frayed at the edge

Jumping up and down and squealing!

It was a very, very busy few days ........ but the highlight of the quilt show was meeting the delightful Jenny, of the Two Crafty Brownies (there may have been some jumping up and down, and some squealing, and lots of hugs!).  She was in Eyemouth on holiday with her family, and they came over to Kelso on Friday, to visit the show.  I had just popped outside to eat a bite of lunch when I saw them arrive, so after welcoming them, I finished my lunch while Jenny and her parents (her Mum is an avid quilter) went in to the show.  For some reason her husband and son decided that they would rather be elsewhere.  After they had been round the show (and the traders), I joined them in the coffee bar for a chat.  We were so engrossed that her husband had to phone her to say it was time to go!  We already have plans to meet up in Berwick next time she is up here on holiday ...........

 

Jenny brought me presents!  A lovely little pouch, a sample of the ones that she and the other Crafty Brownie, Lucy, hope to be selling soon in an online shop

 

it is so pretty I had to take a photo of both sides.  Of course I shall let you know when they open the shop!

 

I love the spotty lining, and their label is so cute  (and do you like my nail polish?)

 

I love these jumbo paper clips, with buttons covered in their hand-dyed fabrics - they will be very useful for keeping the pages of patterns in order

 

so, now on to the show!  Malcolm came with me on Thursday, and while he was busy running up and down ladders hanging quilts, I was busy getting the kitchen organised.  This is the view from the kitchen through to the coffee bar, after the tables were laid

 

our lovely member Edith brought in flower arrangements which she had done for every table

 

this was my favourite .......

 

........ so of course I chose it when Edith gave all the committee members an arrangement at the end of the show - here it is on the kitchen table

 

I mentioned earlier that we had traders.  This is Katie of Japan Crafts dressed in a traditional kimono

 

oh dear, I succumbed to some of her beautiful fabrics!

 

it has become a tradition that when Stuart and the gang come down to visit us, they bring a box of donuts

 

I may have eaten this one after lunch today!

 

they also brought me these beautiful flowers (Malcolm got beer!)

 

and best of all, Stuart brought us some of his home-grown potatoes, which we had with dinner last night (venison casserole and a medley of veggies)

 

I'll be back tomorrow with photos of some of the stunning quilts in the show!

Sand between my toes!

 I know that I promised you some sewing for today, but that has been bumped to tomorrow!  Instead, join us on the beach for some blue skies, sunshine and fun

 

this is the busiest we have seen the beach, in the two years that we have had the flat

 

Malcolm was wondering why this little dog was sitting so attentively beside him ......... then his owner called over that he was waiting for Malcolm to throw a stone for him, which he obligingly did

 

I didn't throw a stone, so I was ignored

 

gnarly wood, rusty metal and deep shadows - all you need in a photo (well, perhaps Tom Hiddleston might improve it!?)

 

I wasn't really looking for any, but you can't help but pick up sea glass when you see it

 

we walked up on to the promenade, and headed to the café

 

and enjoyed a cuppa sitting in the sun

 

oops ....... when we walked back along the beach the tide had come in, which meant that Malcolm had to scramble over the rocks

 

but I just took my shoes off!

 

do you think it's cold?

 

just slightly chilly?

 

yes it was ....... but it is the first time in many, many years that I have gone for a paddle!

 

while Malcolm had the camera, he decided to take a couple of arty photos

 

he couldn't decide which he preferred, so I have included both of them

 

when I got the camera back, I had an arty moment as well

 

I prefer getting in close for my arty photos

 

as I did with ........

 

........ these two delicate dandelion clocks

 

perhaps if we had more grass I might have pinched this mower, left on a trailer at the side of the road!  (not that I cut the grass any more, since Malcolm retired he has taken over as head gardener)

 

back at the flat, there were dozens of swans in the dock - so many that I couldn't get them all in the photo

A very busy weekend!

It's all systems go, getting everything ready for this weekend's exhibition, but I took some time off yesterday morning, and we went for a walk along the river in Hawick.  We stopped to read this new sign .......

 

....... but during the winter floods they didn't need a gauge to know how deep the river was - it was halfway up the building!

 

the first stretch of the walk was on a broad swathe of grass

 

there is something appealing about thistles ....... as long as you don't grasp them!

 

the roots of these fallen trees are about eight feet tall

 

Malcolm looking out over at the river at the old cauld, which has fallen further into disrepair

 

the water that is diverted into the side channel runs much faster, and in the past would have operated mill machinery

 

I don't mind crossing bridges like this one ....... sturdy, well-built, and most of all ..... low!

