frayed at the edge

Our Sunday walk

This post has to start with a confession!  When we went out on Sunday morning to buy the papers, not knowing that we would be having lunch at the Town Hall do, we popped into the garden centre for a cuppa, and shared a delicious cheese scone.  So having then had our lovely buffet, Malcolm suggested that we should walk round the town walls to work off all those calories, before heading back to the flat.  Good idea - except for one small detail ....... I had on high-heeled boots, and I knew that there was no way that I could walk that far in them!  So we went back to the flat, I changed my footwear, and we headed back to town.  That meant we had already walked a mile before we started the walk

 

the "for sale" sign has gone from the "money pit" house ....... I will be very disappointed if it has been sold, as I had a grand plan to turn it into a luxurious quilting retreat .......

 

while I was looking up, capturing architectural details .........

 

........ Malcolm was looking out to sea.  He gave me a shout when he saw this little boat capsize, with the sailor struggling to right it

 

fortunately help was at hand

 

and he was soon under way again

 

this chimney is all that remains of a factory that made fertiliser from fish guts!

 

I had fun playing with this view, first focussing on the houses in the distance

 

then focussing on the wall

 

while this pigeon kept an eye on me

 

of course we have to have a photo of the lighthouse

 

the allotments looking good in the afternoon sun

 

and of course I have to have an arty shot

 

this thrush just wouldn't cooperate and face the camera

 

as we ended our walk round the walls, we paused to look down Marygate to the Town Hall

 

you can't see the old bridge behind the new bridge from this angle

 

but it came back into view as we walked under the new bridge

 

to finish - maybe it was as well that the wool shop was closed when we passed it, or I might have bought the pattern and yarns for these delightful tea cosies!

Celebrating 900 years

 We were delighted to be invited to an event in Berwick Town Hall on Sunday........

 

we avoided leaving finger prints on the beautifully polished brass lock

 

and went in to meet up with the other people who were involved in the various events last year to celebrate Berwick's 900th anniversary.  When we arrived, we were presented with this booklet about the town's timeline

 

if you look at the flags flying over the castle, you will see how often the town changed hands!

 

we also received a copy of this informative booklet about salmon fishing - you will recognise the boats as the ones I recently posted  a photo of

 

there were lots of information boards to read

 

and the full timeline to read

 

I was delighted to see that this photo included my wallhanging

 

and this one my three driftwood fish pictures

 

we had a glass of wine when we arrived, then after the speeches we had a buffet lunch, with another glass of wine.  I didn't take a photo of the sandwiches, sausage rolls etc, but took one of my strawberry tart and piece of rocky road!

 

in the afternoon, we went for a long walk, which I will share with you tomorrow. To complete an enjoyable day, I treated us to this bottle of wine to have with dinner.  I summoned up all my expert knowledge to help me choose which wine to buy ....... yes, this one had the best label!

 

ps - I often mention our lovely neighbours, the shoe shop owners ....... you can find their wonderful shop here

A windy walk

When we woke up on Saturday, the sun was shining and the sky was blue.  But by the time we walked over to town for breakfast, the sky was grey and it was raining!  But fortunately the rain didn't last, although it was still somewhat windy, so we headed out for a walk after lunch.  We decided to walk along the other side of the river, along the Riverside Walk

 

the old and new bridges, with the river on  my left, rather than the usual right

 

 

the rail bridge looking magnificent in the sun

 

I took this photo from under the bridge, where the wind was much stronger, making it hard to keep the camera steady.  In the end I rested the camera on Malcolm's shoulder, but as he was being buffeted by the wind, it took a while to get the camera steady enough to snap the driftwood boat on the other bank

 

we didn't walk any further along the bank, as the path became rather muddy, and as we turned back I took this photo looking over to the town, with the rowing club on the river, and the clock tower on the skyline 

 

the start (or is it the end?) of the railway bridge

 

although there is another small section of bridge further along the line, where it crosses the road.  The train on the bridge, and the car on the road give you the scale of its construction

 

back at the flat, I was entertained by some swans, which seemed to have found something tasty to eat on this sandbank out on the river

 

while this man seemed to find the lobster pots fascinating

 

we had a lovely sunset 

 

I'll be back tomorrow to tell you about a very special invitation that we received to an event yesterday, and to finish - sometimes it can be tiring being a swan ..........

