frayed at the edge

Great excitement!!

The moment has arrived, the random number generator (aka Malcolm!) has picked the winning numbers, and I've taken a photo of the prizes (except for the one from the studio, which is a surprise - ok, so I haven't picked it yet!!)  So here are the prizes ...

 

 

........ and the winners are 

Anairam who wins the notebook, bought in Singapore, although made in Korea!

Meg who wins the 'vintage' Australian craft magazine  

Tracy (Pink Purl) who wins the handpainted Australian mohair

Helen (Busy Bee) who wins the mohair fun pack for embroidery

Lee who wins something wonderful from the studio

Thanks to everyone who reads the blog and leaves comments - and if you didn't win this time - I'm sure  there will be another giveaway sometime soon!!

On Monday the sun was shining (although it was rather chilly), so I headed out into the garden for some photos

 

Do you remember the little tiny grapes earlier in the year - they are a bit bigger now ..... but not quite big enough to make wine with!!

 

and the black grapes are even smaller!

 

the sedum has just started to flower

 

I don't know what this climber is, but it is a beautiful colour

 

vibrant red berries

 

This is the wall of the house next door, which forms one boundary of our back garden - and shelters us from the worst of the winter weather!!  The creeper is just turning to its glorious autumn colours....... but all too soon it will be winter ......
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gremlins!

Well, those pesky little gremlins have been rounded up and removed!!  So after a slight delay, here it is, my 200th post (I just hope you think it was worth waiting for!!!)  I have been so busy since we got back, that I haven't yet taken photos of the things included in the giveaway, but there are things from Australia and Singapore ... and maybe even something from the studio.  All you have to do is leave a comment (or e-mail me) ........ I'll make the draw on Wednesday evening, so be sure to visit on Thursday to see if you are a winner.  I really enjoy writing my blog - I had withdrawal symptoms on holiday!!  But of course there would be no point in writing it, if I didn't have all you lovely people out there reading it - so .... thank you!!

Yesterday, it was off down the road to Chesters, for another of Lindsay's Woolgathering.  There was a good turn out, and as it was a slightly chilly (but sunny) day, we had a log fire to keep us cozy while we worked.  As always, there was a great variety of work - my favourite was Janet's beautiful embroidered cushion

Her stitching is exquisite, as you can see in this detail

 

Alison is just starting a new venture, making wonderful kitchen accessories

I immediately bought a chef's pad, and I may have to buy a matching towel - they are designed to fit over the handle of your oven - a great thing if you have husbands/children who take the kitchen towel to dry their hands and don't put it back!!  There are also aprons and oven gloves available.  If you are interested in buying any of these lovely things for your kitchen, let my know and I will pass your enquiry on to Alison.

 

Fiona received lots of compliments on this wonderful fabric picture - I'm sorry the photo doesn't do it justice - it was hard to take a photo without getting reflections on the glass.

 

I was working on my chickens - I think I will have to make an early New Year's Resolution - get those chickens finished!!

 

 

Of course, no Woolgathering would be complete without one of Lindsay's wonderful cakes ......

 

 

 

The cutting room floor

Since I started my blog, I have taken hundreds of photos, and of course I have used quite a lot of them.  But there are some photos which are still languishing unseen in my folders ... perhaps they are a bit blurred, or the moment for that story passed, or something better cropped up later in the day to change the plans for that day's post .... and there are also all the photos from before blogging! However,  unlike bit-part actors, whose moment of glory ended up on the cutting room floor, some of these photos are finally getting their moment in the spotlight!

We'll start with cute animals .....

 

 

 

 

 

 

then a bit of falling down fence

 

 

my latest pillar box

 

 

a bit of sewing

 

 

a bit of knitting

 

 

there has to be Scotland's (other) national drink

 

 

a little bit of (a previous) garden

 

 

a (holiday) sunset

 

 

swallows getting ready to fly off to sunnier climes

 

I hope you have enjoyed my trawl through the archives ... and now I have a present for you ..... a little bouquet of flowers and grasses which I picked from the hedgerow this morning, when I went out for my last three mile walk - I certainly have got my legs fit for the holidays!!

 

No doubt while we're away we will have the occasional glass of wine .... and as always I'll raise my glass and think of family and friends and say

 

cheers!!

Warning signs

there are warning signs

 

then there are WARNING signs

 

and then there are

WARNING SIGNS

 

 

We were in Northumberland today visiting Malcolm's Dad, and on the way home, Malcolm kindly took us on a detour so that I could take these photos of beautiful heather (although it pains me to admit that it isn't Scottish Heather!!)

 

glorious!!

 

 

 

 

 

Meandering

I'm in shock!!  I've been checking my stats over the last couple of days (yes, I know it's sad!!) and I seem to have acquired a lot more readers!! (and it has caused an outbreak of exclamation marks!)  So no pressure then to write another intelligent and witty post!!  Oh well, here goes.....

