frayed at the edge

Happy birthday to .........

............  ME!!!!!

 

the day got off to a good start, with my favourite breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs

 

then lots of lovely pressies and cards

 

Malcolm gave me a super big tv for The Attic ........ and I enjoyed watching one of my favourites, Bruce Willis while I was doing some sewing this afternoon

 

of course there has to birthday cake ......... I know this one is really meant for children, but I couldn't resist it!

 

did I hear you mention candles?  I thought I had better not have one for each year of my age (29!!) in case the house burned down!

 

we had a piece of cake with our afternoon cuppa - it was delicious, light sponge, with lots of chocolate and a banana-flavoured buttercream topping

 

making my wish before I blew out the candles

 

Malcolm is taking me out for dinner this evening, and this bottle of fizz is now chilling in the fridge for when we get back home!

 

Celebrations!!

We are celebrating our wedding anniversary today ....... 31 happy years!

 

please pop back in on Thursday, not only for this month's 17UFOs in 2017 report, but also for news of another big celebration on Sunday!

Happy mail x 2!

The lovely Kelly emailed me recently to say that she had a little package for me, that she would send to arrive when we got back from Majorca.  Well ....... what a cornucopia of delights.  I can't show you everything, as some of the gifts showed where she lives, but look at the first thing out of the package ...... John Deere fabric!  I think this is going to be made into a cushion for me!

 

a postcard of Kelly's home state ....... I shall have to look for a postcard of Northumberland to send her

 

an owl bookmark, which is already tucked into a book

 

Kelly had recently been at a quilt show, where she saw this amazing quilt .........

 

........ I cannot imagine stitching so many tiny pieces of fabric together!

 

and last, but certainly not least, a bag with the cutest of owls!  Thank you so much, Kelly, for such wonderful, thoughtful gifts!!

 

then, on to the second piece of happy mail.  I'm not the only Scottish blogger called Anne ....... there is of course the wonderful Anne Lee.  In a recent post she shared with us the delightful creatures she had created with her embroidery machine, to make a mobile for her gorgeous granddaughter, Emily.  I asked her very, very nicely if she would make a sheepie for me (of course offering payment for it) ...... and she not only made it, she insisted on sending it as a gift!  Thank you so much, Anne, I just love my sheepie!   I am so lucky to have such wonderful blogging friends

 

I have lots of photos that I have taken since we got back from holiday, so here is a quick selection.  I know that Kelly will like this shadow shot, which I took last week when we were in Alnwick - yes, the lettering on the blind is a shadow, not printing!

 

we popped into our favourite café in Alnwick, The Olive Branch

 

where we shared an excellent cheese and chive scone, which came with a little pot of homemade chutney

 

Malcolm had to leave his olive tree behind when we moved, so I bought this replacement for him last week.  It looks good in its pot, sitting beside the kitchen door

 

the new garden has a lot of hedges - fortunately Malcolm inherited his Dad's electric hedge trimmer, which makes it much quicker and easier to keep the hedges looking neat

 

this pigeon was sitting on the grass, enjoying the early morning sun

 

while the blackbird was looking for something to eat

 

you know that sheepies very often turn and present their rear ends to the camera ........ and now the swans are doing it too!!

 

last Sunday we went to Eyemouth and had a walk round the harbour.  I wanted this .......

 

........ while Malcolm preferred this

 

the seal posed prettily - will I look this way

 

or that?

 

it's Friday, so of course that means cake.  As we ate lots of several one or two cakes on holiday, I thought I would share them with you over the next few Fridays.  We were delighted to discover this new little bakery/coffee shop, up a little side street in Pollensa

 

which was both quirky and stylish

 

with mismatched furniture

 

and a tiny courtyard

 

this was an amazing confection of all things strawberry ...... and of course everyone knows that cake eaten on holiday has absolutely no calories!!

 

we have been in Berwick since yesterday afternoon, and we will be heading home in the morning.  Weather permitting, Malcolm will be getting on in the garden, and I hope to get some very special sewing done - I'll tell you about it on Monday.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

A busy week!

All sorts of things have been going on this week!  On Monday, I worked on my new design wall.  I taped together two of the sturdy cardboard  boxes which the removal firm had given us, then  I called in the man with a hammer (aka, of course, Malcolm) and he nailed them to the wall

 

I then looked out this horrible grey wadding - I have had it for so long, I can't remember what I bought it for!  I also unearthed my spray adhesive

 

fortunately I had some small pieces as well, to patch in the gaps  (I haven't cut off the corner of the photo, that's the opening for the velux!)

 

next, I sprayed the wadding, and stuck the sheet which was my old design wall on to it.  It still needs tidied round the edges, but I popped a few things on to the wall - looking good!

 

yesterday morning, this crane appeared where a new house is being built

 

I popped upstairs for a better look - you can see the points of the roof trusses that the crane was lifting

 

later on, back in the kitchen, I finally captured a truss in mid-air

 

in this photo, the crane looks as if it is fishing for the orchids!

