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This week's offerings come from a very sunny morning - in stark contrast to this afternoon, with rain, rain and more rain!! To see more shadow fun from around the world, visit Hey Harriet
hay bales in the sun
soft shadows on the road
the sun shining through the leaves
a hedgerow apple ripening in the sun
two handsome boys
more shadows on the road
sharp shadows on the church roof
I look out my window at these horses!
And this is me, waving goodbye
Now that the breeding season is over, I have started filling the bird feeders again, which means we have had a lot of different birds in the garden. This morning, I finally managed to take a photo of this wagtail - he kept jumping about catching flies!
Yesterday we had a robin
a female blackbird
a male blackbird
and a very fluffy young blue tit, determined to get at the last bit of food
There have been a lot more rabbits about this year ...... I think we have just about reached saturation point of photos of cute young rabbits!!
There has been little progress on the Baltimore block, as I have been concentrating on making things for my sales table. I did do some stitching on it this afternoon, breaking off to enjoy Annette's delicious apple and sultana cake, which is a firm favourite with the patch'n'chatters!
I hope you have a good weekend - unfortunately the forecast for Sunday for us is rain, rain and more rain, so I don't think we will be going for our usual Sunday morning walk! Love, Anne
......... and I'll scratch yours! These two horses were using their teeth to groom each others manes this morning
I saw a flash of white in this field, and thought perhaps it was a carrier bag, caught in the grass ....... but then I looked more closely, and saw that it was one of the neighbour's cats!
When I went out this morning the air was full of swallows, swooping and diving. Do you think the ones sitting on the wires were giving them marks for degree of difficulty and artistic merit?
Or given how grey the sky was, were they discussing packing their bags and setting off early for Africa!
I was delighted when I heard my neighbour Marion's old donkey braying in the field, as I haven't seen him for quite a while. He has an unusual black and white coat - but unfortunately when I got to the field gate, he was half hidden by the long grass, with his white rear end the most visible part of him!
However, I was soon distracted from the disappointment of not getting a better photo of the donkey by a very pretty grass seedhead
I was actually focusing on this seedhead, when the tiny bug (about the size of a pinhead) crawled into sight
This afternoon, I headed out to the studio, to make a prototype book cover. I unearthed the books from my stash, and pulled out some fabrics
I cut the main piece of fabric, and two smaller pieces for the flaps, which I folded in half. I also pinned a piece of ribbon in place, to make a page marker
I cut a piece of calico for the lining and pinned it in place. I stitched round the four sides, leaving a gap at the bottom
then I trimmed the corners
and turned the cover through to the right side
I stitched the opening and pressed the seams, then slipped the book in
To finish the cover, I added a cord and some wooden beads ..... however I'm not sure about the the rough, textured fabric - I think I will have another trawl through my stash (but don't worry, that one won't be wasted, I'll keep it for myself!)
To finish, a very special photo! As I meandered strode down the hill towards breakfast home, I heard what was obviously a large animal in the field to my left. I looked round, and standing there was a deer! I held my breath as I turned the camera on and slowly raised it ..... but the deer continued to stand there, watching me
What a contrast to yesterday ....... today has been hot and sunny These horses looked wonderful with their gleaming coats
I don't like flies when they are flying round the kitchen, but when seen close up, they are fascinating
I came across another plant which looks like a thistle, but this one is common knapweed
Every morning this dog barks at me, but I'm sure if I went over to the gate it would be friendly
I was so intent on trying to take a photo of a bee (I failed), I was startled when I started walking again and found this little rabbit right in front of me
The birds have been tucking in to the fat balls - you can see how much they have eaten in a day
This young sparrow may be as big as his father, but is quite happy still to be fed
Slightly bigger than the sparrows is this heron, which was sunning itself on the River Slitrig in Hawick this morning
When I was in Kelso this afternoon with my friend Lorraine (on our way to knit'n'natter), we popped into the bookshop which, unfortunately, is closing down. But of course that means a sale ...... and all the books are half price! So did I buy any ..... of course - two for me and one for Malcolm
...... wet and miserable morning! I didn't bother taking the camera with me this morning, as everything was wet and dripping - as was this bird feeder later this morning.
This poor sparrow looked very bedraggled
However the rain didn't stop the birds tucking in ........
........ and posing prettily between visits to the feeders
So what's a girl to do on such a horrid day - head for the studio and sew of course!! I finished another batch of lavender bags
As Malcolm was out for lunch, I had a rare treat, made with the simplest of ingredients
Cheese on toast with piccalilli - delicious!
Back out in the studio, I cut out the coasters
I made them the same way as I made the lavender bags, but only put half the amount of lavender in, and I frayed the edges (!) instead if using the pinking blade
By the time I finished my sewing, the rain had finally gone off, and this was the much brighter view behind the studio
After such a grey day, I will finish with some garden photos from last week, to give a splash of lovely colours
the sweet pea now has a good grip on the dead clematis
this rose is tiny
the bees balm in full bloom
Yesterday morning when we were out for a walk, we came across a plant that looked like a thistle, except for the leaves. My trusty wildflower book tells me that it is lesser burdock ....... I wonder if that's what is used to make dandelion and burdock, a favourite childhood drink
Malcolm spotted these bright red berries , but I haven't yet found the tree in my new tree book!
And the berry theme continued this morning, with a new crop of raspberries
If you think they look like big raspberries ....... yes, they were (and they were also delicious)
The hedgerow apples are just about ready to pick
The rosehips are ripening - I just hope that I get the chance to pick them before the hedges are cut
If only you could eat conkers - they are abundant this year
Over the weekend, I have been working on a new design of lavender bags, for my sales table later in the month. I started with some trial stitching on cotton tape
Having decided to use the font on the right, I stitched a batch, and then sewed them in the centre of the fronts of the lavender bags. Then I stitched a 'frayed' label on the back
I stitched round three sides, then put the lavender in before stitching the fourth side. I trimmed the edges with the pinking blade on my rotary cutter
When I showed Malcolm the prototype, he thought it was a coaster ...... so when I finished the lavender bags, I looked out some woollen fabrics and stitched some tape, using wonderful variegated Madeira threads - I plan to make the coasters tomorrow.
I forgot to do the knitting update last week - I had taken the photo, I just forgot to include it in last Monday's Post! I have now finished the four sections of the shawl ........
........ and I've made a start to the miles and miles of edging!