Although it's only the middle of August and is supposedly still summer, autumn is creeping in, as can be seen in these two adjacent fields

 

a late summer cut of hay

 

and autumm harvest

 

then there are summer flowers still blooming in the verge

 

 and autumn seedheads

I'm still walking three miles Monday to Friday (got to get the legs fit for Sydney!).  Getting up at 6.30 to go out walking means not too much time is spent looking glamorous (I just about manage to brush my hair), but I don't think that I look so bad that these horses need blinkers on!

 

Do you remember the recent post about the goose making a great racket when I was taking photos of the Jacob's sheep?  Well, it wasn't a goose, it was a gander, and he belongs to my neighbour, Marion, who breeds Jacob's sheep (as we live in the country, a neighbour is anyone who lives within a two mile radius!).  The reason he was making such a fuss, is that he is in love with one of the lambs!  I took the next photo another morning, when Marion had just let the lambs out

 

It's that quiet time of year for news, so as usual the stories of large cats prowling the countryside are back  - so I was slightly worried to see this ahead of me in the road

 

So what was it - a panther or some other large beastie, escaped perhaps from a zoo?

 

it was just a very large domestic cat!!

I was at the dentist this morning for a very long and painful scaling of my teeth - and I have to go back on Monday to have a tooth out.  I kept telling the dentist that the tooth hurts when I eat, and finally today, yet another x-ray showed that it is cracked beyond saving.  When I got back home, Malcolm took me out for lunch to cheer me up, but there was a slight delay on the way - a country-style traffic jam!

 

ps Stuart's big fish (last Wednesday's post) is a red gibbicep plecostomus (you probably knew that!)

 

The nice things that people say .....

...... can really make your day!  First it was Sarah on Thursday - when I said that I couldn't believe that Stuart is 31 next month, she said I must have been very young when I had him!  Then on Friday at chat'n'patch, Anne said that I had made her ears sore, I had talked so much.  Why did that make me happy?  Because finally the latest medication is helping with my sore face, and it no longer hurts to talk!!

I was also happy when the post arrived this morning - first there was this invitation to Lindsay's Woolgathering on Sunday

 

Lindsay makes wonderful envelopes from magazine pages - an excellent idea for recycling!

 

Isn't this a wonderful fabric picture!  It is actually part of a booklet that was sent to Malcolm, trying to persuade him to buy a new Golf Plus!! .....

 

..... the booklet is stitched together - I think they are targetting women to buy the new Golf (I should add here that it's my car, in case you think Malcolm drives a girly car!!)

We went into Hawick this morning for some shopping and of course went for a cuppa

 

It's a quirky cafe tucked up a side street in Hawick - but worth the effort to find, especially if you like second-hand books!

That was all a lot more pleasant than it had been first thing this morning when I went out for my walk

 

The photo looks out of focus - but it was just very wet, with a lot of low cloud over the hills.  However my feet were warm and dry, as I had on my trusty walking shoes and a pair of my handknitted socks

 

although as it was so miserable, perhaps I should have had my 'Happy' socks on!!

 

Why 'Happy' socks - simply because that is what the bamboo yarn is called (although I have been less than happy about the way the socks have washed - my wool ones wash much better!)

So now that the new medication is helping, I am just about back to my normal happy self (although when I said to Malcom I was back to normal, he groaned and said 'oh no'!!!!)

 

So much to tell you ....

... that I had better dive right in!

After all the excitement of Sarah and Andy's visit, there was even  more excitement yesterday when the post arrived.

 

This is the prize I won in the lovely Anne's recent giveaway 

 

she had stamped the envelope

 

stamped the tissue paper and made this beautiful gift tag

 

all that loveliness - and there was still the prize to see!

 

A set of wonderful stamps, complete with little sparkly decorations

 

my card isn't quite as good as Anne's wonderful work!

 

but of course it's the thought that counts

 

I obviously need a bit more practice!  I won't post this to Anne, but I will be sending her a little something else!!

Then of course it was off to chat'n'patch, where Chris was working on a lovely scrappy cushion cover

 

the fabric behind it will be the back of the cushion

 

and of course there was cake - strawberry pavlova - yum, yum, yum!!

 

I am sure you have all been fretting overnight to know if it stayed dry for Jim the farmer to get his hay baled.  Well, I am delighted to tell you that even as I write this they are busy baling it

 

after the tractor and baler have gone so far.....

 

..... out pops the hay bale!!

 

meanwhile, the other tractor driver had fun creating a circle!

 

fuchsia flowers remind me of ballet dancers

 

a butterfly on the buddleia

 

I took this photo yesterday when I was out for my walk - the colour of the hydrangea is wonderful

 

it was sad to see this butterfly dead on the road, but the colours were still strong!

 

the grass was greener on the other side for this lamb!

I'm sorry these last photos are out of order - I just had so much to squeeze into today's post I forgot to start with them!!

 

 

A perfect day!

This morning dawned bright and clear, and although Sarah and Andy were arriving mid-morning, I still got up and went for my walk.  I was glad I did when saw these beautiful boys - the pale one stood and posed for the photo, looking at me with his great big eyes!

