frayed at the edge

A matter of scale

After lunch, Malcolm suggested that we went for a walk round the old walls, but instead of walking along the top of the walls as we usually do, he thought we should walk  round the bottom.  That meant that on the way to the walls, we passed the entrance to the icehouse.  Usually the gate is shut and locked, and all you can see is the entrance tunnel, but when we went past we saw it was open, and that there were people inside ........ so we went in too!  We were amazed at the sheer size of the place. There was a knowledgeable chap who explained that the icehouse dated back to the heyday of salmon fishing on the Tweed, and could hold 250 tons of ice, which was collected from the frozen river in the winter

 

the hatches at the tops of the walls allowed them to completely fill the space - and Malcolm and the informative chap give the scale

 

as we walked on round to the walls, we noticed this statue, and wondered who the woman was

 

well, we still don't know, but assume she had something to do with medicine, as the statue is dedicated to a doctor

 

so how high do you think the walls are - 6 feet, eight feet, perhaps 10 feet?

 

that little speck is a man standing on top of the walls ..........

 

and these are two people walking their dog - which you can just see on the left

 

you know that walks with Malcolm often involve steps - today it was a long flight down

 

on our way down we had one of those silly arguments ........ I liked this door

 

........ but Malcolm said this one was better!!

 

our walk ended here, at Lowry's coffee shop in The Chandlery

 

I had rocky road and a pot of tea

 

while Malcolm had lemon drizzle cake and an americano, with hot milk on the side

 

after two days of glorious weather, we are back to the default end-of-summer weather ....... rain!  We will be heading home in the morning, but the forecast isn't very good, so  I don't think we will be out and about.  However I think Malcolm has football and cricket to watch on tv, and no doubt I will be out in the studio playing.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

All the fun of the fair!

Before we set off on our journey to the Seaside Festival, we have to go back to Friday night, when a perfect rainbow appeared over Berwick

 

I hope someone found a pot of gold in the town, at the end of the rainbow

 

so, now to Saturday.  We walked along to the Festival, browsing through the "car boot" stalls on the first stretch of the promenade, then decided to share a bowl of chips, sitting in the sunshine, for lunch

 

there were all sorts of fairground rides for the children

 

and for their weary parents, there was a coffee stall

 

a hog roast stall - yes, they had a whole roast pig!

 

it was hard to resist the delicious smell from the freshly cooked donuts

 

this trailer had been granted a special licence for the weekend, to sell alcohol on the promenade, and for the customers to walk along the promenade with their drinks (served in plastic tumblers)

 

I had to drag my sweet tooth away from the sweetie stall

 

and in case you were hungry again by the time you got to the end of the promenade you could stop for a burger (I only realised afterwards that I hadn't taken a photo of the ice cream van at the start of the prom!)

 

we missed the Punch and Judy show, and Malcolm declined my offer to pay for him to have his face painted!  I then declined to join the little girls who were singing their hearts out to "Let it go", the annoying song from Frozen

 

in the final marquee, there was a delightful Scottish lady who, as well as selling jewellery, had two owls.  For £5 you could have a photo taken with an owl on your arm, but I preferred to pop some money in the donation tin and take photos of the owls on their perches

 

as the owl turned its head away ........

 

then back again, the lady explained to some children that owls have an extra two bones in their necks, which enable them to turn their heads 340 degrees.  They need to be able to turn their heads so much because, unlike us, who can look to the side, they can only look forward

 

I have only seen owls like this one in books, so it was a delight to see it on its perch

 

and as you can see, this child was fascinated by it

 

on our way back along the prom, I offered to buy Malcom a beer, which he immediately said yes to, and as I don't like beer, I had wine.  Cheers!!

Some odd things .........

......... I encountered this morning while walking on the beach!  We walked along to the far end of the promenade, before going down on to the beach to walk back

 

and I had only walked a few yards before I saw this

 

the remains of an old sweeping brush

 

if the owner of this shoe is as big as it suggests, I was quite glad not to meet him

 

this is a rubber stopper, the kind you get on the end of walking sticks

 

a very large piece of bone, but as it has been cleanly cut, it's not from an animal that met its end on the beach

 

a deflated football - I am sure some little boy was upset to leave it behind

 

now this is a very strange thing to find on the beach - a gun cartridge.  I would hope that it had been washed down the river, and wasn't left by someone shooting on the beach

