes which run through the stories they tell like ghosts and death, love, doubt and fear.

When he donned his trademark ‘coat of many pockets’ he engaged the young members of the audience by getting them to guess the emotions connected to the colours and find out what symbolic item lay inside; a rose to symbolise love (pink pocket), a magician’s wand to symbolise magic (black pocket) and confetti to symbolise happiness (yellow pocket).

After collecting an ensemble cast of willing actors (adults and children) he put on a couple of performances, a potted version of Macbeth and another of Much Ado about Nothing. A rather stunned couple of middle school-aged pupils got married in Much Ado and a suitably attired trio of witches in pointy hats got to cast the famous spell of “Double, double, toil and trouble/ Fire burn and cauldron bubble” from the Scottish play.

I can now see what my friends were talking about when they raved about Christopher Lloyd’s previous performances at the festival. He was funny, engaging and brought the things he was talking about to life, whether it was the Big Bang, the extinction of the dinosaurs or Bottom in Midsummer Night’s Dream being turned into a donkey. I do hope he returns to next year’s festival as personally I’d like to see him again, never mind the kids!

The climax of my Gibraltar Literary Festival experience was a special edition of the BBC Radio 4 panel show ‘Just a minute’. It was held at lunchtime today (Sunday) onboard the Sunborn Yacht Hotel in Ocean Village. Despite being the ripe old age of 92 years old, the show’s chair for the past 48 years, Nicholas Parsons, held court brilliantly and was ably assisted with the stopwatch and whistle by his wife Annie.

The panel of Dame Esther Rantzen, novelist Felix Francis (son of the late Dick Francis) and comedians Marcus Brigstocke and Miles Jupp (who’s best known in our house as Archie the Inventor on Balamory) were welcomed by a sell-out audience packed into the Aurora Ballroom on the yacht. (Many apologies for the grainy quality of these photos but the lighting wasn’t particularly conducive for a phone camera!).

The show was kicked off by Marcus Brigstocke who was given 60 seconds to talk about the subject of Gibraltar without hesitation, repetition or deviation. He began a humourous monologue about being able to buy a bottle Advocaat on Main Street for £8 before being interrupted by Miles Jupp. During the performance, which lasted for well over an hour, the starting subjects were diverse (cricketing phrases in everyday use, Hallowe’en and conkers) although somehow the topic of Gibraltar, and it’s resident barbary apes made frequent appearances, much to the delight of the crowd.

On the subject of Literary Festivals, Brigstocke commented that “they are ten a penny” and allowed “bookworms to come together and pretend they’re ok with social interaction” which was much appreciated by the audience.

Felix Francis’s background was obviously taken into consideration when he was asked to speak about the subject of Thoroughbreds. This was hilariously turned around by Marcus Brigstocke who changed the meaning completely to ‘thorough breads’ and talked about toasted Hovis rather than racehorses. Also Miles Jupp’s account of school conker matches brought howls of laughter from the crowd.

Esther Rantzen won over the audience with her witty and very sharp knowledge of grammar and found every excuse to interrupt the other contestants on account of their misuse of the English language.

During the second half of the performance (it was separated into 2 ‘shows’) Marcus Brigstocke took a slightly more risqué approach on the subject of Getting up in the morning, much to the delight of the sell-out crowd. The topic in question was touched on again several times by other panellists and each time brought titters and howls of laughter. Nicholas Parsons described the comments as “suggestive naughtiness” and was grateful for the fact this edition of the show wasn’t being recorded to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

On the subject of the ‘real’ Just a Minute shows, Parsons said it was probably the least edited show on radio, as you can’t edit something that’s timed and commented that he’s “incredibly proud of the fact he’s part of such a show”. Today’s performance was testament to the fact it’s a great format and with such witty contestants it’s no wonder it’s clocked up 1,200 recorded shows over 48 years.

Looking back over the festival this year, it’s been great fun for me and I’ve only been to four events. There was such a diverse range of talks to chose from and I was spoiled for choice on what to attend, it was family commitments and timings which stopped me going to more. Well done to the organisers, the festival really does appear to be going from strength to strength and I can’t wait to see what the Gibraltar International Literary Festival 2016 has to offer. Thank you, it’s been a blast.

