frayed at the edge

I was going to say .......

....... something clever in French - but my French is decidedly rusty, so I thought I wouldn't embarrass myself by getting it wrong!  The reason for using French?  Well, when we were leaving the cafe after lunch yesterday, we stopped to look at two cushions on a sofa, showing a map of the British Isles, with the wording in French.  Then when we went to RE, we spotted the very maps - they are actually dishtowels!  I plan to make cushions for the summer house with them

 

 

I couldn't resist these notebooks - perhaps one will end up as a giveaway some time soon?

 

Yes, it's string - but I love string, it has so many uses.  The butchers' twine is great for tying up parcels and I'll probably use some of the plain coloured ones for bunting

 

I didn't mention in yesterday's post that I was going out (again) last night!  This time it was to Souter Quilters in Selkirk.  Dawn Cameron-Dick was the guest speaker

 

she was very entertaining and had us in fits of laughter, as she gaily slandered various members of her family!  After the talk, we were allowed to take photos and touch the quilts (some quilters hardly let you breathe on their quilts, never mind touch them!)

 

The quilts were all fabulous - but my favourite was this sheepie one, which she made after her first visit to Scotland!

 

I bought the book which Dawn has recently published

 

I have to admit that when it comes to all the technical stuff about sewing machines, needles and threads, I have the attention span of a gnat, so this little book will provide a quick and clear reference source

 

Of course you know by now that whenever quilters get together, there is ........food!  The members of Souter Quilters laid on a wonderful spread!

 

The tits are still busy feeding their young in the nesting box, so this morning I tiptoed over, wedged myself in between the compost bins and a large trellis ...... in danger of being strangled by a large clematis!  But it was worth the discomfort to capture these shots (click on the photos to enlarge them)

 

 

I then moved round to the back of the trellis and stood on the garden (don't tell Malcolm!) to get this view from the side

 

Fingers crossed that I'll be there with the camera when the young leave the nest!

I was surprised ........

....... when I went out for my walk this morning - not by these starlings in the tree, but the blue sky beyond them!

 

There was a new horse in a nearby field .......

 

....... and our neighbour's horse in the adjacent field was being very vocal in its disapproval of the new arrival

 

I found this cone on the road in front of a stand of trees where I know there are squirrels (they have a disconcerting habitof running across the road right in front of the car!).  It looks as if a squirrel has been nibbling on it

 

This Jacob's ewe was keeping a beady eye on me ......

 

..... as was this rabbit!

 

The church was bathed in the early morning sun

 

As I came down the hill towards home, one of the neighbour's many cats (7 at the last count) was slinking along, stalking this pheasant - but as soon as it saw me, it sat and tried to look innocent!

 

As Malcolm is really enjoying driving his new car, we decided to go further afield for lunch today, and headed south over the border to the town of Corbridge.

We had a walk round the town before lunch, enjoying the sights.  This door is small - even I would have to duck to go through it

 

but the building is somewhat larger

 

it was helpful to have an information plaque on the building!

 

It was hard to decide which of the many cafe/coffee shops to go to for lunch, but we finally settled on this one .......

 

....... with its promise of a lazy lunch!

 

Malcolm had corn beef and potato hash, with a crispy fried egg

 

and I had the ploughman's platter (Malcolm as usual ate the tomato, which I don't like)

 

After lunch, we went in search of RE ...... we knew that the shop is tucked away, and it took a bit of searching to find it!

 

The young chap who served us was delightful, and more than happy for me to take photos!

 

 

On the way back to the car we detoured down this steep cobbled lane.  It may look quaint, but I don't think I would want to live in one of the houses, lovely as they are.  Imagine having to lug a large food shop up or down the cobbles to your house!

 

 

This might look a rather plain extension (a studio perhaps?)

 

but its elevated position must give it superb views out over the river

 

On the way home it was frustrating to be stuck behind a lorry

 

and even more frustrating when the lorry was in turn slowed down by a tractor and livestock trailer!

