Hello there, I’m back. It’s seems like such strange times we are living through that they really should be documented. Here’s a bit of a Sunday Sevens-esque jaunt through the last few weeks Chez Postcard. It’s been a strange one I’ll give you that…

Homeward bound

Two weeks ago I flew back into Gib after a few days with family & friends in Manchester. I knew it would probably be the last time I would see them in person for quite a while and felt incredibly lucky to have had this time before everything went a bit odd.

Musical interlude

One of the reasons I went back to the UK was to support a friend of mine who’s son was launching his first album along with his vocal group. I think that if the launch date had been set for a few days later, it would have been cancelled because of the Coronavirus situation. As it was, the launch was sparsely populated with the older generation. Those of us in our 40s were probably the eldest there. A live stream was laid on so older relatives and ticket holders could still get to see the performance from the safety of their homes.

The group is called The Apex Singers and they are wonderful. Their music is sung acapella and their new album is called Hiraeth. It’s a collection of ancient folk songs from around the world with music from Japan, Scandinavia and closer to home too. If you want to listen to something totally relaxing which will whisk you away from anything that’s going on at the moment be sure to give it a listen.

You can see them perform on YouTube – just search Apex Singers and their website is theapexsingers.com I can highly recommend their music. Their album was ‘album of the week’ on Scala Radio the week after their launch and their musical director was interviewed on air by Simon Mayo. Hopefully they are destined for big things.

Spring migration

After my return from England we had a bit of lovely weather and as I gazed up into the bright blue sky I spotted dozens and dozens of black kites above my head. They came in waves and in huge numbers using the thermals to get across the Strait of Gibraltar from Morocco and further south heading north to spend the summer in Europe. Such a lovely sight and a reminder that life goes on regardless of what’s going on for you.

Sewing lesson

As things began to get affected by the Coronavirus situation, our lovely sewing teacher found herself in lockdown in Spain. That didn’t stop our lessons though, we did them remotely, each in our own homes and speaking via the World Wide Web!

Empty streets

This was my last walk down Main Street it was early last week (over 10 days ago). It felt surreal walking along a street which is normally bustling with shoppers and tourists.

Little did I know that within a day I would begin to feel a bit unwell.

I don’t know for sure whether I have Covid-19 as I haven’t been tested yet. That’s been saved for the most vulnerable in society – quite rightly. As a consequence we have been in self- isolation ever since. (Thankfully the rest of the Postcard family have been unaffected. I’m relieved to say none of my friends and family in Manchester have shown any signs of infection either since I left them 2 weeks ago).

The Little Postcards fortunately have been able to continue with school work thanks to tablets & laptops and that’s been a real boon. The wonders of online video games also means that during down time they have been able to play with their friends online and still have a bit of community.

It’s at times like this that our own online community seems more important than ever.

Guilt free TV

While resting up (I’ve had symptoms of flu which whilst being rather unpleasant is nothing like what many people have experienced so I’m not complaining) I have had the perfect opportunity to watch lots of telly.

This show was about life in Robin Hood’s Bay on the East coast of Yorkshire. Such a lovely programme, such a lovely place and a very clever friend of mine helped make the show – well done Becky!

Crochet therapy

With all this time on my hands I have had the perfect excuse to catch up with my long suffering Catalan Bay blanket – it’s a Changing Tides blanket as designed by Eleonora from Coastal Crochet with a few bits added by me. Now I’m on to the border… the end is in sight.

I’m looking forward to writing a post all about it in the coming weeks.

Cheery blooms

Just before the lurgy hit I managed to buy myself a pot of hyacinth bulbs. Just look at them now – I’m loving the bright pink colour!

And that brings Sunday Sevens to a close for now. Goodness what strange times we live in.

Wherever you are, I hope you are safe & healthy. Lots of love from Gibraltar xxx

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