frayed at the edge

It's very tiring .......

........ being a lamb!

 

and it can be quite tiring too, being a horse

 

but donkeys are made of sterner stuff!

Sunshine and showers

Yesterday we drove a few miles along the coast to Alcudia.  After strolling round the town, we of course went for a cuppa, sitting out in a lovely courtyard

I had trouble taking photos of the cakes, but did better with this photo of our lunch

it was raining when we got up this morning

so no 20 lengths of the pool

but the rain did go off for a while, and we went into town for a cuppa, and I managed to take a photo of my cake

sorry for the wonky spacing and any typos, but I can't persuade the Kindle to let me proof read/edit the post

 

Gratitude

One morning last week, I rescued a butterfly which was trapped in a spider's web in the garage.  It showed its gratitude by coming back in the afternoon and posing on the new planter in the front garden

 

but this bee wasn't so co-operative - you can only just see it below the big leaf

 

Relaxing!

After the problems I had last year using the Hudl, I thought I would try using the Kindle, and so far so good - this is our villa, which we are very pleased with.  We have just had lunch and Malcolm is already lying by the pool, reading, while I post this.  Hopefully I'll be back on Thursday with more photos!

Majorca

While on holiday, we may have a cake or two

 

delicious tapas

 

and even some healthy fruit

 

and we will enjoy scenery like this!

A few clues .......

....... to what my news is.  First (this photo is for Meredithe) some snazzy new summer shoes (bought, of course, from our lovely neighbours' shoe shop)

 

books to read and music to listen to

 

box sets to watch in the evening, while enjoying a glass (or two) of wine

 

now, this is a big clue ...... a new swimsuit and a bottle of lotion

 

have you guessed?  Yes, we are off on Sunday to Majorca for our annual 3-week holiday!!

 

we may have to go for pizzas one evening!

 

but worry not, dear peeps, you won't have to do without out me for three weeks, as I have scheduled posts to appear on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and I might even pop in on Tuesdays and Thursdays to let you know what we are getting up to!  Please do still leave comments, as I enjoy hearing from you - although I may not reply to you until we are back home.

I hope you all have a good weekend, although the forecast isn't good - there is even talk of snow for the London Marathon on Sunday!   Love Anne 

 

 

 

The sun shone .......

....... yesterday, when I was taking photos out in the garden.  First, the spikes of a hosta just coming through

 

the dark hellebore has finally flowered

 

the early clematis just about to flower

 

and this one in a pot on the deck isn't far behind 

 

new growth on the climber on the back wall of the house

 

strong growth on the poppy

 

a splash of colour from the forsythia

 

the protective fleece has been taken off the olive, which is looking quite healthy

 

the herbs are thriving in their pot

 

I gave Malcolm this quirky little owl some years ago

 

looking across the deck

 

Malcolm had just cut the grass - the chair and beehive that he made are looking good under the pergola

 

he had also cut the front grass

 

he has been working hard tidying the garden

 

this area is for the birds, with several feeders, the bird bath, and lots of places for them to perch

 

I have something special to tell you tomorrow, do pop in to find out what it is!

 

Our Sunday walk

This post has to start with a confession!  When we went out on Sunday morning to buy the papers, not knowing that we would be having lunch at the Town Hall do, we popped into the garden centre for a cuppa, and shared a delicious cheese scone.  So having then had our lovely buffet, Malcolm suggested that we should walk round the town walls to work off all those calories, before heading back to the flat.  Good idea - except for one small detail ....... I had on high-heeled boots, and I knew that there was no way that I could walk that far in them!  So we went back to the flat, I changed my footwear, and we headed back to town.  That meant we had already walked a mile before we started the walk

 

the "for sale" sign has gone from the "money pit" house ....... I will be very disappointed if it has been sold, as I had a grand plan to turn it into a luxurious quilting retreat .......

 

while I was looking up, capturing architectural details .........

 

........ Malcolm was looking out to sea.  He gave me a shout when he saw this little boat capsize, with the sailor struggling to right it

 

fortunately help was at hand

 

and he was soon under way again

 

this chimney is all that remains of a factory that made fertiliser from fish guts!

 

I had fun playing with this view, first focussing on the houses in the distance

 

then focussing on the wall

 

while this pigeon kept an eye on me

 

of course we have to have a photo of the lighthouse

 

the allotments looking good in the afternoon sun

 

and of course I have to have an arty shot

 

this thrush just wouldn't cooperate and face the camera

 

as we ended our walk round the walls, we paused to look down Marygate to the Town Hall

 

you can't see the old bridge behind the new bridge from this angle

 

but it came back into view as we walked under the new bridge

 

to finish - maybe it was as well that the wool shop was closed when we passed it, or I might have bought the pattern and yarns for these delightful tea cosies!

Celebrating 900 years

 We were delighted to be invited to an event in Berwick Town Hall on Sunday........

 

we avoided leaving finger prints on the beautifully polished brass lock

 

and went in to meet up with the other people who were involved in the various events last year to celebrate Berwick's 900th anniversary.  When we arrived, we were presented with this booklet about the town's timeline

 

if you look at the flags flying over the castle, you will see how often the town changed hands!

 

we also received a copy of this informative booklet about salmon fishing - you will recognise the boats as the ones I recently posted  a photo of

 

there were lots of information boards to read

 

and the full timeline to read

 

I was delighted to see that this photo included my wallhanging

 

and this one my three driftwood fish pictures

 

we had a glass of wine when we arrived, then after the speeches we had a buffet lunch, with another glass of wine.  I didn't take a photo of the sandwiches, sausage rolls etc, but took one of my strawberry tart and piece of rocky road!

 

in the afternoon, we went for a long walk, which I will share with you tomorrow. To complete an enjoyable day, I treated us to this bottle of wine to have with dinner.  I summoned up all my expert knowledge to help me choose which wine to buy ....... yes, this one had the best label!

 

ps - I often mention our lovely neighbours, the shoe shop owners ....... you can find their wonderful shop here

A windy walk

When we woke up on Saturday, the sun was shining and the sky was blue.  But by the time we walked over to town for breakfast, the sky was grey and it was raining!  But fortunately the rain didn't last, although it was still somewhat windy, so we headed out for a walk after lunch.  We decided to walk along the other side of the river, along the Riverside Walk

 

the old and new bridges, with the river on  my left, rather than the usual right

 

 

the rail bridge looking magnificent in the sun

 

I took this photo from under the bridge, where the wind was much stronger, making it hard to keep the camera steady.  In the end I rested the camera on Malcolm's shoulder, but as he was being buffeted by the wind, it took a while to get the camera steady enough to snap the driftwood boat on the other bank

 

we didn't walk any further along the bank, as the path became rather muddy, and as we turned back I took this photo looking over to the town, with the rowing club on the river, and the clock tower on the skyline 

 

the start (or is it the end?) of the railway bridge

 

although there is another small section of bridge further along the line, where it crosses the road.  The train on the bridge, and the car on the road give you the scale of its construction

 

back at the flat, I was entertained by some swans, which seemed to have found something tasty to eat on this sandbank out on the river

 

while this man seemed to find the lobster pots fascinating

 

we had a lovely sunset 

 

I'll be back tomorrow to tell you about a very special invitation that we received to an event yesterday, and to finish - sometimes it can be tiring being a swan ..........

 

and all you want to do is tuck your head under your wing and have a sleep!