Rocking Your World 2019; Week 14

Another weekend is rapidly approaching so time to look back at what has "rocked our world" this week.

Apart from the inevitable food shop on Saturday, I don't think anything very important happened. We did manage to get to bed a little bit earlier than usual to make up for the hour of sleep we were missing as we moved our clocks on to Summer time.

Sunday was Mothering Sunday for UK though not for Spain, and sadly it was the dullest wettest day we have had since Christmas, and it was none too warm either! I went to church as usual and this was the view from the little patio where we sometimes sit for our after-service refreshments.

At least you could see the closer mountains, though not the ones in the distance. When I left home the Cabrera mountains that are such a lovely backdrop to our village were completely lost in low cloud.

But we still had a lovely service honouring mothers everywhere. 

At the front of our church there are two small semi-circular windows, up above the altar.

We started with an old favourite hymn from back in my Sunday School days, "All things bright and beautiful", and as we sang it, a little bird arrived on the outside ledge and started chirruping. Soon he was joined by another and another until four little birds joined in our praise. Whether they were sheltering from the cold and rain, or were actually attracted by our singing I don't know, but it was very apt to see them as we sang , "Each little flower that opens, Each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colours, He made their tiny wings".

Just in front of the altar there was a board with the outline of a tree, and as we arrived we were given a small piece of pink paper and were asked to write our mother's name on it. These were collected during the service and arranged on sticky tape 'branches'. I can't see my mum's name in this picture but I know she is there, probably on the lower branch that later had some flowers put in front of it.

At the end of the service my dear friend Margie, who is a registered lay reader, handed out posies of flowers to all the ladies. 

As there were plenty to go round, some were given to the men as well, and others, who were going straight off to have a meal out, took some for the restaurant staff and I heard they were delighted to be included. Here are mine which went in a vase as soon as I got home, and they are looking just as fresh still today.

While I was shopping on Saturday, I popped into a Día supermarket because it is the only place I can get special food for two of my cats, and they had some strawberries on special offer, so I bought a couple of kilos to make some jam.  It made ten jars which have already been sold. So on Tuesday I went to the village market to see if they had any at a good price and one man said they were 2.50€ for a kilo (which is good) or 3.50€ for a box containing 2 kilos (which is excellent). He was surprised when I said I would like two boxes. So yesterday I stirred my cauldron again and made another 18 jars of jam, which are all labelled and priced now ready to go on sale. I am afraid I got carried away with the task and forgot to take a picture of all their lovely red lusciousness. But I am pleased to say that my recipe calls for 3 kilos of fruit so there are plenty left for Chris and I to enjoy!

On Monday I decided to do a little spring cleaning. We have a large, heavy glass door between the kitchen and the garden, which slides, and it has been getting difficult to slide because the runners had collected cat hairs and dust! I couldn't clean it very well in situ, so Chris managed to lift the doors out and when I had cleaned the runners thoroughly, he lubricated them and put the doors back for me. That's one small job to tick off the list, and they do run a bit easier now.

On Tuesday we had our church AGM and I am now an elected member of the PCC (Church council). I am not usually a great one for business meetings, but I hope I will able to be of some service during my year(s) in office. After the meeting we all stayed for a meal which was excellent, and it was a good opportunity to chat to people from the rest of the Chaplaincy, who we don't get to meet socially very often.

This morning I intended doing some washing, but once again the sky was dark grey with a threat of rain, so as I rely on drying my washing out on the line, I decided to postpone that. Instead we did a little bit of gardening. Neither of us are up to working out there all day like we used, but little by little we will get it tidied up. Today we managed to sort out the big palm, and cut off its lower, dead fronds. Then we weeded all the pots, and cut off the dead foliage. I potted on a baby tree that a friend gave me. It has survived its first winter so I am hopeful it will continue to thrive.

Then we drove down to Mojacar and found a little cafe that had some tasty dishes to choose from. Generally the Spanish restaurants offer 'menu del día', which is a three course , reasonably priced meal, and sometimes that is what we have. But we don't always want three courses and it is not easy to find somewhere where you can just choose one main course. But today we did, and as it incorporated a bakery, I bought a slice of lemon and ginger cheesecake to bring home. We had it this afternoon with a cup of tea and it was excellent. And although there were still a few clouds around, and a coolish breeze, on the sheltered patio we were able to sit outside to eat and feel comfortably warm.

