frayed at the edge

A weird combination!

It has been a poor summer for butterflies in the garden (although a very good one for bees).  These are all the photos I have in my butterfly folder this year!

 

the birds are reappearing in the front garden and making good use of the bird bath

 

we went out for lunch today, and Malcolm had a baguette with brie, bacon and tomato

 

but now for the weird combination - I had lentil soup and bread ........ and salad!!  Remember we recently were given a side salad with a scone, which we thought odd ...... but salad with soup - NO!!!!

A very special quilt

I recently read on Rachel's blog about a very special little boy called Rex.  He had been diagnosed with SMA, which you can read about here.  I followed the link from Rachel's blog over to Team Rexy, which is written by Rex's Mum Charlotte.  It is a very moving blog, detailing life with Rex ........ there are lows, but there are also highs, such as his recent first taste of chocolate!  Through Rachel, I got in touch with Charlotte, and offered to make a quilt for Rex.  After an exchange of emails, we decided on a tractor quilt.

This morning, I took the quilt through to the back lounge to take photos  ........ and that's when the fun began!!  The first photo wasn't a problem

 

but then there was a great commotion, as the Gnome Brothers charged across the room, and said that they wanted the quilt ....... the littlest brother is always lagging behind

 

the boys were returned to their own chair, and giving a stern talking to

 

but when I turned round to take another photo, the Gnome Sisters were tucked up under the quilt - well, they said, it is our chair!

 

the quilt was removed, and the girls were reminded that they have their own quilt on the back of the chair

 

suddenly there was a great roaring noise, and CheekySockMonkey came speeding through the door on JDtheTractor

 

they declared the front of the quilt to be totally unacceptable, as only green tractors should be allowed, so they demanded that the quilt be turned over

 

then they had to have a stern talking-to, as they wanted to play in the mud with the pigs!

 

there was a slight flaw to their plan to steal the quilt ....... the daft things couldn't see where they were going!

 

the silly pair were returned to their lookout post on the coffee table, where they keep watch for the neighbours' horrid cats trying to sneak into the front garden

 

with order restored, I put the quilt through on the bed in the guest bedroom.  But then, there was a lot of giggling and commotion ....... and there, under the quilt, were Miss Jemima Ragdoll, Winnie the Pooh, Katy Koala and her baby and Percy the Pink Pig!!

 

after the fun, a serious moment.  Should you wish to help families of children with SMA, you can make a donation here.

I have told you before about Harry, Margaret's grandson (you can read about Harry and his amazing achievements  here).  Harry is fund-raising again - you can visit his page here.

 

 

It rained so much on Saturday ......

....... that Malcolm considered setting up an ark-building company!  But then on Sunday we got up to a beautiful morning, so off we went to the beach

 

there have been some very high, and then equally low tides recently, and the sand has shifted a lot.  The wooden groynes have almost disappeared in places

 

I hoped that all the shifting sand would mean that there would be lots of seaglass, and I had only gone a few yards before I had picked up several pieces

 

recently I have seen lots of pictures in craft shops, at craft fairs and on Pinterest, made with small pieces of seaglass and little pebbles like these.  I shall have to have a play!

 

perhaps I could add in a feather?

 

this surfer was trudging up the beach - I guess the surf wasn't to his liking

 

we walked right to the end of the beach, then came up the steps and walked back along the promenade, stopping at the cafe ......

 

for a cuppa and a shared bowl of delicious chips

 

the good weather had brought out lots of people ...... with lots of dogs!

 

while I was taking this photo of an enormous rosehip .....

 

....... Malcolm was sitting enjoying the view

 

you can just make out Bamburgh and Lindisfarne on the horizon

 

as we walked back through the car park, we decided we wouldn't want to spend a holiday in this big beastie - you would probably spend half the day trying to find somewhere to park it

 

I've shown you various catering vans at local events ...... this is their base

 

as we walked along towards the dock, we saw one of the little fishing boats

 

which seemed to be having problems, as it was going round in circles!

 

I was tempted to "acquire" three different metal objects on our walk ....... a wonderful old gate

 

......... a piece old scrap metal, which would probably sell for a fortune in a trendy art gallery

 

....... and this lovely rusty gate post and lock

 

back at the dock, there was more temptation ........ two transporters full of brand new Minis (they aren't two-tone, the white is protective covering)

 

I shall be back tomorrow to tell you about a very special little boy, and to show you the quilt that I have made for him.

Special gifts

When Anna came to visit, she brought some lovely gifts for me.  First, this delicious bundle of Riley Blake fabrics

 

then there was a super pouch with a see-through front for keeping a small project in

 

it is made with fun map-of-New-York fabric

 

and what was inside the little spotty bag that you can see in the pouch ....... these little goodies!  Thank you again, Anna, for such delightful gifts!

