frayed at the edge

We weren't expecting that!

 There was a very large ship in the dock last week - this is only half of it

 

we were watching the big green machine scooping up the cargo and depositing it in a succession of large lorries

 

but we weren't expecting not one ..........

 

but two men to pop out of the bucket!!

 

they had obviously decided that it was too much work to manually sweep up the remaining cargo, and instead lowered this little machine into the hold to do it instead!

 

by the time the ship was ready to leave, the rain had started

 

the pilot boat ready to guide the ship out to sea

 

the next two photos were take through the rain-spattered window in the lounge, as the shipped turned, ready to leave

 

but then I opened the bedroom window and braved the wind and rain to take these last two photos, as the ship squeezed out of the dock

 

when we were in the Garden Centre on Friday morning, I couldn't resist these two exceedingly cute (and very inexpensive) mugs.  Why are they called Back To Front Mugs?

 

because this is the other side - given how often I encounter this when taking photos, of course I had to buy them!!

 

do you remember the house I christened the Money Pit, that I had hoped that Malcolm would buy for me so that I could turn it into a quilting retreat?

 

we were pleased to see that the new owners are making a thorough job of refurbishment, and not just patching it up

 

I think the house with the red tiled roof in the middle of the photo could do with some help - you can see that the right hand end has sagged, if you compare the slope of the roof with the one behind it

 

although we didn't go for a walk yesterday, we did share a delicious scone with jam and clotted cream

 

I'll be back tomorrow with some sewing!

A matter of scale

After lunch, Malcolm suggested that we went for a walk round the old walls, but instead of walking along the top of the walls as we usually do, he thought we should walk  round the bottom.  That meant that on the way to the walls, we passed the entrance to the icehouse.  Usually the gate is shut and locked, and all you can see is the entrance tunnel, but when we went past we saw it was open, and that there were people inside ........ so we went in too!  We were amazed at the sheer size of the place. There was a knowledgeable chap who explained that the icehouse dated back to the heyday of salmon fishing on the Tweed, and could hold 250 tons of ice, which was collected from the frozen river in the winter

 

the hatches at the tops of the walls allowed them to completely fill the space - and Malcolm and the informative chap give the scale

 

as we walked on round to the walls, we noticed this statue, and wondered who the woman was

 

well, we still don't know, but assume she had something to do with medicine, as the statue is dedicated to a doctor

 

so how high do you think the walls are - 6 feet, eight feet, perhaps 10 feet?

 

that little speck is a man standing on top of the walls ..........

 

and these are two people walking their dog - which you can just see on the left

 

you know that walks with Malcolm often involve steps - today it was a long flight down

 

on our way down we had one of those silly arguments ........ I liked this door

 

........ but Malcolm said this one was better!!

 

our walk ended here, at Lowry's coffee shop in The Chandlery

 

I had rocky road and a pot of tea

 

while Malcolm had lemon drizzle cake and an americano, with hot milk on the side

 

after two days of glorious weather, we are back to the default end-of-summer weather ....... rain!  We will be heading home in the morning, but the forecast isn't very good, so  I don't think we will be out and about.  However I think Malcolm has football and cricket to watch on tv, and no doubt I will be out in the studio playing.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

All the fun of the fair!

Before we set off on our journey to the Seaside Festival, we have to go back to Friday night, when a perfect rainbow appeared over Berwick

 

I hope someone found a pot of gold in the town, at the end of the rainbow

 

so, now to Saturday.  We walked along to the Festival, browsing through the "car boot" stalls on the first stretch of the promenade, then decided to share a bowl of chips, sitting in the sunshine, for lunch

 

there were all sorts of fairground rides for the children

 

and for their weary parents, there was a coffee stall

 

a hog roast stall - yes, they had a whole roast pig!

 

it was hard to resist the delicious smell from the freshly cooked donuts

 

this trailer had been granted a special licence for the weekend, to sell alcohol on the promenade, and for the customers to walk along the promenade with their drinks (served in plastic tumblers)

 

I had to drag my sweet tooth away from the sweetie stall

 

and in case you were hungry again by the time you got to the end of the promenade you could stop for a burger (I only realised afterwards that I hadn't taken a photo of the ice cream van at the start of the prom!)

