Monarch Airlines

Hello there, you may be forgiven for thinking that this week’s Sunday Sevens is rather reminiscent of last week’s. For the second week in a row I climbed aboard a plane and flew out of Gibraltar to visit family in England. I normally go at least 6 months between such trips but happy circumstances meant I was able to make a quick return visit to the North West of England.

Summer’s here!

Last Sunday was a bit of a scorcher – summer has definitely arrived here in Gibraltar. We went for our first dip of the season in the pool. My latest Sixty Million Trebles blanket came with me too.

World Environment Day

Monday was World Environment Day, and Gibraltar put on a series of stalls in Commonwealth Park to highlight the work being done by the various environmental organisations, governmental and charity. The TV cameras were down there filming while we were passing through.

Here we go again!

Tuesday evening saw me heading back onto the tarmac to catch a plane to Manchester. A long awaited solo trip back to see my parents without children…. bliss (although I did miss them a little bit 😉).

Cheshire & crochet

Wednesday was beautifully sunny and we headed off into Cheshire, which is pretty close to where I was brought up. I just love the wide open green spaces – so different to what we are used to seeing each day in Gibraltar.

We called into my new favourite wool shop: Black Sheep Wools. My goodness the yarn, the colours, the inspiration… I could spend all day and a fortune in here! I love it.

I added to my stash and even convinced my Mum into dusting off her knitting needles and buying a pattern to make herself something. I don’t think she has knitted since my eldest (now a teenager) was very little, I do hope she enjoys her new project.

So here’s my stash, which includes a very nice surprise of a belated birthday gift (pink & white Sugar n’ Cream yarn and my first ever Caron Cake) and my missing April edition of Little Box of Crochet which I was able to collect thanks to the lovely Emma at Little Box of Crochet.

Homeward bound

All too soon it was time for me to board another plane to take me back to Gibraltar and my boys. Bye bye Cheshire countryside!

It was only the next day that I discovered I had had a very close call. The plane I was travelling on and the next departure to Malaga were the last two allowed to takeoff from Manchester before the airport was evacuated because of a suspect package. It was two hours before planes took off again. As far as I’m aware no one was harmed thankfully, just a lot of waiting around for passengers and staff.

En route to Gibraltar I carried on working on my Sixty Million Trebles blanket, it’s working up really fast. Very quickly I could spy the Rock out of my window!

Calentita!

Yesterday the 11th annual Calentita Food Festival came to Casemates Square. It’s got to be 6 years since we last attended due to small children. We had a nice evening and ate some interesting food. I will share some more photos very soon…

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series created by Natalie from the Threads and Bobbins blog.

Queen’s Birthday bank holiday

We had an extra bank holiday on Monday which you don’t get in the UK. To celebrate the Queen’s official birthday in June, we get a day off. It’s not just because it was a special birthday this year – we always get one. It also marked the beginning of summer hours at school. On Tuesday the little Postcards finished at lunchtime and will continue to do so until term ends in four weeks’ time – that means my crafting time has been severely depleted but the plus side is I don’t need to make any more packed lunches until September!

Dressmaking class

The invisible zip is IN. I’m really enjoying making this skirt, firstly because it’s to be worn at two family weddings next year (nice occasions which are a long way off – so no pressure) and the fabric’s so easy to sew. It’s crisp and the seams look so neat plus it doesn’t fray. The lining on the other hand…. the less said about that the better!!

#7000 woolly hearts for Yarndale challenge

You may remember a few months back I hooked up some woolly hearts and sent them to a lovely lady known as @bonnies_little_crafts on Instagram. She lives in the town of Skipton which plays host to the Yarndale festival each September. This year she has set herself (and anyone else who wants to get involved) the task of crocheting 7000 little woolly hearts to give away to visitors to her home town when they attend the yarny festival this year. I started my second stash this week while the little Postcards were splashing about in the pool.

A prime ministerial visit

Thursday saw an historic moment in Gibraltar’s history, David Cameron became the first serving Prime Minister to visit since Harold Wilson. Sadly a huge rally which had been planned to raise the issues facing Gibraltar with regards to the EU Referendum had to be cancelled following the horrific events in Leeds which led to the death of mother and MP, Jo Cox.

Security was extremely tight around town for the few hours he spent on the Rock with police officers stationed on most road junctions. This was the scene outside the Rock Hotel where the PM held talks with the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo and other local politicians. I never knew there were so many machine guns in Gibraltar before this!

A bit of painting

It has been ages since I got my paints out and I had a spare few minutes on Friday before picking the boys up from school, so had a go at a few more freesias. This is going on a special birthday card for a very special lady.

A weekend away

On Friday I did something I’ve been looking forward to for ages, I got on a plane on my own and came to visit my Mum and Dad. I’ve not been back to England since August last year and I’ve really missed seeing my family. The trip had been on the cards since January but kept being put back for various reasons. Finally the day arrived. It was worth the wait! It also coincided with Father’s Day. I am able to spend it with my Dad for the first time in years.

Fish

Nothing says home to me like my Dad’s aquarium. It’s been bubbling away in the my parents’ dining room since before I sat at the dining table studying for my A-Levels. Once home to tropical fish and beautiful blue striped Neon Tetras (my favourites) these lovely goldfish are now in residence. The noise of the pump has been a constant soundtrack to mealtimes back in my childhood home.

Wherever you are this Father’s Day, I hope it is a happy one for you.

Sunday Sevens is a weekly blog series devised by Natalie at Threads & Bobbins blog.