 

then, last Wednesday, a large box arrived, which upon opening revealed these two smaller boxes

 

oh my, two boxes of deliciousness from the (world-) famous Betty's.  So who had sent this cornucopia of comestibles?  The delightful Liz, to say thank you for making the baby quilt.  Those of you who read her blog will know that she is now the proud Granny of a bouncing baby boy.  In the smaller box were four of these beauties, known as Fat Rascals

 

then in the bigger box there were : a box of teabags, a jar of strawberry conserve, a tea loaf ..... and four scones.  Being such kind and generous friends, we gave Anna two of the scones (spread with homemade lemon curd) to sustain her on her train journey  to London on Friday!  Thank you again, Liz, for such a wonderful foodie gift!

 

the next "gift", I bought for myself ......... one of those accidental little purchases.  I know, I know, another notebook, but just too cute to resist (and its purchase raises funds for the RNLI, so buying it was a good thing!!)

 

it's Friday, so that means cake!  Today we had cupcakes which Annette had baked using a new recipe - they were light and delicious, but I was very good and resisted eating a second one

 

we will be heading over to Berwick in the morning, and weather permitting, will of course be walking on the beach.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

The sun was shining ..........

.......... so we abandoned our chores and went out for a walk after lunch.  I had read somewhere recently that there is a bumper crop of sloes this year, and that they have ripened early, so we thought we would go on a sloe hunt.  We only got as far as the bottom of the road before I had to stop to take photos!

 

I think the countryside looks best in autumn

these two riders had been enjoying  gallop - if you look closely at the photo above you can just make out the line of white railings which mark the gallop

 

I do like a piece of higgledy-piggledy fence

 

every time we go on this walk I have to take photos of this beautiful old gate

 

it was good to see that this farmer has had new wooden gates made, instead of using the ugly utilitarian metal ones which are common now

 

of course I had to take photos of sheepies (yes Anna, they are for you!)

 

I guess someone couldn't be bothered to carry this fork home, and left it hanging on the fence for next time

 

there are no pavements on country roads, so it is a bit scary when big beasties like this timber lorry go thundering past

 

there is still some colour in the verges

 

this has been a very poor year for brambles, because the spring was too hot/cold/wet/dry (I can't remember which one was the cause!).  All we could find were these exceedingly poor things

 

so, did we find the abundant and ripe sloes? NO!  We did eventually find some sloes, but they were far from ripe - it is hard to pick them out, in the middle of the photo, but one of them is just turning purple

The star turn!

Last night was the first meeting of the 2015/2016 session of Abbey Quilters, so as usual I picked up Maureen and we headed over to Kelso.  After Sandra, our Chairman (you also know her as our lovely Linus Lady), welcomed us back and went through all the official stuff, it was my turn as the star turn of the evening!  I was showing the members how to make the thistle stitchery sewing kit, and had entrusted Maureen with the camera, with instructions to please take flattering photos!!

 

I seem to have accumulated a mixed bunch of photos that you haven't seen yet ...... these first ones of spider webs were taken yesterday morning when it was very damp and misty

 

then this afternoon in the garden I spotted a bud on the hellebore

 

and a tiny rose - it is not even the size of my thumbnail!

 

I bought these lily plants some weeks ago in the supermarket for a few pounds ....... what a bargain!

 

we know that summer is over when the robin reappears in the garden

 

but after "the locals" posing nicely for Anna, normal service was resumed when this sparrow would only show me his tail!

 

and a very special "to finish" ....... today the Queen became our longest reigning Monarch - and she was here in the Borders!  But I have to admit that we didn't go to see her, and I took these photos of the news report on the tv!!

A healthy breakfast!

After our indulgent dinner on Wednesday night, we had muesli with fresh strawberries and raspberries on Thursday, knowing that we would be over-indulging again later in the day!  We zoomed over to Berwick first thing, dropped the luggage of at the flat, then drove down the coast to Bamburgh.  Unfortunately the weather deteriorated, and when we got to Bamburgh it was wet and very windy.  We had planned a walk on the beach, but having walked through the dunes so that Anna could take photos of the castle, we decided to go for a cuppa, to warm up and dry out!  Knowing that we would soon be having lunch, we shared that one scone between the three of us, as we didn't want to spoil our appetites.  But we had one more stop before lunch ....... the Grace Darling Museum.  Anna was fascinated by the tale of Grace's bravery, and after we had spent some time in the Museum, we then walked along the street to find the house where she was born

 

we then drove the few miles down the coast to Seahouses, to have lunch at Pinnacles, our favourite place for fish and chips.  Because of the weather, we decided to sit in for lunch, rather than get a takeaway and eat it on the benches overlooking the harbour.  Malcolm explained the menu to Anna

 

..... she sensibly declined the offer of mushy peas

 

and we were soon tucking into the most delicious fish and chips - but we didn't eat as much as you might think from seeing the photo.   Malcolm and Anna ordered fish and chips, while I ordered only fish, then they shared their chips with me

 

when we got back to Berwick, we had a short walk round the town and the old town walls, which of course were built to keep those pesky Scots out!  Back at the flat, Anna enjoyed watching the ever-changing view from the window.  Malcolm was watching cricket on tv, and we had fun trying to explain the rules to her.  Then it was time to head over to town for ........ Malcolm's birthday dinner!  We went to Audela, as we had checked out the menu when we were in town.  We only had a main course each, having had our fish and chips at lunchtime!  The birthday boy had lobster

 

Anna had chicken ...... she wasn't too sure about the black pudding!

