frayed at the edge

All sorts!

We had a walk on the beach yesterday, and as always there were things of interest for photos

 

rocks covered in seaweed

 

the tide coming in

 

further along the beach, the rocks and weed are tinted red by iron

 

is this a monster lurking under the sand, ready to bite an ankle?

 

this morning I spotted this shaggy dog on the dock - he belongs to the skipper of one of the fishing boats

 

the tide was out, and these swans on the mudbank just outside the dock were busy preening

 

Malcolm spotted this chap, paddling into the dock

 

the swans were most upset, and headed for the top corner .......

 

but then decided to leave, as the chap filmed them

 

they were at full speed to get away from him

 

I couldn't decide if he was wearing a kilt, or had a tartan blanket wrapped round his nether regions!

 

this afternoon we walked over to town, admiring these hanging baskets

 

this crop of sunflowers is growing in one of the allotments

 

just as pretty are these weeds growing on top of walls

 

 

what would gulls do without chimneys to perch on .......

 

.... or use as a lookout point

 

it was very hazy looking over to the lighthouse - this almost looks like a painting

 

when we were doing a bit of shopping, I asked if I could take a photo of this piece of old floor

 

I shall have to have a look in my stash for suitable fabrics to make a quilt!

 

back at the flat, the black swan had reappeared in the dock, after being absent for a while

 

and the seal popped his head out of the water to say hello

 

just before dinner, one of the fishing boats headed out of the dock - you can just see some swans hastily getting out of the way

 

and so to the Friday cake.  Malcolm has a peppermint slice

 

and I had a liquorice allsorts slice ....... I know that sounds very strange, and probably half of you are going, oh no that sounds horrible, while the other half are going yum yum!!  I thought it was delicious ...... but then, I love liquorice allsorts (and chocolate!)

 

the forecast for tomorrow is good, so no doubt we will be out and about, then we will head back home on Sunday.  I hope you have a great weekend, love Anne

A lot of walking!

We went for a walk on the beach on Thursday afternoon, and as always the camera went too.  Nature is slowly reclaiming this tree root, which was left on the beach after the winter storms

 

 

it wasn't me!  Someone else had built a little stone stack

 

this daft dog dug a hole and buried his ball

 

then dug it up again.  I caught him just as he leapt out of the hole

 

I read a bit in the paper at the start of the school holidays about how many hundreds of pounds parents might spend to entertain their children.  Well, here is something to do that is good fun ...... and it's FREE!  Let them loose on the beach to see what objects they can find, then get them to take photos

 

and can they find objects that look like strange animals

 

with pointed noses

 

and funny eyes ....... ok, perhaps I am easily entertained, but I had fun!

 

this sandbar was formed after the winter storms, and it is slowly getting bigger

 

I think I find another interesting bit of old groyne every time we walk on the beach

 

and we have to have a rusty bolt!

 

do you recognise this logo?

 

it is on this enormous Goodyear tyre

 

a welcome end to an enjoyable afternoon

 

then on Friday, we walked over to town.  These swans were down on the riverside at the start of the old bridge

 

with their friend the goose, who was keeping an eye on me

 

as we walked on over the bridge, this RIB appeared, and we watched in astonishment as one of the crew jumped overboard

 

the boat circled round him

 

then he was left to haul himself back on board.  But when it was turned this way we could see it was a fire and rescue boat, so we guessed that it was a training exercise

 

after we had enjoyed our cuppa and tarts, we walked on through the town, past the railway station, and then down through the park to the river.  If you look to the left of the bench, you will see a very large rabbit sitting on the grass

 

part of the Castle ruins

 

and another part of the ruins - I really just took these two photos to show off the beautiful blue sky!

 

Captain Donald, setting off on a voyage of discovery?

 

the train gives the scale of the railway bridge, and you can see how it dwarfs the other two bridges

 

This pretty flower is  called  scabious.   According to my wildflower book, it was used to cure skin complaints, in particular scabies, hence the name.  It was also used to treat coughs, lung complaints and dandruff!!

