frayed at the edge

Brownie points!

 When we were driving up the A1 recently, we saw a sign for a new coffee/gift shop in Brownieside (the sign for the turn-off always makes me smile, thinking of my delightful bloggy friends Jenny and Lucy, the Crafty Brownies ).  So on Friday, when we were on our way to the flat, we popped in to check out Carnaby's

 

as we were early, we were the only customers, and I was delighted to be given permission to take photos to share with you

 

I think in the winter you will find us beside the log-burning stove (Malcolm may have plans for similar log storage next to our stove!)

 

this was the view from our table, looking out to the courtyard

 

I love quirky things, so the menus written on rolls of brown paper met with my approval!!

 

a pretty mug, unusual teapot, and milk in a tiny bottle - simple but stylish

 

the important stuff ...... the scone!  A delicious cheese scone, with butter and a little dish of chutney.  You know how much we love our scones, and we will definitely be going back for more!

 

I also checked out the facilities ....... a smart rustic theme, spotlessly clean, and with very posh hand wash and lotion

 

if you are travelling with little ones, they will love the outdoor play area

 

it is a lovely place to stop, quite and peaceful, despite being just yards from the A1 (and I should say at this point, I haven't been paid for this review, I have written it simply because we enjoyed our stop there)

 

and now, in other news!  This morning found me at The Quilt Shop, getting ready to teach the snowman with "wonky borders".  Normally, the appliqué would be worked first, and the borders added afterwards, but in this case, the wonky borders are done first, so that the snowman can then be centred in the irregularly shaped centre

 

one of the ladies who had signed up for the class was unfortunately unable to attend, so I just had three students, who are all regulars at the Wednesday sessions.  I liked Christine's three border fabrics - and I liked her sewing bag even more!

 

Sonia had been undecided about her fabrics, so brought in several to make her final choice from

 

this is Ros's machine and fabrics -  you will notice that first order of the day was to have a cuppa.  Sue wasn't in the shop today, but we were well looked after by the lovely Gill, who, when she wasn't serving customers, kept us supplied with teas and coffees

 

Ros, unfortunately was double-booked and had to leave early, but had made a start to her borders

 

by the end of the day, Sonia was adding the fourth side of her middle border

 

and Christine had finished her middle border.  They will finish their borders at home, then we will get together next month to add the snowman appliqué

 

while writing this, I am sitting with my feet up on my footstool, sipping on a well-chilled glass of white wine ....... bliss!  I have lots more photos to share with you, some from the weekend in Berwick, and some from the garden ....... so pop back in on Thursday for an extra post!!

Beware seagulls!!

 On Friday morning, we went for a little potter round Berwick, stopping first to admire the second-hand bookshop.  For years the owner had a weekly stall in the Buttermarket, but recently decided that he would prefer to be indoors.  The shop is stuffed full of books, and has an amazing mural at the back of the shop.  It was shut when we went past on Friday, but next time we visit, I will ask if I can take a photo of the mural to share with you

 

this shop may claim that it sells vintage ....... but for Malcolm and me a lot of what it sells are things from our childhood - and we don't think we are old enough to be called vintage!  When we were in recently, I started to laugh at one of the items for sale, which was described as Edwardian.  So why was I laughing - because the item in question was a white wicker Moses basket on a stand, exactly the same as the one that Stuart slept in for the first three months after he was born in 1978, so hardly Edwardian!

 

another vintage shop, filled with more things from our childhoods!

 

this old window could be turned into a quilt pattern .....

 

I wish the new firm offering boat trips the best of luck with their business, but I don't think I shall be going on a trip out to sea, as I get seasick!

 

of course we have to have a photo of the old bridge

 

and an arty photo of a rusty iron ring - this one is about a foot in diameter

 

I was using my little point and shoot camera, so couldn't zoom in any closer on the salmon fishermen

 

back at the flat, I got out this tin which I bought some time ago in a charity shop - not for the tin itself, but for the fankle of embroidery threads it contained

 

I have been gradually untangling and winding the threads onto cardboard bobbins - what a feast of colours

 

on Sunday we popped over to Amble for a stroll, pausing to admire the boats in the marina

 

the sign on this door made us smile - you might not inspire confidence in your clients if they think you might nick (steal) all their money!

 

a large pile of new lobster pots

 

I wonder how long it will take until they look tatty like the one at the bottom of this pile

 

I'm assuming that the ropes have been put on the roof to dry

 

no, me neither, I don't know why these toys are tied to the mast

 

but at least they weren't tied up with this heavy rope

 

Malcolm was keeping a close eye on this seagull - I will explain why later

 

this unusual duck was swimming so fast, it was hard to get a good photo of him

 

when we are on holiday in Majorca, Malcolm always looks wistfully at the large (expensive) boats for sale in the marina, while I tell him this size is what he can probably afford

 

and the owners of this boat obviously thinks that too, as they have called it Mr D!!

