frayed at the edge

Little and large

When I was watering my orchids this morning, I popped these two on to the radiator cover in the kitchen, to show you the difference in size

 

I knew it would be difficult to decide which tub of hot chocolate to open first, so I simply stuck my hand in the cupboard and pulled out the nearest one! Hot chocolate for me, coffee with frothy hot milk for Malcolm, and a piece of florentine each (I had the bit with most cherries, as I love glace cherries - I have been known to eat as many as I add to my baking!)

 

Liz asked to see a photo of me in my disreputable housework clothes ........

 

I can hear you shouting at the computer about my extravagance buying this magazine ......

 

....... but of course I didn't pay that much, it was in the bargain bin!

 

today is St Andrew's Day, so we had some fun and games at patch'n'chat to celebrate

 

Annette made patriotically decorated cupcakes ......

 

....... there were Tunnock's snowballs

 

those of us who were on the winning team were given a Lees macaroon bar.  I have a little bit of trivia for you about John Lees, the inventor of macaroon bars.  He was married to my sister's husband's Aunt Isabel.  Confused ..... let me explain further.  There were three sisters, Isabel, Margaret and Betty.  Isabel, as mentioned, married John Lees,  Margaret is my sister's mother-in-law, and Betty lived next door to us (and Isabel was at school with my Dad)

 

my fingers are very firmly crossed that I sell lots tomorrow at the Christmas Fair!!  I hope you all have a good weekend, love Anne

Half a moon

We are off down to Longframlington tomorrow ...... I am going to see Anne, and Malcolm (weather permitting) is going beachcombing.  So I thought I ought to get a bit more work done on my projects for Anne!  I finished the clamshells .......

 

......and trimmed the piece

 

I added iron-on wadding, and layered it with the lining fabric

 

I stitched round the edges, leaving a gap to turn it through to the right side

 

I looked out a magnetic bag clasp ..... and fortunately I read the instructions, as I will need to fit it before I do the quilting!

 

the next stage was to make templates for the Suffolk puffs (yoyos) which form the ends of the bag, and for the hearts which are cut from felt and appliqued to the inside to hold needles

 

I have also been getting on with the embroidery for the Needle Nookie.  I have finished the first piece

 

and am making progress with the bigger piece

 

I did a little bit of work on my little landscape this afternoon.  I decided that I didn't like the trees, and fortunately when I heated them with the iron, they peeled of without leaving a sticky residue.  I had thought about doing some free motion quilting before I added the backing, but I decided to put the backing on and make a start to the quilting

 

you can't see from the front, but following advice from Sheena Norquay during the workshop, I stitched the seams in the ditch using invisible thread (horrible stuff!!).  You can see the lines of stitching on the back

 

it had rained for most of the afternoon, but when I came out of the studio to head into the house to make dinner (a big pot of rib-sticking stovies), the sky had cleared, and there was a half moon ..... but half an hour later the clouds had rolled in again!

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 17 ..... and a change of plan

I should have been going to Longframligton today, to visit Anne in her wonderful shop, but I had an email yesterday from her husband, Mick, to say that Anne was poorly.  I won't tell you in the graphic terms that Mick used what is wrong with her .... I shall simply say that she can't stray far from the bathroom!  But I didn't mind too much when I saw the awful weather this morning and I was even more glad that I had stayed at home when Malcolm came back from Coldstream (the same route that I would have travelled) and said that the roads were dreadful, with a lot of flooding.  This is the rain bouncing off the ice in the birdbath

 

Such a miserable can only mean one choice for breakfast, a warming bowl of porridge with a spoonful of homemade jam

 

we had scary company at the breakfast table ......

 

a white chocolate ghost which briefly was part of my autumn decoration on the kitchen table (he has now been eaten by Malcolm - regular readers know that I don't like white chocolate!)

 

it was hard to decide what to do with my unexpected day at home, but first I caught up with watching several Ricky Timms programmes, which had been lurking in my inbox.  Then I spent quite a lot of time sorting out photos to have made into cards, for sale in The Reivers Moon Gallery (they have sold some of my photos - hooray).

Next, I tackled the pile of magazines next to my chair, which is threatening to topple over.  But all that happened is that most of them went into a new pile, with dog-eared pages, marking things I want to look at online!

