Hello there, I hope you’re doing well! Sunday again already…. where are the weeks going? Here’s this week’s postcard…
On the edge of the city
Last Sunday, we popped out to stretch our legs in the lovely Longford Park on the edge of the city of Manchester. The main park and gardens were rather busy and it was obvious we couldn’t visit the swings and socially distance as well, so we had a walk away from the crowd to this meadow which framed the city skyscrapers beautifully in the distance.
Bunny road trip
Our pet bunny Diamond began his trip north to join us on Tuesday. This was him in his cage in his transport as he was picked up from the Gibraltar border. We were hoping he would be alright traveling with other animals because he’s a rather timid chap and not used to mixing with other creatures.
Moody clouds over the park
Our fascination with going to the park hasn’t waned during the month we have been in our new home. We end up there several times a week (weather permitting) although things have got a lot busier since schools broke up here and sometimes we have had to abort our trips to return later on after dinner to avoid over crowded swings.
A walk by the water
We had some warm and sunshiny weather on Friday and headed off for a picnic and walk in the open air. This is Pennington Flash in Lancashire where we ended up on our trip.
Chunky crochet
So this week, I bought a new car! My new wheels (she’s called Bluebell by the way) looked like she could do with a blanket… so I raided my packing boxes to find that stash of chunky yarn I bought many moons ago and have been saving for the right moment!
Sunset on a Friday
I sat out in our back garden on Friday night with my crochet, a glass of wine and this lovely sunset overhead. It’s not quite the view of sunsets across the Bay that I used to look out at, but it’ll do nicely.
He made it!
Look who arrived safe and in one piece yesterday?! Our little gang is complete again – Diamond is settled into his new home and we are all happy bunnies now that he’s back with us!
That’s all for this week, I hope it has been a good one for you inspite of all that has been happening in the world. Where ever you are reading this take care and have a good week ahead.
You may have spotted that this isn’t a Sunday Sevens post. I decided that after 230 weeks of Sunday Sevens, it was time for a change. The Sunday Sevens phenomenon was first created by sewing blogger Natalie, at Threads and Bobbins. Her idea was for bloggers to share seven photos from the previous seven days in a series of posts which were markedly different from their usual crafty or lifestyle posts.
Lately, because of the move back to the UK, I have had weeks without Sunday Sevens, Sunday Sevens with far more than seven photos and some with far fewer. Bearing in mind I have just moved countries with my family away from the Gibraltar named in my blog title, I thought that perhaps I should focus more on the ‘Postcard’ part instead.
So this will be my new weekly (when I can/when I remember) post. I can’t guarantee how long or picturesque they will be going forward, but I will try to share a bit of beauty each week.
So here is my first Sunday Postcard offering:
A postcard from Gibraltar
I have to admit it feels very strange writing blog posts from England without the feeling that we will soon be getting back on a plane and heading home to Gib. I’m sure in coming months, especially when the weather takes a turn for the worst, I will really miss Gibraltar, the mild (and sometimes very wet) winters, the fact I spent more time each year in flip flops than in boots, our beautiful views and of course our lovely friends. But, at the moment I’m really enjoying our new life here in Manchester. (The above photo is of a Gibraltar postcard I came across when I was packing up to move).
Grey skies
One of the overriding questions I’ve been asked since our move from Gibraltar is ‘Are you missing the sunshine?’ The answer is ‘no, not really’. We certainly don’t have blue skies everyday up here in the north west of England, but I’m really enjoying the wide open spaces, the greenery and having special people I’ve been far away from for almost 2 decades living round the corner.
Hob-nobbing with the stars
Earlier this week, before the new tighter Covid restrictions came into force, we had a visit from some very good friends. We took them to Media City to show them the Blue Peter Garden and where many of their favorite TV shows are filmed.
Although many people were wearing masks (including us), and there was a slightly subdued atmosphere there, you couldn’t get away from the fact it’s a rather exciting place. We even spotted a few familiar faces from the world of showbiz as we had our lunch out in the open air.
