frayed at the edge

On the beach

Although the weather forecast for today wasn't quite as good as the last few days, we decided to head to St Abbs.  It was a bit cloudy, but still reasonably warm.  We arrived in time for lunch, which we had in a delightful cafe down at the harbour

 

Malcolm had the sausage and red onion pannini

 

and I had the cheese and sweet chilli one

 

after lunch we went for a walk round the harbour

 

there were lots of seagulls about

 

Malcolm spotted this jelly fish swimming in the harbour

 

after exploring the harbour, we walked along the coastal path to Coldingham, where we encountered more jelly fish - but these were dead ones on the sand.  There was a little girl poking her fingers into one - yeuch!

 

it might have been a warm afternoon, but it must have been a bit chilly in the water!

 

I quite fancy having a beach hut

 

even bees go to the beach for the afternooon!

 

I think this rocky outcrop looks like a lobster ....

 

while Malcolm was hunting for driftwood, I found these two lumps, which unfortunately were just too big to take home

 

look what I found when I went round the other side ...... I have put my foot in the photo to give it scale

 

and of course as usual I found some "arty" shots

 

there was only one way to end our walk on the beach ...... ice cream!!

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A stroll in the garden

Our garden isn't big enough to have much of a stroll in, unlike the garden we visited on Sunday afternoon.  After visiting the Barn, we went a short distance down the road to Sizergh, a fine medieval house.  As we had some time to wait until we were able to see inside the house, we had a long walk round the wonderful gardens

 

we kept getting glimpses of the house

 

unfortunately photography wasn't allowed inside the house, but if you are holidaying Cumbria,  I can recommend visiting Sizergh.

 

This morning we headed off down the road to Stitchin' Heaven.  Malcolm dropped me off at the shop and went off for a day of beachcombing.  I handed over Leanne's House, delighted to have finally finished it (after approx 200 hours work!).  The pattern is available on the website

 

Annie was working on her stunning applique blocks.  She is calling her version of the quilt Baltimore meets Kyoto, as a lot of her fabrics have Japanese patterns

 

when I arrived, Anne had just received a parcel containing a teapot and matching mugs.  If you are having a good day, it is ........

 

........ but if it's a bad day

 

I may have come home with some fabric - I'll show you tomorrow.

 

Fun at breakfast!

Thank you for all your commiserations about our disappointment with Woolfest!  Both Gilly and Thimbleanna left comments saying that we weren't the only ones who didn't think it was as good as previous years.  Never mind, after having lunch in Cockermouth and dinner in Keswick, the next meal we had was breakfast at the excellent B&B.  It was the most wonderful breakfast, with sausage, bacon, eggs, mushrooms and toast.  But as well as enjoying the food, we were also entertained by a young Japanese couple ..... we think they were on their honeymoon.  They obviously didn't speak much English ...... and also obviously hadn't encountered a cafetiere of coffee before, as the boy (he looked much, much too young to call him a man) tried to pour it without having depressed the plunger.  Having been a Brownie and a Guide, I performed my good deed for the day, and showed him what to do.  They started breakfast with a bowl of porridge ..... judging by the face-pulling, I don't think they liked it very much.  Then they had smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, which was fine ..... but he had black pudding with his and she had vegetarian sausage ....... I think they had just ticked boxes on the breakfast menu without knowing what it was!

 

After breakfast, we headed to Lower Sizergh Barn.  There is a wonderful farm shop, crafts for sale, some beautiful (but expensive) clothing, and a lovely tearoom where we only had a cuppa, as we were still full from breakfast.  But the best bit was the farm trail ..... we didn't walk round all of it, but look what we found on the stretch we did walk

 

we then went to ........ but I'll tell you that tomorrow, as there are still lots of photos to share with you, and I haven't yet shown you what I bought in this shop in Keswick (well, I did have all that money that I didn't spend on wool!)

first was this wonderful tin

 

which was filled with mint cake

 

the nougat is for Malcolm, as is the bag of milk chocolate orange thins on the left, with dark chocolate mint thins on the right for me

 

you know that I love to get parcels from afar .........

 

....... and just look what was in this one!

 

you can find the shoes here

Somewhat disappointing!

Oh dear, what can I say?  I found this year's Woolfest to be a bit of a disappointment.  We got there early, so we had breakfast before it opened, and being among the first in the door, I was able to take photos without having someone getting in the way

 

some of the stalls which have been there in past years were absent, and some of the new ones just didn't have anything really exciting on offer!  One major improvement on previous years was that the gents toilet had been temporarily designated as a ladies so there wasn't the usual horrendous queue (there was a temporary toilet outside for the men).  But as always, for me, these were the highlight of the morning

 

yes, I did say of the morning, because we left just before lunchtime. We were going to go for a cuppa, but couldn't get a seat in the main restaurant, or out in the marquee, and when we went to the stall in the main hall, we were told we would have to wait ten minutes to get a cup of tea!  So what did I buy ....... I didn't buy any wool, as I kept thinking of all the wool that I have bought in previous years and haven't yet used (I can't believe I was so sensible!) ...... so all that came home with me was this set of exceedingly cute stitch markers

 

we headed off to Cockermouth for a bite of lunch and a stroll round the town, then took the scenic route to Keswick where we had booked a B&B for the night

 

we were delighted to find that the B&B matched up to the images on its website (if you click on bedrooms, then look at bedroom 1, that's ours)

 

we went out for dinner to a small Italian restaurant.  We were so hungry we had aready eaten some of the garlic pizza bread which we shared for a starter, before I thought to take a photo!

 

for his main course Malcolm had a very spicy pasta dish

 

and I had chicken and bacon risotto

 

both meals were delicious ....... and we were so full, we didn't have room for dessert.  We went for a stroll round the town, and I was able to take some photos which I couldn't in the afternoon because it was so busy!

 

we had a busy day on Sunday before heading back home ....... I'll tell you about it tomorrow.

But to finish ........ fanfare and roll of the drums ......... the winner of the little givaway.  Or, winners, because there are two!  They both forgot the same thing, and when you read what it was they forgot, you may think that they should be punished not given a prize!!  Sarah admitted that while under pressure sitting exams, she forgot her mother's birthday, and Meredithe admitted that when planning their first overseas trip, she didn't just forget her mother's birthday, but her 70th birthday!  I have decided to share the Herdie stitchmarkers with them, and there just might be a little something else in the parcels!

 

Berwick : part II

Yesterday, we left Malcolm gathering driftwood on the beach.  Unfortunately he couldn't free this amazing piece from under a very large boulder - it would have made a great feature in the garden

 

he found lots of good pieces, but they were all wedged tight, and he didn't want to risk bringing the boulders down on top of him, trying to pull them free

 

I went on taking photographs, including some of my favourite arty ones of rusty things!

 

I also poked about in the sand, looking for other things to take photos of.  An empty crab shell

 

and a piece of glass, with the edges worn smooth

 

I also had fun deciding whether to have the lighthouse on the right .....

 

....... or the left of the photo

 

when looking through the photos to choose which ones to include, I came across this one.  You may wonder why the windows have been filled in  - unless you know about this tax

 

a neat stack of lobster pots on the quay

 

a seagull on top of an old chimney

 

and to finish, the first photo I took yesterday.  This was on the main road, just a few minutes into our journey.  There was a large lorry in front of us, so I only had a few seconds to take the photo as the caravan came into view, before we had passed it

 

I mentioned yesterday that I had missed the milestone of my 1300th post ....... and I'm offering a prize for the best story of a missed/forgotten significant event.  So tell me in a comment or email to have a chance of winning the fabulous prize (now I'll have to have a search in the studio for something fabulous!!)

 

 

A missed milestone!*

Oh dear, I didn't notice when I did my 1300th post ....... this is post 1306!  So we'll just pretend that this is the landmark one, as we had a great day out today, so there are lots of photos to share with you.  We headed over the border to Berwick, a town steeped in history.  As we walked from the car into town, I stopped to admire the railway viaduct

 

first stop was for lunch.  If we had known how big the baguettes were, we would have ordered one between us!  Malcolm ordered Coronation chicken, and I ordered cheese savoury.  When the waitress brought them, we took a look at each other's and decided to have half each!

 

after lunch, we set off for a walk round the town walls.  There are a lot of gun emplacements ......

 

........ a reminder of the days when the town had to be protected from the pesky Scots!

 

the sun came out, and the views were wonderful

 

two gates in one photo!

 

I remembered that the last time we walked along the walls, we passed some allotments, which seemed to be home to a Hobbit

 

I spotted this man in a boat ....

 

....... then realised that he was working with these men, pulling in fishing nets

 

but I don't think they would want to use this boat, which was part of a garden design

 

we had a good view of the three bridges - the original narrow one (easily defended to keep the aforementioned Scots out), the "new" bridge, which was opened in 1928, and the railway viaduct

 

after our walk on the walls, we headed to the beach, to look for driftwood for Malcolm's creations.  While he gathered wood, I took photos of the old wooden groynes

 

I still have lots of photos to share with you ...... so I think you will have to come back tomorrow for the rest!

*Have you missed or forgotten a special event ...... tell me in a comment or an email, and there will be a prize for the best one!

 

A bit of a blur

I was at the optician's this morning, for what I thought would be my regular eye check ....... but no, because of my age (!) I needed an extra test, which required havinng drops put in my eyes.  I really don't like having things put in my eyes - I have never tried contact lenses ....... so it didn't help when the optician said it would sting a bit (yes, it did!).  But the main thing was that it left me with blurred vision for the rest of the day.  The good news is that my distance sight has actually improved, and she has tweaked my reading prescription.  I eventually picked a new pair of glasses - but you will have to wait until the 1st of July to see them.

So, to finish off our trip.  On our way home, we stopped at Masson Mills.  But we didn't stop for the shopping (ok, we did have a look round), but for the museum

 

just when it looked as if we were going to have a weekend with no sconnage, we stopped at a coffee and farm shop ........

 

....... and shared a delicious cheese scone

 

when I got up yesterday and looked out the window, I decided to go for a walk, rather than using the implements of keep-fit torture.  Although it was only 6.45, this tractor was already hard at work

 

I just missed getting a photo of this bale as it popped out the back of the baler

 

this Jacob's ewe was keeping an eye on me through the bars of the gate

 

while this one ignored me and went on munching

 

sharing the field with the ewes is this old donkey - I think it is about 30!

 

back home I had breakfast, followed by my usual Wednesday morning soak in the bath (with a book and a mug of hot chocolate).  Then we headed to Old Melrose, where we went on a new walk

 

after his flirtation with stone, Malcolm went back to his first love of wood when he saw this rustic bench

 

we passed Old Melrose House

 

on our way to here

 

back home, I was taking some photos of the poppies in the back garden .......

 

........ when I saw this

 

slightly worried that it was some sort of nasty bug which would bite or sting, I poked it with a stick ...... only to find that it was the outside of a bud, which had fallen into the flower!

 

the hostas are looking wonderful - I much prefer them before they flower

 

well, I think that's me all caught up, except for one last thing from the weekend.  Malcolm saw a book he fancied, but having hummed and hawed he didn't buy it.  Then of course afterwards he wished he had bought it.  So being a loving and caring wife, of course I went online and ordered it for him, and it arrived this morning - he says it's full of all sorts of wondrous stuff about wood (ok, that might not be an accurate quote!!)

So what did I do?

After Malcolm went off to build his wall on Saturday, I went for a walk.  The cottage we were staying in was part of what had been a working farm - you can read more here

 

the owners of the cottages rent out the surrounding fields to a local farmer - there are cows in the summer and sheep in the winter.  As I got to the bottom of the farm road, all the heifers in the field kicked up their heels and came running over.  It was a bit scary, and I was glad that there was a well-built wall between them and me!

