frayed at the edge

Three long walks

We went out for a walk on Saturday morning when we were up in Berwick.  First, we sneaked on to the dock to take photos of these three boats.  The one on the left has been sitting there for over a year, but the other two have only recently been lifted out of the water

 

this one looked a total wreck when it was lifted out, so we were surprised to see how good it is looking now

 

I think these leaves .......

 

....... look like aliens as they open!

 

the salmon fishing boats are back on the river

 

Malcolm spotted a swan taking off from the river, but by the time I snapped it, it was disappearing through an arch of the old bridge

 

then the seal, which had been in the water with only its nose showing when we crossed the bridge, popped up on to its favourite rock - was this a conspiracy to be uncooperative?

 

spring is definitely here, with lots of trees fully in leaf

 

and this flowering currant provided a splash of colour

 

there are lots of little flowering plants growing out of the top of walls

 

and in cracks .......

 

between the stones .......

 

of the breakwater

 

on the way to the lighthouse

 

after a very bracing walk out to the lighthouse, (even Malcolm was complaining about the cold wind!) I was delighted to find that the seal was still perched on his rock

 

or perhaps its a she?

 

back home, yesterday we drove over to Alnmouth, crossing the squinty bridge

 

the tide was out, but there was just enough water for this boat to stay upright

 

the beach was busy with Sunday morning walkers

 

these hardy souls had just rowed to shore in their skiff

 

while this RIB meandered past - that's Coquet Island in the background

 

and yet another boat!

 

there is always something of interest to pick up on the beach

 

Malcolm spotted this shell - its pattern is similar to the tiles on Sydney Opera House

 

does this clump of rocks look better from this side .......

 

........ or this side?

 

my new best friend - although he didn't live up to his name of Tiger!

 

your eyes are not deceiving you - these men are playing golf!  The one on the left was struggling to hit his ball back up over the top of the steep slope

 

we paid heed to the sign - we didn't really want to be hit by a rogue golf ball, or run over by a golf buggy

 

the groynes on Alnmouth beach are in better condition than those on Spittal beach

 

the wood is nicely weathered - Malcolm did suggest I popped a piece or two in my backpack, but unfortunately that wasn't possible! 

 

the wood might be in good condition, but the bolts are rusty, and you know that I do like a nice bit of rust!

 

I haven't yet cured Malcolm of his tendency to walk into my photos

 

a welcome sight, a comfortable bench to sit on before we headed back to the car

 

as for the third walk - well, you will have to come back on Wednesday for that one!

A busy week!

All sorts of things have been going on this week!  On Monday, I worked on my new design wall.  I taped together two of the sturdy cardboard  boxes which the removal firm had given us, then  I called in the man with a hammer (aka, of course, Malcolm) and he nailed them to the wall

 

I then looked out this horrible grey wadding - I have had it for so long, I can't remember what I bought it for!  I also unearthed my spray adhesive

 

fortunately I had some small pieces as well, to patch in the gaps  (I haven't cut off the corner of the photo, that's the opening for the velux!)

 

next, I sprayed the wadding, and stuck the sheet which was my old design wall on to it.  It still needs tidied round the edges, but I popped a few things on to the wall - looking good!

 

yesterday morning, this crane appeared where a new house is being built

 

I popped upstairs for a better look - you can see the points of the roof trusses that the crane was lifting

 

later on, back in the kitchen, I finally captured a truss in mid-air

 

in this photo, the crane looks as if it is fishing for the orchids!

 

on Tuesday, our lovely former neighbours (the shoe shop owners) came down for a visit, and brought back our two very large house plants which they had been looking after for us.  The parliament of owls were delighted to have their home back

 

and the rubber plant obviously enjoyed its holiday, as it has put out several new leaves

 

they also brought our bay tree, which we have grown from a small cutting they gave us some years ago

 

and they brought us a present of two plants for our new garden, which Malcolm will plant this week (once we make up our minds where to put them!)

 

there are some old trees in the garden, which the previous owners told us are fruit trees.  We think they said there are two plum trees and an apple tree.  I should have googled to see which this is, but no doubt one of you more knowledgeable gardeners will tell me!!

