frayed at the edge

Grumpy old woman!

Yes, it snowed this morning, yes, the temperature has been hovering just about freezing ......... but I don't need hysterical weather forecasters telling me to wrap up warm and take care on icy roads!!  I know some parts of the country have had much more snow than us, but we haven't yet had as much as we had the winter before last, and the one before that

 

ok - grumping over, on with the blog!  Malcolm  ate the last biscuit, so I was able to take the tin out to the studio.  Anne (that isn't my usual Anne, but the other Scottish blogging Anne) told me that the wording on her tin was wrong, so I checked out mine.  You can just see that it says "said to me" instead of "sent to me"

 

I had already decided which project I was going to put in the tin.  I bought these templates .......

 

when I went on the road trip with Meredithe, Helen and Mrs Mac

 

I looked out these fabrics from the scrap basket - a mottled fabric for the background, and an assortment, including Christmad fabrics, for the stars.  I don't intend to make a star a day, but it will be good to have a small hand-piecing project to work on

 

I also got out two biscuit tins from last year, to put my scrappy blocks in

 

next I put this up on the design wall .......

 

....... I am sure you are wondering why I am showing you what appears to be a piece of plain fabric ...... but if we look up close

 

it is a partly marked out wholecloth cot quilt, which I got out after seeing Tim's wonderful handquilting.  I started the quilt at a workshop with Dorothy Ostler.  The designs are from her book

 

this is one of my oldest UFOs, as you can see from the date that Dorothy signed the book

 

my excuse is that we moved to Indonesia the next year, and I was limited in how much I could take with me, so the cot quilt got packed away, and then when we came home in 2000, it somehow never made it on to the to-do list!  I am planning to finish the marking and making a start to the hand quilting (I still have the thread!), but for the moment I am concentrating on the sewing for Anne.  I have been busy all day piecing the blocks, but I didn't quite get the last one finished before it was time to make dinner!

 

I should have been going to Abbey Quilters monthly meeting tonight, but it was cancelled because of the weather.  We had to prepare a square composed of two fabrics with wadding in the middle, which was to be turned into a bag with lots of little pockets ...... but I shall just have to wait to find out how it is done

 

to finish, some photos of the snow in the back garden this morning

a few flakes on the ice on the surface of the water butt

 

a snowy primrose

 

chilly frogs!

 

the bird house is sheltered by the ivy

 

snowflakes caught on a spider's web

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

That's enough of that, thank you!!

This was the view of the back garden early this morning ...... that's quite enough snow, thank you

 

but let's go back to thhe start of the weekend, and of course, the Christmas Fair.  Oh dear, I didn't sell very much, although as I know several other stallholders also had poor sales, I didn't get too upset!  I did get slightly annoyed with a woman who had a good look, then said she was just getting ideas and picking people's brains for things that she could make .........

 

the highlight of the afternoon was the delicious bacon roll that I had for lunch!

 

at the end of the afternoon, I was delighted to be given a gift by the wonderful Maria, who had the table next to me - a set of wine glass charms (in return I gave her one of the toiletries and chocolates set)

 

from my friend Lorraine, I bought her gorgeous marzipan fruits, to decorate the Christmas cake with (I'll be making it tomorrow) ........

 

...... and new to her repertoire, chocolate ginger creams

yesterday, we went to Dryburgh Abbey (we had a voucher to get in free!)  There was a little bit of snow on the ground, which added a little extra something to the photos.  I also had some fun taking some in B&W

 

there were some tricky bits of road to negotiate

 

and beautiful scenery to admire

 

we popped into The Main Street Trading Co for a cuppa and a bite to eat.  We shared a delicious feta and spinach muffin ........

 

....... and a slice of cake, which was drenched in a citrus syrup

 

I love the mugs

 

they have just opened a deli and homeware extension - I wish I could have taken photos of all the wonders for sale!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with a sewing update, but to finish, some birds in the snow

Shooting the moon!

There have been reports today that the Americans planned to blow up the moon during the Cold War, but all I used to shoot the moon at 6.30 this morning was my camera!  The photos cold perhhaps have been sharper, but I was shivering on the front doorstep in my nightie!

 

we headed off this morning for Gretna, where there is an "outlet village", to do some Christmas shopping.  It was wonderful to see blue sky and sunshine after all the recent rain

 

we had a browse round the shops, deciding what to buy, then went for a bite of lunch.  The last time I ate in Subway was after I walked across  Sydney Harbour Bridge, which was perhaps preferable to doing the dreaded shopping!  Today we both had the "big beef melt" - delicious, and actually reasonably healthy eating!

 

suitably fortified, we did the shopping, then moved on to another small shopping outlet ..... but before we looked round those shops, there were many more photos to be taken!  First there were belted Galloways and Highland cows.  As you can see, all the rain has turned their field into a sea of md, quite a lot of which has transferred itself on to the poor beasties

 

then there were lots of rusty old farm machines

 

although Gretna is in Scotland, we had to pass through a few miles of England ....... should Our Fearless Leader (Wee Eck) get his way, will we have to go through border checkpoints and passport controls in the future?