 

they were almost dancing as they followed me

 

when I was talking to one of the owners of the cottages the next day, he described them as a bunch of teenage hooligans!

 

this cow in the field across the road was slightly more sedate!

 

back in the cottage I setted down to do some sewing.  This is the comfy sofa I spent quite a lot of time sitting on, sewing, over the weekend (I didn't get time to read my magazines).  The tv is just out of sight on the right - on Saturday I watched King Solomon's Mines (the Richard Chamberlain version) and on Sunday it was Coraline (which was scary!!)

 

looking at the room from the tv corner, you can see the well-equipped kitchen (yes, that is a tiny dishwasher on the left!)

 

the small, but charming, bedroom ........

 

....... and the ensuite shower room

 

on Sunday morning I went out for another walk, but this time the heifers ignored me, as they were too busy licking at something in a bucket

 

the sun was shining and the birds were singing- bliss ....... except for the large amount of cars going past!  It is so quiet here when I go out for a walk - I was out early this morning and all I encountered was  a tractor in the distance and one of the neighbours walking his dogs.  When I saw all these walls, I wondered if Malcolm would want to stay on a repair them!

 

I was rather taken with this beautiful farmhouse - perhaps I could live in it while Malcolm works on the walls?

 

and these two gorgeous beasties were in the field in front of the farmhouse.  I think the second one looks like a sphinx

 

I liked the way that the trees arched over the road

 

I took this photo of the sign for the footpath on my way out........

 

...... then took this one from the other side of the road on my way back - yu can see the path meandering off into the distance

 

this little stone barn made me think of The Little House on the Prairie

 

back at the cottage, I tried to capture the beautiful scenery, but it was very hazy

 

I still have to tell you what we did on the way home on Monday, and about my walk this morning, and the walk we had before lunch ....... and I haven't even shown you any sewing yet this week!  We very rarely have pudding (I don't count a low-fat yogurt as pudding)  - but look at this  delicious concoction we had tonight.  And although it looks indulgent, it was surprisingly low in calories ..... the meringue nest is 50 calories, as is the spoonful of half-fat creme fraiche, and although I didn't work out the calories for the fruit, it wouldn't have added many more

Stoned!

I had a lightbulb moment last year, when I was trying to think of a Christmas present for Malcolm ....... knowing that he is interested in dry stone walls, I did a search and found this.  It was a simple matter to buy a gift voucher, which meant he could choose which weekend to go.  He sensibly decided to wait until now, in the hope that the weather would be good, and apart from a brief shower on Saturday morning, it stayed dry, but not too hot.  It turned out that several of the other thirteen participants had also been given a voucher for Christmas!  Their first job was to take apart a section of old wall - the piles of green are stinging nettles, which they had to clear

 

next, they graded the stone and laid it out in rows

 

then they started rebuilding the wall

 

this was Malcolm's section on the Saturday - he was working at the other end on Sunday

 

he was creaking a bit when he came back to the cottage on Saturday evening, so we headed to Bakewell, where we sat by the river and tucked into fish and chips

 

back at work on Sunday, the wall was taking shape

 

but it wasn't all hard work

 

Malcolm showing off his hard work

 

by the end of the afternoon, the coping stones were being put on top of the wall

 

the finished section of wall - hopefully it will still be there in a hundred years' time!

 

on Sunday evening we headed back to Bakewell, where we found a French restaurant for dinner

 

Malcolm had chicken fricasse

 

while I tucked in to boeuf Bourguignonne

 

I'll be back tomorrow to tell you what I got up to while Malcolm was building his wall, with photos of the stunning scenery ...... and I'll also tell you about these cows

A new skill

I've just popped in for a moment, to let you know that we are back home, weary after a very busy weekend.  I'll be back tomorrow with a full report, but here is a little sneak peak at Malcolm's wall building