GJ BOM 5 + 6, Pincushion Swap, South Lord Street

I sewed 2 of the Gardener’s Journal blocks by Anni Downs yesterday in class as I knew I would be away next month when the class was being sewn. The above pic shows everything so far- you can see how wide and long it will be when it is finished.
I placed the stitcheries in their approximate positions.
Block 6 all sewn together
And below it block 5
Detailed pics. I know I should’ve ironed everything before taking the pics. LOL



The fabric is Fabulous Fall by Moda. I changed some of the stitchery colours from the book to tone with it.
I can finally share what I sent to Kaaren for the Pincushion Swap. My brief was red white and blue, and she also like vintage and primitive styles.
I am so relieved and happy that she liked her parcel and that it arrived safely. I am such a worrier. Those who know me, know I have a “worry if it got there” list where parcels go until I hear they have arrived. Silly I know.
Lets have a little wander now by the South part of Lord Street. This is Victoria Park in Southport where the annual flower show is held. It’s a big event. A 1936 poster can be seen here advertising the event.
Bowling green and pavillion. My lawn looks nothing like this what with 3 hounds on it over Winter.
I liked this pond- as you can see by the speed they are coming to me, the natives are very friendly.
This year’s hatch-brothers growing into their adult plumage.
More of the family arrived.
I could look at the ripples on water for hours if I had the time.
Beautiful gloss on the leaves -felt quite tropical.
I was sorry to have disturbed this adult male’s sleep. He had his head tucked in so sweetly.
Across the road is the new Splashworld.
Children love sliding through these tubes which run outside and into the indoor pool. I will share Southport’s old pool (now demolished with a cinema and shops on the site) another time.
Old Lifeboat House -window facing the sea.
From the landward side.
It amazed me just how little some plants need to survive.
This is Pleasureland. The link explains some of the history. It started in 1912 but in 2006 it was closed and some of the better rides transferred to Blackpool as the owners owned both sites. A new person is now running it at weekends and holidays and is trying to buy in new rides and rebuild the business.
Casablanca restaurant building

Tug boat themed kiosk where you pay for parking.
It’s so weird seeing it all shut up on a week day.

A rollor coaster here is a recent arrival. So many of the old rides were sold but the new owners are sometimes able to bring them back.
This is an old poster advertising Southport as a resort. It was by an Italian artist Fortunino Matania probably more famous for his war paintings. It hangs in the Atkinson Art Gallery on Lord Street. I was pleased to find out that the 1932 building still survives but it’s no longer called The Garrick Theatre (built to replace the burnt out Victorian Opera House on the site) but the Mecca Bingo hall.
Click on pics to enlarge and pick out the Art Deco details which are seen in the poster.
Laurel and Hardy played here. There is more information and internal photos here.


Side view over a car park but you can see the window details.

What a gem of a building! I am so pleased that Sefton Council haven’t allowed it to be redeveloped. There are so many historical building which have been allowed to be destroyed just while we have lived here, yet they are trying to advertise Southport as a “Classic Resort” for holidays. It doesn’t make sense to me. Once the old buildings have gone and been replaced with modern ones, they are gone forever, then there is nothing to distinguish Southport from anywhere else in the country. Why would people then bother coming here? It is so different from Oxford where the old buildings are protected for their character.

Next time we’ll pop around the Marine Lake and I’ll try and show you how things used to look compared with now.


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