Mediterranean Steps

Farewell old friend….

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The Rock of Gibraltar painted my me at one of my watercolour lessons

Way back in the summer of 2015, I set off on a blogging adventure. Inspired by the likes of Lucy at Attic24 and several other craft bloggers, I decided that I would have a go at sharing a few snap shots of my life on the Rock. At the time, I had a the unique selling point that I was based in Gibraltar, and at that time, there were no other craft bloggers active on the Rock. I thought that even if no one was interested in what I was making, at least I could share beautiful photos of my sunny surroundings way down in the south of Europe.

The Upper Rock Nature Reserve

I felt compelled to share some of the quirks and beauty of where I was living at the time – a much misunderstood place from the outside. There is so much more to Gibraltar than the day trips from cruise ships and bus tours from along the Costa would have you believe. There’s much more than red phone boxes and fish & chips, British bobbies and Marks and Spencer in the sun. It’s home to a diverse group of people with origins from far and wide, the fortunate byproduct of it’s geographical location at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsular and just a short distance across the Strait of Gibraltar from Morocco and the African continent beyond.

The Europa Point lighthouse with the Strait of Gibraltar beyond

Soon I began sharing a series of blog posts called ‘A stroll around Gibraltar’ as I took my camera and later my phone along on walks around the narrow streets and back alleys of Upper Town and into the Nature Reserve of the Upper Rock – in fact my post about the ‘facts and figures of the Med Steps’ remains my most read post to date. I posted more than 200 Sunday Sevens posts and hosted a Friday Photo Challenge on Instagram one year as well.

The view northwards from part way up the Med Steps

I also used Postcard from Gibraltar to share what I was making, from the dressmaking and watercolour classes which I was able to attend once all three Little Postcards (my three sons) were old enough to all go to school, as well as a number of community crochet projects I joined in with from Yarndale worldwide appeals for crocheted bunting and mandalas to Eleonora from Coastal Crochet‘s Seaside Stashbusting blanket and Changing Tides blanket crochet-alongs.

My Seaside Stashbusting blanket inspired by Sandy Bay in Gibraltar

As our family went on trips around the place I would blog about our travels in my ‘A Postcard from…’ posts which included Rome, The Algarve, Carcassonne, and skiing in the Dolomites, as well as UK destinations like Manchester, Cheshire, and Suffolk.

A few photos from one of our holidays in Suffolk as I worked on an Eleonora Tully design from Little Box of Crochet for that year’s Summer Craft Challenge

Postcard from Gibraltar also opened doors for me and I began writing for an online parenting magazine in Gibraltar which now no longer exists sadly, I also got articles published in print for the Calentita! Gibraltarian food festival magazine. In short, Postcard from Gibraltar gave me the confidence to venture back out of my domestic set-up after many years being a stay-at-home Mum.

My Attic24 cosy stripe blanket at Europa Point

In 2020, along with everything else which was happening in the world, close to home for us, change was afoot. We found ourselves moving back to the UK after 11 very happy years in Gibraltar. It was a big adjustment, which wasn’t made any easier by the pandemic, but we survived! At the time, I wondered whether I should continue with Postcard from Gibraltar as it would no longer be ‘from Gibraltar’. I had begun my new podcast project ‘Making Stitches Podcast’ by then, and whilst it brought me very welcome creative distraction – especially during lockdown, I felt I would miss Postcard too much if I just finished it, so I kept it going in a slightly less regular, less sunny and blue skies kind of a way!

I may be in the north of England now but we do still get occasional blue skies!
(Photo taken at Dunham Massey this week)

More than 2 years on from our move though, I think the time is right to say goodbye to Postcard from Gibraltar. I won’t be saying goodbye to it completely though. This blog and all of the previous posts will still be available to read and if you should search for Postcard from Gibraltar online, it will still lead you here. Postcard from Gibraltar is evolving, just as I have, and from now on, will be known as Making Stitches.

It felt right to adapt what I’m already doing to compliment what I have been working on with Making Stitches Podcast. In the last two years, that has gone from strength to strength and is now in it’s 6th Series with more than 50 episodes featuring interviews with creative people from many different disciplines including crochet and knitting (including my old friend Eleonora Tully from Coastal Crochet), dressmaking, embroidery, textile art, weaving, yarn dying and more. In addition to this, I have made a foray into crochet design myself with the launch of my amigurumi crochet patterns. My life has changed quite a bit from what I was doing back in Gibraltar and it’s time this blog caught up with me.

Looking south towards the Rock – photo taken on Alcaidesa beach

I will still post my monthly Postcards (because I would miss writing them too much) although I can’t guarantee I’ll be any more prompt with posting them (!) and I’m pretty sure I will have another go at a Summer Craft Challenge again next year, so in a way nothing has changed, just the name.

