frayed at the edge

Dual purpose

 As promised, the rest of the story of Malcolm's clock.  When I next saw it, he had repaired the glass and the face, fitted a new mechanism so that it functioned again as a clock, drilled a hole through the case and inserted a lamp fitting, and had looked out a shade (which he acquired from a charity shop!)

 

He has kept the innards to use in another project (perhaps another lamp?) .......

 

and here is the finished lamp/clock, which is now in the guest bedroom.  Malcolm liked this photo, with the blind drawn so that he could turn the lamp on

 

but I prefer this one in the daylight, and with the lovely photo of my Granny back in place.  I don't know exactly when the photo was taken, but it must be at least a hundred years ago!

 

on our way up to Berwick today, we stopped at Carnaby's for a bite of lunch.  Malcolm chose the pork and apple sausage roll, which was delicious

 

and I had a rather trendy smashed avocado with chilli and lime, on rye bread, which was also very tasty

 

the weather today has been glorious, so of course we headed out to the beach for a walk.  There was just enough breeze offshore for this little boat

 

I recently invested in some litter pickers, and I hadn't gone very far before I had filled a small bag with plastic rubbish.  I know it might seem odd that I have used a plastic bag to put the rubbish in,, but it was one that I had used in the freezer, so I was recycling it

 

last week we could barely see the lighthouse through the mist!

 

after 20 minutes I had filled two bags, and as Malcolm had picked up a large piece of driftwood, we headed back to the car park

 

while he stowed the driftwood and my litter picker in the boot, I popped the rubbish in the bin, then thought about stealing this magnificent tractor.  However it had a large trailer on the back, which might have made driving it a bit tricky!

 

we continued our walk along the beach, and soon encountered what had been on the tractor's trailer - a very large machine, which was scraping sand away from the base of the wall

 

and dumping it well away from the wall

 

as the café on the promenade was open, we stopped for a cuppa, enjoying sitting in the sun and watching the world go by

 

when we walked back along the beach to the car park, Malcolm spotted this little dead fish - we were surprised it hadn't been eaten by a gull

 

I rather liked the fluffy clouds behind the old chimney

 

when we got back to the flat, I sneaked into the dock (ignoring the "keep out" signs), to take some photos of the swans

 

but these two didn't want to co-operate and headed out of the dock to the river!

 

we have our fingers firmly crossed that the glorious weather continues, and we can get out and about for another walk tomorrow.  Have a good weekend, love Anne

 

Reflections in the mist

 On Friday night we walked over to town for a bite to eat

 

with several stops on the way there

 

to take misty reflection shots of the bridges

 

and a couple more

 

on the way back

 

Malcolm pointed out this shot of the slightly sagging old roof

 

a splash of colour in the mist

 

when I got up this morning, it was misty again!  Looking out of the window after my session on the implements of torture, I was somewhat surprised to see a rabbit sitting in the middle of the road!

 

by the time we had eaten breakfast, the mist had lifted - and the cheeky rabbit was sitting in the garden

 

Malcolm bought this clock last Thursday for a mere £3.50

 

as you can see, it is in need of some tlc

 

deep in thought on Friday afternoon, having removed its innards

 

come back on Wednesday to see what he has done so far!

 

Gorgeous again!

 Yesterday we headed up to Kelso, as I had my regular appointment with the lovely Melissa, who keeps me looking blonde and gorgeous!  As we were a bit early, we had a walk along the river

 

and past the Abbey (what numptie put a streetlight in front of it, to look out of place in the photo!)

 

Jake the Salon dog just wouldn't pose nicely for a photo - he looks a bit sulky in this one as I disturbed his people watching - he spent the whole afternoon sitting looking out the window at the world going by

 

after my afternoon of being pampered ( I could fall asleep when I get my hair washed!) we came over to the flat.  We got up this morning to a grey day, but as always I had the camera with me when we walked over to town.  The salmon boats are back on the river - hopefully we will see the fishermen sometime soon

 

the river bed has been scoured away round this bridge pier, revealing the original wooden piling

 

this was a very large gull.  I used the digital zoom to take this - I wasn't going anywhere near that wicked beak!

 

as we walked on over the bridge, Malcolm turned back and noticed this reflection shot

 

it was such a grey morning ........

 

...... that this photo of the little wading birds almost looks as if it has been taken in b&w

 

there were some brave people on the beach, watching the waves pounding on the sand

 

the lamp may look dramatic against the grey sky, but I would rather have a blue sky, please!

 

at last, some colour!