Can you spot those green houses and jazzy garden sheds in the photo above? Those could be booked out for lunch! You could have your own bubble in a glass bubble! What a fab idea.
Below is the closest I can get to a photo of open water for you these days… it’s the Manchester Ship Canal!!
A woodland walk
On Thursday we had a really pleasant walk back to a favorite place of mine, Marbury Country Park in Cheshire. There’s a gorgeous woodland walk via Marbury Mere and the nearby canal as well as wide open spaces for picnics. Not to mention lots of gorgeous greenery.
An old friend
A long time ago, long before our move out to Gibraltar, I was given this rose called Wee Cracker. It lived in a pot and followed us on various house moves in the north of England until we headed off to Gib. Since then it has lived in my parents’ back garden where my Mum has lovingly nurtured it until the day I could have it back. It was waiting in the back garden of our rental home when we arrived three weeks ago, and here it is looking lovely – the first bud opened yesterday.
That’s all for this week, I’ll leave you with this collection of pictures from last month – a very busy one for us! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I’ll be honest with you, it’s been a long three weeks since my last Sunday Sevens! It’s been exhausting and a tad emotional at times. But we survived it. I have come up for air briefly but am heading back into the realm of the packing boxes for a while…
In the meantime, here goes with a look back at our last 3 weeks in slightly more than seven photos from slightly more than the last seven days…
One last Saharan dust sunset on a Sunday
Our last Sunday in Gibraltar was a lovely day for so many reasons, we said goodbye to friends, and ended it with a lovely meal out by the sea. This gorgeous Calima (Saharan dust laden) sunset was the perfect ending.
Haircuts on Monday
In light of the very recent opening of hairdressers in the UK, I figured we might be waiting a long time for haircuts in England, so all three Little Postcards had one last Gibraltarian short back and sides. I love this spot by Southport Gates, I had to photograph it on the way back to the car.
Goodbye Diamond on Tuesday
Our last Gibraltar Tuesday was A DAY. From early morning until late at night it was full on packing. My Fitbit told me I did 18,000 steps. The Little Postcards were entertained with good friends and we said goodbye to Diamond our bunny. He’s gone off to Spain for a short break on the Costa before heading north by road. We hope to see him again in August, he might be glad of all that fluffy fur up in Manchester!
Removal day on Wednesday
Up at 6am for final bits of packing ahead of the removal men arriving just after 8. Once the trucks were loaded I had to cross into Spain to complete the paperwork and pay the duty on our stuff at customs. Off went our things to be stored until there was enough to fill a big lorry to travel up to the north of England.
Thursday by the sea
The Little Postcards had a final hurrah on the beach with their very good friends, while I ran round finishing off the last admin and cleaning up jobs in Gibraltar. When I arrived at Eastern Beach to pick them up we had tea and ice cream with our friends and it was lovely just to be still and enjoy the moment after all that rushing around.
Friday goodbyes…
On our last morning we packed up our final bits and bobs and drove from Gibraltar to Malaga. We had been due to fly from Gib on EasyJet but our flights were cancelled a couple of weeks before and we had to rebook via Malaga. We had to fly to Manchester because at the time of booking we were looking at 2 weeks in quarantine on our arrival and had we flown from Gib to London, we would not have been able to make the trip up north on public transport because of the regulations.
As it turned out, Friday 10th July, which is when we flew, became the first day that travelers didn’t have to quarantine. We were so fortunate.
Queuing to leave Gibraltar
A new view
This is my new view. Once I looked out on the Bay of Gibraltar one way and up the Rock to the summit of the Med Steps the other way, for now, I have this gorgeous leafy colour instead! We have moved into a rented home as a temporary measure until the sale of our place in Gib goes through. I’ll certainly happily take this view as I stand at the kitchen sink – it’s not too shabby!