 

having walked past the railway bridge, there was a good view of the old bridge through the new bridge

 

and turning round, a good view of the railway bridge, complete with its reflection in the river

 

as we walked back over the old bridge, we saw some men getting ready to put out their fishing net

 

knowing that this method of fishing has been going on for many, many years, I switched to B&W - it looks just like the old photos you see of the fishermen

 

on Saturday, we went for another walk on the beach ........ and I found a little wooden fish in the sand!

 

a rather rusty fishing boat, heading into the dock

 

the tide was in, so we couldn't walk along to the other stretch of the beach

 

we had to beat a hasty retreat to the car when there was a short sharp shower!

 

but then the sun came back out, and we were able to complete our walk.  Sometimes when you pick up a piece of china, you hold your breath ......

 

....... as you turn it over to see if it has a pattern on the other side

 

the bow wave in the middle of the photo is from a rather weird boat ........ the bottom was like a speed boat, but with a wheelhouse like a fishing boat.  It was going at a tremendous speed - scary stuff!

 

to finish - I did my nails on Saturday ...... and for fun I painted one silver!

 

Sand between my toes!

 I know that I promised you some sewing for today, but that has been bumped to tomorrow!  Instead, join us on the beach for some blue skies, sunshine and fun

 

this is the busiest we have seen the beach, in the two years that we have had the flat

 

Malcolm was wondering why this little dog was sitting so attentively beside him ......... then his owner called over that he was waiting for Malcolm to throw a stone for him, which he obligingly did

 

I didn't throw a stone, so I was ignored

 

gnarly wood, rusty metal and deep shadows - all you need in a photo (well, perhaps Tom Hiddleston might improve it!?)

 

I wasn't really looking for any, but you can't help but pick up sea glass when you see it

 

we walked up on to the promenade, and headed to the café

 

and enjoyed a cuppa sitting in the sun

 

oops ....... when we walked back along the beach the tide had come in, which meant that Malcolm had to scramble over the rocks

 

but I just took my shoes off!

 

do you think it's cold?

 

just slightly chilly?

 

yes it was ....... but it is the first time in many, many years that I have gone for a paddle!

 

while Malcolm had the camera, he decided to take a couple of arty photos

 

he couldn't decide which he preferred, so I have included both of them

 

when I got the camera back, I had an arty moment as well

 

I prefer getting in close for my arty photos

 

as I did with ........

 

........ these two delicate dandelion clocks

 

perhaps if we had more grass I might have pinched this mower, left on a trailer at the side of the road!  (not that I cut the grass any more, since Malcolm retired he has taken over as head gardener)

 

back at the flat, there were dozens of swans in the dock - so many that I couldn't get them all in the photo

Bankrupt!!

Oh my, the phone woes continue!   Briefly we can receive calls and use the broadband, but we can't make calls.  We spent (literally) hours on the (mobile) phone and online, trying to get it sorted.  When I got to the point of shouting at people, Malcolm would take over, and vice versa ........ and at one time I was on the landline (they had phoned me) and Malcolm was on the mobile.  An engineer was supposed to visit this morning ........ and I'm not going to bore you with the rest of the sorry tale, but I am now bankrupt from putting money in the swear box!!

 

So, on with yesterday's post!  On Saturday, we took a run back up over the Border to North Berwick.  There were lots of little boats in the harbour

 

and all sorts of boats out on the water - paddling

sailing

 

motoring out to their yacht

 

but I turned down Malcolm's offer of a trip on this boat and not just because it meant getting dressed up in very unflattering yellow and blue survival suits

 

now that's my kind of boat - I would quite happily sit in it watching the world go by, safe on dry land

 

I also declined to cross this bridge and go up the rickety stairs

 

but I was happy with the view from where I was, looking out at the Bass Rock

 

and this view is for Anne Lee - yes, Anne, the sun always shines on Fife!!

 

it would have been nice to sit at one of these quirky tables, made with lobster pots, but we thought lobster was just a little bit too fancy for Saturday lunch

 

so instead we headed to the Seabird Centre, pausing on the way in to admire the sculptures

 

we sat outside on the balcony to have our lunch, watched by this cheeky chappy

 

traditional lentil soup, with bread and butter - delicious

 

there was someone else keeping an eye on us as we ate

 

his beak would have made short work of the bread!

