frayed at the edge

Marooned!

Stuart phoned at eight o'clock this morning, which was unusual, as he should have been at work!  So where was he?  He was stuck in a major traffic jam on the A9 between Stirling and Perth (don't worry, he was 'hands-free') and just called to pass some time - I think he was phoning everyone he knows!  It was bad enough yesterday, when it took him two and three quarter hours to get to work - it usually takes him just under an hour.  Today he didn't even get there - he sent me a text at lunchtime to say that he had just got back home - the road was still closed, with two feet of snow!!

Fortunately, we didn't have anywhere near that much, so we headed out to Selkirk to have lunch, as we didn't go out yesterday.  We had the most wonderful soup ........

 

...... spicy carrot.  It had an underlying creamy flavour, which we thought was perhaps coconut milk - definitely one to try to recreate at home!

Do you remember some time ago I bought the silly cook book with the 'end of the world' recipes?  Well, today, I succumbed to a similar one!

 

 

I just love silly things like this

If you can't read the bit in the bottom left corner, click on the photo to enlarge it - it's quite entertaining!

On the way home I took this photo from the car - it was so grey and miserable, you can't see the hills on the horizon ......

 

Back home, I started work on the other three drawings for my stitcheries ...... they need some more work, especially on the faces.  The tea angel kept looking like a pig instead of an angel - I have almost rubbed the paper into a hole trying to get her face right!

 
  
 

 

Cooking up a storm!

It's Monday, so as always, that meant domestic duties!  There was the usual weekly food shop, the laundry ...... then my favourite bit, an afternoon spent cooking!  I had bought some excellent braising steak on Saturday, and had decided to make chilli.  The kitchen bookshelves produced these two books

 

The book on the left is British, and although the one on the right is American, I bought it in Indonesia!  I decided on this recipe

 

My lovely meat ...

 

I put in twice as much onion as the recipe said, along with the stated amount of pepper and chilli .....

 

I didn't have any fresh garlic, so I used some of this ready-chopped frozen garlic

 

I browned the meat and set it aside, then while the onion, garlic, pepper and chilli were frying, I sorted out the other ingredients

You might notice an extra ingredient - the chipotle paste.  It adds a lovely smokey flavour (but don't lick the spoon after adding some - it is also very hot!!)

While the chilli was simmering .......

 

........ I peeled, sliced and diced a pile of vegetables to make soup

 

When the chilli was ready, I served it with these side dishes .......

 

and some grated cheese on the top

 

Once the soup was ready, I blitzed it (I don't like 'bits' in soup!)

...... and when it's cool, I'll put it in containers for the freezer - and of course there was plenty of chilli left to go in the freezer as well (and there may even have been enough for a portion for Stuart!)
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Not just one cake .......

....... but two!  Yes, we had two wonderful cakes this afternoon, although this week Annette didn't bake them, but bought them from a wonderful bakery in Jedburgh.  First we had lemon drizzle cake

 

followed by a wonderful traybake with chocolate on the bottom and coffee icing on the top (this was a 'healthy eating' cake, as the bottom layer was made with porridge oats!!)

 

I was working on the chickens again (yes, that's a very long term project), but I was also giving some advice to the lovely JoJo, who had come for the afternoon with her Aunt Morag.  She is just starting to sew, and it was lovely to see a teenager with enthusiasm for learning a craft!

 

There has been progress this week on reducing clutter.  On Monday I went through all my jumpers and cardigans, and sorted out a large pile (with some belts and a scarf as well) to go to a charity shop

As Malcolm was going into Hawick on Tuesday, he said he would hand the stuff in for me.  When he went into the shop, there didn't seem to be a member of staff about, but a customer came over to say that the lady had just popped out to bring a donation in from someone's car and he was minding the shop, and that on behalf of the staff he would say 'thank you very much'!!

You may remember in an earlier post I said that part of the decluttering plan was to finish things, and that I had looked out two cross stitch kits that I had started many years ago.  Having done some work on the map of Hampshire, I put that aside to do some of the English Garden Sampler.  I have finished the lettering in the centre, which took a long time, as it is worked over a single thread, and each letter has five shades of green!

So having finished the lettering, last night I sorted out the threads I need for the next section - there were only a few to choose from .......

and just a little bit of chart to follow ........

The little bit in the centre is the part I am now working on (the black strips that you can see are magnets, which hold the pattern on a metal board)  As you can see from the diagram on the left, as well as cross stitch, there is also drawn thread work.  The list on the right shows the threads that have to be 'blended' ...... where instead of the usual two strands of thread, you have to use one strand of each of two threads.  When I was sorting out the threads last night, there was one symbol that I just couldn't find - I went over and over the list (there was much muttering of rude words!!) .... then I found another section that listed the symbols for 'beads' .... yes, once I have worked all the cross stitch, then I have to sew on beads as well (I'm starting to remember why this kit was consigned to the cupboard all those years ago!!!!)