View of Gibraltar from La Linea

Thank you to everyone who has read my posts, liked them or commented through the years and a special thank you to those of you who have become friends through this medium too. Your support, although virtual, has been very much appreciated over the years and it’s that which has kept me going. Who knows what lies ahead?

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Lindsay x

Sunday Sevens #222 17.5.20

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Hello there! How are you this week? It’s been an extremely busy one for me. I was bitten by the cleaning / tidying bug – it’s a very rare occurrence. I did so much cleaning one day I walked 12,000 steps and hadn’t left the apartment!!

So much domestication has meant not much time for crafts but I hope to make up for that next week now I can sit back in a clean and tidy(ish) home! Here’s this week’s Sunday Sevens:

Sunday family walk

Last Sunday we had a family walk up to the bottom of the Upper Rock Nature reserve. It was a lot busier than it has been of late. There were more cars to dodge and some people were stopping to chat too. It felt jarring to see after so many weeks of isolation and social distancing.

Med Steps escape

On Tuesday I escaped on my own for the first time since lockdown (apart from to walk to the recycling bins or go to the supermarket) and climbed the Med Steps. It was beautiful and full of wildflowers. I wrote a blog post all about it – you can find it here if you missed it.

Pandemonium CAL

I’ve hardly had time or energy for crochet this week. But here’s what I have managed… done rather big bobbles on my Pandemonium blanket!

Sunshine on a rainy day

We’ve had a few extremely wet days this week (think total stair rods /monsoon). Naturally as I was on a spring cleaning mission, I washed all the windows – big mistake! They were soon splattered with raindrops. But at least it meant I caught sight of this brief beauty.

Coo-eee! I can see you!

When I climb to the top of the Upper Rock I like to take a moment to look down and spot places of interest. From certain angles you can see the roof of the building we live in, the schools the Little Postcards have been to etc. When you’re up there, it’s easy to forget that there might be someone down below looking up at you. One afternoon this week, that was me. I was in my kitchen and looked up through the window to see three people up there looking down. It looks rather precarious from below though…

Winning at the weekly shop!

Now when you get up and out early to do the weekly shop and are braced to join the end of a long queue to get into the supermarket, there’s no greater sight than this….

Eurovision night sunset

Last night as we watched Eurovision (the not really Eurovision version) and as the sun was setting on what should have been the venue of the grand final, I looked out of the window and spotted our own sunset too.

Podcast update

This week’s Making Stitches episode features a chat with Carole Rennison from Yarndale about this year’s charity appeal. Pop over to Making Stitches to hear all about it.

That’s all for this week, I hope you have a good one. Sunday Sevens was first created by Natalie from Threads and Bobbins.

A stroll around Gibraltar No. 25 : The Med Steps – an oasis of beauty in the midst of lockdown

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Hello there, it’s been a while since I took you on a stroll with me. Care to join me again?

This afternoon, I escaped for my first solo walk for over 8 weeks, and my first trip up to the top of the Rock since being poorly with the dreaded virus.

Looking south East towards the enclave of Ceuta in Morocco

It was hard work, and took a lot longer than it used to (personally I think they’ve made the steps steeper while I’ve been away 😉) but it was bliss. I just love this part of Gibraltar, it’s my favourite bit. Calm and quiet even when Town is bustling with tourists (not that there are any at the minute) and so, so beautiful – especially at this time of year.

Looking East over the Mediterranean towards some huge drilling ships at anchor

This weekend should have been the Med Steps 5 Challenge in aid of Cancer Relief Gibraltar, but because of the current situation, it’s been put off until autumn at the earliest. I had planned to do it again this year (all 5 laps) but life and coronavirus got in the way. At least I got to enjoy just the one lap today!

This time of year is the perfect time to walk/climb the Med Steps footpath, the wildflowers are in their glory. I was thinking I wouldn’t get the chance to experience them this year, but thankfully an opportunity presented itself today for a solo stroll and I leapt at the chance!

It was so quiet, I spied just 4 other walkers on the entire stretch.

It was so clear looking beyond the Europa Point lighthouse and across the Strait to Morocco

I didn’t realise just how much I’d missed this time alone. I felt energized and able to totally switch off from the world outside this tiny bubble of mine!

Just look at those wildflowers!

A rainbow of wildflowers

I did the touristy thing and went into the cave (pretending it was for an arty photo but actually it was for a rest!).

View from one of the Goats Hair Twin Caves (Gibraltar’s most Instagrammed views apparently)

I spotted these purple flowers, which I had never seen before…

Could they be a kind of orchid?

Whatever they are, they’re beautiful!

Those steps, my word, it was hard work but it’s always worth it for that view!