Gibraltar Garrison Library

November 11, 2015November 11, 2015 ~ Making Stitches ~ 10 Comments

The Gibraltar Garrison Library is an impressive colonial building in the centre of town opposite the Elliott Hotel. It’s a building I pass almost daily during the week and one I have been meaning to pay a visit to for years but just hadn’t got round to it. The Gibraltar Literary Festival begins tomorrow and the place to get tickets is here (if you don’t take the online option), so a couple of weeks back when I ventured in to make my ticket purchases it reminded me of my intention to visit it properly. So while my parents were over, before the midterm holiday, a tour around the Garrison Library was a lovely way to spend a morning.

The tour began in the ‘Gibraltar Room’ (above) which, as the name suggests, holds all the books pertaining to Gibraltar.

The Garrison Library is a beautiful building (as the photos illustrate) and steeped in history. It was founded in 1793 by Colonel Drinkwater after the Great Siege of Gibraltar. During the siege it became obvious to him that there was a dearth of decent reading material. So in an attempt to keep officers attentions away from the unseemly pursuits of women and drink, the library was established.

Reading rooms were initially set up at a different location and work began on the construction of the current building in 1800. The materials used were locally sourced, exceptionally strong cork oak flooring was used which looks as good today as when it was laid and the fireplaces were designed to burn coke which could be found in the Campo area across the border in Spain.

Some books were purchased when the library first opened but most of the collection of up to 50,000 volumes and artifacts were gifted to the library by officers from their own private collections as they headed home or onto their next posting. A considerable section though, was ‘acquired’ by the navy when they seized ships and passed on any books found onboard. For this reason there is a sizable Napoleonic Collection (all in French) taken from French ships.

These photos show the edition of the Gibraltar Chronicle (our local newspaper) reporting on the Battle of Trafalgar and, as you can see (on the right hand side of the photos) shows the article in both English and French as the editor of the Chronicle was a Frenchman.

This impressive staircase leads upstairs to the upper reading room, which is now used for public events like Government press conferences and lectures by visiting academics. The portrait in this room is of Colonel Drinkwater the founder of the library.

Among the many volumes on its shelves are first editions of novels, major works of science and religion of the time and even Ghengis Khan’s Autobiography! There is every edition of the Gibraltar Chronicle since 1800 to the present day. Some of the books, due to their age, are in a pretty fragile condition. The library relies on a team of volunteers to support the staff in the care and recording of the books.

Also on the top floor of the building is a ballroom (a strange room to find in a library don’t you think?). The rules governing the library meant that only men were allowed in, so in order to get around this, and allow ladies to join the officers when they held balls and parties in the ballroom, they built a special stair and rear balcony so that the female guests could join, them avoiding the main entrance and staircase.

I’m not sure how easy it would have been to negotiate that metal spiral staircase in a big ballgown and dainty shoes, it was clearly designed by a man!

A telescope sits before a window at the front of the ballroom so that officers could keep an eye out at sea and make sure no funny business was going on in the bay while they were enjoying their R&R. It’s hard to imagine there used to be a sea view from the window as today the development of the town and harbour area (not to mention the trees) rather obscure any view of the sea from here today.

The flooring up here in the ballroom is particularly beautiful, especially in the window recesses and door thresholds.

To the rear of the library lies a tranquil garden.

It would be a lovely peaceful place to just come and sit. Unfortunately for us it was a little damp on the day we visited so it wasn’t quite the weather for such lazing about, but hopefully I’ll get the chance to take advantage of the garden at some point in the future.

If you ever find yourself in these parts I would highly recommend a visit to the Garrison Library, the guided tours are free and begin at 11am each Friday.

The Med Steps: a sunny autumn walk

October 15, 2015October 15, 2015 ~ Making Stitches ~ 9 Comments

It’s been a good few months since my trainers saw the light of day and my lax attitude to exercise has resulted in a few extra pounds being gained, so I decided that today was the day I’d set about doing something to rectify the situation. After a few grey and damp starts lately, we woke up to a beautiful day and there’s nothing like a bit of sunshine to lift the spirits and get you moving. This morning, once the rest of the family was ensconced in work and school I headed off on a walk up our lovely Rock of Gibraltar. There are a number of ways to travel to the top (most people opt for car, taxi, bus and cable car) but on two feet you can head up several different routes using paths, roads and steps. My favourite, and definitely the most scenic route I’ve tried, is the footpath known as the ‘Med Steps’. It’s a bit of a misleading name as it isn’t just made up of steps, although there are many, much of the route is over rough ground and rocky paths.