 

this is detritus from the floods, trapped by trees on the river bank

 

if I had been standing in this spot when the river was high enough to leave this tangle of leaves and grass, the water would have been up to my chin!

 

now ducks are getting in on the act, showing me their bottoms!

 

we had noticed this car as we drove along past the rugby club, to park to go on our walk, so we stopped on the way back to take a photo.  Why is there a tyre on top of the car?  We have no idea ........ a drunken prank perhaps?

 

the next stop, of course, was for a cuppa and sconnage.  A tasty fruit scone

 

and a very delicious cheese one

 

we laughed when we saw the inside of the lid of the little jar of jam

 

we arrived just as the morning cuppa crowd was leaving, and before the lunch crowd was in, so I was able to take a photo.  I love all the old chairs painted in different colours and covered with different fabrics

 

back home I got the two tray bakes out of the fridge  that I made on Saturday for the exhibition - the entry fee includes refreshments

 

I cut them up and divided them between two containers for the two days ........ and there are plenty of trimmings left over for us!

 

when Malcolm made dinner last night, he was so pleased with it he asked me to take a photo for the blog!  He always makes delicious gravy, but this one was even tastier, as he added a dollop of Maureen's excellent red currant and port jelly

 

hooray, my new car arrived this morning!  Fortunately the transporter driver was able to turn into one of the neighbour's yard, to unload the new car, and load up the old one

 

and here it is, my lovely car (it's a Ford Ecosport, for those of you interested in such things).  I haven't driven it yet, as I didn't want to drive it to Kelso for Monday sewing - I would rather wait and have time to familiarise myself with the controls before I drive it.  But Malcolm had a little drive in it this afternoon, and he said it is very nice to drive

 

I'll be back tomorrow with some sewing!

Fetching in Marigolds!

Malcolm caught me this morning having a bit of a clean and tidy in the kitchen!  (my apron says "a balanced life - a glass of wine in each hand")

 

so I thought I would have a bit of a tidy on the blog as well, and catch up with some photos lingering in the unpublished folder, starting with these photos of a sunset earlier in the week

 

I always think of skies like these as "Old Testament" skies

 

that you see in old paintings with the hand of God reaching down to man, or angels and  saints in heaven

 

the camera was still on the sunset setting when I took this photo the next morning, but it turned out ok ........ a rather dishevelled finch sitting on the bird table

 

it's always exciting when post arrives from abroad

 

and even more exciting when (almost) naked men are involved!!

 

oh my, what a dilemma, ogle the men, or appreciate the lovely quilts!

 

but unless you buy your own copy, you will have to wait until next year, when I will show you each month's photo in turn

 

as we walked along the path to the front door this afternoon, I paused to take some photos.  The climbing rose has a touch of pink on the outside of the buds

 

but once the bud opens, the rose is creamy white

 

my bargain supermarket fuchsias are flowering well

 

surviving the heavy rain showers

 

a few weeks ago, I noticed this little self-seeded tree growing in the back garden, so Malcolm dug it up and put it in a pot - it has grown about six inches since then

 

this afternoon, we popped over to Border Meringues in Jedburgh for a cuppa and cake.  I love the eclectic collection of china for my tea

 

Malcolm had a date crispie

 

and I had a piece of meringue roulade - I thought it might be slightly less calorific than lemon meringue pie!!

 

I was grumbling away to myself this morning ....... time wasted dealing with the problem with the phone......... the beautiful silver bangles that Malcolm was going to give me for our Pearl Wedding Anniversary next month were sold out......... my gorgeous new car, which should have been delivered this morning, won't now be delivered until Monday ..........

then I though of all the families mourning the loss of their loved ones in Nice ....... and my grumbles really didn't matter anymore.  I hope there is a pit in the deepest darkest horrors of Hell for this murdering terrorist, and all those like him, who want to destroy our way of life.......

 

But the best thing to do, in the face of these horrors, is to live our lives to the full, so I will wish you all the best of weekends, love Anne

A knitting report!

