frayed at the edge

Leftovers!

I only took two photos today!  So I have had a quick look through the photos that were left over from this week's posts.  I looked out my Baltimore blocks and put them on the design wall.  I have run out of enthusiasm for them, so I have two ideas for what to do with them.  The first idea is to join them in a row to make a runner which could go across the bottom of the bed, the second idea is to make them up into a quilt with plain blocks, which would be handquilted, perhaps with a feathered wreath or heart

 

when Lucie suggested using up scraps in January, I thought I would make several small projects, and had looked out these books ..... but then got sidetracked with the scrappy strippy blocks

 

when I went to put another log on the fire the other day,  I was a bit puzzled by this one.  It looks as if a branch had grown, then another branch had formed round it

 

while I have been busy sewing, Malcolm has demolished the log store (except for the base) and has started building another one

 

now for today's photos.  First, the Friday cake.  Today's delight was Annette's delicious light-as-air chocolate sponge

 

my lovely friend Katy said that she had a special present for me ....... something which she had seen, and immediately thought of me.  What could it be ...... diamonds, a little sports car, a ticket to an exotic destination

 

I hope she meant that she remembered that I like Cadbury's chocolate, and not that she thought I look like the monstrous spider!  As usual, we hope to go for a walk on Sunday, but the forecast isn't good.  No doubt a scone will feature at some point over the weekend!  Whether or not you are eating scones, I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

Hats

Yesterday morning we parked in front of the Mill, planning to go for a walk along the river, before having a cuppa in the Mill's wonderful coffee shop.  But first we walked over the footbridge to check out this amazing new shop

 

the man that Malcolm is chatting to is the builder who converted the milking parlour into my studio.  He was delighted to hear that I use it a lot, and that the log-burning stove has been a great success.  So what does the shop sell?  Hats ..... beautiful, gorgeous, fabulous (expensive) hats

 

this duck had better watch out, or it might lose some of its feathers to decorate a hat!

 

the weather had been better on Saturday, but yesterday there was ice on this puddle ........

 

....... grey sky behind the electrical gubbins

 

.....and later, a dramatic sky

 

the level of the river has gone down, but some of the houses still have their flood defences in place

 

amazingly this little clump of snowdrops has survived - you can see the grass and dried weed stalks on the bank have been flattened by the river, when it came close to flooding

 

by the time we went for our cuppa, we were decidedly windswept, and glad to get warmed up.  As we hadn't had a scone all week (!) we treated ourself to one of our two-scone lunches - a wonderful cheese scone

 

and a very tasty fruit scone

 

I'll be back tonorrow with the sewing update, but to finish, a silly photo.  In the course of our walk, we passed the civic amenity centre (aka the tip).  We were somewhat taken aback to see a horse ..... until we got closer and saw it wasn't a live one!

All can be revealed!

Remember I showed you the last scrappy bit of the wonderful Australian fabrics that Lee gave me for my birthday?  I can show you now what I made, as Lee has received the little parcel I sent her

 

you can see the quilting on the wrong side

 

I trimmed it to size, then sewed a piece of fabric on one of the long sides

 

I then folded it in half and stitched it to form a tube

 

the next bit is fiddly, as you have to fold what will be the inside over what will be the outside (did you follow that?), then stitch across the bottom

 

the last stage .... turn the little bag right side out.  I thought Lee might keep her sunglasses in it, so I popped my glasses in to let you see what it looks like

 

I added a pretty gift tag, and one of the cards that I had made with photos from our wonderful Autralian holiday

 

when Lee emailed me to say that the parcel had arrived, she said that the little bag was the perfect size to keep her camera in, and that every time she uses it, it will be a lovely reminder of the time we spent together, just as every time I walk through the hall and see the runners and cushion, I too think of our wonderful time in Sydney

 

today at patch'n'chat, a new customer came into the shop.  We quickly realised that she was a visitor (the American accent was a clue!), so we promptly set about cross-examining grilling asking her who she was,where she was from and what was she doing here.  The answer was Vicki, Chicago, and that she is here for a month's holiday.  She has been here, there and everywhere ...... you can read about her adventures here.  As a fellow blogger, she was happy to pose for a photo!

 

Kay was in this afternoon, delivering finished quilts nad collecting more quilts to longarm quilt.  I gave her Notes of Love, and other than saying I would like a heart quilted in the centre, I have left it up to her to decide how to quilt it.  She had brought in Jen's quilt, which is stunning

and if Jen wants a change, she can turn the quilt over to the other side, which shows off the quilting pattern

 

 

we had already invited Vicki to join us for lunch, then we mentioned that she might want to spend the rest of the afternoon with us, so that she could then join us for a cuppa and CAKE (oh yum, our favourite appe and sultana!)