The start of the route is close to Jews Gate at the entrance to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve where a rather unassuming shady wooded path leads upwards and south around the edge of the Rock. This (apart from the summit) is my favourite part of the walk as it feels so cool and secluded there and you could almost be on a woodland walk in the British Isles (I do still get homesick sometimes). As you continue, you come out of the trees and you’re greeted by this fab view – the Straits of Gibraltar in all it’s glory with Morocco in the distance. See I told you it was a beautiful morning!

The temperature rose dramatically once I reached the eastern side of the Rock, the sun was belting down and it’s light was reflected off the Mediterranean below. Perhaps I should have waited to clear the breakfast things and make the beds after the walk rather than before, I don’t think I’ll leave it so late in future to set off on such a trip!

One of the slightly disheartening things about this route, is that a little way into the walk, once you have climbed to quite a height, you are faced with some downward steps. The thing is, you know that you need to climb to the very top of the Rock, so it seems such a shame to be heading downhill at this point knowing you’ll have to regain the height a little bit further along.

Quick stop for a sip of water and to take in the view…

There are plenty of things to see when you are on this walk, there are even caves to explore. Well they don’t got very far back, but a cave’s a cave isn’t it?

Onwards and upwards, these steps look very steep from down here don’t they?

One big highlight for me this late morning was this short tunnel, I was beginning to regret setting off just before 11am by this point and my water bottle was already nearly half empty, knowing I had a good bit further to walk, I took sanctuary for a few moments in the gorgeous, cool shade of this tunnel. Thank you, who ever built it, it was most welcome today!

It’s the military who we have to thank for creating this lovely footpath. Much of it is cut out of the side of the Rock itself and dotted along the route are a few little plaques like this one reminding us of it’s history.

Another reminder of days gone by and the Rock’s role as a fortress are the various military look out points built along the side of the path.

Isn’t this a stunning view (below)? From this part of the walk, you are facing north and can see the beaches along Gibraltar’s eastern side (Sandy Bay in the forground, Catalan Bay and Eastern Beach), beyond these you can see Spain and the Costa del Sol stretching out into the distance.

I saw a bit of wildlife on my walk, bugs, birds and a good few lizards making the most of the warm sunshine. All bar one were too fast for me to photograph, but I caught a snap of this little chap before he skittered away into the cover of the plants.

More steps…

Nearly there, I’ve just climbed up all of those!

The final push.

Made it!

Now for the descent. With the road underfoot, it’s a lot less arduous on this side of the Rock which is just as well, as the views of the town below can sometimes be a bit of a distraction. No accidents allowed!

On the descent, I passed through the tourist hotspot of St Michael’s Cave, there were literally dozens of taxis and tour buses parked there bringing tourists up the Rock to take in the view and of course pay a visit to Gibraltar’s most famous, hairy inhabitants.

As you can see the apes obliged and came out in in large numbers to greet their visitors.

It’s on mornings like today I feel very lucky to be living in such an interesting and beautiful place as Gibraltar. Less than an hour’s walk from my front door and I’m up the Rock and in amongst the wildlife. As you have seen, the views from the top and on the way up and down are amazing. Add to that the gorgeous weather we have had today – hotter than an English summer’s day I reckon, and it’s easy to get over the twinges of homesickness I get from time to time.

Thank you for stopping by, I do hope you have enjoyed this little walk with me from the comfort of your armchair or wherever in the world you may be!

Hook-a-duck, happy kids & Hank Marvin: Gibraltar Fair week 2015

August 27, 2015 ~ Making Stitches ~ 3 Comments

Hot on the heels of the cardboard boat race on Saturday afternoon (see this post for more on that), saw the opening of the 2015 Gibraltar Fair on Saturday night. Another regular feature in the Gibraltar social calendar which we like to dip our toes into each year. Normally, we turn up early in the evening (ie well before 8pm) forgetting that the fair doesn’t start until around 8, and like a handful of other families with young children prowl around the fairground checking out which rides we might have a go on.

Over the years (this is our 7th Gibraltar Fair), it’s become apparent that we are a family of observers rather than ‘doers’. Usually after an hour or so of watching other people enjoying themselves, we manage to coerce our offspring to ‘have a go’ on the tame children’s version of the dodgems. Then we get a portion of calamares and chips in the Family Pavillion before heading home.

Every year we stand by this ride, a train which loops in a circle through a tunnel, and look on mesmerised. The ride itself is nothing remarkable (well we’ve never been on so we wouldn’t know) but the chap who performs on top of and around it certainly is! He wears a rather snazzy flamenco/disco dress with coordinating tights and Plimsoll shoes and dances about whacking the train passengers with a small broomstick! At times he rides along on the roof of the locomotive ducking under the tunnel at the very last minute, at others he juggles the two tennis balls masquerading as bosoms, tossing them high into the air and catching them in his top! He really has to be seen to be believed. If anything says Gibraltar Fair to me it’s him.

