frayed at the edge

A blowy day

When we arrived at Berwick on Saturday, we decided to go for a walk on the beach before lunch.  It was just a little bit windy, as you can see from this poor little dog's ears!

 

we both took photos of the sand blowing past the wooden groynes, but I won't say who took which ones

I had to get down on my knees to take these "arty" shots!

 

I had to get up early yesterday to go to the loo, and I thought we had left a light on in the lounge, as there was a line of light under the door ....... but when I went into the lounge, this is what was lighting it up -  a spectacular sunrise

 

by the time we had breakfast it had started to rain, so we decided to head up the coast to St Abbs, for a walk roung the harbour and a cuppa

 

I wonder if anyone would notice if I acquired one of these lobster pots?

 

and perhaps a brightly coloured float or two?

 

the stones that have collected in this crab shell give you an idea of how big it is

 

when we went for our cuppa, I was slightly peeved that while I had a plain white cup for my tea, Malcolm got this one for his coffee

 

however when we shared a very tasty toasted teacake

 

I got a posh plate to put my half on!

 

there were no swans in the dock this morning, and when we walked over the old bridge to the town, we found out why -  they were all in the river

 

to finish ........ we saw this poster yesterday in St Abbs.  I have cropped the photo to remove the phone number, as I didn't want the poor man to be inundated with calls from all of you!

 

A very, very busy weekend!

Oh my, we managed to squeeze so much into the weekend, this will have to be a two part post!!  So, let's get going!  We went for a (rather chilly) walk on Saturday, stopping first at the Coastwatch Tower

 

we were invited to go up to the balcony for a better view, but when I saw the ladder, I decided that I would remain on the ground!

 

while Malcolm was upstairs, I took these two photos to show how strongly the wind was blowing

 

a quick selection of our progress along the beach

 

I wondered what this group were doing, so of course when we went past, I stopped to ask!  They were making a dinosaur sand sculpture ...... and I think the adults were having more fun than the children!

 

I wondered what had left this mark on a rock.......

 

when I saw this on the next rock

 

and while I was taking that photo, Malcolm pointed out this on the next rock!

 

I'm glad that the dog that left this paw print in the sand wasn't still on the beach!

 

we encountered quite a lots of birds on Saturday

 

there was a very high tide on Saturday - a combination I gather, of the 18-year lunar cycle and the eclipse.  Combined with the wind, the waves were coming over the breakwater 

 

we had an excellent day out yesterday, but I'll save that for tomorrow, and instead I'll skip forward to today.  We were woken up in the early hours by a lot of noise coming from the dock, so we weren't suprised to see a large ship when we got up this morning

 

its cargo of grain was being unloaded into large lorries

 

we popped into town for some shopping, and decided to try out the new coffee shop

 

which is very nicely decorated

 

but I don't think I'll be rushing back to have a cheese scone served with salad!!

 

Take my photo ........

........ I'm the handsome one!  After our cuppa on Sunday morning, we continued our walk.  Malcolm and Alison looked on bemused as Stuart and I crept up to take photos of two seagulls on a wall

 

we laughed when the one on the right walked in front of the other one, as if to say "never mind him, I'm the handsome chap you want in your photos"

 

we walked back over the new bridge, so that Stuart could take some shots of the old bridge ........ but of course I had to take more photos too!  This is looking down on the area that is to be refurbished, where Malcolm went for his walk last Saturday

 

hopefully the old wooden jetty is going to be restored

 

I liked the reflection of the bridge in the slightly muddy water

 

but I doubt this statue likes what the seagulls do on her head!!

 

you may have to click on the photo to enlarge it, to see the seal swimming beside the pilot boat

 

whn we got back home, there was time for me to do some sewing before dinner.  I started by choosing these six fat quarters

 

and cut as many two and a half inch strips as I could from them

 

there was a slight pause as I had to eat a donut (Stuart and Alison had brought us a box, so we had to eat them!)

 

on a sugar high, I stitched all the strips together

 

trimmed off the corners

 

pressed open the seams

 

and folded and pressed the binding

 

ending up with eighteen yards for the space quilts

 

this morning the first job of the day in the studio was to take a photo of my special tea in another of my special mugs

 

I have been doing well NOT buying books, but this one somehow was bought and arrived in the post this morning!

I made a start to using all that binding

 

but you will have to wait until tomorrow to see the finished quilts.  While I was busy sewing this afternoon, Malcolm was busy in the garage, making a rather large garden door for our lovely neighbours, the shoe shop owners

 

I thought I made a lot of mess .........

I'll be back tomorrow with some knitting.

The Aunts' Quilt and Mother's Day

A very short Auntlets' report this month, as I am on schedule with my blocks.  No photo though, of all the blocks on the design wall, as there isn't room for them now!

1st pieced block

 

2nd pieced block

 

applique block

 

for next month, there are the last two pieced blocks and the last applique block.  After that there are the setting triangles which are appliqued.  The outer border has appliqued scallops, but I think I might not do them - I shall decide when I have assembled the main body of the quilt.

