The first one!

He wasn't allowed down the tunnel ....the tunnel was dangerous so the priest had warned him, after a generous clip around the ear!
Nevertheless at twelve what can one expect, the curiosity was killing him, so choosing the moment carefully while Father Gonzalo was in the sacristy he once again tried to explore the tunnel. This time he picked up a candle extinguisher pole to lever open the slab trapdoor to the forbidden depths. The gush of dust and air and the reek of rotten things assailed him from the tiny crack that his arduous efforts produced causing him to turn away sharply;a reflect to escape the stink. Dismayed he saw the slab slip back down to cover the hole once more with a resounding thud echoing down through the dark corridor. He waited in silence hardly daring to breathe until he heard the ominous sound of the clack clack of Father Gonzalo's heels on the cobbled floors, announcing the end of his adventure and producing the feeling that he needed to be somewhere else urgently, which made him drop the pole and run. The years of familiarity with the churches' confusing interior saw him up and on the flat back roof of the church winging his way to his personal shortcut in a flash. He slithered down the church wall ignoring the painful grazes and with a final jump into the street below, he ran like the wind to his home sheltered under the castle wall.
However he knew he would not hear the end of this and word would reach his father but not today;today he had things to brag about!

My husband was never an altar boy nor would he participate in the Holy chores the children in the Santa Maria Parish were obliged to undertake. As much as Father Gonzalo and Father Francisco tried to train him for the tasks and insist he attend catechism, he always found an excuse or disppeared hiding in another part of the church, mostly on the roof.  In the end they gave him other chores satisfied that he was at least there in the church.

 During the 60s and under the yoke of the powerful Franco regime it was unthinkable that the children did not go to church and fulfil their obligations with the padres. At this time if they did not receive religious education and later take the first communion it could bring down real problems on the family labeling them as ROJOS (reds). You did not publicly announce yourself as an atheist during Francisco Franco's regime!

Although I have embellished my little tale somewhat it is a true story and it is how my husband told it to me. It was also verified by my mother-in-law and she told me Father Gonzalo came to visit her a few days later to tell her what her son had done. At the time he was duly punished and was house bound for a few days which was the worst punishment possible for a boy who ran wild like he did.
Although my husband has never been very religious he does have a fondness for the Santa Maria Chruch and we often walk that way and he tells me ancedotes about his adventures there. When we go in to visit, he shows me little corners ,nooks and recesses and what things were like before.
 It fascinates me!

 He speaks frequently of the tunnel that he longed to explore and never did and that it was sealed up not long after his last attempt to get down there. The tunnel actually connects with a tunnel within  the castle walls and was of course an escape route from the castle. There are tales of bodies being discovered down there, some dating back centuries some not so long ago;Civil War victims. There has been some talk of restoration but it seems it is in such a bad  state that it would cost a great deal. Others say that is an excuse and there are too many secrets down there and they are best left alone; buried and kept secret.

The Santa Maria Church dates back 1300.00 years or rather its beginnings does. It being the first place of worship built in Alicante. It was originally a mosque ,then a synagogue and then a church.

 This is a 17th century print but it clearly shows the flat roof on the left and the drop onto the street which my husband used to use as a shortcut. In the 1960s that street on the left was much the same just narrower.

It is quite small but quite lovely inside: here you have a glimpse of the interior taken during my nephew's wedding in 2008 .....they were playing Pachelbel's Canon at the time I took this photo....it was an incredible moment;the acoustics in that church are phenomenal!

Guests at the main entrance waiting for the happy couple to appear

and they were duly bombarded with rice and rose petals

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Well,my lovely bloggy friends do hope you enjoy this post :-)

Amanda :-)

Why Door of Chains?

 

I have finally come across the answer and it is a bit out of the ordinary!

Do you remember this 14th Century Door, the Door of Chains. 

I posted this photograph that I took of the main entrance into Orihuela Cathedral in a previous post here where I mentioned that I did not know why it was called the Door of Chains. I was going to leave it at that but as Spinning Streak left a comment about the door on my last post...

  

I felt compelled to clarify how that door got that name and so I did a little bit of research and found out the following:

In the past there were bollards outside in front of the church ( you can see one of the remaining ones in the front righthand corner of the photo above) with chains attached which marked a small area in front of the church door. Now then, before this church was granted cathedral status in the 16th century this church belonged to the diocese of Cartagena (Murcia).

 It is well known that in the past there was a religious custom where fugitives could claim sanctuary within-side a church and no authority could come in and harm, arrest or remove the fugitive for punishment. However, this church went a little further than that and any wrongdoer who jumped the chains into that small area in front of the church door could claim sanctuary there too even though they weren't actually inside the church itself and so escape the civil jurisdiction of the authorities in Orihuela (Alicante) at that time. 

There you go, hence the name "Door of Chains".😀🚪

A light at the end of the tunnel

Two weeks ago we went up to the Agost Mountains and enjoyed the sun, the scenery and the exercise. 

A nice strenuous walk along the Maigmó Greenway trail again. This time we went further along and we still didn't get to the end of the trail.

