frayed at the edge

Sheepies

There has been a distinct lack of sheepies here recently, so I was delighted when I looked out the window this morning and saw that we had ewes in the field across the road

 

and not only were there sheep in that field, there were also some in the next field ...... and in the field in the distance (there isn't really a wire in the field with the sheep, it crosses the road quite a distance away!)

 

normally the sparrows fly away when I go out into the garden, but they are so anxious to eat at this time of year, that they just sat in the hawthorn tree until I had finished taking photos

 

I finished the oven gloves this afternoon

 

I wouldn't normally hang oven gloves from a knob on the cooker, it was just to let you see that I put a hanging loop on them

 

as usual I have used doors to display my  collection of Christmas wallhangings

 

there may have been no patch'n'chat, but I wasn't deprived of cake ........ Malcolm had bought a most delicious salted caramel sponge for our afternoon cuppa

 

well, dear readers, this is my last post of the year!!  I am taking a short break and will be back on Monday 5th January for another year of nonsensical ramblings educated discourse on a myriad of subjects.  I have still to decide on my resolution for 2015 ....... do you have any suggestions for me (there might even be a prize for the best one!!)  Thank you very much for reading the blog and leaving your lovely comments - I appreciate them so much.  So all that remains is to wish you lots of love and

Merry Christmas

and

Happy New Year

A somewhat bigger bird!

After yesterday's tiny wren in the back garden, this morning brought a VERY large pigeon in the front garden

 

I thought that I ought to get the Christmas cake iced, so I assembled everything I needed - or I thought I had, because I forgot the pastry brush .........

 

........ for brushing the warmed jam over the the cake

 

I used to make my own icing, but I have to admit to being lazy these days and using icing that is not just ready made, but ready rolled!  I have mentioned before that I don't like marzipan, so I put marzipan fruits on the cake for Malcolm

 

this afternoon I finished handstitching the binding to the back of the baby quilt - all it needs now is a label

 

yesterday afternoon after working on the baby quilt, I made some progress with the oven gloves.  I cut the inner and outer fabrics and the heat reflective wadding to size

 

did you notice the spotty fabric on the end of the penguin fabric?  I didn't have quite enough of the penguin fabric, so I added in a bit of spotty fabric, left over from the baby quilt.  It won't show on he finished oven gloves.  I marked the first of the quilting lines

 

and soon had the quilting done - there is something quite soothing about quilting lots of straight lines

 

next I quilted the two smaller pieces which will form the pockets at either end

 

I have still to round the ends, then stitch on the binding, which I have made.  Hopefully I will get the oven gloves finished in time for Stuart and Alison visiting at the weekend ..... and they will be told that they had better not burn holes in these ones!!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with a review of an excellent (and fun) knitting book.

 

 

My second Auntlet's report

I can't believe that it is a month since I posted my first Auntlet's report!  But before I tell you all abut the progress (or perhaps lack of it!) on my Aunts' Quilt, I'll tell you about the weekend.  As planned, I put up the tree on Saturday afternoon

 

as always the Gnome brothers and the Gnome sisters squabbled over which cushions and which stocking they had on their chairs!

 

the dining table doesn't take long to do - the table runner is already on the table - it just needs to be turned over to show the Christmas side!

 

I always have fun doing the dining room window decorations

 

just part of our owl collection, overseeing some of the decorations in the kitchen

 

don't worry about the knitted garland hanging down over the front of the fire - it's an electric fire, so there are no naked flames!

 

we don't usually give each other cheesy romantic cards ........ but we have this year!

 

 

yesterday, we went to Pirn House for breakfast.  We hadn't been there for some time, so were surprised to find that the whole layout had been changed, with a smart new coffee shop

 

we both had the French toast, with bacon and maple syrup ....... delicious!!

 

and now for the Auntlet's report.  I had a lot of catching up to do, having made a late start because of being on holiday.  I made a start to prepping the first applique block

 

then I turned my attention to the pieced blocks.  I chose my fabrics .......

