Rejuvination Required

 So we headed off to a little village in Portugal in the hopes of seeing a bit of blue sky instead of the awful grey that January usually brings

 But we certainly did not expect it to be so warm !!!

Many miles were walked

 and many hills climbed

 with maybe some indulgence at the end

 we did have one morning of rain, but that cleared by early afternoon so we decided to take a trip down the coast to Sagres (known as Sagres -The End of The World) to visit the fort there. This fort only has one wall, as the towering cliffs on three sides provide a very natural fortification. 

through the Fortress gates

 A fabulous walk of probably a mile and a half around the cliff edge 

Standing atop the Wall toward the rest of Portugal

to the west the waves came crashing against the cliffs, making so much noise it was hard to hear yourself speak.


There was a pretty little church perched upon the cliffs, built by Prince Henry the Navigator  in 1459

 There is not much else in Sagres, but it was well worth the visit to the Fort. And a really cheap afternoon at €4.50 entry fee for the two of us!

Because of the good weather I didn't get much of the planned knitting done

2 weeks worth!

But I did read 5 books

And after thinking about it for a few days

I decided to take the plunge and went swimming in the Atlantic!!

It was wonderful, and I'm sure it was just as warm as when we visited in September. 

Back home and a Birthday treat for a friends "Special"birthday

 These little beauties happened upon whilst out walking

 This beauty greeted our return. I had thought that it would have been and gone by the time we came home.

 And can you see the second spike peaking through?


 I did at last get on with my Mini Mania Challenge which was to be revealed at the end of February.

A Medallion quilt this time.

 The centre square measures ¾" and I admit is somewhat wonky, I found it was too small to hold onto as it fed under the machine foot!
But I carried on regardless and my finished mini masures 15¾" 

 I have made some samples reday for the workshop at my LQG in March

 24 of the Drainage bags made and delivered to my local Breast Cancer unit

 started and finished an Aran jacket for Little Miss E ready for her holiday this week (though I fear we may have used all the sunshine up 😦)

 The snow that has been coming in fits and starts (we may have missed the worst of this) didn't stop a (rather long) train journey down to Gatwick Airport to catch up with Sister 3 who was in transit from America to France. A short reunion but it was so nice to suprise her

waiting on the train at Blackfriars station with Tower Bridge in the distance.

 The snow has arrived so I MUST get on with something productive.