 

we missed the Punch and Judy show, and Malcolm declined my offer to pay for him to have his face painted!  I then declined to join the little girls who were singing their hearts out to "Let it go", the annoying song from Frozen

 

in the final marquee, there was a delightful Scottish lady who, as well as selling jewellery, had two owls.  For £5 you could have a photo taken with an owl on your arm, but I preferred to pop some money in the donation tin and take photos of the owls on their perches

 

as the owl turned its head away ........

 

then back again, the lady explained to some children that owls have an extra two bones in their necks, which enable them to turn their heads 340 degrees.  They need to be able to turn their heads so much because, unlike us, who can look to the side, they can only look forward

 

I have only seen owls like this one in books, so it was a delight to see it on its perch

 

and as you can see, this child was fascinated by it

 

on our way back along the prom, I offered to buy Malcom a beer, which he immediately said yes to, and as I don't like beer, I had wine.  Cheers!!

Some odd things .........

......... I encountered this morning while walking on the beach!  We walked along to the far end of the promenade, before going down on to the beach to walk back

 

and I had only walked a few yards before I saw this

 

the remains of an old sweeping brush

 

if the owner of this shoe is as big as it suggests, I was quite glad not to meet him

 

this is a rubber stopper, the kind you get on the end of walking sticks

 

a very large piece of bone, but as it has been cleanly cut, it's not from an animal that met its end on the beach

 

a deflated football - I am sure some little boy was upset to leave it behind

 

now this is a very strange thing to find on the beach - a gun cartridge.  I would hope that it had been washed down the river, and wasn't left by someone shooting on the beach

 

we occasionally chat to a man who regularly walks his dog along the beach - he is always interested in what we are picking up, and what we plan to do with it.  He had already stopped for a chat on the outward leg of his walk, then on his return leg stopped to give me this strange looking stone. I thought it might be a piece of worn concrete, but Malcolm thinks it's some kind of stone

 

a collection of bits of crabs against the wall - I would think an animal or bird ate them, as there would hardly be a taste of flesh on them for a human

 

this daft dog was determined to dig all the way through to Australia

 

while this one was determined to kill its stick

 

as I approached this tree stump, I thought someone had placed stones round it - perhaps to make a campfire

 

but when I poked one of the "stones" with my foot, it turned out to be sand.  I decided that someone had built square sandcastles round the stump

 

it was windy on the beach, and this square was already being sculpted by the wind

 

I thought Malcolm was being romantic when he handed me this heart-shaped stone ........ but he had picked it up because he thought it looked like a chicken!

 

and so to the best bit of Friday ........ the cakes!!  We went to Fantoosh, where Malcolm enjoyed a piece of Bakewell tart

 

while I had Lover's Lemon Drizzle cake (it was heart-shaped).  Malcolm assured me that his tart was delicious, but as I don't like Bakewell, I didn't have a taste, but he had a taste of my lemon drizzle, which he enjoyed

 

we have our fingers firmly crossed for tomorrow, for the Spittal Seaside Festival, where there will be fun and games for everyone (and all sorts of things to eat!).  I hope you have a great weekend, love Anne

All sorts!

We had a walk on the beach yesterday, and as always there were things of interest for photos

 

rocks covered in seaweed

 

the tide coming in

 

further along the beach, the rocks and weed are tinted red by iron

 

is this a monster lurking under the sand, ready to bite an ankle?

 

this morning I spotted this shaggy dog on the dock - he belongs to the skipper of one of the fishing boats

 

the tide was out, and these swans on the mudbank just outside the dock were busy preening

 

Malcolm spotted this chap, paddling into the dock

 

the swans were most upset, and headed for the top corner .......

 

but then decided to leave, as the chap filmed them

 

they were at full speed to get away from him

 

I couldn't decide if he was wearing a kilt, or had a tartan blanket wrapped round his nether regions!

 

this afternoon we walked over to town, admiring these hanging baskets

 

this crop of sunflowers is growing in one of the allotments

 

just as pretty are these weeds growing on top of walls

 

 

what would gulls do without chimneys to perch on .......

