photo challenge

2017 Weekly photo challenge (week 18) Modern

~ Making Stitches ~ 4 Comments


How about this for ‘modern’?


Yacht ‘A’ which is one of the world’s biggest and most expensive yachts was back in Gibraltar last weekend. Costing squillions of pounds to build and designed by Phillipe Starck, it reportedly has 8 floors and a helipad amongst it’s features.

The masts are taller than the tower of the Palace of Westminster which houses Big Ben. To give you an idea of scale, you see that jet of what looks like steam coming from the mast?

It was caused by a man on a harness using a jet washer to clean it! I’m not sure I could do his job, a bit high up for my liking.

Sadly, because of the boat’s position, when I photographed it, I wasn’t able to get it in full view. Here’s slightly grainy image of it when it was moored in Gibraltar earlier this year.

Modern? It certainly is, not sure it’s my cup of tea though… 

I’m linking with Nana Cathy & Wild Daffodil for this weekly photo challenge throughout 2017.

2017 Weekly photo challenge (week 17) Nature

~ Making Stitches ~ 7 Comments

I love the great outdoors. Living in such a tiny, densely populated place as Gibraltar there is a very special place which I love to escape to from time to time; the Upper Rock Nature Reserve.

It’s looking at its best up there at the moment. The bees are buzzing about the wildflowers and the butterflies are fluttering about. 

If I need peace and quiet to think things through (plus excercise – it’s quite a hike up to the top) that’s the first place I head to.

The wildflowers are gorgeous at the moment…


I’m linking with Wild Daffodil and Nana Cathy for this weekly photo challenge throughout 2017.

If you would like to see more of my posts on the Med Steps and Upper Rock Nature Reserve, and you haven’t already come across them, you can see a few of them here:

The Med Steps; a few facts and figures

Wild flowers of the Med Steps

A stroll around Gibraltar No 13: The Windsor Suspension Bridge

On a walk over Christmas, Gibraltar gave to me…

2017 Weekly photo challenge (week 12) Historical 

~ Making Stitches ~ 5 Comments

Gibraltar is steeped in history, where ever you go in this small but perfectly formed place you can see it to abundance. From the Tower of Homage, also know as Moorish Castle (you can see this above), which stands sentry above the old Upper Town, and the city walls and fortifications of the Northern Defences.

Around town we have lots of lovely old buildings including the beautifully restored King’s Bastion (below).

From the outside, you wouldn’t know behind these walls there is a ten pin bowling alley, cinema and ice skating rink would you?

If you are ever on Gibraltar’s Main Street on a Saturday lunchtime, you are sure to see some living history in action, when the historical reenactment society parades past in uniforms of years gone by. Each Saturday, the former soldiers reenact the Ceremony of the Keys to the delight of many passers by and tourists.

Wearing different uniforms for different occasions, they are photographed and watched on their trip down to Casemates Square and back again.

I’m joining with Nana Cathy and Wild Daffodil for this weekly photo challenge.

2017 Weekly photo challenge (week 9) Seed

~ Making Stitches ~ 8 Comments

Hmm, seed. This week’s photo challenge is a tough one, and one which I thought would be rather uninspiring. Would I photograph a packet of seeds or a loaf of seeded bread? I was really scratching my head on this one until I took a walk up the Med Steps to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar last week and I saw these feathery beauties.

They are all over the Upper Rock Nature Reserve at the moment. They are the seed heads (or are developing into seed heads) from a climbing plant which has wound it’s way around everything in it’s path.

I tried to figure out what it was, the seed heads almost look like feathery flowers in their own right, but I was pretty sure they must have had another flower before this developed. I set about trying to find a plant which still had the flowers attached. And found one….

But that didn’t look quite right, the leaves were different once I looked closer. Then on my way down the western side of the Rock, I spotted just three tiny creamy coloured flowers attached to the same stems which had the feathery seed heads on them. Could this be them?

I have done a brief Google search and I’m pretty sure it’s the seed head for the ‘wild clematis vine’, but don’t quote me on it! The leaves certainly look very clematis-y to my mind, and those creamy flowers look like clematis too… If you know for sure and can put me out of my misery, please let me know! 😊

I’m linking with Nana Cathy and the appropriately named Wild Daffodil for this weekly photo challenge throughout 2017.

2017 Weekly photo challenge (week 8) Traffic

~ Making Stitches ~ 9 Comments

This week’s photo challenge was a bit of a no brainer for me. Living in Gibraltar, a place where the only exit by road involves crossing a working airport runway, means you can get stuck in traffic every now and then. Whether you are heading north to get to Gibraltar’s second supermarket, the airport or across the border into Spain (as above) … or heading south and towards town (see below), as soon as you hear the siren and spot the lights flashing you know you are going to be waiting a little while before you can get to your destination.

You just hope that the red light is only for the FOD Squad (Foreign Object Detection Vehicle) to cross over and check the runway and not an impending landing or take off if you are in a particular rush to get to where you’re going…

Gibraltar is unique in many ways….

I’m joining with Wild Daffodil and Nana Cathy for this photo challenge.

2017 Weekly photo challenge (week 7) Fence

~ Making Stitches ~ 5 Comments

Don’t go near the edge!!!

So this week’s photo challenge is ‘Fence’ a bit like when it was ‘Gate’ a few weeks back in a place with few gardens, I thought it may be a little bit tricky. Then I remembered the fences along side the roads which wind up through the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. 

There have been a few times when I have been so captivated by the gorgeous scenery and view of the Bay of Gibraltar that I have wandered a little bit close too the edge, just as well I noticed in time as these fences wouldn’t really stop me going over the edge!

I’m linking with Wild Daffodil & Nana Cathy for this weekly photo challenge throughout 2017.