frayed at the edge

Sunny days!

We popped up to the flat yesterday morning, and as the sun was shining we went for a walk on the beach.  I think it may be a law that the first photo taken has to be of the lighthouse!

 

I find it fascinating how the sand constantly shifts.  The groynes on the right are usually about shoulder height, now they are about waist height, and you can no longer see the ones on the left

 

although this is just an empty crab shell, it looks quite menacing

 

I wonder if this is one of its legs?

 

a lone daffodil on the sand ........ we have no idea where it could have come from

 

although it was a sunny day, the brave souls who went for a paddle were shrieking at the cold water

 

on the way home this morning, we popped in for a cuppa

 

although the sun was shining, it was just a bit chilly to sit outside

 

so we headed into the welcoming coffee shop

 

although the flowers are plastic, they brightened up the tables

 

interesting shadows!

 

we resisted the sweet, chocolatey cakes

 

and instead shared a delicious chees scone.  We do like places that bring you an extra plate when you say you are sharing the scone or cake!

 

I spotted this branch on the beach at the start of our walk, and although it was heavy, I carried it all the way for the rest of the walk, as I was determined to bring it home for the garden.  Malcolm set it up in the front garden this afternoon, and hung a couple of bird feeders from it.  He will need to build a plinth for the birdbath to sit on

 

but our Indonesian  birds don't need the feeders!

 

there is a lot of grass all round the house, which was rather long when we moved in.  Malcolm has gradually been getting it cut, and the edges tidied.  The deck needs a good clean and a bit of refurbishment, but that didn't stop us having both lunch and our afternoon cuppa on it

 

I'll be back on Wednesday with lots of sewing (woohoo!)

17 UFOs in 2017 : March report

As I have been just a little bit busy moving house this month, I haven't managed to do much sewing, so this is rather a short report!  I prepped five lots of hexies for the pyramids which make up the outer border of Mrs Billings

 

cut lots of circles for my version of the outer border of the Aunts' Quilt (I don't like the scalloped border in the pattern)

 

which will now be prepped for sewing using these two aids

 

and I have been doing some hand quilting on my Amish wallhanging

 

I have finished this section of the black border (yes, that's the toe of my slipper in the photo!)

 

and have done half of this section - but it is slow going quilting with black thread on black fabric in the evening!

 

that leaves this last end section, and the two green squares - could this be a finish next month!!

 

I know this last lot of sewing doesn't count, as it isn't a UFO, but when we were still in the flat, I got fed up quilting the big hexies (only four more to go), and decided to design some little stitcheries.  Do you like my colourful drawings?  When I was a bit poorly after the flu and the sore leg, Malcolm came home one day with a big set of brightly coloured Sharpie markers, as he knew that would cheer me up (does that make me a somewhat sad person!).  Perfect for my drawings ......

 

to see what everyone else has achieved this month, do visit  Meredithe and click on the link.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

Positively blooming!

Despite being moved first to the flat, and then to the new house, the orchids are doing well.  The small windowsills at the top end of the kitchen are perfect for them

 

and they are flowering away - if they are unhappy, they promptly drop all their flowers

 

the one on the left has been flowering for months (and now that I have written that, it will drop its flowers!)

 

this is one of two which have put out new flower shoots since we moved in

 

the house is gradually getting sorted out - although after I took this photo yesterday, Malcolm hung one of my big embroideries over the coffee table, so I will need to take another photo

 

we are enjoying having the coal fire burning in the evenings

 

the garden room looks good with lots of pictures on the walls

 

and the gnome brothers and sisters like sharing the couch, instead of being on separate chairs!

 

Stuart and Alison gave us the personalised door mat

 

I hung the four little pictures above our bed simply because there were four nails there!

 

the guest bedroom - with a happy Jemima and Pooh, and their little cushions

 

and there is no escape from the implements of torture!  But look on the dresser ....... there is a little tv, so we can watch the early morning news while we are working away, counteracting the calories from our cakes and scones

 

despite the dark blue tiles, the bathroom is very bright

 

and so out to the Attic.  The downstairs kitchen area is half organised

 

this is the window at the top of the stairs.  The "e" just won't sit up straight, so I think I will have to take it back to the shop where I bought it ......... in Singapore!

 

when we decided to put the black and white rugs in the garden room instead of the pink oriental one, I snaffled it for the Attic.  I also acquired the (very) old kitchen table and chairs, so that when I have friends visiting, we can sit round the pine table, and I won't have to move the sewing machines from the work tables

 

there is a bit of reorganisation to do in the storage units, but I know where most things are!

 

I will be back on Friday with the next update of 17UFOs in 2017 ........ and I actually have a little bit of sewing to share with you, despite all that has been going on this month!

Sweet treats!