 

in the hedgerows, the brambles/blackberries are ripening

 

and there is a large crop of rosehips

 

some of which are already ripe

 

I took the next two photos from the car as we drove home

 

it always amuses me to here people "down south" claim that it is "grim up north" - yes it is very grim driving through such lush countryside

 

a trip to Amble means a trip to the Cheese Pod

 

oh no, shock horror, they had sold out of Blagdon Blue, a delicious local cheese, and we had to make do with Nettle and Garlic (the Nettle might already have been eaten ......)

 

and now back to the reason Malcolm was keeping a wary eye on the seagull.  On Friday morning, as we were strolling back to the flat, I had stopped to take this photo, so Malcolm was several feet in front of me.  There was a great prolonged splattering noise, followed by a great deal of shrieking (and perhaps some swearing) from Malcolm.  He had been comprehensively covered in seagull poo!  Fortunately I had a packet of wipes in my handbag, so he could clean the worst off his head and face, and as soon as we got back to the flat he had to strip off and shower!  Everything he was wearing had to be thoroughly washed, so it was fortunate that he had a change of clothes at the flat!

 

before the nasty incident, we had been in Café Crema

 

where we shared an excellent cheese and chive scone

 

this is just half of it, split open and spread with butter, which promptly melted, as the scone was still warm from the oven - bliss!

 

These are a few of my favourite .........

........books!  I thought I would pull some of my favourite books from our various bookshelves to share with you, but first I had to move some of our collection Delft houses

 

we were given one each time we flew business class with KLM, between Amsterdam and Indonesia, and amazingly, all thirteen are different

 

so let's start with Stephen King's It.  I read this when Malcolm was working away from home, and it scared me so much I could only read it in daylight , while sitting in a corner of the room so that no one could sneak up behind me!

 

 I think I have read every book written by Dick Francis - rip-roaring stories, generally set in the world of horse racing

 

the first two Harry Potter books, which I bought on a trip home from Indonesia as I had read such good reviews of them in the Jakarta Post, the English language newspaper for expats

 

it's interesting that in the first book that she is identified as Joanne Rowling for the copyright

 

but from the second book on, she is the more familiar J.K. Rowling

 

Nicci French books are excellent - although Nicci French is actually two people, Nicci Gerrard and her husband Sean French

 

years ago, we were members of a book club, and these are two of books that we bought, both good, entertaining stories

 

I devoured these books - real page-turners

 

Jack Reacher and Lincoln Rhyme ....... whoever thought that Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington were the correct actors to play them?!

 

I've enjoyed Harlan Coben books for years

 

just one of my collection of David Baldacci

 

Jodi Picoult books are always gripping, and frequently upsetting.  I have shed quite a few tears reading them

 

Marian Keyes' soft Irish humour is very entertaining

 

this is my favourite Maeve Binchy - I don't know how many times I have read it

 

Alexander McCall Smith's No1 Ladies Detective Agency -  but again, the actress who played Mma Ramotswe in the tv version was so wrong for the part

 

these books are all quilt related murder stories!

 

my favourite John Grisham - I just didn't want the story to end

 

I must read these three again sometime soon

 

I bought this book in Singapore in 1998, and probably read it once a year!  Persian Pickle is another name for Paisley Pattern - and yes, quilting features in the book!

 

and finally, the late, great, Terry Pratchett.  This is just such a lively enjoyable story

 

and worth reading if only to enjoy the adventures of the Wee Free Men

 

so after all that, I think we deserve a cuppa and a tasty cheese scone, served with a little bit of chutney

 

my tea was served in a very pretty teapot - although I don't know why it has the holes in the lid

 

I will be back on Monday with July's 17UFOs in 20217 report!

A walk round the garden

Yesterday, the sun was shining and the sky was blue, perfect for taking photos of the garden.  The herbs outside the kitchen door are doing well, but we haven't had any strawberries yet, as the birds have eaten them!

 

the olive tree has a lot of new growth

 

this is a perennial sweetpea

 

which is just about to flower

 

I love the curly tendrils

 

when we moved in, almost all of the garden was covered in grass, so we have gradually been adding plants for colour

 

this is looking over to the far corner of the front garden

 

the raised bed which Malcolm built is looking established already

 

and the two clematis are  twining round the tree stump

 

this little apple tree has been sadly neglected.  It leant way over to the right, but having put in a stake and a pro

per tree tie, it is gradually straightening up.  It will need a good prune next spring

 

the apples might look good, but they aren't even as big as golf balls!