View from near the summit looking North

And of course our hairy neighbours are never far away!

And that, as they say, is that. One Med Steps stroll done. Now there’s the easy jaunt back downhill to get back home!

Thank you for stopping by to come on my Med Steps trip with me. I hope you’re safe and well and managing during this worrying time. x

If you would like to find out more about the Med Steps, you might like this post I wrote a while back.

Sunday Sevens #207 27.10.19

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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!

Sunday Sevens was first created by Natalie from Threads and Bobbins.

Sunday Sevens #188 26.5.19

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Hello there, Sunday Sevens has made it back to a Sunday! It’s been another extremely busy week at this end, with a school sports day, an inservice day, and now we’re halfway through a bank holiday weekend. I had to put an extra page in my diary this week to allow for all the things we’ve had going on! I’ll be glad when summer comes and things quieten down a little – I hope!

Med Steps 5 weekend

Last weekend was Med Steps 5 weekend. In previous years the fundraising event ran just on the Saturday. This year though, there was a family event on the Sunday. Children were given a Med Steps passport to complete along the route and were awarded medals at the end.bThis brilliant event, as always, raised funds for the wonderful Cancer Relief Centre in Gibraltar.

One very big boat

Do you remember that in last week’s Sunday Sevens I told you about this big boat? Well this week it even had a helicopter on the top! And I hear it belongs to Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook fame.

Last rays of sunshine

I happened to step out onto the balcony just at the right time to spot the sun about to dip down behind the hills across the Bay from our house one evening. It’s at times like this that I’m so grateful for where we live.

Street art

This little chap has been all over social media in Gibraltar lately. The sloth has been painted onto some hoardings around building work and I happened to walk past him mid week for the first time. Moments later I spotted this lovely cat too just a bit further on!

Jacaranda galore

This year I’ve noticed just how many Jacaranda trees there are in Gibraltar. I have been trying to photograph one with it’s gorgeous blue/violet blossom for the past couple of weeks but normally the background has been blue sky which didn’t display the colour of the blossom well. I spotted this one on Main Street and the building behind it showed it off to great effect.

Polling Day

I’m sitting here in front of the TV this evening watching BBC coverage of the European elections whilst simultaneously watching the local coverage from the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation on my tablet. We, in Gibraltar went to the polls like the rest of the UK on Thursday. Gibraltar is eligible to vote as part of the South West region of Great Britain. Gibraltar voted overwhelmingly (76% of the Vote) for the Liberal Democrats – the party leader, Sir Vince Cable was in Gibraltar to campaign just a week or so ago on a pro-Remain ticket, there was even a Gibraltarian candidate standing as a Lib Dem MEP.

Beautiful botanical gardens!

We took a walk through the beautiful botanical gardens yesterday. No matter what the weather or the time of year, it’s always special here!

That’s all for Sunday Sevens for this week, thanks very much for stopping by.

Sunday Sevens was created by Natalie from Threads and Bobbins.

Sunday Sevens #186 12.5.19

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I completely forgot about Sunday Sevens this week, here’s a rather short and rushed one!

Sunset shot

I spotted this lovely sunset on Sunday evening last week.

Dressmaking class

This week I was going rather cross eyed while I tacked the lace I’m using to make a top to the lining using an identical coloured cotton. Most of the tacking is now done, hopefully I can get sewing soon!

Art class

I’ve lost my painting mojo a bit of late. This was the best of a bad lot this week at my watercolour class…

Visitors

We’ve had some family over to visit this week, which has been lovely. This was as we crossed the runway to pick them up from the airport.

Med Steps

What do you do when you have visitors to the Rock? Drag them up the Med Steps of course!! Shame we picked the hottest day of the year so far to do it… 26.9 degrees Celsius. It was rather warm up there!

Upper Rock wildlife

Whilst taking a breather on our trip up the Rock I heard some rustling in the leaves. First of all I thought it was a snake but then I spied legs! It was the biggest lizard I’ve seen during my time here in Gibraltar.

Convent Garden Party

One of my first ever blog posts was written after visiting this beautiful garden, the Convent garden. The Convent, which is where the Gibraltar Governor lives is a beautiful place, a real oasis in a rather built up place.

And that is a rather rushed Sunday Sevens for this week, I hope it’s been a good one for you.

Sunday Sevens was first created by Natalie from Threads and Bobbins.

Sunday Sevens #182 7.4.19

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Hello there and a very happy Sunday to you. I hope you’ve had a good week. We are edging closer to the school Easter holidays here in Gibraltar – just one week of school left to get jobs done before I have days full of boys! Here’s this week’s look back at the last seven days… (and, incidentally it’s my 500th Postcard from Gibraltar post! That sounds like rather a lot doesn’t it?!)