 

.... or use as a lookout point

 

it was very hazy looking over to the lighthouse - this almost looks like a painting

 

when we were doing a bit of shopping, I asked if I could take a photo of this piece of old floor

 

I shall have to have a look in my stash for suitable fabrics to make a quilt!

 

back at the flat, the black swan had reappeared in the dock, after being absent for a while

 

and the seal popped his head out of the water to say hello

 

just before dinner, one of the fishing boats headed out of the dock - you can just see some swans hastily getting out of the way

 

and so to the Friday cake.  Malcolm has a peppermint slice

 

and I had a liquorice allsorts slice ....... I know that sounds very strange, and probably half of you are going, oh no that sounds horrible, while the other half are going yum yum!!  I thought it was delicious ...... but then, I love liquorice allsorts (and chocolate!)

 

the forecast for tomorrow is good, so no doubt we will be out and about, then we will head back home on Sunday.  I hope you have a great weekend, love Anne

A lot of walking!

We went for a walk on the beach on Thursday afternoon, and as always the camera went too.  Nature is slowly reclaiming this tree root, which was left on the beach after the winter storms

 

 

it wasn't me!  Someone else had built a little stone stack

 

this daft dog dug a hole and buried his ball

 

then dug it up again.  I caught him just as he leapt out of the hole

 

I read a bit in the paper at the start of the school holidays about how many hundreds of pounds parents might spend to entertain their children.  Well, here is something to do that is good fun ...... and it's FREE!  Let them loose on the beach to see what objects they can find, then get them to take photos

 

and can they find objects that look like strange animals

 

with pointed noses

 

and funny eyes ....... ok, perhaps I am easily entertained, but I had fun!

 

this sandbar was formed after the winter storms, and it is slowly getting bigger

 

I think I find another interesting bit of old groyne every time we walk on the beach

 

and we have to have a rusty bolt!

 

do you recognise this logo?

 

it is on this enormous Goodyear tyre

 

a welcome end to an enjoyable afternoon

 

then on Friday, we walked over to town.  These swans were down on the riverside at the start of the old bridge

 

with their friend the goose, who was keeping an eye on me

 

as we walked on over the bridge, this RIB appeared, and we watched in astonishment as one of the crew jumped overboard

 

the boat circled round him

 

then he was left to haul himself back on board.  But when it was turned this way we could see it was a fire and rescue boat, so we guessed that it was a training exercise

 

after we had enjoyed our cuppa and tarts, we walked on through the town, past the railway station, and then down through the park to the river.  If you look to the left of the bench, you will see a very large rabbit sitting on the grass

 

part of the Castle ruins

 

and another part of the ruins - I really just took these two photos to show off the beautiful blue sky!

 

Captain Donald, setting off on a voyage of discovery?

 

the train gives the scale of the railway bridge, and you can see how it dwarfs the other two bridges

 

This pretty flower is  called  scabious.   According to my wildflower book, it was used to cure skin complaints, in particular scabies, hence the name.  It was also used to treat coughs, lung complaints and dandruff!!

 

having walked past the railway bridge, there was a good view of the old bridge through the new bridge

 

and turning round, a good view of the railway bridge, complete with its reflection in the river

 

as we walked back over the old bridge, we saw some men getting ready to put out their fishing net

 

knowing that this method of fishing has been going on for many, many years, I switched to B&W - it looks just like the old photos you see of the fishermen

 

on Saturday, we went for another walk on the beach ........ and I found a little wooden fish in the sand!

 

a rather rusty fishing boat, heading into the dock

 

the tide was in, so we couldn't walk along to the other stretch of the beach

 

we had to beat a hasty retreat to the car when there was a short sharp shower!

 

but then the sun came back out, and we were able to complete our walk.  Sometimes when you pick up a piece of china, you hold your breath ......

 

....... as you turn it over to see if it has a pattern on the other side

 

the bow wave in the middle of the photo is from a rather weird boat ........ the bottom was like a speed boat, but with a wheelhouse like a fishing boat.  It was going at a tremendous speed - scary stuff!

 

to finish - I did my nails on Saturday ...... and for fun I painted one silver!

