frayed at the edge

Many, many thanks ....

...... to everyone for all the kind words for Malcolm - it means a lot to him to know that so many people are thinking of him.  He went down to Ashington first thing this morning and is staying overnight in the hospital with his Dad, who unfortunately is still very, very ill.  Malcolm and I had a chat last night about writing about his Dad, and we came to the conclusion that I would tell you what was happening, but I won't say much more for the moment - we just didn't want you to think that I was posting my usual nonsense regardless of the turmoil in our lives.

So ..... I didn't go with Malcolm today as I had a major appointment at the dentist!  I know, it's all been going on for months, but another two appointments and it should all be over - but then comes the real pain - the BILL.  I took the opportunity of a day in the house to get on with domestic things - doing the ironing (my least favourite job) and cooking for the freezer - I still have a big pot of bolognese simmering!! 

During the day, I had an awful thought - when I did the post about the sticky toffee cake, I had a whole packet of butter in the photo - but I didn't say how much to use!  Please don't put in the whole packet - I used about 60g.  I have now amended the post - I just had the most awful vision of people melting a whole packet of butter.....

Of course, I have still been knitting, and the first little Christmas gnome is taking shape

 

I'll finish his beard tonight, and get started on number two - I think I will do him in green!

Stuart was planning to visit baby Mia tonight, so hopefully he will phone later with a full report!!
 

Bad news

Hi everyone

Just a short note to let you know that we have spent the day visiting Malcolm's Dad in hospital.  He is very poorly indeed.

Love, Anne

Colour in the sky

Yesterday morning there was a wonderful rainbow in front of the house.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get far enough back to get all of it in one photo!  (I suppose I could have climbed the fence into the field behind the house and run up the hill .....)

the left hand side

the right hand side

the centre!

 

This afternoon, there was a dramatic sunset .....

...... but this isn't it, this is the reflection of the sunset on the clouds in the east .....

....... this is the sunset!!

 
 
 
 
 

Cute baby quilt warning!!

Get ready to say awww - the baby quilt is finished!!

 

There was some feverish sewing after dinner last night, so that it would be ready for Stuart to give to Emma (along with the shawl) when he goes to see baby Mia next week.  He had some photos to show me - she is absolutely gorgeous, with a fantastic head of dark hair!  Watching while I stitched was Stuart's amazing fish, Charlie - he posed beautifully when he saw the camera!

 

Today I shopped...... but not quite until I dropped!!  Of course before indulging in a serious bout of Christmas shopping, you need the have a decent breakfast, which can mean only one thing - a trip to Aromas for possibly the best bacon roll in the world..  You can see a photo of the last one I had (and read about my last trip to Falkirk) here ( you'll have to read almost to the end of the post before you see the bacon roll - but it's worth it!!) 

After a successful bout of retail therapy, I headed off for lunch at yet another garden centre (delicious cream of broccoli and sweet potato soup), stopping along the way in the town of Bo'ness to take this photo of two very famous bridges

 

You can just make out the Forth Road Bridge (to the left of the lamppost), with the Rail Bridge behind it.  Next time I go up to see Stuart, I will have to make sure I have time to go along to South Queensferry for better photos.

To finish, I have some photos which I took yesterday when I was at the Falkirk Wheel.  Outside the Visitor Centre, there were some large lumps of rock ...... but then I looked more closely ......

I was going to say which one is my favourite - but I can't decide!!
 
 
 
  

A wheelie good time!

This morning I drove up the A7 to Falkirk, and I have a very serious complaint to make about the people who build roads ..... don't they ever look at the scenery and think - oh look at that view, it is so wonderful, people will want to stop to take photos, we had better put in a lay-by!!  So there are no wonderful photos of the beautiful hills wreathed in the remnants of the early morning fog!

After lunch (carrot and orange soup at the local garden centre),  I had a quick tour round Falkirk to take some photos for tonight's post.  First stop was the site of the former Carron Iron Works, where the only thing left is the clock tower

 

In the bottom of the tower there is a small display - with cannons and carronades.  The sign is a bit dilapidated, but you can still read it

I mentioned the carronade in the post about Carlisle Castle, and now I can show you what it looks like

 

The next photo is of a falling down remnant of the  local .... oh dear, what expression is the correct one now .... mental institution (if we were being polite we would call it the asylum, otherwise it was the loony bin!)  I thought it would suit the atmosphere of the place to take the photo in black and white

This next photo, although in colour, still shows how spooky the place looks - I somehow don't think it could have been conducive to recovering from mental illness!!

not bats in the belfry - just pigeons!!