This year, despite much encouragement our children refused to partake in any of the rides at all. The fair however, isn’t just about the rides there are stalls as well run by local charity and voluntary groups. The Lions had a raffle as usual, there was a plant raffle and the Girl Guides were selling cupcakes among a few others. But there’s one stall which is bound the attract our boys, hook-a-duck!

As we have done every year since we arrived in Gibraltar, our youngest two handed over their money to the ladies and merrily hooked their way to win their prizes. They may not have wanted to go on a ride but they experienced all the fun of the fair as they fished their yellow plastic ducks out of the water! They were thrilled with their prizes of a ping-pong ball pistol and a puzzle cube.

Armed with juice, a plastic tub of candy floss (it doesn’t taste the same as it did when I was a kid) and a couple of lagers for Mum and Dad, we took our seats in the Family Pavillion. Each night different acts perform shows on the stage there, singing dancing and magic have all featured before now. In previous years we’ve stayed until the beginning of a show and then something’s happened, a poorly child, a tired child, a frightened child and so we have had to up and leave just as the fun starts. This year that wasn’t the case, not only did we see the start of the show, we saw the middle and the end! We had happy kids, who despite being embarrassed at their old Mum singing along to ‘Sounds of the Sixties’, were quite happy to stay put and enjoy the evening.

We were even serenaded by a Hank Marvin tribute (although I thought he was a bit more Austin Powers than Hank Marvin)!

And so it ended, with one child asleep in a buggy, and the other two content and awake. Our route home required that we pass the churros stand…

… It would’ve been rude not to have some don’t you think?! Churros and hot chocolate was the perfect way to end our longest and most successful trip to the Gibraltar Fair yet. And who knows, next time we might actually ride on something!

Red, white and Blue

August 2, 2015August 1, 2015 ~ Making Stitches ~ 3 Comments

In case, dear reader, you don’t know much about Gibraltar, here’s a brief outline. Despite being an isthmus adjoining the southerly tip of the Iberian peninsular, (in other words a narrow strip of land/rock attached to the bottom of Spain) it is part of the United Kingdom. The main language here is English, although local people speak an interesting mix of English and Spanish as well as the local dialect of Llanito.

We are surrounded on almost all sides by sea, apart from the narrow strip of land at the northerly tip where there is a land border with Spain. This is also the location of Gibraltar Airport. The runway is bisected by the main road from the town centre to the border (also known as the ‘Frontier’). When planes are due to land and take-off, the traffic comes to a standstill to let them past!

At the most southerly tip of Gibraltar is the Trinity lighthouse at Europa Point. It stands guard looking out across the Straits of Gibraltar towards Morrocco in the distance.

In order to travel by road around the circumference of the Rock, you have to travel through it at times. There are miles and miles of tunnels within the Rock, all carved and blasted out by the military over the years. The general public can only access a very small percentage of them.

There are also many natural caves within Gibraltar, St Michael’s Cave (below) being a stunning example. The huge cavern has been used to stage musical and theatrical productions and provides a uniquely atmospheric backdrop to performances.

Gibraltar is perhaps most famous for it’s furry inhabitants. The apes, which live in the Upper Rock nature reserve, are sought out by tourists. From time to time, they come down the Rock into town to seek out more interesting meals than the nutritious fruit and veg put out by the Government of Gibraltar in an attempt to keep them healthy. They like to rifle through bins and snatch food from passers-by. Legend has it that as long as the apes stay in Gibraltar, the territory will remain British.

The Upper Rock, as well as being home to the apes, is a haven for wildlife and plants. It is a beautiful place and offers solitude away from the hustle of town.

The town is centred around Main Street and offers many familiar British brands as well as independent local retailers.

A regular sight on Main Street is the Historical Re-enactment March, which takes place at around midday on Saturdays and on special occasions. The volunteer soldiers re-enact the Ceremony of the Keys, which dates back to the Great Siege of Gibraltar from 1779-1783.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick insight into the place that we’ve made our home. It’s barely scratched the surface of what goes on and the history of the place, I’m sure I’ll tell you much more about it in future. Thanks for stopping by!