I thought I ought to get a bit more work done on the various bits of knitting that will be entered in the Jedburgh Flower Show in September, so I started yesterday by clearing one of my sewing tables, and covering with a heatproof pad

 

this is the rubber-backed stuff that your Granny protected her beautifully French-polished dining table with.  I used a sticky roller to remove stray bits of thread

 

first, I pinned out a tiny matinee jacket

 

covered it with a piece of white cotton fabric

 

and gave it a gentle steam press

 

then I did the same with a much bigger white matinee jacket

 

the white and pink baby blanket, pinned out and pressed in the same way (I also did the cream blanket, but I forgot to take a photo of it!_

 

these little shoes needed to have their little ankle straps added

 

the first one done

 

I had a hunt through my button drawer (what, doesn't everyone have a button drawer?) and found these little ones

 

but I didn't think they looked right, so I tipped out this jar

 

and found these two tiny heart buttons - perfect

 

in the same jar, I found these dark pink ones for the white jacket

 

and these paler ones for the turquoise jacket.  I followed the pattern, which instructs you to sew the buttons on the top band, and then use press studs to hold the front together - it's a bit of a faff and next time I will do normal button holes

 

one of the garments on the schedule is a snood, so I had a look through my stash and found this delicious Noro yarn which has been in my stash for several years, so it must be about time to use it

 

in contrast, the navy yarn is a cheap and cheerful supermarket buy, but it has a lovely glossy finish

 

in my knitting basket, there is also this tangle of pieces, which will become a hooded child's jacket

 

I made a start to the first snood last night - it is much darker than this - my camera just doesn't like taking photos of blue things!

 

so, on to this morning, and waiting in for the telephone engineer.  I thought I would make good use of my unexpected morning at home, and first I did they ironing.  Then I prepped some strawberries and measured out the same weight in jam sugar

 

I zapped the strawberries for several minutes

 

until they were starting to soften and give up their juice

 

then I stirred in the sugar

 

and zapped them some more, until setting point was reached

 

using a jam funnel makes it so much easier to fill the jars

 

four jars of delicious homemade strawberry jam, which will be eaten in no time at all

 

now, I could lie and say that I also whipped up a quick batch of scones ...... or I could tell the truth and say that I bought them in the garden centre some weeks ago and popped them in the freezer!  They were defrosted in time for our afternoon cuppa (sadly there was no cream in the fridge!)

 

but what about the engineer, I hear you cry!  Well he didn't turn up (short pause to put more money in the swear box!!).  But the phone is working again.  How?  Malcolm did some research online, went and bought a specialist tool in the local diy store (such a specialist tool it cost him 23p) and checked out the wiring in the various sockets.  He found a wire that seemed to be wrongly attached, removed it ........and the phone has been working since.  Hooray for practical husbands, and a great big raspberry for TalkTalk!!

Bankrupt!!

Oh my, the phone woes continue!   Briefly we can receive calls and use the broadband, but we can't make calls.  We spent (literally) hours on the (mobile) phone and online, trying to get it sorted.  When I got to the point of shouting at people, Malcolm would take over, and vice versa ........ and at one time I was on the landline (they had phoned me) and Malcolm was on the mobile.  An engineer was supposed to visit this morning ........ and I'm not going to bore you with the rest of the sorry tale, but I am now bankrupt from putting money in the swear box!!

 

So, on with yesterday's post!  On Saturday, we took a run back up over the Border to North Berwick.  There were lots of little boats in the harbour

 

and all sorts of boats out on the water - paddling

sailing

 

motoring out to their yacht

 

but I turned down Malcolm's offer of a trip on this boat and not just because it meant getting dressed up in very unflattering yellow and blue survival suits

 

now that's my kind of boat - I would quite happily sit in it watching the world go by, safe on dry land

 

I also declined to cross this bridge and go up the rickety stairs

 

but I was happy with the view from where I was, looking out at the Bass Rock

 

and this view is for Anne Lee - yes, Anne, the sun always shines on Fife!!

 

it would have been nice to sit at one of these quirky tables, made with lobster pots, but we thought lobster was just a little bit too fancy for Saturday lunch

 

so instead we headed to the Seabird Centre, pausing on the way in to admire the sculptures

 

we sat outside on the balcony to have our lunch, watched by this cheeky chappy

 

traditional lentil soup, with bread and butter - delicious

 

there was someone else keeping an eye on us as we ate

 

his beak would have made short work of the bread!

 

our next stop was at the remains of the old church

 

the front of the porch

 

and the back

 

the remains of an old gravestone

 

you can just make out some of the words

 

I was rather startled by this little green man

 

before I realised that he was a sculpture

 

the next two photos are for my mad quilting friends The Squealers, perhaps you can guess where they live

 

as for the name of this street, you can just imagine the road-naming committee sitting having a great discussion as to what to call it ....... then settling for the obvious  (if you can't read the sign, it says ........ Bank Street!)

 

rather worn tiles in the entrance to a shop - a quilting design perhaps?

