frayed at the edge

Here's looking at you!

Here is Stuart's photo of me taking a photo of him ....... but where I had the wooden post as the focus in my photo, he has me as the focus in his!

 

we passed this swan on the grass verge as we headed for the beach - it wasn't at all bothered as we took photos of it

 

I put the lighthouse on the left - but I think Stuart put it on the right of his photo (by now Malcolm and Alison had walked on along the beach, as Stuart and I kept stopping for another photo!)

 

of course I had to have a stretch of the wooden groyne

 

and a rusty old bolt

 

and a weathered post with an interesting hole

 

further along the beach there were two tractors and a digger busy moving sand

 

dumping the sand in the sea

 

after clearing it away from the seawall

 

that looks better!  All the tyres have been removed, and the large tree trunks have been piled up at the end of the beach, making it easy for people to scavenge them for firewood.  And best of all, the smelly piles of detritus have been removed

 

then on Sunday it was a very different beach, with lots of rock formations

 

with interesting outcrops where the surrounding rock has worn away

 

we thought this would make a wonderful feature in the garden ...... if a) it was legal to take it, and b) it could actually be lifted and transported

 

 

 

have you been wondering what's inside a limpet shell?

 

 

I believe they can be eaten ....... but I think you would have to be pretty desperate, as they look revolting!

 

next we have some arty shell and seaweed photos

 

and some striking rock formations (ideas for quilts?)

 

this is a freshwater stream, trickling down over the rocks to the sea

 

as always Malcolm managed to find a fascinating piece of driftwood - and as always it was much too big to take home!

 

on the way back, the radio display didn't quite manage to show the complete title of the song!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with the second part of the tutorial for the simple quilt

A very, very busy weekend!

I took so many photos over the weekend, I didn't know where to start ...... then I thought, lets start with the important stuff ........ food!!.. Stuart and Alison treated us to a wonderful meal on Saturday - this is the seafood platter they shared for their starter

 

Malcolm's starter was fillet of seabass with risotto, which I would have had too, but there was crab in the risotto, which I can't eat (I had delicious rabbit in a mustard sauce, but it was a boring photo!)

 

this is Malcolm's main course, a very tender steak

 

and my very tasty supreme of chicken

 

Malcolm finished with coffee, Alison had the cheeseboard, Stuart had some thing with nasty white chocolate ....... and I had the most wonderful salted caramel tart - yum!

 

when we arrived on Friday, there was a large ship in the dock, which had just been loaded

 

and when we went out for our walk over to the town, they were closing the hatches, so we hoped we would see it leave

 

but there was also another big ship sitting out at sea, waiting to come into the dock

 

after we had been for our cuppa, we walked round to the old walls ...... and there was the pilot boat bringing the ship in

 

friend or foe?  Fortunately we didn't have to see off any invaders!

 

the two ships and the pilot boat all squeezed into the dock

 

once the second ship was safely berthed, the pilot boat took the first one out

 

then yesterday morning, there was another ship sitting out at sea.  I took this photo from the next beach down the coast, where we had gone for a walk after Stuart and Alison left

 

the ship sat there all day, finally coming in when we were having dinner - so I had to be rather rude and jump up from the table to take photos!!

 

we were holding our breaths as the ship squeezed in

 

it needed a push from the pilot boat to get in close to the dockside

 

I have lots of excellent photos from walking on the beach on both Saturday and Sunday, which I will share with you tomorrow ...... but here is a fun one to finish.  I took this photo of Stuart as he took one of me, when we had both knelt down to take an arty photo of this interesting piece of wood!

 

 

What Malcolm made

I will have to get Malcolm organised to take photos of his projects, as I think we have missed several stages of his latest creation!  This next photo gives you a good idea of what it is going to be

 

not quite so pretty on the back!

 

battens added to support .......

 

........ shelves.  You are probably thinking that he is making a bookcase, but it is actually for crockery and glasses, which are jammed into the kitchen cupboards in the flat

 

it now needs a good sand, then he will probably wax it

 

or perhaps some chalk paint?