 

Sewing, knitting ..... and cakes!!

On Tuesday I finished tacking the hexies to the wadding, so that I could then trim the excess wadding off.  I found that it is easier to do it that way, rather than cut out hexies from wadding and try to line them up accurately with the fabric hexies.  On the right are the bigger hexies for the backing

 

I put the first hexie sandwich on my revolving cutting mat, and lined up the ruler for the first cut

 

then I just kept turning the mat to do the next cut

 

by the end of the afternoon, I had made a good start to all the trimming.  The offcuts of wadding can be used to stuff something

 

on Wednesday afternoon I finished the trimming

 

then paired each trimmed sandwich with a backing hexie

 

as you can see, there are twice as many fabric hexies as stitchery ones.  The next stage is to fold and pin the backing hexies in the same way that they are on the stitchery ones, and quilt them

 

having done that, I was sitting looking at the various kits and projects in this storage unit, thinking perhaps I could stitch up a quick one

 

I picked this kit to make a cushion, which I bought in 2000 in Christchurch (that's the one in New Zealand, not the one in England!)

 

I sorted out and labelled the various fabrics (and found there was an extra piece!)

 

the instructions said to put together a strip of tan fabric and a strip of blue fabric and cross cut squares.  Then, the instructions said cut the squares in half on the diagonal, and stitch the diagonal to make squares.  No,no,no!  Those diagonal edges are bias edges, and the first thing they do is stretch!  Before, I would have drawn a diagonal line, then stitched om either side with a ¼" seam, but I recently discovered this ruler.  You line up the centre line on the ruler with the diagonal, the mark the line on either side - it is supposed to be much more accurate

 

but by the time I had marked all the lines, it was dinner time, so you will have to wait until next week to see how the squares turn out

 

we came over to the flat yesterday, and I brought my hexie wallhanging to work on.  The photo doesn't show the true colours, which are much deeper.  I have been working on it on and off for quite a few years.  The original plan was just to stitch all the hexies together on the diagonal, but I got a bit bored, so headed off in the opposite direction, then later on reversed the direction again

 

these are all the hexies that are left, so I shall stick in and get it finished

 

now for the knitting.  I have finished the two snoods.  First the cabled one

 

and second the moss stitch one

 

we had a walk over to town this afternoon, and popped into Miele Patisserie for a cuppa ........

 

......... and cakes.  A lovely sharp tarte au citron

 

and a delicious sweet fruit tart

 

as we strolled on round the town after our cuppa, I had to stop to take a photo of the church spire against the wonderful blue sky

 

and this was the sky over the town at sunset last night

 

we were on the beach yesterday, and I have lots of photos from that, then I have lots more from our walk round the town this afternoon.  I shall have to get them all sorted out for Monday's post!  The forecast for the weekend is sunshine and showers, but hopefully we will get out and about between the showers.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

Sand between my toes!

 I know that I promised you some sewing for today, but that has been bumped to tomorrow!  Instead, join us on the beach for some blue skies, sunshine and fun

 

this is the busiest we have seen the beach, in the two years that we have had the flat

 

Malcolm was wondering why this little dog was sitting so attentively beside him ......... then his owner called over that he was waiting for Malcolm to throw a stone for him, which he obligingly did

 

I didn't throw a stone, so I was ignored

 

gnarly wood, rusty metal and deep shadows - all you need in a photo (well, perhaps Tom Hiddleston might improve it!?)

 

I wasn't really looking for any, but you can't help but pick up sea glass when you see it

 

we walked up on to the promenade, and headed to the café

 

and enjoyed a cuppa sitting in the sun

 

oops ....... when we walked back along the beach the tide had come in, which meant that Malcolm had to scramble over the rocks

 

but I just took my shoes off!

 

do you think it's cold?

 

just slightly chilly?

 

yes it was ....... but it is the first time in many, many years that I have gone for a paddle!

 

while Malcolm had the camera, he decided to take a couple of arty photos

 

he couldn't decide which he preferred, so I have included both of them

 

when I got the camera back, I had an arty moment as well

 

I prefer getting in close for my arty photos

 

as I did with ........