 

it's a while since we last walked past the mega money pit, so we were glad to see that work has finally started, and that the building will now be saved from becoming a ruin

 

The Little Vintage shop opened recently, so we popped in for a browse

 

it makes you feel old when vintage shops sell things you grew up with!

 

so what came back to the flat with me, in this super bag?

 

an old thread bobbin, from a mill.  We have plans for a joint project, but you will have to wait to see what we do!

 

it's Friday, so of course that means a scone.  This was a delicious cheese one, still warm from the oven

 

to finish, two bits of nonsense!  I saw this sign in a ladies' loo yesterday, so of course I had to whip out the camera and take a photo (I can truthfully say that I have never flushed a goldfish down the toilet, mine were given proper burials in the garden!)

 

perhaps this reminds me of a certain other Stuart??!!

 

we will be heading home in the morning, and will visit Jennifer at some point over the weekend.  And no doubt I will fit in some sewing!  Have a good weekend, love Anne

This and that!

First, the good news!  Jennifer got home from hospital today, and again thanks you all for your lovely, caring messages.

 

Next, we have Malcolm's latest make.  I really do have to get him better trained, as he didn't take any before photos.  So, he started with a very grubby, tarnished miner's lamp.  Having cleaned the glass and polished the brass, he turned it into a  table lamp

 

which is very smart indeed

 

I tried to take a photo of the plaque on it, but it is so highly polished that it was reflecting its surroundings

 

out in the garden, the olive tree is still wrapped in its protective fleece.  The weather has been so unpredictable, we have been reluctant to unwrap it.  To the left are several new plants waiting to be planted, and on the right, in the little bucket, the narcissi are still flowering, despite having been buried in snow several times

 

in the top corner of the front garden, the new camellia has flowered

 

this photo shows the true colour of the flowers

 

I haven't had as much time as usual in the Attic, but I have made the effort to do the final prep for the Funky Chickens workshop, which I will be teaching soon at the Quilt Shop

 

I recently bought the book on the left, and to practice drawing some of the fmq patterns I bought the notebook on the right (it was in a sale!)

 

it is much prettier than the plain black notebook that I had been using

 

and to finish, something I am so pleased to be able to share with you.  The wonderful Gretel has been a bloggy friend for many years, and those of you who read her blog will know that she has had some terrible times in recent years.  So I was delighted that she is now keeping much better and has produced this fabulous Hatty Hare needle felting kit - so of course I ordered one there and then

 

the kit is beautifully presented

 

with a glossy booklet

 

which shows you in detail how to make Hatty.  Do pop over to Gretel's blog, and check out this very reasonable priced kit -it would make a lovely gift for a crafty friend!  (and you might want one for yourself too!!)

 

there is a little story about this last photo.  On Monday mornings, I usually go up to Alnwick, go for a cuppa in Bailey's coffee shop, then do the weekly food shop.  When I go up to the counter to order, I feast my eyes on all the delicious cakes ....... then order a pot of tea.  But of course I have been out of my routine for the last few weeks, while Jennifer has been in hospital.  So when I went to Alnwick on Monday, I didn't just order a  pot of tea, I also ordered this wonderful chocolate brownie, which caused hilarity amongst the staff who know my usual looking but not buying when it comes to cakes.  The chap who brought my order to my table assured me that it was healthy, as it had two pieces of strawberry on the plate!  Then the owner came over to ask me what I thought of the brownie, as a new lady is baking them for the coffee shop.  I told him it was the perfect brownie, crispy on the top, soft and gooey in the middle ...... oh dear, it is going to be very hard to resist having another one next Monday!!

From shabby to chic!

 When Jennifer was first in hospital, she asked Malcolm if he could pick up three old chairs from her house and take them to the tip - something she had planned to do the day she fell and broke her leg.  He replied that rather than throw them away, he would take them home and chop them up for firewood.  But as soon as I saw the chairs, I said, oh no, don't chop them up, I have a plan!  I bought a small tin of chalk paint, and Malcolm produced a tub of sugar soap wipes and a paint brush from the garage

 

and of course I had to consult my favourite recycling magazine

 

I had to stir the paint well before I used it, and as it was just a little tin, I used a little spoon.  This spoon may have found its way into my pocket when I was on a Singapore Airlines flight (way back in the days when you got metal cutlery!)

 

while I was busy cleaning the chair ready to paint it, Malcolm made me a cup of tea in my favourite sheepie mugs

 

what a difference a coat of paint makes!

 

the first coat on the front ......

 

....... the back ...........