 

and all that it has cost is some screws and nails, and a bit of time and effort

 

we had some more new lambs in the field this morning

 

most of the ewes have twins

 

but this one seemed to have just a singleton

 

we came over to the flat after lunch, and went for a walk over to town this afternoon.  We popped into Fantoosh for a cuppa.  This little coffee shop/gift shop used to be in Duns, but that one closed, and they opened this one in Berwick in November

 

Malcolm got a very large jug of hot frothy milk to go with his americano 

 

and my tea was in a very stylish pot

 

we had half each of a slice of elderflower drizzle cake, and a mixed berry scone (although it looks like a muffin, it was a scone) - both were delicious

 

Stuart and Alison are joining us tomorrow, and we will be going out for dinner.  It will be a belated Mothers' Day meal, and a very belated celebration of Stuart's appointment to Managing Director (there may be a bottle of champagne in the fridge!!)  I hope you have a good weekend, and have something to celebrate with a loved one, love Anne

 

A new look!

Don't worry, you haven't come to the wrong place, I have just updated the header for the spring!  I have also updated my bloglist on the sidebar ...... do have a look and pop in for a visit to the new ones I have included.

So, back to yesterday and our walk back through the town.  Malcolm wouldn't let me "borrow" a golf buggy, to save walking back to the flat!

 

we don't usually see the walls from down below, as we more often walk along the top

 

this gate is small, to make it harder for the enemy (the dastardly Scots) to invade the town

 

 

this church is one of only two which were built while Oliver Cromwell governed the country

 

when it was built it had no altar, stained glass or bells

 

we spent some time reading the old gravestones

 

as this soldier died in 1800, we think he may have been killed in the Napoleonic Wars

 

next to the Cromwellian church is this more ornate one

 

which despite being in England, is Church of Scotland

 

across the road is this building, which has obviously been a church, but now appears disused

 

it had beautiful windows

 

then just a few yards along the road is  ....... yes, another church!

 

I stopped to watch this big machine working on a demolition site ........ Malcolm actually said that I could have one, when I said that I would use it to demolish all the politicians we don't like (that's a long list!)

 

we were looking at this menu outside a restaurant when I spotted the deep fried haggis ...... but what an insult to have batter made with whiskey, which is Irish ...... it should of course be whisky!

 

although winter is reluctant to leave, there are signs of spring

 

and we have to have some cake, as it is Friday.  Sadly not a home baked one, but some rather tasty muffins 

 

as the forecast isn't that good, I think we will head back home tomorrow, so no doubt I will get on with some sewing.  Malcolm has plans to make a piece of furniture for the flat, so probably he will be out in the garage playing with sorting out his stash of wood.  I hope you have a good weekend (and for my lovely Aussie friends, I hope it isn't too hot!!)  Love Anne

Fun on the beach!

 

 

We came over to Berwick this morning, and after lunch decided to go for a walk on the beach that is way over on the other side of town.  We went past the Bell Tower

 

then on past the golf course

 

we paused to look out beyond the lighthouse to Bamburgh Castle and Lindisfarne

 

 

 

 

then there was the beach below us

 

we very sensibly walked down the steps

 

but it might have been fun to go down the slide (stop sniggering, who said my bottom would get stuck!!)

 

we may have had fun making dams to divert the water running out to sea

 

one of us played with a shell, floating it on a little pool (which one of us ...... well, it wasn't me!)

 

I made a stone stack

 

which was dwarfed by the slab of rock I sat it on

 

Malcolm joined in the fun, and together we created this larger stack

 

the sun came out, casting our shadows on the sand

 

Malcolm thought this bit of broken wall looked like a crocodile

 

there was very little driftwood on this stretch of beach, but we did pick up some little bits of driftwood and china (I must knit new fingerless mitts, my pink ones are getting a bit shabby)

 

these birds ignored us, as they poked about at the water's edge

 

there were lots of limpet shells on the beach

 

but these are live ones clinging to the rock

 

I've still got lots of photos from our walk back through the town, which I'll show you tomorrow.  To finish, on our way back to the flat we popped in here ......

 

....... for a cuppa  and a delicious lemon meringue tart

Crash, bang, wallop!

You will have to wait until the end of the post to discover what went crash, bang, wallop ..... but we will begin with sunrise in Berwick this morning

 

we walked over to town later in the morning, and stopped on the old bridge to take photos of a heron (and his reflection)

 

and a last look at the beautiful blue Berwick sky

 

so, on to the promised sewing.  I have finished another stitchery (only four to go!!)