 

we came up to Berwick this morning, and as it is Friday, of course we went out for a cuppa and cake this afternoon.  As usual we had a debate as to where we would go, and as usual we went to Café Crema!

 

Malcolm has a peppermint slice

 

and I had a fudge delight ....... both, as always, were delicious!!

 

we have had a lazy afternoon, and may be having a refreshing glass of wine this evening.  We will head back down the A1 tomorrow afternoon.  Weather permitting, Malcolm no doubt will be busy in the garden on Sunday, and I will be busy working on a project which I will be teaching at Sue's shop later in the year, so I can't show you my usual step-by-step photos!  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

Sunny days!

We popped up to the flat yesterday morning, and as the sun was shining we went for a walk on the beach.  I think it may be a law that the first photo taken has to be of the lighthouse!

 

I find it fascinating how the sand constantly shifts.  The groynes on the right are usually about shoulder height, now they are about waist height, and you can no longer see the ones on the left

 

although this is just an empty crab shell, it looks quite menacing

 

I wonder if this is one of its legs?

 

a lone daffodil on the sand ........ we have no idea where it could have come from

 

although it was a sunny day, the brave souls who went for a paddle were shrieking at the cold water

 

on the way home this morning, we popped in for a cuppa

 

although the sun was shining, it was just a bit chilly to sit outside

 

so we headed into the welcoming coffee shop

 

although the flowers are plastic, they brightened up the tables

 

interesting shadows!

 

we resisted the sweet, chocolatey cakes

 

and instead shared a delicious chees scone.  We do like places that bring you an extra plate when you say you are sharing the scone or cake!

 

I spotted this branch on the beach at the start of our walk, and although it was heavy, I carried it all the way for the rest of the walk, as I was determined to bring it home for the garden.  Malcolm set it up in the front garden this afternoon, and hung a couple of bird feeders from it.  He will need to build a plinth for the birdbath to sit on

 

but our Indonesian  birds don't need the feeders!

 

there is a lot of grass all round the house, which was rather long when we moved in.  Malcolm has gradually been getting it cut, and the edges tidied.  The deck needs a good clean and a bit of refurbishment, but that didn't stop us having both lunch and our afternoon cuppa on it

 

I'll be back on Wednesday with lots of sewing (woohoo!)

More ships!

When we got up on Tuesday morning, we were somewhat surprised to find that a ship had come into the dock overnight!  As soon as it was light, there was a constant stream of lorries queueing up to load it

 

then this morning, we saw that an even bigger ship had come in overnight, and there were even more lorries waiting to load it

 

of course yesterday we had to endure Storm Doris.  This is looking from the front windows to the back windows ......

 

........ and from the back windows to the front.  Why am I showing you the windows?  Well, at one point during the storm, the rain was lashing against both the front and back windows, which was decidedly scary!

 

when we walked over to town this afternoon, these two swans .......

 

........ were determined to hide their heads under their tails

 

but the duck posed quite happily

 

as we walked along the riverside path, these two cygnets went past.  They still have to shed the last of their juvenile feathers

 

not only did this swan have a dirty mark on its back, but is also had a dirty line round it from the silt in the river after the storm

 

suddenly the sun went in, and it felt a lot colder, so we didn't walk all the way round the path to look at the driftwood boat - hooray for the digital zoom on the camera!

 

we walked up through the park, where there were lots of signs of spring.  Grape hyacinths

 

my favourite, snowdrops

 

daffodils

 

pale hellebores

 

and dark hellebores

 

walking through the town, Malcolm pointed out this chimney.  I think it could do with a bit of pointing at its base

 

this is the back of the Big Money Pit.  There must be some work going on inside, as this window has wire mesh over it, probably to keep the pigeons out, and there is a stepladder.

 

the owners of the Money Pit must have read my last post about their house ........ because the scaffolding has gone!