This afternoon I had a little play in my craft room. While we were tidying up in the garden I cut down a 'weed', (they are all wild flowers to me), and I noticed it had lovely heart shaped leaves, so I collected a handful, and this afternoon I spread them between two sheets of paper and pressed them through my die-cutting machine. Although the leaves were green, they left a pretty brown pattern on the paper, which I will hopefully find a use for on a card soon. 

I then wanted to try again with something else so I had a wander round outside and came in with a head of bright red geraniums. They made a very colourful paper, though the prints are purple rather than red.The squashed petals are still in place in this photo, but they will fall off, or be easy to remove once it is really dry.

And that is about it for this week. Tomorrow morning I will link up with Annie's Friday Smiles and Rocking Your World. See you there.

Rocking Your World 2019; Week 13

I wish someone would slow the clock down. I can't believe how quickly Friday comes around, but here we are again looking for those happy moments in the past week. I am pleased to say that, although I am still coughing and sneezing, I do feel a lot better and have managed to get back to some of my usual routine.

We'll start with a 'blast from the past'. This weekend would have been the birthdays of my oldest sister and the younger of my two brothers. Sadly we have lost both of them: my sister five years ago and my brother 24 years ago. But that doesn't mean they have been forgotten. My brother's wife Pam, has just sent me these photos of their wedding.

 

She was just 19½ in these photos and now she is an active 85 year old, living independently and looking after her beautiful garden.

Her family are Burmese (from Myanmar as it is now called), so their wedding was a bit different. Two of my sisters and I were bridesmaids, along with Pam's sister and little brother. My sister Dorothy was born just before the war, and Jean and I just after it. I am the little one on the left. I had to smile at the great big ribbons in our hair and the severe bobbed hair cut. I was just five at the time, so I don't remember a lot about it but two things I do remember. Jean and I carried big board horse-shoes, painted gold I think. They were covered with chicken wishbones, also painted gold with a small blue bow on each that matched our dresses, and at the reception we had to hand one to each guest.

It was coronation year, and the second thing I remember is rushing home after the reception and seeing all the street parties. When we got home we were stripped of our bridesmaid dresses and quickly redressed in blue skirts with embroidered braces, and white blouses with red and blue flowers on their collar, ready to go to the street party in our road.

That's quite a lot for five and seven year old girls to cope with, but the memories have stayed, so I guess we enjoyed it.

So on to this week. On Tuesday I had more parcels to send to the UK and I was so impressed at the speed with which the last ones arrived, that I decided to go down to the main post office in Mojacar with these ones as well. It was a little overcast that day and there was a stiff breeze, but not enough to worry about the line of washing I pegged out before we left home. But when we got down to the coast it was very windy coming off the sea. In fact the sea was what you could call 'lively'. I love it like that as long as I am only watching it! I could stand for ages watching the layers of waves breaking, and listen to them crashing and sucking back on the shale.

It certainly blew the cobwebs away, as I tried to get a photo that did it justice. Not that I was very successful, but it was fun trying.

We parked on the edge of the sea, and as the wind was a bit chilly we soon set off to walk up to the post office. Right on the edge of the beach we saw this fascinating cactus.

Further along I spotted this big clump of yellow daisies growing between the stones, and then a plant very similar to vetch, that clung to the side of a rock.

It is amazing how they can withstand the heat of the summer, the strong winds and the very salty ground.

We soon posted the parcels, which incidentally arrived at their destinations in UK today, so excellent service again, and then we went for a coffee at a new bar that has just opened. It is at the back of the little shopping centre so it was protected from the sea breeze. It was actually really warm sitting on the sheltered patio, but looking up at the mountains behind the beach, the sky was getting dark, and I started to think about my washing.

I was lucky. The clouds soon blew away again and my washing was all dry when we got home.