 

and all you want to do is tuck your head under your wing and have a sleep!

 

It's Friday again!

My goodness, it hardly seems five minutes since I was sitting here in the flat last Friday writing a post!  When we arrived after lunch there was a big ship in the dock, but it wasn't being loaded as it was raining, so there was also a queue of lorries

 

when the rain went off, this crew member appeared and started opening the hatches with this natty hoist

 

having lifted a section, he whizzed along and deposited it on top of the others - I wanted to have a go!  But before long it started to rain again, the hatches were closed and all the lorries left

 

on Wednesday afternoon I thought I ought to make a start to stitching my block for this year's challenge for Abbey Quilters.  We are doing sashiko blocks  - we were given a piece of fabric and thread, and a choice of patterns.  I chose this one, as it is much more interesting than the ones that are made up of straight lines or curves.  This is the pattern pinned to the fabric with a piece of chalk transfer paper in between

 

the chalk lines will rub off after the pattern is stitched

 

it is very soothing to sit and stitch along the lines with long stitches

 

this afternoon we braved the rain and walked over to town, where we popped into Fantoosh for a cuppa and cake  

 

Malcolm chose lemon and almond shortbread, which was very tasty

 

but when he tasted my chocolate mint brownie, he wished he had ordered one too!!

 

the forecast for the weekend is cold but dry, so hopefully we will be out and about.  Have a good weekend, love Anne

What we did on Saturday

When we walked over the old bridge on Saturday morning on our way to town, we heard a splash and a plop ...... and there below us was a seal, which had come out of the water on to a rock.  I only had the point and shoot with me, so you can't see him too clearly.  And even less clear is the heron on the little outcrop behind him

 

then we spotted another heron - this time you can see more of his reflection than you can of him

 

the sun reflecting off the water had given this photo the feel of a painting

 

it was an exceptionally low tide, and you can see the wooden piling round the bridge pier

 

and this is very old wooden piling round the foot of the old bridge

 

I rather like the bits of reflections of the bridge in the pools

 

later in the morning we set off for the beach, and we got a closer look at a heron

 

looking back at the three bridges basking in the sunshine

 

this is the ramp for launching the lifeboat - there isn't usually this much of it exposed - we were worried that there wouldn't be enough water at the end of the ramp if the boat was needed

 

the sky reflected on the calm water

 

I wonder who had fun making this - could it have been us?  A couple walking their dog stooped to ask if we were going to dance round it ....... Malcolm said yes we would be back at midnight, and I added that we would take off all our clothes.  Did they want to join us?  For some reason they said no!

 

if we could have picked this up, we would have brought it home to make a seat in the garden

 

I think Malcolm was contemplating how many logs this would provide

 

of course we have to have a photo of the lighthouse

 

I just liked this abandoned tyre, standing upright in the middle of the beach

 

halfway through our walk, we sat in the sun outside the cafe on the promenade, and shared a delicious bowl of chips

 

then, on our way back after quite a bit more walking on the beach, I treated us to icecreams

 

I'll be back tomorrow to tell you what we did on Sunday.

Small boats and large ships

We came over to the flat after lunch, and the new runner was immediately put on the little dining table

 

I think it looks very good - and even the pot pourri is colour coordinated with it!

 

when we walked over to town, we stopped on the old bridge to look at these two small fishing boats.  Malcolm was laughing when the left hand one turned to show its stern, just as I took the photo, suggesting it had taken lessons from all those uncooperative animals who turn their bottoms to the camera

 

when we came back form town, we found that a yacht had come into the dock

 

but it was dwarfed by this ship

 

which was being loaded

 

the swans weren't bothered by the ship

 

and the pigeons were happy pecking at the spilled seed

 

but then the survey boat came in

 

the swans scattered, and as the boat came up against the dock, the pigeons took off too

 

of course when we were in town we went for a cuppa and cake.  Malcolm had this elegant white chocolate and raspberry tart, which he said was delicious (I didn't taste it, because as you know, I don't like white chocolate)

 

and I had this wonderful lemon meringue pie

 

the forecast is a bit mixed for the weekend, but hopefully we will get out for a walk.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

A walk in the park

On Sunday we walked over the old bridge, then along the river to Castle Vale Park

 

the start of the walk is dominated by the railway bridge

 

this photo shows the scale of the bridge, with the tiny figure of a rower who had just come through the arch

 

the air was full of the small of wild garlic - but look out for the nettles if you pick it!