But I kept being distracted by the sparrows in the front garden, who were either sheltering from the heavy rain in the hawthorn tree

 

..... or thinking about havinng a bath (brrrr)

 

...... or tucking into the birdfood which I put out yesterday

 

 

 

but for every photo of the birds that turns out well, there are quite a few like this one!

Day 16 ....... and some mother's ruin

When I was labelling the piles of pieces for the baby quilt, my eye was drawn to the logo in the corner of the notepaper

 

I used to be a member of the Quilters' Guild - for a while I was even an Area Rep.  The badges then were, for me, stylish and elegant

 

but those in charge decided to modernise the look ....... and this much derided logo was the result

 

back then, I went through a spell of collecting badges, most of which I have pinned on my sewing bag.  You will no doubt recognise the material the bag is made from - it is from Provence.  Malcolm had been working on a major project in Provence, leaving home at lunchtime on Sundays, and getting home late on Friday nights.  So after this had gone on for several weeks, I went out to Aix-en-Provence to sppend a week with him ...... and while I was there, I not only bought lots of Provencal fabric, I also bought this bag

 

I was given the little badge at the top left by the owner of quilting shop in San Antonio, Texas.  Malcolm was due to go to Houston on (yet another) business trip, and as it was just before Easter, he arranged to have a few days holiday.  While he was working, I had a few days pottering round some excellent little local shops, and one day I had a marathon session, in a cocoon of pillows, eating chips and dips, watching back to back episodes of CSI!!  When Malcolm had finished his business, we travelled to San Antonio, and consulting the phone book, I found the address for this shop ...... although it was somewhat harder to find the shop, as the road to it ran through an enormous military base - which post 9/11 had been closed, so we had to make a huge detour

 

these two badges were from my trip to a quilt symposium in New Zealand in 2001 (that was the famous occasion when I said to Malcolm can I go, and he replied "you can go if you want to"!!)  The badge on the left is a Scottish Region Quilters' Guild badge.  I gave one to a man called Craig Brown (good Scottish nmae - at that time the manager of the Scottish national football team was also called Craig Brown), who was mayor of the town of Whangerei ...... he could trace his ancestors back to the "Nova Scotians" - Scots who had emigrated to Canada, didn't like it, and had travelled on to, and settled in, New Zealand.  He said he would wear the badge with pride at council meetings - I wonder if he did?

 

more Quilters' Guild badges, and my Stirling Castle Quilters badge - I was one of the founder members of the group, and was their second chairman ....... and then some years later when we came back from Indonesia, I rejoined the group, and ended up being chairman for a second time!

 

and yet another crop of badges, pinned to my various identity badges for the Houston quilt show, and the (now defunct) European Expo

 

and now for the mother's ruin (or do I have the apostrophe in the wrong place, is it mothers'?)  I found several recipes for redcurrant gin online, all of which said to put the redcurrants and sugar in a bowl and mash them together, then transfer them to a jar.  But I thought why dirty a bowl, and just weighed out the redcurrants in the jars

 

the great thing about my digital scales is that I can push a button to return the setting to zero, then weigh the next ingredient, in this case the sugar

 

I tried mashing them with a fork, but it was hard going - so I simply added some of the gin and used my stick blender

 

there were so many redcurrants, I also prepped some vodka!  Now it just has to mature for two or three months!!

Day 11 ........ and it's that hunk again!

Back in our routine, we went for a cuppa in the Pickled Orange this morning ....... and of course that meant sharing one of their wonderful scones - this one is blackberry and vanilla (with some of their tasty homemade raspberry jam to spread on it)

 

I always have a vase of flowers in the hall - but since I started shopping in Sainsbury's, they haven't always been the fanciest of flowers ..... the latest offering was what I call petrol station flowers (yes, I could go to a florist, but it's a case of lazy "pop it in the trolley" shopping!)

 

so when we popped into Morrison's for some shopping this morning, I took the chance to buy a bunch of altroemeria and a bunch a gypsophila

 

did you notice the little blue and white pot on the left .....

 

Malcolm bought it years ago on a business trip to Manila.  Then, when we were in Singapore, he spotted this little pot

 

so of course it had to come home with us

 

so ....... what is that on the right?  It's a temple bell, which Malcolm bought on a business trip to Kuala Lumpur

 

and what are all these things sitting on - a wine cupboard which we bought in Jakarta ....... and the little bit of rug that you can see - Malcolm bought that on a business trip to India!