 

My next stop was at the Falkirk Wheel, the only rotating boat lift in the world, which lifts the boats from a lower canal up to a higher canal (and vice versa)

I got quite excited, as there was a boat in the wheel and I thought it was about to turn and I would have wonderful action shots to show you ...... but it had broken down!!  So you will have to use your imagination (or look at the link, to see how it works!)

You can see the boat in the lower section - the whole thing then turns and the boat ends up in the top section, where it can then sail into the other canal.  No, I have never been on the boat trip - you know I don't like heights and water!!  Still, I did go into the visitor centre and have a nice pot of tea!!

 

To finish, a photo of the Ochil hills, bathed in afternoon sunshine

 

Tomorrow, I will be indulging in a bit of Christmas shopping, then there might be a spot of lunch in yet another garden centre, before I head off back down the road for home.

ps - the chilli was very good, if just a little bit hot!!
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  

A grand day out

First, of course, I have to start by revealing the Christmas cake, after it was unwrapped!

mmmm - rich and delicious!!  Several times between now and Christmas, I will drizzle brandy over it, so it will be even more moist.  In the past there have small disputes over the icing of our Christmas cakes, as I don't like marzipan, but this problem has been resolved - no marzipan under the icing, and marzipan fruits on the top for Malcolm!!

While we are on the subject of cakes ..... of course there was cake yesterday at patch'n'chat - in fact there were two -

 

a border tart

 

iced ginger bread

Yes, I had a piece of each!!  We could have eaten them in style, as the table in the shop has been laid to show off Christmas place mats

If you would like to make these mats, do check out Borderland Fabrics' website, to get in touch with the shop to buy the fabrics.

 

Now on to today - we set off this morning for the village of St Abbs over on the east coast.  It was a beautiful morning and we had a lovley run over.  We were heading to another event organised by local wool shop Woolfish - a cornucopia of all things woolly.  Malcolm came in to have a cup of coffee, but then he left me to immerse myself in all the wonderful woolly goodies.  (he went for a walk along the clifftop - taking lots of photos for me, which you can see tomorrow in Shadow Shot Sunday!!)  I haven't yet taken photos of the things I bought, but of course I did take photos of some of the stalls.  First is the exceedingly colourful stall of my lovely friend Lindsay 

Every time I see Lindsay she has made all sorts of different, interesting things, and they are always beautifully presented.

The next lot of loveliness was on the stall of Janis Embleton - all sorts of super handwoven delights

And then I succumbed to the most beautiful hank of pure silk lace weight yarn from fyberspates - I will have to knit something very special with it

Unfortunately the llamas and alpacas weren't there today - I know I showed you photos of them when we were there in the spring, but you can never have too many photos of such lovely animals!!  
  

 

 

Under wraps

I didn't have the best of starts to today!  I had an appointment at the Borders General Hospital - a follow up to a previous appointment for the 'face ache'.  Malcolm came with me, as he knows I really don't like hospitals!  The first annoyance was not being able to find a parking space (we had to park outwith the hospital grounds - probably about quarter of a mile away - not a problem for us, as we're fit, but not much use if you're really ill).  Then, we sat and sat ... and sat!  Although my appointment was for 9.40, they were already running an hour behind!!  I saw the consultant for five minutes - how are you, much better thank you, that's fine I don't need to see you again .......

Never mind, things got decidedly better after that, when we called in to the tearoom at the Old Melrose Furniture Studio .  There was a welcome fire burning in this marvellous old range

 

 

On the shelves behind my chair were just a few of the wide selection of antiques and collectables available in the adjoining shop

 

And of course, there was food and drink!!  Malcolm had a wonderful cup of coffee, I had an excellent pot of tea, and we both had a toasted teacake with butter and jam (the eagle-eyed among you may notice that Malcolm had already tucked into the jam before I took the photo!!)

 

I'm sorry not to have answered the questions about the shawl before now, but I kept forgetting to take a note of the pattern number and the yarn when I was in the studio - for several evenings I have sat down with the laptop to write this drivel informative blog and thought 'oh bother', I forgot that info again!  So here it is .... the pattern is Sirdar3983, the yarn is Patons Fairytale 2ply (baby) and as for how long it took me .... I didn't work constantly at it, and I did do most of it on holiday - I suppose it took me eight weeks of knitting in the evenings.

So, what is the thing that is under wraps, as mentioned in today's title?  This afternoon I baked my Christmas cake - but it was only just out of the oven when I was ready to do the blog, so you will have to wait until Saturday (because tomorrow it's Weekword) to see how it turned out

 
 
 

Where was I?

Oh yes, I was in the middle of my post yesterday when the naughty little gremlins crept in!!  Malcolm had been trying to sort things out for me, but things still aren't quite right - it's just so annoying!!  Never mind, let's get on.