And breathe
Open space!! Something you don’t get much of in Gib. This gorgeous field used to signal torture in my childhood (think school cross country – I wasn’t built for speed) however now I can appreciate how beautiful it is. It’s just a few minutes’ walk from our new home and en route to the park – a place we have visited a lot recently in a bid to get over the loss of the beach!
Milk bottles!
One of the perks of being back in the UK is the fact we can get our milk delivered to our front door in glass bottles! No more mad dashes to the supermarket for milk to find out there is none, and no more plastic milk bottles going to the recycling.
A not-so-little treat for me
When this special one-off rather large Little Box of Crochet was advertised, I decided to order it to my parent’s house knowing that when I arrived in Manchester, I wouldn’t have any crochet with me until my boxes of stash arrived. What a joy to open it and see all that squishy, yarny goodness.
I thought I’d be able to do a bit each day in my summer craft challenge style of years gone by, but sadly other things have taken precedence. I have dabbled a bit and will share any progress as I go along.
A birthday
We celebrated a birthday too. A Little Postcard is a year older, this time he was able to share his birthday with grandparents (for our first hugs since arrival in the UK) and a socially distant aunt & uncle! (No home made cake this year – my mixer & cake tins were somewhere on the continent in the back of a truck!).
Our stuff arrived!
It all arrived at the back end of last week. Our spacious rental home is now looking a lot less spacious!!🤣
It’s good to know that all our things made it over ok. Now there’s the small matter of finding everything that we need! Wish me luck!
Thank you for stopping by, I’m not sure when my next post will be as I’m still battling my way through boxes and multiple lost items, not to mention still trying to sort schools and other admin bits and bobs. I’ll pop back when I can though. Until then, take care.
Well here we are. We survived the move. We’re 2000 or so miles further north than we once were. We’ve replaced sea views for trees and greenery and I rather like that.
The sunset was our last one while living in Gibraltar back on Thursday evening. The photo of the green field and sky isn’t the view from our new windows but a short walk from our new home.
I just wanted to pop in and let you know we survived the move, and we are loving living close to family & very old friends again, but I will be having a little while off to get on with what needs to be done over here in England. I look forward to sharing our adventures with you again in a little while.
Hello and happy New Year! I hope you had a good celebration. Are you still sticking to your resolutions or have you decided not to bother? I’m trying to get a bit fitter and have a few plans up my sleeve for projects this year… watch this space!
In fact, I’ve even been for a run this morning so I’m feeling rather virtuous!
Here’s the first Sunday Sevens of 2020:
Leaving on a jet plane…
On Sunday we waved goodbye to Mr Postcard and Gibraltar and hopped on a plane to visit my family in Manchester. It was a nice smooth flight filled almost entirely with the task of attempting to untangle the humungous knot I’d managed to get tangled in my Scheepjes Whirl. It took until New Year’s Eve to get sorted and required help from my brother and my Dad!!
A late afternoon stroll
On Monday afternoon we took a trip to one of my favourite places, Dunham Massey National Trust Park. I was rather stunned by the early dusk compared to Gibraltar – this is my first midwinter visit to Manchester in about 9 years!! The sunset did make for a lovely backdrop for the deer though!
New Year’s Day – starting as I mean to go on…
I impressed myself for getting out for a run on New Year’s Day – not my usual view of the Bay of Gibraltar but it’ll do just the same!
A wander around Manchester
Later on on New Year’s Day I jumped on the train into town and had a wander around in the cold! I even bumped into Miss Pankhurst which was a thrill!
Hitting those New Year goals!
I have so many unfinished craft projects on the go that I’m determined to get some finished this year. First one completed was this leaf pattern scarf from My Picot. I’m ashamed to say it’s been on the go for about 18 months and been calling me from the sidelines for ages. Well it’s done, and I love it!
Homeward bound
We flew back home to Gibraltar on Friday after a lovely, if brief, trip to Manchester. It was a fabulous few days and so nice to be able to catch up with friends and family. It was a stress free flight home, and I even got time to start work on my second WIP (work in progress) of 2020 en route!