 

this is looking the other way across the front garden.  The little bit of red that you can see is an ancient old supermarket trolley bag, which Malcolm uses to collect the trimmings when he tidies up the hedge

 

one of two small beds Malcolm dug out at the end of the path to the front door

 

this is the other one

 

the log store is now painted - it was only when I saw the photo on the laptop that I realised that I had taken it at a rather strange angle!

 

there are rather a lot of nasty nettles under the hedge at the back of the garden.  I tracked down a weed killer specifically for using under hedges, and Malcolm sprayed a trial patch of nettle today.  Hopefully it will get rid of the nettles, as I find nettle stings to be particularly painful

 

the compost bin is filling up nicely, and the rhubarb is growing well

 

this plum tree only has a few plums on it (sorry about the washing on the line!)

 

whereas this one has lots

 

some of which are changing colour

   

 

I have designated this area the orchard - in addition to the plum tree, it now has a raspberry cane and a blackcurrant bush.  I also plan to add a gooseberry, and perhaps a blueberry

 

there is a narrow verge in front of the house which is mostly grass (or perhaps I should say weeds masquerading as grass!)  There were two small completely overgrown flower beds with a small strip of grass between them.  Having tried to prune and tidy the overgrown plants, I decided to dig the whole lot up, including the scrappy bit of grass, and have  planted some new plants

 

I will plant some bulbs in the autumn to give us spring colour

 

when I was taking the photos, these two starlings were keeping an eye on me

 

as was this pigeon.  The weird contraption it is sitting on is a chimney guard, to stop birds  getting down the chimney

 

and now for the cake!  When Stuart and Alison's friends Fraser and Linsey asked if they could come down to visit us, I said of course they could ........ as long as Linsey baked one of her special cakes for me!  So when the four of them arrived on Saturday afternoon, this was the first thing unloaded from the car (even before the beer!)

 

I had made a compote with strawberries, fresh orange juice and vanilla - a perfect accompaniment to the very rich chocolate cake (and did you spot the caramel sauce in the middle!) 

 

it has been another lovely day, but clouds are beginning to gather, and thunder is forecast for later ..... so just typical British summer weather!

A bit of out and about ......

....... but first I have to start with this photo, which (oops) I forgot to include last week.  Stuart and Alison were recently at the wedding of one of his school friends (the one in the centre of the group, wearing the dark jacket - Stuart is second from the right).  I was going to say "these boys", but of course they are now men, were all at school together, and have remained friends over the 20 years or so since they left school ...... they certainly don't look like the scruffy teenagers who used to frequent our house!

 

two weeks past on Sunday we went to Warkworth.  As you can see, the sun was shining and the sky was blue, perfect for photos of the castle

 

it is amazing to think that this superb structure .......

 

...... was built by manpower, without the aid of machines!

 

the remains of an ornate window

 

we must go back and see the inside of the castle

 

then a week past on Sunday, we went to Amble, where Malcolm had to stop me from climbing into this fabulous old Porsche!!

 

down at the harbour, there was a display of old Morgan sports cars

 

they look good, but I think if I got in a car that low I would need a crane to hoist me back out!

 

and this seagull looked as if he was contemplating some target practice on the cars!!

 

last Friday we had a walk on the beach at Berwick.  Last year these groynes were as tall as me, but now the greater part of them has been buried under the shifting sand

 

of course there has to be a photo of a rusty bolt

 

a tiny piece of china to add to my collection

 

this must have been a huge crab - I don't think this is even half of its shell

 

of course as that was Friday, we had to have a cuppa and something tasty to eat.  Malcolm had a cheese and leek scone

 

while I had a slice of liquorice allsorts delight

 

it looked so good, I had to take photos of both sides!

 

back in the garden, Malcolm spotted these toadstools growing in a flower pot - I wonder of there are any tiny fairies living under them?

 

on Sunday we went back to Amble, as I wanted to buy some plants from the Sunday Market.  We decided to try out this new tearoom and gift shop

 

the owners were quite happy for me to take a photo to share with you

 

the cheese scone was excellent, and I loved the little butterfly on the inside of my cup

 

back home, Malcolm popped this bottle of wine in the fridge to have with our dinner.   I have to admit that I chose this bottle because of the fun label!

 

Malcolm has been busy in the garden, building a new log store

 

next week, I'll show you how the garden is progressing!

Going Potty!

