frayed at the edge

Spring is just round the corner ......

...... if these plants have their way!

 

first, a little primrose, just starting to flower

 

 

the first daffodil, just peeking through in a pot

 

But before spring arrives, unfortunately we still have to get through the winter, although we will have the winter-flowering jasmine beside the front door to cheer us up

 

Yesterday was a thoroughly miserable day, with rain and sleet - although fortunately the snow which was forecast didn't arrive!  We went to the Mayfield Garden Centre in Kelso for a bacon roll for breakfast, then had a look round their new craft department.  I bought this rather large ball of Aran ..... it's 75% acrylic and 25% wool, so will be ideal to knit some more of the small shawls I knitted recently

 

 

We then went on to the garden centre at Floors Castle, where I found this chilli plant considerably reduced in price (and I already had a matching pot to put it in!)

 

 

Malcolm treated me to this gorgeous beaded ribbon - I think it will feature in our Christmas decorations

 

 

You know that I like to take quirky photos ...... I have printed out three photos that I took on holiday, and have made them into cards .....

 

 

 

 

Now that I am making up the gnomes I have started another little knitting project, using gorgeous wool from my friend Helen .... can you guess what it is going to be?

 

 

While I was taking my photos, there was someone keeping an eye on me ...... but he was too shy to come out to see you - he says he has to wait for his two big brothers to join him!!

 

this is Olaf Gnome - I wonder what his brothers are called?

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

Shadow Shot Sunday

 

 

On Thursday, the rain finally stopped and the sun came out .... hooray!!  Of course that meant I could head out with the camera to bag some Shadow Shots - I hope you like them!!

 

windswept horses

 

 

long shadows in the old graveyard

 

 

sunshine and shadows on the Minto Hills

 

 

shadows and reflections in a flooded field

 

 

low winter sun through the trees

 

Lots more Shadow Shots over at Hey Harriet - do pop over ..... especially as I made it into the collage again!!

 

Blowing away the cobwebs!

The rain finally stopped and the sun came out, although it is still very windy (but we don't mind, as it is helping to dry us out!!)  I went for a walk after lunch and by the time I got back home, the cobwebs had been well and truly blown away!!  Everything looked clean and sparkly after so much rain and I took lots of photos. I am keeping some of them for Sunday as they are good Shadow Shots, but here is a selection of the others ......

 

a clean and fluffy sheep after all the rain!!

 

 

the Minto Hills in the sunshine

 

 

Ruberslaw, also bathed in sun

 

 

I know you've seen it before, but I love this tree!!

 

 

the damp conditions are ideal for mushrooms!

 

 

the rose on the pergola refuses to believe that it's winter!

 

When I got home, I took off my boots at the back door, and as I walked through to the kitchen to make a reviving mug of hot chocolate ......

 

oh the embarrassment - a hole in the toe of my sock!!

 

Tomorrow, we will gather with family and friends to say our last goodbyes to Malcolm's Dad.  Of course there will be lots of tears, but I am sure there will be laughter as well, when we talk of our memories ... like the time I was demolishing a cupboard for him, to allow for new central heating to be installed.  When a batten on the wall proved to be somewhat stubborn to remove, I did what any sensible person would do ... I hit it very hard with a large hammer!!  He laughed about the day for years!!  I just want to say a last thankyou to everyone who left comments or e-mailed.  It is a comfort at such a sad time to know that so many people have been thinking of us.

 

 

 

 

Another one bites the dust!

Hooray - it may have taken a long time, but finally today I finished the zebra cushions for Stuart!  It's so good to cross another thing off the to-do list.

 

 posed on my favourite chair!

 

 

I like the effect of the faux chenille

 

I used the same fabric as the binding on the opening on the back

 

Next on the agenda is to finish the gnomes - hopefully next time you see this ........

 

....... it will have been transformed into three Christmas gnomes!
   

 

Tuesday Treasures

This week's treasure is a mixture of lovely memories and a souvenir of our first holiday.  In 1984, Malcolm had earned some extra money at work and we booked a last minute holiday to Corfu.  Stuart was five, going on six, and was just coming to the end of his first year at school (back then it wasn't a crime to take him out of school for a holiday!)

