frayed at the edge

Contrast

The other evening, the collared doves enjoyed a quite drink from the birdbath ......

 

....... but it's just as well that they weren't there this afternoon, when we had a sudden downpour

 

I'm glad that I didn't get caught in a shower when I was out for my walk yesterday, as there few places to shelter.  I suppose I could have cuddled up with these sheep

 

I coudn't persuade these two to stand closer together!

 

I don't think that I would want to cuddle up to this one

 

I like horses - but only in the distance - they are a bit scary up close!

 

folklore/old wives' tales say that the severity of the winter is in proportion to the amount of hawthorn berries ....... there are very few this year, so hopefully we will have a mild winter

 

I have no idea what these bits of machinery for, but they make a good photo

 

I would love to steal this gate to refurbish it and put it in the garden

 

on my way out to the studi yesterday afternoon, I was distracted by some butterflies on the buddleia buddleiia buddliea butterfly bush

 

while I was taking photos of the butterflies, there was a wonderful buzz from this shrub - you can't see them, but it was covered in bees!

 

I did some more work on my "Welcome" block - I am delighted with it!!

 

I got out some embroidery threads - and found they matched my drawing

 

there was no patch'n'chat today, but I didn't want you to be deprived of the Friday cake, so I looked out Meredithe's recipe

 

it hadn't been in the fridge quite long enough, so it was a bit squidgy ....... but it was delicious!  There is plenty left over, so we will be having some with our afternoon cuppa for a while, as it keeps well in the fridge.  The forecast is mixed for the weekend, so I think I may be doing a lot of sewing, and Malcolm will be watching the cricket.  Whatever you have planned, I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

Reward!

We decided to go for a walk round the big park in Hawick yesterday, and as we walked from the carpark to the park I was rewarded for making the effort

 

earlier in the summer, there was only a trickle of water here

 

it is getting cooler in the mornings, and there were signs in the park that autumn is on its way

 

as we have had a reasonable amount of rain recently, everywhere is green and lush

 

this little rabbit was enjoying nibbling on the rich grass

 

Malcolm wanted me to jump in the river to retrieve these fence posts!

 

rusty barbed wire and weathered wood - bliss

 

the last time we visited this part of the park it was a bit neglected, so it was good to see it had been revamped

 

and there was a wonderful suprise in the glasshouse - cockatiels!

 

it started to rain on the way back to the car, so to cheer ourselves up, we went for some serious sconnage

cheese

 

coconut and cherry - unusual, but delicious

 

to finish, something not quite so pretty as the scones!  Maureen has been giving me vegetables from her garden, as shhe has had an excellent crop this summer.  She brought these carrots on Friday especially for Malcolm .........

Goodnight John Boy, goodnight Jim Bob

I had to retune my little tv in the studio last week, as some of the channels were being changed.  On Saturday I was scrolling through to see what was on, when I found one of the new channels ...... and look what was on - The Waltons!

 

John Boy was not amused when his siblings invaded his bedroom, when he was trying to write

 

yesterday morning we headed to Newtown St Boswells, to go for a walk.  As we headed towards the River Tweed, there was a lot of traffic noise from the main road above us

 

this plump bee wasn't bothered by the noise

 

however we soon left the road behind and meandered through the trees

 

  We stopped to admire this new wooden bridge ........

 

......... which looks so much better than this old one

 

it has obviously been a good year for the ducks, as we saw several pairs shepherding their broods along the river

 

we thought it rather strange that this boat had a plastic chair in it .......

 

then on round the bend we saw another one!

 

we missed the turn-off to take us away from the river and back to the village - as you can see the vegatation is somewhat overgrown.  I don't think I would sit on the bench, in case a strange creature jumped out!

 

my legs were complaining by the time we had climbed these three sets of steps!

 

I don't know why this sheep has a traffic cone in the field!

 

we couldn't decide what these three old buildings were for

 

of course, after such a long walk we were in need of a cuppa and sconnage.  We went to The Jammy Coo, where we enjoyed a cheese scone ......

 

....... and a fruit scone

 

I'll be back tomorrow, not only with a sewing update, but also with a beehive update!

On the doorstep

I took these photos this morning, standing on the front doorstep.  First, the horses in the field across the road

 

then, turning slightly to my right, the Eildons

 

a litle bit further to my right, fields and a higgledy piggledy fence

 

round a little bit more, and I should have had a view of the Mintos ....... but these trees have grown so much since we moved here almost seven years ago that you can only just see the top of the hills

 

 just after taking the photos, we set off for Longframlington, and Anne's shop.  It's good when Malcolm goes with me, as it means I can take some photos of the scenery

 

there would have been more photos, but it is a rather bumpy road, and several of the photos were blurred or showed the sky, as the car bounced just as I clicked!