I have been working hard on catching up with my Potty McDotty blocks, and have almost finished the first eight, except for some circles to be added.  Every month I receive a PDF from Irene, to print out the patterns.  Each month's block is worked twice, in different colours. This is month one

 

month two

 

month three

 

and month four.  Month five 's blocks are prepped and ready to stitch.  I have to confess that I am using fusible web and then blanket stitching the blocks, rather than doing needle turn appliqué, which I don't like doing!

 

Margaret, Queen of Appliqué, asked me to quilt this pretty little Sunbonnet Sue quilt top

 

and to make a little baby quilt using a panel, to which I added borders.  I have quilted them, but have yet to take photos - I must remember to take them before I hand the quilts over to Margaret

 

it's a new month, which means a new page on the calendar.  Given the snow on the hills in the background, I am sure he wrapped himself in the quilt as soon as the photo was taken

 

just in case you want to get to know him, this is where you can find him!!

 

we had an unusual visitor in the garden on Sunday afternoon - the first time we have  seen a hedgehog in any of the several gardens we have had over the years

 

I realised that you have missed out on a lot of magnificent sconnage while I am not blogging so often ...... so to finish, a rather tasty selection!!

Swans galore!

 When we arrived at the flat last Thursday, there were lots of swans in the dock, and as the gate was open (it is normally only open at the weekend), I sneaked in to take some photos

 

there were also quite a few geese amongst the swans

 

although this duck was content to sit on the edge of the dock

 

but the swans peace and quite was about to be well and truly disturbed, as this VERY large ship came into the dock

 

at first they headed to the far end

 

but then decided they would head out into the river ...... their upright posture shows that they were travelling at speed to escape!

 

the ship was so big that it needed help from the pilot boat to berth

 

and in no time at all, the lorries were rolling in to take away the cargo

 

after all that excitement, we headed out for a walk to town.  As we crossed the old bridge, there was a great flapping noise, and half a dozen swans flew over us

 

work has ground to a halt on the money pit.  It actually looks more shabby now - I hope that they will eventually clean the stonework so that the repairs are less obvious

 

a pause for an arty photo, with rusty barbed wire

 

and of course there has to be a view of the lighthouse!

 

I'm sorry, but I think this man looks ridiculous, with his pretend kilt, half-mast socks and the pony tail.  As we walked along behind him, I said to Malcolm that I would have to take a photo of "kiltie kiltie cauld bum" ........ it turned out that Malcolm hadn't heard this expression before.  Well, Scotsmen traditionally don't wear anything under their kilts, so of course they have a cauld (cold) bum!!  I suppose I could have offered to knit him a proper pair of kilt socks.........

 

walking back across town, I spotted this gate with thick overhanging ivy

 

a new gallery has opened just along the road from the flat - it might not look anything much from this photo, but it is a listed building, so they are limited as to what they can do with the outside

 

but the stylish door leads into ........

 

........ a cornucopia of arty delights.  If you are going to be in Berwick, email me and I will give you directions to the gallery

 

I took this photo of the salmon fishermen  at 10o'clock on Thursday night

 

then I took this one on Friday morning, as we walked over the old bridge in search of a cuppa and cake (more of that later!)

 

after lunch we went for a walk on the beach, but it started to rain!  So we got back in the car and drove up the coast to St Abbs, where we went for a walk round the harbour

 

I am always tempted to acquire a lobster pot to put in the garden

 

one of a row of fish hooks on a boat ready to go out to sea

 

but this gull didn't need to go fishing - he had found something tasty to eat in this box on another fishing boat

 

almost back at the flat, Malcolm spotted this view of the fishing boats, seen through an arch of the old bridge.  He dropped me off to take the photo ........ leaving me to walk the rest of the way!!

 

but then that meant I also took this photo - perhaps one of the most photographed views of the old bridge and the town

 

and so back to the cuppa and cakes.  Malcolm chose this delicious cheese and leek scone

 

while I indulged in a slice of gooey chocolate cake!

 

do you remember some weeks ago Anne made this cute sheepie for me?

 

of course that meant that I wanted to send her something in return, and knowing that she collects cruets sets, this pair of cuties was just the perfect present!

 

and do you also remember the happy mail from Kelly, which included the fun piece of John Deere fabric

 

Kelly had recently managed to open an old family trunk, which she knew contained some old family quilts,  However she was disappointed that the Sunbonnet Sue quilt that she remembered from years ago wasn't there, so what better thing to send her than a little Sunbonnet Sue cushion

 

I'll be back on Friday with my end of the month report on 17UFOs in 2017 ........ and I have lots to report this month!!

