Knitted nativity
This gorgeous knitted nativity scene greeted us when we arrived at church on Sunday morning. The entire church (St Andrews Church of Scotland) had been decked out in it’s Christmas finery ahead of the annual Carols by Candlelight service on Sunday night. Sadly we couldn’t attend the atmospheric evening service this year due to several in the family becoming under the weather with coughs and sniffles. It’s a real highlight in the church’s year and brings a bumper congregation with many standing at the back when the pews fill up. The service was recorded by GBC to be broadcast in the Christmas schedules on Radio Gibraltar and our local TV channel GBC. The knitted nativity appears each year and just looks so lovely – so much work must have gone into creating it.
Please allow me a little grumble…
Not the most inspiring photo I know (apologies for that) but it highlights a grumble I have about food shopping in Gibraltar. Mr Postcard went supermarket shopping on Sunday (5th December) and came home with this packet of Corn on the Cob. Can you spot what I’m about to grumble about? The date has partially been cut out of the packaging so that it could still be sold at full price. It’s a common occurrence in the fruit and veg section as swedes often have their labels ripped off and new ones attached when they have passed their sell by dates. Other veg get the same treatment too.
Yes I know it’s our own fault for buying it in the first place, but if you really want an ingredient for your dinner and the only one available is out of date you have to take it, there isn’t a huge amount of choice when it comes to food shopping here. I agree with selling food which is out of date, but still edible, rather than dumping it in landfill but I think it’s extremely cheeky to try and hoodwink the customer with such tactics and charge full price for items when you wouldn’t be allowed to do this in the UK. Rant over, thank you!
Race against time 
So many gifts to make, such little time! Will this one be finished in time for Christmas or will it just get put to the end of the list for a birthday present instead?! Why do I set myself such unrealistic goals? I guess it’s the lot of so many crafters. At what stage do you give up on your Christmas gift to – make list and hit the shops instead? Perhaps if I spent less time online, that would help ;-D.
Buttons… Buttons… Buttons… 
Well another milestone was reached at my dressing class this week: button holes! It may have taken 18, yes 18 attempts at practicing them before I was allowed to go near cutting them or sewing actual buttons on a sample, but my persistence paid off and I did it! Next challenge: a centred zip (rather than one under a flap, which I’ve already done), then work properly begins on skirt no 2 🙂
Christmas cards 
On this issue, I wasn’t so successful. I’m sorry to say that I quit. I must have printed over 20 in various states of disarray with upside down wording and white borders in the wrong place, so I’ve decided to paint a few small cards for the ‘special’ people and have bought the usual ones for everyone else. I shall, however, get some cards printed PROPERLY in time for Christmas next year. On a positive note, I’m really pleased with how my holly turned out, and at least I still have that, so it’s not been a complete waste of time.
Cooking with small people
My 7 year old came home from school recently saying he wanted us to cook a recipe he’d tried at school – this week we managed to gather all the (out of season) fruit for the ‘stew’ he took great delight in washing and stirring the fruit and it was delicious!
Parties galore 
It’s been parties galore for us lately, umpteen Christmas parties with various groups and clubs as well as a superhero birthday party for a friend’s 5 year old. The party bag yielded an old favourite I remember playing with with my brother many moons ago. Sadly this Spitfire didn’t last long in the hands of a 4 year old but it was fun while it lasted!
Sunday sevens in a weekly blog series linking up with Natalie at Threads and Bobbins.
Apart from organic veg we rarely buy any non-organic veg from Morries, mainly using the new-ish shop down from ocean heights. Currently has peas and broad beans. 🙂 Partner does most of the shopping there, ok, all. They do locally grown onions at 55p a kilo. Morries charges 1.39 (I think, well, he thinks actually). But just yes, Morrisons … And have you spoken to staff about what it’s like to work there?!
Sorry to hear about the cards 🙁 But at least some lucky souls will get an original 🙂 did you sign it on the front? 😀
Thanks for the veggie tip, I’ve not tried that shop. Will check it out this week. Is the supermarket not a happy place to work? I will sign the originals 😉
You can help yourself to all veg on display, or ask if you want something different. It’s mainly Spanish speaking, but non-Spanish speakers use it too. The chica does numbers now for prices! Don’t know how good your Spanish is, so just saying. Quality is good, prices are either on the veg or on the board, or both! Our Indian neighbour tipped us off ages ago.
Some people like working there, our neighbour did. Others hate it.
Thank you! I’m not perfect on the Spanish but I’ll give it a whirl!
You don’t need much! No idea about fruit but it suits our veg requirements.
Mind you, if you want to break the bank, the health food shop up Cornwalls lane had some amazing organic veg on Saturday. I bought a lemon. 😀
I didn’t know they sold fresh produce! I’ll seek them out too 🙂
They’re really expanding their range of organic veg, and it does look good. They also sell organic meat which doesn’t suit me, but it’s there for those who want it. Depends on your budget I guess. When I went on Friday they were getting a delivery, and there were boxes full of fresh looking veg. Huuuuuuge cauliflowers. I only called there because Partner had forgotten the lemon on his morning shop. Cost 50p. Having said that, it’s nice 🙂 I just prefer to get free lemons from my Spanish neighbours !
What a super week. Quite agree with you on the fruit and veg. Lidl and Aldi have a weird system on their packaging which explains why so much went off quickly, and now its been explained to me, problem solved, but they really muddle them up on the shelves! Surely there is an EU regulation on this? Nice buttons by the way!
Thanks! Yes there surely must be some ruling on the food, perhaps it got lost between here and Brussels? 😉
Can see why you got annoyed with the daft hoodwinking over the date. I’m totally for selling slightly out of date food too, but honesty is needed. How does anyone think this actually fools people? Love a knitted nativity scene, very sweet 🙂
If the fruit and veg was just sold loose there would be no problem as customers would just choose what looked the freshest. The dishonesty is surely unnecessary penny-pinching – I don’t suppose they’re going to go bankrupt any time soon? Love the knitted Nativity, such a lot of work to make something so intricate.
I don’t think that’s likely- I thing Gib is the most profitable branch of the supermarket chain! So many expats come across the border from Spain to buy their British brands! And yes, there are hours of work in that lovely nativity. Hope you’re having a good week:-)