Finally, thanks to Sal for telling me that the little yellow flowers in yesterday's post are winter aconites.  If you love fabrics, and especially vintage fabrics, then do visit Sal's blog.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, love, Anne 
 
 
 
  
 
 

A delicious sandwich .....

...... but I forgot to take a photo of it!!  But let me start at the beginning!  Regular readers know that we often go out for lunch on a Wednesday (oh, ok, we go every Wednesday!)  So today we headed back to Jedburgh

 

 

to have lunch at the Abbey Bridge Tollhouse coffee shop, where we also had lunch last week

 

 

I had beautiful china with my pot of tea .....

 

 

...... but I forgot to take a photo of my lovely cheese savoury sandwich (Malcolm had egg mayo).

After lunch, we had a look at this wonderful wall on the river bank behind the coffee shop

 

 

and this matching seat

 

 

this tree, stuck on the weir, is probably about twelve feet long!

 

 

before we headed back to the car, I had to stop to take another photo of the Abbey

 

Don't be fooled by the blue sky - it was still very cold!!

 

 

  

 

Love was in the air!

Yesterday  was Valentine's Day ........ so of course I got up and made a special breakfast for Malcolm.  Unfortunately as I was still half asleep, I forgot to take a photo, but I can tell you that it was scrambled egg, smoked salmon and brioche!  As he was rather full after that, he didn't make a start on his special box of chocolates .....

 

 

As I am in full 'oh no, I have to fit into my swimsuit soon' mode, I was very happy to be given roses instead of chocolates ....... especially these beautiful peach coloured ones .....

 

 

I have to admit that I didn't spend the whole day with Malcolm, as Lindsay had organised one of her wonderful Woolgatherings.  But in keeping with the day, she had baked delicious heart-shaped scones - they were still warm from the oven and there was butter too!

 

 

When I got home, Malcolm had made a wonderful Sunday dinner ...... roast pork with sll the trimmings ..... and guess what - I forgot to take a photo!

I hope you all had a special day too with your loved ones.

 

 

 

It's Friday again!

First of all, apologies .... Typepad is annoying me again, as I can't change the font (so that will be another 'support ticket'  being submitted!!)

So, to continue - I don't know where this week has gone - it only seems five minutes since Monday morning!  I have to start today with some photos that should have been included in earlier posts!  You may have noticed in some of my posts I now have 'action shots' where you can see both my hands.  How do you do that, I hear you cry .... does poor Malcolm have to hang about waiting to take photos of you?  Well, no ..... I use the timer on the little camera and my superdooper tripod that Stuart gave me for Christmas ....

It's a very versatile little tripod - the legs bend in every direction, so you can take photos at all sorts of angles.  And how did you take that photo, you also cry .... why, I used the tripod that Malcolm gave me for Christmas, to use with the big camera

 

As well as taking those photos, I also found time to finish the quilt for Project Linus

don't worry, it wasn't as close to the stove as it seems in the photo!

 

this is the back of the quilt, lovely cuddly fleece!

 

This afternoon, of course, was patch'n'chat.  I took along the chickens, which I now keep in a basket .... I was toying with a title of 'chicken in a basket' for today's title ..... you can tell it's Friday, it's all even sillier than usual!!!

 

And of course, we also have to have a photo of the cake (I wouldn't want to disappoint Annette's cake fans!!)

it was the delicious apple cake again today - I have to admit I had two slices!!

 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and are thoroughly spoiled on Sunday by your loved one!!

Love, Anne
 
 
 
 
 

 

A new neighbour?

Last week Malcolm bought a little birdhouse, which he put up on the back garden fence.  As it isn't quite spring yet (no matter how much I try to convince myself it is!), we were really surprised to see a pair of tits checking it out yesterday .... I wonder if they'll move in

 

 

When the tits finally finished inspecting the premises and flew off, we headed off up the A68 to Lauder, to one of our favourite places, The Flat Cat Gallery

As usual I had a pot of tea and Malcolm a cup of coffee .... and apple pie might have been eaten too!

 

 

The tables in the coffee shop are beautiful .... this is a detail of the inlay on our table

 

 

Since I started taking photos for the blog, I have paid far more attention to my surroundings, including looking up ... and in Lauder there were several things that I would have missed if I had only looked around and not up ....

 

this magnificent eagle, painted on the hotel

 

 

the sign outside a butcher's shop

 

 

what do you think this hotel is called?