 

as always we paused to admire the ruins of the castle

 

this plaque shows what the castle might have looked like

 

someone has had fun with the trees and branches washed down the river in the floods, building a wonderful boat!

 

the boat even has a deck

 

but my favourite bit is the branch at the front which looks like a strange four-legged beastie is trying to climb aboard

 

further along the path Malcolm spotted this owl peeking out of the undergrowth

 

and who can resist a rotten old fence post (but again, look out for those nasty stinging nettles)

 

it looks as if this tree is coming into leaf

 

but it is fluffy catkins, not leaves

 

we encountered several gates on our walk.  The first one is in need of some tlc

 

the second one is at the entrance to the park which was to have commemorated the coronation of Edward VIII, but after his abdication, it was dedicated to George VI

 

but this is my favourite - if you look to the left of the gate, there is nothing to stop you simply walking past it!

 

this beautifully restored cottage is a holiday rental

 

it has a stylish weather vane

 

and a quirky garden seat

 

as always on our way back, I paused to take a photo of the view through the railway bridge to the "new" road bridge, and the old bridge

 

the railway bridge is so long, that even this photo doesn't show the full length of it

 

as we walked back into town, we crossed over the railway just as a train pulled into the station

 

somehow the beautiful old buildings have survived - so may old stations have been knocked down and replaced with ugly modern buildings

 

we were going to have scones for lunch, but we made the mistake of looking at the menu, and instead had rather delicious sandwiches.  It may look as if I used a special effect for these photos, but it was just that the lens had steamed up!  Malcolm had egg mayo

 

and I had coronation chicken

 

we walked along the quayside after lunch - and there was another lovely rusty pile

 

late in the afternoon, these two swans came into the dock

 

I'll be back tomorrow with some sewing - and some knitting.  But to finish - I was delighted to read the other day that a recent survey showed that the population of long tailed tits has increased because of the mild winter.  And to prove it, we have had more in the garden

 

A ripping yarn!

Our first stop on Saturday was at the St Abbs Wool Festival.  It was very busy, and this was the only photo that I took (with permission).  The needle felted creatures were delightful, but sadly none came home with us.  Indeed I didn't buy anything, because I just thought of the size of my stash, and sensibly decided not to add to it

 

it was a lovely day to be out and about, looking down to the harbour

 

I have taken lots of photos of this memorial

 

with its tragic figures looking out to sea

 

and when I was sorting out my photos on Saturday evening ......

 

..... it occurred to me that I always take the photos from behind, looking out to sea with the figures

 

we had taken a picnic with us, and decided to go on down the coast to Coldingham, to eat it looking out over the beach.  As usual there were some surfers braving the cold water

 

this snail on the side of the picnic bench looked determined to share my sandwich!

 

this tiny one was on the table top - that's the top from a bottle of (diet) Coke to give the scale

 

our next stop was in Eyemouth.  When we there there the other Sunday, this shop was shut ...... and it was shut again on Saturday, as it is being refurbished.  Hopefully it will be third time lucky next time we go

 

however this little gallery was open (Malcolm was on his way in, then turned round just as I took the photo).  

 

The gallery has all sorts of lovely things, and I bought the little blue and white boat for Malcolm to add to his fleet

 

 

what is this up in the tree?

 

a friend of this big pink Easter rabbit!

 

there was all sorts of yarn bombing in front of the church

 

but every time I see yarn bombing, I just think that it is a waste of yarn that could be put to better use!  (I know, I'm turning into a grumpy old woman!!)

