frayed at the edge

Webbed feet!

Every time we think it can't possibly rain any more ....... it does!  Although we shouldn't really complain, as we haven't been affected by floods, as some parts of the country have.  Fortunately it was dry yesterday morning, so we were able to go out for a walk.  First stop was at the river, where the heron was trying to keep his feathers in order, as the breeze kept ruffling them

 

 

The rhododendrons are in full flower

 

 

 

although this one has shed a lot of petals, they provide a colourful carpet under it

 

although I was some distance from this chicken run (I had the big lens on the camera), the chickens obviously spotted me and came running over - perhaps hoping that I had food for them!

 

We turned off from our usual route, along a street which has a stream running down the side

 

I'm not sure what this pump on the bank of the stream is for .......but  it would look good in the garden!

 

We saw lots of this wildflower, which I have just tracked down in one of my wildflower books.  It is valerian, but not native valerian, but one that has escaped from gardens

 

 

We returned to our usual route, and went down some stairs which run down the side of a waterfall.  After all the rain we have had, there was a lots of water coming over the fall - we had to raise our voices over the noise!

 

 

After our walk, we popped into Sainsbury's to get the Sunday papers (and have a cuppa!).  I noticed this new partwork - on special offer to entice shoppers to buy it.  (sorry, it was hard to take to decent photo because of the cellophane packaging)

 

Of course I couldn't resist buying books of recipes with two such wonderful ingredients - Cadbury's Dairy Milk and Lyle's Golden Syrup.

yum!

 

not too sure about this one!

 

I have finished another of the stitcheries

 

and have almost finished quilting Lilly Pilly

 

The Euro 2012 Championships only started on Friday - and already I am suffering from a surfeit of football.  So once I post this, I will fetch my ipod and listen to some music as I work on the next stitchery (occasionally annoying Malcolm when I start singing along to my favourite songs!)

Day 21

 

Bonnie Baskets

 

This is made entirely with batik fabrics.  Lots of textured applique, and lots of embellishment!

beaded, ruched flower

 

 

tiny flowers

 

large French knots

 

tiny French knots

 

machine quilting on one of the baskets

Day 19

 

Falling Leaves

 

This was started at a workshop, then I finished it in a hurry to put it in an exhibition.  It was only when it was all stitched together and quilted that I realised that in my haste I had forgotten the stems of the leaves - oops!!

Cheap and cheerful reading

When I was looking for a book to read in the bath this week, I found this one that I have had for years, lurking at the back of the bookshelves (I don't read the Kindle in the bath in case I drop it - the only book I have dropped in the bath for some time of course belonged to Malcolm!)

 

It's a very lighthearted, entertaining story, and reading it I remembered that I also loved the previous book with the same characters, which I had borrowed from a friend.  I had a look on Amazon to see if it was available for the Kindle, which it wasn't.  However I discovered that I could buy it from a bookseller for 1p, plus £2.80 p&p - a bargain, and I happily employed that "buy with one click" button!

 

Did you notice my bookmmark peeping out of the first book.  I bought these bookmarks for the two of us last time we were in Australia ....... Malcolm is the Virgo and I'm the Libran

 

Of course all the good points, and none of the bad ones, apply to both of us!

 

Having missed patch'n'chat last Friday, I enjoyed the cake even more this afternoon ..... Annette's lovely light chocolate sponge

 

We have a new pet - a big black spider that Malcolm has named Hector (no, I don't know why he chose Hector!!)  He's hiding at the moment, but hopefully he will come out to play tomorrow!

 

I hope you all have a good weekend, love Anne

Still knitting!

You might have noticed that there hasn't been much knitting mentioned recently ....... because I haven't been doing very much!  One reason is all the sewing I have been doing for Anne, but the other reason is that I just lost my enthusiasm for a few weeks.  I also haven't been at knit'n'natter this year - again there are two reasons - first, my friend Lorraine that I car shared with was away for several weeks (she went away a granny and came back a great granny!!) and second with the ever-increasing cost of fuel, I have been using the car a bit less.  However Lorrainre and I decided to meet somewhere nearer, so today we had our first get together ....... and of course cake was involved!  A very delicious orange cream sponge

 

When I was sorting out some knitting yesterday to take with me today, I realised that I hadn't shown you this book, which Jennifer gave me recently

 

There are so many lovely dolls, it was hard to decide what to knit first.  I finally narrowed it down to these two - they have the same basic body, so once I have done that I can choose which one ...... but of course the Johnny Depp lookalike is very appealing!!