 

on Tuesday, our lovely former neighbours (the shoe shop owners) came down for a visit, and brought back our two very large house plants which they had been looking after for us.  The parliament of owls were delighted to have their home back

 

and the rubber plant obviously enjoyed its holiday, as it has put out several new leaves

 

they also brought our bay tree, which we have grown from a small cutting they gave us some years ago

 

and they brought us a present of two plants for our new garden, which Malcolm will plant this week (once we make up our minds where to put them!)

 

there are some old trees in the garden, which the previous owners told us are fruit trees.  We think they said there are two plum trees and an apple tree.  I should have googled to see which this is, but no doubt one of you more knowledgeable gardeners will tell me!!

 

we came up to Berwick this morning, and as it is Friday, of course we went out for a cuppa and cake this afternoon.  As usual we had a debate as to where we would go, and as usual we went to Café Crema!

 

Malcolm has a peppermint slice

 

and I had a fudge delight ....... both, as always, were delicious!!

 

we have had a lazy afternoon, and may be having a refreshing glass of wine this evening.  We will head back down the A1 tomorrow afternoon.  Weather permitting, Malcolm no doubt will be busy in the garden on Sunday, and I will be busy working on a project which I will be teaching at Sue's shop later in the year, so I can't show you my usual step-by-step photos!  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

Positively blooming!

Despite being moved first to the flat, and then to the new house, the orchids are doing well.  The small windowsills at the top end of the kitchen are perfect for them

 

and they are flowering away - if they are unhappy, they promptly drop all their flowers

 

the one on the left has been flowering for months (and now that I have written that, it will drop its flowers!)

 

this is one of two which have put out new flower shoots since we moved in

 

the house is gradually getting sorted out - although after I took this photo yesterday, Malcolm hung one of my big embroideries over the coffee table, so I will need to take another photo

 

we are enjoying having the coal fire burning in the evenings

 

the garden room looks good with lots of pictures on the walls

 

and the gnome brothers and sisters like sharing the couch, instead of being on separate chairs!

 

Stuart and Alison gave us the personalised door mat

 

I hung the four little pictures above our bed simply because there were four nails there!

 

the guest bedroom - with a happy Jemima and Pooh, and their little cushions

 

and there is no escape from the implements of torture!  But look on the dresser ....... there is a little tv, so we can watch the early morning news while we are working away, counteracting the calories from our cakes and scones

 

despite the dark blue tiles, the bathroom is very bright

 

and so out to the Attic.  The downstairs kitchen area is half organised

 

this is the window at the top of the stairs.  The "e" just won't sit up straight, so I think I will have to take it back to the shop where I bought it ......... in Singapore!

 

when we decided to put the black and white rugs in the garden room instead of the pink oriental one, I snaffled it for the Attic.  I also acquired the (very) old kitchen table and chairs, so that when I have friends visiting, we can sit round the pine table, and I won't have to move the sewing machines from the work tables

 

there is a bit of reorganisation to do in the storage units, but I know where most things are!

 

I will be back on Friday with the next update of 17UFOs in 2017 ........ and I actually have a little bit of sewing to share with you, despite all that has been going on this month!

A date for your diary

Today, we start with something very important! The wonderful Margaret, Queen of Appliqué, is having an exhibition of her amazing quilt tops on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th of April.  Margaret hopes to raise lots of money for her disabled grandson Harry, a talented Boccia player, who has won lots of medals.  But he receives no official funding, so has to raise money himself to go on playing.  So if you can, come along to the exhibition, enjoy Margaret's wonderful quilts, and of course you know the cakes will be fabulous!!  The exhibition is in Eckford Village Hall, and I can hear many of you wondering where that is.  If you have Satnav, the postcode is TD5 8LG .........

 

........ and if you like a proper map, this shows you where Eckford is in relation to Kelso and Jedburgh

 

if you are coming up the A697 from Northumberland, when you get to Cornhill, you can either turn left and take the lower road through Wark, or go on through Coldstream, then turn left ........ both roads will take you to Kelso, then on to Eckford.  And if you need any more persuasion to go to the exhibition, I will be there helping both days!!

 

and now for something else that is VERY important ........ this little red tractor

 

a thing of great beauty, is for sale.  Please will someone buy it for me!!

 

when we were out and about on Wednesday, we popped into the Old School Gallery in Alnmouth for a cuppa

 

there is stunning artwork ......

 

and lots of lovely things for gifts for sale

 

but shock, horror, they didn't have any scones!  So we had to make do with a very delicious piece of lime polenta cake!

 

I bought these three little cards - I think they will look good in a row in a frame

 

then yesterday, we popped over to Longframlington to see about registering with a GP.  A very helpful receptionist told us about the Practice, and gave us forms to fill in.  We then popped into the Paper Shop for our daily dose of newspapers (we both much prefer reading a proper paper to reading the news online), then into the Running Fox for a cuppa

 

some of you may recognise the building ........ yes, it is where Stitchin' Heaven was!  The inside has been completely transformed into a cafe, and through the back, a bakery

 

in the time we were there, the phone rang constantly, with people wanting to book a table for lunch - it is a very popular place.  They have an amazing breakfast menu ........ we were advised to phone up and book a table if we want to go for breakfast on a Saturday, it is so busy!

