frayed at the edge

Memory lane : 2

On Monday I mentioned that I went to elocution lessons, and this is the entry form for my first exam, when I was seven!

 

I was a shy child, and I didn't like having to recite poems in front of strangers!

 

for many years my elocution and school certificates have been kept rolled up, and despite trying to flatten them under a pile of heavy books, so that I could show you one of each, they still curled up.  So to take photos, I resorted to using washi tape, which peels back off, to stick the certificates to the wall (the school certificate will appear in a later post)

Hola!!

 

This is the view from where I am sitting, writing this post.  I would have loved to show you more photos, but I had forgotten how uncooperative the Hudl is when it comes to blogging!  We had o good journey on Saturday, and have been relaxing, eating, drinking wine, shopping and generally having a good time!  Thank you for your comments on the Brownies - it was lovely to read that you had similar memories!

Memory lane : 1

As there was a lot of response to my old books, I thought I would share some more of my childhood memories with you.  So first, the cetificate that I was given when I officially became a Brownie.  I had been attending the meetings for some time, as my sister was already in the pack, and  Brown Owl was the sister of my elocution teacher, so they let me be an unofficial Brownie until I was old enough to join officially!

 

 

I found this photo of me in my Brownie uniform.  Our tie was a thing of wonder - it was actually a large triangle, with which I could have put your broken arm in a sling, or with the addition of two sticks put your broken leg in a splint.  But best of all, I could have used it to drag your unconscious body from a burning building.  I don't quite know how to describe the method, as it sounds a bit "50 Shades of Grey", but basically it involved lying you on your back, tying your hands together and looping your tied hands round my neck.  I would then kneel astide you and crawl forward, dragging you with me.  This may have worked dragging a fellow small Brownie, but I doubt I could drag a large adult that way!

A few clues ......

...... to what we will be doing for the next three weeks

 

hooray, we are off to Majorca for our yearly sojourn!!  But don't worry, you won't have to do without me for all that time, as I have set up posts to appear on Mondays, Wednedays and Fridays while we are away ......... and should we have internet access at our villa, I may even pop in on a Tuesday or Thursday to say hello!  Please do still leave comments, as I love to get them, and if I'm unable to read them while I'm away, I promise I will read them all when I get back!  Love Anne

A streaker in the garden!

Don't worry, Malcolm hasn't been running round the garden without his clothes!  A starling has decided to use the satellite dish as a perch from which to chatter away to the other starlings, with the unfortunate consequence that he has left his mark on the dish

 

a pair of blue tits were busy all afternoon establishing a new home in one of the nest boxes

 

I glanced out of the kitchen window at lunchtime and saw a bird on the telephone wire across the road

 

could it be the first swallow of the year?  I rushed off to get the big lens - and yes it was indeed our first swallow.  This means we have to keep the garage door shut, as they try to nest in it!

 

we have been enjoying some wonderful weather, and the garden is bursting into life

 

to finish - I took these photos of last night's sunset from the comfort of my sofa.  At first sight it looks as if the camera lens had dirty marks on it, but it is a cloud of flies dancing in the evening sun

A little bit short!

Last Tuesday at Abbey Quilters, our Chairman Sandra (you also know her as our lovely Linus Lady) had a project for us to do, making a cushion cover.  She had prepared small packs of fabric for us to buy at a very reasonable cost, so all we had to take with us was our usual sewing kit (and of course our mugs for the cuppa).  As I was helping Sandra show the members how to construct their cushion covers, I didn't get started on mine until the weekend.  There were four choices of fabric packs, and I chose this one

 

the first job was to cut four squares from one of the background fabric strips, and five from the other

 

I popped the squares on to the design wall

 

it was a straightforward job to sew them together

 

also in the pack was a piece of fusible stuff to make petals with, and the template to trace

 

I knew from the other members cutting their petals out that there might not be quite enough fabric, so I stitched and cut mine two at a time .......

 

to make the most economical use of the fabric

 

but despite my best efforts, I was one petal short.  I could have waited to get another piece of fabric, but I decided to have five 3-petal flowers, instead of four 4-petal flowers

 

once the petals were stitched in place, the next job was to layer up the cushion front with wadding and a backing fabric, ready for quilting

 

I quilted the lighter coloured squares first

 

then this shows the first three darker squares quilted

 

the denser quilting on these squares make the flowers "pop"

 

I made up the cushion cover.......

 

....... using a lovely piece of silk curtain fabric for the back

 

I still have to add binding, then I will sew these cute buttons in the centre of the flowers

 

I am very pleased with how it turned out!

 

I mentioned that our usual routine has been disrupted this week - another change was that I had my hairdressing appointment today instead of tomorrow (I go every six weeks).  So we popped over to Pirn House for an early lunch.  When we arrived, we were the only customers, so I was able to take photos of the delightful coffee shop

 

Malcolm laughed at me when I ordered my "usual" ...... French toast with bacon and maple syrup

 

then it was my turn to laugh, when he ordered his "usual" of roast beef, tomato and horseradish sandwich

 

we managed (only just) to resist the wonderful display of cakes

 

although I may have had to be dragged away from these meringues!

