frayed at the edge

A special day

I set off earlier than usual this morning for Borderland Fabrics, as we were having a very special day.  People all over Britain were today hosting coffee mornings for The Macmillan Fund - but instead of just a coffee morning, we had a soup, sandwich and home baking extravaganza!

Things got under way not long after we arrived, when we were presented with a plate of goodies to have with our morning cuppa

 

 

For lunch. there was a choice of sweet potato and parsnip soup, which I had (absolutely delicious) .....

 

 

...... and leek and potato - also declared delicious by those who chose it

 

 

Then a selection of sandwiches - I had mentioned to Malcolm that there would of course be  cheese savoury sandwiches.  He asked why I was so sure.  I replied that there would be a riot if there weren't any, as we all like them (they are the ones at the top of the photo)

 

 

Then more cakes appeared - but I have to admit I had an extra sandwich rather than a cake, as I prefer savoury things

 

 

We had just recovered from lunch, when afternoon tea was announced!!

 

 

Of course we all made a donation to the Macmillan Fund for such a wonderful day  ........ then Annette, the owner of Borderland Fabrics, said that she wasn't taking the usual payment for our Friday session, but perhaps we would like to donate that as well - which of course we did.   Many thanks to Annette and her helpers for providing us with such a wonderful day, in aid of a very good cause.

Back home, the robin was ousted from the bird bath by a sparrow!

 

 

 

 

While the sparrow was having his bath, a great tit was tucking into the peanuts (you can see that all the fat balls were eaten while I was out)

 

 

 

This is a special weekend ..... it's my birthday on Sunday!  Stuart is coming down on Sunday and staying until Monday, but unfortunately Alison can't come as she has to work on Monday.  For my birthday dinner, Malcolm is cooking venison (because Stuart likes it) and for pudding he popped up to M&S in Galashiels this morning for their wonderful lemon meringue pie (yes, you've guessed - it's Stuart's favourite!!)   I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, love Anne

 

Tough love!

You may remember that some time ago, I had to give the orchids a good talking to, as they simply weren't earning their keep.  I had moved them off the kitchen windowsill this morning when I was doing the housework, and as I went to put them back, I thought you might like to see the effect that stern talking to had!

 

this is just a litttle one

 

 

this one still has more buds to open

 

 

this one has been flowering for weeks, and now a second shoot is about to flower

 

 

these three will flower soon

 

Inspired by this post by Rattling On, I took this photo this afternoon of the ivy in the front lounge.  As you can see, it has started twining round the candlestick!

 

 

I collected the little hare lino cut from Denise today - she has made a wonderful job of framing it, and if you have a look at her website, you will see that she also does wonderful pet portraits

 

 

The robin has been back in the bird bath - he is definitely the cleanest bird in the garden!

 

 

 

 

 

As well as being inspired by Rattling On's ivy, I had a moment of deja vu with her post today, as it shows butterflies on a sedum ....... I had taken similar photos yesterday - and I took some more today, as the butterflies enjoyed the sunshine

 

 

 

 

 

To finish - after taking the photos of the orchids, I replaced what usually sits on that spot on the shelf - my very cute holder for my mobile phone!

 

 

Sticky fingers

This morning, I measured the liquid from the apple/bramble pulp .........

 

 

....... poured it into a large glass bowl, and put it in the microwave on high to come to the boil.  Then I added the sugar - the ratio is a pound of sugar per pint of liquid.  Once the sugar had been thoroughly stirred in, I put the bowl back in the microwave for about five minutes.  By that time a scum had formed on the top, which I simply skimmed off

 

After boiling the jelly some more, setting point was reached, then I filled the jars and covered them

 

 

There was apause in the jelly making at that point, as we popped into Hawick for lunch.  We decided to go to the Damascus Drum

 

 

There is a small outside seating area, but since the smoking ban, these tables are generally used by smokers!

 

 

My lunch was delicious - a 'ploughman's bagel'.  Malcolm had a bagel spread with cream cheese, and the same tasty salad

 

 

Back home, I made the apple/rosehip jelly, but all did not go to plan!  It just didn't want to set.  First I added lime juice and boiled it again - still runny.  Then I got out the big guns - pectin!

