frayed at the edge

Adding a little bit of spice!

Don't worry, I haven't been reading the Kama Sutra, just adding lots of spice to tonight's dinner!!  I decided to try out my new tagine, which I got with the online voucher which I won last week - I bought it from CSN Stores, which as well as cookware sell all sorts of things from ceiling lights to furniture.  I decided to cook lamb tagine ...... this recipe is loosely based on one of  Nigella's

 

diced neck fillet

4 large mushrooms

1 large onion

dates

a generous half-teaspoon of each spice and salt to taste

pomegranite juice (forgot to include that in the photo!)

I browned the lamb then put it on a plate while I cooked the onion and mushroom.  I added the spices and salt and cooked them for a few minutes before adding the lamb and the dates.  Finally I added about 100mls of juice and the same of water, put the lid on and left it to cook

 

If this was a cookery programme on tv, we would now be treated to some scenic shots while the tagine cooks .... I wouldn't want to disappoint you, so here are some photos I took when we went for a walk after lunch

Malcolm striding ahead!

 

The Minto Hills look different every day in the changing light

 

who stole my woolly coat?

 

So while we enjoyed those photos, the tagine simmered away, until the lamb was so tender it was starting to fall apart

 

Normally, I would serve this with couscous, but we had some hasselback potatoes (Malcolm bought them as they were on special offer in the supermarket!!) ..... delicious, I will definitely serve it with potatoes again

 

Having cooked this several times, I would say that it was better done in the tagine - but next time I will do it in the oven, as it boiled over a little, although I had the burner turned down as low as possible.  So thanks again to Rattling on for picking me as the winner for her giveaway!

I even had time this afternoon to do some sewing ..... but yes, you've guessed, I'll tell you about that tomorrow!! 

 

 
 

 
 
 
  
  

Yet another change of plan!

We had intended to go for a walk yesterday morning - but not long after we got up it started to rain ...... and rain and rain.  The rain did go off later, but then it got windy .... and windier.  After one of my flower pots blew over, I moved them to the shelter of the log store

 

 

This morning when I went for my walk, I spent quite a lot of time lifting branches off the road - it must have been even wilder during the night!!  I also picked up some little bits and pieces and had fun making this 'still life' when I got home

 

 

I mentioned last week that I had won Rattling on's giveaway.  My prize was a voucher to spend online on something for the kitchen.  Unfortunately the voucher wasn't quite enough to buy an Aga!!  After a bit of thought, I decided to buy something I wanted, rather than something basic.  So what did I get ..... a gorgeous tagine, which arrived at lunchtime

 

 

I spent the afternoon both yesterday and today in the studio, working on the houses for my 'row' quilt.  Here they are waiting to be trimmed .......

 

 

....... then stitched together

 

 

I've had another play with the embellisher ..... and again I  wet the felt, then molded it - this time round a glass which had held a scented candle.  However, as last time, it is just a bit too soft - I think I will have to use proper wet felting to produce a felt with more body.  Never mind, it is very pretty!

 

 

I have almost finished the quilting on the first of Kylie's cushions ......

 

 

..... so this afternoon I marked out the second one.  This is a detail of the centre

 

 

So ...... how did the visit go?  Very well!!  Alison is lovely and we got on fine.  Malcolm cooked a new recipe - boneless pork loin coated with a mixture of maple syrup and cajun seasoning - it was delicious!  We went out for breakfast on Saturday, before they headed back to Falkirk via Ikea ..... amazingly they didn't buy anything (not even a bargain bag of tealights!) but of course they did have meatballs for lunch (we always have them too!!)

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Lazing on a sunny afternoon!

When I arrived home from patch'n'chat, I would have rushed out into the garden to see the summerhouse ........ but first I had to meet a very special visitor!  Stuart and his new girlfriend Alison  arrived just minutes before I got home, so I thought I had better meet Alison before disappearing into the garden to take photos!

 

if you can't find me - I'll be here!  

 

 

we were glad that we could keep the tree!

 

 

I'm looking forward to getting my flower pots back at the door

 

When Malcolm was giving Stuart's cracket a final polish this morning, I realised that I hadn't taken a photo .......

