Friday, March 23, 2018

Rocking Your World 2018: Week 12

This is the day each week when we look for the happy moments in our week. Sometimes that is easy and sometimes harder. This week is harder for me as very little has happened since I was here last time, and most of what has happened wasn't exactly 'happy' events, but they have a silver lining, and that is what is important.
The week did get off to a good start, because, on Sunday we had a special service to attend. It wasn't at our own church which cancelled it's service that day, but it was at our sister church in Mojacar. It was a confirmation service for two young people, a man and an elderly lady, and it was taken by Bishop David from Gibraltar. He was  a lovely man. He spoke so nicely and personally to each of the candidates, and gave a lovely message to us all. After the service he made sure he had a word with each person who was there.
Mojacar church is an even smaller building than ours, so it was packed to the doors on Sunday. It is set on a small hill with some steep steps leading up to it, and a fairly precarious sloping driveway to drop off anyone who can't manage the steps. From the top there is a lovely view of the surrounding mountains. Just behind them is the sea. As you can see, it started off as a sunny morning, but the clouds were rolling it, and just as we were leaving, the rain started.

Unfortunately, the lady who was to be confirmed, suffers from several medical conditions, and she was not well enough to come to the service. She and her husband had driven over to Mojacar the night before to stay in a hotel along the coast, and after we had left, the Bishop and our vicar, went to the hotel and she had her confirmation there. I thought that was so nice of them to 'go the extra mile' for her.

We had some entertainment as we were enjoying a cuppa after the service. We had heard a bit of commotion outside just after we had started singing, and some men went outside and came in a few minutes later with a fairly frail lady. It turned out that she had misjudged the tight turn into the slope up to the church and had to reverse to have another go, and unfortunately she had backed her car into a ditch! So after the service some of the men went down to get it out. The back wheel was not touching the ground, but it was a front wheel drive car, so some of them sat on the bonnet to get some traction, while one man tried to drive it forward. That didn't work and in the end one man fetched his four-wheel drive car and they cobbled together a tow rope from belts and bits of rope, and eventually managed to pull it up onto the road again. This was quite fun for us to all watch from the top of the hill, and the silver lining was that neither the lady, nor her car, seemed to have suffered from the experience. She got in and drove it home anyway.

Despite the fact we have had a fair bit of rain over the past few weeks, everywhere is still very dry, so we were a bit alarmed on Tuesday, to see a plume of thick smoke rising up from the rambla (dry river bed), across the road from us. We hoped it was a controlled bonfire, but we hurried over to see and found the start of a wild-fire. The tall bamboo that lines the banks of the rambla caught so quickly and it was alarming how rapidly it spread. It was crackling and popping, which had attracted quite a crowd of villagers lining the tall fence that runs along the top of the rambla. 
One man kept his hose spraying the ground nearest to the houses while we waited for the bomberos who had been called as soon as it started.
Soon one engine drew up near to where we were standing and the men took a hose down the steep banks towards the fire, while a second engine drove along the ramble and attacked it from below.
Fortunately they soon had it under control, but it took them a while to douse all the little fires that started along the bank as the wind carried the sparks. We understand from a lady who was walking her dog along the rambla at the time, that it was started by a group of young teenage girls messing about down there, so I expect they were in very hot water with their parents and the police that night. Fire is taken very seriously here because it can spread to danger levels so fast. I guess the silver lining is that it is quite good to get rid of some of the bamboo  each year, and no-one was hurt, nor was any property damaged.

As I have had the odd spare afternoon at home this week, I sat and watched a Photoshop Tutorial on how to blend a photo into a background. I've watched it before, but when you purchase a tutorial, you have it to watch as many times as you need to, and I need to watch lots of times before it sinks in. Anyway I managed to have a go using a photo of the church from my home town in UK, and a paper from a scrapbook kit, and then I used that to make a couple of Christmas cards, so it was time well spent. Here is my card and you can read more about how it was made on my craft blog HERE.