 

I have added a second row of large hexies to Mrs Billings

 

and I've done more fmq on the animal quilt, working a sort of curvy design on the chicken border

 

and spirals on the outer border

 

and in one of those little serendipitous moments, when I turned over, the spirals had outlined the eyes on two of the owls!

 

then it was on to the red and black blocks.  I stitched together the top left hand corner

 

then the top right hand corner

 

when I stitched the bottom left hand corner and put it back on the design wall, an idea was starting to form .......

 

and by the time  had stitched the last section, I knew what I would do next

 

I stitched a sashing strip between the two top sections

 

and having trimmed the block I made with the scrappy leftovers, I added a central strip

 

 

then added a sashing strip to the bottom two blocks and stitched it all together

 

this detail shows the fun fabric I used for the sashing

 

but now I have another pile of scrappy bits left over!

 

on Saturday afternoon, our lovely neighbour (the shoe shop owner) appeared at the back door of the studio.  As I walked round the table to open the door to talk to him, there was a bit of a rattle ..... then the aforementioned crash, bang wallop.  The lid had come off this tin on the top shelf

 

and some of the contents had landed on the lower shelf

 

and the rest had landed on the floor.  A thousand pre-cut paper hexies (a gift with a magazine) to be picked up ........

 

 

Sun, sea and sand

Yesterday afternoon we decided to go for a walk, as the sun was shining and the sky was blue

 

that of course meant a lot of looking up for photos, to include that lovely blue

 

fortunately we passed a good selection of old chimneys

 

and the gulls were enjoying sitting in the sun

 

we walked under the old walls, to head for the lighthouse ....... this shows you the turns in the breakwater, which you don't see when I take photos of the lighthouse from the beach

 

I love the way this tree grows out through the wall, and then back in through the railing

 

but I did tear my eyes away from the blue sky to snap these two swans

 

although there were lots of other people enjoying a walk in the sun, I managed to take a photo of the lighthouse without anyone in it 

 

this morning we decided to take a run down the coast to Seahouses, which of course means passing Bamburgh Castle

 

we popped in for a cuppa, which was served in pretty china

 

there was a slight delay in the scone arriving, as it was heated for us

 

this little wagtail insisted on standing in the middle of the road

 

whereas these two large crows were much safer perched on a church weather vane

 

down at the harbour, Malcolm had his eye on these pieces of wood, but unfortunately they didn't fit in my bag!

 

and it might have caused a problem if he had taken the pieces propping up this boat!

 

there were two men busy working on refurbishing this boat

 

and there were lots of other small boats in the water and up on the quay, as there are few trips to the islands at the moment

 

we decided to go on down the coast to Alnmouth for lunch, choosing the Village Tearooms

 

Malcolm had crab sandwiches, which he assured me were delicious (I have an agreement with Mr Crab - I don't eat him and he doesn't make me violently sick ...... I have the same agreement with Mr Prawn)

 

I had stottie filled with hot roast beef and gravy - very, very delicious!

 

we dodged the flying golf balls ......

 

to go for a walk on the beach

 

there were lots of other people (and dogs) on the beach, but I managed again to take a photo with no-one in it

 

someone has had fun with driftwood, building a cosy little den - I hope Malcolm doesn't decide to build one in the back garden with his stash of driftwood!

 

in the distance dark clouds were appearing

 

but as we walked back to the car the sun came out again, to shine appropriately on this Inn

 

I'll be back tomorrow with lots of sewing.

 

 

My few purchases

I really was quite restrained in my purchases on Friday.  First some new pins - I have used so many pinning the edges of the stitcheries that I had run of of pins this size.  These are lovely fine French pins

 

I was delighted to get these patterns at what I think are very reasonable prices

 

my biggest purchase was this new cutting mat.  Here it is sitting on the old mat, which shows round the edges

 

although both mats were sold as measuring 24" x 36", that is the overall size of the new mat, but the working area of the old mat

 

when I had popped through to the kitchen on Saturday night, two things caught my eye.  First, the light thrown by this little fishy wax burner

 

and second, this candle, which appears to be floating in the air, but is actually sitting on the kitchen table!