After much squinting at Google Maps, me & Eldest think it’s the Devon coastline you can see in the photo above and Dartmouth in particular.
Home!
It was a corker of a day yesterday. Just look at that late afternoon sun reflecting off the water. Just the weather for getting my washing dried (oh the glamour!).
And that is Sunday Sevens done for another week. I hope it’s been a kind one to you. Back to school normality begins at some point next week for us, which is good in some ways and less so in others. Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
Hello there welcome to this week’s Sunday Sevens. You find us on midterm here in Gibraltar – and we are enjoying the prospect of not having an early alarm tomorrow morning!
Trafalgar Memorial
It was the 214th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar on Tuesday. Every year, on a Sunday near to the anniversary, a special ceremony takes place at Trafalgar Cemetery in Gibraltar. This year’s remembrance happened last Sunday.
The men who lost their lives in the battle are remembered and wreaths are laid on the graves of two men who came to Gibraltar immediately afterwards for treatment, but who died from their wounds.
There is always a Royal Navy vessel in port for this ceremony and the sailors attend in their uniforms. It’s a really special time.
Med Steps on a Monday
It was a beautifully clear, sunny morning on Monday and I headed off up the Med Steps. I spied these two big black birds overhead which were circling above the Rock and causing a great deal of excitement amongst the seagull population. I spoke to one of the wardens about them, and I’m reliably told they are a pair of ravens, and it’s hoped that they will breed next year.
Dressmaking class
So my second pair of trial run trousers were sewn this week and although my problematic large calves were adequately accommodated, elsewhere they were a bit on the large side this week! Darts are the order of the day in my next class!
Sunset alert
Sunday sevens wouldn’t be Sunday sevens without a sunset pic would it? Here’s this week’s one.
Framing my paintings
I finally got round to framing a few of my watercolour paintings this week. I bought some frames a few weeks back and wanted to hang them in the hall. My seashells from two years ago we’re just the right size.
A catch-up with a lovely friend
A lovely friend of mine came round for a visit this week – the first time I’ve seen her in months – and she brought these beautiful flowers. They look glorious in their vase and are a lovely reminder of a fab chat over lunch.
A prickly situation
This little chap/lady got him/herself into a bit of a tangle this week in my parents’ garden in Manchester. (So this isn’t one of my photos – thanks Dad). The last time I remember seeing a hedgehog in their garden I was about 10 – so it’s not a common occurrence, or if it is, they are very stealthy!
He/she had a rest in a box in their porch before heading off for a wander…
And that brings this week’s Sunday Sevens to a close for another week. Thanks for stopping by!
Hello everyone, sorry for the radio silence for the last few weeks. It’s been a hectic time with one thing and another so Postcard from Gibraltar took a bit of a back seat, all being well Sunday Sevens will be back this weekend and normal service will be resumed!
In the meantime, here’s a bit of a catch-up from the last few weeks…
Mid August I took the Little Postcards away with me to visit my parents in Manchester.
We had a great time. It was so lovely to see them as they haven’t been able to make it over to see us this year and they noticed a big difference in the Little Postcards and how much they’ve grown. Aside from seeing friends and family it’s also lovely to do things we can’t do in Gibraltar. Like foraging for berries, and then enjoying them in the tastiest Apple & bramble crumble. (We jettisoned the elderberries- not sure what to use them for).
It’s become a bit of an annual tradition on our summer trips back home to visit Marbury Park for a picnic and then call into the Great Budworth Ice Cream farm for ice creams on the way home. I wouldn’t have felt right if we hadn’t done it this year, so we did!
And of course, the reward for the walk was some super duper raspberry ripple!
We took a trip into Lancashire to visit my lovely little brother and his wife. They drove us to Rivington Terraced Gardens where we had a picnic and a fabulous woodland walk climbing up a huge hill. We could even see Blackpool Tower in the distance!