The only other thing that has happened this week is that I managed to have a fall while walking the dogs yesterday morning. I have to say it was entirely my fault, not the dogs', as I was wearing trousers that are too wide at the bottom, and I got my other foot tangled in them. Fortunately I didn't fall on my face, but I still hit the ground a bit hard and have various bruises and grazes to show for it. The silver lining? Well I let go of Kim's lead as I fell and he is not used to being free on the road, but we now know that he doesn't run off as he could have done. He only went a few steps and came straight back and waited while Chris held on to Foxy and hauled me back on my feet! And secondly, I did get away with only minor injuries and it could have been a lot worse. So that might teach me to dress more appropriately and take more care where I am putting my feet!!

And on that happy note I will link up with Annie's Friday Smiles, and Rocking Your World, and hopefully I'll back again in a week's time.

7 comments:

Annie said...

Ouch....I hope your bruises heal quickly and maybe take more water with it next time ....only joking of course xxxx. We don’t bounce so well as we get older do we and I’m guessing you ached the following day.
I’m really glad there was silver linings in all the incidents during your week....let’s hope next week is a little less eventful and it’s filled with smiles for you.
Hugs,
Annie x

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

First, those were seriously scary clouds after the confirmation. How sweet of the Bishop and Vicar to confirm her at the hotel.

Wow, that was one scary fall. So glad you are not badly hurt, but I can imagine you are still a bit sore.

We've had NO rain or snow and our ground is dry. There has been high winds and lots of grass fires here, too. I was pleased to read you have caring neighbors and a good fire brigade. Hope you have a great weekend.

Di said...

Oh Kate - hope those bruises are healing! I always read your news but don't leave a comment each time - usually as I'm running around sorting the Playground out! A friend of ours took a bad tumble purely by misjudging as step up the pavement before Christmas - thankfully nothing broken apart from a chipped tooth and she badly bruised her chin and looked a bit like the bearded lady (according to her hubby!). Once Colleen found out what he'd said he did get 'what for'!! So her head slapping technique was still working fine!

So glad that fire was got under control quickly - it doesn't bear thinking about if it had been in high Summer there. And so lovely to see the shots of Mojacar from the hilltop - somewhere I absolutely loved. I think the hotel we stayed in has closed h now - this was on the road up from the beach and an easy stroll into the village itself in the evenings. Before the beach area itself became so built up with hotels.

Hugs

Di xx

Gill Edwards said...

Ooh, I'm sorry to hear about your fall and that fire could have been nasty but sounds like the fire services are well used to it.
Your Photoshop blended card looks great too.

Hope this week is a better one for you

Gill X

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Hi Kate, I find it very difficult to imagine you having any free afternoons, you are always so busy doing things or going places. Glad you didn't hurt yourself too badly with the fall and that the fire got sorted quickly. Have a lovely week and take care, Angela xXx

kiwimeskreations said...

Kate I am so glad you were not hurt when you fell, and that Chris was there to help you!! I do love how you have found the 'silver linings' in all that has gone on this week.
Blessings
Maxine

Virginia said...

So sorry I am so late I read it over the weekend, but the connection wasn't brilliant for replying so had to wait until I was back at my main PC to comment. The church service sounds lovely and how fabulous of them to make their way over the lady who couldn't make it so she could partake in the celebration!

The car looks very precarious where it was, it's a wonder they got it out without damage, we saw a few cars parked in gulleys on our weekend away with a couple with tyres that looked slightly about the floor - I didn't envy them getting back out.

It bewilders me how people can play with fire particularly in dry hot countries like Spain, it can turn into something very dangerous very quickly, hopefully they won't do anything as silly again!

As always I envy your digi skills with the layout, that one in particular looks fabulous!

And falling is never nice no matter what, I'm glad you didn't have to worry about the dogs whilst trying to get back up and I hope you haven't too many cuts and bruises from the episode.

I hope you have had a great weekend and hope the week ahead is shining and bright.

Hugs