  

I was slightly nervous waiting for Sarah and Andy to arrive - what if we didn't like them - we had invited them to spend the whole day with us!  I needn't have worried - from the moment they got out of their car we got on fine (Sarah did say later they had similar thoughts!)  Malcolm was the perfect tour guide, taking us to all sorts of wonderful places.  I have previously blooged about some of them (one day I'm going to learn how to put in a link to previous posts!!)  Malcolm took this photo of Sarah and me, with the wonderful Victorian railway viaduct, which crosses the River Tweed, behind us.  I'm squinting a bit as the sun was in my eyes!

 

We had a wander round the shops in Melrose (Sarah was delighted to find a shop which sold cake glitter!) then after a lovely lunch at the Waterwheel Cafe, near Selkirk, we had a look round the sights of Hawick, before getting back home in the late afternoon.  Of course Sarah and I headed out to the studio, while Malcolm and Andy sat out on the deck enjoying a glass of wine.  It was such a lovely day, we decided to have dinner out in the garden.  We started with soup - roast red pepper, tomato and sweet potato.  As you can see, I served it in teacups (with some fresh basil) - we once had soup served like that in a posh restaurant!  It's great if you only want a small helping, so you don't spoil your appeteite for the main course!!

 

Malcolm did the main course - pot-roasted brisket (a Donald family secret recipe - but if you want to know, just ask!) served with Ayrshire potatoes, turnip, cut green beans, Yorkshire puddings and of course lots of gravy.  There is just one problem - I forgot to take a photo - but I think this photo shows how good it was

 

Of course there was pudding!!  A sort of cheesecake in a glass - it was delicious (if you would like the recipe, leave a comment and I'll e-mail it to you!)

 

here are the other three about to tuck in

 

and just relaxing and chatting

 

Sarah brought me a very special present - something that she made for me ....

 

.... a Victorian pillar box (you know I have a bit of a weird thing about pillar/post boxes!).  I will have to get a nice frame to put it in - it is so lovely I think it will have to go up on the wall in the house, rather than in the studio.

We had a wonderful day with our new friends - hopefully one day soon we can visit them in London!

Great excitement!

We have been very busy making sure the house and garden are spick and span, because we have very special visitors coming on Thursday (we don't usually tidy up that far in advance, but Malcolm will be away all day tomorrow visiting his Dad, and I'm going up to Falkirk to see Stuart - I'm staying the night, so I won't be home until Wednesday afternoon) - anyway, to return to our visitors - Sarah and Andy.  Sarah and I have become blogging friends, first leaving comments on each others' blogs, then chatting via e-mails.  So when I read that they were coming up to Northumberland on holiday (not that far from us) I immediately invited them to visit!  So, the big tidy up of the studio commenced

  

welcome to my studio

 

a neat and tidy table

 

the woodburning stove in summer-mode

 

quilting and knitting books

 

pretty threads and pretty things

 

quilts and pictures all hanging straight

 

stash tidied up

 

very cute things on display!

 

and now for the garden

 

front garden looking neat and tidy

 

beautiful alpine (complete with hoverfly in the middle!)

 

a lovely clematis

 

pretty in pink on the pergola

 

vibrant crocosmia (I'm holding it as it was blowing about in the breeze!)

 

I'm sorry you can't all come to visit, so I hope you have enjoyed your virtual visit - and fingers crossed for good weather on Thursday, so we can show off the glorious Borders to Sarah and Andy!

 

Free food and fun

Hugh Fearlessly-Eatsitall might have done it before me, but on my walk yesterday morning, I could have breakfasted handsomely on free food from the hedgerow! 

 

Some gorgeous gooseberries

 

A few ripe raspberries

 

Rosy red apples

 

Not yet enough for rosehip syrup

 

But enough berries for hawthorn jelly

 

The brambles (blackberries) have a while to go

 

A second flush of nettles for soup

 

A little fresh dandelion for a salad ....

 

..... decorated with geranium flowers

 

After all that free food, I then went off to Borderland Fabrics, where I didn't do any sewing, as I was too busy having fun with the gorgeous Harry, Annette's grandson

 

We drew a picture of Granny's shop, we looked at Granny's shop on my blog (I had my laptop with me, and Jedburgh has free wi-fi access) and then we played computer games - Purble Place, making cakes (we got one wrong, which was put in the bin, much to Harry's delight!), then we played Inkball (he got very excited when we got gold balls instead of the blue and orange ones!).  Then that was all abandoned when Pam arrived for her first visit to the shop since her hip replcement.  Young Harry was thrilled when he got to help take a photo of Pam

 

I had just taken this photo of Jane, and her wallhanging (now with the borders on) (she wouldn't smile, so I told her to imagine having s*x with Brad Pitt!!!) .....

.... when the camera batteries ran out, so no photos of cake this week, which is very unfortunate, as we had a choice between a sponge so light it floated off the plate and the most wonderful moist chocolate brownies (some people who will remain nameless had both!!)