 

 

we don't know what this sign is - the name of the building perhaps

 

There was something at eye level which caught my attention - a sign for an old post box

 

 

Which brings me to today's last photo.  When Sarah visited last summer, she brought me a wonderful needle-felted pillar box, then she sent me a set of stamps, featuring post boxes, for my birthday.  I recently got myself organised and took them into the picture framers in Hawick, along with a card showing all sorts of pillar boxes, which was included with the set of stamps.  I am thrilled with my picture, which we now have hanging in the lounge

 

 

More chat than patch!

As usual, I went to Borderland Fabrics this afternoon for patch'n'chat, but there was decidedly more of the latter!  I was working on the last stage of the Linus quilt - handstitching the binding on the back of the quilt

 

 

I quilted it with sunflowers - which you can see more clearly on the back of the quilt

 

 

Of course, Fridays at patch'n'chat means cake - this week it was one of Annette's wonderful sponges - they are so light they almost float off the plate!!

 

 

I thought I would give you an update on my efforts to ....

 

I keep my shoes on a shelf in the bottom of the wardrobe, but for some reason several pairs were still in their boxes, which obviously took up a lot of space, so ......

The shoes are now on the shelf, with space left over and the boxes and paper have gone in the recycle.

This is the bed in our guest bedroom.  The log cabin quilt is one of the first quilts I made, and the pink and grey one you can just see at the bottom of the photo is one I made for my Mum many years ago.  Do you like my Winnie the Pooh?  It is actually a hot water bottle - Malcolm gave him to me for Christmas years ago!  He is sitting on a quillow that I made for Malcom's Mum - also many years ago - if you look closely you can see it is made with the same fabrics as my Mum's!!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  Love, Anne

 

  

It's Wednesday, so it must be .....

 

porridge - our Wednesday breakfast!

 

a long soak in the bath

 

going out for lunch wearing my new scarf

 

a warming bowl of soup with delicious bread

 

But there is another little story to tell ...... I was deciding which perfume to put on

Flower by Kenzo on the left, or Flower by Kenzo Oriental on the right (that's  not as extravagant as it seems - the Oriental is almost finished!!).  But putting the perfume on reminded me of when Malcolm first bought me Flower for my birthday.  He had been working abroad for months on end, often coming home late on Friday night and leaving again on Sunday morning, so that year my birthday presents came from Marseilles Airport!!  First there was the perfume, then .......

a set of lavender bags

a lovely bag of herbes de Provence

a beautiful pashmina .....

so, they may have been an odd collection of presents, but it must be five or six years since that birthday ..... and it's still my favourite perfume, I still use the lavender bags in the airing cupboard (they just need a squeeze now and then!), I still use the bag to keep herbs in (the original ones were used long ago) and I still wear the pashmina!!
 
 

 

 

 
 
 
 

 

A very busy day!

I'm usually busy on a Monday, but today has been just non-stop!  I got up as usual just after 6.30 to exercise (cross-trainer and rowing machine), then breakfast, shower, first load of laundry on, then off to Hawick to do the weekly foodshop.  Back home, shopping put away, a bowl of homemade soup for lunch (another load of laundry on) and then I had time to grab the camera and head out for a walk.  It was very cold, so I was well wrapped up ..... a t-shirt, a jumper which makes me look like a teddy bear, a fleece jacket that makes me look like a grizzly bear, windproof trousers, handknitted socks and walking boots ... oh, and not forgetting warm gloves - I'm getting good at taking photos with gloves on!  After I got back from  my walk, I made a salad to have with the leftover chicken from yesterday for dinner, a pot of soup and put on the last load of laundry .... by which time it was dinnertime!!  So now I can sit and relax and show you the photos I took this afternoon .....

 

this crane seemed to be in the middle of a field .....

 

.... but it was working at this farm!

 

the puddle has dried, leaving the ice stuck to the tree

 

this piece of ice has a pretty pattern

 

suddenly, there are snowdrops everywhere!

 

I took the photos of the lambs through a hedge!

 

please can I have one!

 

cuddling up to mum

 

And finally ...... there were several requests for the Border Tart recipe.  There are lots of variations, but this is the recipe I have (which is scribbled on a piece of paper - I can't remember who gave it to me)

225g pastry, 50g butter, 100g sugar, 110g currants, 25g almonds, 25g cherries, 1 beaten egg

Heat the oven to 180C.  Line a 23cm flan tin with the pastry.  Melt the butter and sugar together, then stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Spread the mixture over the pastry and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Allow to cool before turning out onto a plate.  You can also drizzle icing over the tart if you wish.

Now for a spot of browsing through my favoutite blogs, before I finish the octopus circles scarf!