 

and decided to cut all the blocks in one go

 

so, by now I should have done  four pieced blocks and two applique blocks .......

block 1

 

block 2

 

block 3

 

and half an appiqlue block!

 

so I still have a bit of catching up to do - but I love how it looks so far!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with the baby quilt!

All by myself .......

.......at patch'n'chat!!  Apart, of course from Annette, owner of Borderland Fabrics, and baker of delicious cakes (more of that later).  However, Margaret called in briefly, as I had one of Malcolm's driftwood trees for her, and there were customers to chat to. But before that, I had a very enjoyable cuppa mid-morning, made with these ingredients

 

the chocolate spoon melted into the hot chocolate, making it even thicker and more delicious ....... and Malcolm wasn't neglected, with coffee in his heart-shaped mug which I gave him some years ago

 

I had two accidental purchases this afternoon - it's strange how these things leapt into my hand as I walked past!  First, a handy containers for bobbins and machine needles

 

and then, who could resist these ribbons

 

I took the photos when I got home, using the little table next to my chair.  I had to move my coaster out of the way (there may have been a Friday night glass of wine on it!)

 

so, back to Annette's delicious baking.  As there were just the two of us, we didn't have cake, but Annette's wonderful shortbread, which is deliciously buttery and melts in the mouth.  I have to admit to eating two pieces!!

 

I will put up our Christmas tree tomorrow and decorate the house, a task I thoroughly enjoy.  I also have some sewing to do, including quilting a baby quilt for Stuart's friend Emma, who gave birth to her second daughter just before we went on holiday.  Here is a sneaky peek at the fabrics

 

the weather continues to be horrid, so it will be a weekend of lighting the wood-burning stoves (we have one in the house as well as the one in my studio) and keeping cosy.  Whether you are freezing in the northern hemisphere, of enjoying summer in the southern one, I hope you have a wonderful weekend ........ and perhaps like me you will be singing "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"!! Love, Anne

 

A change in the weather

It was trying to snow this morning in Berwick, but by the time it was light enough to take a photo, the sky had almost cleared

 

as we walked over to the town centre this morning, I was just getting the camera out to take photos of some swans when Malcolm spotted this heron flying low over the water.  I just had time to snap it before it vanished under the bridge

 

we couldn't decide if the swans were having a good wash or were performing some sort of mating ritual - they were almost turning somersaults in the water

 

beautiful blue sky ........

 

....... which sadly didn't last.  This is what we encountered on the drive home

 

the closer we got to home, the more snow appeared

 

when we got home, it took Malcolm three goes to get the car up the drive!

 

these photos are specially for Lee and Meredithe (and the Squealers) who are currently enjoying lovely summer weather in Australia

 

in the front garden the sparrows were waiting for the bird feeders to be filled

 

but they vanished when it started snowing again

 

when I was in the studio this afternoon, I listened to some appropriate music

 

to finish, I think we need some sustenance to help us cope with the bad weather  ....... how about this cheese and leek scone, which we shared witth our cuppa this morning

 

Bits and bobs

No theme today (ok, sometimes often there is no real theme!), just a rather random collection of photos.

We had lots of fun and laughter at last night's Abbey Quilters' Christmas party.  We played our two silly games.  A very brief description of the games:- the first one - everyone has a wrapped fat quarter.  We sit in a circle and Sandra, the Chairman, reads out a story featuring Mr & Mrs Wright.  Every time she says (W)right, we pass thhe parcel to the right, and every time she says left (yes, you've guessed!) we pass the parcel to the left.  At the end of the story, you open your parcel to see the fat quarter, hoping it will be something you like!  The second game - everyone has a raffle ticket, the holder of the first ticket drawn takes a wrapped fat quarter from the bag and unwraps it.  The next person either takes another parcel from the bag, or if they prefer the already opened  one, they "steal" it, in which case that person has to take another one from the bag, and so it goes on (I hope you followed that)  It soon devolves into chaos, as there are always several fat quarters that everyone covets, so there is a lot of stealing!  Mine was the first ticket drawn, so of course I picked the parcel wrapped in owl paper!  Unfortunately that revealed a rather boring brown fabric, which no-one wanted to stteal,robbing me of the chance of acquiring either of two sheepie fabrics!  The other fat quarter is from the Mr & Mrs Wright game

 

but for me, the best part of the night was when Anne S gave me a present .......she saw these and promptly thought of me!  They will be a very special addition to the real hot chocolate that I have on Friday mornings when we have a cupppa in the middle of doing the housework (thank you Anne for such a super present!!)