 

we walked back along the beach ........ it is addictive, picking up interesting bits and bobs

 

what a lovely seat - if only I could have one like this in the garden

 

another little green man

 

click on the photo to enlarge it, to help read the plaque

 

and of course we have to finish with the wonderful Andy, who played the most amazing tennis to win his second Wimbledon title - I didn't need to shout at him at all!!

 

it's mine, all mine!!

Jumping about!

Usually I put the photos into the post more or less in the order I have taken them, but there isn't really any order to them today.  I managed to snatch this shot last night of a water skier going at a great rate of knots down the river

 

then when we went for a walk out to the lighthouse this afternoon, we saw someone whizzing along in a sand yacht

 

he was going at quite a speed, turning back and forward

 

there were some men fishing in the river

 

but it didn't look as if they had caught anything

 

thank you to these two men, who provide scale for this shot of the lighthouse

 

if you don't like snails, skip over the next three photos!  Malcolm spotted this beauty on top of a wall

 

then this one nestled in a little hollow in the stonework

 

that's my little fingernail, to show you this size of this one

 

I had just taken this photo of the railway bridge through the new bridge, when Malcolm pointed it out - great minds etc!

 

it was rather breezy out on the breakwater, and it took five attempts before I got the heron in focus, as I couldn't hold the camera steady

 

now, I think you know by now that we like our food, so we were delighted to pick up these two bargains when we were shopping this morning - beautiful wild salmon

 

and our favourite cut of steaks

 

the three steaks are so big that each one will feed both of us, and the salmon divided up into 6 portions ..... so six special meals for less than £18 - all tucked away in the freezer

 

at the end of our walk this afternoon, we were going to go here for  cuppa ........ but it is just a little place, and there wasn't a free table

 

so instead we went here

 

Malcolm tucked into a large hunk of light-as-air banana loaf

 

while I had a piece of Twix and Crunchie chocolate delight ....... there is no more needs to be said about it, the name says it all

 

a little footnote - after doing the shopping this morning, we popped into the Garden Centre for a cuppa ........ Malcolm had a fully-stamped loyalty card, so was due a free cup of coffee.  We were enjoying our cuppas and reading the papers, when a lady approached the table and said "excuse me, are you the lady who writes the blog, frayed at the edge?"  She introduced herself as a reader, who occasionally leaves a comment ........ so Julia, if you are reading this, it was lovely to meet you!!

Raonic has just beaten Federer, so Andy Murray is about to start his semi-final ....... I think I may have no voice left by bedtime!  Then of course, if Andy goes through to the final on Sunday, I have to go through it all again.  And then finally, the football, which seems to have being going on since the beginning of time, ends on Sunday evening, and life can get back to normal.  Whether you are watching the sport, or locking yourself in a darkened room to avoid it, have a good weekend, love Anne

All sorts!

 We came over to the flat at lunchtime, to find there was a ship in the dock

 

it was being loaded with what we think is rape seed

 

I want one of these!!

 

after lunch, we headed for the beach.  The sun was shining, and there was a queue at the ice cream van!

 

the holidaymakers were making the most of the better weather

 

with this brave chap actually going for a swim in the chilly water

 

blue sky!

 

although it was still hazy looking into the distance at Bamburgh Castle

 

and there was enough wind offshore for this yacht

 

oh dear, there is no escape from crabs on the beach!

 

after a good long walk, we enjoyed a cuppa sitting in the sunshine, watching the world go by

 

although we both enjoy cooking, sometimes it is nice to let someone else do all the hard work, so this morning we popped into a well known supermarket, and bought one of their "meal deals".  All this for £10!

 

did I hear you say you wanted a close-up of the pudding?

 

after tucking into the short ribs, which we had with mashed potato, we shared a tart with some fresh strawberries.  The food was delicious, and we couldn't have cooked it and bought a bottle of wine for £10 (we might just open the wine later when we are watching the other football semi-final).  I was hoarse last night shouting at Andy Murray, who put us through torment before he won, and cheering on Wales, but to no avail, as they were beaten

 

we had just finished dinner, when there was activity in the dock, and the pilot boat headed out

 

followed by the ship

 

the swans were glad to have the dock to themselves again!

An early walk

As we knew the forecast was for rain later in the day, we headed to the beach not long after breakfast.  I immediately got side tracked by this dainty plant, growing in the sand

 

the clouds were mostly high and wispy

 

I was taking a photo of the clouds, then realised that I had also captured two dogs playing in the water

 

but what was this ........ had Nessie popped down to Berwick for a holiday?  No, it was just a tyre left on the beach after the winter storms

 

there was nothing inside this crab shell - but its little eyes were still sticking out!