 

The view from my window

Now that the nights are much lighter, we don't shut the curtains, which means that last night I saw this tiny sliver of new moon

 

then there was a dilemma - if the shrub was in focus, as in the previous photo, then the moon wasn't, and if the moon was in focus, as in the next photo, the shrub was blurred!

 

the problem was solved by zooming in, so that only the moon was in the photo!

 

I also took several photos at different times over the weekend, from the comfort of my sofa!

a blackbird at sunset

 

sunset without the blackbird

 

Mrs Blackbird enjoying a bath

 

making sure her topknot is clean

 

a last wash under the wing

 

a fluffy sparrow

 

we are out of our usual routine this week, and this morning we were in Hawick.  We decided to have a cuppa, and thought we would try the Almond Tree, which has now been open for some months

 

the menu explains the set-up of the cafe

 

I had my usual pot of tea, Malcolm had an excellent americano (with hot milk on the side) and we shared this very good cheese scone

 

back home, I had just refilled the bird bath, when some sparrows appeared to have a drink

 

then this little one tentatively got into the water

 

but didn't have quite as vigorous a bath as Mrs Blackbird

 

while this one just sat on Mr Owl and laughed at him

 

I'll be back tomorrow with some sewing.

A very creative weekend!

Malcolm thoroughly enjoyed his stained glass course, which was run by The Glass Barn Studio.  I had given him my tiny point and shoot camera to use, and he remembered to take some photos to share with you.  They started by practising cutting glass shapes, using plain glass.  The aim was to fit the glass pieces into the lines on the pattern sheet.  As you can see, he made a very good job of it

 

then came the scary bit, cutting the coloured glass .......

 

....... for his panel

 

once all the pieces were cut

 

he started assembling the panel

 

looking good!

 

they all made such good progress, that they were able to make a second piece yesterday

 

perhaps one day Malcolm will produce pieces like these - at least this is a craft he can do at home, unlike that last course he went on, to learn dry stone walling!

 

when he came home at lunchtime today, I took his pieces out to the garden to take photos.  I think he has made a super job of his first attempts!!

 

if you are interested in the stained glasscourse, do check on the link above.  There are also details of the other courses they run - I think that Malcolm may well go back to try his hand at one of them.

 

 

 

Home alone!!

I am all alone for the weekend, as Malcolm is finally doing the stained glass workshop that I gave him a voucher for, way back in September, for his birthday (you can read about the course here).  He is staying in the flat, as that is nearer the venue for the course, but as I have lots of things to do, I decided I would rather stay at home.  On a positive note ..... I have control over the tv remote for the whole weekend!!

As promised yesterday, some more of the things we have been making.  I have done two more pictures

 

I also made several more dangly things - I'm not quite sure what to call them?

 

now for some of Malcolm's creations.  First, the biggest thing he has made with driftwood

 

next, a rather scary shark

 

and last, a very cute bird (if this doesn't sell, it will be coming to live with me in the studio!!)

 

I forgot to give you a stitchery update at the start of the week.  I have finished number eleven

 

and started number twelve

 

and just in case Meredithe is thinking of sending me a Howler, I have been working on Mrs Billings - here's a little bit I did this afternoon at patch'n'chat

 

please note the neatly matched points on the diamonds

 

and of course patch'n'chat means cake!  Today we had cupcakes ........

 

....... with a little surprise - chocolate chips!

 

I told you a fib when I said I was alone for the whole weekend, as Maureen is calling in for lunch tomorrow on her way home from a crewel embroidery workshop.  I am looking forward to seeing her stitching.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

Keeping it in the family

Yesterday we did a spot of charity shop browsing, and of course that means one or two things came home with us.  You may remember that I recently broke a wineglass ...... and then Malcolm broke one at the weekend (fortunately both glasses were empty, so no wine was spilled!).  So  we were happy to buy these six glasses at a very reasonable price

 

then there were paperbacks at 99p each - an excellent buy.   You can see from the titles that I like all sorts of fiction

 

it's hard to resist quilting magazines at 50p each

 

especially when they have some super patterns in them

 

you may have spotted that the magazines are French!  I used to be able to speak French, but I would struggle to now.  However, I can still read it, and if I get stuck, I can use my trusty French dictionary ........

 

......... which was a school prize

 

and this is where the keeping it in the family comes in.  These books were won by my Dad

 

and as you can see from the label, we attended the same school - indeed the Rector when I was at the Academy was a teacher when my Dad was there!

 

I still have several of my school prizes ........ this was my first one.  Thee top right hand corner was chewed by the family dog!

 

my Dad went to this school too - I grew up in the house that he grew up in ..... he lived there for all but the first four years of his life!

 

I was only seven when I won the prize, but look at the questions posed at the back of the book!  (of course I answered them all......)

 

I have tidied the studio

 

and Malcolm has tidied the garage

 

tomorrow I will show you some more of what we have been making.