 

and if you look at the hall from a different angle ....... the lamp/plant table in the corner also came from Jakarta  - but the little pine chest of drawers was bought years ago in Falkirk (we lived there in the 90s).  The big embroidered tree was a kit that my Dad bought from an advert in a newspaper many years ago (just as well that he knew someone to stitch it for him!) ....... and the two white tablecloths were stitched by my great-aunt Mima (they were already old when I was little, so they could be 80 or 90 years old!)

 

and I might as well show you the other corner, which has a lovely chair which we bought in an antique shop in Hexham years ago (Malcolm reupholstered it)

 

so, to return to this morning ........ when we came home, I was jumping up and down and squealing, when I found this on the doormat

 

why?  Well, let me explain.  Although I am now on my 4th laptop (Malcolm bought me my first one in, I think, 1999, when I took over as writer/erditor/producer of the monthly newsletter for the little expat group that I was a member of when we lived in Cillegon, West Java (we moved there after the fall of President Suharto and the ensuing political chaos meant that the project that Malcolm was working on in Jakarta was put on ice and he went to work on an existing plant, in the hope that the original project would be revived .... it wasn't) ...... I have never got the hang of using a touchpad, and have always used a mouse - which of course means also using a mousemat.  My current one is a rigid one, which means it can sit on the arm of the couch when I am using the laptop (it actually came with a cable to plug it into a usb port - the silver bit has several usb ports, so that you could, in theory, plug several things in - unfortunately it didn't work!)

 

ever since I took the photo of that gorgeous young man in the Abercrombie and Fitch shop in Singapore (I have since discovered that the staff in A&F shops routinely go about half-naked!), Malcoolm has been teasing me about him, and on Sunday said "I'm surprised you haven't had his photo put on a mousemat".  Yes. you have now guessed what was in this morning's post ....

 

sorry, Malcolm, what did you say ...... it's not for stroking

 

but why should a little mouse have all the fun!?!?

 

ok, I've run out of excuses to show you more photos of him ....... but I know that there are quite a few of you will have been drooling over him, given that I had more comments on him than I have had on most posts!  So ....... if you would like to get your own mousemat - I got mine here (or simply print out a photo), either tell me in a comment , or email me (there is a link to click on at the top of the righthand sidebar) and I will email you with the photo as an attachment for you to download.

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!!

Day 5 ...... and it's back in the old routine

It's Friday, so of course that means housework!  If you are ever walking past our house on a Friday morning and you hear a strange noise, as if someone is strangling a cat ....... don't worry, it's just me singing as I clean the bathroom.  Think of the chorus of Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night", then sing along ...... scrub-a-dub, a-dub dub, scrub a-dub a-dub.  With the house gleaming, I set off for Borderland Fabrics, for an afternoon of patch'n'chat.As soon as I arrived, Katy jumped up to give me a belated birthday hug, and this beautiful handmade card ........

 

....... and these super buttons

 

when Tricia arrived, she too had a present for me (I have been so spoiled!!)  How cute is this pincushion!

 

and knowing that I like owls, Tricia had found the perfect gift bag

 

Friday at patch'n'chat means cake, and today we had a choice of not one, not two, but three cakes!!

date slice

 

truffles

 

cupcakes

 

I was very good, and only had a date slice - having lost that two pounds, I don't want to put it straight back on!! 

I'm looking forward to getting out to the studio over the weekend, and organising some sewing projects.  I hope you all have a good weekend, love Anne

Just in time!

I was getting worried, as I only had one orchid left in flower in the kitchen ..... and it had shed all but one of its flowers!

 

this one is about to flower, but probably not before that last flower drops

 

but then on Saturday morninng we were in Homebase, where they not only had orchids on special offer, but they were also having one of their periodic 15% off everything days ...... so this beauty came home with me for less than £7!!

 

 

on Saturday afternoon I traced all the pattern pieces for Oh Christmas Tree (which from now on to save time I will simply call Tree) on to Bondaweb

 

and laid them out on the fabric

 

but I kept getting diverted by Serena powering her way to a gold medal (it was difficult to get a photo of her after she won, as she kept leaping about!!)

