frayed at the edge

Rusty!

When we arrived in Berwick on Sunday, this rather rusty ship was sitting in the dock

 

it had been sunny when we left home, but it got cloudier and mistier, the nearer we got to Berwick.  However we still went out for a walk.  We could see this sign in the distance, and with the help of the long lens were able to read it.  We were delighted to read that the area is going to be refurbished

 

as we walked out to the lighthouse, the waves were getting higher and higher - I was feeling seasick watching them!

 

every so often the sun would break through the clouds, and reflect off the waves

 

the swans weren't bothered by the waves, looking as serene as ever

 

for once I didn't have to decide whether to have the lighthouse on the left or right of the photo, as it was straight ahead!

 

yesterday we went for a potter round the shops, then instead of walking back over the old bridge as we usually do, we came back over the new bridge.  It is only when you walk across it that you realise how much higher it is.  I had to turn round to take the photos, to keep the sun behind me.  I took several, to show just how long the bridge is

 

 

when crossing bridges, I only look out, I never look directly down, so it was Malcolm who spotted this swan-shaped picnic table at the foot of the bridge

 

back at the flat, I spent quite a lot of time at the window watching the ship being loaded

 

by the end of the afternoon the ship was fully laden, and you can see how much lower it is in the water compared to the first photo

 

to finish, an "arty" shot of the pilot boat, complete with its reflection in the still water

Today's special mug .......

........ for my special tea, was my oh so cute Herdie mug

 

I thought I would start with the mug, in case I forgot by the end of catching up on the weekend!  On Saturday we decided not to go beachcombing, but to go for a walk round the town instead.  The river was low enough to show the foundations of the railway bridge

 

a bright collection of primroses beside the footpath leading up from the river

 

we hadn't used this footpath before, and were delighted to discover these two seating areas at the top

 

as we headed back to the flat, we had a good view of the three bridges

 

I remembered my own advice to look up

as we approached the od bridge, this little boat came through at a great rate of knots!

 

yesterday we drove the few miles up the coast to Eyemouth, where we went for another long walk.  I thought you might like another photo of the eider duck - I thought it had caught a fish, but looking more closely at the photo, I think it is a piece of litter!

 

as we walked along the cliff top (not my favourite part of the walk!) the waves were crashing on to the rocks below

 

as we walked back to the car, we paused to admire this building ....... 

 

...... with its amazing gargoyle!

 

it's Abbey Quilters' monthly meeting tonight, so I'll be heading out after dinner to pick up Maureen to drive over to Kelso.  We will be playing with paint sticks and fabric tonight - hopefully I will produce something good enough to show you tomorrow!

Sunrise and sunset

The reflection of the sunset on Saturday turned the river and the dock pink

then yesterday and this morning the sunrise turned the sky orange 

 

over the weekend we encountered lots of birds -  swans

 

cygnets

 

seagulls

 

eider ducks

 

a shy robin

 

I still have lots of photos from the weekend to sort out, so I'll bring you another intallment tomorrow, and I'll finish with some excellent sconnage

fruit with jam and cream

 

cheese

I saw a ship .......

......... but I didn't see it come sailing in, as it was already in the dock when we arrived at the flat on Saturday morning

 

this was a BIG ship

 

 

all these little fishing boats could fit on board with room to spare

 

after lunch, we wrapped up warmly and headed for the beach.  This might look like a pile of rubbish

 

but a closer look produced the first piece of driftwood of the day - when I sat it on the sand I couldn't quite decide if it was a bird or a fish!

 

I had a different subject to decide if it shoud be on the right or the left of the photo - the clock tower

 

I like the shapes and colours of the rocks - inspiration, perhaps, for a quilting design?

as the forecast wasn't do good for yesterday, we headed back home in the morning, stopping on the way at The Teviot Smokery for a cuppa and excellent scones

fruit

 

cheese

 

on Saturday morning we had collected this picture from the framers in Berwick.  Malcolm had found the First Day cover, featuring the famous Berwick swans, in a charity shop, and gave it to me for my birthday

 

but we only saw two swans over the weekend, and they vanished behind the ship before I could get a good photo!

 

I popped out to the garage this afternoon to take some photos of the driftwood we have collected recently.  It doesn't show up too well against the grey concrete floor - when the weather is better I'll take some of the bigger pieces out into the garden to get better photos

 

 

to finish, these arrived today for Malcolm.  He is planning to make a bookcase and/or chest of drawers from them

Snow!