 

we shared a three cheese scone, which was DELICIOUS!!

 

not surprisingly, having been out for cuppas two days in a row, we didn't go out for a Friday cake!!  It is Mothers' Day on Sunday, so Stuart and Alison are coming down for a flying visit, arriving tomorrow afternoon, then shooting off after breakfast on Sunday, to get back for Alison to see her Mum!  It is the first time we have seen them since they got engaged, so there may be some fizz chilling in the fridge!  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

Carrying on ........

......... we have spent the last two hours watching the unfolding news of the dreadful events in London, and our thoughts are with all of those affected.  But I firmly believe that the best response to terrorists who want to destroy our way of life, and indeed our country, is to carry on. So, this isn't the light hearted post I had planned, but instead I shall share a few more photos of project "making the house our home"

This mirror was in our bedroom in the last house, but there isn't a suitable place for it in our new bedroom, so today Malcolm hung it in the hall

 

this is in the kitchen - we have had the clock for so long, I don't know how many homes it has been in!

 

it has been a miserable day, so Malcolm lit the fire mid-afternoon

 

unfortunately the ironing fairy hasn't yet received the memo telling her of my new address, so I had to spend the afternoon doing the ironing (my least favourite domestic chore!)

Connected!

Hooray, the landline and broadband were connected this morning.  We may be in a small village, but the speeds are excellent!  The unpacking continues, with not too much more to do now.  I thought I would wait until the rooms are all neat and tidy to show you photos of them, but in the meantime here are some little vignettes.  First my old washstand in the hall, with my favourite hats hanging above

 

the space between the front door and the downstairs loo is just the right size for this table

 

half way up the stairs, the Wayang puppets (from Indonesia) are looking imperious

 

we are looking forward to getting some coal for the fire

 

the garden room has changed since you saw it - we lifted the pink rug, and instead put down these black and white rugs which we bought in Habitat way back at the end of the 80s!

 

just the right size for the dining table to sit on it

 

I took this photo this afternoon with the big lens.  This is the view in the distance from the kitchen window - yes, that deeper blue band in the middle of the photo is the sea!

 

of course we have to have the occasional break from all the hard work, so yesterday morning we headed to Heighley Gate Garden Centre, where we shared this magnificent cheese and sun dried tomato scone!

A day off!

As we don't yet have a broadband connection at the new house (it's scheduled for Monday), we have popped up to the flat to catch up on a million emails!! So of course that also means I can do a quick post!  This was the very last thing being unloaded - one of our sofas

 

they were trying to tell me that I had to pay them models' rates to take their photo ........ to which I replied that sadly they just weren't pretty enough to be models, which caused a great deal of laughter!

 

boxes here .......

 

boxes there ..........

 

boxes everywhere!!

 

my coaster aptly described my state!

 

Stuart and Alison had given me this bottle of champagne for Christmas, and I had put it away, to be drunk on our first night in the new house

 

I even found these beautiful champagne flutes, which Stuart and Alison gave us for our Silver Wedding

 

on Wednesday, it didn't take long to sort out the furniture in the garden room.  We brought all this furniture back from Indonesia, and this is the first time we have had it all in one room - I love it!

 

I was doggedly unpacking boxes in the kitchen after lunch, when Malcolm appeared and suggested that we walked along to Nelson's Café for a cuppa ....... I had my jacket on before he had finished speaking!

 

ten minutes later, we arrived at the café, which you can read about here

 

there is an eclectic mix of furniture

 

and some lovely gifts to buy

 

Malcolm as always had coffee

 

and I had tea

 

and we shared an amazing brownie

 

it has been nice having the day off from unpacking boxes, but we are looking forward to getting the rest unpacked and the house turned into a home!  I don't think the forecast is very good for the weekend, but hopefully we will get out for a walk.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

Our new home!

All went well yesterday, and just after lunch we took possession of our new home in the small village of Swarland

 

as well as the house, there is a double garage.  But where does the door at the back of the garage go?

 

going in the door, there is a small hall

 

which leads to a very small kitchen

 

and to the left as you go into the hall, there is a toilet (yes, the toilet seat is sparkly!!)

 

and moving the camera to the right, what is this - a very smart shower

 

next, where do these stairs go?

 

yes, dear peeps, this is my wonderful new studio!!

 

I have decided to call it Anne's Attic (although that has caused a few grumbles from Malcolm, as he will be required to make a new sign!!)

 

so I can spend the whole day sewing, only having to go back to the house for my dinner - there may have been threats from Malcolm to install a bed, so I could just live out there, and he could have the whole house to himself!!  Our goods and chattels are being delivered on Monday and Tuesday, so next week I will be very busy unpacking boxes.  But I will be back as soon as I can with some phots of inside the house.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend, love Anne