 

 

I finally achieved a rather wobbly set - and I had decidedly sticky fingers from all the pokingof my samples to see if they were setting!  However, I ended up with another four jars of jelly.  The fruit was free, the electricity for the microwave was free, so all I had to pay for was the sugar.  I have eight jars of jelly for about £3!!

 

 

Years ago, I used to make curries from scratch, using Madhur Jaffrey's book (you can see I still have some recipes marked with bits of paper!)

 

 

I used to dry fry the spices, then grind them, and make a paste with onion, garlic and ginger.  These days, curry making is much simpler, with a ready made paste for my rogan josh

 

 

Soon it was simmering - enough for two meals.  We'll have one for dinner tomorrow and the other one will go in the freezer

 

 

When we got back from lunch, before I started on the second round of jelly making, I indulged in a bit of fun, inspired by Rachel.  It was very simple .... walk 132 steps from the front door, then take a photo.  I cheated slightly, as by the time I walked along the path, through the gate and down the drive, I would have used up quite a few of my steps, so I started counting when I stepped out on to the road.  The 132 steps didn't take me as far as I thought they would, and when I stopped to take my photo, it was a bit boring

 

 

So I went back to the house and walked 132 steps in the other direction - oh dear, it was even more boring

 

 

But then, back home ..... this was the view from the front door step

 

 

There was one last job to do after the jelly making - giving the 'jeely bag' a thorough wash and hanging it out to drip dry!

 

My poor thumb

When I was picking the rosehips, I had an unfortunate tussle with a very sharp thorn, which the thorn won, leaving a nasty gouge out of my thumb

 

 

It is a real nuisance, as the ragged edge keeps catching on things, so I have had to resort to putting a plaster over it, in the hope that it will heal underneath

 

 

However, I have still been able to get on with some sewing ...... although the needle keeps catching in the plaster!  I have done a lot more prep on the hexagons, with seven strips tacked over the papers, and another one part done.  Then I have cut the hexagons from another sixteen strips, and have another twenty six strips to go

 

 

I also got a bit of sewing done on the Baltimore block, stitching the birds in place

 

 

The redwork block is progressing - every time I look at it I laugh at the little lamb!

 

 

After leaving the the apple/rosehip mixture dripping overnight, I transferred the liquid to a jug.  After I put it in the fridge, I realised that I hadn't taken a photo.  As you can see the jug is rather full, so rather than risk spilling it, I took this rather strange photo of it in the fridge

 

 

The apple/bramble mix is now dripping through.  I will make jelly with both lots of liquid in the morning ..... it will be delicious to have on my porridge!

 

 

There has just been a slight pause in writing tonight's post, as I had to snatch up the camera and capture the robin in the birdbath!

 

 

 

Do you think I should put out little towels for him!!?? 

Foraging

We went for a walk yesterday morning, but we soon got distracted from the walk by these .....

 

 

..... lots and lots of wonderful rose hips.  And there were still some roses too

 

 

 

 

We picked lots of rose hips, and some brambles - more about them later.  But I wasn't so distracted by the picking that I forgot to admire the wonderful scenery

 

 

Malcolm dropped me off on the way home so that I could pick some more rose hips and some apples from the hedgerow, then I walked the rest of the way home, enjoying the warm sunshine.  The views have changed, now that the crops have been harvested, and some of the fields ploughed and replanted

 

 

 

 

The sheep were also enjoying the sunshine

 

 

 

Back home, I sorted out our foraged fruits

 

rosehips

 

 

brambles

 

 

The apples on the right are from the hedgerow, the ones on the left are crab apples, which Jennifer gave me.  This afternoon I washed all the fruit thoroughly, then I topped and tailed the rosehips and put them in a large saucepan, along with the crab apples and some of the hedgerow apples and added water.  I put the rest of the hedgerow apples and brambles in another suacepan and again added water.  Then, I left both lots to simmer

 

 

By the end of the afternoon, the first lot was dripping through the jelly bag

 

 

Malcolm, meanwhile, was working on his steps

 

 

The knitting update ....... the socks are finished

 

 

........ and the scarf is almost finished.  I have still to sew in the ends and block it.  I made a couple of mistakes - the first one was missing out a row of the cable ....... I had knitted quite a bit more before I noticed, so I didn't take it back.  Then I forgot to make two of the bobbles - but I simply picked up the stitch and worked the bobbles ..... it just means I have more ends to sew in.  BUT  as I arranged the scarf on the floor to take a photo ........ horrors, another missing bobble!!  I had planned to knit the scarf again in a different colour - maybe I'll just do it without the bobbles!  I can't show you what I am knitting this week, as I am taking part in a swap over at Mousy Brown's and of course I am knitting a little something for my swap partner Alyson.

