My Dolly Week....

This week we went to a local castle/fortress which is just about 15 km from us and yet we'd never visited there before.  We did actually try to go there last week but loads of roads were closed due to a cycling event.  So we tried again and this time our satnav took us somewhere entirely different.....and then finally we just took a chance on directions and found the place!!  But I must say it was a bit stressful as the roads we were sent down by the satnav were really scary, very narrow, very steep and some with sheer drops with no barriers.  One paved road was so steep that as I turned into it, still in 1st gear, our tyres just started to spin on the road surface, they just couldn't get a grip on such a steep road!!!  Never again!

Anyway, as I say, we finally found La Fortaleza de Velez Malaga and it had beautiful views and you could see the Mediterranean Sea in the distance, as well as several churches and the town of Velez Malaga from above.  You can read a little bit of history here:  (If you click on the photo it will enlarge)

I took two dolls with me; Claudia by Bonnie & Pearl and my Gotz Happy Kidz Emily from 2015.  I walked up to the top of the tower to take some more photos, there were about 100 narrow winding steps to the top and fortunately no-one else was there because there's no way I could have got past someone coming in the opposite direction whilst I was holding a big bag, a camera, a handbag and two 19 inch dolls!!!!  It was definitely worth climbing those stairs, the views were wonderful.

Claudia, from Bonnie & Pearl,  enjoyed her morning out.....

The gardens outside the castle are very pretty and nicely laid out, the shade from the palms and the olive trees was very welcome as it was quite hot up there....

Claudia and Emily...

Resting at the top of the castle....

Although it's a little hazy, in the distance you can just see the Mediterranean Sea....

Evidence of the Moorish architecture....no, not Brian, the archway behind him! ;) 

The red and yellow Spanish flag and the green and white Andalucian flag, flying in the breeze.....

Views north towards the mountains....

Church of San Juan Bautista....

I hope you've enjoyed seeing our local castle and the girls who visited with us.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Hugs Sharon x

One of my favourite shops....the haberdashers!

Today I went to one of my favourite shops down here on the coast.  It is the local haberdashers and is called Mar del Plata, or Sea of Silver, and is located in Torre del Mar, (Calle San Martín, 7 - 8, Torre del Mar, 29740, Velez-Malaga, Malaga).  It really is an Aladdins Cave of gorgeous things for anyone interested in sewing and needlework crafts.  They specialise in quilting fabrics and have a wonderful selection, they even offer patchwork quilt making classes which one day I will attend.....but one thing is sure, I know that if I go there for something, you can guarantee I will come out with several things, particularly quarters of fabric.  You can actually buy as little as a 10cm length from the bolts, but I generally buy a quarter metre, I find it more useful than a fat quarter to be honest.  So today was no exception, I bought some Christmas and other fabric, as well as ribbons and Christmas themed novelty buttons....and was given one packet as a gift....I guess they want to keep me visiting, after all I tend to help the Spanish economy every time I do! ;)

But that is not what I wanted to tell you about, what I really wanted to share was their window display!  As soon as I saw it from a distance when walking to the shop, so my steps increased to an 'almost trot' leaving my dear hubby straggling behind....well I guess he wasn't in any hurry to see what I could see!  And here it is:

(The photos aren't great as they're taken on my iphone with the window reflections, but I've tried to enhance them to help show this lovely display!)

 

Apparently these are made by one of their customers and form just a small part of her whole collection.....sound familiar!!!  And she makes them all herself.  I think she must use kits because there is a kit called Tilda Seaside Girl shown in the last photo above.  I think the doll may be called Tilda!   I recognise a lot of the fabric in the outfits though, as I'm very familiar with the fabric they sell ;) 

Well I do so hope you've enjoyed seeing the photos as much as I enjoyed their window display!