 

I should have got Stuart to sit on it for another photo!

 

It's Friday, which means cake, and Wimbledon, which means strawberries ......

 

I accidently sat in the seat with the biggest slice!!

 

No doubt for the next two days I'll be in the summerhouse, enjoying the weekend .... I hope you have a lovely weekend too, love, Anne

 

A bonus day out!

On the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, I go to knit'n'natter ........ but this month there is an extra Wednesday, so today we decided to have a fun day out!  We headed over the border to the town of Wooler - Malcolm had been there recently and had come back with tales of lovely shops and good food ...... and today we had the bonus of good weather!!

This shop looked so pretty, I immediately had to stop and take a photo ......

 

 

....... when we crossed the road and went in to the shop, the interior more than matched the exterior, with all sorts of goodies.  We bought each other a present

 

I think you know us well enough to suppose that the chicken was for Malcolm and the notebook for me ........ wrong!!  Malcolm bought the chicken to add to my collection of quirky plates and I bought the notebook for him to write down and draw plans for future projects.

The next shop to catch my eye was this one

We managed to resist going in - or I might have bought lots and lots of chocolate (I just keep saying 'a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips'!!) ........ but what I wanted most was this

 

Next was the antique shop - where not just the stock, but the dust covering a lot of it was extremely old!  Never mind, we had a good rake .......

 

......... and as always I ended up at the bookshelves

 

I've been neglecting my collection of pillar boxes recently, so I was pleased to see this lovely old one

 

By now it was lunchtime, and Malcolm recommended this place, as he had enjoyed an excellent scone and coffee on his previous visit

The food was wonderful!!  I had a coronation chicken baguette, which was beautifully presented with salad, coleslaw and root vegetable crisps

 

Malcolm had a ham and mustard baguette, similarly presented ....... the mustard was in a little dish, so he could decide how much he wanted to have.

After lunch, I noticed this shop - do you think the signwriter needs his eyes tested?

 

There is no football today, but Malcolm is rapidly developing a blister, as (typical man in charge of the remote) he has to keep changing channels between tennis (Andy Murray is playing) and cricket (England v Australia in the 4th ODI)!!
  

 

 
 
 
 
 

 

A woolly good day!!

We had good weather on Saturday for our journey over to Cumbria for Woolfest.  The first thing we did when we got there was have breakfast, then suitably fortified, we started in one corner and worked our way up and down the aisles.  There was just so much to see, it was hard to take it all in, and Malcolm was surprised at how long it took me to make my first purchase!!  However, when I spotted this, I got my purse out!

 

It looks a bit strange in the photo, but it is a big offcut of double-sided felt - there is more than enough to make a bag.  I got it from this fabulous stall Heartfelt by Liz

 

 

 

A lot of the stalls don't allow photography, but I soon found something much better to take photos of - the stars of the show and providers of the raw materials for all the woolly goodies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The black lamb was tiny, but quite happy to be petted by its many admirers.

 

Of course, I did buy one or two other things, but I'll tell you about them tomorrow, as now we have something much more important to look at - the wonderful dinner we had sitting in the sun on Saturday evening.  We started with Malcolm's delicious lasagne - here he is dishing up the first portion

 

 

 

We had garlic bread to go with it - a very tasty stone-baked one

 

 

 

Then of course we had pudding!  This was the last of the treats that I bought at M&S.  Some time ago, M&S had a serious of tv adverts that were described as food pornography!!  This is the description of our pudding ...... little pots of heaven - ginger crumb layered with tangy lime cream and lime flavoured flood.

 

 

Yes, the lime flavoured flood was really just jelly!!  Never mind, it was absolutely delicious.
 

 

This afternoon, I picked the two patterns for Kylie's cushions (or maybe I should call them Kylie's Kushions?!)

 

 

 

This is the fabric, which has a small pattern printed on it, and I chose this thread (which looks darker in the photo) - as I know that Kylie likes purple!!

 

 

 

 

And to finish, one more photo from Woolfest, guaranteed to make you go aaah ........ I tried to smuggle out one of these alpacas in my handbag, but Malcolm made me put it back!!!

