frayed at the edge

Garden visitors

I have no idea what this strange looking bird is, which appeared in the garden the other day.  All the photos of it were taken through the window, so aren't as clear as I would like

 

it had a funny bald head, which was blue

 

it reappeared this morning, and had a thorough splash in the bird bath

 

it seemed to be given me nasty looks!!

 

these big boys appeared on Sunday morning

 

there were half a dozen of them, strutting about as if they owned the place!

 

these pigeons were on the roof of the house across the road

 

this one had managed to find a gap in the wires that are supposed to stop birds perching!

 

this cute little bunny appeared on Friday morning

 

and as the grass was needing cut

 

there were lots of tasty treats

 

but I had to chase it away when it started to eat my bedding plants, instead of a tasty buttercup or two!

 

it was back on Saturday morning for another good munch

 

and it had obviously heard about turning its back to the camera!  The grass has now been cut, and it hasn't been back !

 

fortunately this chap didn't land in the garden, but flew overhead!

 

I promised there would still be cake, and again this is one from Majorca.  The lovely crisp pastry had a thin coating of chocolate, then some custard filling, and on top of that shredded pineapple and desiccated coconut .......... delicious!

A new routine

Life is just so busy at the moment, I have decided for a short time to change my blogging schedule.  I'm going to do one post a week, on Tuesdays ...... but don't worry, there will still be cake!  And of course I will also pop in on the last day of each month with the 17UFOs in 2017 updates.  But I didn't want to write just that today, so here are some photos of Malcolm's latest garden project.  Of course it involved Big Boys' Toys ....... a sharp saw

 

a long spirit level

 

a heavy duty drill/driver

 

and there has to be wood!

 

the project was to deal with the awkward  grass slope beside the rockery.  Having built the wooden frame to make a large planter, Malcolm dug up the grass and used it the fill the planter, along with other bits of sods from where he has been gradually cutting neat edges round the grass

 

the lone plant is one of several that we bought in Heighley Gate Garden Centre yesterday, where I treated Malcolm to breakfast to celebrate Fathers' Day.  It will be good to get more plants in to provide more colour - at the moment most of the garden is just grass, grass and more grass!

 

so, I'll be back tomorrow with the first Tuesday post, with lots of photos of recent visitors in the garden.

An excellent book!

I was recently sent this book to review by the publishers, who have given me permission to share some photos with you.  I have to say that other than receiving a free copy of the book, I have not been paid to write this review. Oh how I wish I had this book years ago when I did a lot of dressmaking, as it is such a comprehensive guide.  Although it says that it is for beginners, it would be a good addition to any dressmaker's collection of books

 

the author is Jules Fallon, who has been in the industry for many years, and has a comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of dressmaking, which she shares in the book

 

there is so much helpful information, from basic equipment ........

 

......... to understanding fabrics

 

....... and who knew there were so many ways to insert zips!

 

there is a comprehensive glossary .......

 

......... including the word armscye, which I had never before encountered (despite reading the whole page of the dictionary every time I look up a word - a habit instilled by an excellent teacher at Airdrie Academy)

 

and of course you need this information, should you wish to purchase copy - which I highly recommend

 

and after all the cakes I ate on holiday, I might just need some advice on letting out seams on my clothes!  This was a delicious chocolate brownie ...... although of course I gave the white chocolate shards to Malcolm, as you know I really don't like white chocolate.  For me chocolate has to be dark and bitter!

 

I can't believe it's the weekend again ....... the days have just flown by!  I hope you have a great weekend, love Anne

Penguin progress!

