flea market finds: handmade namdha goodness

'tis the season of car boot sales!  although they are few and far between here in Gib, i still try to visit each car boot sale in the hopes of finding that one true gem :)  (don't we all?)

i try to keep an open mind whenever i go to these sales wherever they may be, but i have a few things that i keep a lookout for all the time.  i just love the thrill of the hunt!

yes, that's right, this particular car boot sale happened in the parking lot of the local swimming pool!

pretty much standard stuff.  there is an odd piece of antique or two and most of them are second-hand clothes and kitchenware or accessories for the home,  such as this lovely floral carpet/rug/floor mat that immediately caught my eye.

upon closer inspection, they were made of the softest wool and felt and embroidered with the most colorful cotton.  they were also from Kashmir, that region of India where the most skillful and unbelievably artistic handmade goodness comes from!

the guy selling these is moving to another country and he just sold his house and everything in it!

it took me just about 2 minutes to circle the sale because there were only about 10 or 12 cars there.  in the end, i came home with this 114cms round namdha rug with a branching lotus design.  here are some detail shots:

i went home with a big smile on my face :)  i love me a handmade goodie :) you can read about a similar rug from a topic in Apartment Therapy here.


*linking to Sophie in her Flea Market Finds @ Her Library Adventures! :)

Luisa Fernanda: a Zarzuela

one of my most cherished gifts this year was a ticket to see a zarzuela given by a dear friend, L.  a zarzuela is "a spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes".  since there are a lot of Spanish influences in Gib, the zarzuela continues to be a beloved form of entertainment by the older generations of Gibraltarians.

zarzuela spread to the Spanish colonies, including the Philippines (although we call it "sarswela") and i once watched one when i was still in uni.  i love cultural shows such as these because not only do they speak so much of a particular people and their way of life but also i get to see the real thing! (one that's entirely spanish!)

Luisa Fernanda is a love triangle in three acts composed by Federico Torroba (1932) set in 1868 under the rule of Queen Isabel II.  as most operettas at that time, it also fosters "a tradition of pure and popular nationalism" with a little splash of comic relief.  

since then, Luisa Fernanda has been staged a LOT of times and the most popular selection was sung by none other than Placido Domingo (baritone) as the main character, Vidal Hernando (the guy below).

the whole production (including the orchestra below) was presented by the El Teatro Lirico Andaluz, an opera company based in Malaga, Spain.  this was then brought to Gib audiences as part of the Gibraltar Spring Festival 2012 by Santos Productions, a local outfit.

the orchestra was conducted by a very young maestro!

i am fascinated by this guy (below).  he had like 20 instruments, small and big, and he was either constantly banging or tinkling with one or all of them :) he does a good job of it though :)

 remember when i told you the zarzuela is popular among the older generations of Gibraltarians?  me and my friend L were with her mom-in-law, E, and we were the only ones representing the 30's bracket :)  the rest were mature lovely ladies and/or gents :)

here's a little video i captured just to let you have an idea how wonderful the singing and the whole experience really was for me :)  here, Luisa Fernanda is singing her love for Javier, a young soldier. Vidal, on the other hand is a rich landowner who loves Luisa Fernanda.

enjoy your weekend everyone!

flea market finds: something blue and something old

the lovely ladies at the shop were buzzing with new inventory this week when i visited my favorite shop.  i have observed too that there are now more people visiting the shop than before which is good, i guess, even if it means no more elbow room for me.

i have this nagging feeling though that whatever i pick up in the shop, the lady at the till jacks up the price :(  i don't know why but its a gut feeling.

despite a lot of stuff there, i only found these three beauties: first up, is this rich-brown glazed pitcher by Werkhof Wechold.  not a lot of info about this company except that its a "fat lava" or West German studio pottery from the 50's to the 80's.  if anyone has more info about this pitcher please do let me know, i would greatly appreciate it.

its a fairly recent one but i can't find no other info online

next one is a single Crown Devon Staffordshire ramekin with an orange flower.  i also have this unconditional love for ramekins so how could i ever pass this one up?

my last find is an elegant Wedgewood Blue Jasperware dresser plate with the raised relief design (Wedgewood is so well-known for this) of three ladies dancing.

i hope i am wrong with that nagging feeling (cos its still nagging me).


*linking with Flea Market Finds @ Her Library Adventures! :)

the Diamond Jubilee flotilla in Gibraltar

as a nod to Britain's rich maritime heritage, Gibraltar's flotilla last Monday sailed into history as a 100-strong motley but majestic crew of vessels of all forms and sizes sailed around Gibraltar Bay tooting horns and making noise as proof and proclamation that Queen Elizabeth IS Queen of Gibraltar.

there might well never be another Diamond Jubilee in the next decades to come so the mister and i made sure we were part of history in the making :) we took to the high seas as well and joined in the Ocean Village flotilla :)

here we are aboard the Dolphin Safari boat (normally, this is a tourist boat) on our way out of the marina to join the flotilla

an impressive profile of the Rock; it does take your breath away looking at it from afar

 we love this yacht! with its captain and crew in Gibraltar's national costume

aarrrrrr! a pirate schooner :) can you see the skull and bones flag?  too funny!

 thumbs up to this lovely blue fishing boat displaying its national colors

a Royal Navy ship

two kayakers joining in the fun

 our dream yacht :)  the sleek Sunseeker (someday!)

even the Oil Spill Response Team took time off to have some on-board party!

 we saw the crew of this cute fishing boat passing round a bottle of bubbly!

can you see the spectators?  Gibraltar folks cheering on the flotilla as we near Europa Point

on our way back, still making some noise :)

champagne in honor of the Queen!  cheers!  here's a short video of the event so you can have an idea how it all went :)

the Big Lunch; a Jubilee street party

yesterday while it was a carnival in the rain in the UK, here in Gib, the weather has been absolutely perfect for a street party!

the mister and i have been out and about joining in the celebrations :)

Main Street is never this jampacked on a Sunday!  

we danced and sang along good ole' Beatles classics, Tom Jones' groove-tastic sounds, and many more British greats with this band :) they were great!

this band however played a more subdued kind of music (think "Born Free" by Matt Monroe!)

we met some colorful people proudly wearing the national colors and one or

two with fancy sunnies

who can resist these Queen-encrusted biscuits?

a lot of stalls dot the area selling commemorative stuff

this stall is manned by kind ladies who are raffl-ing off these beautiful colorful throws and blankies and even buntings (i have my eye on that wine-colored throw on the extreme left)

special handmade cushions too!

barettes, hairclips, earrings, keychains, etc.... all Jubilee themed 

i love these royal trading cards :)

mugs and thimbles and flags and fans

this i gotta see!  

decided not to buy because the queue was a mile long!

here i am having to wrestle my candy floss/cotton candy around because it had a mind of its own!

we had a rockin' good time and we want more street parties in Gib!

poolside

this anticipation for the long weekend celebrating the Diamond Jubes has thrown everyone into a frenzy... everyone is planning, scurrying, buying, booking... basically, everyone just can't wait for the weekend to come!

everyone that is... but moi.  because my long weekend has already began...!

 enjoy your weekend everyone!