When we got up on Saturday morning, we found that it had snowed during the night, so we were quite happy to head over to Berwick.  After lunch we wrapped up warmly and went for a walk on the beach.  It was so cold that there was frost on the sand and on the detritus washed up by recent storms (more of that later)

 

but it was also very clear, and way in the distance we could see Bamburgh Castle ........

 

........ and Lindisfarne

 

suddenly, the peace and quiet was shattered by a low-flying helicopter

 

which hovered over the lighthouse

 

then hovered even lower over the town

 

so, to return to all the stuff washed up on the beach.  Unfortunately this piece was too big to bring home for the garden

 

but we collected a bagful of excellent pieces of driftwood for Malcolm's trees and sculptures.  The bag was so heavy we had to carry it between us (and a very nice man walking his dog offered to help carry it up the stairs from the beach!).  As we were still some distance from the carpark, Malcolm headed off to fetch the car, while I guarded our treasures

 

while I was waiting, a little fishing boat came chugging into view.  That presented the usual dilemma - as the lighthouse would be in the photo with the boat, should it be on the left .......

 

......... or on the right?!

 

after Malcolm picked me up, we drove back round to the carpark and headed off on to another section of the beach to collect more driftwood (I shall have to take photos when Malcolm sorts it all out in the garage).  My shadow came with me!

 

on Sunday morning I got up and looked out of the window, to find that it had snowed in the night!!  These first photos were taken at just after eight, when I should have been making breakfast!

 

then these were taken about an hour later

 

I was quite excited at the thought of taking lovely snowy photos on the beach - but by the time we were showered and dressed it was raining heavily, and the snow was rapidly disappearing!  So we had to console ourselves with going for a cuppa, and a very delicious cheese and sun dried tomato scone

 

and to finish ........ we would have loved to have brought a wooden sign home from our Australian trip, but of course that wasn't possible, so instead we bought a tea towel, which Malcolm mounted in an Ikea frame.  The place names are a wonderful reminder of some of the places we visited on our trip - including the excellent Yackandandah!

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year!

I have thoroughly enjoyed my break - and not just from blogging.  I have spent very little time online, and have taken very few photos.  So now I am refreshed and revived, and raring to go with another year of blogging.  The weather hasn't been very good, so when we woke up to blue skies on the Sunday after Christmas, we decided to seize the chance to go for a walk.  We parked at the Waterwheel cafe just outside Selkirk, but instead of heading towards the cauld, as we usually do, we went the other way along the millstream.  Since we were last there, the undergrowth has been cleared, and several large trees have been cut down

 

this photo may look upside down ........ but the trees are reflected in the still water

 

although it looks as if it had been snowing, it is actually a heavy frost

 

the bright blue sky provided the perfect backdrop for two "arty" photos ....... first, some electrical gubbins

 

and then a dried seed head

 

these chickens were enjoying the sunshine

 

having enjoyed our walk, we rewarded ourselves with a cuppa and sconnage

delicious cheese

 

and an unusual lemon curd scone

 

I do enjoy a glass (or two!) of wine, but I don't know a great deal about it ........ so if in doubt, I simply choose the bottle with the best label!

 

the weather here was dreadful over New Year - very wet and windy, with some snow flurries.  So with the forecast of better weather in Berwick, we headed over yesterday morning, and enjoyed a good long walk along the beach.  The sun was shining on the lighthouse

 

I think I always take photos of these old wooden posts!

 

I can't decide which of these two feathers stuck in the sand to show you ....... so I guess I'll show you both!

 

it was such a lovely morning we sat outside the cafe on the promenade for a cuppa ....... but no scones as we were heading back to the flat for lunch

 

the sun shone all day, lighting up this small fishing boat in the dock

 

then this morning we were treated to a fabulous sunrise as we ate our breakfast

 

I mentioned at the end of the last post that there might be a prize for the best suggestion for a New Year's resolution ....... I am delighted to announce that the winner is Caroline.  I will see her next week at Abbey Quilters, so will be able to give her the prize then - so you will have to wait to find out what it is.