We started at the Tunnel which is not illuminated in fact it is pitch black in there and I forgot my little torch. This didn't bother Sr P of course as he has very good night vision. 

You know, I have always wondered about Sr P's ability to see so well in the dark and his tendency to always feel much more comfortable in dark rooms. At least I know for sure he hasn't any creepy genes in his DNA as he really likes garlic in his meals!

Luckily I remembered my iPhone has a torch so that helped 🔦

The light at the end of the tunnel!

That beautiful blue sky hits you as you come out of that cool damp dark tunnel. 

"Yes...I'm ok thank you Sr P... no need to wait for me... sigh!"

Looking back 

It was lovely walking in the sun, chatting and blowing those cobwebs away for roughly about an hour. We had gone past the last place along the trail we got to during our last walk there and it was so pleasant that we continued.  

Low and behold what came up next but ...

another tunnel so with my iPhone in hand we went through this one too.

We continued along the trail a little bit further but as it was near lunch time and we still had the return trek (+ two tunnels to go through) to get back to the car we turned around but marking the second tunnel in our minds to remember where we got to this time.

Little babe

One of my orchids has offspring.

Now

A few weeks ago

I have just received the information from my sister over in Australia on how to remove the baby Orchid from the mother plant and transplant. She attends Orchid Growing classes so she asked her teacher for me.  

You probably know this but I didn't. Baby Orchids are called Keikis from the Hawaiian word which means child.😊

Happy Blogging

Amanda :-)

Absence does not mean a lack of interest

It just means other happenings in our life have taken first place. Overwhelmed with work I was finally forced to prioritize and many personal activities had to be put on hold. Work is the most important thing at present but we are finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully there will be some changes from September/October.  

At present 2018 has been rather nasty to us... Sr P's eldest brother passed away unexpectedly at the beginning of January. Such a shock and it hit us hard! 

Then just four months later our brother-in-law had a heart attack and left us too!  We are devastated!!  He was a very close and well-loved member of our family. We are still trying to get back into a routine but it is difficult. In a way I am fortunate that I have so much work it helps me not to think but Sr P is retired and he has too much time on his hands. 

Time is the healer...right....to a point!   At present we just feel there are very few pleasures in our lives!  In all truth I have to say I am finding it hard to write this post. I must have lost the knack!

I haven't stopped crocheting of course ...there have been moments where I have sat with my hook in hand looking at it with no inspiration and pushing it to one side. However,it was worst still doing nothing and just thinking.

 

 Mermaid Tail for Lottie my great niece.   My sister sent me the pattern. I used Katia Alaska and Hook Nº 8.  A stash buster I am pleased to say.

Mermaid tails for my great nieces  "The Pinks"   My sister knitted the one on the right. These were Christmas presents. 

 I had to make initials for each tail because they would squabble otherwise :-)

Then on seeing these pics on facebook my other niece contacted me and asked if I could do one for her little girl.

 

The second one.   I like these combination of colours more so than the first tail.

I was doodling and for nobody in particular. I was still into mermaids I think. I found the pattern online.

More doodling...no pattern.

 A virus & granny stitch shawl . I always wanted to do this pattern.  

My sister has moved into a new house in Torquay, Devon and she is redecorating it all. I thought these would look good hanging from the bathroom door or cupboard.

A Danish pattern that had no translation but I more or less sorted it out !  I tweaked it a bit!

and.....thats it for now....sorry about the photo overload :-)

Keep well

Amanda :-)

The Vikings got this far

 

☆A warm welcome to a new follower Deborah. Please feel free to comment and could you also send me the link to your own blog. 😊

Autumn has arrived here in the Med. Temperatures have dropped nicely when I say nicely I mean not too much but definitely Autumn style. I even heard the crisp crackle of leaves under my feet as I trod on them walking along the road yesterday. It is a good job I go for a walk at a time when there are not too many people about otherwise they'd probably think that nicely aged lady who is treading from leaf to leaf just to hear them crackle has definitely lost it!  

I am so looking forward to going up into the mountains for a trek as we can get the full Autumn experience up there.  

Looking at Halloween here in Spain. 

Although the American style Halloween is celebrated somewhat at the schools here where the children and teachers dress up and decorate their classrooms, Trick or Treat has not caught on as yet. The Spanish celebrate this time of the year differently.  On 31st October and the 1st November "Dia de todos los Santos" (All Saints Day) they mostly do so by honouring and caring for the deceased members of their families. The 1st November is an important national public holiday here where people return to their towns or villages to lay flowers on their loved ones graves. It is also traditional to go and buy special sweets and pastries that are made during this time.There are many different types depending on the region but two of the most popular are "Huesos de santos" and "Buñelos de viento".

Huesos de Santos (Saints' bones) :

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Little rolls of marzipan with a custard cream filling. Sweet, sweet almond joy for some but excessively sweet for my liking.

Buñelos de viento  (choux puffs) :

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Fried dough puffs filled with cream or chocolate. As always very sweet! I like the cream ones once I have scraped off the extra sugar coating.

  

PART ONE.                                  Warning photo heavy!

Inland Orihuela; the ecclesiastical city. 