 

as we crossed the bridge on our way back, I could see a group of swans on the far side of the river

 

and several lorries loading the ship

 

when you look at this photo, what catches your eye ....... the washed-up beer can or the male duck?  Did you notice the female duck?

 

and so, on to the Friday cake!  Malcolm chose a chocolate brownie with almonds - I didn't taste it as I don't like almonds, but he said it was delicious

 

I had a piece of millionaire's shortbread, which was sweet and very, very delicious!

 

I won't be here on Monday, but I'll be back on Tuesday with my February report for 17 UFOs in 2017.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

A tale of two walks

When we walked over the old bridge on Friday, the tide was at just the right level for the seal to be perched on his favourite rock - accompanied by a perfect reflection

 

and there was the bonus of a heron wading through the water with his reflection

 

there was no sign of any work being done on the Money Pit - I am sure it must be costing a fortune to have all that scaffolding on the building, so you would think they would be working as much as possible to get the refurbishment done

 

Malcolm spotted this wonderful shadow shot of the balconies - the house is actually much more pink than it looks in the photo

 

I just like tatty old doors!

 

still no work on the Big Money Pit - I think they are waiting on Planning Permissions

 

recently is has been very cloudy or very hazy ....... but there was a good clear view over to Bamburgh Castle ........

 

........ and Lindisfarne

 

I think it is obligatory to take photos of old chimneys when the sky is blue!

 

the contrail is from a plane heading up to Edinburgh

 

this chimney is unusual - there is no satellite dish or tv aerial

 

when we look out at the lighthouse from the flat, the breakwater looks straight, but this shows you the two turns as you walk out to the end

 

we walked along part of the old walls - I always stop to take a photo of these two trees

 

our second walk was yesterday morning, when we went for a stroll along the beach.  The latest winter storms have changed the beach again, not only covering up a lot of the groynes, but also covering the sand with stones and grit

 

the next section of the beach had vast heaps of rotting vegetation

 

but then we reached a long stretch of smooth sand

 

I nearly forgot to take a photo of the lighthouse!

 

a mussel shell, left behind by the receding tide

 

I couldn't decide if the holes in this rock were natural or manmade

 

at the far end of the beach, the level of the sand was much lower, with previously unseen rocks

 

with pockets of small stones .......

 

and large stones

 

the lighter covered steps at the bottom are usually covered with sand, showing how much the level has changed

 

we walked up the steps to the promenade, and joined lots of others for the walk back

 

looking down on to the beach, just as I snapped, the owner thrust the ball thrower at the dog, spoiling my photo

 

this dog was standing up straight, looking good ...... and just as I snapped, it looked down - arggghhh

 

we were pleased to see that the little café was open

 

and it was warm enough to sit outside to enjoy a cuppa, and share an Empire Biscuit

 

with a view over to the lighthouse

 

as always, in the course of our walk, we picked up some treasures.  This is a cuttlefish bone  - our Mums used to buy them to give them to our budgies!

 

little bits of sea washed china

 

this still had sharp edges, so I put it back on the sand to be ground smooth.  I think it is from an old ginger beer bottle

 

 

You wait months for a ship .......

then two come along at once!  When we got up yesterday morning, there was a large ship sitting offshore, waiting for high tide to come into the dock

 

at lunchtime, there was a flurry of activity, and the pilot boat headed out

 

and was soon shepherding the ship in

 

then, on the other side of the breakwater, the survey boat, which is a regular visitor, appeared

 

but it had to wait as the big ship slowly, slowly, edged into the dock

 

when the survey boat then started to head for the dock, it was bouncing on the waves

 

making me feel slightly sea sick!

 

 

meanwhile the big ship was turning - the man sitting on his motorbike on the left gives you the scale

 

the dog looked exceedingly bored, as his owners watched the ship

 

a final nudge from the pilot boat to push the ship against the dock ........

 

........ and the survey boat was able to dock as well

 

a procession of large lorries then arrived to load the ship .....