 

we occasionally chat to a man who regularly walks his dog along the beach - he is always interested in what we are picking up, and what we plan to do with it.  He had already stopped for a chat on the outward leg of his walk, then on his return leg stopped to give me this strange looking stone. I thought it might be a piece of worn concrete, but Malcolm thinks it's some kind of stone

 

a collection of bits of crabs against the wall - I would think an animal or bird ate them, as there would hardly be a taste of flesh on them for a human

 

this daft dog was determined to dig all the way through to Australia

 

while this one was determined to kill its stick

 

as I approached this tree stump, I thought someone had placed stones round it - perhaps to make a campfire

 

but when I poked one of the "stones" with my foot, it turned out to be sand.  I decided that someone had built square sandcastles round the stump

 

it was windy on the beach, and this square was already being sculpted by the wind

 

I thought Malcolm was being romantic when he handed me this heart-shaped stone ........ but he had picked it up because he thought it looked like a chicken!

 

and so to the best bit of Friday ........ the cakes!!  We went to Fantoosh, where Malcolm enjoyed a piece of Bakewell tart

 

while I had Lover's Lemon Drizzle cake (it was heart-shaped).  Malcolm assured me that his tart was delicious, but as I don't like Bakewell, I didn't have a taste, but he had a taste of my lemon drizzle, which he enjoyed

 

we have our fingers firmly crossed for tomorrow, for the Spittal Seaside Festival, where there will be fun and games for everyone (and all sorts of things to eat!).  I hope you have a great weekend, love Anne

Boats, gulls ....... and chips!

On Saturday, as it was a lovely day, we took a run up the coast, stopping first at St Abbs.  As always, there were all sorts of things round the harbour to see.  Lobster pots

 

a rusty ring

 

rusty metal - no idea what it's for

 

I love this rusty building

 

the person who left these lying obviously didn't think they would be stolen

 

Malcolm liked this collection of bits and bobs on a pallet

 

there were lots of gulls about - fortunately this one wasn't on our car

 

and lots of pigeons sunning themselves on the roof of their loft

 

we saw the lifeboat go whizzing by - hopefully it was on a training exercise

 

this tanker was going somewhat more slowly

 

and the two men who eventually paddled off in these canoes were going the slowest of all

 

this boat came in quickly through the channel between the rocks

 

but had to slow down to go into the harbour

 

Malcolm spotted this rosehip, which is already starting to ripen

 

we then went on up the coast to Eyemouth, where I was tempted to steal pinch acquire this little ice cream truck

 

when I see a door like this one, I always wonder what secrets may lie behind it!

 

fortunately the Eyemouth lifeboat was moored in the harbour, no emergencies for it

 

a fishing boat coming back into the harbour

 

you wait all day for a cargo ship ........

 

......... then two come along at once

 

we were entertained by a seal in the harbour

 

then we saw a pair of swans with their cygnets

the cygnets looked a bit scruffy

 

as they are losing their juvenile feathers

 

on several recent visits to Eyemouth, this little shop has been shut, so we were delighted to find it open

 

it mostly sells wool, with quite a few kits, as well as various other crafty bits

 

purchases were made by Malcolm - but they are for my birthday, so you will have to wait until October to see them

 

of course, as we were beside the sea, we had to share a portion of chips for lunch!

 

and yesterday morning we shared a delicious cheese scone ....... so this morning I was up at 6.20 and on the rowing machine and the cross trainer!

 

to finish - you know that I have a slightly weird sense of humour ...... so is it just me that sees an unintended meaning in this sign??!!

All sorts!

We had a walk on the beach yesterday, and as always there were things of interest for photos

 

rocks covered in seaweed

 

the tide coming in

 

further along the beach, the rocks and weed are tinted red by iron

 

is this a monster lurking under the sand, ready to bite an ankle?

 

this morning I spotted this shaggy dog on the dock - he belongs to the skipper of one of the fishing boats

 

the tide was out, and these swans on the mudbank just outside the dock were busy preening

 

Malcolm spotted this chap, paddling into the dock

 

the swans were most upset, and headed for the top corner .......

 

but then decided to leave, as the chap filmed them

 

they were at full speed to get away from him

 

I couldn't decide if he was wearing a kilt, or had a tartan blanket wrapped round his nether regions!

 

this afternoon we walked over to town, admiring these hanging baskets

 

this crop of sunflowers is growing in one of the allotments

 

just as pretty are these weeds growing on top of walls

 

 

what would gulls do without chimneys to perch on .......

 

.... or use as a lookout point

 

it was very hazy looking over to the lighthouse - this almost looks like a painting

 

when we were doing a bit of shopping, I asked if I could take a photo of this piece of old floor

 

I shall have to have a look in my stash for suitable fabrics to make a quilt!