The first stage of the quilting was a simple stitch-in-the-ditch, round all the blocks, which doesn't show up on the right side, so this little section on the wrong side shows the straight lines

 

the next stage was fmq on the background of the blocks

 

it was hard going, as the quilt weighs a lot, because of all the appliqué

 

I also had to avoid the many embellishments, like these little buttons at the sides of the sunglasses

 

I quilted the sky first

 

then quilted the sand

 

at the end of the session, Malcolm had a surprise for me ........ he had hung my new sign beside my door

 

although I have still to add the apostrophe

 

I forgot to take photos of the next stage!  I quilted straight lines on the outer border, then added the binding

 

the binding on, ready to be hand-stitched on the back.  I took the quilt with me today when I went to the Wednesday sewing session at the Quilt Shop in Morpeth.  I got all the ends from the fmq darned in, but it was such a busy day, I only got one side of the binding stitched

 

when I got home, I popped the quilt on the bed in the guest bedroom (on top of the several quilts already on the bed!)

 

this shows the side with the finished binding

 

and as always Winnie the Pooh and Jemima had to feature in the photos!!

 

A Sunday morning stroll

On Saturday night, Malcolm consulted this book, which I gave him last Christmas, and we decided to go to Rothbury for a Sunday morning stroll

 

not the most welcoming of signs in the car park!

 

the river was running hard and full after last week's heavy rain

 

but we didn't think there was any danger of it flooding while we were there

 

we walked up to the town centre, which has a line of wonderful mature trees down the main street

 

this one was particularly striking

 

I liked this old-fashioned ironmongers shop

 

this window was full of all sorts of cleaning lotions and potions

 

while this one had jugs in all sorts of shapes and sizes

 

I couldn't decide if this shop is owned by someone called Sweetie ....... or if it was a misplaced apostrophe, as the shop sells sweeties

 

but there was no doubt about this shop - it was just as well it was closed, as it had some luscious yarns in the window that might have had to go home with me

 

we didn't see anything in this shop related to creatures with paws ........

 

but we did like the upcycled chair outside it

 

this is a fabulous shop ....... it is a co-operative of some very talented crafters.  I think I will have to visit it before Christmas to do a little bit of present shopping

 

this old lamppost was looking sadly neglected

 

you can read about it below

 

this handsome old building is now a branch of Barclays Bank

 

but looking up to the top of the building revealed which bank it originally was

 

I don't know what this building was originally, but part of it is now the Tourist Information office

 

the windows show that it has been ........

 

....... a very grand building

 

it's a pity that a very ugly modern light fitting has been hung from such a wonderful plaster ceiling rose

 

our walk should have taken us over these stepping stones, but as the river was flowing hard, I declined to cross them!

 

so instead we headed to a coffee shop, where we shared a toasted cheese muffin

 

and a toasted teacake

 

heading back to the carpark, we passed an old door

 

and an old gate

 

do you think Malcolm would build a folly like this in the garden for me?

 

you know that often walks with Malcolm involve going up or down steep stairs, but I only had to walk past them yesterday

 

as I took this last photo, an elderly lady who was passing stopped to talk.  We agreed that the flowers growing on the wall were very pretty, and made us smile!!

 

I got a lot of work done on the penguin quilt at the weekend - come back on Wednesday to see the photos!!

 

Potty about plants!

Oh dear, the real world has intruded again, with the topsy turvy election results!  We were so amazed at the predictions of the exit polls that we stayed up all night watching the unfolding drama, before collapsing into bed at 6.30 for a couple of hours of much needed sleep!

 

but let us just think of happy things, with these photos that I took on holiday in the town of Alcudia, just along the coast from Pollensa.  The first thing I noticed walking round the town was the vast array of plants, in all sorts of pots

on windowsills

 

beside old doors

 

extravagant ferns

 

a row of matching pots and plants

 

all sorts of trees and shrubs

 

a lonely little pot

 

in contrast, a very old gnarled olive tree

 

and on to the Friday cake - we hade these sitting in the sun outside a coffee shop in Alcudia.  Malcolm had a slice of apple pie, which had a crumble mix on the top