 

To finish ...... I didn't just bring fruit home.  When I tipped the rosehips into the bowl, a spider appeared!  Don't worry, I rescued it and put it out in the garden!

 

Shadow Shot Sunday

A mixed week of weather .... and if you scroll on down to Wednesday and Thursday's posts, you can read about the other reason that has me  hoping for constant sunshine!  But of course the most important reason is to capture lots of shadow shots, to play along with other addicts at Hey Harriet.

This week's collection was taken when we went for a walk to The Temple of The Muses last Sunday.  Unfortunately the sun went in just as we got out of the car, but a series of puddles provided some wonderful reflections!

 

 

 

 

 

So what are the reflections of?

 

Jumping up and down and squealing .......

....... when I saw my friend Alison's quilt this morning, and found not one, not two - but three rosettes on it ...... one of which declared that she is this year's champion!!  (and she got a 'judges choice' too!)

 

 

The lighting wasn't very good, so the photo doesn't do the quilt justice.  At first glance, it looks like a painting, and the more you look, the more detail you see.  If you click on the photo, it should enlarge).

 

Alison wasn't the only Borders quilter to do well this year.  Kay (you can read her blog here and see her brand new website here) won rosettes for two of her quilts

 

 

I had a rather funny moment this afternoon, when someone called my name and said hello ....... it was one of those awful moments because I just didn't recognise her.  But it was Kay - up until today, we only knew each other through our blogs and emails, but she recognised me from photos on my blog, whereas I hadn't seen a photo of her!  It was lovely to meet her, and maybe we'll get organised to meet for a cuppa soon.

 

Other winners from the Borders were

 

Ann

 

 

Catherine

 

 

Brenda

 

 

Barbara

 

 

Domenica

 

So ........ did I buy anything?  Well of course I did!!  My excuse for buying these wonderful Anni Downs fabrics is that I don't have many small prints in my stash - and I do have two of her excellent books!

 

 

I also bought these two packs of cheap fat quarters  from Crafts and Quilts to make bags with

 

 

 

 

As I do every year, I picked up an entry form for next year's show ........ maybe this time I'll make a quilt!!

 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend,  love Anne

Green machine .......

........ this is our inverter in the loft

 

which takes the direct current from the solar panels and turns it into alternating current, which we can use.  We don't actually need bright sunshine for the panels to start generating, just daylight.  If the panels generate more electricity than we are using in the house, then the excess is exported to the grid.  This little meter in the hall cupboard tells us how much we are producing

 

Now comes the good part - under a government scheme, we are paid for every unit of electricity that we generate, plus a little more for every unit we export to the grid ......... and every unit that we use means a corresponding decrease in our electricity bill.  I think that's what you call a win/win situation (although of course we did have to invest in the solar panels!)

 

 

While all the technical/electrical work was going on this morning, I popped the big lens on the camera and headed into Hawick.  I had noticed these figures on a chimney some time ago, and finally I remembered to take some photos.  The figures are rather grimy and in need of some tlc.  Unfortunately there was a tv aerial in the way ...

 

 

 

But the only angle which excluded the aerial meant pointing the camera at the sun

 

 

Still looking up, first I saw these old chimneys

 

 

 

then something special at the top of this building

 

 

a thistle on the right (symbolising Scotland)

 

 

and a rose on the left (for England)

 

 

I think this view along the river looks quite continental

 

 

The heron was enjoying the sunny morning, standing on the riverbank preening

 

 

It is such a handsome bird, I never tire of taking photos of it - and it very kindly showed me both profiles!

 

 

 

Back home, the birds are on a somewhat smaller scale!  I am still trying to get photos of them on the birdbath .... but these sparrows were just sitting in the hawthorn tree laughing at me!