 

you know I like something silly to end with ....... just before Christmas, a family of assorted owls took up residence in the yucca  (I don't think three is enough to qualify as a Parliament)

 

after Christmas, I suggested to the owls that they might like to go back home (the box in the loft) but they said they would be quite happy to stay in the back lounge, with their new BFFs, the Gnome Sisters .....

 

........ and the Gnome Brothers

 

did you notice a little bit of sunshine in that last photo?  There was even more in the kitchen this morning, shining in through Malcolm's study window.  Unfortunately, the sun showed up just how dirty the window is - it is by far the dirtiest window in the house ...... perhaps because it looks out into the neighbours' backyard, home to 3 dogs, 7 cats, 2 ferrets and a horse ........

 

hopefully the weather will be good on Sunday and we can get out for a proper long walk, instead of a quick stroll!!  Having finished the month of using up scraps, Lucie and I plan to spend February finishing UFOs, so I will be making a start to that over the weekend.  Whatever you have planned, I hope you have a wonderful weekend, love Anne

From the sublime to the somewhat silly!

Yesterday, Kate posted about a wonderful book on Shetland Lace knitting - do pop over and read all about it.  I, on the other hand, have just bought a brilliant, but rather silly, book .......

 

who could resist these gorgeous little sheep

 

if I knit Andy, will I have to include the horrendous blister that he had during the Australian Open?

 

at least I won't get fat with this pie (they are even tastier when they are deep fried, and no, I have never had a deep fried Mars Bar!!)

 

and I could wash the pie down with a glass of whisky ....... except, and as a Scot I am embarrassed to admit this, I simply don't like the taste!

 

while we are on the subject of food, we went out for lunch today.  We had the most delicious Thai chicken soup - I shall have to try to make this!

 

I took these photos about ten days ago - then forgot about them!  When I made Lilly Pilly for Anne last year, I thought thhat I would make a version for myself using my favourite autumn colours.  Then Lucie started her version as part of her using up scraps project, with a pieced background.  Ah, I thought, I could use the six fat quarter top from the fmq pile.  Then, I was looking out of the window at the sparrows sitting in the hawthorn tree .......

 

....... and I had a lightbulb moment!  I'm going to do my Lilly Pilly with bare branches, with little fat sparrows perched on them (and perhaps a robin?)  I found a nice dark piece of fabric in my stash for the tree, to stand out against the background

 

when I was telling Malcolm about my plans, I said that I should give my version a different name.  My first idea was Anny Pilly, but that didn't sound right.  So this is what I decided on

A very special day!

I think you know by now that we will have a celebration for anything and everything ....... but yesterday was definitely a special event.  As well as celebrating our wedding anniversaries, we also celebrate the day we moved in together/became a couple ....... and yesterday was the 30th anniversary of that special day!  You also know that we don't need much of an excuse to have something tasty to eat, so the day got off to a good start with smoked salmon and toasted brioche for breakfast (sorry there is no lemon wedge, but as we were snowed in on Monday and couldn't get to the shops to buy a lemon, we had to do with a splash of lemon juice from the bottle in the fridge!)

 

lunch was comfort food - boiled eggs and toast soldiers (sorry, no photo of that) then for dinner, I chose a recipe from this book

 

we don't particularly like parsley, so I left that out, and I didn't have any gherkins to sprinkle on the top, but it was delicious - I'll definitely make this again

 

for pudding, I got the icecream out

 

and topped it with rhubarb which I had cooked in ginger and lemongrass syrup, and crushed up biscuits (the little ones that you get with a coffee)

 

and of course a celebration means something bubbly to drink (Stuart and Alison gave us the glasses for our Silver Wedding)

 

the snowy weather continues - I took these photos yesterday

a confusing ruler - there was 5" of snow on the garden table (better than the 20" of two years ago!)

 

the birdbox looks cute with its snowy hat!

 

the view over the back garden gate

 

icicles on the ivy

 

because of the weather, I have been doing much more sewing than usual.  Yesterday I finished piecing Notes of Love, although I still have a little bit of embroidery to finish. 

I'll be back tomorrow with lots more sewing, but to finish, photos I took of the scented candle on the kitchen table, which we light after dinner to dispel any cooking smells

That's enough, thank you!