 

and I had a piece of the most delicious mandarin orange cheesecake

 

we're up in Berwick, and we might have gone out for a walk if we weren't somewhat tired by our overnight tv marathon ....... and it is threatening to rain!  Back home tomorrow - weather permitting Malcolm will be working in the garden and I will be doing more quilting on the penguins!  Have a good weekend, love Anne

Taking photos

Last week I finally got round to making a new "photo box" -  as my old one was a bit tatty I threw it out recycled it when we moved.  To make a new one, I assembled a cardboard box, a craft knife and a piece of fabric with a vague pattern

 

the first step was to cut one side out of the box

 

then line the back and the bottom with the piece of fabric

 

the first thing I took a photo of in the new box - some little Indian wooden stamps for printing on fabric (which I bought in Majorca!)

 

and this is how a close up of the stamps look

 

the photo box wasn't wide enough to take a photo of the new tiles I bought on holiday, with which Malcolm is going to make a sign to hang over the door to the Attic.  But I had a leftover piece of fabric to lay them out on.  Of course I will have to add an apostrophe!

 

to finish, two random photos.  This handsome young man is very welcome to come and cook my meals for me  ........ but only if he shaves off his beard!

 

yesterday evening, I was sewing and Malcolm was watching the cricket on tv, when he suddenly jumped up and said "there's a duck in the garden".  Of course I fetched the camera, then ran from room to room as the duck had a tour round the garden, finally getting a photo of him from a kitchen window

 

 

 

 

 

 

Catching up

You know that my blog is my little happy place, where the outside world isn't usually allowed to intrude ....... but after the terrible terrorist atrocities, I just want to say that I hope, far from being in Paradise, the perpetrators are roasting in the deepest, hottest pit of Hell

 

I promised you some special sewing, and here it is.  At the end of Margaret's exhibition, I brought the penguins home to quilt, as Harry (who has been winning more gold medals at Boccia!) had declared that this was his favourite.  Last Wednesday I met up with Margaret at Sue's shop, and she bought the necessary backing fabric and wadding

 

isn't this just the most fabulous quilt top!

 

of course the penguins should be in the snow and ice, but Margaret decided to send them to the beach for a holiday

 

the three layers on the work table, ready to pin

 

by the end of yesterday afternoon the pinning was done, and I hope to start the quilting tomorrow

 

I have a bit of a backlog of photos (I still have photos from Majorca to share with you), so here is a quick catch up.  On Friday we went for a walk on a different beach in Berwick.  This piece of driftwood would look fabulous in the garden, but alas it was too big to carry!

 

I had picked up this little dead crab and put it on a rock to take a photo ........ but when I went to put it back on the sand, it decided it wasn't dead, and feebly waved a leg about!  So I turned it the right way up before putting it back

 

it's ages since I built a stone stack (Malcolm decided to help me, so there was a bit of a competition to find the best stones!)

 

and what better way to end a walk on the beach than with an ice cream!

 

this month's man on my "naked men" calendar is obviously a bit shy ........ but wait until you see next month's chap!

 

ok, I know I have watched it several times, but when I saw the Minions film was on tv, I just had to watch it again ........ and I still laugh out loud when I watch it

 

yesterday we went to Newbiggin for a stroll along the seafront.  I rather like the puffins on top of the bollards

 

these tractors on the beach are for pulling boats out of the water

 

this couple are a smaller land-based version .......

 

of this Couple

 

Malcolm spotted this shadow shot ....... isn't it fabulous!

 

this cauliflower was being sold cheap as a wonky vegetable ........ it only cost me 54p, but a non-wonky one half the size would have cost me £1.  I added the can of Dr Pepper to show you how big the cauliflower is - it will make at least four meals.

 

the outer leaves went into the compost bin which sits in the utility room

 

and will the be added to the smart new garden compost bin which I bought for Malcolm as an early birthday present ....... I know how to spoil him!

 

well, a rather eclectic collection of photos, but at least I have caught up a bit!

Happy mail x 2!