 

back at the flat, the black swan had reappeared in the dock, after being absent for a while

 

and the seal popped his head out of the water to say hello

 

just before dinner, one of the fishing boats headed out of the dock - you can just see some swans hastily getting out of the way

 

and so to the Friday cake.  Malcolm has a peppermint slice

 

and I had a liquorice allsorts slice ....... I know that sounds very strange, and probably half of you are going, oh no that sounds horrible, while the other half are going yum yum!!  I thought it was delicious ...... but then, I love liquorice allsorts (and chocolate!)

 

the forecast for tomorrow is good, so no doubt we will be out and about, then we will head back home on Sunday.  I hope you have a great weekend, love Anne

A day late!

A wonderful new shop opened on Tuesday ....... but I didn't go to see it until Wednesday.  Why?  Because the owner of the shop is Sue, who used to be one of the group of quilters who met in Stitchin' Heaven (which closed at Christmas) on Wednesdays ....... and the group is now going to meet at the new shop.  So I went along yesterday to meet up with them all again

 

I think the best description of the atmosphere in the shop is welcoming and cosy!

 

there are still some gaps on the shelves, but Sue told me that she has a LOT of fabric arriving soon

 

there is just something about bundles of fabrics in baskets that makes you want to buy them

 

a selection of needles, pins and other sewing aids

 

looking through from the shop area to the classroom ....... can you see what is hanging on the wall in the top left hand corner of the photo?

 

it is Sue's absolutely stunning Mrs Billings!  Malcolm had come into the shop with me, and impressed everyone that he knew it was a Mrs B ....... then he told everyone about the sorry state of my effort!!

these two lovely quilts are also Sue's

 

beyond the classroom is an area which has been dubbed "the husbands' crèche"

 

with comfy sofas for them to relax while their wives are shopping (it's a lengthy business, buying fabric!)

 

they can have a cuppa and browse through some manly magazines

 

and last, at the back of the shop, is the kitchen area ....... you know we quilters need to be regularly refuelled with cuppas and cake!

 

another two views of the shop area, taken from slightly different angles

 

it was so good to catch up with all the news from the other Wednesday ladies, and as always they were happy to share their projects with you.  Margaret's hand piecing is so neat and accurate

 

Annie was prepping apple cores in her favourite Japanese fabrics

 

Ros was prepping hexies (and I was delighted to see how well she looked, as she had been in a terrible car accident since I last saw her)

 

Carolyn was working on a redwork stitchery

 

Avril, who had joined the group after I stopped going, was also working on stitcheries

 

and Frances ...... well Frances as always was working on a spectacular hand-pieced project!

 

I didn't sit down for the first two hours that I was there!  I was so busy exploring the shop, drooling over the fabric and blethering not only to the Wednesday ladies, but also to the steady stream of customers.  And in that time I had two cuppas and a piece of cake!

 

did I buy anything ..... well of course I did!!  First, a bundle of Moda fat quarters, which I just couldn't resist

 

then these four delicious fat quarters

 

which are from this range

 

and finally these super fat quarters

 

which are from this range ......

 

....... and this range.  And the good news is that I had a chat with Sue on the phone this morning, and if you are in the UK and want to buy any of these fabrics, give her a phone  (the number is on the leaflet in the first photo), as she can process a credit card sale over the phone with you, and then post them to you!!

 

I thought it might be helpful for those of you not familiar with the area to take a couple of photos of where the shop is, should you want to visit.  It is just behind this petrol station - this is the view if you are heading towards Morpeth

 

and this is the view if you are approaching from Morpeth

 

there is plenty of parking, and you go through the arch and in the door

 

passing the shop sign on the way

 

once in the door, the shop is on your right ....... only go through the door on the left if you want to buy supplies for your ponies and your pets!!

 

it really is a lovely shop, and I am going back the Wednesday after next for another visit ....... and I can highly recommend a visit if you are in the area.  Just up the road is Heighley Gate Garden Centre, where you can have a lovely lunch, or you can go on into Morpeth, which has an excellent selection of independent shops.  And to finish ...... I took this photo when I was outside - do you think Malcolm may have something to tell me??!!

Getting on!

On Sunday afternoon, I made a start to prepping the hexies, ready for quilting

 

I folded the first edge of the larger hexie in to meet the edge of the smaller hexie and pressed it

 

then folded it over again and pressed it

 

after scorching my fingers several times, I starting using my stiletto to hold the folds in place while I pressed them!