It was with great excitement that I hung Country Cottages on the wall

 

and I was even more excited when a customer came in, looked at the wallhanging and not only wanted the pattern, but wanted a kit as well!!

 

then one last thrill, hanging the patterns on the stand!

 

Ruth and Annie were busy completely rearranging the fabrics

 

after a great deal of discussion and huffing and puffing carrying bolts (which are surprisingly heavy) from one end of the shop to the other, here is just a little bit of the new arrangement

 

only one bit of sewing to share - Susan was working on her version of Lilly Pilly

 

and to finish - when I went through to the kitchen when I got up (at 6.30), there were several starlings sitting on the birch tree in the front garden.  By the time I grabbed the camera, there was only one left on the tree ........ and the camera was on the wrong setting!

 

ps - did I accidently buy some fabric - come back tomorrow and I'll tell you!

 

<

Hooray for Mr Heron!

As usual we went to Hawick this morning for a cuppa, and as we meandered back along the High Street to the car park we decided to have a detour to where we often see a heron.  It was more in hope than expectation, as we haven't seen any herons on the rivers (Teviot, Slitrig and Tweed) for weeks ......... but there he was!

 

several of you guessed that yesterday's photo showed Malcolm's pizza oven ....... but the first thing he cooked wasn't pizza!  It can also be used as a barbecue and a smoker, so he decided to hot smoke the salmon for last night's dinner.  Yesterday's photo showed the kindling - once that was burning well, he added some ash logs

 

once it was at the required temperature

 

he added some maple wood chips for added flavour

 

a quick peak to see the salmon cooking in the smoke

 

we had the salmon with cauliflower cheese.  It was delicious - succulent and flavoured with the smoke

 

did you notice how orange the cheese sauce was?  That's because Malcolm used some of this fabulous cheese

 

while Malcolm was busy with the salmon, I got out this packet of pizza base mix

 

and after five minutes kneading, left the dough to rise

 

once we had eaten the salmon and cauliflower, I topped the pizza base with some olive oil and garlic salt

 

we the had a bit of a problem transferring the pizza on to the pizza stone in the oven, so there are no photos of that stage.  Next time we will make small pizzas to make it easier.  So, our first (sort of garlic bread) pizza ....... it's not pretty, but it was delicious!  It might have been a rather strange order to eat dinner, but we enjoyed the salmon and the pizza - the oven has been voted a big success!!

 

I've mentioned before that it is handy being married to an engineer.  Today I looked out Malcolm's set of French curves, which he has had since he was at university

 

but you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what I was doing!

Swanning about

As we walked across the car park to the car after our usual Thursday morning potter round Hawick, I suggested that we walked on towards the river

 

we were rewarded with a pair of swans

 

however the seagulls looked somewhat unhappy at the lack of water

 

because of the extended spell of good weather, the council workers have been able to cut the grass in public areas of the town, making everywhere look very neat and tidy

 

I can only think that it is the hot weather which has persuaded this orchid to start flowering again. 

 

there had only been two flowers left on it, when it suddenly put out more buds

 

this one also had only two flowers left, and it too has put out more buds

 

these two were languishinng on the windowsill in the back bedroom, as it is some time since they last flowered - but they have both put out flower spikes since I checked them last Friday, when I watered the house plants

 

this afternoon I layered up and pinned Country Cottages ready for quilting

 

I did some in-the-ditch quilting, then started quilting round the cottages

 

when I did the workshops with Gail Lawther, she mentioned frequently that she always uses the knee-lift on her sewing machine.  This is a lever which you push with your knee (you probably guessed that) to lift the foot, instead of using the lever.  This leaves both hands free to manouevre the quilt, and also makes it a bit quicker.  I have rarely used mine, but thought I would have a go as there was a lot of turning back and forward quilting round the cottages

 

once I got into the rhythm of using it, I decided that it does indeed make it quicker and easier, and I will continue to use it.  I don't have one for my other machine, as it has a feature that raises the foot slightly every time you stop stitching.  It would be great if you could get a sewing machine with all the best features from every machine you have ever had ...... I've just counted up, and I have had eight machines over the years, starting with a very old Singer treadle machine which a friend of my Mum's gave me when I was a teenager!

 

the birds have been making good use of the bird bath.  The collared dove had been having a drink

 

whereas the sparrows like to have a good splash

Des res*

Work has been continuing on the Country Cottages.  On Saturday I finished stitching the raw edge applique - eek, look at all those ends to sew in!!