 

our next stop was at the remains of the old church

 

the front of the porch

 

and the back

 

the remains of an old gravestone

 

you can just make out some of the words

 

I was rather startled by this little green man

 

before I realised that he was a sculpture

 

the next two photos are for my mad quilting friends The Squealers, perhaps you can guess where they live

 

as for the name of this street, you can just imagine the road-naming committee sitting having a great discussion as to what to call it ....... then settling for the obvious  (if you can't read the sign, it says ........ Bank Street!)

 

rather worn tiles in the entrance to a shop - a quilting design perhaps?

 

we walked back along the beach ........ it is addictive, picking up interesting bits and bobs

 

what a lovely seat - if only I could have one like this in the garden

 

another little green man

 

click on the photo to enlarge it, to help read the plaque

 

and of course we have to finish with the wonderful Andy, who played the most amazing tennis to win his second Wimbledon title - I didn't need to shout at him at all!!

 

it's mine, all mine!!

All sorts!

 We came over to the flat at lunchtime, to find there was a ship in the dock

 

it was being loaded with what we think is rape seed

 

I want one of these!!

 

after lunch, we headed for the beach.  The sun was shining, and there was a queue at the ice cream van!

 

the holidaymakers were making the most of the better weather

 

with this brave chap actually going for a swim in the chilly water

 

blue sky!

 

although it was still hazy looking into the distance at Bamburgh Castle

 

and there was enough wind offshore for this yacht

 

oh dear, there is no escape from crabs on the beach!

 

after a good long walk, we enjoyed a cuppa sitting in the sunshine, watching the world go by

 

although we both enjoy cooking, sometimes it is nice to let someone else do all the hard work, so this morning we popped into a well known supermarket, and bought one of their "meal deals".  All this for £10!

 

did I hear you say you wanted a close-up of the pudding?

 

after tucking into the short ribs, which we had with mashed potato, we shared a tart with some fresh strawberries.  The food was delicious, and we couldn't have cooked it and bought a bottle of wine for £10 (we might just open the wine later when we are watching the other football semi-final).  I was hoarse last night shouting at Andy Murray, who put us through torment before he won, and cheering on Wales, but to no avail, as they were beaten

 

we had just finished dinner, when there was activity in the dock, and the pilot boat headed out

 

followed by the ship

 

the swans were glad to have the dock to themselves again!

At the end rainbow ........

Woohoo, Wales won on Friday night, and just as the final whistle blew, this rainbow appeared ........  perhaps instead of a pot of gold at the end of it, the Cup is waiting for them!

 

when we were over in Berwick on Saturday morning, Malcolm noticed these poppies growing on a derelict building site

 

a riot of colour

 

I've never seen poppies this colour

 

yet another view of the three bridges - you can just see the new bridge through the left hand arch, and the railway bridge through the right hand one

 

it's hard work keeping your feathers neat and tidy - the swans spend a lot of time preening, spreading oil along their feathers

 

but what has got these swans in a flap?

 

one of the little fishing boats coming back into the dock

 

we also had a visit from the seal

 

who was tucking into a fish

 

yesterday we went a short way down the coast to Cocklawburn beach for a walk - I'll share the photos with you tomorrow.  After our walk, of course we went for some sconnage, calling in here

 

Malcolm ordered a cheese scone

 

and I ordered a fruit scone, then of course we had half each!

 

that was going to be the end of the post, but when we got home this morning, as I was unpacking the bags, Malcolm went out into the back garden.  He came back in and said to come out and bring the camera.  Look at the tree, he said

 

some of the branches were bare.  Why? 

 

if you don't like caterpillars, don't look at the next two photos - the tree was covered in lots of these little beasties

 

which sadly are no more, but have been dispatched to caterpillar heaven!

An early walk

As we knew the forecast was for rain later in the day, we headed to the beach not long after breakfast.  I immediately got side tracked by this dainty plant, growing in the sand

 

the clouds were mostly high and wispy

 

I was taking a photo of the clouds, then realised that I had also captured two dogs playing in the water

 

but what was this ........ had Nessie popped down to Berwick for a holiday?  No, it was just a tyre left on the beach after the winter storms

 

there was nothing inside this crab shell - but its little eyes were still sticking out!