So now on to Mother's Day.  Stuart and Alison arrived at the flat on Saturday afternoon, and Malcolm made us a very nice dinner.  Then, after breakfast on Sunday (also cooked by Malcolm, while I sat with my feet up!), we went out for a walk.  We had frequent stops, as Stuart was trying out his new camera.  As always, there was plenty to see

I know there's an engine somewhere in here!

 

having fun with a floating plastic container

 

you're dribbling dear!

 

the allotmenteers are getting ready for planting

 

a splash of colour on an old brick wall

 

an interesting plaque on an old building

 

a good address!

 

I've still got lots of photos from our walk which I will save for tomorrow, because I have the main event to share with you ........ sconnage!  We popped into Lowry's Coffee Bar

 

Stuart and Alison shared a fruit scone

 

while Malcolm and I shared a cheese one

 

and here I am, a very proud Mum with her handsome son!

Continuing our walk

Our next stop was at the old Bell Tower

 

which doesn't look as grand now as in the illustration

 

we walked on to an area called The Greenses, which we hadn't visited before.  In a corner of a raised flower bed is a memorial ..........

 

...... to a committed member of the community

 

if you follow the link above, one of the things it mentions is the provision on a new post box - and here it is!  It might be very smart, but I much prefer old ones, such as the beauties made over the years by Machan Engineering

 

this mosaic set in the pavement caught my eye - inspiration for an applique perhaps?

 

as we walked back to the flat, I remembered to look up and was rewarded with these three photos

 

this morning we popped into Cafe Crema for a cuppa, and were delighted that one of today's scones was the exceedingly tasty cheese and pickle, still warm from the oven

 

to finish ....... I had just started writing today's post when a movement in the garden caught my eye. We had a surprise visitor (sorry for the blurry photo) - a tiny field mouse tucking into spilled birdseed!

 

 

A walk on the wild side

When we arrived at the flat on Saturday morning, Malcolm suggested going out for a walk before lunch to look at the dock area that is going to be smartened up.  But the weather wasn't very good, so I declined!  Thanks to the big lens, I could follow his progress.  Here he is all by himself crossing the bridge

 

then walking along the dock

 

I kept shouting at him to stay away from the edge!

 

eventually he disappeared round the end of the dock

 

while he was out I took photos of the wine box chest of drawers, which looks fabulous in the hall

 

late in the afternoon, a large ship appeared offshore

 

then there was a flurry of activity and the pilot boat headed out of the dock

 

and started to guide the much larger ship in

 

it didn't take them long to sail round the channel and into the dock

 

 

back home, a little blue tit has been spending a lot of time sitting on the ornamental quince outside our bedroom window.  Usually he flies off as soon as I go into the bedroom, but this morning I managed to sneak in and take some photos of him

 

I'll be back tomorrow with lots of sewing, including my first sample of woolly bits!

Bottoms up!

As we were eating breakfast this morning, more and more swans swam into the dock.  There must have been something tasty to eat, as they kept sticking their heads under the water and their bottoms in the air

 

but suddenly there was a commotion, and an adult swan, with its head hooked over the back of a cygnet,  pushed it away from the group, with another cygnet swimming ahead of them as fast as possible to get out of the way

 

there must also have been something tasty on the ground (perhaps from a ship being loaded/unloaded) because the pigeons were having a good peck

 

when I looked out of the window later, I saw some activity on the far side of the dock

 

and in a shabby little boat which had been moored overnight against the pilot boat

 

there appeared to be trouble starting the engine, with much pointing and shaking of heads

 

the man with the new depth gauge soldiered on trying to lower it.  Every time he got out of his machine he had to walk round behind the lobster pots, which must have been somewhat annoying

 

at that point I had to go for my shower, and I was surprised that they were still trying to get the gauge in place when I came back through

 

I had the unkind thought that he might fall off the boat and provide me with some good photos ......

later we went for a cuppa and an exceedingly delicious cheese scone

 

we popped into Serendipity and I couldn't resist this lovely card, by local artist Anne Johnston Gill

then in a charity shop I picked up this rather grubby bag of threads

 

there is a little label inside each reel.  Coton a repriser is darning thread ....... I would have put in a link, but I could only find ones in French!

 

it is lovely thread, and I think it will be good for fine embroidery

 

Malcolm had been doing more work on his wine box chest of drawers, finishing the top and sanding it.  The last stage will be to wax it

 

we got back home at lunchtime and I spent the afternoon in the studio.  I finished the quilting on the space quilt, then I spent the rest of the afternoon working on this ......... but you will have to come back tomorrow to find out what it is!

 

to finish ....... the sun appeared this afternoon, much to the delight of this robin in the front garden

March forth!!

