frayed at the edge

Sunshine!

When I came into the kitchen at quarter past six this morning, the sun was shining strongly through the window ......

 

......... creating some excellent shadow shots

 

I took this shot yesterday afternoon, when there was just a hint of a shadow

 

just look at the difference this morning!

 

those of you who pop in to see me on Instagram (@annetaydon) know that on Fridays I post a photo of the treat I have for breakfast because I have been good all week.  Well, that might have been a slight fib this morning, after enjoying this delicious chocolate brownie on Monday!

 

today's title of Sunshine doesn't just refer to this morning ........ ok, we need a roll of drums and a fanfare - we are off to Majorca tomorrow for our annual stay!!  I won't be blogging over the next 3 weeks, except for popping in on Monday with my April report for 6&6 in 2018, but I hope to pop a photo on Instagram each day (warning, there may be a lot of delicious cakes, and even the occasional glass of wine, as well as sea, sand and sun!).

I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

Funky chickens!

Yesterday, seven ladies joined me at The Quilt Shop for the Funky Chickens workshop

 

this was a sample chicken I made to advertise the workshop, before I made the full wallhanging

 

the ladies didn't take long to get all their supplies unpacked

 

I recognised quite a few of the scraps in Sonia's box, as she had recently acquired them from my scrap bucket!

 

after a busy morning, I was glad to sit down to my healthy lunch - homemade soup with some cheese in it, and some of the delicious strawberries that I bought on Monday, with vanilla yogurt

 

ok, these might not have been quite as healthy!

 

after lunch, chickens popped up all round the room ...... short fat ones

 

tall thin ones

 

ones with extravagant tail feathers

 

and of course, they need a henhouse to roost in

 

this was just a small selection of the chickens which had been finished by the end of the day

 

next month we will get together again, and they will stitch their chicken blocks together to make the wallhanging.

 

 

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

 

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!!

(yet another) change of plans!

The plan for yesterday morning was : pop down to Morpeth for some bits of shopping, visit Jennifer, then head up to Berwick.  Unfortunately we got up to discover that the boiler was on the blink, so the plans had to be changed.  But one thing never changes - the camera is always to hand in case a photo opportunity arises.  You may think this is a rather poor blurry shot .......

 

but is was the sun shining through my little stained glass candleholder, casting a coloured shadow on the wall, while we were having our after-breakfast cup of tea

 

Malcolm found a heating engineer to fix the boiler, but he couldn't come  out until this morning, so we headed to Morpeth as planned.  After doing the odds and ends of shopping, we went for a cuppa, and shared a piece of rather tasty lemon and coconut cake

 

who could resist this little sweetie, patiently  waiting for its owner outside M&S?

 

we spent an hour with Jennifer - she is making good progress and hopes to be home by the end of next week.  She thanks you for all your good wishes for her recovery.  Afer lunch, we decided to abandon our chores, and headed to Alnmouth for a walk on the beach.  As you can see, a lot of people had the same idea

 

it was cheering to see so much blue sky, after the recent bad weather

 

you know I always find strange things to take photos of

 

including crab claws

 

and a large lobster claw

 

I had given Malcolm one of my cameras to play with, and he promptly got his revenge for all the times that I shout at him for getting in my photos, shouting at me to get out of his!

 

when we looked at all the photos later, we argued over who had taken which ones, each of us claiming to have taken the best ones.  But I know Malcom took this one of some coils of wire lying on the sand

 

while I took this one of the remains of a lobster pot

 

I also took this one of the waves pounding on to the beach, with Coquet Island in the distance

 

we both took photos of the groynes

 

Malcolm because he likes the weathered wood

 

 

and me because I like the rusty metal

 

away from the beach, there was still plenty to take photos of, the church spire

 

chimneys (and more wonderful blue sky)

 

yet more chimneys

 

but what was this ....... we both thought that it looked like a Minion disguised as a chimney!

 

after all that walking and competitive photography, we were in need of a cuppa and sustenance (yes, I know, cake twice in one day is very naughty!)  This was an unusual cake, which was described on the menu as apple and cinnamon, but it also had oats and chopped nuts in it, and was very delicious!

 

we will be visiting Jennifer tomorrow morning, then in the afternoon I hope to do some sewing.  Then on Sunday, our former next door neighbours (the lovely shoe shop owners) are coming down for a visit.  The forecast is reasonable, so we hope to go out for a bit of sightseeing with them.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne 

A delicious dinner!

It's quite a while since I did a cooking post, so when I was trying out a new recipe yesterday, I thought I would share it with you.  I started with two pieces of turkey breast, because that's what I had in the freezer, but I would probably make it next time with chicken breasts.  Having put the turkey between two pieces of clingfilm .......

 

I beat it with my rolling pin until it was flat and thin.  This was very therapeutic - I just imagined that I was bashing my least favourite politician!

 

ready for the next stage.  Plain flour, an egg and Panko bread crumbs

 

I tipped some flour on to the plate and added some flavoured salt, beat the egg and tipped out the breadcrumbs

 

the first piece of turkey, coated with flour

 

then dipped in the beaten egg

 

both pieces of turkey coated in the breadcrumbs

 

on a less busy day, I would have cooked the rice and made the Katsu curry sauce , but I had been very busy, so it was into the store cupboard for ready made ones

 

while the curry sauce was heating, I put some sunflower oil on the griddle pan

 

then while the turkey was cooking, I popped the rice in the microwave

 

when the turkey was cooked, I sliced it up and piled it on the rice, then topped it with the curry sauce.  It was delicious, and will definitely be added to our dinner menu!

