Hello! Postcard from Gibraltar is 5 years old today!
When I first launched this blog back in 2015, I had no idea where it would lead. It was an outlet for a slightly stir-crazy stay-at-home Mum with a desire to do more but unable at that time to go back to work, even on a part-time basis.
Little did I know the doors it would open or the confidence it would give me. It has brought me the opportunity to write for magazines; both online and in print. It gave me the confidence to return to the world of work after many years at home with children and now there is a new podcast ‘Making Stitches’.
It all started with this first blog post. Little did I know then, where it would lead and even if it would last as long as that first summer!
It has also brought me connections with many friends near and far. Friends I have never met and probably won’t ever meet, but friends nonetheless in ‘real life’ and living in my phone!
Thank you to everyone who has read my posts and cheered me from the sidelines over the past five years. I am very grateful for your support.
It seems rather appropriate that this milestone should happen now while things are in a state of flux for us. Not just because of the issues going on on the world stage but also those a little closer to home.
Next month we will be leaving Gibraltar after 11 very happy years here. Life is leading us back to the UK and a new life in the north of England. We leave with mixed emotions; great affection for Gibraltar and it’s people who have made us feel very welcome and sadness to be saying goodbye to good friends and this beautiful place.
However, looking forward we are thrilled to be heading back home to be close to family and friends (some of which I have known since primary school). Living so far from family has its limitations and that has been brought home more than ever during the past few months of lockdown.
I have thought long and hard about what to do about Postcard from Gibraltar after the move. Can there even be a Postcard from Gibraltar if I’m not in Gibraltar anymore?
But I would miss the community I have met online too much if I packed it all in. I also can’t quite face starting a new blog and going back to square one with it alongside the enormity of moving a family and all our belongings from one end of Europe to the other during a global pandemic, so Postcard from Gibraltar will continue after our move.
I can’t guarantee as many photos of blue skies or sea views. I’m not sure whether our sunsets will be quite as picturesque in the suburbs as they are across the Bay of Gibraltar but I will do my best.
I understand that a good proportion of readers of this blog will be doing so because of the Gibraltar connection, and if it no longer interests you in the future (in its UK based form) I won’t be offended if you fall away. Many readers though, I believe, do so because we have a shared interest in crafty things and trying to find a little bit of beauty in everyday.
And so, at the end of Postcard from Gibraltar’s first five years, I look back feeling proud of what it’s become and excited for the future and what it holds in store. Thank you for coming along on my journey with me, it’s been a pleasure to have your company on the ride!
Thank you,
Lindsay x
25th June 2020
Wow, what a wonderful accomplishment. Happy blogiversary 😊 All the best for your big move xxcc
Thanks so much!! I can hardly believe it’s 5 years! 😊
Best of luck for your move and the new stage of your lives back in the UK. You can always go back to Gibraltar for a holiday and send a virtual postcard. 🙂
Indeed I can, I’m sure Gibraltar will remain a very important place for us all. Thank you 😊
Congrats on your blog birthday! I have enjoyed seeing your life in Gibraltar and look forward to seeing your new life back in the UK. X
Thanks so much Shazza, perhaps one day we will be able to pop back to Clitheroe and show Eldest where he crawled about as a tiny tot! As I was packing yesterday I found the sausage menu for the Cowman’s butchers. I remember Clitheroe Hot n’ Spicy being a particular favourite! X
Oh yes we like that one too! Luckily Cowman’s still going strong through these strange times. X
I’m glad to hear that. That was such a treat!
A wonderful milestone. I have really enjoyed my virtual visit to Gibraltar each week. I’m so happy to hear of all the wonderful developments. Although – I’m not gonna lie, I will miss exotic views and spectacular sunsets.
I will also be excited along with you to see what your next steps are.
Good luck with all that the move entails.
See you on the other side!
Thank you so much Sandra, yes those sunsets have been magical, I feel blessed to have been able to enjoy them. I’m not sure the reality of saying goodbye to that view has truly sunk in yet. Thank you for your support for all these years x
Wow – for 5 years – and wow for your next move! Good luck with your return to the UK. I am one who follows you because you are crafty rather than in Gibraltar though I have to say the seas and suns are an added bonus. You won’t lose me – I shall look forward to seeing what pops up on here in the future. I hope you still have time to craft amongst the chaos of the house move.
Thanks so much for saying that! I’m thrilled that you’ll still be following my slightly less sunny adventures in the future! I have to say, my crafty stuff was the first part of our flat I packed up, however I have two big shopping bags of yarn and my sewing kit handy because I couldn’t bear to be parted from them for so long. I also planned ahead and ordered a crochet kit to my parents’ house so that I have something to keep me busy between our flight and the arrival of our boxes! 😊 x
Happy birthday Lindsay! well done you on keeping it up and keeping us all entertained. Best of luck with the move (good planning to have something waiting). Stay safe & well, and I look forward to the stories you’ve got coming. Hello to the Little Postcards, huge events ahead!
Aw thanks so much Paula! I shall pass your greetings on to the Little Postcards! 😊 Yes, exciting times indeed, I can’t wait to share it all with you x
Good luck with your move back to Blighty – will miss the photos of the Rock but no doubt you will keep us entertained with new photos – just probably not so many blue skies!! Xx
Thank you Susan! Yes the blue skies may not be so frequent but I’ll do my best! X