 

........ and came back first thing this morning to go on with the loading.  They had to stop for a while late this afternoon, as it was snowing heavily, but they are busy again

 

mid-morning, the inflatable from the survey boat went out

 

I didn't see it come back, but a short time later the survey boat, with the inflatable back on board, headed back out to sea

 

it's Friday, so that means cake ........ but you will have to come back on Monday to find out where we went this afternoon to enjoy these delicious cakes.  I was somewhat greedy, and had a rather large slice of blueberry and lemon cream cake (although I did give Malcolm some of it)

 

Malcolm was slightly more restrained, and had a slice of Earl Grey tea loaf

 

the forecast for the weekend isn't very good, so if we don't get out and about, I will be curled up on the bed in the afternoons either watching a film or catching up on a Craftsy class, while Malcolm watches football.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

Not quite .......

........ a place for everything, but we have just about squeezed in everything that we brought over to the flat.  These are some of my orchids, which have survived being moved ....... they are prone to dropping all their flowers if they are unhappy

 

we usually just have cacti in the flat, as they are low maintenance, but of course we have had to find room for the house plants

 

I have always had house plants, except for when I had two brief stays in an apartment in Singapore.  When Stuart was little, macramé plant hangers were all the fashion, so the plants were hung from the ceiling away from little fingers!

 

I know my daffodils look a bit ill-arranged in the jug .......

 

....... but it's because there is a section in the middle of the jug that you fill with ice to keep your white or rose wine chilled

 

so far I have only found a place to hang up this calendar

 

I don't really want to put pins in the walls to hang up my almost naked men

 

my delightful Minions (which I bought half-price last month!)

 

and my fabulous tractor calendar, which Stuart and Alison gave me for Christmas

 

the bed in the back bedroom is the opposite of the princess and the pea ....... instead of a great pile of mattresses, there is a great pile of quilts and wallhangings

 

 

it's Friday, so that means cake!  I had to pop back over to Hawick this morning, to have my poor sore leg treated by the nurse.  As always I was early, so I popped into the coffee shop in one of the local supermarkets, and treated myself to a pot of tea and a chocolate fudge cake

 

I removed the paper wrapper to reveal this beautiful confection - I am sure it contained my entire calorie allowance for the day! 

 

tomorrow I am heading over to Kelso for an Abbey Quilters' Linus/UFO day.  I haven't seen the girls for several weeks, so it will be good to see what everyone is working on (and catch up on the gossip news!).  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

A moving tale!

 This was my studio when I was in the middle of packing it all up

 

and this is how it looked on Monday afternoon - after I had vacuumed all the thread off the carpet!

 

I was just thinking that I would miss watching the many birds that visit the garden .......

 

....... when this little fat robin popped in to say goodbye

 

this was the very last box to be packed ........ and the last things in were the coffee mugs and the kettle!

 

however, today we have embraced our interim stay in the flat, and headed to the Garden Centre for lunch.  There was a special deal of a bowl of soup and a cheese scone - perfect!

 

we then went for a walk along the promenade.  We would have walked on the beach, but I have a bit of a sore leg, as I had a mole removed (on Friday the 13th, I should have known better and changed the appointment!) and unfortunately the stitches became infected, so I am hobbling about the place!

 

but if we had wanted to walk on the beach, we would have had a problem using this stairway, as recent storms have deposited all sorts of detritus

 

we weren't quite sure what this little beastie was, grinning at us from the beach

 

but we were impressed with this dragon, guarding a house

 

this tree is very, very big ........ but we could see fresh saw marks way up at the very top, where it has been trimmed by a tree surgeon

 

another old post box to add to my collection

 

it was cheering to see a splash of colour

 

this was the entrance to the Berwick and Tweedmouth Gaslight Company

 

Malcolm wouldn't let me play with the machines!!

 

as we headed back to the car, we saw one of the little fishing boats coming in

 

and to finish, a bit of fun!  Is this a little ghost looking in the window to say goodbye

 

and was this his little friend?  No, it's bird poo that I hadn't cleaned off our bedroom window!!

On the move

We were out and about in Northumberland again on Saturday, this time visiting Alnwick.  First stop was this imposing old church ......

 

........ which is so big it wouldn't fit in one photo!