 

on Sunday I added some little bits of machine embroidery - later I will add little flower shaped beads

 

the next stage was the checkerboards and strips round the blocks

 

 

On Monday I started adding the sashing

 

today, I finished adding the sashing, but I forgot to take a photo, as my friend Lorraine was here for a day's sewing (and blethering).  However after she left, I remembered to take this photo, which shows the completed top

 

the honeysuckles in the garden have been basking in the sunshine.  This one is in the front garden

 

and this one in the back

 

the purple elder looks striking in the front garden

 

Malcolm has finished painting the summer house - but I should have closed the doors so that you could see that they are painted in the darker colour

 

the plants in the new planter are filling out nicely

 

the funny, scruffy little robin has been back in the birdbath

 

well, I'm off to stir the lamb curry which is smelling delicious.  It is for tomorrow's "fast" day ...... it is made with no fat or oil, which keeps it low in calories.

 

* des res - estate agent shorthand for desirable residence

<

On the beach

Although the weather forecast for today wasn't quite as good as the last few days, we decided to head to St Abbs.  It was a bit cloudy, but still reasonably warm.  We arrived in time for lunch, which we had in a delightful cafe down at the harbour

 

Malcolm had the sausage and red onion pannini

 

and I had the cheese and sweet chilli one

 

after lunch we went for a walk round the harbour

 

there were lots of seagulls about

 

Malcolm spotted this jelly fish swimming in the harbour

 

after exploring the harbour, we walked along the coastal path to Coldingham, where we encountered more jelly fish - but these were dead ones on the sand.  There was a little girl poking her fingers into one - yeuch!

 

it might have been a warm afternoon, but it must have been a bit chilly in the water!

 

I quite fancy having a beach hut

 

even bees go to the beach for the afternooon!

 

I think this rocky outcrop looks like a lobster ....

 

while Malcolm was hunting for driftwood, I found these two lumps, which unfortunately were just too big to take home

 

look what I found when I went round the other side ...... I have put my foot in the photo to give it scale

 

and of course as usual I found some "arty" shots

 

there was only one way to end our walk on the beach ...... ice cream!!

<

Sun, sun, sun!

The weather is still glorious, so instead of using the implements of fitness torture, I headed out the door at 6.40am for a walk.  I was so early the sheep were still lying about in the field across the road

 

but the horse was up and about

 

every few yards there was a pop of colour in the verge

 

and this handsome chap added even more colour

 

this ewe kept an eye on me through the fence

 

while her lamb watched through the gate

 

this dog regularly barks at me

 

but these two sweeties are very well behaved.  They belong to Marion, the owner of the Jacob's sheep.  I remember when she got Jason, on the left ...... and now he is the father of the other gorgeous dog (whose name I can't remember!)

 

after breakfast, I headed out to the studio to do some more work on the Vineyard wallhanging ...... but before I show you what I did, I have to show you these photos, which I forgot to do yesterday.  So with apologies to Charlie, Anne S and Sheila, here is what they did on Sunday (having pestered them to take photos for the blog, I am very embarrassed to have forgotten to put them in yesterday!!)

 

this morning I filled in the rest of the scene and added the borders

 

then added some of the iron-on bias strips

 

I must make the effort to scrub and repaint my chair, which is looking very neglected

 

it sits beside the studio doors.  Do yoy like my heart decoration?  I could lie and say that I made it, but I bought it yesterday in Sainsbury's!

 

at teatime, a collared dove appeared to drink from the bird bath

 

isn't life grand when the sun shines!!

Shorn!

As Thursday is one of my two "fast" days, I haven't been able to enjoy a wonderful, delicious, yummy scone when we have our regular cuppa at The Pickled Orange in Hawick.  But as the diet is still going well (if a little bit slowly), I have decided that on the first Thursday of the month, we can as usual share a scone.  Well, could you resist this cheese scone - especially as it was just out of the oven?

 

back home, I headed out to the studio to take photos of the fabric I bought yesterday.  I was quite restrained, buying a total of two metres

 

for those of you who like to know these things, the details

 

I should have shown you my new glasses on Monday, but as I was desperately in need of a haircut, I decided to wait until today.  Having spent the afternoon having my colour done and then having my hair cut quite a bit shorter - my new look!

 

the next time I get highlights in my hair, I shall have to get purple to match my glasses!

 

I have done reasonably well resisting the temptation to buy magazines ........ but sometimes when it is a new one, I give in

 

the main carpark in Kelso was full when I went to the hairdressers this afternoon, so I parked at the Garden Centre.  I popped in for a browse after getting my hair done ........ and saw the most wonderful array of orchids.  Of course one came home with me

 

I've never seen one like this, with beautiful dark markings

 

could this be the inspiration for some applique?

 

to finish, some photos of a very cute, very young robin having a bath