 

I love to have fresh flowers in the house, which I put in this crystal vase, which I have had for forty years.  When Stuart was a tot it sat on the floor in a corner with big paper flowers in it (well, it was fashionable then!) and amazingly survived!  The lilies are really fragrant - every time I walk past I pause to enjoy the scent

we are in Berwick tonight.  On the way we called in at the Garden Centre for lunch (delicious carrot and sweet chilli soup, I must have a go at recreating it  at home).  We were delighted to find that the donkeys were still there

 

at the Christmas Fair on Friday, I sold two of my six shell pictures, so this afternoon Malcolm put the remaining four on the wall in his shower room  (he uses the en suite shower room, I use the bathroom).  If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you will see reflected in the mirror a bit of me on the left hand side, and the bedroom window with the view out on to the dock

 

when we arrived at the flat, I looked out the window ....... and there was a swan heading out of the dock.  I don't have the big lens with me, so you can only just see it to the  left of the boat

 

I took this photo in the early afternoonn, but it already looks as if it is getting dark!

 

to finish ...... we first saw this Christmas tree in Marks and Spencer in Singapore, but of course we didn't buy it as it was much dearer than it wold be at home - and we didn't have room in the suitcases for it!  When we got home and saw how much it cost we still didn't buy it - but then Malcolm noticed an advert in his newspaper this morning - hooray it had been reduced to half price (£5), so we called in at M&S to buy one

 

but it isn't just a tin tree ...... it revolves while playing a tune ....... and has two packets of tree shaped shortbread biscuits in it!!

 

An eventful day!

On Friday morning we went to Jedburgh Town Hall to set up our stalls - we had been allocated a table each

 

as soon as Malcolm unpacked his first box of trees, the other stallholders and organisers clustered round to admire them.  And can you just see the decorations made from birch bark on the right - I didn't take any photos when he was making them, and I can't take photos now as he sold them all!

 

his fish and whales also attracted a lot of attention, and when we went back into the hall at teatime, the big bird at the back had a note and money under it from one of the other stallholders, anxious to buy it!

 

in fact, Malcolm had so much stuff that he not only took up part of my table.......

but he had to use the windowsill as well!

 

once we had got everything done, Malcolm dropped me off at Borderland Fabrics for my patch'n'chat lunch

 

Scotland introduced a much lower level for drink-driving on Friday, but as Malcolm was chauffering me, I was able to enjoy a small glass of wine (ok, plastic cup!) with my lunch

 

having eaten rather too much savoury food, we then found room for pudding - this is only half of the sweet treats on offer

 

we played a silly game, which ended in us all getting a Secret Santa present - this is mine

 

at the end of the afternoon, Malcolm picked me up and we headed back to the Town Hall.  When we left, only a handful of stalls had been set up, but everything was ready when we went back

then the doors were opened and the crowds poured in

 

so how did we do?  Well, I was happy with the amount I sold - but as for Malcolm .........well, there has been no living with him over the weekend, as he did so well!!  Not only did he sell all of his birch bark ornaments, ten of his trees, the big bird and all but two of his fish and whales ........ he has orders for two more big birds, and Linda, who owns the Lovatt Gallery, has commisioned him to make fish and whales for her (she bought two of the whales).  She had bought one of his trees last year to display jewellery  in the gallery, and loved his whales - she snatched one from under the hand of a man who was thinking about buying it!  She knows that it may be some time before he finds suitable driftwood, so he has just to get in touch once he has made some.

To finish, at our lunch on Friday, the food wasn't just on the tables ........ Margaret brought in her latest wonnderful quilt, which has lots of cute gingerbread men

It's beginning to smell ........