 

I assume this sad little headstone marks a child's grave, but there is no inscription on it

 

unlike this one, which tells you in detail of the deceased

 

in days gone by, if you were trying to invade the castle .......

 

if you didn't impale yourself on these vicious railings

 

you would have been bombarded

 

by the defenders from above

 

as we walked on round the town, I rather liked this pile of beer barrels, with their bright stripes

 

a dainty garden gate

 

but why have a door, when you can simply walk round the end of the wall!

 

why is this pub world famous?

 

for a rather scary reason

 

you can just make out one of the dirty bottles

 

there was a delicious aroma of cheese in the air as we passed this shop

 

the castle and gardens are closed for the winter

 

but you can walk past this magnificent gate

 

can you spot the lock, and where the gate opens (you can click on the photo to enlarge it)

 

a detail of one of the birds on the gate

 

and one of the beautiful glass flowers

 

sadly the ice cream kiosk was closed .......

 

we drove on to Bamburgh, and there were the usual problems of taking a photo of the castle from the car - a bump in the road and you get more sky than you want

 

or the car in front won't get out of the way!!

 

when we parked, we found that most of the shops and tearooms were shut ........ but fortunately there was one open, serving the most delicious scone with jam and clotted cream - bliss on a plate!

 

yesterday morning when I got up and looked out the bedroom window, I was rather surprised to see a naval vessel sitting offshore.  It sat there for a while, then sailed off, so I will never know what it was doing there

 

some weeks ago, I teased you with talk of being out and about in Northumberland as part of a BIG project.  So now it is time to reveal some of what we have been up to.  The empty shelves in my studio give a small clue

 

then there are all these boxes sitting in the hall

 

and pictures down from the walls and stacked in the "fitness room"

 

yes, we are moving!!  The house had been on the market for some months, when suddenly, just before Christmas, up popped buyers.  Barring any last minute hiccups, we move out in three weeks' time!!  So where are we going ...... yes, you've guessed, we are moving to Northumberland, where Malcolm was born and grew up.  We have had our offer accepted on a house, but it is very early in the  lengthy process of buying it, so I'll wait until things are further down the line before I tell you about it.  When we move out of this house, everything will go into storage, and we will go and live in the flat - we are fortunate that we have that option, otherwise we would have had to rent a house.  However, I will still be sewing, and I will definitely still be blogging!!  (and working on my 17 in 2017!)

 

 

Endings and beginnings

Last Friday, as the year drew to an end, we went for a potter round Berwick, and as always I had to take a photo of the lighthouse ....... and you can just make out Lindisfarne on the horizon

 

this shabby old door may be upgraded soon .......

 

as major works are going on behind the wall

 

we will have to watch the progress of whatever it is that is being built!

 

I think I took an arty photo of this plant growing out of the top of a wall during the summer!

 

another favourite subject - old chimneys, against the blue sky

 

there doesn't seem to have been any progress on the Money Pit.  I shall have to try to see inside one day - Malcolm said I should simply tell them that I have peeps all round the world (slight exaggeration) watching the refurbishment!

 

a lot more work has been done on this old building, at the end of the old bridge, with smart new windows installed

 

it will be interesting to see how they restore the old shop front

 

and so we go from the end of last year to the beginning of this one.  We went for a very chilly walk on the beach on New Year's morning, and again the lighthouse was first up for a photo

 

the pattern in the sand would make a good quilting pattern! 

 

a forlorn wellington - I wonder where the other one is

 

the sand has shifted again after the recent storms.  The last time we were on the beach, these wooden posts were taller than me - now they are about knee-height!

 

Malcolm pointed out these two with their shadows behind them

 

I don't think this driftwood boat will be seaworthy!

 

it was cold and windy, and the sea was rough, so we weren't surprised that there were no mad folk about having a New Year's Day dip!

 

I saw a flash of colour up ahead, but it wasn't an exotic shell or plant, but rather a sad and bedraggled ball, left behind by a dog

 

and to finish, we spotted this chap having fun on the beach ...... the wind in his kite had him bowling along at a good speed!