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 
 

A special visitor for a special weekend

So who is our special visitor?  Is it the Queen, fresh from her visit to Wimbledon yesterday?  We know it's not David Cameron, as he is in Canada, saving the world's economy!  No, it is someone really special ..... Malcolm's sister Jennifer!!  She has come to spend the weekend with us, as tomorrow we are going to .......Woolfest, where we will indulge in all things woolly!!

This afternoon Jennifer and I headed to patch'n'chat (after a very nice lunch) to indulge in an afternoon of sewing.  I was showing Jennifer how to make a folded Japanese patchwork box.  I was fussy cutting the fabric for her centre pieces .... I made this easier by cutting the centre out of the template

 

 

Seonaid was yet again working on a tiny project - this time a little log cabin fob for her key ring

 

 

Fortunately the weather has co-operated, and we were able to have dinner outside .... Malcolm lit the BBQ to do the steaks, while I dished up the goodies that I bought in M&S on Wednesday

 

 

Charlotte baby potato salad, edamame soya bean salad, couscous and roasted vegetable sald .... and in the smallest bowl, chilli and coriander dressing.  Perfect side dishes for our steak and chips!!

 

 

And now for the big reveal - I mentioned that I have a very special project to work on ..... I recently saw some paintings that I coveted ...... and to cut a long story short - I am doing a swap with Kylie, the artist.  I am going to send her two handquilted cushion covers.... all the way to Australia ...... in return for two paintings.  There is just one problem - she has done two sets of paintings, and I can't decide which set I prefer (well, I am a Libran!!)  So .... please visit Kylie and leave a comment saying which set you prefer!!

Please remember too, to pop over to see my tree, as drawn by the very talented Cathy.  We are relaxing now with a very nice glass of white wine, watching the tennis (but Malcolm will shortly change channel to watch that funny game with men kicking a ball).

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend - I will tell you about our woolly one on Monday, as of course tomorrow will be Shadow Shot Sunday (yes, I know it's Saturday here when I do my post, but it's already Sunday in Brisbane, home of the wonderful Tracy, who works so hard to host the meme!)  Love, Anne

 

The new domestic goddess .....

..... I think I have claimed Nigella's title today, after a very domestic day!  Malcolm had to take his car back to the showroom in Newcastle for a minor modification, so after my Wednesday morning soak in the bath, I went to Galashiels.  The main purpose of my trip was to buy some delicious food in Marks and Spencers - we have a very special visitor this weekend (but I'm not going to tell you who it is until Friday) and I wanted to get some special treats.  The food all looks so delicious that it was difficult to stick to my shopping list ..... I only came home with one or two extras!!  I had a quick lunch in a garden centre, where I tried to take a photo of these beauties ..... but they kept running round, so this is the best I managed

 

 

Fortunately this clematis only moved slightly in the breeze - isn't it the most gorgeous colour!

 

 

When I got home, the ironing fairy still hadn't visited, so I had to knuckle down and tackle a very large basket of ironing (she didn't visit last week either!)  When Malcolm got back, he plonked himself in front of the tv to watch something that seemed to involve men running about with a ball.  Whatever it was, he was unable to leave the room, and needed waitress service (me!) to supply him with beer!!

 

 

We have a small tv in the kitchen, so while I was ironing I was able to watch Wimbledon.  There was a rather long match going on

 

 

Having finished the ironing, I then made dinner - wonderful rainbow trout (after taking the photo, I cut off the heads and tails - much as I love fish, I don't like seeing a whole one on my plate!!)

 

 

The tennis was still going on

 

 

To go with the fish, I finely sliced these veggies, arranged them in the bottom of our Portuguese dish that we have had for years .........

 

 

...... put the fish on top, added some extra lime juice, put the fish on top and seasoned it with salt and lemon pepper

 

 

To serve with the fish, I poached some asparagus in a little water with some butter

 

 

Did you notice the dent in the rim on my omelette pan?  Years ago, when I returned to Indonesia after a visit home, our maid, Betty, told me that 'Mister' had dented it, that 'Mister' had dropped it!!  Of course, every time I use it, I remind 'Mister' that he did it!