 

I'd forgotten how blond he was at that age!!

 

 

enjoying the evening sun in their matching flip flops

 

Stuart wanted to buy a present for Malcolm, and after much debate, finally chose this bottle opener, which is still in use today!  There are two photos, as it is decorated on both sides ...... I think it's wonderful that someone made so much effort to make a small practical item a work of art!!

 

for some reason I think this is the 'right side' ......

 

 

...... and this the 'wrong side' - what do you think?

 

Thank goodness for archives!

We have been away all day, helping with the arrangements for Malcolm's Dad's funeral, so I haven't taken any photos.

So. it was into the archives for some photos of a walk round Hawick two weeks ago, when the sun was shining!!

 

this may look like part of a French chateau, but it is the Town Hall

 

 

I have no idea why this anvil is here!

 

 

abandoned steps down to the river

 

 

we got back home to discover these two beauties had moved into the field across the road - they have been entertaining us with their antics!

 

Shadow Shot Sunday

 

 

 

It's still raining here, so it's into the archives for a photo - one with lovely, lovely sunshine as well as shadows!

 

I told Malcolm not to stand on the garden!!

(the Botanic Gardens in Sydney)

 

As ever, visit Hey Harriet to see more Shadow Shots.  Hopefully the rain will go off and I'll be able to take some shadow shots this week!!

 

It's raining again!!

The weather really has been miserable, and one of the casualties was my bird table, which was blown over and suffered abroken leg.  This little robin was very unhappy this morning, as he can't quite manage to use the fat-ball feeder!!

 

 

This afternoon, however, was considerably brighter (except for the pouring rain!), when I went down to Chesters for the Christmas Fair.  First stop was at Lindsay's stall

 

can't tell you what I bought (it's for Malcolm's Christmas!)

 

 

Fiona's lovely felted things (again, I can't tell you what I bought!)

 

 

Alison's lovely kitchen accessories - I bought a towel to match the chef's pad that I bought from her at the last Woolgathering

 

 

Janet and her wonderful fabric creations

 

 

gorgeous jewellery from 'Beautiful Beaders'

 

 

Lorraine with her delicious Christmas goodies - beautifully iced cakes, jams, chutneys ..... and her award winning speciality, marzipan petit fours.  I don't like marzipan, which has presented a problem in the past when it comes to decorating the Christmas cake, but that has been now been solved!  I only put icing on the cake, then put the lovely marzipan fruits on the top, so that Malcolm can have some marzipan with his cake.  Did you notice the crutches beside Lorraine?  She went over on her ankle last week and has damaged the ligaments in her foot - which is a bit of a hindrance at this busy time of year!!

Hope to see you tomorrow for Shadow Shot Sunday - but after the weather of the last few days, I think it will be some archive shots!!

 

Does anyone know where Noah is .....

..... because we could do with building another ark!!  We have had rain, rain and more rain, and although we haven't been as badly hit as some towns, there has been some flooding.  I took these photos this morning, when the river had gone back down quite a bit, but some of them show just how high the water got.

 

the river here is feet deep, where it is usually just inches deep

 

 

these trees are normally at the water's edge

 

 

if you look at the centre of the photo, you can see debris caught under the bridge

 

 

there is a small island under these trees!!

 

 

you can see the line on the bank where the river reached its highest level

 

 

this is a large tree trunk, jammed against the bridge

 

 

the noise of the water rushing past is frightening

 

But of course it's Friday, which must mean it's time for Annette's latest masterpiece!!

yes, it was as delicious as it looks!!

 

Finally, we just want to say a very big thankyou to everyone who has left comments and sent e-mails.  There have been tears reading them, but there has also been laughter - Malcolm hadn't ever thought of his Dad as a handsome man, but of course he thinks so now, when several people also said he looks like his Dad!!

Have a good weekend, love, Anne

 

What a beautiful baby .....

...... and Mia is gorgeous too!!  Yes, I know you can't really call a six-foot tall young man a baby - but he will always be my baby!!  Emma took these photos last night when Stuart called in to give Mia her quilt and shawl and forwarded them today so that I could pop them on the blog

 

Stuart, Mia and cute quilt

 

 

Stuart, Mia and her shawl

 

 

the two gorgeous babies!!