We managed to do a very little bit of gardening this week. There was a narrow strip of fencing that needed repairing, and it looks much better now it is done. Looking into the green zone I noticed that old almond tree now has several groups of nuts on it. I like to see their furry coats, protecting them for a bit longer before they open.

I had to smile at this 'weed' that had managed to root itself just under the edge of the shed. It has virtually no soil, but still it managed to flower. It is a pretty little thing that can carry flowers that are pink, mauve and blue all at the same time. It grows everywhere, but I have been warned not to touch it at the grey hairy leaves can be an irritant.

Just beyond our back railing, growing in our little stretch of land sloping down into the green zone, there is a very pretty oleander with variegated leaves, and double pink flowers with splashes of white on their petals. It didn't get cut back last autumn so it has grown taller than usual, and as it has been a dry winter, the longest stems have fallen onto the railings and overhang the very narrow passage way between the railings and our benches. 

I was going to cut them back the other day but as I went to do it, I noticed another praying mantis nest attached to it. So today I cut all the other branches off and the one with the nest on it, I pulled behind the railings and tied it up along them, so it can stay there until the babies come in in the autumn.

I am in the throes of changing my bank for one in UK to one that allows dealing in multiple currencies, which seems more sensible in the current state of the country. So I have been waiting for my new card to arrive and on Wednesday it came. As is usual with such things, the envelope had printing on the inside to obscure what was on the letter. This is usually a green or blue pattern and I used to collect them for a form of craft called Iris folding. I haven't done that for a long time now, but this letter had a very different lining and here it is. Isn't it fun?

Today (I am writing this on Thursday afternoon as Friday is a busy day for me), was another special day in this area, known as Día de la Vieja (day of the old woman). It is a tradition stemming from many centuries ago when everyone was ruled by the monastery, and they were expected to strictly observe a fast throughout Lent. One sensible monk realised that the people could not carry out their usual work for the monastery for forty days without eating, so he decreed that on one Thursday in the middle of Lent, they should break their fast and eat well, so they could then fast again and continue to work until Easter. So this festival takes the form of a family meal, eaten in the open air. For many it is an elaborate picnic up at the area by the sports stadium, while other use the barbecues that are there. The connection with the old lady seems to have got lost in the mists of time, but they take the form of muñecas, (dolls) rather like a pinata. Some are made by the children at home and others are made in the workshops at the centre for people with disabilities, and sold in local shops. They are formed like an old lady, on a frame of a wooden cross, and their papier maché heads are filled with sweets and treats. These are taken to the picnic and left up against the wall until after the meal. Then the children use sticks and stones to break open their Vieja and retrieve the sweets. It seems a bit barbaric and is often referred to as "bash a granny day", but there is no malicious intent, and it is just a fun day for the children. We didn't take a picnic this year, but we did have a wander around the area so here are a few of the viejas I saw, patiently awaiting their fate.

The sports centre is at the top of the village set up on a hill, with the large picnic area beside the football pitch. At the end of it there is a children's playground, and you can walk out the other side of it onto a small flat area from where there is lovely view down onto the new pavilion and the summer swimming pool at one side, and on the other you can see the motorway with the village just on the other side of it, and in the distance the buildings of the town of Turre under the Cabrera mountains.

After the problems with my wool order I did buy some local yarn to start my new project, another blanket in another different technique. I do like to keep learning new ways to do this old craft, and I think I have just about cracked this one now. I have done a lot of unpicking, and re-working, but I think I have it now. The pattern is in six sections and I have now finished the first one so here it is.

In fact, as you can see here, I have made a good start on the next section which is two rows of zigzags. There are three repeats of the first pattern across the width. You can see it better here, even though it is at a funny angle. 

The two little pins in the bottom corner are marking which is the right side, and the one at the top is holding a stitch so I don't accidentally pull it undone. You work across a row with the black, pin it, and then work across the same way with the red. Then you turn it round and work across again in each colour. It seemed very strange at first.

I only manage about two rows each evening as it does require a lot of concentration. Most evenings Tango insists on sitting me while I work, and he was not too pleased one evening to find Luna had got there first. It is wonder I get any done at all!

And that's about it for this week. I will link up with Annie's Friday Smiles and Rocking your World, and launch into another busy week.