 

In the middle of all this domesticity, I did find time for a little bit of crafting ...... but I'll tell you about it tomorrow!

 

 

 

Hooray - it's the weekend!!

It had been another busy week, and although we are 'retired' .... it's still good when the weekend arrives!

I came home with a little handful of something this morning - but unfortunately today it was something sad - feathers from a woodpecker

 

 

In amongst the black feathers with white spots, there was this rebellious one, with the colours reversed!

 

 

This afternoon at patch'n'chat, there was such a lot to admire ......... Seonaid has made a lovely lap quilt for a friend who is a reflexologist, so using her embroidery machine, she added this wonderful detail

 

 

Cathy has been making a fantastic quilt for her daughter's wedding.  We have been following its progress since she started the blocks .... it is almost finished now

 

 

Anne was working hard at putting the final borders on her Thimbleberries quilt

 

 

This is Cathy's 'row' quilt - as you can see I have a few more rows to do!!

 

 

Of course we can't have a Friday post without cake - another of Annette's light-as-air sponges, topped with cream and strawberries!!

 

 

After two glorious days, it was a bit grey and chilly this morning, but it is a lovely evening - if only we could have several weeks of unbroken sunshine!  Whatever the weather, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend - I will be spoiling Malcolm on Sunday for Fathers' Day!!  Love, Anne

 

Not just pretty in the fields.......

........ but pretty tasty on the plate too!!

When I do my weekly food shop, I always look in the 'reduced' section for bargains.  Yesterday, I was delighted to find these two lamb shanks

 

 

I had a look through some cookery books, before finding a recipe in this one

 

 

 

 

As you can see at the bottom of the recipe, Marcus suggests frenching the lamb, which is what I did

 

 

I then assembled the other ingredients - except for a leek and fresh rosemary (the rosemary in the garden didn't survive the winter and I haven't replaced it yet)

 

 

I seasoned the shanks, and browned them in olive oil

 

 

I transferred the shanks to a casserole, then added the chopped veggies to the pot, followed by the other ingredients.  Once they were ready, I poured them over the lamb, ready to go in the oven

 

 

Marcus shows you how to cut a circle of greaseproof paper to put in the casserole .......

 

 

........ I simply drew round the rim of the casserole, then cut the greaseproof paper out with a 'seam allowance'!!

 

I served the lamb with couscous - it was delicious ...... so tender the meat just fell off the bone!

 

 

If only we had some of the ginger cake left to have as pudding!!  Several people asked about the recipe ......

 

 

Remember you can click on the photos to enlarge them.  So what did we have for pudding - nice healthy yogurt!!

 

And then the heavens opened!!!!!

I spent lots of time in the studio over the weekend.  Some of the time was spent on the chickens

 

 

 

and some on the 'row' quilt.  I satin-stitched the hearts onto their background fabrics

 

 

then I made my log cabin blocks

 

 

so I now have two rows completed

 

 

The garden is now just about recovered from the severe winter ........ but this iris should have flowered about eight weeks ago!

 

 

I love poppies - this one in the front garden is stunning (it would make a lovely applique block!)

 

 

I have loved lupins since I was little - this one is a gorgeous colour

 

 

Malcolm's vines are flourishing - you can see the tiny grapes on this one

 

 

so, to return to today's heading ....... we had just finished dinner last night, when we had a torrential downpour .......

 

the rain was so heavy, there was a waterfall from the gutters!

 

 

you can see the rain bouncing back up!!

 

Much as I enjoy my morning walks, there is one unpleasant aspect ....... sometimes I encounter dead animals!  The past few days have been particularly bad - in order of size, there have been : several newts, a mole, a crow, a badger and a lamb.  I had an idea this morning for a film, where I float along the country lanes, talking to dead animals (Dr Doolittle meets Sixth Sense?).  Obviously, Julia Roberts would star as me - but I would stand in for her when it came to the romantic scenes with Bruce Willis (as long as he promises not to wear his vest!!).  Of course George Clooney would have a cameo role as Malcolm .......