The snow finally got serious on Friday night, and this was the view through the front door on Saturday morning

 

we went to St Boswells for a walk yesterday morning.  It was a bit on the chilly side, with flights of snow in the air, so in between photos I wrapped the camera in the ends of my woolly scarf!

I was tempted to dognap this little cutie!

 

this dovecote is on a modern garage roof

 

William's surname is pronounced Marshbanks!

 

an unusual window in an old house

 

a snazzy footprint

 

a very old postbox

 

sheep in the snow

 

our reward - Tunisian lemon cake ...... delicious!

 

it has been snowing all day - Malcolm has cleared the paths and drive three times, having learned that it is much easier to clear an inch or two several times, rather than six inches in one go!  The birds have been back and forward to the bird table - I think they have now eaten all the food!

 

by the end of the afternoon, the front garden looked like this

 

I won't be posting tomorrow, as it's a special occasion for us, but I'll be back on Wednesday to tell you all about it.  To finish today ...... when I was taking photos of the birds, I noticed this rider in the field across the road.  I'm surprised the horse wasn't galloping  to get back to the stable!!

Steaming!

When I declared this the year of using things up, I didn't expect my big steam iron to be one of those things!  But unfortunately I must have used used it too much (!) and it has died and gone to the great iron heaven.  I loathe ironing, so I was anxious to get another big iron, rather than using the ordinary steam iron that I use in the studio.  After a bit of research, I found one online and it was delivered yesterday.  I thought I ought to try it this morning just to make sure it was working ..... isn't it a thing of beauty!

 

Malcolm realised on Christmas Eve that he hadn't bought a book for me (shock horror) ......but fortunately  a quick trip to the supermarket fixed that!!  I started reading it this morning, and I am thoroughly enjoying it.   Even if you don't know who Clare Balding is, I can recommend her book as a very entertaining read

 

two of my smaller orchids have just started flowering  A pale pink one ......

 

....... and a pale yellow one

 

did you notice the new clips holding the orchids in place?  They were also a Christmas present from Malcolm

 

when I saw this little compost bin was being sold at half-price, I thought it would look much better in the utility room than the grey plastic one which we have had for some years......

 

....... especially as it matches the paint!

 

the plant is a silk one, as the utility room doesn't have a window.  And do you like the banana planter?  When we moved to Indonesia, we at first lived in an apartment complex.  There were occasional social events for the wives (we weren't allowed to work), one of which was an afternoon tea, at which we played some silly games.  One of them was simple - a prize for the first wife to produce a photo of her husband ...... and I won!  I still have the photo of Malcolm (it's in my purse) but as it's a dreadful passport photo, I won't show it to you!!

 

we have been fortunate, and have only had a dusting of snow, unlike some parts of the country, so I was able to go to patch'n'chat.  The snow did get a bit heavier in the middle of the afternoon, so those of us who have further to travel were keeping an eye on the weather in case we had to leave early, but fortunately we were able to stay and have Annette's delicious cupcakes

 

my friend Anne S regularly sends me emails with jokes or funny photos, but the email she sent the other day had photos which she thought Malcom would like - all sorts of imaginative things that people hade made with their log piles.  This was his favourite ........

 

...... but I don't think he is tempted to reorganise our logs!  Whatever the weather over the weekend, I shall of course be out in the studio sewing.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend, love Anne

Are ewe lost?

When we came home from lunch, there was a herdy ewe on the verge just along from the house.  Of course as soon as Malcolm parked, I jumped out with the camera, to find her posing very prettily for me!

 

I have to admit that today's lunch has added to the week's sconnage total!  We went to Border Meringues in Jedburgh, where we enjoyed the most wonderful cream of cauliflower soup and a fantastic savoury scone

 

the scone was so good, it deserves a photo of its own!

 

and you get a little meringue with your cuppa

 

we haven't had any more snow (although lots of the stuff is forecast for Friday), but everywhere was white with frost.  As we drove home I was busy snapping away, and Malcolm even stopped a couple of times (we were on a quiet road with no other cars in sight) so that I could get good photos, especially where there were bands of fog

 

I got sidetracked on my way out to the studio by the amazing shapes of the frost

this is the top of a garden lamp

 

this looks like a thorny plant, but it is just frost on a clematis

 

no sign of a spider on this frosty web

 

this web might inspire a knitting pattern for a shawl

 

a pretty string of webs on the railings beside the back door

 

after all the chilly photos, something bright and cheery to end with

a jug of sunny daffodils on the kitchen windowsill

A healthy diet*

When we set out for our walk yesterday, there were just a few flights of snow, but it got heavier as we went, so the camera stayed in the bag, only coming out when we went to the Mill for a cuppa.  We got there just as they opened, so I was able to take a photo of the coffee shop