 

more wonderful scenery

 

with the occasional reminder of the wet weather, with run-off from the fields flowing across the road

 

every time I see this sign, I suggest to Malcolm that we stop, so that he can buy some jewellery for me ...... but he keeps saying that I don't need any more - but what has need got to do with lovely rings, pretty bangles, gorgeous earrings, delightful necklaces........

 

we didn't just do Christmas shopping, we also bought some treats - I'll tell you all about them tomorrow!

A big delivery

I was in the bath this morning when these logs were delivered, so I missed seeing what kind of machine lifted them off the lorry - boohoo!

 

in no time at all Malcolm had them neatly stacked in the garage ...... I wonder what he will make with the pallet?

 

I mentioned recently that my Dad had taken me to see where my Grandparents' shop was in Glasgow.  I think Granny and Grandpa were only in their 50s when this photo was taken, but they look much older!

 

it had just been one of those days when there hadn't been anything much to take photos of ...... then the robin appeared for his bath!

 

as it has been windy, he had to share his bath with some leaves

 

to finish ...... this bag from the Botanic Garden in Sydney caught my eye in the studio today ........ I wonder what it reminds me of?!

Day 30 ....... and October is almost over!

I'm starting today with some photos from yesterday ....... first a cheeky little robin having a good time in the birdbath

 

then, on the way to bed last night, I noticed the moon ........ there were hazy rings round it, making it very spooky!

 

it was frosty ..... the roof of the house next door was glittering - you have to look hard at the bottom right hand corner to see it!

 

this morning we headed up the road to visit Stuart and Alison.  Of couse this meant stopping for lunch!  I had the most delicious cream of mushroom soup

 

Malcolm had pea and mint ....... but when he tasted mine, he wished he had chosen the mushroom too

 

there was a good selection of rolls, so we chose two different ones, and then as usual had half each

 

so, just one more post to go, and I will have posted every day in October ....... I may have to go and lie down in a darkened room to recover!!

Day 22 .......and thank you to my spotter!

I had just come through from having my shower and getting dressed this morning, when Malcolm, in his role as photo-op spotter, told me to grab the camera and follow him out to the garden.  It was very misty and damp, ideal conditions to show up the many spider webs.  Here are just a few of them

 

 

 

 

when I got in the car for my usual Monday morning trip to Sainsbbury's I noticed there was a spider web on the wing mirror, so when I got back in the car to come home, I took a photo of it ....... but not just the web, but also its reflection in the mirror.  And if you look carefully, you can see a car with a red canoe on its roof - not a very nice day to go canoing!

 

I made the first pot of soup of the winter - although I think it is still officially autumn, until the clocks change at the weekend, it has been such a mesierable day it definitely felt like winter!  As always, after taking this photo, I realised that I had left out an ingredient - vegetable oil.

parsnips, apples, onions, spices, seasoning and chicken stock

 

I chopped up the onions, parsnips and apples, and sweated them in a little vegetable oil.  I added the spices and seasoning, stirred it well, popped the lid on, turned the heat down and let it all sweat away gently. 

 

I made up the chicken stock with some boiling water, added it to the pot, and simmered the soup unti the veggies were soft.  Then it was into the blender, as I like smooth soup ..... ever since I was little I have disliked soup with "bits" in it!

 

a quick whizz later, a big bowl of delicious soup, and a little bowl to taste

 

finally, in to containers ...... two double portions for the freezer, and a single portion for my lunch tomorrow

 

when I went on my road trip in Melbourne with Meredithe, Mrs Mac and Helen, we were chatting about all things Scottish that Mrs Mac had learned from her Scottish Granny.  One of them was a "piece" ...... which can either be a sandwich, or a snack.  When I was at primary school, we took a "playpiece" to eat during the morning "playtime"  ...... the ten minutes mid-morning when we went outside for a break.  It reminded me of a song about children in Glasgow moving to high rise flats, and finding that their Mum's couldn't throw them a sandwich ....... this is the chorus

Oh ye cannae fling pieces oot a twenty storey flat,
Seven hundred hungry weans'll testify, to that.
If it's butter, cheese or jeely, if the breid is plain or pan,
The odds against it reaching earth are ninety-nine tae wan.

 

Mrs Mac was delighted when she mentioned jubblies and I knew what she meant ........ so when I noticed this box this morning in Sainsbury's, of course I had to buy it!

 

when I was little, we didn't have a fridge, never mind a freezer, so we had to buy our jubblies in the "wee shop" at the top of the road, not buy a box and freeze the at home.  These ones are the same shape, but considerably smaller than the childhood ones ....... but then at 27 calories each, I won't have to feel guilty about having one

Day 18 ....... and (oops) I start another project!