I accept no responsibilty for the punning title of today's post - it was supplied by the other person in the room!  So, today, the fourth of march, we popped over to Berwick.  After a potter round the shops we went for lunch.  This coffee shop used to be on the other side of the road, and was only half the size of its new premises

 

I rather like the painted tables - another project for Malcolm?

 

I ordered the French platter and Malcom ordered the grilled ham, cheese and spring onion baguette ...... then, of course, we had half each!

 

we went for a walk after lunch, which started with having to climb these old steps - I was not a happy bunny!!

but the sky was blue, the sun was shining, and there were old chimneys to take photos of!

 

we had a walk on the beach, and while Malcolm was looking for driftwood, I was looking for odd things to take photos of!

 

of course I was a responsible person and removed the fishing line after I took the photo!  I also picked up another length later on, and popped them both in the bin after our walk

 

we rather liked the way that the wall has been built round the tree

 

Malclm spotted this bird, which was hopping about on one leg!!

 

I had just snapped this swan ......

 

........ when it got out of the water

 

when we walk back home over the old bridge, we always walk on the left side ........ but as we got to the end I crossed over to have a look over the other side, and was rewarded with these photos!!

 

Malcom pointed out the shot of the railway bridge seen through the new bridge

 

and to finish, of course we have to have a photo of the lighthouse - with Bamburgh Castle just visible on the horizon!

 

 

 

Three for a pound!

We took the wine box bookcase over to the flat yesterday, and put it in the entrance to the guest bedroom

 

there was just one problem - we hadn't taken any books or ornaments to put on it!  However when we popped into town for some shopping, we picked up three paperbacks in a charity shop for a pound.  I added Malcolm's special tin, a card with owls, two little Indonesian ornaments and an apple shaped dish

 

I had mentioned to Malcolm that I would need to look out a wallhanging to hang above the bed in the guest bedroom ........ I have to admit that I had forgotten about this one, which is called Sunset over the Bay, so seems appropriate for the flat.  It will look better once there is a quilt on the bed - which will be soon, as the blue and white batik quilt that I got from Margaret's auction is being longarm quilted and I should get it back next week

 

I also took over the ripple rug, which I finished at the weekend.  This prompted the left or right dilemma

 

in the end I just left it along the back of the couch, which is where Malcom sits.  Later I noticed that he had folded it and put it over one of the arms!

 

the ship was still being loaded this morning, but we had to leave as I had a dentist's appointment, so we missed seeing it leave the dock.  After seeing Mr HighScrabbleScore, we headed off for some lunch.  We decided to go to the Jammy Coo, as we hadn't been there for some time

 

Malcolm chose a panini and I chose a bagel, then we chose the same filling, bacon, brie and cranberry (delicious!)

 

I noticed that they had the cute little mugs for sale - but when I saw the price was £11.50, I decided perhaps I didn't like it that much after all!!

 

I just had the little point and shoot camera with me, but it coped quite well taking photos of the scenery from the car on the way home.  You can just make out some snow lingering on the hills on the horizon

 

this is Ruberslaw - Malcolm has been saying that he will walk to the top since we moved here (over eight years ago!)

 

to finish ...... when we passed this tractor, there was no sign of the driver, but Malcolm wouldn't stop to let me see if he had left the key in it ........

 

 

Stitching fun!

The first of my new purchases that I investigated was the new ruler

 

oh dear, this one is quite a bit trickier to stitch with than the first ones I bought

 

for my second attempt I drew a line to try to keep the sewing straighter - a slight improvement.  This ruler is going to take more practice!

 

I then did a little doodling with spirals

 

after changing thread, I stitched two peapods and did a little meander under them

 

I had just taken this photo of the contents of the elephant kit when Malcolm popped into the studio.  As I explained to him about the little sachet of glue granules, to be used to stick little flecks of foil to the fabric, I could see he was frowning.  I  assured him that I would cover the work with baking parchment before ironing it, and he said he had been worried about the mess it might otherwise make of the iron.  I found this quite funny, as the only thing I have ever seen Malcolm iron is an edging strip on to a kitchen worktop!

 

I decided to make the little Japanese bag, as all too often I buy these kits and then don't make them for months (if not years!).  I ironed the two pieces of fabric right sides together and popped them on the cutting mat, ready to trim them square and then pin them together

 

it was so quick to make the bag that I had almost finished it before I realised that I hadn't taken any more photos of the stages of construction!  So here is the ta-da!

 

I popped my sashiko pin cushion into the centre pocket

 

then moved it to the front pocket - there is a similar pocket on the back (and there are two little secret pockets inside too!)

 

after the huge loads on the road on Sunday, we arrived in Berwick this morning to find a very large ship in the dock

 

there was a constant stream of lorries coming into the dock all day - at times they had to queue to discharge their loads into the ship

 

we had hoped that the ship would leave at high tide this evening, but it is still there. Perhaps we will see it leave in the morning.  There were other arrivals today, which we were delighted to see ...... yes, the swans are back!