 

a swan feather, with my foot in my snazzy summer shoes

 

great minds thinking alike - I was about to take this photo when Malcolm said ...... that's a good shot with the wood and stones

 

every time we are on the beach, I see something else of interest in the remains of the wooden groynes which were uncovered when the sand shifted in the winter storms

 

in the few months that they have been uncovered, some of them have become covered in weeds

 

with the old bolts and metal plates getting rustier

 

I can see a monster's face in this one!

 

the weed on this bit has grown round the knot in the wood

 

I always find something to pick up on the beach, with a view to making something with it.  But after looking at this piece, I decided to leave it on the sand

 

but I kept these little bits and bobs

 

back at the flat, we were sitting reading the papers after lunch, when we saw there was a bit of a commotion just outside the dock, involving one of the fishing boats, and a yacht which had been moored in the dock overnight.  Eventually the fishing boat towed the yacht into the dock

 

using a length of rope which didn't really look up to the job!

 

safely back in the dock to sort out the problem

 

the rescue operation was supervised by the chap on the right - he usually is in charge of the pilot boat, so I guess he was on hand to help out

 

yesterday evening I was taking photos of some swans leaving the dock, when the ones at the front about turned ....... you can just see two men rowing up the river, which had disturbed them

 

all the swans then made for the far corner

 

then this afternoon, not only did a lot of swans come gliding in, but they were accompanied by a lot of geese

 

I wonder if they realise they are different?

 

and of course to finish, we have the Friday cake.  We went to Café Crema, where Malcolm had a strawberry and white chocolate muffin

 

while I had a Mars Bar crispy cake - delicious (I gave Malcolm the bit on the left that had white chocolate on it!)

 

at the moment we are watching the tennis at Wimbledon, then this evening there is football, with my other team, Wales, playing in the quarter finals (we won't mention England's ignominious exit on Monday!!)  Whether you are indoors watching sport, or out and about, enjoy your weekend, love Anne

 

Swans and boats

There are a great many swans about at the moment.  In the dock ..........

 

where there is a lot of weed for them to eat

 

and on our last two visits to the flat, there has been a black swan

 

they aren't native to Britain, so I don't know where this one has come from

 

out in the river, you can just see a line of them at the water's edge

 

and more further down the river

 

and looking the other way, they are right up under the bridges

 

in the dock, there was a shimmering reflection of the pilot boat

 

this boat, which is tied up in the far corner of the dock, is tiny

 

one of the fishing boats, returning from a trip

 

we passed this one yesterday, when we walked along to the beach

 

this little one sits under the dock at the lifeboat station

 

I do like a bit of blue sky behind an old chimney

 

Malcolm spotted this piece of ragged rope caught in a gnarly post

 

every time we go to the beach, I find another interesting piece of groyne for a photo

 

this little lump would look good in the garden, but I suspect it is like an iceberg, with far more below the sand

 

walking back from the beach, we saw yet more swans!

 

various lorries park on the dockside overnight, and last night these two car transporters appeared, laden with brand new Mercedes.  Malcolm reckoned there was £500,000 worth of cars ....... do you think they would have missed just one little one?

 

to finish, two sweet treats.  First, a bowl of delicious Scottish strawberries - possibly the best strawberries in the entire world

 

and second, the delectable Tom Hiddleston.  If you haven't seen him in the Night Manager, you have missed a treat (and I don't mean the scene in which you saw his bare bum) ........ it's an excellent story, and some of it was filmed in Majorca, with stunning scenery

photo by Mona Kuhn for W Magazine

Viking gold?

We headed to the beach on Thursday, so that Malcolm could play with use the metal detector that Stuart and Alison gave him for his birthday Do you like the cute spade I bought for him to go with it?!)

 

would we find a treasure trove of Viking gold?  Well, there wasn't any hidden under this plant

 

and these bleached tree trunks didn't mark the spot

 

this teeny tiny (dead) crab hadn't swallowed any

 

and this large crab shell was empty

 

Malcolm soldiered on - yes that's him away in the distance

 

finally, some beeps ...... but it was only a rusty old bolt

 

if this slimy green sea monster knew where the treasure was, it wasn't telling us

 

I got a bit fed up and wandered off to investigate these two feathers.  Given their size, I think they must be swan feathers

 

another plant growing in the sand, but still no treasure - not even a bottle top!

