Pandemonium CAL

Sunday Sevens #224 31.5.20

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Hello there, how have you been getting on this week? It’s been a busy one as usual for me. How can life still feel so busy when so many aspects of it are restricted at the moment? I have no idea. Here’s this week’s Sunday Sevens:

Cruise ship calling

In spite of the fact we are still in semi-lockdown here in Gibraltar, there still seems to be a lot of cruise ships calling in. Few of them have passengers though, they are coming in to change crews, fly passengers home or collect supplies. It must be rather strange cruising about the place with very few people on board.

A trip to the beach

At the start of the week Littlest went to the beach for a short while for a socially distanced meet up with a friend. It was lovely and quiet down there and did him the world of good to see someone from outside of our family unit for a change.

Home schooling

I’m so glad that I got the chance to spend one afternoon a week as a work experience helper in a primary school as an A-Level student. It made me realise that I wasn’t cut out to be a teacher and I turned my attention elsewhere. I have to admit I’m struggling with the home schooling during lockdown. My patience levels are at an all time low. I completely understand that the lockdown and school closures are necessary but I will certainly be doing a happy dance when my three all return to school (whenever that may be).

An unexpected delight

I have to thank the ladies at The Crochet Sanctuary for bringing this to my attention – my new podcast, Making Stitches, got a write up in Crochet Now Magazine!! How marvelous is that?! I’m really rather chuffed about it 😊.

Crochet with concentration

I’ve been trying to finish some of my long-standing WiPs during lockdown and this is one of them. It’s an Entrelac Tunisian crochet purse from Little Box of Crochet. I started it and put it away. Upon rediscovering it, I realised the first row of turquoise blue diamonds wasn’t right so ended up unraveling the lot and starting again. This is how far I got yesterday – I’m not quite as far as I was before I ripped it apart.

It takes quite a bit of concentration – something I’m a bit short of at the moment – but as the rows grow it makes more sense and I think I’m back on track now. Hopefully I’ll be able to share a good bit of progress next week!

Also on my hook this week…

I’m still playing catch up on the Pandemonium CAL. It had been going so well but life & boring stuff interrupted my crochet! I think I might need another few rainbow rows…

Podcast update

Amanda Bloom & her daughter Jenny

This week’s podcast episode features Little Box of Crochet’s Amanda Bloom. We had a lovely chat all about her daughter a Jenny, who was instrumental in setting up their subscription box business as well as how the business has grown and the community it’s created. You can find it here, if you fancy a listen.

That’s all from me for this week, I hope the new week is a good one for you. Bye for now 😊.

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

Sunday Sevens #223 24.5.20

~ Making Stitches ~ 2 Comments

Hello there, is it just me or are the Sundays coming around faster than usual at the moment? It only seems like the day before yesterday I wrote my last Sunday Sevens. Quite remarkable really considering what quiet lives we are living at the moment.

Anyway, just one day late, here’s this week’s Sunday Sevens on Bank Holiday Monday (it’s a rather floral one seeing as it was Chelsea Flower Show week!):

Lockdown Crochet 🧶

I’ve not shared my Pandemonium CAL progress with you for a while. Here’s where I’m up to now, I’m a bit behind (a couple of weeks behind I think) but it’s been busy behind the scenes at Postcard Towers, so Crochet has been relegated. I’m pleased to say it’s made an appearance at last. I did the yellow and black v stitch on the 3rd anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing. I thought the yellow and black bee 🐝 colours were appropriate for that day.

Rainbows 🌈

I had a couple of trips into town this week and both times I parked in Midtown carpark. As I waited for the lift I spied rainbows on the floor. The sunshine was coming at the right angle through the louvred glass windows. I love it when I see them.

A walk around the Rock

Midweek I found myself on my own for a few hours and took off on an adventure I haven’t ever done before, to walk all the way round the Rock. It was a beautiful day and a lovely walk which took about two hours. I hope to share a post about it soon when I get the chance!

Where flowers bloom, so does hope

In autumn / winter last year I saw an Instagram post by the lovely Nancy (@avocadofairy) about a maker (@thepaintedanthology) who paints nice words on slate, pots and other items. I decided to buy one myself. Little did I know when I bought it how pertinent those words would be this year for us all; “where flowers bloom, so does hope” ~ Ladybird Johnson

Agapanthus surprise

I was doing a spot of gardening in our patio this week and to my great surprise I spied a gorgeous agapanthus bloom poking out above the bougainvillea. I have had bad luck with agapanthus over the years. I tried to grow them in the UK without success. I have lost count of how many I have planted since we arrived in Gibraltar thinking that at last the climate would be on my side here.