This morning was damp and misty .......

 

..... if you were looking towards Hawick Town Hall, but if you looked in the other direction, the sun was shining!

 

Thursday, of course, means a scone to share in The Pickled Orange.  Today's was cheddar, chives, chilli ..... and something else which we have forgotten.  It was just out of the oven - delicious!

 

when we got home, there was still some mist round the Mintos

 

this was my bargain of the week - 99p for an insulated bag.  I'll use it to take my lunch on Fridays to patch'n'chat

 

so, on to the new project!  This is based on an item in one of the Ricky Timms shows that I watched yesterday.  The design is by two sisters, Barbara and Mary.  Their company is called 4th and 6th Designs ....... because they were the 4th and 6th children in the family!  They didn't fully explain the pattern (obviously they want you to buy the book), so this is my interpretation of it.  I decided to use the lovely Australian fabrics that Lee gave my for my birthday

 

I started by cutting strips in widths from an inch and a quarter to two inches, increasing the width each time by a quarter of an inch

 

I then sewed all the strips together (those of you who don't do patchwork, will be saying the same as patchworkers' husbands everywhere ..... why do you cut the fabric up, then sew it back together!?)

 

the next stage was to take a six and a half inch square ruler, and if you look where I am pointing, put the diagonal line on a seam.  I used my small rotary cutter, to make it easier to cut round the ruler

 

the first square cut

 

four cut, and put on the design wall

 

eight blocks cut, and stitched together

 

so what is it?  Well, when we moved here (six years ago), I put a little ruuner on the wine cupboard in the hall as a "temporary" measure, so this is going to replace it

 

I will add triangles to the ends, to hang down over the sides of the cupboard.  I will also make matching ones for the little chest of drawers and lamp/plant stand, that you saw in the recent post about flowers.  When I cut out the squares, I thought at first that it was a bit of a wasteful method

 

but I realised that a lot of the offcuts can be pieced together and used in another project

 

out in the garden, this rose is still flowering

 

it's a miniature rose - this is my pinkie!

 

three of the clematis are also still flowering, although they are a bit bedraggled

 

to finish ....... I don't mind getting begging letters from charities, but I prefer to choose how much to give.  This latest missive from Oxfam (I already give them money every month) went straight in the recycle bin, as there was no option for an amount that I chose to give.  I didn't entirely grasp the "doubled" bit, it was something about them having money set aside to match the donations to this appeal .....

Day 9 ...... and something I nearly forgot!

Stuart and Alison gave us a joint birthday present, which we opened before the holiday, as we didn't want to take it with us in case it got lost.  I finally remembered today to take photos to show you.  We removed the outer wrapping to discover this - I would box Stuart's ears for being cheeky, but I would have to stand on a stool to reach!

 

inside was an intriguing folder

 

and inside the folder ...... gift certificates for us to attend a food and wine evening.  They are valid for a year, so we have plenty of  time to decide which evening to attend

 

you know how much we enjoy our food (and wine) so they couldn't have found a better present for us!

 

I had to pop into Hawick this morning, and as usual walked round to see if the heron was sitting on the rocks in the Slitrig.   He wasn't there ...... but there is a new "water feature" - and old tyre which has got jammed in the rocks

 

I walked on round to see if the heron was further along the river.  No heron, but a pair of ducks

 

I walked through the old churchyard

 

I have wondered in the past about the meaning of a skull and crossbones on headstones, so today I made the effort to google it ....... if you click here you will find a very comprehensive list of gravestone symbolism.

A quick visit to my favourite charity shop produced these four wine glasses

 

taking that photo reminded me that I hadn't yet shown you the miniature glass bottles that I bought from a quirky shop at the South Melbourne Market (I put the espresso cup beside them to give you an idea of how small they are)

 

they are a little reminder of the very elegantly served cuppa that I had at the Armchair Collective, which we visited with Lee

 

when I went out this morning, I had to break the ice in the birdbath .....

 

...... the water must still have been cold this afternoon, as this (rather plump) female blackbird was somewhat hesitant about having a dip!

 

........ and the robin looked most annoyed at having to queue!!

 

I'm off to Kelso later for the monthly meeting at Abbey Quilters.  Come back tomorrow to see what tonight's project is.

Day 8 - and still going strong!

When I was busy sewing yesterday afternoon, Malcolm came to tell me that there was a butterfly in the garden ...... we have seen very few this year!

not just a butterfly, but bees too!

 

beautiful markings

 

can you see the body is quite furry?

 

the everlasting sweet pea has finally flowered

 

I like the tangle of tendrils

 

the pyracantha beside the studio door is laden with berries

 

this afternoon I thought I ought to tackle the ironing basket!

 

to finish ...... this isn't the best of photos, as it was taken through the window.  The robin was having fun in the birdbath ...... but as soon as I took the photo, he flew off!!