 

the first one pinned, ready to quilt (only another 63 to go!)

 

looking good on the design wall

 

I then turned to my half square triangles, which I had previously marked with my new ruler.  I chain-pieced them

 

as always, I started always with a thread catcher.  I start sewing about ½" from the edge, which means that I don't have to trim off the starting threads, as I would have to if I started sewing from the edge of the square.  Also when I sew straight from the catcher on to the square, it means that the edge won't get chewed up, as often happens

 

the squares stitched then cut apart

 

so was it more accurate using the new ruler?  Yes, the squares all turned out to be the correct size

 

when I got the kit out, I was sure it was to make a cushion, but it isn't, it is a wallhanging!  The centre block will be set on point

 

having finished the square, I prepped the pieces for the appliqué

 

and also made the bias strips for the vine

 

then this morning, I stitched the block together, starting with sewing the squares together in pairs

 

then sewing the first two columns of units together

 

then added the other units

 

the rows sewn together in pairs

 

the block stitched together and pressed

 

the next stage was to add the setting triangles.  This shows the first two stitched on

 

after stitching on the other two triangles, the block had to be trimmed, so that there was a ¼" seam beyond where the setting triangles crossed

 

the three borders added - looking good!

 

I have to say that the instructions are very basic, and this is all the help you get with positioning the appliqué ........ a rather poor photocopy!

 

the flowers and leaves bonded in place and the vine pinned, ready to sew

 

I know you think that we live on a diet of cakes and scones, but we do eat healthy food sometimes!  Tonight we had spiralised courgettes with dinner!

A lot of walking!

We went for a walk on the beach on Thursday afternoon, and as always the camera went too.  Nature is slowly reclaiming this tree root, which was left on the beach after the winter storms

 

 

it wasn't me!  Someone else had built a little stone stack

 

this daft dog dug a hole and buried his ball

 

then dug it up again.  I caught him just as he leapt out of the hole

 

I read a bit in the paper at the start of the school holidays about how many hundreds of pounds parents might spend to entertain their children.  Well, here is something to do that is good fun ...... and it's FREE!  Let them loose on the beach to see what objects they can find, then get them to take photos

 

and can they find objects that look like strange animals

 

with pointed noses

 

and funny eyes ....... ok, perhaps I am easily entertained, but I had fun!

 

this sandbar was formed after the winter storms, and it is slowly getting bigger

 

I think I find another interesting bit of old groyne every time we walk on the beach

 

and we have to have a rusty bolt!

 

do you recognise this logo?

 

it is on this enormous Goodyear tyre

 

a welcome end to an enjoyable afternoon

 

then on Friday, we walked over to town.  These swans were down on the riverside at the start of the old bridge

 

with their friend the goose, who was keeping an eye on me

 

as we walked on over the bridge, this RIB appeared, and we watched in astonishment as one of the crew jumped overboard

 

the boat circled round him

 

then he was left to haul himself back on board.  But when it was turned this way we could see it was a fire and rescue boat, so we guessed that it was a training exercise

 

after we had enjoyed our cuppa and tarts, we walked on through the town, past the railway station, and then down through the park to the river.  If you look to the left of the bench, you will see a very large rabbit sitting on the grass

 

part of the Castle ruins

 

and another part of the ruins - I really just took these two photos to show off the beautiful blue sky!

 

Captain Donald, setting off on a voyage of discovery?

 

the train gives the scale of the railway bridge, and you can see how it dwarfs the other two bridges

 

This pretty flower is  called  scabious.   According to my wildflower book, it was used to cure skin complaints, in particular scabies, hence the name.  It was also used to treat coughs, lung complaints and dandruff!!

 

having walked past the railway bridge, there was a good view of the old bridge through the new bridge

 

and turning round, a good view of the railway bridge, complete with its reflection in the river

 

as we walked back over the old bridge, we saw some men getting ready to put out their fishing net

 

knowing that this method of fishing has been going on for many, many years, I switched to B&W - it looks just like the old photos you see of the fishermen

 

on Saturday, we went for another walk on the beach ........ and I found a little wooden fish in the sand!

 

a rather rusty fishing boat, heading into the dock

 

the tide was in, so we couldn't walk along to the other stretch of the beach

 

we had to beat a hasty retreat to the car when there was a short sharp shower!

 

but then the sun came back out, and we were able to complete our walk.  Sometimes when you pick up a piece of china, you hold your breath ......