I had forgotten about this one out back and given up hope after it put on a rather weedy show. But look at it now! What a joy and a perfect compliment to the pink bougainvillea.

Jacarandas

My word Gibraltar has some beautiful jacaranda trees in bloom at the moment. I don’t know whether it’s been a particularly good year for them or whether I’m just noticing them more but there are so many dotted about town and they look gorgeous at the moment.

Podcast latest

Marisa Alcock aka Mariwish

This week’s episode of Making Stitches features my friend Marisa talking about her childhood here in Gibraltar and her love of crochet. You can listen to it here.

That’s it for this week on Sunday Sevens, I hope you have a good week.

Sunday Sevens #220 3.5.20

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Hello there! I forgot all about Sunday Sevens yesterday, so here it is a day late. I hope you are ok and managing with your situation right now.

Anyway, here goes:

A Sunday stroll

Last Sunday we went out for a slightly longer than usual walk. It had been a week since our last ‘proper’ walk other than a quick trip to the recycling bins or a 5 minute trip round the block. It was filled with wildlife…

A glimpse of a gecko
Griffon vulture being chased off by seagulls
Wild flowers by the Camp Bay waterfall

And finally a beautiful Passion flower…

Bank holiday walk

On Tuesday it was a bank holiday here in Gibraltar for Worker’s Memorial Day. After the minute’s silence at midday, we went out for a short walk up to the edge of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. The wildflowers were a riot of colour. It was a real treat.

A first!

When I went to the supermarket last week there was some flour for bread. So I had a go at making some for what I think is the first time since being at school. It worked!

Back to the shops

I headed back to the supermarket on Saturday. Last week it was rather grey and miserable at this time, this week, it was glorious. There was a bit of a queue to get in, but it moved quickly. Shopping was done and I headed home triumphant for another week.

I was inspired by Monty Don and co on Gardener’s World on Friday night. I have now planted lettuce and nasturtiums but run out of compost for the sweet peas (they may need to wait until next year!). I’ll keep you posted on their progress.

A walk to the Alameda Gardens

We took a walk to the Alameda Botanic Gardens this weekend. It was beautiful. We had missed it and were thrilled to see it was still open despite lockdown.

Pandemonium CAL

I’m loving the purple dragonflies at the top!

I didn’t manage to finish this week’s rows until last night as I have been concentrating on my jumper WIP I mentioned last week, but here’s my progress so far. I decided it was time for a rainbow after seeing so many beautiful rainbow inspired Pandemonium blankets online 🌈🌈🌈.

Podcast news

And finally, this week I released a new episode of my Making Stitches Podcast, and this one was with my lovely blogging friend Eleonora from Coastal Crochet. You can listen to it by looking for ‘Making Stitches’ on your favourite podcast app or here. Enjoy!

That’s all for this week, I hope it’s a good one for you. Take care x

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

Sunday Sevens #219 26.4.20

~ Making Stitches ~ Leave a comment

Hello again, I hope this finds you well where ever you are in the world. Sunday has come around again… it’s been a week of baking, crocheting and a new podcast has gone out into the world!

Baking part 1

Eldest made some truly scrumptious dark chocolate cookies last Sunday – they were perfection with gooey centres. Yum!

A long standing WiP

I was inspired by Black Sheep Wools this week to dig out a long-standing WIP (work in progress) and get it worked on. Well now’s as good a time as any. The challenge was to get it ‘finished by Friday’. I’m not sure which Friday, but I’m on my way.

The front of the jumper was wrong and unsalvageable it had to be frogged. I’m now almost back to where I started!

Baking part 2

We had a lockdown birthday this week. A Little Postcard turned one year older. The cake was rather nice, even though I say so myself.

A postcard of thanks

This week, households across Gibraltar received these lovely postcards to send to people we want to thank for helping during the pandemic. It’s free postage. What a lovely gesture.