Strippy cushions

 On Wednesday I gave you a sneak peek at this lovely little bundle of batiks, from The Quilt Shop

 

the six fat eighths, pressed ready to cut

 

I cut strips of 4", 3" and 2", then mixed them up

 

and arranged them in two groups on the design wall

 

having stitched them together, I cut about a third off each one and swapped them over

 

the next stage was to layer them up, ready to quilt

 

the first one done, with a loopy flower meander

 

a little detail of the quilting

 

the two cushion fronts, quilted and trimmed

 

I delved into my stashes and found a pretty piece of curtain fabric for the backs, and a remnant of batik for the binding

 

I had hoped to get the first one finished to share with you today, but as I was sewing the binding on ....... disaster, I broke the needle (I was most annoyed, as it was a new needle!).  As I should have already been cooking the dinner, I had to abandon the uncompleted cushion cover.  So you will have to wait a few more days to see the finished cushions

 

it's Friday, so that means sconnage!!  We shared this one on Monday when we were in Morpeth

 

then we shared this one on our way up to Berwick this morning. It has been raining all day, so no walk on the beach.  Fingers crossed for better weather tomorrow!

 

it's the end of the month, so that means I will be back tomorrow with my March report for the 6&6 in 2018 challenge.  I do hope you will pop in to see what I have achieved.  Have a good weekend, love Anne

Making waves!

First, an update on Jennifer.  She had tripped and fallen on Wednesday morning, breaking her right leg very badly above her knee.  She had major surgery yesterday to insert a metal plate to repair the break.  But when we visited her this afternoon, she was remarkably upbeat and positive.  She is facing a long recovery, so we are so pleased that we moved here last year, as we can be on hand to help.  She said to thank you for all the lovely comments  you left for her.  Before we went to the hospital, we went to Newbiggin-by-the-sea for some lunch.  The weather was terrible, with huge waves pounding on to the beach

 

and threatening to engulf "The Couple"

 

it was all in stark contrast to our sunny walk on the beach last Friday

 

these rocks are fascinating, where they have been eroded by the elements to show the different layers

 

this hollow is confusing, as it looks as if the water is sitting in one side, but it is a vertical hollow

 

we walked to the end of the beach, then came back up on to the promenade

 

where the sunshine gave us .......

 

........ lots of shadow shots

 

I remembered my own advice to look up - and captured old chimneys and blue sky

 

and a seagull 

 

whoever had walked on the sand before me had somewhat larger feet than me!

 

the crocus were enjoying the sunshine

 

back at the flat and looking out over the dock

 

the water was still - perfect for reflection shots

 

we waked over to town for a bite to eat, and on the way back, stopped on the old bridge to take more reflection shots

 

it was just getting dark so the streetlights were lit on the bridge, so they too were reflected in the river

 

Malcolm requested this shot, with the rowing club  enclosed by the bridge and its reflection

 

then this shot is looking over to the opposite bank

 

it's Friday, so that means a round up of scones and other tasty things!  We shared this scone last Saturday - it has sun-dried tomato, feta cheese and olives in it (I picked the olives out of my share and gave them to Malcolm!)

 

then yesterday when we in Amble, we were somewhat naughty and not only shared a (small) cheese scone

 

but also a toasted teacake (which meant we had a very frugal lunch!)

 

two last photos from our beach walk.  Malcolm picked up a lot of driftwood .......

 

....... and a lot of golf balls - we have no idea where they came from!  

 

the forecast for tomorrow is miserable, so I will be keeping warm and dry in The Attic, and getting on with some sewing.  Then on Sunday we will visit Jennifer again - I'll have to get her some little goodies (today I took her my "emergency" bar of chocolate - I always have a bar of posh chocolate in the cupboard!).  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

A long walk on the beach

The sun was shining on Friday afternoon, so we decided to go for a walk on the beach.  We wondered how it would look after the "Beast from the East".  The first thing we encountered was this enormous tree root ....... if only we could have brought it home for the garden!  

 

then a few yards on I found two pieces of sea glass

 

I wonder where this ladder came from - it's amazing what you find on the beach after a big storm!

 

I would have shown you the groynes ........ but they were completely covered! This means that over the last few years, the level of the sand at this end of the beach has risen by at least 6 feet.  So instead I'll show you the lighthouse

 

there were dozens of crab shells

 

and quite a few lobsters as well, victims of the Beast

 

this fish looked as if it had escaped from an Alien film - I almost expected Sigourney Weaver to appear 

 

and of course there were tyres! 

 

while Malcolm  picked up driftwood, I picked up rubbish.  It didn't take long to fill two small bags which I had in my backpack - next time I will have to take a proper bin bag with me 

 

I came across this sea urchin shell sitting on a brick

 

so I added a crab, a lobster and a mussel 

 

we left the beach and walked along the promenade.  As I took this shadow shot, I said to Malcolm to wave, and he promptly obliged!

 

further along the promenade, we went back down on to the beach.  This shows how the sand level at this end of the beach has dropped.  The rail was painted last summer, and you can see how high the sand was then, where the bright blue paint ends

 

I thought these newly exposed rocks looked like the skeleton of a dinosaur

 

Malcolm spotted these stones stuck in the layers of rock

 

a cloud of gulls rose in to the air as I walked towards them

 

this is a piece of old bone, with a frond of seaweed on it

 

including my hand in the photo shows how tiny the frond is

 

at first glance I thought this was an exotic plant which had taken root in the pebbles, but it is a piece of rope which has frayed

 

I still have lots of photos, so I'll share them with you on Wednesday.  To end, yesterday was Mothers' Day, so as usual Stuart found a cheeky card to send me (perhaps I should send him my hairdressing bills!!)

 

inside the pretty package was this tin of exceedingly delicious sweets - I am being very generous and sharing them with Malcolm

 

and this weekend was the first anniversary of moving here ........ which of course meant a glass or two of fizz to mark the occasion!