 

....... and the bottom

 

after giving the chair a second coat of paint, the next stage wax to apply wax.  I put on my cute owl apron to protect my clothes from the wax

 

all waxed and buffed up

 

when the sun was shining yesterday, I took the chair out into the garden, and popped one of the cushions that I made recently on it

 

you might think that is the end of the big reveal, but there is one more part of the story to share .......... the chair and the cushions are a "welcome home from hospital" present for Jennifer.  And the good news is that she will be home on Wednesday.

 

A fun snowman!

 I had bought a bottle of pomegranate juice to use in cooking a lamb dish, and when the bottle was empty, I thought it would make a good snowman.  So I raided the store cupboard for some salt to fill the bottle

 

definitely looking like a snowman

 

I used a large polystyrene ball for his head,  glued on buttons and pompoms, then found an oddment of wire-edged ribbon for his scarf.  The bottle top made a good hat

 

when Malcolm saw him he went off and cut two twigs for his arms - a quick, easy and fun make!

 

we came up to Berwick yesterday, and after lunch we walked over to town, pausing to watch this little redshank poking about at the river's edge

 

and this swan which had found something tasty at the base of a wall

 

we were surprised to see ice floating down the river

 

this lump was just about big enough to support a polar bear!

 

this little wagtail wasn't bothered by all the pedestrians walking past, although he wouldn't turn round and face the camera

 

then just when I got him in focus again, he hopped off!

 

we walked over to town in the early evening for some pub grub, and on the way back I took some photos of the Christmas lights

 

as I had the big camera with me, the results are a bit better than my previous efforts

 

the golden blur on top of the bridge is a train - the long exposure has created a strange effect

 

for this one I balanced the camera on the bridge parapet,  so that there isn't so much camera shake

 

this morning we popped along to the local garden centre for a cuppa, and were delighted to find that the donkeys were visiting again

 

the dark one at the back wouldn't look up from tucking into a tasty meal of hay

 

you may remember that my Christmas cactus recently had to go to the compost heap, so I was pleased to find this glittery replacement, in a decorative metal pot

 

I have two wonderful scones to share with you today - we had this one yesterday when we stopped for a cuppa on our way up to Berwick

 

and we had this one in the garden centre this morning.  They were both delicious, both made with a good, strong, sharp cheese

 

I am going to take a short break, but I will be back on Friday the 29th, with my last report of the 17 UFOs challenge.  So, to finish .......Malcolm took all the magnetic  Scrabble letters off the cooker splashback this afternoon when he was doing a bit of "Christmas cleaning", so when I helped put them back .........

 

I assembled a message for you!

 

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and that Santa is good to you (I have to report there isn't yet an alpaca shaped parcel under the tree!!).

 

A busy boy!

The seats of our dining chairs had started to look a bit grubby - but then we did buy them when we lived in Indonesia, and we have been back home for 17 years!

 

so Malcolm assembled a few tools

 

and removed the seats (the wine cupboard is Indonesian too)

 

this beautiful furnishing fabric was an absolute bargain at £7 a metre! (the couch is also Indonesian)

 

the fabric cut to size, with a generous margin to turn under the seat

 

the first stage completed

 

and the finished seat

 

a very smart revamp of the chairs, for a relatively small expenditure ....... and they go well with the rug!

 

Piling on the bling

On Tuesday morning, I settled down in the studio, with the latest episode of The Quilt Show on the laptop, and got to work on Nelly

 

first, I finished hand stitching the binding on the wrong side, so that she is nicely framed in black

 

then I started stitching beads and sequins in the loops of the fmq, and having got bored with that, did some beading ......

 

to make a fringe on the edge of her cap

 

after that I had a little play with some fabric pens

 

colouring the stamping round the edge of her saddle cloth

 

by the end of the session, I had almost finished adding the beads and sequins in the loops - she's looking good!

 

we had to stay at home yesterday and today,  when normally we would be at the flat, as we had unexpected visitors coming this morning.  Before they arrived, I sneaked out to the studio and disassembled the charity shop necklace

 

there is a good variety of bling to add to Nelly

 

when the post arrived this morning, there was a very interesting package for me

 

all the way from India!

 

whoever had wrapped the package was a bit heavy-handed with the parcel tape, so it took a bit of effort to get it open

 

finally I freed the contents

 

a set of carved Indian stamping blocks

 

which I bought online here

 

I had already got some ink

 

from here, and I am looking forward to having lots of fun stamping!