 

I've often seen vans with signs on them saying "no money left in van" or "no tools left in van" ....... but this one is much better!!

 

What? ...... Oh you want to know what I bought in RE - I'll tell you tomorrow!

 

I would forget my head.......

....... if it wasn't firmly attached to my shoulders!!  After giving you a preview of the Common Riding, with Michael in his finest riding gear - I completely forget to post the photos that I took of the ride through the town on Saturday!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the road sweeper is a necessity after all those horses!!

 

Must dash, as it is Abbey Quilters tonight.  It is the last meeting before the summer break - the dreaded AGM.  I shall be hiding in a corner, as I don't really want to join the committee - I simply have too much sewing to do at the moment!

A paler shade of blue

My camera, for some reason, doesn't like deep blue, so this first flower should be a much deeper blue (I'm sure I could change the settings, but at 6.45am my eyes are barely open, so no chance of doing that)

 

this next one should be a deeper blue too .......

 

....... but this teeny tiny forget-me-not is pale blue

 

although it wasn't raining, everything was still dripping from the overnight rain, as you can see from these pansies, which are in pots at the entrance to the churchyard

 

 

When I got to the bottom of the hill, I had a look in the field to see if the foal was there.  It was, but it was at the far side of the field, and I only had the small lens on the camera.  So instead of going on round the bend and down the hill as usual, I turned up the bridle path which would take me nearer to the foal.  First though, I had to take these photos ........ does this ewe look glum ..........

 

because she is different to all the other ewes in the field!

 

Then, on to admire the foal, with its long gangly legs!

 

 

Now ....... if I hadn't changed my route to photograph the foal, then I wouldn't have been back out on the road just as a car drew up, and a man got out of it.  He was in his very smart riding gear, about to head off to Hawick for the Common Riding.  When I was little, my Mum frequently said "those who ask don't get", but my friend Anne frequently says "shy bairns get nowt" ......... so I asked if I could take his photo (explaining that it was for my blog, in case he thought I was some sort of stalker!)  He said yes, as long as I was quick, as he had to get his horse ready.  He then slung his jacket over his shoulder and posed as if he had spent years on the catwalk!  As he rushed off, I shouted after him "What's your name?" ...... so thank you very much, Michael Robertson!

 

I was about to type "to finish" ....... but then I thought, am I starting to be like some newsreaders, who spend most of the bulletin dwelling on doom and gloom, then at the end suddenly smile and trot out a cute story!!  So, is it just me, or do the flowers on this little shrub in a neighbour's front garden look like little aliens?

 

It has been raining steadily all afternoon - hopefully it will be better tomorrow!  Malcolm won't notice, as he will be watching Euro 2012 (football).  I hope you all have a good weekend, love Anne

A day off!

Normally we don't vary from our routine when there is a public holiday ...... but as today is a very special holiday, for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, we decided to do something different!  But first, I got up as usual and headed out for my walk.  I put the big lens on the camera, which meant I could take photos such as this one, of a black sheep some distance away in the field across the road

 

then there were these cows, two fields away at the bottom of the valley

 

 

I never tire of taking photos of the Mintos and the Eildons, as the views change so much with the different seasons

 

 

These sheep were tucking into the lush grass, in a field which hasn't been grazed for some time!

 

 

I just managed to snap this fox as it dashed down the field - but I couldn't see what it was carrying

So, where did we go for our "jubilee jaunt"?  All the way to Hawick!  One the the woollen mills has just opened a cafe and shop.  Malcolm had checked it out last week, and said it was a super place.  We parked in the supermarket car park, popped in to buy the papers, then walked along the river to the mill.

 

 

As always, I had a pot of tea, and we shared a delicious cheese scone

 

Malcolm enjoyed his large americano, topped with hot milk

 

The cafe is light, airy and welcoming

 

 

Although we just had a scone, I think the next time we might have one of the wonderful cakes!