 

you will be pleased to know that we didn't have a two-scone lunch!  We did share a delicious cheese scone

 

and then instead of a fruit scone, we shared a wonderful slice of banana cake

 

it was still snowing - a conveniently parked car provided a good background to show the snow

 

when we got back home, Malcolm as usual went through the Sunday papers, removing all the junk that comes with them

 

as planned I spent a lot of time sewing on Saturday, Sunday and this afternoon.  The scrappy strippy blocks are coming along nicely

 

and I have started making "crazy" blocks to use up the smaller offcuts

 

I have pieced another block for "Leanne's House", the project that I am working on for Anne

 

I thought I would get all the cutting done for the remaining blocks.  This is part of the next one

 

I was starting to worry as I got to the last two blocks - was I going to run out of fabric?  Not quite - I have a pile of small scraps left

 

I had tidied the studio before Christmas ...... but it is now back in its usual state!

 

although it snowed for most of yesterday, when I headed bback into the house at the end of the afternoon, there was only a dusting in the garden

 

I keep asking Malcolm to buy me one of these trucks - I don't know why he keeps refusing to (perhaps it's because most of the time there is only me in my car, and I get twice the mpg that I would get with a truck!)

 

We were on our way to bed on Friday, when Hayley from next door came round to say that one of her (many) cats was in our garage (the garage window looks out into their back yard).  When Macolm opened the garage door it bolted for a very small space between the wall and some old kitchen cupboards.  When Hayley came into the garage to get the cat, it had vanished, and we assumed that it had run off when Malcolm had gone to open the gate to let Hayley in.  However, come Saturday the cat was still missing, so Malcolm ended up taking the kickboards off the cupboards ...... and there was the cat (sorry didn't get the cat in the photo).  He has left the kickboards off, in case the stupid thing comes back ...... last year it spent a night on their roof, when it was just a tiny kitten!

 

*now for the details of a "healthy" diet, as compiled by my friend Jean and I some years ago.  We know that we have to eat lots of fruit and vegetables to stay healthy ........

breakfast - blueberry muffin

mid-morning snack - carrot cake

lunch - strawberry cheesecake

mid-afternoon snack - beetroot and chocolate cake

dinner - lemon meringue pie

and to wash it all down, lots of wine, as of course it is made with grapes

A new word

I mentioned the other day that I am back in the routine of using the rowing machine ......

 

........ and the cross trainer

 

doing my best to work off the extra Christmas calories.  And of course there is the small matter of the scones which we love ...... this led to me this morning thinking of a new word "sconnage" - composed of scones and tonnage (not that we eat that many scones!).  If I need cheering up as I exercise, I can look at my two little signs on the wall

 

I bought this tin because I liked it (and I know which project I am going to keep in it, more of that another time).    Unfortunately it has biscuits in it, so more calories to work off!

 

I know that Lucie will love this bottle which Malcolm gave me for Christmas, as she loves beach huts.  And the good news for Lucie is that he bought it in the Maritime Centre at Newbiggin, which isn't too far from where she lives, so she could pop over to get one for herself

 

it is now sitting on the bathroom windowsill, along with my other beach huts (Malcolm has a little blue one in his shower room) - I think I showed them to you recently, but I like them so much I'm going to show them to you again!  The roof of the larger one opens to reveal storage space - I keep some of my favourite toiletries in it

 

I enjoyed patch'n'chat this afternoon - it was good to catch up with what everyone has been busy with over the break ....... and of course to have cake (yes, I know, yet more calories!).  We had our favourite apple and sultana cake, but unfortunately Katy was unable to have a slice as she is having to adhere to a very low fat diet, so we assured her that it wasn't really that good and she wasn't missing anything by being virtuous and eating a banana (of course we had our fingers crossed behind our backs to ward off any evil for telling lies!!).  I have a great long to-do list of sewing for the weekend - I hope to achieve most if not all of it, ready to share with you on Monday.  It is forecast to be cold at the weekend, but hopefully we will miss the snow that has also been forecast for some parts of the country.  There have been shock horror headlines about temperatures "plummetting" ........ all the way down to normal temperatures for this time of year!!  Whatever the weather, I hope you all have a great weekend, love Anne