 

 

I have to admit that there was much more nattering than knitting, and I am too embarrassed to show you the little bit that I did!!  When I got home, the front garden was full of birds, so while Malcolm made the dinner (sausages and mash with onion and mushroom gravy - delicious) I took these photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

The robin isn't always so good at posing ...... this is just one of the many photos in which it hopped off just as I snapped!

 

Has spring sprung?

Looking round the garden this morning, it would certainly seem so!  First in the front garden

the hawthorn hedge

 

flowering currant

 

lupin

 

poppy

 

Then in the back garden (oops, I've forgotten the names of the first two plants)

 

 

The helebore suddenly has several flowers

 

 

It's not just the plants that think spring has arrived - the first sighting of a greenfly!

 

This tiny seedling must have grown from a seed from one of the cones that I has put in this large  pot

 

When we were in Hawick this morning, we popped into the Shelter charity shop ....... I was doing my bit both for charity and the environment by handing in an empty printer cartridge.  We had a browse, and found these little books.  They are beautifully produced, and have excellent photos of lots of wildflowers - as they were only 50 pence each, I splashed out and bought all three!!

 

After lunch, I started work onn my next sample for Anne.  The beautiful fabrics ......

 

...... the patterns for twelve stitcheries

 

and the embroidery threads

 

will (eventually!) make this quilt

 

I started by cutting the squares of fabric, and the squares of thin wadding, for the stitcheries, then used the iron-on transfers - a quick and easy way to mark the fabric.  Next I tacked the wadding on to the back of the first stitchery

 

The last job of the afternoon was to wind the threads on to card bobbins and select some embroidery needles

 

I'll start sewing later, once I've had a browse through my favourite blogs!!

 

 

All done!

I finished stitching the binding on the second Linus quilt last night, so that's both of them ready to hand over to Sandra, our lovely Linus lady

 

So what would I do next?  I thought I ought to get out my Baltimore blocks, which have been neglected for some weeks (ok, quite a lot of weeks!).  I stitched the vase in place, then went to add the top layers ....... oh dear, they didn't fit

 

Looking at this photo of the pattern, they should fit ........ but unfortunately, that's not the template for the vase, which is given separately on the pattern sheet.  It is narrower and rounder than the one that shows the extra pieces

 

I trimmed and re-tacked the pieces to fit ......

 

...... and this is them all stitched in place

 

Next I started placing some of the leaves - I'm looking forward to getting more done, as I really enjoy applique

 

Yesterday when I was doing the weekly shop in Sainsbury's. I was pleased to find this book being sold at half price

 

I have always loved Marion Keyes' books, going way back to 1997 and Watermelon.  Her gentle humour is so entertaining, and sometimes you just don't know whether to laugh or cry! 

 

 I knew that she had been very ill with depression - but even in the depths of her misery, she finds humour  ......"Medically speaking there is no such thing as a nervous breakdown  Which is very annoying to discover when you're right in the middle of one".  The book relates how she started baking, and gradually, the more she baked, the better she got.  Although I rarely bake, I still enjoy looking at recipes, so combined with Marion's views on anything and everything, I shall enjoy reading the book.

Why did it rain all day?

Because I had an appointment at the hairdressers!  I should have been there last week, but I had to change the appointment because we had visitors - who sent us this photo of the two of us in the churchyard (or should that be three of us - the "village idiot" is behind us)  (note to self - the tails of a long cardigan hanging down below a jacket is NOT a good look!!)

 

As I spend some time at the hairdressers getting my colour done, I always take a book to read.  Today's book might not be intellectually challenging, but it is very enjoyable - and obviously has lots of knitting in it!

 

When the post arrived this morning, I was a bit puzzled to receive a small parcel fromLynne, which contained a lovely card and something wrapped in tissue paper ........

 

....... a lovely crochet mat which Lynne had made for me in return for my knitting mitts for her

 

When I was in the chemists this morning, I spotted this bottle of my favourite bubble bath .... marked down to half price

 

Excellent, because my other bottle is almost finished

 

Do you like the cacti on the bathroom windowsill?