A sunset walk

June 28, 2015July 21, 2015 ~ Making Stitches ~ Leave a comment

I think I may be on the cusp of a mid-life crisis… I have an over riding desire to get fit – something which has never really troubled me before! About six months ago I bought myself a step counter and found myself going the long way round where I would previously take a short cut, in order to boost my daily step count. Recently, however my step obsession has shifted up a gear. My husband bought me a present, a fancier gizmo which measures my heart rate, stairs I’ve climbed and distance I’ve walked/stumbled/run as well as how many steps I’ve taken during the day.

Last week was a dismal one for the Postcard household, a very nasty bug took us all down one-by-one. I spent most of the last seven days either feeling unwell or caring for others who were feeling under the weather. As a consequence my step totals for the week have been equally dismal despite the many trips out to the back patio to hang out countless loads of washing and vigorous floor mopping as I fought valiantly to rid the place of germs.

This evening despite the fact we are now all back in rude health and I have left the house several times today, for some reason I only had 6,000 steps out of my target of 10,000 by 9pm. I took myself out for a bit of a walk this evening once the younger members of the family were safely tucked up in bed. Off I headed on a quest to get my daily step count up and have a mosey around the neighbourhood.

It was lovely and peaceful and cool-ish (we’re in the grips of a bit of a heatwave in Gibraltar – or perhaps it’s just the summer!). I did hope to get a few nice photos but the light was fading fast. This bougainvillea was positively glowing in the soft evening light. Unfortunately my phone camera didn’t quite get that effect, but it’s still lovely.

Despite living in Gibraltar for several years and the fact it’s so small, there are still new places I’m discovering. Today I went up flights of steps and alley ways I’ve never noticed before and saw beautiful old buildings which I’d previously passed many times without taking the time to look up and study them. Any photos I took aren’t worth posting as the light was so bad, but I have promised myself I’ll retrace my steps in daylight and try to capture some of the lovely features I saw tonight.

In just half an hour, the light had gone and it was time to head home.

That’s it for today, time to retire safe in the knowledge I’ve hit my 10,000 step target! Night night.

A stroll up the garden path…

June 27, 2015July 21, 2015 ~ Making Stitches ~ 5 Comments

Today we’ve had the pleasure of visiting the Convent Garden. The Convent is the official residence of the Governor of Gibraltar, Sir James Dutton and his wife Lady Liz. Normally, the Convent and it’s grounds are off-limits to the general public, however twice a year the doors are thrown open for the Convent Garden Open Day (June) and the Convent Christmas Fair (November). Both are fundraising events supporting local charities and are very much highlights of the Gibraltar Social Calendar.

The walled private gardens are an utter delight offering peace and much needed shade. It’s an oasis in such a densely populated place – you almost can forget you are still in Gibraltar. The building itself is a former convent (as the name suggests) dating back to the sixteenth century, it’s been home to Gibraltar’s Governors since 1728.

As well as the gardens, a number of formal rooms were open to the public as well. Indoors there was an art exhibition featuring a number of locally based artists and choral and musical performances.

The grand banqueting hall and lounge.

The busy courtyard featured craft stalls.

Enough of indoors … let’s get back outside to that gorgeous garden!

Dotted around the garden are trees which have been planted by various dignitaries and members of the royal family including the Queen and most recently the Earl & Countess of Wessex. The colours of the blooms are beautiful and in spite of the number of other visitors, the place still felt like a sanctuary away from the bustle of Main Street, just metres away.

If you visit early enough in the day you can actually buy a little bit of the garden to take back home with you from the plant stall. For the younger visitors there was an elevated rope walk run by the Scout Association, a bouncy castle and face painting. There were refreshments served on the lawn including home baked good and the most delicious homemade ice cream.

I think this is our third visit to the a garden open day and I can’t recommend it highly enough if you ever have the chance to see it for yourself. I’ll leave you with a few more flower pictures, thanks for reading!

Hello from Gibraltar…

June 25, 2015July 21, 2015 ~ Making Stitches ~ Leave a comment

After months of procrastinating I’ve finally done it – I’m dipping my toe into the sea of blogging! I’m a Mum of three and live with my family on the (usually) sunny rock of Gibraltar. In my spare time I love crafts, painting, gardening and the great outdoors. We moved here a few years ago and we are now lucky enough to have a small patio which I adore. We left a well-loved back garden behind in England when we came over and found the transition to apartment life challenging. After several years of having to content ourselves with a few pots on a baking hot balcony, we now have an equally hot patio. It’s not as green as England, but we’re working on it. Here’s a few photos I took earlier this week, it’s looking rather floriferous between the toys and washing!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my first blog post. That’s all for now, hasta pronto!