Orihuela, still within the Alicante province, is just under an hour from Alicante City. There have been settlements there since before Roman times. This city has seen Phoenicians, Iberians,  Romans and Vikings. It became part of Muslim Spain up until the Middle Ages and later Christian.  It is a small city steeped in history, which ever way you turn there is something to see.  Last Monday being a fiesta day was a good day to go to Orihuela. The cemeteries were packed as is the custom on the 1st November but the City and Historical centre was relatively empty. Nearly everyone was at the cemeteries so we avoided those roads and the enormous queues of cars trying to gain access and parked near to the city centre. 

Glory be!  There were parking spaces there in the centre which is not the norm!  

It is a place where photographs are a must... DOORS predominately!😀 

Just before you take the tunnel into Orihuela  you pass this huge sentinel on your right which towers over everything at the entrance to the city 

On the left the palm groves in the distance

On our way to the historical centre of the city

Looking up! 

Beautiful antique ceramic tiles on the bottom of this balcony

Crossing the River Segura which runs through the centre of the city

The very same river, much much wider in those days, that the Vikings sailed up in the 9th century to attack Orihuela Fort, loot and take prisoners and then leave as quickly as they came.  

Fabulous door!  The Episcopal palace and former residence of the Bishops of Orihuela

The Diocesan Museum of Religious Art

We didn't go in as we had been there before.  

Impressive... Our Saviour and Santa Maria Cathedral built in the 13th century over a Moorish mosque mostly in the Gothic style. 

The Door of the Chains.  

Very gothic!  I still haven't found out why it is called "Door of the Chains"  

I was actually able to get into the cathedral and allowed to take photographs before the mass but I am leaving all those photographs for my post next week. 

Can you see who was watching us from above?

CROCHET

I have finished a make but it is a Christmas gift and the person I shall be sending it to this month reads my blog so I can't show it off on here as yet.😞

⭐ Replies to comments on previous post completed⭐

Happy blogging

Amanda :-)

No you cannot!!

 

 

Hello to my new follower! Welcome to Crafty in the Med my personal blog where I share my love of craft, particularly crochet and anecdotes from my daily life living here in Alicante,Spain.                    Please feel free to comment.

 

We haven't been able to get to the beach these last three Sundays. I so miss my swimming and doing a bit of snorkeling. The sea is such a healer and it makes all the aches and pains in my legs just disappear. My doctor actually prescribed swimming as one of the best all round exercises for RLS and for lots of aches and pains. He also told me that swimming in the sea was by far the best option.                                            

As I mentioned in my last post Sr P has an ear infection and he has been prescribed antibiotics to deal with the infection; the doctor told him the beach was off limits until the infection had gone.  

 

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Sr P really loves his snorkeling he has done it all his life as he was born right in front of the sea and I mean as in.... five minutes from his parents house ... across the sand and into the sea.

 

 

 

 

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The first Sunday he started the treatment he only gets all his gear ready in the morning for us to go snorkeling and to the beach. 

 

 

 

                                        

I swear Sr P sees himself as a 70 year old superman!!!

 

He is in fact in very good health and has generally no problems at all. He weighs the same as when he was 20 years old when I first met him and he eats whatever he likes and does not put on weight!!!!!                                                                     (I assure you that really bugs me......fresh air alone makes me put on weight!! ).   

 

 

I immediately put all the gear back in the cupboard and reminded him what the doctor prescribed.              

I am sure you can imagine that did not go down well.                                                                                     

He did throw a bit of a wobbly about it (I of course used the in one ear out the other strategy)  I believe I heard vaguely as he was mumbling, stamping from room to room and slamming the bedroom door something about about doctors exaggerate,grown man being told what to do and sea water is better than antibiotics, while he let off steam.   Meanwhile I made him a lemon cake, which he is partial to for later and got changed picked up the car keys popped into the bedroom and asked him if he was ready.            We spent the morning strolling through the port on to the Santa Maria Church and the old quarter (Sr P's neighbourhood) where we had a chat with some old friends sat outside a cafe having tapas.   

 

Santa Maria Church Alicante City

Santa Maria Church Alicante City. Above main entrance.

 

                                            

 

If you want to know more about the church pop over to Here for the post I wrote about the hidden tunnel.

A very enjoyable morning!! 

You see he knew I was right but he was not going to let it go without a bit of a rant!  

I dedicate this to all the wives/partners of  70 yr old supermen out there in blog land. 😀

Bloggers News

In case you haven't noticed Paula at The Snail Garden has returned to blogland and has posted a beautiful and interesting post called "August Outings".

Kathy at Hummingbird Woodland Studio has,due to tech problems, retired her blog and started a new one called My Artistic Endeavours At The Lake

 

RAOCKs

I just felt like doing some crochet doodling when I made this RAOCK months ago.                        

I had no real plan in mind at that time but this is what my hook produced. A key tassel and I'd say that face and head-dress is pure carnival. 

What do you think? Does it remind you of something else?  

I used a Nº 2.00 hook for this make and Katia Brisa silky cotton but I don't think I will use that thread again! The threads split up far too easily and too often. A choice of fabulous colours though!!

 

 

 Have a good week 

Keep well 

Amanda :-)