Me too

 

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 I wasn't well after the second Moderna vaccination I had last Wednesday. On the Thursday I had a temperature of 38.5 and I felt very sorry for myself so I decided to take a day off and reclined on the settee all day. I couldn't even perk myself up to do some crochet. That is telling you how poorly I was feeling.  As a rule I like to avoid taking any medicine only what is absolutely essential like my thyroid pill but by mid afternoon I was feeling worse and felt quite dizzy so I took a paracetamol and that did help.  I also drunk loads of water and ate very little;toast and plain yoghurt. This is what worked for me. Three days later I was much better,no temperature  just a few aches and pains in general, a bit like the flu.  

 

At last!

I finally received notification from the hospital yesterday and I go in for my test on Friday! In preparation for the test my diet has changed from the bland diet I was on to a "don't eat anything" diet until after the test. OK I am fibbing! It does contain some food of sorts but even less than what I was eating with the previous bland diet.  Big sigh! not complaining really... just wish it was all over and done with.  

I am not sure how I will feel afterwards so I may fall behind commenting on your posts a bit over the weekend. 

Meanwhile I just wanted to let you know in case you would like to check them out (optional😁) ,I have finally completed all replies to comments sent in on my previous posts Midday Sun and Splash.  Please do give a shout out if I have missed anyone.

 

The pool is open!

Temperatures have risen here,the pool is open and summer is practically upon us.

 I think this is about the only photo I have of the swimming pool;taken a few summers ago.

 

Sr P making everyone laugh in his Calypso Joe outfit !!  

 

Fire Festival

The children will be out of school for their summer holidays next week and as usual just before the yearly Fire Festival starts at the end of June. I commented and posted in the past about this festival here .  Sadly though the festival has once again been cancelled due to Covid restrictions. They are talking about having it in September instead but quite frankly I cannot see it happening.

 I have posted a few photographs from the last festival held in 2019. It is such a very big event here that it is greatly missed and not celebrating it again for a second year has produced some "grumbling" in certain quarters!   

 

 

Stunning parades !

The Alicantinas on their way to offer flowers to the Virgin at the Cathedral.

 

 Beautiful displays of flowers on the facade of San Nicholas de Bari Cathedral,patron saint of Alicante. Flowers that  have been offered to the Virgen del Remedio who protects all Alicantinos from her niche over the main entrance of the Cathedral. 

 

 

 

One of the effigies in front of the Town Hall. There are numerous others which are dotted throughout the city and they stay up for the six days of the festival. Constructed of wood and paper maché they are elaborate works of art. On San Juan's night,24th June, they are burnt. The last one to burn is the the effigy that won the first prize.

 Lets hope next year all these traditions will carry on as normal.

 

RAOCKs

My latest RAOCK.

Result of a bit of crochet doodling and at the same time using up bits and bobs of yarn and a few sparkly bits. 

 

 

 

 

Happy Blogging

Amanda :-)

 

Splash!

 

Among the comments received on my last post there were a few remarks about the Whale photo that I use as the header photograph on my blog. 

 I do understand that because my blog is called Crafty in the Med that seeing a whale in the sea photo as the heading image it would be perfectly normal and logical  for bloggers to think that the photo was taken in the Mediterranean. For those of you who have read my last post you will now know it wasn't.  I assure you all  those years ago when I set up my blog in 2011 I really didn't think about that at all.  I just wanted to add a sea theme for the header image. However,I have to admit that I also really wanted to show off this wonderful photograph that I took myself. I am not great at taking photos at all so it was pure magic I got this one and I will probably never ever in my lifetime take another photo like that again. I am afraid I shall continue to brag about it even though daughter Nº 1 tells me at times "

Yes,Mother we know you took it" and I usually reply "Just in case you forget !" 😁 

Hooray for the gardens:

Once again I am thoroughly enjoying visiting and strolling through, via my armchair, the beautiful gardens that are on display throughout our blog world... an abundance of lovely blooms,foliage and masses of colour! Wonderful productive veggie/fruit gardens which have begun to produce scrumptious crops! Gardens that are exceptionally gorgeous at this time of the year.  I would like to give a few mentions here of some of the blogs that I follow who have recently posted about their gardens:

🌿Cherie at North Yorkshire Craft Guru 

🌿Kathy at Compassionknit

🌿Linda at A Rich Tapestry

🌿Marlene at Poppypatchwork

🌿Joy at Diary of a (retired) teacher

🌿Ellie at Feltabulous

and there are more!

  

On a sad note there is one particular garden that I shall greatly miss. Teresa loved her garden and she delighted us frequently with posts throughout each year about her ever-changing garden.

I haven't got my own garden but the gardens in the apartment complex are really lovely at this time of the year too. The complex is surrounded throughout by this decorative hedge. I took this snapshot yesterday. This was after a rather ferocious storm and when the sun came out.

 

 

As I said I haven't got a traditional garden but I do have my balcony garden and it is doing better this year now that I am at home more and can dedicate time to it. I have taken a couple of photos of some of my plants

My Peace Lily.   A surprising recuperation! A few months back it looked as if it was near the end of its existence. It looked quite soggy and poorly and I suspected a victim of over watering. Who could have done that I wonder?  I remember tucking it away behind another plant for it to dry out and hoped it would sort itself out. Yesterday I caught a glimpse of white among the branches and leaves of the other plant I had put it behind. Lo and behold it has a flower and it looks decidedly better. A little bit brown/yellow around some of the leaves so I have sprinkled tea leaves around the top and given it a little water and brought it out into the light.