Before we went to Carlisle last week, I washed the baby shawl and blocked it using the wires I bought recently - they make things so much easier!  On Saturday I threaded pink ribbon through the eyelets ....

 

I took the photo on my favourite chair!

 

detail of the ribbon

 

I bought this book on Sunday - not just for the recipes, but because I couldn't resist a book with such a daft title!!

 

and if you think that's daft ....

 

dafter ......

 

and the daftest footnote!!

 

Yesterday (Monday) we went out for a walk after lunch.  Usually we head up the  hill from the house, but we went downhill for a change!!  I'm glad we did, because we saw these beauties!

 

 

Today we went to visit Malcolm's Dad.  We took him to Newbiggin for lunch.  He wisely stayed in the car when we went for a walk ......  it was just a bit windy, and the sea was a bit rough

 

We saw a bird that we didn't recognise - it was quite far out, so even with maximum zoom, we still can't tell what it is - if you know, please leave a comment!

On the way home, it started to rain and the sky looked quite dramatic.  The next two photos were taken from inside the car (what, you expected me to get out in the rain ... don't be silly!!)

It's funny when it's raining, but you can see blue sky!  Well, I'm exhausted after all that catching up - I'm off for a browse round all your blogs!!  Blogspot/blogger is refusing altogether to let me comment just now, so please don't think I've deserted you - of course I think everything you write is wonderful and your photos super!!
 

 

 
 

 
 

More livestock!

After falling in love with the gorgeous bull, today (fickle thing that I am!), I transferred my affections to a cute ram.  However, this isn't a real live one, but a toy one that we saw this morning in a shop that has just opened in Hawick, called 'Quaint or Ancient'.  The shop is a wonderful mix of quirky gifts (quaint) and antiques (ancient!).  I have named the ram Tuppence (another name for a ram is a tup) and he has joined Jacob - I think next time I will have to buy some ewes!!)

 

It wasn't just me who bought something in the shop - Malcolm couldn't resist some of their lovely blue and white china

It looks lovely on our blue and white place mats and table runner, as does our bowl of pot pourri and autumn squash

Also new in the kitchen is the tea cosy, which I finished yesterday - I turned in the edges of the openings and needle-felted them in place, to make it fit better.  When I took the photo, the light wasn't very good in the kitchen, so I took the teapot, resplendent in its cosy, out into the front garden

I paused on the way back in the door to take this photo of a pot of winter plants that I bought in the supermarket on Monday when I was doing my weekly shop!

I took this next photo late this afternoon when the sparrows arrived for their teatime
feed from the bird table.  They are very fussy and eat all the choice bits from the bird food, leaving behind one kind of seed - but I refuse to put out more food until they eat it all up!

On Friday, my lovely blog friend Lee celebrates her birthday.  We are in the middle of a postal dispute, so I didn't want to post her card (and there may be a little pressie too!), so I'm 'posting' her card on the blog (clever!!)  Again, because of the poor light indoors, I took the card outside - there was a slight problem though, as it was a little bit breezy, and every time I went to take the photo, the card would blow over!!  Finally, I managed to get a photo .....

..... but I then went indoors to take a photo of the inside of the card (you'll probably recognise the location - it's a chair in front of the French doors that I use quite a lot!!)

I know it's only Wednesday, but we're going away for two days, and although Malcolm has booked us into a hotel with wi-fi, just in case I can't do a post tomorrow, I wanted to make sure that Lee got her birthday card on time - Happy Birthday Lee - I hope you have a super day with your family - and enjoy the wine after your detox!!!!
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

I've fallen in love ......

....... with our new neighbour!  He's gorgeous - young and handsome, with beautiful big eyes ....... and oh, you should see his muscles!!  Would you like to see a photo of him?

 

 

isn't he lovely!!

I was slightly worried when he came over to the fence - he is very big!!

 

Now I have some lovely news to share with you.  Stuart's colleague Emma gave birth to a daughter yesterday.  She is called Mia, and Mum and baby are both fine.  I took another photo of the hat and socks ......

and now I can tell you what I have been knitting over the summer, which has been a closely guarded secret, as Emma reads the blog .........

........ a shawl.  It's not quite finished, I am just sewing on the last of the edging, and then it will be washed and blocked (stretched).   It's knitted in two-ply, so it's quite fine ...... and it's a well travelled shawl, as I knitted quite a lot of it on holiday!

When Emma told Stuart she was pregnant, he promptly said that I would make a quilt for the baby!!  So today I had a browse through my stash, and came up with four very different ideas

very, very bright

tasteful pastels

fun cows

very cute sheep

I can't decide which one to choose - perhaps you could leave a comment and tell me which one you prefer!

 

This week's word for 'weekword' has been chosen by Leenie - do pop over to her blog to find out what word she has chosen - and maybe you could join in this week!