 

a swan feather, with my foot in my snazzy summer shoes

 

great minds thinking alike - I was about to take this photo when Malcolm said ...... that's a good shot with the wood and stones

 

every time we are on the beach, I see something else of interest in the remains of the wooden groynes which were uncovered when the sand shifted in the winter storms

 

in the few months that they have been uncovered, some of them have become covered in weeds

 

with the old bolts and metal plates getting rustier

 

I can see a monster's face in this one!

 

the weed on this bit has grown round the knot in the wood

 

I always find something to pick up on the beach, with a view to making something with it.  But after looking at this piece, I decided to leave it on the sand

 

but I kept these little bits and bobs

 

back at the flat, we were sitting reading the papers after lunch, when we saw there was a bit of a commotion just outside the dock, involving one of the fishing boats, and a yacht which had been moored in the dock overnight.  Eventually the fishing boat towed the yacht into the dock

 

using a length of rope which didn't really look up to the job!

 

safely back in the dock to sort out the problem

 

the rescue operation was supervised by the chap on the right - he usually is in charge of the pilot boat, so I guess he was on hand to help out

 

yesterday evening I was taking photos of some swans leaving the dock, when the ones at the front about turned ....... you can just see two men rowing up the river, which had disturbed them

 

all the swans then made for the far corner

 

then this afternoon, not only did a lot of swans come gliding in, but they were accompanied by a lot of geese

 

I wonder if they realise they are different?

 

and of course to finish, we have the Friday cake.  We went to Café Crema, where Malcolm had a strawberry and white chocolate muffin

 

while I had a Mars Bar crispy cake - delicious (I gave Malcolm the bit on the left that had white chocolate on it!)

 

at the moment we are watching the tennis at Wimbledon, then this evening there is football, with my other team, Wales, playing in the quarter finals (we won't mention England's ignominious exit on Monday!!)  Whether you are indoors watching sport, or out and about, enjoy your weekend, love Anne

 

Rain stopped play

We had thought we might go for a walk this morning before we went for lunch, but sadly rain stopped that plan.  At least we had the consolation of a tasty lunch ........ Malcolm's sandwich was pastrami with leek jam

 

while I had ham with apricot chutney

 

back home, I headed out to the studio, and turned on the tv - the diehard Wimbledon fans were braving the rain on "Henman Hill" to watch the Centre Court match, the only one being played,  on big screens

 

while the lucky ticket holders watched in comfort under the roof

 

so, I pressed Mrs B and popped her up on the design wall.  Since I added the large hexagon border, I have been unhappy with it, as the hexagons are too big

 

so I think I will make up some diamond stars like this, and add one to the centre of each hexagon

 

I am stitching the first of the small hexagon borders

 

I have the strip ready for the second side, and I counted out the hexagons that I need for the other two

 

I had already prepped quite  a few of these hexagon pyramids (yes, I like stitching hexies!)

 

they alternate between coloured ones, and calico ones

 

so I sorted out the rest of the ones that I had already prepped, and counted out the hexies I need to make the rest

 

but in sorting out all the bits and bobs that I had cut then not used, I found this pile of squares

 

so perhaps I will add a border of squares before the pyramid border

 

I folded the remaining bigger  pieces of fabrics and put them back in the project box

 

oops, a pile of scrappy bits left on the floor (note to self, please vacuum the carpet!!)  (in case you are wondering why a chose to have a plain brown carpet in the studio, when every little bit of thread shows on it ......... it was the end of a roll, and we got it for a bargain price!)

 

there is probably enough of this fabric for a last border, if I need to make the quilt a little bit bigger to sit on our bed, in top of our comforter

 

these scrappy bits have been put next to the sewing machine, to be used as thread catchers

 

I also tidied up my sewing tin, with my beautiful Japanese silk threads (with two YLI ones one the left)  The little tub of applique pins was given to me years ago by a friend ......

 

....... who also gave me this tin (which describes me perfectly!)

 

it contains this little tape measure - which is much too cute to unwrap and use!

 

having sorted out Mrs B (or maybe I should start calling her not-quite-mrs-B), I got out another project box - yes, it's the Aunts' Quilt

 

I didn't like the outer border on the pattern (dozens of scallops), but hadn't decided what to do instead.  But then recently I saw an idea when I was blog hopping (I can't now remember where I saw it, so if it was on your blog, please tell me so that I can put in a link).  So, a very simple idea, groups of three stems, each with a circle at the end.  After all the machine sewing that I have done recently, it will be nice to sit and do some hand sewing (or rather, lots of hand sewing!).

 

having just proof-read the post, I think I need to use less exclamation marks!!