 

My Fern.  It was a tiny little thing when I brought it just after moving into the apartment 30 odd years ago. It has been in the same place all those years! I have just kept changing the pot as it grows and throwing water at it when I remembered to. It is now in a large clay urn and I think I am going to have to cut it back quite a lot and dig it out of the pot, renew the soil and it will go back in there and will continue to remind me of the woodlands at home in Somerset.

 

 

My Devil's Ivy

It is like a weed . I keep having to cut it back. It being up there high in a corner I often forget to water it but I have noticed it has a guardian as I see Sr P waters it sometimes. 

There is much more but I am trying to rearrange the balcony garden and bring in some plant stands so the rest is a bit of a mess at the moment. 

 

 "Life begins the day you start a garden. – Chinese proverb"

 

The end of it! 

I have my second jab this morning! Sr P wasn't very well after his second one I wonder if that is because it was Pfizer . Mine is Moderna so hopefully I don't get any side effects!

 Before I forget again I would like to thank all bloggers who responded to my "Tidy-up" blog post about reciprocal blogging relationships. Lots of interesting perspectives which are certainly worth mulling over. Thank you 😊

 

 Happy Blogging

Amanda :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Midday Sun over the Med

 

I was beginning to get a bit worried about the house-warming gift I had sent off to the USA. However,all is well and it has arrived safely and all in one piece.   I can now show you what I sent to Betsy at Simple Life of a Queen. Moving into a new home is such a special occasion that I couldn't resist making something for her. As I had hoped she now has it hanging in her Craft Room.   

 

The authentic colours. Photo taken outside on the balcony

Incredible difference in colours from the outside shot to the indoor photo! I presume it must be the lighting in the hallway. The wall looks white too but its painted in pale blue.

 

Indoor photo

  

Midday Sun over the Med Dream/Sun catcher. 30cm diameter. I used Katia Jaipur variegated cotton and Katia Capri cotton.  The green blob at the end of the middle tassel is a little glass fish. It has been in my hoard of bits for years and I can't remember where I got it from. I am glad it has a new home.

 I called this dream/sun catcher Midday Sun in the Med because through the mix of colours and the pattern I tried to portray the reflection of the hazy torrid midday sun soaking the Mediterranean with its fiery light and the ever-changing colours of the sea as the waves rise and fall. 

When we see the sun position itself that high in the centre of the sky we know it is around about 12ish and our time to leave the beach. After midday it just gets far to hot and and unless you have the right gear and protection to spend the day on the beach it isn't advisable to stay any longer.  We usually go from 9:30am until 12pm and just take our snorkelling gear,hats and towels and one small deck chair. I don't do sunbathing!  I prefer to stay in the sea the majority of the time. It is the best place to be!

 

 The Land of OZ

 I am super pleased that  I now have another blog friend and follower from Australia. I haven't got many blog contacts in OZ as yet.  Should you like to pop in and visit Wendy at Ruff' Adventures I know she will be delighted to have more blog-friends.

As I have mentioned before I have family in Australia mostly in Queensland and a nephew in Melbourne. I have also been very lucky to have visited OZ twice for a month each time. Once in 2009 where I stayed in Hervey Bay,Queensland with my sister.

The highlight of my stay, other than seeing my sister again after eleven years, was to go whale watching with my niece past Fraser island,Queensland.We were really fortunate to sight a mother and calf. An amazing stroke of luck that I shall never forget. I was able to take some incredible photos hence my blog heading always has the photograph of the mother whale. I never tire of that photo and the fact that I took it myself.

 

Whale watching July 2009  Fraser Island,Queensland,Australia.

 

The other time in 2011 I returned to Australia once again to stay with my sister who had bought a Motel and had moved from Queensland to New South Wales.  It was a thriving business situated in a little inland town called Gilgandra which was a very popular midway stop off point for travellers on long distance journeys across Australia. There wasn't a lot to do or see in Gilgandra yet  I enjoyed the different way of life,meeting people and also helping a little in the motel. 

Gilgandra, New South Wales

 

 Nevertheless, my sister managed to organise several trips away and we went up into the Blue Mountains and also to Hunter's Bay. 

 

Blue Mountains

 

 

 

 

Fabulous countryside and wonderful mountains which take your breath away. 

 

 We also went to Sydney to meet up with my other sister from the UK and stayed there for a few days to celebrate her birthday. 

I don't like cities much...never have but Sydney is awesome.  

 

Sydney Harbour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and... of course the Opera House. Fabulous Architecture!

 

 

In all I thoroughly enjoyed both holidays and I have seen a lot of Australia but there is so much more that I want to see there! I do hope I will be able to go back. 

My own personal ties there make me feel quite attached to it and hence I am drawn to bloggers from the Land of OZ. 🐳

Stormy Stormy day

 Sunny Spain...well not this week more like wet soggy Spain!

 Grumbling storm creeping in!

and the heavens open up....

Happy blogging

Amanda x 

Teresa in my thoughts 💖