Mother’s Day lunch

We went out for a lovely lunch on Mother’s Day. A glass of Prosecco, rose and a beautiful view across the Strait to Morocco came with the meal.

Med Steps on a Monday

It’s been a long time since I’ve been up the Med Steps on a Monday morning, but I managed it this week. It was lovely up there, grey skies but some sunshine, and cool breezes. Perfect conditions.

And Spring has sprung…. the native Gibraltar Candytuft is blooming.

Dressmaking class

As I finished my jacket at last week’s lesson, it was time to draft another pattern for a new project at this week’s lesson. I bought this lacy fabric (below) from my teacher Dorcas a while ago because I loved it and really fancied making a top with it. That process has begun now.

Crochet blunder

I have been working on a filet patterned crochet jumper for a while and decided to pick it back up again this week. Unfortunately I paid the price of not rereading the pattern properly as I just carried on with a 4mm hook I found in the bag with the partially made jumper. Having done 2/3 of the front I got the measuring tape out to check if it was time to shape the shoulders. It was long enough, but, and it’s a big but, the pattern didn’t match the back. I was two pattern repeats short – I should’ve used a 3.75mm hook! It’s been unraveled, and I’m now playing catch-up!

Frustrating flights

We decided to do something we don’t normally do on Thursday – we went over to Spain while the Little Postcards were at school. It was a rather long drawn out process. We left home, got stuck in a queue to cross the runway as a plane was landing… then I realised I’d left my phone at home so we had to turn around and go home again to pick up the phone in case school called with a problem. Then I took this photo as we were stuck for a second time with another plane landing… instead of taking 15-20 minutes to get from our home to the border, it took 50!! Whoops.

We had to forfeit our lunch, instead of leisurely tapas we had a service station sandwhich in the car to make sure we were home in time to pick the Little Postcards up! Maybe we’ll get the tapas another time…

Stormy day

The weather on Friday was rather grim, wet, very grey and with gale force gusts. This was the rather uninspiring view of the Bay of Gibraltar around morning school run time. There were rumbles of thunder as I walked home – fortunately I made it back indoors before the horizontal rain started!! (The big grey ship may be a Spanish aircraft carrier coming into port in Algeciras across the Bay from Gibraltar.)

Saturday sunset

We’ve not had a Sunday Sevens sunset picture for a while. I caught the last rays of sunshine disappearing behind the hills opposite our home yesterday.

That’s it for this week’s Sunday Sevens, I hope the coming seven days are kind to you.

As always I’m linking with Natalie from Threads and Bobbins for this weekly blog series.

Sunday Sevens #180 24.3.19

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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.

So that’s

Sunday Sevens #172 20.1.19

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Sunday evening again… another week flown by. I can’t believe how fast the days are going at the moment, we’ve had another busy week, but then I seem to always be saying that!! Here’s this week’s Sunday Sevens:

Sunlit walk home

Last Sunday afternoon we had a walk to the Alameda Botanical Gardens. The Little Postcards whizzed down the hills on their scooters – I had my heart in my mouth! After a lovely time playing in the park, we made our way home just as the sun was setting. It was lovely to see the place lit up with gorgeous golden sunlight.

Monday Med Steps

I started the week with a lovely trip up the Med Steps. It was a stunning morning. I even took a detour once I’d reached the top and walked up to O’Hara’s Battery for the first time (Gibraltar’s highest point). It was a lovely morning.

O’Hara’s Battery

A birthday walk

On Wednesday, it was the birthday of a good friend of mine. Along with three other friends, we took a drive across the border into Spain and went for a walk from Alcaidesa towards Gibraltar and back along the beach. It was such a lovely walk (if a little hard going on the legs in the sand). We had a very excited chocolate Labrador for company too.

We had such a lovely time we pledged to do it again on a regular basis.

Back to watercolour class

There hasn’t been much in the way of arts and crafts going on lately, what with the break for Christmas and general chaos since. This week, I made it back to my watercolour class and had a very enjoyable time adding some colours to my painting of the ceiling at Sacred Heart Church.

A close call

Mid week I got a rather nasty fright. I’d plugged the dishwasher in to do a load of dishes, left to bring the washing in and returned about 5 minutes later to see sparks and smoke coming from the plug. It was a bit of a wake-up call. I’m so glad I spotted it and was able to turn off the power when I did.

Crochet again!

So, as with all of my ambitious projects, when I started this jumper, I was very gung-ho and was confident it would be finished in time for me to wear it at Christmas. Well I finished the back of it by Christmas…. I made a bit of progress on the front this week!

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series featuring seven photos from the last seven days & I’m linking with Natalie from Threads and Bobbins.

I hope you have a good week!