 

An excellent book!

I was recently sent this book to review by the publishers, who have given me permission to share some photos with you.  I have to say that other than receiving a free copy of the book, I have not been paid to write this review. Oh how I wish I had this book years ago when I did a lot of dressmaking, as it is such a comprehensive guide.  Although it says that it is for beginners, it would be a good addition to any dressmaker's collection of books

 

the author is Jules Fallon, who has been in the industry for many years, and has a comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of dressmaking, which she shares in the book

 

there is so much helpful information, from basic equipment ........

 

......... to understanding fabrics

 

....... and who knew there were so many ways to insert zips!

 

there is a comprehensive glossary .......

 

......... including the word armscye, which I had never before encountered (despite reading the whole page of the dictionary every time I look up a word - a habit instilled by an excellent teacher at Airdrie Academy)

 

and of course you need this information, should you wish to purchase copy - which I highly recommend

 

and after all the cakes I ate on holiday, I might just need some advice on letting out seams on my clothes!  This was a delicious chocolate brownie ...... although of course I gave the white chocolate shards to Malcolm, as you know I really don't like white chocolate.  For me chocolate has to be dark and bitter!

 

I can't believe it's the weekend again ....... the days have just flown by!  I hope you have a great weekend, love Anne

A Sunday morning stroll

On Saturday night, Malcolm consulted this book, which I gave him last Christmas, and we decided to go to Rothbury for a Sunday morning stroll

 

not the most welcoming of signs in the car park!

 

the river was running hard and full after last week's heavy rain

 

but we didn't think there was any danger of it flooding while we were there

 

we walked up to the town centre, which has a line of wonderful mature trees down the main street

 

this one was particularly striking

 

I liked this old-fashioned ironmongers shop

 

this window was full of all sorts of cleaning lotions and potions

 

while this one had jugs in all sorts of shapes and sizes

 

I couldn't decide if this shop is owned by someone called Sweetie ....... or if it was a misplaced apostrophe, as the shop sells sweeties

 

but there was no doubt about this shop - it was just as well it was closed, as it had some luscious yarns in the window that might have had to go home with me

 

we didn't see anything in this shop related to creatures with paws ........

 

but we did like the upcycled chair outside it

 

this is a fabulous shop ....... it is a co-operative of some very talented crafters.  I think I will have to visit it before Christmas to do a little bit of present shopping

 

this old lamppost was looking sadly neglected

 

you can read about it below

 

this handsome old building is now a branch of Barclays Bank

 

but looking up to the top of the building revealed which bank it originally was

 

I don't know what this building was originally, but part of it is now the Tourist Information office

 

the windows show that it has been ........

 

....... a very grand building

 

it's a pity that a very ugly modern light fitting has been hung from such a wonderful plaster ceiling rose

 

our walk should have taken us over these stepping stones, but as the river was flowing hard, I declined to cross them!

 

so instead we headed to a coffee shop, where we shared a toasted cheese muffin

 

and a toasted teacake

 

heading back to the carpark, we passed an old door

 

and an old gate

 

do you think Malcolm would build a folly like this in the garden for me?

 

you know that often walks with Malcolm involve going up or down steep stairs, but I only had to walk past them yesterday

 

as I took this last photo, an elderly lady who was passing stopped to talk.  We agreed that the flowers growing on the wall were very pretty, and made us smile!!

 

I got a lot of work done on the penguin quilt at the weekend - come back on Wednesday to see the photos!!

 

Potty about plants!

Oh dear, the real world has intruded again, with the topsy turvy election results!  We were so amazed at the predictions of the exit polls that we stayed up all night watching the unfolding drama, before collapsing into bed at 6.30 for a couple of hours of much needed sleep!

 

but let us just think of happy things, with these photos that I took on holiday in the town of Alcudia, just along the coast from Pollensa.  The first thing I noticed walking round the town was the vast array of plants, in all sorts of pots

on windowsills

 

beside old doors

 

extravagant ferns

 

a row of matching pots and plants

 

all sorts of trees and shrubs

 

a lonely little pot

 

in contrast, a very old gnarled olive tree

 

and on to the Friday cake - we hade these sitting in the sun outside a coffee shop in Alcudia.  Malcolm had a slice of apple pie, which had a crumble mix on the top

 

and I had a piece of the most delicious mandarin orange cheesecake

 

we're up in Berwick, and we might have gone out for a walk if we weren't somewhat tired by our overnight tv marathon ....... and it is threatening to rain!  Back home tomorrow - weather permitting Malcolm will be working in the garden and I will be doing more quilting on the penguins!  Have a good weekend, love Anne