 

the shop is full of wonderful things - not all of them woolly!

 

 

There are also little bits of history, such as these wool weights .......

 

 

...... and an old loom

 

to finish ...... get ready to say aaaaah

Drip, drip, drip

After yesterday's rain, it was still damp and dripping when I went out for my walk this morning, and  the ewes in the old orchard looked seriously disgruntled

 

However the dripping plants in the verges provided some interesting photos

 

 

 

However this rhododendron provided a splash of colour

 

I consulted my wildflower books to discover that  this is water aven

 

This weekend, the Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee ....... so of course that meant a party lunch at patch'n'chat!!  We had to dress in red, white and blue ..... so I bought this t-shirt (although purists will note that it actually shows a Victorian pillar box!)

 

I added a red bangle, my beautiful pearl and lapis lazuli necklace, and as it is the diamond jubilee, my diamond earrings

 

A not very good photo of the finished look!

 

We all took a dish to share - this was my contribution, smoked salmon

 

As always, there was a lovely spread of food

 

 

 

We may have had a wonderful lunch, but that didn't mean that we had to do without the Friday cake!!  This week's offering was fairy cakes with fresh cream, and to continue the jubilee theme, topped with an edible Union Jack!

 

I will be making a start to quilting Lilly Pilly over the weekend - I hope whatever you are doing, you have a good time, love Anne

Do not adjust your monitor!

Very quick post, as I am very late doing it!

the new car (Citroen C3 Picasso) parked in Berwick

 

my lunch (I shared the coleslaw with Malcolm!)

 

my latest hairdo ...... what can I say, I was bored and had purple highlights put in!!

 

 

It's a small world!

Malcolm has been thinking for some time about changing his car, so when he enjoyed driving the hire car on holiday, he thought he would investigate Citroens further

 

Then in one of those little coincidences in life, when he was reading the local paper on Thursday, he saw an advert saying that the Citroen dealer from Coldstream would be at a hotel in Galashiels on Sunday morning.  So we decided to go along and check out the cars.  We had a test drive, then went into the hotel to have a cuppa and chat with the car salesman.  I mentioned that my Dad's cousin used to own a hotel in Galashiels, and I thought it was that one.  He asked me what his name was - I said Angus MacKenzie ..... yes, he said, it was this hotel.  It turned out that his Grandpa and Angus were friends, and he was in and out of the hotel when he was little!

 

 

 

 

 

On the way home, I just had time to snap this enormous hare, before it hopped off into the verge!

 

Over the weekend, I made a start to the machine applique on Lilly Pilly.  This is a method I haven't used before, where you simply stitch round the shapes, leaving the edges raw

 

I took this photo of the wrong side, so that you can see how much I have done

 

When I went out for my walk this morning, I was delighted to see all these new sheep in the field across the road

 

Up the hill, the ewes were back in the orchard

 

There was a little haze over the hills

 

The "whomping willow" was looking spooky despite the sunshine

 

This little feather is less than an inch long

 

The lambs are getting big!

 

So what was Malcolm doing at the weekend, when I was sewing my fingers to the bone?

listening to the Test Match (cricket) on the radio

 

ps - yes, he bought a new car, which he will get on Thursday!

 

 

A chilly walk

Yesterday we decided to head into Hawick and go for a walk along the river - but we almost changed our minds when we realised how cold the wind was!!  However we kept walking and I'm glad we did, or we would have missed all this .....

ducklings with their mum

 

a young swan

 

an adult swan

 

heron

 

goose

 

goslings

 

an old fence post

 

mossy tree roots

 

I was surprised to receive a parcel in the post this morning, as I knew I hadn't ordered anything!  I opened it to find a lovely card .....