 

we had stayed at home for the weekend, as the weather wasn't very good, and when we went to Jedburgh yesterday for a walk, I decided to switch the camera to B&W, to go with the grey skies.  First, we have two views of the old bridge

 

this may need a little bit of refurbishment

 

unlike the house next door, which is for sale

 

and this recently refurbished one on the High Street is also for sale

 

this tiny window is in Mary Queen of Scots house

 

as is this stone detail

 

and is this Mary's ghost looking out of the window ........ or is it just my reflection (with Malcolm looking on)!

 

of course we have to have a couple of shots of the Abbey

 

then it is back to colour for the delicious cheese scone we shared after our walk

 

we came over to Berwick this afternoon, and I have just been hanging out the bedroom window to take this photo of the rising moon!

 

A chilly weekend

Usually when we get to Berwick, we go straight to the flat, unpack, then walk over to town.  But because of the horrid weather on Saturday morning, we drove into town first, parked, bought the newspapers, then went for a cuppa at The Corner House.  It had been refurbished since we were last in, and just as I took a photo, the owner walked into the shot - she looks like a ghost!

 

we shared a very tasty, if slightly small, scone

 

we decided it was too cold to go for a walk, so spent the afternoon reading the papers and watching football (Malcolm's team were thrashed!) on tv.  But there was some excitement when the lifeboat whizzed about the dock for a while

 

later on the sky cleared a bit, with some interesting clouds over the town

 

on Sunday morning we were going to go down the coast for a walk on one of the other beaches, but first we went out for a spot of breakfast.  But by  the time we had finished breakfast, the world had turned white!

 

so we had another afternoon of watching football (yawn) and cricket (Malcolm's team were thrashed!).  But then we had a special Valentine's dinner, courtesy of Marks and Spencers

 

and we musn't forget the wine and chocolates ......... all of that for £20!

 

when we got home this morning, it was to find rather a lot of snow.  Having unpacked and put on the first load of laundry, I decided that there was no way I was driving down into Hawick for my usual Monday morning food shop, so instead went out for a walk.  I did think about going for a drive in this tractor, as the engine was running, but there was no sign of the driver

 

you can see why I didn't want to go out in the car

 

the horses didn't mind the snow

 

an old field gate, with the sun behind it

 

the tractor, now loaded with hay, trundled past me

 

a lonely rosehip

 

a snow-covered sign

 

walking up the hill was easy for me

 

but driving down it wasn't quite so easy for this car

 

of course we have to have my favourite bit of scenery

 

why did I walk down to this gate?

 

to take these two arty photos of icy seed heads

 

 

on the way home, I couldn't resist taking photos of these gubbins, with the brilliant blue sky above them

 

I enjoyed my walk so much that I went out for another one after lunch, but I'll show you those photos tomorrow.  To finish, this photo is for Amy, to show her that I do sometimes crochet ..... I made this cosy shawl some years ago, and it was very welcome today for my two walks!

Two days in a row!

On Saturday morning we were treated to a colourful sunrise .......

 

...... and as the weather was better than forecast, we wrapped up warmly and braved the cold wind to go for a walk on the beach.  As you can see, the sea was rather rough

 

this tree stump looked as if it was growing in the sand

 

there are still a lot of tyres lying on the beach after the recent storms - we have no idea where they have come from

 

there are also a lot of turnips - I would have thought the seagulls would have eaten them, as they often scavenge for food

 

there are still great rotting heaps of vegetation

 

there are several piles like this one, which weren't there when we were last on the beach

 

every so often along the beach there are stony stretches

 

the tide was coming in rapidly

 

so we decided to retreat up on to the promenade

 

this dog had been standing, watching us approach, but as soon as I went to take her photo she sat down and glared at me!

 

we were delighted that the cafe was open again, as we were frozen and in need of a hot drink, and some hot food 

 

we may have had chips the previous evening, but that didn't prevent us from sharing a bowl for lunch!

 

then yesterday on our way home, we popped into the garden centre in Kelso for a spot of sconnage.  Despite all those chips and the scone, when I weighed myself this morning I had lost half a pound!!  I may have to patent my new diet

 

I'll be back tomorrow with lots of sewing, but to finish ........ I should print out this photo and hang it up in the bathroom for visitors to see - because we have our own little sewage plant, we have to be very careful about what goes down the loo!