I'll be back tomorrow with lots of sewing, but to finish, we have a little bit of silliness!  I think SockMonkey has overindulged over the holidays, and probably should not be in charge of JDtractor

 

 

A change in the weather

It was trying to snow this morning in Berwick, but by the time it was light enough to take a photo, the sky had almost cleared

 

as we walked over to the town centre this morning, I was just getting the camera out to take photos of some swans when Malcolm spotted this heron flying low over the water.  I just had time to snap it before it vanished under the bridge

 

we couldn't decide if the swans were having a good wash or were performing some sort of mating ritual - they were almost turning somersaults in the water

 

beautiful blue sky ........

 

....... which sadly didn't last.  This is what we encountered on the drive home

 

the closer we got to home, the more snow appeared

 

when we got home, it took Malcolm three goes to get the car up the drive!

 

these photos are specially for Lee and Meredithe (and the Squealers) who are currently enjoying lovely summer weather in Australia

 

in the front garden the sparrows were waiting for the bird feeders to be filled

 

but they vanished when it started snowing again

 

when I was in the studio this afternoon, I listened to some appropriate music

 

to finish, I think we need some sustenance to help us cope with the bad weather  ....... how about this cheese and leek scone, which we shared witth our cuppa this morning

 

Pickled!

We went for a cuppa in Cafe Crema in Berwick this morning.  Having ordered our drinks, I asked the waitress about the scones - she said they were just about to come out of the oven, and oh joy, one of today's flavours was the cheese and pickle one that we enjoyed so  much recently

 

as it was another grey day, I had just poppped my little point and shoot camera in my bag, not expecting to take any photos other than that of the scone.  Which of course meant that as we walked back over the old bridge, there was the seal posing prettily for us!!

 

on the way home we called in at the Garden Centre, and were delighted to find that they had two very special visitors

 

part of the Christmas display featured these bears, which were a bit scary, as they moved like real ones!

 

however the penguins were very cute

 

to finish, a very small sewing update.  After spending yesterday afternoon wrestling with large curtains, it was a pleasant change to work on a stitchery last night

Curtains!

When we went to Ikea to buy the bed for the guest bedroom in the flat, we also bought curtains for the lounge.  Because we needed to buy three pairs, we bought their plain cotton twill ones, which are very reasonably priced.   But there is one drawback - they only come in one length, which is extra, extra long!  So when we came over to the flat this morning, I brought the sewing machine with me

 

I always have to consult my instruction manual, to remind me how to do blind hemming

 

there was a lot of crawling about on the floor, measuring and cutting off the excess fabric, ready for the new hems

 

the first pair done

 

then the second pair

 

the third pair are split, with one on each of the side windows.  As you can see, by the time I finished it was dark!

 

I have a nice pile of leftover pieces, which will be used for cushion making

 

it has been a horrible wet day here, with the lighthouse barely visible through the gloom

 

no seal, no swans, just one soggy seagull, looking miserable on an old, sagging roof

 

so to finish, lets have some colour!  Here are just a few of the beautiful orchids in the Botanic Gardens in Singapore

 

and a colourful little lizard

 

 

 

Far-flung friends

When we were in Sydney, we visited our friends Lee and John, and their beautiful daughters Taylor and Lilly.  Taylor was busy studying for her major school-leaving exams, and Lilly had been singing with the school choir, so was still wearing her uniform.  With a bit of toing and froing, we tried to get everyone in the photos!

 

then it was on to Melbourne and my lovey quilty friends.  When we went for lunch, the lovely waitress patiently took photos of us all with various cameras ........ from left to right Helen, Meredithe, Maree, me and Karen

 

when we visited Patch n Quilt, Mary, the owner, was being in helped by her daughter Claire ....... quite a contrast to Claire's proper job of midwife.  Claire was so lovely that I decided to adopt her -she was quite agreeable, as she fancied travelling overseas to her new home!

 

at the weekend, we were entertained by the seal, who had caught what looked like a salmon and was tucking into it  with relish (click on the photo to enlarge it)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

there weren't very many swans about - this one appeared this morning before it was fully light

 

yesterday, just as it was geting dark, this boat appeared and came in to the the dock at such a speed I only just managed to get a photo as it came through the opening

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

then I got up this morning just in time to see the boat leaving, with lights blazing

 

to finish, I know some of you have been worried about the recent lack of sconnage in our diet ....... but we put that right yesterday, with this magnificent cheese and spring onion beauty!