 

And did you notice that they are actually candles?!

 

I went to the jewellers on Monday to get a new battery put in my watch ...... but it wasn't the battery that wasn't working, it was the watch.  The jeweller told me that if I wanted it repaired he would have to send it away and that it would probably cost £50.  I said I would think about it - although I really like the watch it's a lot of money to spend on it.  I do have another watch, but it is a tiny, dainty, delicate one, not really suitable for everyday wear.  However Malcolm offered to lend me his old watch - he has very slim wrists, so it wouldn't be too big.  There was just one drawback - it needed a new battery!  All I have to do now is put the date right!

 

I have almost finished the little house - last night I added some embroidery

 

I think I have now received photos of  most of the postcards from the swap, so I must get them organised to share with you next week.

I won't be here tomorrow as I will be out until very late - I'll tell you all about it on Monday (although of course I'll be back as usual on Saturday with Shadow Shot Sunday).  So, a day early, I will wish you all a good weekend, Anne

 

I wish I was in Hawaii ......

...... where it probably isn't raining, hailing or blowing a gale!  And the thought of being there sent me to the UFO pile this afternoon, to unearth this block 

 

I stitched it some years ago (it was certainly more than five years ago, as I did it before we moved here).  I had forgotten how big the block is, almost twenty five inches.  I think I will add borders to it, to make it into a lap quilt.  I have two delightful books on Hawaiian quilting .....

 

..... not only are they full of delicious patterns, they also have the most wonderful illustrations

 

Do you remember some weeks ago I showed you the little practice 'redwork' block, which was actually worked in blue?  I thought it was time that I started stitching my challenge block, as it has to be handed in at the start of January!  We have to stitch the blocks in a variety of colours - it is up to us what colours we use.  I decided to use very girly colours, starting with pinks ....

 

....... and adding in blues

 

I used to do a lot of embroidery, before becoming addicted to quilting, so I still have lots of embroidery threads

 

This afternoon I started stitching some more spirals on the Christmas wreath ....... oh no, another broken needle!  The thread had well and truly jammed, necessitating opening the cover and carfully removing it from the inner workings - scary stuff!

 

It's just as well that computers only pass on virtual viruses and not the real kind - I have a rotten cold today and have been sneezing steadily while typing this!  I hope both my cold and the weather improve overnight, as tomorrow is the patch'n'chat Christmas lunch ..... I would be most upset to miss it!

 

I'm not saying it was cold .......

....... but there was ice on the birdbath this morning!!

 

I went out, broke it up and took it off - and some time later it was still lying there, unmelted!!

 

This little sparrow looked thoroughly miserable!

 

But as soon as I filled the feeders, things looked a lot livelier

 

When we went into Hawick for our usual Thursday morning cuppa, we were a little bit early, so we walked round to where we sometimes see a heron on the River Slitrig.  I was disappointed not to see him (I know, I always think that herons are male!) ....... but then Malcolm spotted him sitting on a garden wall above the river - maybe the water was just too cold!!

 

Although it was starting to cloud over a bit, we went out for a walk after lunch.  We decided to walk the route that we have only walked once, but this time we would do it the other way round, so that we didn't have to walk up the very steep hill!  Usually when I show you photos of the Minto Hills, you only see one - but here are both of them!

 

We have had quite a lot of rain recently, which meant there were some tricky stretches to negotiate

 

We were distracted for a while ...... but I'll tell you why later!  This calf was keeping a careful eye on us, although it was a good distance away

 

This horse obviously believes that the grass is greener on the other side

 

When we got back home, I lurked just outside the garden gate, hoping to take some photos of the birds on the feeders - but the sparrows just sat in the hedge and laughed at me!

 

So what caused the hold-up in our walk?

picking lots of rosehips  ........

 

...... and even more sloes!

 

As we hadn't picked sloes before, we brought a little bit of a branch home to check that they were indeed sloes - a quick google search confirmed we were right (thank you Wikipedia!)

 

Now we will make sloe gin and rosehip syrup!  To finish, two photos of the birdbath ....

a brave sparrow takes the plunge in the cold water .......

 

..... while the other birds stay firmly on the rim!