frayed at the edge

Winter wonderland

We woke up this morning to find that it had snowed heavily in the night - and it has been snowing off and on all day.  It looks really pretty ..... but as we live on a country road, we are snowed in!!  Malcolm was particularly upset, as he was supposed to be going down to Newcastle to pick up his new car (more about that in a future post - all I'm going to say is that it might be a case of a delayed midlife crisis...).  Fortunately, we usually stay at home for New Year, watching the cheesy Hogmanay programmes on tv and toasting the New Year with a nice glass of bubbles (and there is the annual competition to see who lands the first slap of the year .... I usually win!!)

So,  for the last photos of the year, it has to be snow, snow and even more snow .....

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we head rapidly to the end of the year, I would like to thank everyone for reading my rubbish drivel interesting and informative blog!  Be sure to come back next year, as there is going to be a very special giveaway ........ to celebrate the first anniversary of the blog on the 8th of January, and I have lots of things planned to entertain you!

Very best wishes to everyone for a peaceful and prosperous New Year, with lost of love from Anne (and Malcolm)

 
 
 
 
 

We've had the lot!

What a day - we've had rain, hail, sleet and snow!!  So there is one thing for it - I'm delving into the archives for a photo with SUNSHINE!!!!!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with my last post of 2009!
  
  

I must make a note of that .....

I love notebooks ...... big ones, small ones, in between ones ..... so imagine my delight when I found not ONE, not TWO, but THREE notebooks in my Christmas Stocking!!  First was this little tiny one

 

It's perfect for in my handbag, for shopping lists, things to do, those moments of inspiration which you have forgotten by the time you get home if you don't write it down there and then ........ and best of all,  you too could buy one here  - do have a look at the website, as there are all sorts of delicious notebooks and cards ..... and it's all made with recycled paper!

 

The next one is exceedingly cute .....

and it gets even cuter ........

..... when you open the cover, this little scene pops up!  And yes, there is a website for this one too!

 

And then there is this glorious one .....

... a wonderful confection of felt and beading - I already have plans for this one!!  (unfortunately there is no website for this one).

 

So, what was it I wanted to make a note of?   Oh yes, I have to write myself a reminder to bake next year's Christmas cake on time (I'm always late doing it!) and to get more of Lorraine's wonderful marzipan fruits to decorate it.  We had a slice of cake with our afternoon cuppa - and Malcolm enjoyed his marzipan lemon!

  
 
 
 

A cat on a hot ......

...... piece of fence!  I don't really like cats, but I couldn't resist taking a photo of our neighbours' cat sitting beside our back garden gate, enjoying the morning sunshine

 

At least while he was sitting there he wasn't trying to catch this robin, which was sitting on our roof

We may have had blue skies and sunshine today, but it is still bitterly cold - minus seven this morning!!
 
 

Shadow Shot Sunday

It's the last Shadow Shot Sunday of the year!!  The wonderful Tracy has yet again organised everything and you can see the collage of last week's best shots and click on the link for this week's players over at Hey Harriet.

I had taken some snowy shadow shots earlier in the week, however we went for a walk along the river in Morpeth this morning (we were visiting Malcolm's sister for Christmas), so the snow shots have been bumped, and instead I have some lovely reflection shots

 

Would you like to see one of the snowy photos?  OK!

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  Regards, Anne
 
 
 
 
  
 

One more sleep!

It's almost Christmas, and all good boys and girls should be tucked up in bed ...... and all good gnomes should be too!

 

Ulrika, Agnetha and Frida

 

 

Sven, Gustav and Olaf

 

Before they went to bed, they left a mince pie and brandy for Santa, and a carrot for Rudolph .......

 

 

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and that Santa is good to you!

With lots of love from Anne

 

The icing on the cake

On Monday, I sorted out all these ingredients and utensils ......

 

....... ready to ice the Christmas cake

 

 

first I heated some apricot jam

 

 

and brushed it over the cake

 

 

I kneaded the icing and put it on a board dusted with icing sugar

 

 

I rolled out the icing, trying to keep it roughly circular

 

 

I rolled the icing carefully round the rolling pin

 

 

the icing is a bit bigger than the cake ........

 

 

........... so that I could use the trimmings to decorate the cake

 

 

I cut out stars using a cookie cutter .............

 

 

....... and arranged them on the top of the cake

 

 

I don't like marzipan, so I added these wonderful marzipan fruits, made by my friend Lorraine, for Malcolm and other marzipan lovers

 

 

then I got carried away and added some sparkly ribbon!

 

 

finished with a ribbon rose

 

 

I sat the cake on the lid of the cake box

 

 

then covered it to keep it fresh for the few days until Christmas

 

I wish I could give you all a slice - but I'll think of you as I tuck into it!!

  

 

Here come the girls!!

At last Ulrika's sisters have decided to come out of the knitting basket, so today she was joined in getting up to no good by Agnetha and Frida ......

 

quick girls, make lots of snowballs before the boys get here!

 

 

having a blether with Mr Owl

 

 

checking there's plenty of food for birds like .......

 

 

.... this little robin

 

 

a mug of hot chocolate after their snowy adventures!

 

A good read

When we were in Falkirk last week, I had two places I wanted to go to ....... The Wishing Well Newsagents, who have a superb collection of magazines, and Waterstone's bookshop, because you know that I love books.  So .... did I buy anything - of course I did!!

 

I haven't seen this American knitting magazine before.  There are lots of super patterns, and I particularly liked these stockings - but I don't think I will be knitting any in time for this Christmas!!

 

I like cloth.paper.scissors magazines, and I really, really like their Studios special issues.  It's fascinating to see other peoples' studios ..... and to show Malcolm that there are people who have bigger stashes than me!!

 

I liked the little sign about chocolate in the next photograph - I think I may have to do an embroidered picture with the saying for my friend Lorraine - she would rather have a box of chocolates than sausage, bacon and egg for breakfast (and I do mean a box!!)

 

Then it was on to Waterstone's, where I was spoiled for choice ...... there were just so many wonderful books!!  When it got to the point of Malcolm threatening to drag me from the shop, I choose this gorgeous book.  I just want to make everything in it!!

 

 

How could you resist these fabulous little creatures

 

 

I think these little birdhouses are just so cute - they are definitely going to the top of the post-Christmas to-do list!!

 

But I would need to make a much bigger birdhouse for the pigeon who visited the garden this morning, pecking at the food which the small birds had scattered from the bird table

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

Shadow Shot Sunday

 

 

I thought I would have some fun this week, starting with two photos taken in 1984 of me in the snow feeding ducks in Linlithgow .... these photos are for all of you sweltering in the sun, who would like some snow to cool down (and if that's not enough, scroll down to Thursday and Friday's posts, for lots more snow!!)  Then it was into the archives again for three photos from a wonderful holiday we had in 2001 in the Maldives, to warm up those of you shivering in the winter weather (you may notice that I'm somewhat plumper in the swimsuit shot than I was back in the 80's!!)

 

you can see the Palace and the spire of St Michael's Church in the background

 

 

some seagulls decided to join the ducks!

 

 

shadows of the palm fronds on the sand in front of our bungalow on the beach

 

 

it's very tiring having fun on holiday!

 

 

if only my bum was as small as the shadow!!

 

For lots more shadows, pop over to Hey Harriet where as always Tracy has been busy with collages of a selection of last week's shadows, and you can click on the link to this this week's participants.  And to finish, a silly photo, to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year ... love from Anne

 

little Olaf Gnome, watching the snow falling this afternoon!