 

....... as you turn it over to see if it has a pattern on the other side

 

the bow wave in the middle of the photo is from a rather weird boat ........ the bottom was like a speed boat, but with a wheelhouse like a fishing boat.  It was going at a tremendous speed - scary stuff!

 

to finish - I did my nails on Saturday ...... and for fun I painted one silver!

 

Sewing, knitting ..... and cakes!!

On Tuesday I finished tacking the hexies to the wadding, so that I could then trim the excess wadding off.  I found that it is easier to do it that way, rather than cut out hexies from wadding and try to line them up accurately with the fabric hexies.  On the right are the bigger hexies for the backing

 

I put the first hexie sandwich on my revolving cutting mat, and lined up the ruler for the first cut

 

then I just kept turning the mat to do the next cut

 

by the end of the afternoon, I had made a good start to all the trimming.  The offcuts of wadding can be used to stuff something

 

on Wednesday afternoon I finished the trimming

 

then paired each trimmed sandwich with a backing hexie

 

as you can see, there are twice as many fabric hexies as stitchery ones.  The next stage is to fold and pin the backing hexies in the same way that they are on the stitchery ones, and quilt them

 

having done that, I was sitting looking at the various kits and projects in this storage unit, thinking perhaps I could stitch up a quick one

 

I picked this kit to make a cushion, which I bought in 2000 in Christchurch (that's the one in New Zealand, not the one in England!)

 

I sorted out and labelled the various fabrics (and found there was an extra piece!)

 

the instructions said to put together a strip of tan fabric and a strip of blue fabric and cross cut squares.  Then, the instructions said cut the squares in half on the diagonal, and stitch the diagonal to make squares.  No,no,no!  Those diagonal edges are bias edges, and the first thing they do is stretch!  Before, I would have drawn a diagonal line, then stitched om either side with a ¼" seam, but I recently discovered this ruler.  You line up the centre line on the ruler with the diagonal, the mark the line on either side - it is supposed to be much more accurate

 

but by the time I had marked all the lines, it was dinner time, so you will have to wait until next week to see how the squares turn out

 

we came over to the flat yesterday, and I brought my hexie wallhanging to work on.  The photo doesn't show the true colours, which are much deeper.  I have been working on it on and off for quite a few years.  The original plan was just to stitch all the hexies together on the diagonal, but I got a bit bored, so headed off in the opposite direction, then later on reversed the direction again

 

these are all the hexies that are left, so I shall stick in and get it finished

 

now for the knitting.  I have finished the two snoods.  First the cabled one

 

and second the moss stitch one

 

we had a walk over to town this afternoon, and popped into Miele Patisserie for a cuppa ........

 

......... and cakes.  A lovely sharp tarte au citron

 

and a delicious sweet fruit tart

 

as we strolled on round the town after our cuppa, I had to stop to take a photo of the church spire against the wonderful blue sky

 

and this was the sky over the town at sunset last night

 

we were on the beach yesterday, and I have lots of photos from that, then I have lots more from our walk round the town this afternoon.  I shall have to get them all sorted out for Monday's post!  The forecast for the weekend is sunshine and showers, but hopefully we will get out and about between the showers.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

A peaceful day!

After all the drama of Tuesday morning, I was quite happy to have some peace and quiet yesterday!  We had a little jaunt to Lauder, where we went for lunch in The Flat Cat.  Perusing the menu, I saw that there was a cheese baguette, but it came with tomato pickle (don't like it).  Then there was one with ham, but it came with wholegrain mustard (don't like it).  So I asked very nicely if I could have ham and cheese......... it did come with a little pot of tomato pickle, which didn't taste too much of tomato!  And the beautifully presented salad must have counted as two of my 5-a-day

 

after lunch we had a stroll round the village - I don't think this bike has been ridden for a while!

 

Malcolm suggested a walk round the churchyard

 

I couldn't decide which was the better of these two photos of the church ........

 

........ so I have included both of them

 

there are all sorts of old gravestones, from small ones almost lost in the grass

 

to vast family plots

 

Malcolm drew my attention to this one ........

 

......... as it mentions Geelong in Australia, which we have visited - perhaps we may have encountered their descendants?

 

I've mentioned before that I think it is sad that a lot of gravestones are gradually being worn away

 

this one is now badly eroded

 

however this one is still clearly legible

 

after our walk round the churchyard, I may have popped into this little shop

 

and I may have come home with this super-cute owl scarf

 

I'll be back tomorrow with lots of sewing - and a bit of knitting!!