The lovely Kelly emailed me recently to say that she had a little package for me, that she would send to arrive when we got back from Majorca.  Well ....... what a cornucopia of delights.  I can't show you everything, as some of the gifts showed where she lives, but look at the first thing out of the package ...... John Deere fabric!  I think this is going to be made into a cushion for me!

 

a postcard of Kelly's home state ....... I shall have to look for a postcard of Northumberland to send her

 

an owl bookmark, which is already tucked into a book

 

Kelly had recently been at a quilt show, where she saw this amazing quilt .........

 

........ I cannot imagine stitching so many tiny pieces of fabric together!

 

and last, but certainly not least, a bag with the cutest of owls!  Thank you so much, Kelly, for such wonderful, thoughtful gifts!!

 

then, on to the second piece of happy mail.  I'm not the only Scottish blogger called Anne ....... there is of course the wonderful Anne Lee.  In a recent post she shared with us the delightful creatures she had created with her embroidery machine, to make a mobile for her gorgeous granddaughter, Emily.  I asked her very, very nicely if she would make a sheepie for me (of course offering payment for it) ...... and she not only made it, she insisted on sending it as a gift!  Thank you so much, Anne, I just love my sheepie!   I am so lucky to have such wonderful blogging friends

 

I have lots of photos that I have taken since we got back from holiday, so here is a quick selection.  I know that Kelly will like this shadow shot, which I took last week when we were in Alnwick - yes, the lettering on the blind is a shadow, not printing!

 

we popped into our favourite café in Alnwick, The Olive Branch

 

where we shared an excellent cheese and chive scone, which came with a little pot of homemade chutney

 

Malcolm had to leave his olive tree behind when we moved, so I bought this replacement for him last week.  It looks good in its pot, sitting beside the kitchen door

 

the new garden has a lot of hedges - fortunately Malcolm inherited his Dad's electric hedge trimmer, which makes it much quicker and easier to keep the hedges looking neat

 

this pigeon was sitting on the grass, enjoying the early morning sun

 

while the blackbird was looking for something to eat

 

you know that sheepies very often turn and present their rear ends to the camera ........ and now the swans are doing it too!!

 

last Sunday we went to Eyemouth and had a walk round the harbour.  I wanted this .......

 

........ while Malcolm preferred this

 

the seal posed prettily - will I look this way

 

or that?

 

it's Friday, so of course that means cake.  As we ate lots of several one or two cakes on holiday, I thought I would share them with you over the next few Fridays.  We were delighted to discover this new little bakery/coffee shop, up a little side street in Pollensa

 

which was both quirky and stylish

 

with mismatched furniture

 

and a tiny courtyard

 

this was an amazing confection of all things strawberry ...... and of course everyone knows that cake eaten on holiday has absolutely no calories!!

 

we have been in Berwick since yesterday afternoon, and we will be heading home in the morning.  Weather permitting, Malcolm will be getting on in the garden, and I hope to get some very special sewing done - I'll tell you about it on Monday.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

17 UFOs in 2017 : May report

Oh dear, I have very little to report this month, as of course I was on holiday for the first 20 days.  But, I hear you cry, that left you 11 days to do lots and lots of sewing!  Well, as the weather was lovely, instead of sewing, I have been working in the garden.  I decided to clear out this completely overgrown little rockery, and do something with the conifer on the right, which was dead on the back, and had a rather weird shape 

 

having made a start to clearing out the overgrown plants, I decided that it would be much too big a job to dig out the conifer .......

 

....... so I trimmed it down to a framework, over which I will grow a clematis.  We will have to visit the garden centre for some new plants, to add some colour

 

this is Malcolm taking a break from hedge cutting ....... and waiting to sweep up the mess I had made!

 

and so to the UFO progress.  I am determined to get on with Mrs Billings, so every evening I have been prepping hexies, with just a few left to do

 

to see what progress the other participants have achieved, pop over to Meredithe's blog, and scroll down to the linky thing (that's a technical term!!)