The weather on Saturday was glorious, so when Stuart and Alison arrived mid-afternoon, we had a cuppa sitting out on the deck.  And with the cuppa, we had these sweet treats, which the visitors brought.  Now this sounds a weird combination - a caramel and chocolate scone, topped with slices of caramel wafer.  It was as sweet as it sounds - but sensibly, they only brought one, and a quarter each was enough!

 

they also brought two extra large Empire biscuits - I put my hand in the photo to show just how big they were!  So, we each had a half

 

this is the kitchen table, laid ready for breakfast on Sunday morning, with a pretty parcel for me for Mothers' Day

 

Stuart's card was up to (or should I say down to) his usual standard ....... he doesn't do soppy hearts and flowers!  And look at the beautiful scarf they gave my - I am a very lucky Mum!

 

after a hearty breakfast, they had to shoot off home, so that Alison could visit her Mum, and we headed off to Amble to enjoy another glorious sunny day.  We had a stroll round the town and popped in for a cuppa

 

no cake or scone, but you will see why in a minute

 

we had a potter round the varied little shops

 

and having tasted some cheeses, came home with these two

 

we continued our walk, under the watchful eye of some gulls

 

I always find piles of lobster pots appealing

 

we had a walk along the pier

 

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a lighthouse, and as you can see from the gate and the spiked railings, we couldn't walk along to it for a better look

 

on the way home we went through Warkworth - the castle isn't as big as Bamburgh, but still dominates the skyline

 

now, this is why we didn't have cake in the morning.  When Stuart and Alison were buying the scone and Empire biscuits, they saw this amazing cake

 

and knowing that I like Parma Violets, they bought a slice for me for an extra Mothers' Day treat.  I very generously shared it with Malcolm ......... it was so rich and sweet, there was no way I could have eaten the whole slice, even with my sweet tooth! 

 

and to finish, two wonderful skies.  First, last night's sunset

 

and the this one from this morning ....... I got up as usual at 6.20 to endure the implements of torture, and was greeted by a wonderful sunrise out over the sea

 

A date for your diary

Today, we start with something very important! The wonderful Margaret, Queen of Appliqué, is having an exhibition of her amazing quilt tops on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th of April.  Margaret hopes to raise lots of money for her disabled grandson Harry, a talented Boccia player, who has won lots of medals.  But he receives no official funding, so has to raise money himself to go on playing.  So if you can, come along to the exhibition, enjoy Margaret's wonderful quilts, and of course you know the cakes will be fabulous!!  The exhibition is in Eckford Village Hall, and I can hear many of you wondering where that is.  If you have Satnav, the postcode is TD5 8LG .........

 

........ and if you like a proper map, this shows you where Eckford is in relation to Kelso and Jedburgh

 

if you are coming up the A697 from Northumberland, when you get to Cornhill, you can either turn left and take the lower road through Wark, or go on through Coldstream, then turn left ........ both roads will take you to Kelso, then on to Eckford.  And if you need any more persuasion to go to the exhibition, I will be there helping both days!!

 

and now for something else that is VERY important ........ this little red tractor

 

a thing of great beauty, is for sale.  Please will someone buy it for me!!

 

when we were out and about on Wednesday, we popped into the Old School Gallery in Alnmouth for a cuppa

 

there is stunning artwork ......

 

and lots of lovely things for gifts for sale

 

but shock, horror, they didn't have any scones!  So we had to make do with a very delicious piece of lime polenta cake!

 

I bought these three little cards - I think they will look good in a row in a frame

 

then yesterday, we popped over to Longframlington to see about registering with a GP.  A very helpful receptionist told us about the Practice, and gave us forms to fill in.  We then popped into the Paper Shop for our daily dose of newspapers (we both much prefer reading a proper paper to reading the news online), then into the Running Fox for a cuppa

 

some of you may recognise the building ........ yes, it is where Stitchin' Heaven was!  The inside has been completely transformed into a cafe, and through the back, a bakery

 

in the time we were there, the phone rang constantly, with people wanting to book a table for lunch - it is a very popular place.  They have an amazing breakfast menu ........ we were advised to phone up and book a table if we want to go for breakfast on a Saturday, it is so busy!

 

we shared a three cheese scone, which was DELICIOUS!!

 

not surprisingly, having been out for cuppas two days in a row, we didn't go out for a Friday cake!!  It is Mothers' Day on Sunday, so Stuart and Alison are coming down for a flying visit, arriving tomorrow afternoon, then shooting off after breakfast on Sunday, to get back for Alison to see her Mum!  It is the first time we have seen them since they got engaged, so there may be some fizz chilling in the fridge!  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

Carrying on ........

......... we have spent the last two hours watching the unfolding news of the dreadful events in London, and our thoughts are with all of those affected.  But I firmly believe that the best response to terrorists who want to destroy our way of life, and indeed our country, is to carry on. So, this isn't the light hearted post I had planned, but instead I shall share a few more photos of project "making the house our home"

This mirror was in our bedroom in the last house, but there isn't a suitable place for it in our new bedroom, so today Malcolm hung it in the hall

 

this is in the kitchen - we have had the clock for so long, I don't know how many homes it has been in!

