Well ........ it was fun except for getting up at 6am on Saturday! It was a long way to Harrogate - including a comfort stop, it took four hours to get there. As always I have taken some general shots to share with you
those of you who watched the first series of The Great British Sewing Bee might recognise the chap in this photo (click on it to enlarge it). I didn't get too close to take the photo in case he tried to flog me a signed copy of his book (I overheard him telling someone that business was slow!)
our very own Kay Bell, who does such wonderful longarm quilting, has added to her collection of awards and trophies. She got a First for quilting the stunning quilt which was also Best in Show. Do pop over to Kay's blog to see a photo of the quilt.
but what was this .........
another version of Mrs Billings!
of course I bought some things, but I didn't get the chance to take photos today, so you will have to wait until tomorrow to see my goodies! We didn't have a comfort stop on the way home, so it only took us three and a half hours, then when we got back to Kelso, I only had a thirty minute drive over to Berwick. Malcolm, Stuart and Alison had long since had dinner by the time I arrived - a delicious spread of tapas, but Malcolm had kindly kept some for me. On Sunday morning we went out for breakfast- no photos were taken to avoid embarrassing those of us who ate large amounts of sausage, bacon and egg (Alison was somewhat more restrained with poached eggs and toast). After the visitors left, we decided to go for a walk on the beach. Woohoo, I've got the big lens back ...... and the next two photos show the difference it makes - the same boat snapped from the same place with first the small, and then the big lens
in this photo you can see Bamburgh Castle and Holy Island beyond the lighthouse
Malcolm was busy collecting driftwood, but I got distracted by these feathers
then there was an arty seedhead
and a little bird darting back and forward
after a long walk, we were of course in need of a cuppa. It was such a lovely afternoon that we sat outside in the sunshine while we shared a toasted teacake
Malcolm as usual had coffee, while I had tea in a rather snazzy insulated cup
I was glad to have the big lens back when the swans came into the dock, going from this
to this
to this
these ones appeared in the evening, and soon settled down for a nap
ignoring the seal, which kept popping up among them
to finish, we didn't have a big ship come into the dock over the weekend, just this funny little boat