 

 

Eventually a sparrow did pose prettily on top of the stone owl

 

 

and the robin was a bright spot among the sparrows

 

 

I'm off on another day out tomorrow - this time to the autumn quilt show, which is also the Scottish Championships.  As well as lots of quilts, there will also be TRADERS ..... but of course I couldn't possibly buy anything so soon after my trip to Harrogate .......

Sunshine on a rainy day

We are hoping for lots of sunshine ...... because we are having solar panels installed!!  The workmen were supposed to arrive between 9 and 11 this morning ...... so I was a bit surprised when I looked out of the window to see their van in the drive at 8!  In no time at all, they had the scaffolding up (I took these photos from the back bedroom, as I didn't want to get in the way)

 

 

 

It turned a bit showery and windy - the poor workmen looked cold and miserable on the scaffold (I took these photos from the back lounge)

 

 

 

By the time I got home from knit'n'natter, half of the panels had been installed ........ and the sun had come out!!

 

 

The work should be finished tomorrow, then we will have our fingers firmly crossed for lots of bright days ........ althought it doesn't have to be sunny for the panels to generate electricty.

 

Yesterday, Malcolm came home with an early birthday present for me - a pottery birdbath which I had admired in one of the local garden centres.  While I was doing last night's post, he managed to capture a robin on it .....

 

 

....... then this morning I snapped a sparrow

 

 

I did try to take some photos of the birds on the feeders, but they were swinging about too much in the wind.  So I had to content myself with these sparrows on the roof of the bird table

 

 

 

To finish, a bit of fun ...... this cartoon was in the paper yesterday.  Do you think Malcolm might start looking over my shoulder if I am having a browse on ebay??!!

 

Don't let the bedbugs bite ......

...... although I don't think this one will!  He is called Wegis, and I won the pattern to knit him in a giveaway from Knitting off the Grid.  I have realised that I don't have any yellow in my yarn stash - it's just not a colour that I would normally buy, but I will definitely have to buy a ball to knit Wegis.

 

 

When the post arrived this morning, I was delighted to see an envelope addressed to me (Malcolm gets far more post than me).  Although it didn't have an exotic stamp .......

 

 

....... I knew from this little stamp on the back that the envelope contained something very special

 

 

 Gretel had posted about a lino cut that she had printed, and popped in her Etsy shop ....... one look and I had to have one.  Well, could you resist this charming print of a hare

 

 

As well as the print, Gretel also sent me two of her cards.......

 

 

....... which she has not only signed, but has done delightful  tiny drawings on

 

 

and that's not all ..... there was also another of her lovely cards to accompany the hare and the cards

 

 

When I showed you the start of Malcolm's work to make the new steps for the front garden, I should have shown you this step that he made for the French doors in the back lounge.  The doors have a uPVC sill, which sit on an ugly concrete lintel , and it was awkward to step from the lounge out on to the deck.  I asked if he could make a better step ..... and this is what he came up with (yes, we actually had our afternoon cuppa sitting on the deck!)

 

 

He was working on the frameworks in the garage this afternoon ....... the two pieces of the frame are butted up, but when they are in place, the concrete steps will be in the middle.  One section has to be removable to allow access to a manhole cover for the drains, but Malcolm laid long deckboards on top, just to give you an idea how the steps will look

 

 

On Saturday, I had the stove in the studio lit for the first time this autumn

 

 

so I was cosy while I got on with my sewing.  I prepped more of my hexagons

 

 

and did some more stitching on the 'redwork' block (isn't the lamb exceedingly cute!!)

 

 

On Sunday I continued to work on the 'row' quilt, still stitching in the ditch

 

 

I quilted round the first of the house blocks, and realised that I now had rather a lot of ends to sew in .....

 

 

Fortunately I had recently bought these needles .......

 

 

........ there is a slot in the top that allows the thread to be pulled down into the eye.  This saves a lot of time when you are threading an awful lots of ends (and if these days you need an needle threader!!)

 

 

While Maloclm was sawing, hammering and nailing in the garage this afternoon, I was in the studio sewing.  Fortunately there is a lot of insulation in the wall between the garage and the studio, and combined with my loud music, I couldn't hear him!

 

 

I added the buds to finish this block

 

 

Then I did some more stitching on the fourth block, stitching round the body of the bird

 

 

We have workmen arriving in the morning - come back tomorrow and I'll tell you what they are doing!!