 

........ and a packet of biscuits.  Sarah sent them to me, after I had complained recently about Malcolm getting a biscuit with his coffee and I didn't get one with my tea when we were out for a cuppa!  So now I will be able to have a biscuit too

 

I have almost finished the Christmas stitcheries

 

and did you notice some Love Notes on the right?  Yes, I am now doing a Love Notes quilt for myself!  I have layered Lilly Pilly with some of this lovely cotton wadding (batting)

 

 

 

But Lilly Pilly will now languish on the table for the next three weeks because ......... yippee, we're off on holiday!!  We'll be leaving about 2am tomorrow, to drive down to Newcastle airport, to fly to Majorca.  Longterm readers will know that we go every year at this time  - but this year we are going for three weeks, rather than our usual two.  Stuart and Alison are joining us for the second and third weeks - they are looking forward to relaxing after all the stress of moving!!

But don't worry, you can still pop in, as I have scheduled posts to appear every day.  They are just short posts, with photos of my sewing over the years.  They aren't in any particular order, but generally the embroideries are the oldest, followed by the counted cross stitch, then the quilts.  And something very exciting will happen when I'm away ........ my 1,000th post will appear!!  Of course that means a giveaway ........ so, when I come back and check which post was the 1,oooth, I will ask Malcolm to pick a winner at random from the comments.  You can either leave a comment on the day you think is the 1,000th post, or you can leave a comment  every day.  I will have to find something very special to bring back from Majorca for the giveaway!!

 

I have packed the rest of my Love Note stitcheries to do in the evenings, and of course we have lots of books on our Kindles to read.  No doubt we will eat lots of delicious food, drink a bottle of two of wine, and generally relax (not forgetting the wonderful cakes to have with our morning cuppas!)

I hope you enjoy the little posts, and I'll be back in three weeks with tales of Majorca!  Love Anne

 

 

 

 

Quilts, cattle and Katy

On Sunday we drove over to Cornhill, to visit the quilt and craft show.  As I paid the entrance fee, a disembodied voice from the back of the hall called out "Hello Malcolm, how are you Malcolm .... 0h hello Anne"  It was the redoubtable Katy, mainstay of the quilt show.  The first quilt we looked at was this wonderful one which she made for her husband Farmer Allan.  It shows his beloved Highland cattle, from the Douglas Fold at The Hirsel in Coldstream

 

Lovely as the Highland cattle are, of course I prefer the other quilt that she made for him ........ tractors!!

 

You saw bits of this cushion before, when Katy was working on it at patch'n'chat

 

So who is Katy?  She is a super fun friend, with a wicked sense of humour, and a willingness to have a go at anything .......  currently she is planning to abseil from the Forth Bridge to raise funds for charity.  This was her last fund raising effort - sitting pretty as Miss April on my studio wall

 

When we went through to have our cuppa and cake (there are always cuppas and cakes at quilt shows) a woman came up to me and said "You're the lady who writes the blog, aren't you, you're frayed at the edge".  I admitted that I was, and in turn said to her "You must be Audrey"  Yes indeed, she was Audrey.  So why does she know me, and why did I guess who she is.  Because her daughter is my blog friend Nicola.  I can't remember how Nicola and I discovered each other, but I love readiing about New Zealand, where Nicola now lives, and she loves when I write about Cornhill and the surrounding area, which she still misses.

When we were looking at the display of Christmas quilts, Malcolm pointed out this one

 

Although it has been done in very different colours, he recognised that it is the same pattern as ours

 

On the way home, we stopped for lunch at the Cream Puff, in Denholm

 

We had never been to the Puff  - it is only four miles or so from the house, so we had never really thought of going "out" to lunch there.  But someone recommended it, so we thought we would give it a try ..... and we are very glad that we did, as we had the most delicious celery, potato and stilton soup

 

Back in the studio, I listened to my latest cd, by The Civil Wars

 

 

To finish, I remembered this morning to take another photo of the Christmas stitcheries.  As the quilt also has red and white blocks, I put some red fabrics on the design wall