After our week or so up north, we took the train down south to visit some very dear friends of ours who used to live in Gibraltar.
Grey’s Court National Trust property is just a short drive from where our friends live and we enjoyed a lovely trip there in the summer sunshine!
All too quickly though, our time in England came to an end…
Bye bye England!
As we headed home from Malaga airport, it didn’t take long before the sweaty Levante cloud came into view….
A couple of weeks ago it was the annual Gibraltar Fair with the usual churros, rides and this year Jedward too… we didn’t stay late enough to see the former Eurovision & X Factor pair. I hear they were ‘entertaining’.
As the fair drew to a close, so did the school summer holidays for many young people including my 3. Lots of others though, are still waiting for their new school buildings to open next week.
Last weekend the Gibraltar Calling Music Festival was on. A highlight for me was Liam Gallagher. I’ve seen Oasis play live a couple of times and I was really looking forward to seeing Liam. He didn’t disappoint.
And there he was up on stage in his trademark coat even though it was swelteringly hot!!
I will share another highlight of the music festival in Sunday Sevens….
Hello there! This week has been a rather busy one, the last week of full days for school children here in Gibraltar (read parents dashing around frantically to get as much done as possible) and I went home to see my Mum & Dad. Here goes this week’s Sunday Sevens – seven (or more) photos from the last seven days…
Leaving on a jet plane…
Last Sunday I caught a flight back home to Manchester to see my parents. Mum hasn’t been too well recently and was in hospital awaiting an operation the previous week. She was allowed home for 24 hours at the weekend, so I was able to have some time with her on Sunday before she headed back… it was lovely to see them both.
Birdy art work
Mum was in the Manchester Royal Infirmary, which is right next door to the Manchester Eye Hospital. My Dad took me on a detour to see these seagulls in the back of the main entrance of the Eye Hospital. There used to be a whole wall full of them but now these are the only ones left. My very talented little brother made them with a friend as a commission for the hospital. I’m glad I got to see some of them at least in situ!
Memories of last summer..
Did you see my post last year about the Bee in the City trail around Manchester? I didn’t see this Bee last year, s/he’s now living in the vestibule area of the Manchester Eye Hospital.
You had one job…
On one of our many trips back and to from hospital visiting hours, I spotted this sign on the entrance to a car wash. It really cracked me up. Not sure whether the car wash was operated by the Knights who say Ni?
Heading home
Mum had her op on Monday, I’m pleased to report it went well. She was allowed home on Tuesday. I was really grateful that I was able to be there and to spend some time with her, my Dad and brother. The staff at the MRI were wonderful and we’re so grateful for all their care and attention.
On Wednesday I flew home to Gibraltar early in the morning. As we climbed through the rain clouds above Manchester I spotted the shadow of our plane on the blanket of clouds below.
Last art lesson
I went to my last watercolour lesson this week. I’ve been going to my lessons, which I have greatly enjoyed for about 5 years now. I always finish for the summer once the children go on half days and have quite a few other things lined up for the autumn so I have decided to finish my lessons. I will still paint when I have the chance, but my formal lessons have come to an end. My slightly distracted attempt at a daisy on Thursday perhaps wasn’t a great example of 5 years of classes, but never mind!
Back in the crochet zone!
I don’t think I’ve picked up my crochet hook since the Easter school holidays. I’ve been very busy with all sorts going on and when I’ve had free time, I’ve not been in the right frame of mind to do it. Yesterday, for the first time I was in the mood, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting back into my Coastal Crochet CAL.
So that brings this week’s Sunday Sevens to a close. We’re off out for a Father’s Day meal with Mr Postcard now, and I wish all Dads out there a happy day (my own Dad included). I spoke to my Mum this morning and she’s sounding better and brighter every day. I’m sure she’ll be back to her old self very soon.
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…
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.
All too quickly though, our time in England came to an end…
