Catching Up (2) - July ATCs

For the July swap at ATC Swap UK on Facebook the theme was It's a Man Thing. After some dithering, I came up with the idea of a circuit board which I stitched on baize.

Catching Up (1)

It has been two weeks now since we got back from our holiday and I still feel as if I am just catching up. I keep writing blog entries in my head but not getting to the computer for one reason or another, and they have rather mounted up, so I am having a bit of a catch up session and will try and do a series of short posts today.

Firstly an apology - I read quite a few blogs and normally comment fairly often, but I have just had a mega-catch up reading session and haven't left any comments, and now I feel a bit guilty. So if my friends are reading this (and particularly fellow students), I'm still interested in seeing what you are up to and keep up the good work.

Holiday was two weeks in Spain staying with friends who have retired and moved over there. Lots of sun, sand and swimming with the kids. We did sneak in a bit of culture by taking the train for a day in Valencia but discovered it takes a longer than you think to walk everywhere when the temperature is over 30 degrees. We also got caught out by the siesta - we hadn't realised that absolutely everything closes for the afternoon, not just shops but museums, cafes and bars. Even the traffic and pedestrians disappeared. We have got so used to the 24 hour culture that I couldn't imagine a city in the UK being that quiet. Anyway - some pics (in the wrong order because I forgot to reverse them - bother).

Above - parts of the City of Arts and Science in Valencia. I love the stark white architecture in bright sunlight. The arts centre was closed and deserted for the summer, but we had a good time at the aquarium. The children especially enjoyed the tunnel with sharks swimming overhead.

Below - the station at Valencia and vaulted ceiling in the merchant's hall.

And finally - some rather nice metalwork on a shop front.