 

I had the most delicious lamb - and yes, I did pick up the bones at the end to make sure I had eaten every possible scrap of tender, tasty meat!

 

over dinner, we further explained the rules of cricket.  I think the man at the next table was quite entertained as I took out a notebook and we started drawing diagrams!  We walked back over the new bridge, for some last photo opportunities for Anna of the old bridge ......

 

and the railway bridge

 

the cricket was still on when we got back to the flat, and Anna was just getting the hang of things when England managed to collapse and the game was over!  All to soon it was morning, and time to take her to Berwick Station, to catch the train to London.  We had lots of fun (and lots to eat!) and hopefully next time she will be able to stay longer, and we might even have time to sit and do some sewing!

To finish, a bit of fun from the Grace Darling Museum

Lots of history ......

....... and lots of good food!  After a quiet evening on Tuesday, Wednesday saw us raring to go, to show Anna as much as possible.  We started with a stroll up the road to the church ...... but didn't get far before we had to stop to take photos of this huge flock of birds sitting on the phone wires

 

then there were sheep posing prettily - in deference to our visitor, they didn't turn and point their bottoms at her, as they do with me!!

 

and there were views to be admired

 

we headed into Hawick to visit the exhibitions at The Towerhouse.  After parking, we crossed footbridge over the River Teviot ....... I jokingly said I has asked the heron to be there - and there he was!

 

we had a brief diversion to call in to our lovely neighbours shoe shop, then we spent so long at the Towerhouse that we had to review our plans for lunch, and called into the Pickled Orange.  Anna had expressed an interest in experiencing one of our famous "scones for lunch" ....... so that is what we had, sharing a plain one, a cheese one and a cherry one (superb!!)

 

suitably fortified, we headed off to Jedburgh to visit Mary, Queen of Scots House

 

our next stop was at Abbotsford, home of Sir Walter Scott

 

we had a very special dinner on Wednesday, as we had lots to celebrate ........ we have just had our 29th Wedding Anniversary, it is ten years since Malcolm took early retirement, nine years since we moved to Hawick, and of course Anna's visit.  We started with a glass of champagne ......... Stuart and Alison gave me this bottle for Mothers Day, and I had put it away for a special occasion

 

The first course was  Scottish smoked salmon, with homemade brown bread (ok, I opened a packet of bread mix and put it in my breadmaker!)

 

we had started the next course before I remembered to take a photo!  Asparagus and broccoli soup, topped with crumbled blue cheese

 

then I forgot to take a photo of the main course - venison casserole with sage dumplings (delicious!).  So, on to the pudding.  I thought I would make cranachan, which I had never made before.  I had a look in two of my Scottish cookery books ...... the recipes were much the same, except one said to add one tablespoon of whisky, while the other one said to add six!  (and if you click on the link to look at the recipe, that one says seven tablespoons!)  I thought I would play safe and only add one spoonful, which pleased Malcolm, as I was using his best single malt!

 

 

We should have finshed with some local cheeses - but e couldn't manage another bite!  We eventually staggered off to bed, as we wanted an early start to go over to Berwick ....... and Thursday was another special day, as it was Malcolm's birthday!  I'll tell you all about it tomorrow (and explain why we only had one scone between the three of us!!)

 

 

Fast and furious fun!!

Oh my, from the moment we picked Anna up from Edinburgh Airport at 3pm on Tuesday, until we dropped her off at Berwick Station at 10am today ......... we just didn't stop!!  We started on Tuesday with a toast to our wonderful friend Meredithe, who so sadly couldn't join us, and Malcolm also filmed a short clip on Anna's phone which she sent to Meredithe, to say that we were missing her

 

we had a very busy day on Wednesday sightseeing in and around Hawick, then yesterday we came over to Berwick for another packed day ....... but the weather let us down, and as you can see from this photo of Malcolm and Anna, it was wet and windy at Bamburgh!!

 

I have got lots of photos to sort out (for some reason a lot of them seem to have food in them!!), so I will do that over the weekend, and give you a much more detailed report on Monday.  Of course there is no Friday cake as I wasn't at patch'n'chat today, but I rather think you will like this scone which we shared yesterday in The Copper Kettle Tearooms in Bamburgh.  You may think we were being a bit mean, only having one scone between the three of us, but all will be explained on Monday

 

We will be heading back to Hawick in the morning ....... and I might even get some sewing done in the afternoon!  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne