frayed at the edge

To return to the story of Sunday ......

........ on the way home, I got Malcolm to drop me off, so that I could take photos of the alpacas

 

but I couldn't get clear photos - I need to go back with my big lens to zoom in through the thick hedge

 

so I set off on the long walk up the hill home

 

pausing to take a photo of a nice bit of higgledy piggledy fence

 

but as I went past a field gate, what were these beauties at the other end of the field

 

two magnificent llamas!

 

who were as curious about me as I was about them

 

this one came right up to the gate

 

and immediately became my new best friend, as it posed prettily for me

 

however, the other one kept its distance, looking somewhat aloof

 

as well as the llamas, there were two little ponies in the field

 

one of which meandered over to the gate

 

one final look at the llamas, before I headed on home

 

to finish, I bought this little bundle of fabrics last week in The Quilt Shop.  Come back on Friday to see what I have been making.

A special day!

 On Saturday morning, Malcolm's sister Jennifer arrived at the house, parked her car in the drive, then the three of us set off north.  Once over the Border, we stopped at The Flat Cat Gallery in Lauder for some lunch (if you are wondering about the name, a flat cat is a kind of rug).

 

I had a tuna mayo baguette (I gave Malcolm the olives, as I don't like them)

 

Malcolm had roast beef

 

and I haven't quite got Jennifer trained, as she had moved her smoked salmon baguette before I could take the photo!

 

after a further drive, we arrived at our destination Glenbervie House Hotel (sorry about the quality of the photo, but I found it on the internet - the weather was horrid, and it was a quick dash from the car indoors without stopping for photos)

 

 

inside the hotel, we found this lovely function room

 

and when we came downstairs after donning our finery, we found these two handsome men in their kilts  ........ yes, we were there for Stuart and Alison's wedding reception!

 

the happy couple, waiting to make their grand entrance

 

the evening got underway with the traditional cutting of the cake, which was done with a grand flourish

 

a decidedly untraditional cake - but if you are Scottish, you will have grown up eating Tunnock's teacakes, caramel wafers and snowballs!

 

but what is this ...... a second cake?!  One of Alison's colleagues made this magnificent creation for them

 

Stuart was somewhat nervous making his speech

 

then it was time for the First Dance

 

Malcolm really doesn't like having his photo taken, so he looks a bit serious (and he looks just like his Dad!!)

 

brotherly, and sisterly, love

 

the handsome groom and his very proud Mum

 

the beautiful bride and her very proud mother-in-law

 

knowing that you like a handsome man in a kilt, I asked this chap to pose for you

 

he then tried to steal the bride!

 

a small selection of the delicious buffet

 

a weary Malcolm, as we headed up to bed at the end of a fabulous evening 

 

we met up with Stuart and Alison, the best man Fraser and bridesmaid Lynsey, and their friends Paul and Caroline for breakfast.  Jennifer was very ladylike and had eggs benedict

 

while the rest of us tucked into a full Scottish breakfast - this is mine with scrambled eggs.  The others had poached or fried eggs.  Hiding behind the potato scones is a slice of black pudding topped with haggis - what a gourmet breakfast.  And just the thing for a certain groom and best man who may have slight hangovers!!

 

let's finish by embarrassing the happy couple ........ first Stuart, not just dancing, but also singing!

 

and Alison dancing with Stuart's stepsister Claire!

 

I'll be back on Wednesday with my first report for the 6&6 Challenge.

 

Another Sunday, another beach

 Yesterday morning we went for a slightly chilly walk on the beach at Alnmouth.  Although it was two degrees, the wind made it feel much colder.  However this little dog was happy running about the beach

 

we had only been on the beach for a few minutes when I made my first find, a big piece of seaglass

 

what's that, you want to see my blue nails?  Slightly embarrassing, as the polish is s bit chipped

 

the winter storms have exposed these concrete blocks, leaving a foot of sand covered in grass on top of them

 

further along the beach, someone has been having fun - a bit bigger than the stone stacks that I sometimes build on the beach!

 

Malcolm spotted this tiny piece of china (by that time I had put my gloves on, as my hands were so cold!)

 

this photo makes it look as if the beach was deserted

 

but zooming out shows that there were lots of people about - mainly dog walkers

 

of course I had to stop to take photos of the weathered groynes ........

 

........ with their lovely bits of rusty metal

 

the cold weather wasn't deterring the golfers, who were queueing up to play

 

it must have been even colder up on top of the cliff

 

the first piece of litter that we picked up - by the end of our walk we had filled a carrier bag

 

but we left this buoy behind - it was full of sand and wasn't going anywhere

 

as we walked back to the car, I noticed these bottles sitting in front of an old garden door.  Is it a work of art ......... or littering and vandalism!

 

we went to the Old School Gallery for a cuppa

 

where fortunately they let Malcolm in the door, despite it being the Entrance for Girls

 

it was only when I was looking at this photo on my laptop that I noticed that the name is spelled wrongly in the website address!

 

we had a very welcome cuppa to warm us up, and shared a delicious slice of lime polenta cake

 

another of Stuart's friends has become a Dad - which of course means I am making a quilt!  Come back on Wednesday to see it.

 

Oh I do like to be ......

...... beside Newbiggin-by-the sea!  As it was a clear bright (and somewhat chilly) morning yesterday, we headed over to Newbiggin for a walk along the seafront.  I wasn't worried by this notice, as there was no way I was going anywhere near the freezing cold sea!

 

we missed seeing the lifeboat being launched from the trailer behind the tractor

 

but we saw it out at sea bouncing over the waves

 

then later we saw it reversing on to the trailer

 

and being towed back up the beach

 

finishing with a tricky manoeuvre to reverse ........

 

up to the lifeboat station

 

this groyne shouldn't end up buried under the sand, as it is part of the landscaping, and isn't on the beach

 

this may look like a bare wall

 

but a closer look .......

 

...... shows plant growing between the bricks

 

a quick pause for an arty photo

 

from the far end of the seafront, we had a good view of the church on the point

 

then I took this photo as we walked back to the car

 

I suggested this boat would be a good "fixer-upper" project for Malcolm, but he declined to buy it! 

 

so I suggested that he could offer to repair these doors, as they are definitely in need of some tlc

 

we were going to go to this café for a cuppa, as it brings back memories for Malcolm of childhood visits and ice cream treats.  But as it was closed ......

 

...... we headed instead to the Maritime Centre

 

where we had some excellent sconnage for lunch

 

what an excellent idea, encouraging people to help keep the beach clean (I think people who drop litter on the beach should be thrown into the freezing sea as punishment - that would make them think twice before doing it again!)

A fun snowman!

 I had bought a bottle of pomegranate juice to use in cooking a lamb dish, and when the bottle was empty, I thought it would make a good snowman.  So I raided the store cupboard for some salt to fill the bottle

 

definitely looking like a snowman

 

I used a large polystyrene ball for his head,  glued on buttons and pompoms, then found an oddment of wire-edged ribbon for his scarf.  The bottle top made a good hat

 

when Malcolm saw him he went off and cut two twigs for his arms - a quick, easy and fun make!

 

we came up to Berwick yesterday, and after lunch we walked over to town, pausing to watch this little redshank poking about at the river's edge

 

and this swan which had found something tasty at the base of a wall

 

we were surprised to see ice floating down the river

 

this lump was just about big enough to support a polar bear!

 

this little wagtail wasn't bothered by all the pedestrians walking past, although he wouldn't turn round and face the camera

 

then just when I got him in focus again, he hopped off!

 

we walked over to town in the early evening for some pub grub, and on the way back I took some photos of the Christmas lights

 

as I had the big camera with me, the results are a bit better than my previous efforts

 

the golden blur on top of the bridge is a train - the long exposure has created a strange effect

 

for this one I balanced the camera on the bridge parapet,  so that there isn't so much camera shake

 

this morning we popped along to the local garden centre for a cuppa, and were delighted to find that the donkeys were visiting again

 

the dark one at the back wouldn't look up from tucking into a tasty meal of hay

 

you may remember that my Christmas cactus recently had to go to the compost heap, so I was pleased to find this glittery replacement, in a decorative metal pot

 

I have two wonderful scones to share with you today - we had this one yesterday when we stopped for a cuppa on our way up to Berwick

 

and we had this one in the garden centre this morning.  They were both delicious, both made with a good, strong, sharp cheese

 

I am going to take a short break, but I will be back on Friday the 29th, with my last report of the 17 UFOs challenge.  So, to finish .......Malcolm took all the magnetic  Scrabble letters off the cooker splashback this afternoon when he was doing a bit of "Christmas cleaning", so when I helped put them back .........

 

I assembled a message for you!

 

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and that Santa is good to you (I have to report there isn't yet an alpaca shaped parcel under the tree!!).

 

Amost there!

Malcolm went off to the flat yesterday, leaving me in peace to decorate the house.  Of course, this is our first Christmas here, so I had to decide where all the decorations would go.  I took down the quilts that hang round the top of the stairs ........

 

........ and replaced them with some of the Christmas wallhangings which I have made over the years

 

it's over twenty years since I made the Christmas tree

 

of course I have to have an owl or two - this one is hanging in the kitchen

 

I replaced the chickens which usually sit on top of the kitchen radiator - I took this photo this morning

 

and this one at teatime

 

angels to watch over us

 

the windowsill in the lounge

 

after the delicious smells in the kitchen when I baked the cake, I was tempted to bake something every day ....... but then I would eat all the goodies and have to spend even more time on the implements of torture to work off the calories!  So instead I bought this wonderful candle, which fills the kitchen with delicious smells.  If you pop in for a visit, please don't try to eat the biscuits ...... they are actually decorations!

 

I'll be back on Monday with the final reveal of our decorations.  I hope to spend some time in the Attic over the weekend, finishing a baby quilt - another one of Stuart's friends has become a Dad!  The forecast is decidedly horrid, although hopefully we won't get any snow.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

A split weekend!

Because of the snow, we stayed at home on Saturday, then went to Berwick on Sunday ........ so to paraphrase football commentators, it was a weekend of two halves!  We went up to Alnwick on Saturday morning, to find there was a bigger than usual Market

 

including a stall selling all things alpaca, made with the fleece

 

of these delightful creatures

 

who posed quite happily for the camera - ok, they were bribed - Malcolm was feeding them slices of carrot!

 

maybe if I ask Santa nicely he might bring me a champion alpaca!

 

on Saturday afternoon, I was busy in the attic ....... but you will have to wait until Wednesday to see what I was doing!  At the end of the afternoon, I was treated to this wonderful sunset

 

Sunday was bright and sunny - a delight after the horrid snow!  We went for a walk round the Walls ...... I hadn't intended to take any photos, so I only had the point and shoot camera with me (I don't have a smart phone, so I always have the little camera in my handbag).  It has a limited zoom, so the lighthouse looks a long way away!

 

I do like old chimneys

 

the bare trees ........

 

....... stand out against the blue sky

 

I like the way the bramble has grown round the bottom of this weed, which is on top of a wall

 

if I had taken the big camera with me, I could have zoomed in on the shadow shot of the gate on the stone wall

 

there was a "super moon" last night ...... but this was the best the little camera could manage!

 

all sorts of Christmas things are happening here, so do come back on Wednesday - if only you could smell the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen as I type this!!

 

Walk this way!

Last Thursday, we set of for a stroll through the village, pausing to admire these fungi growing under a tree

 

I meant to look this tree up in my book, but I forgot, and as I am writing this at the flat, and my book is at home, perhaps one of you will know what it is!

 

a rather smart new house being built a few streets away from us

 

 

with another one being built behind it

 

the leaves are changing to their glorious autumn colours, which are my favourite

 

Malcolm shows the scale of this passing tractor and trailer

 

more fungi - as I don't know anything about them, I would never risk picking wild ones, in case they were poisonous

 

there's a surprise, our stroll has brought us to Nelson's

 

the sign on the window saves me from telling you!

 

it was quiet when we arrived (it soon filled up) so I was able to take some photos

 

where else would you hang your old tennis racquets and walking sticks!

 

and of course we all hang our bikes from the ceiling!

 

we walked round to see the rheas ........

 

which upset these geese, which were vociferous in their disapproval of our walking past!

 

it was rather hard to take photos of the rheas, as they were constantly twisting ......

 

......... and turning .........

 

.......... pulling feathers out!

 

of course we have to have a couple of arty photos.  First a cotoneaster growing out the top of an old stone wall

 

and then a fading hydrangea flower hanging over another old wall

 

as you can see, a lot of leaves have already come down

 

we regularly pass this garden, which has all sorts of quirky things in it

 

the current theme is owls

 

back home, I have been busy with the two little bits of garden that I am allowed to work on!