 

it has been a miserable day, so Malcolm lit the fire mid-afternoon

 

unfortunately the ironing fairy hasn't yet received the memo telling her of my new address, so I had to spend the afternoon doing the ironing (my least favourite domestic chore!)

Connected!

Hooray, the landline and broadband were connected this morning.  We may be in a small village, but the speeds are excellent!  The unpacking continues, with not too much more to do now.  I thought I would wait until the rooms are all neat and tidy to show you photos of them, but in the meantime here are some little vignettes.  First my old washstand in the hall, with my favourite hats hanging above

 

the space between the front door and the downstairs loo is just the right size for this table

 

half way up the stairs, the Wayang puppets (from Indonesia) are looking imperious

 

we are looking forward to getting some coal for the fire

 

the garden room has changed since you saw it - we lifted the pink rug, and instead put down these black and white rugs which we bought in Habitat way back at the end of the 80s!

 

just the right size for the dining table to sit on it

 

I took this photo this afternoon with the big lens.  This is the view in the distance from the kitchen window - yes, that deeper blue band in the middle of the photo is the sea!

 

of course we have to have the occasional break from all the hard work, so yesterday morning we headed to Heighley Gate Garden Centre, where we shared this magnificent cheese and sun dried tomato scone!

A day off!

As we don't yet have a broadband connection at the new house (it's scheduled for Monday), we have popped up to the flat to catch up on a million emails!! So of course that also means I can do a quick post!  This was the very last thing being unloaded - one of our sofas

 

they were trying to tell me that I had to pay them models' rates to take their photo ........ to which I replied that sadly they just weren't pretty enough to be models, which caused a great deal of laughter!

 

boxes here .......

 

boxes there ..........

 

boxes everywhere!!

 

my coaster aptly described my state!

 

Stuart and Alison had given me this bottle of champagne for Christmas, and I had put it away, to be drunk on our first night in the new house

 

I even found these beautiful champagne flutes, which Stuart and Alison gave us for our Silver Wedding

 

on Wednesday, it didn't take long to sort out the furniture in the garden room.  We brought all this furniture back from Indonesia, and this is the first time we have had it all in one room - I love it!

 

I was doggedly unpacking boxes in the kitchen after lunch, when Malcolm appeared and suggested that we walked along to Nelson's Café for a cuppa ....... I had my jacket on before he had finished speaking!

 

ten minutes later, we arrived at the café, which you can read about here

 

there is an eclectic mix of furniture

 

and some lovely gifts to buy

 

Malcolm as always had coffee

 

and I had tea

 

and we shared an amazing brownie

 

it has been nice having the day off from unpacking boxes, but we are looking forward to getting the rest unpacked and the house turned into a home!  I don't think the forecast is very good for the weekend, but hopefully we will get out for a walk.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

Our new home!

All went well yesterday, and just after lunch we took possession of our new home in the small village of Swarland

 

as well as the house, there is a double garage.  But where does the door at the back of the garage go?

 

going in the door, there is a small hall

 

which leads to a very small kitchen

 

and to the left as you go into the hall, there is a toilet (yes, the toilet seat is sparkly!!)

 

and moving the camera to the right, what is this - a very smart shower

 

next, where do these stairs go?

 

yes, dear peeps, this is my wonderful new studio!!

 

I have decided to call it Anne's Attic (although that has caused a few grumbles from Malcolm, as he will be required to make a new sign!!)

 

so I can spend the whole day sewing, only having to go back to the house for my dinner - there may have been threats from Malcolm to install a bed, so I could just live out there, and he could have the whole house to himself!!  Our goods and chattels are being delivered on Monday and Tuesday, so next week I will be very busy unpacking boxes.  But I will be back as soon as I can with some phots of inside the house.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend, love Anne

A small pause .........

......... while we move into our new home!  We have lots to do over the next couple of weeks, so I will be taking a short break from blogging - but don't worry, I will be back as soon as possible to tell you all about the house (and more importantly, my new studio!).

For tonight's post, another ship!  When we got up yesterday morning, we saw this ship, which had come into the dock overnight.  As always there was a steady stream of lorries all day loading it, then when we got up this morning it had gone!

 

these photos of the swans swimming round the previous ship in the dock somehow didn't make it into a post!

 

some of them headed out of the dock

 

but others stayed, hoping for spilled seed to eat

 

who is this handsome chap, and where is he going?

 

yes, it is Malcolm walking out to the lighthouse, while I was at home doing the ironing.  But with the aid of the big lens on the camera, I could see him!!

 

I'll be back soon, with stories from the next exciting chapter of our lives!!