 

we had planned to go to Berwick yesterday, for the last day of the Arts and Crafts Fair, but we got up to thunderstorms and torrential rain - you might have seen the flash flood in Jedburgh on news bulletins.  So instead we went to Melrose, and consoled ourselves with this rather large scone!

 

back home, it was on with work on Tree.  I ironed on the Bondaweb, then came the very long job of cutting out the intricate shapes, including cutouts on some of the branches

 

but eventually they were all done and laid out on the backing fabric, except for the circles .... I'll place them once the branches have been ironed on

 

of course I was distracted as I watched Andy Murray beat Roger Federer.  When he won, I ran, screaming and yelling, from the studio, to meet Malcolm, who had come running from the house, in the middle of the garden, where we jumped up and down celebrating!!  I was so excited, I forgot to take a photo ...... and then forgot again when we celebrated his winning a silver in the doubles with young Laura Robson.  I'm not particularly interested in sport, but I have been cheering on all our Olympic competitors ...... and have become an instant expert in all sorts of events!

 

Regular readers know that I don't like cats (sorry, they just give me shivers!), but even I couldn't resist one of the next door neighbour's seven cats (!) sitting on another neighbour's wall

 

nor could I resist taking yet another sheepie photo ......  did it think I couldn't see it hiding behind the tree stump?

 

I was going to put my new shoes on this morning, but realised that my navy trousers, with which I was going to wear them, were in the ironing basket, so this afternoon I found yet another rerun of Murder She Wrote on tv, and .......what, you want to know about the new shoes instead of Jessica's clever solving of the dastardly murder!  Well, on Saturday morning we were passing the shoe shop in Hawick, which is owned by our new neighbours David and Jackie.  We saw Jackie in the shop, so popped in for a blether.  While we were chatting, I, of course, had to have a look at all the lovely shoes in the sale - and this pair just jumped on to my feet!!

 

Late this afternoon, Malcolm noticed these birds sitting on the phone wire in front of the house.  I took this photo through the lounge window.....

 

....... then rushed through to the kitchen to put the long lens on.  I then took the other photos through the front door

 

 

 

I have been through both of my bird books, but I can't find anything resembling them.  They were quite big, probably about the size of a blackbird, with markings on their fronts like starlings, and patterns on their wings like sparrows.  I hope you can identify them for me!

Move over sheep ....

....... there are other interesting locals posing for photos!!  I had hardly stepped out on to the road this morning, before the first photo opportunities presented themselves.  These two horses were indulging in a bit of pushing annd shoving (and teeth baring!)

 

 

I had just remarked to Malcolm the other day that there hadn't been any horses in the bottom field .... so of course, there are now several horses in the field!

 

 

 

as I walked on round the bend towards Marion-the-distant-neighbour's field, I heard a great deal of honking, bleating and braying, as the various creatures were let out of their night time accommodation...... here are the culprits!

the goose and gander

 

the geese with one of the Jacob's ewes

 

the gander with the very old donkey

 

the donkey with another ewe

 

the donkey finally gets away from the mayhem for a bit of peace and quiet!

 

looking down on all the chaos was a little sparrow, perched on the electrical gubbins

 

 

I had to pop into Hawick late this morning (I'll tell you why in a minute), but I was delayed by this ......

 

 

she did have some adults and a sheep dog helping, but she was definitely in charge as she drove the sheep down the road.  I thought she just looked so cute in her John Deere overalls and pink wellies!

 

So why was I on my way to Hawick?  I was heading for the Reiver's Moon Gallery, which opened last month.  Malcolm and I had gone in for a browse, and started chatting to Sally, the owner.  Malcolm mentioned that I am a crafty person, so Sally asked if I had anything suitable for her to sell.  I suggested taking in some of my photos - so after a letting her see some samples, today I took in my first batch, which she is going to present in mounts.  Of course, as galleries do, she has taken them on a sale-or-return basis, so I will have to keep my fingers crossed that they sell.  I am very excited, as this is a big step up from selling things at small local craft fairs ....... but I promised Sally that I won't phone her every five minutes to see if she has sold any!!

 

It is getting to be a habit to finish with something a bit silly ....... this traffic cone has been sitting in the verge for some time (I have no idea why it is there).  This morning I noticed that there is grass growing out of the middle!