A rare sight

So, I was brave and headed out to Morrisons for the first time since before lockdown yesterday. We’d managed so far with food deliveries from friends and neighbours while I was unwell and we were in isolation, and after that managed by just visiting smaller shops in town.

The thought of queuing for up to 2 hours just to get in just filled me with dread… but I decided enough was enough and I should go. And there was no queue!! What joy!

Even the wet weather couldn’t dampen my mood – hurrah! A fully stocked fridge again!

A short coastal walk

Yesterday I popped out on my own for a short walk down to Camp Bay. We hadn’t been for a couple of weeks and the Little Postcards were not interested so I had a slightly damp solo trip to the seaside for about 10 mins. It was short, but a treat nonetheless.

A new podcast is born!

If you follow Postcard from Gibraltar on Instagram, you may already know that on Friday the first episode of ‘Making Stitches’ podcast went live. It featured a chat with the two lovely ladies from the Crochet Sanctuary (Lynda & Lisa above). It was a fun chat about the Crochet Sanctuary and their current Pandemonium CAL.

If you haven’t heard it yet, you can find it on my other website makingstitchespodcast.com as well as on lots of podcast Apps including Apple Podcasts & Google Podcasts. I’d love it if you gave it a listen. 😊

Talking of the Crochet Sanctuary ladies and their Pandemonium CAL, here’s my latest progress. Really not sure at all about my colour choices – there are some stunning ones on show on Instagram and Facebook. Oh well, time will tell!

And that, I’m afraid, brings this week’s Sunday Sevens to an end. It’s been a busy old week inspite of everything. I hope it’s been a good one for you, and you are coping ok with lockdown.

Take care, and until next time, bye for now x

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

Sunday Sevens #218 19.4.20

~ Making Stitches ~ Leave a comment

Hello!!! I hope this finds you safe and well. We’re doing fine now I’m pleased to report. Can it really be a week since Easter Sunday? I can hardly believe it. Although we have long days at home, the weeks seem to fly by. Here’s this week’s Sunday Sevens…

Easter egg hunt

Last weekend we didn’t let the lockdown stop the Easter fun. We had an Easter egg hunt in the apartment. Eggs were secreted around the apartment, balcony and patio. It was good fun.

Spring migration

On Monday evening as we were eating our dinner I spied swirling black birthday streaming past our windows. I dashed out to get a proper look at them. I think they were black kites again.

Sunset

We haven’t had a sunset for a week or two in Sunday Sevens I don’t think, so here is Tuesday’s lovely sunset. We had some rather gloomy days this week, with grey skies and rain, so this burst of colour at the end of the day was very welcome.

Spooky storm

At 1:30 on Thursday morning as I was turning in for the night (I had been lost in a world of Netflix and crochet) I noticed the sky was flashing. I investigated by going out onto the balcony to see the most incredible silent and dry lightning storm. This photo was taken at 1:30am – it would normally be pitch black apart from the lights from the ships and across the Bay in Algeciras.

After watching it for a while I went to bed and couldn’t sleep for the noise of the rain which suddenly began hammering down on our roof. It was incredible – and still the lightning continued for a long while. It was very spooky to see the lights but no rumbling thunder.

Uno on lockdown

The inclusion of this photo is because I was asked to put it in. One of the Little Postcards’ attempt at a rainbow using Uno cards! 🌈 Incidentally out of 8 games, I lost every one!!

Evening walk

We have been good and taking our walks when it looks quiet out and about. One evening it was just before the 8 o’clock clap for key workers, and we had to hurry home to make sure that we were home in time!

On another walk we spied this lovely rainbow banner…

Pandemonium CAL

My Pandemonium blanket is growing by the week. I’m enjoying this so much as the pattern gets released twice a week 7 rows at a time. If you fancy joining in, you can find the pattern on the ‘All things Crochet Sanctuary’ Facebook page.

And that brings Sunday Sevens to an end for another week… almost. This week I launched a trailer for my brand new Podcast ‘Making Stitches Podcast’ you can find it on Spotify & Buzzsprout for now, hopefully it will appear on other podcast apps very soon. If you want to listen, you can also find it on my new website makingstitchespodcast.com

My thanks to Neil Warburton who has designed my fantastic new logo for the podcast – I think it’s lovely!

My first ‘proper’ episode will be coming out this week all being well. Thank you so much for stopping by. Stay safe and until next week, bye for now.

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