 

I have given the border in front of the house a thorough weed, and have planted some bulbs for spring colour

 

in the rockery, the bedding plants are still flowering, so I have left them for just now, and just had a good weed and deadhead

 

I have planted more spring bulbs in Malcolm's raised bed

 

when I was taking the photos, I spotted several different fungi

 

growing in what is supposed to be the lawn

 

I think the Head Gardener

 

will have a lot of work next spring to eliminate the weeds

 

I even discovered a late-flowering dandelion!

 

I promised you scones ....... when I went up to the counter in Nelson's to place our order, I couldn't make up my mind between the tasty cheese scones

 

and the delicious fruit ones, so we just had to share one of each ..... yum!!

 

to finish, what was happening on the quayside in Berwick this morning ........ had we slipped though a rip in the time-space continuum (or something like that!) and gone back several hundred years ........ I'll tell you on Monday!  Have a great weekend, love Anne

Happy birthday to .........

............  ME!!!!!

 

the day got off to a good start, with my favourite breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs

 

then lots of lovely pressies and cards

 

Malcolm gave me a super big tv for The Attic ........ and I enjoyed watching one of my favourites, Bruce Willis while I was doing some sewing this afternoon

 

of course there has to birthday cake ......... I know this one is really meant for children, but I couldn't resist it!

 

did I hear you mention candles?  I thought I had better not have one for each year of my age (29!!) in case the house burned down!

 

we had a piece of cake with our afternoon cuppa - it was delicious, light sponge, with lots of chocolate and a banana-flavoured buttercream topping

 

making my wish before I blew out the candles

 

Malcolm is taking me out for dinner this evening, and this bottle of fizz is now chilling in the fridge for when we get back home!

 

Just the ticket!

We had been invited to a financial seminar in Newcastle today (I strongly deny that I only went as a buffet lunch was included!).  As Malcolm wasn't overly keen on driving into the city and finding somewhere to park (which would probably be somewhat expensive), we decided to go by train

 

a pretty welcome to Morpeth station

 

I didn't expect to find a Victorian post box in the station!

 

many, many years ago, I worked in the Civil Engineers office of British Rail (and I have to tell you they were anything but civil!).  So I could give you all the technical details about the rail, the sleepers, the clips ....... but maybe not!

 

while we waited for our train (we are always early) this sleek intercity train whizzed through the station ......

 

then our clunky, rattling train arrived

 

20 minutes later, we were in Newcastle, admiring the grand entrance to the station

 

it was only a few minutes walk to our destination, the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, which you can read about here and here

 

the elegant carving is so much better than the brash signage on modern buildings

 

this is the library, which has a copy of every book on the subject of mining

 

the stunning roof

 

and the beautiful windows (sorry about the quality of the photo, but I was using the point-and-shoot camera)

 

some of the oldest books in the library

 

this is Nicholas Wood, the founder of the Institute, who was a great believer in education.  When the Institute opened, it trained more people to graduate level than Durham University.  To obtain a qualification from the Institute, you had to have worked in a mine - none of this learning from a book and thinking you knew it all

 

this translates as I advise and defend

 

there is a spiral staircase in each corner of the room

 

 this was probably used to emboss a stamp on the degree certificates

 

there are two large fireplaces in the library, but these days it is heated by radiators

 

after a delicious lunch, we were given a guided tour by the exceedingly knowledgeable chap at the podium.  The panelling and benches are Cuban mahogany, which he said is now so rare it is actually as expensive as gold

 

there is a lot of exploratory work going on under the floor, as they want to upgrade part of the building.  This hole is already 6 feet deep, and they haven't yet reached the foundations

 

this Victorian ceiling was boarded over for 50 years, but was recently uncovered and restored

 

another large hole

 

the tour continues outside

 

where we had the chance to admire the ornate carvings

 

which have survived city centre dirt and grime

 

but the main focus .........

 

......... was on this trench.  Although we couldn't see it, there are remains of Hadrian's Wall under the foundations of a building which pre-dates the Institute.  This had thrown up a dilemma - should they dig up more of the old foundations, to uncover more of the wall?  They have decided to extend the trench to the right of where is has already been dug out

 

we had some time to kill before we got the train home, but I will save them for another day.  So, to finish, a quirky doorway which caught my eye ........

 

........ did you notice the strange creature over the door?