 

a quick photo of the lighthouse - you know that there must always be one 

 

we decided to give up and go up to the cafe for a cuppa ....... and just as we stepped on to the ramp up to the promenade ........ beep, beep, beep.  But no matter how carefully we looked through the sand, we couldn't find anything!  In the end we decided that it was the re-bar in the concrete that the detector was picking up.  Never mind, we had fun and will try again another day!

 

no teapot, milk jug or dainty china cup and saucer  ....... but sitting in the sun made up for that

 

a seagull hoping in vain for some food

 

so no treasure, but at least as we walked along the path above the beach, I found an arty photo!

 

yesterday morning, we headed up to Selkirk, to the Waterwheel Cafe

 

it's a while since we indulged in a two-scone lunch!  (that's half each, not two each)

 

the rain had gone off when we came out of the cafe, so we decided to go for a walk along the mill lade, pausing to admire this stunning group of rhododendrons 

 

the path has been upgraded, in conjunction with new flood defences, and Malcolm was very impressed with this wooden construction

 

when the water is low like this, it is hard to imagine that it would come up over the bank - the new wall on the right is to protect the fields from floodwaters

 

although only the tops of the walls are curved, this reminded me of the ruined building with the rounds walls that we saw recently - perhaps it looked something like this?

 

we could here fast-flowing water ahead, but didn't expect quite this much to be flowing into the lade

 

another stretch of the new flood defences - the owners of the row of houses must be delighted to be protected, after the dreadful winter floods

 

 a sturdy new bridge over the lade - again Malcolm had to pause to admire its construction ....... perhaps I should get him a job with a wooden-bridge-building company? 

 

by the time we walked back to the cafe, we reckoned we had covered about two and a half-miles, so we must have burned off some of the sconnage!  To finish, another of my arty photos - a clump of snow-in-summer growing out of a wall

 

back tomorrow with some sewing

Dodging the seagulls!

As we walked out to the harbour entrance, I was somewhat concerned by the the large number of seagulls wheeling about.   As it is breeding season, they were very vocal about anyone getting too close

 

every little edge seemed to have at least one gull on it

 

and yes, even gulls turn their rears to the camera

 

despite the signs telling you not to feed the gulls, you do see people throwing food to them.  Unfortunately, the gulls then associate humans with food, and they then swoop down to steal food.  When you see the size of their beaks ....... do you really want them to peck at you to steal your fish and chips?!

 

as we left the harbour, I did consider taking the JCB for a joyride!

 

and I could have used it to scoop up these lovely rusty items, which were sitting outside a little engineering firm

 

approaching this little church, we thought that it was very plain

 

but when we got close enough to read this plaque, we understood why it was unadorned

 

I misread this pub sign as Black Angus, which made me smile, as my late Dad was called Angus ....... I had a picture of him riding a horse in a dress .........

 

I remember being sent to the ironmonger's shop with a blue metal can to buy paraffin when I was barely big enough to carry the can home!  I think these days it will be illegal to sell paraffin to a child

 

never mind the coffee, just give me the chocolate

 

what a wonderful name for a greengrocers!

 

on our way out of Dunbar, we popped into the Garden Centre, which is claimed to be Scotland's newest garden centre

 

purely for research purposes, we shared a pot of tea in the very smart coffee shop.  It is light and airy, the service was friendly and efficient, and the dishes that other customers were eating all looked excellent.  It was hard to resist the tempting display of cakes - but that just gives us an excuse to go back to sample them!

 

there is a large, well-stocked plant area outside

 

and we liked what they had done with these two old canoes, using the one at the front as a planter, and turning the one at the back into a garden bench

 

again, we have made the sacrifice to go out and eat cake on a Friday!  Malcolm had a mint chocolate brownie

 

and I had a ginger chocolate brownie ....... we then walked the very long way round town and back to the flat, to use up some of the calories!

 

we will be heading back to Hawick in the morning, after a very enjoyable few days in Berwick, so I hope to spend some time in the studio on Saturday and Sunday getting on with my entries for the exhibition.  I'll be back on Monday with the tale of what Malcolm was doing on the beach yesterday!   I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne