frayed at the edge

Bottoms up!

As we were eating breakfast this morning, more and more swans swam into the dock.  There must have been something tasty to eat, as they kept sticking their heads under the water and their bottoms in the air

 

but suddenly there was a commotion, and an adult swan, with its head hooked over the back of a cygnet,  pushed it away from the group, with another cygnet swimming ahead of them as fast as possible to get out of the way

 

there must also have been something tasty on the ground (perhaps from a ship being loaded/unloaded) because the pigeons were having a good peck

 

when I looked out of the window later, I saw some activity on the far side of the dock

 

and in a shabby little boat which had been moored overnight against the pilot boat

 

there appeared to be trouble starting the engine, with much pointing and shaking of heads

 

the man with the new depth gauge soldiered on trying to lower it.  Every time he got out of his machine he had to walk round behind the lobster pots, which must have been somewhat annoying

 

at that point I had to go for my shower, and I was surprised that they were still trying to get the gauge in place when I came back through

 

I had the unkind thought that he might fall off the boat and provide me with some good photos ......

later we went for a cuppa and an exceedingly delicious cheese scone

 

we popped into Serendipity and I couldn't resist this lovely card, by local artist Anne Johnston Gill

then in a charity shop I picked up this rather grubby bag of threads

 

there is a little label inside each reel.  Coton a repriser is darning thread ....... I would have put in a link, but I could only find ones in French!

 

it is lovely thread, and I think it will be good for fine embroidery

 

Malcolm had been doing more work on his wine box chest of drawers, finishing the top and sanding it.  The last stage will be to wax it

 

we got back home at lunchtime and I spent the afternoon in the studio.  I finished the quilting on the space quilt, then I spent the rest of the afternoon working on this ......... but you will have to come back tomorrow to find out what it is!

 

to finish ....... the sun appeared this afternoon, much to the delight of this robin in the front garden

March forth!!

I accept no responsibilty for the punning title of today's post - it was supplied by the other person in the room!  So, today, the fourth of march, we popped over to Berwick.  After a potter round the shops we went for lunch.  This coffee shop used to be on the other side of the road, and was only half the size of its new premises

 

I rather like the painted tables - another project for Malcolm?

 

I ordered the French platter and Malcom ordered the grilled ham, cheese and spring onion baguette ...... then, of course, we had half each!

 

we went for a walk after lunch, which started with having to climb these old steps - I was not a happy bunny!!

but the sky was blue, the sun was shining, and there were old chimneys to take photos of!

 

we had a walk on the beach, and while Malcolm was looking for driftwood, I was looking for odd things to take photos of!

 

of course I was a responsible person and removed the fishing line after I took the photo!  I also picked up another length later on, and popped them both in the bin after our walk

 

we rather liked the way that the wall has been built round the tree

 

Malclm spotted this bird, which was hopping about on one leg!!

 

I had just snapped this swan ......

 

........ when it got out of the water

 

when we walk back home over the old bridge, we always walk on the left side ........ but as we got to the end I crossed over to have a look over the other side, and was rewarded with these photos!!

 

Malcom pointed out the shot of the railway bridge seen through the new bridge

 

and to finish, of course we have to have a photo of the lighthouse - with Bamburgh Castle just visible on the horizon!

 

 

 

What can ewe do .........

....... when waiting for the patter of tiny hoofs?  Just keep eating for two (or three!)

 

but there is always time to pose prettily for the camera!

 

I had hoped to get some closer shots of the Jacob's lambs, but they were in a different field, so this was the best I could do

 

as I turned for home, I almost took a photo of a finch!!

 

we have had sunshine and heavy snow showers today ........ fortunately the snow stayed off while I was out for my walk, and the blue sky provided a bright backdrop for the electrical gubbins

 

the snow was lingering on Ruberslaw

 

I have no idea why this field was so much whiter!

 

these horses looked a bit miserable as they kept their rear ends to the wind

 

I liked the snowdrops against the stone walls

 

back home, the birds were busy eating between snow showers

 

waiting politely for their turn on the feeder

 

 

then hiding away when the snow came on again

 

did you think I had forgotten my favourite bit of landscape?!

 

just to the left of it, there is an all-weather exercise track for the nearby racing stables.  You can see the white railing that borders it

 

 

there doesn't seem to have been much sconnage in recent posts, so here is a very good fruit one that we shared yesterday morning

 

I'll be back tomorrow with lots of sewing, includng a Mrs Billings update.

Springing into life!

The weather is trying to convince us that it is still winter, with snow flurries through the day, but out in the garden there are signs of spring.  Two of our clematis have leaf buds

the hellebore is flowering

 

I thinl this shrub is a skimmia (and if it isn't I know that you will let me know what it is!)

 

these miniature daffs are only 4" high

 

those were all in the back garden.  In the front garden, the ornamental quince has tiny buds.  When we first moved here, we had fruit from the quince, but we haven't had any for the last few years.  I wonder if it is because it has to be cut back several times a year, or it would block the way to the garden gate

 

there is a lot of growth on the flowering currant

 

a teeny tiny bud on the hawthorn hedge

 

these are full sized daffs

 

earlier, in the front garden, the sparrows were waiting for breakfast

with three starlings keeping an eye on them

 

while it's easy to take photos of the sparrows when they are sitting on the shrubs, it can be more difficult when they are swooping on to the fat ball feeder

 

I thought you might like a sneak peek of Malcolm's latest creation, as it takes shape in the garage

 

to finish ....... do you remember these panels, which I bought when we were in Australia?  Come back tomorrow and I will show you what I did with them today!

Sunrise and sunset

The reflection of the sunset on Saturday turned the river and the dock pink

then yesterday and this morning the sunrise turned the sky orange 

 

over the weekend we encountered lots of birds -  swans

 

cygnets

 

seagulls

 

eider ducks

 

a shy robin

 

I still have lots of photos from the weekend to sort out, so I'll bring you another intallment tomorrow, and I'll finish with some excellent sconnage

fruit with jam and cream

 

cheese

Too much snow!

We got up this morning to a white world!  While Malcolm worked hard clearing the paths and the drive ........

 

........ I had fun taking photographs

 

then suddenly it started to snow again

 

when the snow went off, I went for a walk, but I'll save the scenic shots for tomorrow, as there are lots of photos of sheepies, ponies, donkeys and birds to get through

 

the two little donkeys had more sense than to stand outside in the cold, content simply to pop their heads out of the table

 

as always,there were lots of sparrows in the front garden

 

so, I'll be back tomorrow with some wonderful scenic shots, but to finish ........ I wouldn't want you to think that Malcolm had to do all the clearing work on his own.  He had two little helpers ....... CheekySockMonkey and JDtheTractor!!

 

More sewing .........

........ but the title could also have been more snow, as yes, we got up to find more of the pesky white stuff had appeared overnight!  The birds were queuing up for breakfast

 

but we didn't have to queue when we went out for lunch, as we were the only customers in the coffee shop!  I was disappointed to find that the menu had changed since we were last there, and that my two favourite sandwiches, cheese savoury and coronation chicken, were no longer available.  However I enjoyed my cheese and pickle one

 

Malcolm had cheese and cauliflower soup, which was very tasty

 

yesterday, after prepping the rest of the embroidery blocks, I turned my attention to the blocks for the Aunts' quilt.  I sorted out what I needed to finish the two blocks that shoud have been finished for last week, and I made a start to the block which has to be finished for next month

 

then I made a start to one of the two pieced blocks ........ but you will have to wait until the next report to see how it turned out

 

the last task of the afternoon was to look out Mrs Billings from where she had been languishing for several weeks ........

 

....... and make a start to calculating what still needs to be done to finish the hexie border

 

so this afternoon I settled down to organise the work.  First, I had to remove the paper hexies from the completed pyramids, so that I could reuse them

 

then I marked and cut out lots and lots of calico hexies

 

and started assembling little bags with the hexies required to make a pyramid

 

by the end of the afternoon, I had various piles on the worktable.  All the pyramids are finished for the first border

 

for the second border, the coloured pyramids are finished, and there are a few more calico ones to be stitched

 

for the third border,  a few more coloured pyramids and all the calico ones remain to be stitched

 

and as for the fourth border, all I have done so far is count out all the papers for the pyramids!

 

I have an appointment with the dentist tomorrow morning, when he will be making a start to crowning the front tooth that is falling to bits.  If I have recovered from the pain and agony, I will be back with a stripey knitting update!

Hot chocolate!

When I picked Maureen up to go to Abbey Quilters last night, she said that she had a bar of chiili chocolate for me.  It had been given to Alan, her partner, for Christmas.  He had tried a small taste of it, and after she had revived him, he declared that it was simply too hot to eat!  So, of course, she gave it to me, knowing that I like spicy food.  We had a little taste this morning after breakfast ....... and yes, it is very hot - I coped slightly better than Malcolm!  So I suggested that I could have some in my afternoon mug of hot chocolate.  When Malcolm brought the hot chocolate out to the studio this afternoon, I assumed he would only have put a little bit in, and took a normal sized mouthful ......... big mistake.  I eventually managed to draw breath again, and then taking moderate sips, thoroughly enjoyed it (Malcolm says he only put the smallest piece in).  So whether you want to try, or avoid, the chilli chocolate, here it is

 

Maureen also gave me this exceedingly cute owl as a thank you for giving her a lift to Abbey Quilters every month - he will be joining the Parliament on the yucca plants in the back lounge

we went for lunch to the Woodside Garden Centre

 

where we enjoyed delicious carrot and lentil soup

 

on the way home we could see snow on the hills in the distance

 

and Fatlips Castle standing proud on the crag

 

it may be the middle of winter, but in the sheltered corner of the front garden, the daffodils have appeared

 

in the garden this morning, the sparrows were perplexed by the frozen birdbath (don't worry, Malcom defrosted it after I took the photos)

 

the seed and fat ball feeders needed refilled, so there was a bit of squabbling over the peanuts

 

while the blackbird just hopped about looking handsome!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with my latest report on the Aunts' Quilt ......... have I managed to complete all the blocks in time??!!

Sheepies

There has been a distinct lack of sheepies here recently, so I was delighted when I looked out the window this morning and saw that we had ewes in the field across the road

 

and not only were there sheep in that field, there were also some in the next field ...... and in the field in the distance (there isn't really a wire in the field with the sheep, it crosses the road quite a distance away!)

 

normally the sparrows fly away when I go out into the garden, but they are so anxious to eat at this time of year, that they just sat in the hawthorn tree until I had finished taking photos

 

I finished the oven gloves this afternoon

 

I wouldn't normally hang oven gloves from a knob on the cooker, it was just to let you see that I put a hanging loop on them

 

as usual I have used doors to display my  collection of Christmas wallhangings

 

there may have been no patch'n'chat, but I wasn't deprived of cake ........ Malcolm had bought a most delicious salted caramel sponge for our afternoon cuppa

 

well, dear readers, this is my last post of the year!!  I am taking a short break and will be back on Monday 5th January for another year of nonsensical ramblings educated discourse on a myriad of subjects.  I have still to decide on my resolution for 2015 ....... do you have any suggestions for me (there might even be a prize for the best one!!)  Thank you very much for reading the blog and leaving your lovely comments - I appreciate them so much.  So all that remains is to wish you lots of love and

Merry Christmas

and

Happy New Year

A somewhat bigger bird!

After yesterday's tiny wren in the back garden, this morning brought a VERY large pigeon in the front garden

 

I thought that I ought to get the Christmas cake iced, so I assembled everything I needed - or I thought I had, because I forgot the pastry brush .........

 

........ for brushing the warmed jam over the the cake

 

I used to make my own icing, but I have to admit to being lazy these days and using icing that is not just ready made, but ready rolled!  I have mentioned before that I don't like marzipan, so I put marzipan fruits on the cake for Malcolm

 

this afternoon I finished handstitching the binding to the back of the baby quilt - all it needs now is a label

 

yesterday afternoon after working on the baby quilt, I made some progress with the oven gloves.  I cut the inner and outer fabrics and the heat reflective wadding to size

 

did you notice the spotty fabric on the end of the penguin fabric?  I didn't have quite enough of the penguin fabric, so I added in a bit of spotty fabric, left over from the baby quilt.  It won't show on he finished oven gloves.  I marked the first of the quilting lines

 

and soon had the quilting done - there is something quite soothing about quilting lots of straight lines

 

next I quilted the two smaller pieces which will form the pockets at either end

 

I have still to round the ends, then stitch on the binding, which I have made.  Hopefully I will get the oven gloves finished in time for Stuart and Alison visiting at the weekend ..... and they will be told that they had better not burn holes in these ones!!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with a review of an excellent (and fun) knitting book.