 

I bought this set last week - which you might find odd, as you know that apart from the Christmas cake, I don't bake

 

but I am hoping to use them as stamps ...... doing the outline in one colour, then doing the bones in another one

 

I love this month's calendar page - you know that I love sheepies!!

 

after the departure of our unexpected visitors, we went out for a walk, then went for a cuppa.  Malcolm had a slice of apple tart - I took the photo before he poured the cream over it

 

my strange looking confection is a meringue Christmas tree!  It consisted of two meringues which were vaguely tree shaped, with chocolate on the inside face, sandwiched together with strawberry cream.  Sounds a bit strange, but it was delicious!!

 

if you didn't see yesterday's post, do scroll on down to it, to read about the big challenge for next year ........ 17 UFOs in 2017.  We'll be heading over to the flat tomorrow morning, then there is great excitement for Monday, when I will be getting my sewing machines serviced!!  I hope you have a great weekend, love Anne

Two new projects

I had to pop down into Hawick this morning for some shopping, then when I got back, the sun was shining and I decided to take a walk along the road to see if the donkeys were out in the field.  I heard a tractor approaching, and was glad when it turned off, as its load didn't look too safe!

 

the donkeys unobligingly were in a corner of the field, so bits of fence were in the way

 

this little one must have been very hot with its shaggy coat

 

I don't know if this was a display of affection or chastisement!

 

this horse is often in this pen on its own - I know some horses mustn't eat rich grass, so perhaps that is why

 

in the field across the road, this horse was looking magnificent

 

these sparrows are slightly blurred, as they flew over so fast

 

back home, there were dozens of swallows on the neighbours' roofs

 

it was hard to count them

 

as they constantly took off and landed

 

but I think there were over 40 of them - I think they have raised three broods this year

 

the first of the new projects mentioned in today's title is Malcolm's

 

he has set up a work station in the summer house to work on some stained glass angels

 

he found some glass beads in his stash to use for their heads

 

he sat at our rather tatty table on the deck to put the copper foil round the edges

 

a good afternoon's progress

 

now for my new project - I had pieced this square years ago for a contest, but never finished it (I can't even remember now what I was going to do with it!)

 

I put it on the design wall, and cut a piece of stitch and tear

 

on which I drew some vague pencil lines

 

I then summoned my artist in residence (aka Malcolm) to turn my lines into a tree

 

I got out my embellisher (I had to give it a bit of a clean, as I haven't used it for a while!)

 

and some roving, which is a warmer brown than it looks in this photo

 

a start made to needle felting the roving on to the stitch and tear

 

gradually building up the tree - and even getting arty and adding a knot in the wood

 

after finishing the tree ........

 

........ the last stage was the scary bit - cutting the tree out, even although I knew the edges wouldn't fray.  Next I will use fmq to stitch it to the background - but that will have to wait for another day!

 

A casualty of the weather

On Friday morning, we headed to Jedburgh Town Hall to set up for the Christmas Fair

 

once we had finished setting up, Malcolm dropped me off at patch'n'chat.  As the afternoon wore on, I started to worry as it got very windy, and by the time Malcolm picked me up again at the end of the afternoon it was very windy indeed.  We had fish suppers for dinner, then headed to the Town Hall, and waited for the Fair to open.  Last year great crowds came in as soon as the doors were opened, but on Friday there was only a trickle.  We found out later that less than half the number of people turned up this year, compared to last.  As the evening progressed, the weather got worse, with heavy rain.  Sales were few and far between, not just for us, but for all the stall holders.  Even the cupcake lady didn't sell all her delicious confections ....... yes, a box of them came home with us

 

along with several others, we packed up and went home early, and had to leave everything in the car overnight as it was so wet and windy.  Saturday was no better, it just rained and rained and rained.  When we got up on Sunday the rain had finally stopped and the wind had dropped, so we decided to head into Hawick for a walk and a cuppa.  The river was very full

 

people had taken precautions, with sandbags and special plates to seal the airbricks, to prevent the foundations flooding

 

as we walked on, we could see evidence that the river had actually flooded over into the street

 

we had thought that we would cross over the footbridge, to walk back along the other side of the river

 

but the footbridge was closed, as this had happened just beyond it - you may have seen this on news bulletins

 

further on, we stopped to watch some ducks struggling against the fast flowing water

 

this footbridge across the road from Sainsbury's was closed

 

perhaps because of the tree wedged under it

 

at the end of our walk, we came across this bunch of men, armed with brushes and shovels, offering to help clean out flooded premises

 

I'll be back on Wednesday with some sewing, and hopefully some cheerier photos!