 

........ these two delicate dandelion clocks

 

perhaps if we had more grass I might have pinched this mower, left on a trailer at the side of the road!  (not that I cut the grass any more, since Malcolm retired he has taken over as head gardener)

 

back at the flat, there were dozens of swans in the dock - so many that I couldn't get them all in the photo

Jumping about!

Usually I put the photos into the post more or less in the order I have taken them, but there isn't really any order to them today.  I managed to snatch this shot last night of a water skier going at a great rate of knots down the river

 

then when we went for a walk out to the lighthouse this afternoon, we saw someone whizzing along in a sand yacht

 

he was going at quite a speed, turning back and forward

 

there were some men fishing in the river

 

but it didn't look as if they had caught anything

 

thank you to these two men, who provide scale for this shot of the lighthouse

 

if you don't like snails, skip over the next three photos!  Malcolm spotted this beauty on top of a wall

 

then this one nestled in a little hollow in the stonework

 

that's my little fingernail, to show you this size of this one

 

I had just taken this photo of the railway bridge through the new bridge, when Malcolm pointed it out - great minds etc!

 

it was rather breezy out on the breakwater, and it took five attempts before I got the heron in focus, as I couldn't hold the camera steady

 

now, I think you know by now that we like our food, so we were delighted to pick up these two bargains when we were shopping this morning - beautiful wild salmon

 

and our favourite cut of steaks

 

the three steaks are so big that each one will feed both of us, and the salmon divided up into 6 portions ..... so six special meals for less than £18 - all tucked away in the freezer

 

at the end of our walk this afternoon, we were going to go here for  cuppa ........ but it is just a little place, and there wasn't a free table

 

so instead we went here

 

Malcolm tucked into a large hunk of light-as-air banana loaf

 

while I had a piece of Twix and Crunchie chocolate delight ....... there is no more needs to be said about it, the name says it all

 

a little footnote - after doing the shopping this morning, we popped into the Garden Centre for a cuppa ........ Malcolm had a fully-stamped loyalty card, so was due a free cup of coffee.  We were enjoying our cuppas and reading the papers, when a lady approached the table and said "excuse me, are you the lady who writes the blog, frayed at the edge?"  She introduced herself as a reader, who occasionally leaves a comment ........ so Julia, if you are reading this, it was lovely to meet you!!

Raonic has just beaten Federer, so Andy Murray is about to start his semi-final ....... I think I may have no voice left by bedtime!  Then of course, if Andy goes through to the final on Sunday, I have to go through it all again.  And then finally, the football, which seems to have being going on since the beginning of time, ends on Sunday evening, and life can get back to normal.  Whether you are watching the sport, or locking yourself in a darkened room to avoid it, have a good weekend, love Anne

All sorts!

 We came over to the flat at lunchtime, to find there was a ship in the dock

 

it was being loaded with what we think is rape seed

 

I want one of these!!

 

after lunch, we headed for the beach.  The sun was shining, and there was a queue at the ice cream van!

 

the holidaymakers were making the most of the better weather

 

with this brave chap actually going for a swim in the chilly water

 

blue sky!

 

although it was still hazy looking into the distance at Bamburgh Castle

 

and there was enough wind offshore for this yacht

 

oh dear, there is no escape from crabs on the beach!

 

after a good long walk, we enjoyed a cuppa sitting in the sunshine, watching the world go by

 

although we both enjoy cooking, sometimes it is nice to let someone else do all the hard work, so this morning we popped into a well known supermarket, and bought one of their "meal deals".  All this for £10!

 

did I hear you say you wanted a close-up of the pudding?

 

after tucking into the short ribs, which we had with mashed potato, we shared a tart with some fresh strawberries.  The food was delicious, and we couldn't have cooked it and bought a bottle of wine for £10 (we might just open the wine later when we are watching the other football semi-final).  I was hoarse last night shouting at Andy Murray, who put us through torment before he won, and cheering on Wales, but to no avail, as they were beaten

 

we had just finished dinner, when there was activity in the dock, and the pilot boat headed out

 

followed by the ship

 

the swans were glad to have the dock to themselves again!