......... a lot like Christmas!  I know some of you will now be saying "what, you are only baking your Christmas cake today!!??"  But I have always made my cake at the start of December, and I don't think it suffers for not having been made weeks ago!  As always I turned to this book

 

which I have had for rather a long time!

 

I have always made the same size  ....... as Stuart has never eaten Christmas cake (or any cake with currants/sultanas/raisins) I didn't have to start making a smaller one when he left home

 

having already had the fruit soaking in brandy for the last three days, I assembled all the ingredients

 

after a great deal of beating and stirring, the cake was ready to go in the oven.  Years ago a cookery teacher gave me the tip of poking a hole in the centre of the cake mix, which helps to keep the top of the cake flat as it bakes

 

two and three quarter hours later, the cake was ready to come out of the oven

 

the easy way to remove the otside of the cake tin

 

once the cake is cool I will wrap it in greaseproof paper and then foil.  I'll feed it some more brandy, then ice it in time for Christmas

 

tomorrow is going to be a very busy day for me, as not only do I have the craft fair, but it is also our Christmas lunch at patch'n'chat.  The car is packed to the roof with all our goodies, ready to head to Jedburgh Town Hall for 11am, to set up our stall.  Malcolm will then drop me off at Borderland Fabrics for my lunch, then pick me up at the end of the afternoon  We will be able to get back into the Town Hall at 5pm, giving us plenty of time to do any rearranging of the stall before the doors open at 6.15.  It will be quite late by the time we get back home, so I don't think that I will do a post tomorrow night, so you will have to wait until Monday to find out how we got on!

 

Winter is here!!

We got up this morning to a heavy frost and a frozen birdbath

 

with only this little bluetit braving the cold to have breakfast

 

after our breakfast, having de-iced the car, we set off south

 

passing some very cold sheep

 

although Ruberslaw in the distance was frost-free

 

on through wintry scenery

 

almost at the border .......

 

........ then over it

 

as we came down into the valley, the mist created a spooky landscape

 

then we were free of the mist

 

we were heading to Waitrose (superarket) in Ponteland, as we had gift vouchers to spend.  Having bought lots of tasty food for Christmas (the freezer is now full!)  we headed to the  Blacksmith's Coffee shop in Belsay for lunch

 

Malcolm had poached eggs on a cheese scone, which he declared to be delicious

 

while I had cheese savoury sandwiches, also delicious (I gave the crisps to Malcolm, as they were a bit too crunchy for my post-extraction mouth!)  (I also gave him the cherry tomato, as you know that I don't like tomatoes)

 

we had more clear blue skies on our journey home

 

as well as some strange clouds on the horizon just after we crossed back over the border

 

on the way home we called in at Kirkeharle to do some Christmas shopping.  I have to admit that as well as buying some presents, I accidently bought some things for me!  A card with a wonderful illustration of a hare by Joanne T Kell

 

and two fun pairs of earrings from Spirit of Colour

 

More blue sky!

Yesterday morning, we headed to Melrose, as we had a voucher for free entry to Melrose Abbey.  The skies were blue - perfect for taking photos of this amazing building

 

the traffic cones are there to stop visitors walking on to an area which is being excavated.  They have found the foundations of pillars

 

you know that I don't like heights ........

 

........ but it was worth the fear and anxiety to climb an awful lot of steps up the bell tower to look out over the wonderful views

 

I was hanging on to the rails and the walls, but Malcolm was quite relaxed!

 

(un)fortunately, there was no access to the top of the bell tower

 

the blue sky provided a good background to these photos

 

safely back on the ground, every where I turned there was something to take a photo of ........ big things

 

........ and little things

 

when we have visited the Abbey in the past, we haven't paid attention to the house at the far end of the grounds, but yesterday we discovered that it is called Cloister House, and it is a holiday home.  It was open to the public just for the day, so we were able to have a good look round- and I was allowed to take photos

 

two things to finish - first, we didn't have a scone, we had a raspberry muffin

 

and second - have you ever seen a bagpipe-playing pig !?