 

this is the Eyemouth lifeboat

 

and this one is from Whitby, which is quite a bit further down the coast, so we have no idea why it was in the harbour

 

we were about to give up watching for a seal - when one popped up!

 

I am sure that some trendy art gallery would display this collection of rusty bits as a cutting edge work of art

 

as we walked back to the car, we paused to watch a boat load of divers heading our of the harbour

 

I'll be back tomorrow to share what we did yesterday, and to finish, two photos of the super display of daffodils as you drive into Berwick

 

 

A cliff top walk

On Saturday, Malcolm suggested that we went for a walk along the cliff top at the far end of Spittal Beach.  He had walked there before, but this was my first time (I'm not a fan of walking on cliff tops).  When we parked the car, we were greeted with a bright yellow splash of gorse

 

the start of the path looks down on the end of the promenade

 

looking back towards the lighthouse

 

even from this distance you can see how much better the beach looks after the clean-up

 

this is a train on the East Coast Main Line ........

 

I wouldn't want to be any closer when it goes past at 110 mph!

 

an unusual signpost 

 

there may be 1000 of these signposts, but this is the only one I have seen

 

at 110 mph, it won't take long to get to Edinburgh!

 

Seahouses, of course, is where we get the best fish and chips

 

this fish could find its way into a quilt

 

I think we could walk to these coves at low tide - but then we would be stranded if the tide came in, as I doubt we could climb up to the path!

 

I was slightly nervous about walking past this bit of the cliff, as it looks ready to fall in the sea

 

 

the next two photos show some of the gubbins which hold the high-voltage wires for the railway .......

 

as I used to work for British Rail (many, many years ago), Malcolm was asking me all sorts of technical questions, but I had to point out that I worked for the Chief Civil Engineer, not the Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineer.  However, I could tell him about the track!

 

as we returned to the car, we saw these two gulls deep in conversation on the chimney tops

 

just as the sun was starting to set, these two swans came into the dock

 

it was such a still evening that you could see the reflections of the lighthouse

 

and the old chimney

 

the low sun was shining on the windows across the river

 

after our walk we may have had a sweet treat with our cuppa

 

I'll be back tomorrow to tell you what we did yesterday - it may have involved rather tasty scones!

 

Something for (almost) nothing!

So here it is, Malcolm's latest creation, made from scrap wood.  All he paid for were a few nails and screws, wax and sandpaper.  This was it after being sanded, waxed and buffed

 

when we arrived at the flat after lunch today, with a bit of huffing and puffing Malcolm carried it up the stairs

 

it didn't take long to fill the shelves - I bought the copper bowls when we were living in Jakarta, from an Italian shop, so they are well-travelled!

 

it fits in well with the other furniture

 

as we were walking over to town this afternoon for a cuppa, I realised that I had forgotten to put my earrings in.  This was a calamity, as I knew if I didn't have earrings in all weekend, I would really struggle to put them in when we get home on Monday.  Despite having had pierced ears for over 40 years, the holes close up very quickly, and I really don't like having to force earrings in.  I could have bought cheap ones ...... but I know from experience that after 5 minutes my ears would be itching, so I was delighted to find a very reasonably priced pair of simple gold hoops

 

I also treated myself to this Martha Stewart magazine ........ my gorgeous Aussie bloggy friend Lee will be envious (if she hasn't already bought it herself!!)

 

then there was the big decision to be made.  Where would we go for a cuppa (and cake).  Would it be Cafe Crema ......

 

or would it be Maisie's (which you can see reflected in the windows of Cafe Crema)

 

we decided on Cafe Crema, and Malcolm enjoyed this white chocolate brownie - he said it was very rich and he couldn't have eaten a bigger piece

 

I chose a slice of Crema Delight ...... oh my, a chocolate confection with crushed Maltesers through it, and little bits of Bounty, Twix, Mars Bar and Crunchie.  It was very, very delicious - but I think I should probably fast for a week to work off the calories!!

 

and to finish, the latest Linus blanket, beautifully displayed by Jemima, my rag doll that I have had for almost 40 years!!

 

no doubt we will be walking on the beach at some point over the weekend, and some sconnage may be consumed!  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne