frayed at the edge

Leaves, leaves and more leaves!

I didn't go over to Berwick with Malcolm yesterday, as tomorrow I am teaching a workshop at Abbey Quilters.  So after lunch, I decided to pop into Hawick and go for a walk in the park, to enjoy the autumn colours.  But this first photo was taken before I got to the park!   The heron looked miserable sitting all hunched up

 

but if he had just turned to his left, he could have enjoyed this view of the river

 

in the park, everywhere was carpeted with leaves

 

there were even leaves floating down the river, under the footbridge

 

I did think about running through the leaves, kicking them up and throwing them about - but I am sure if I had an old-fashioned park keeper would have appeared and told me off!!

 

someone has had fun with a chainsaw, turning a tree stump into a magnificent fish

 

the old wooden hut that housed the tearoom and the toilet has been demolished, but they seem to be taking a long time to build the replacement

 

autumn colours are my favourites - and someone with an eye for colour has planted these trees to show off the best of the colours

 

not quite so organised, but still glorious

 

if only the keys had been left in the ignition, I could have had fun roaring through the leaves!

 

the colours of the bandstand are a nice contrast against the trees

 

if only I could paint ....... I would certainly have a go at reproducing this scene

 

where was Malcolm when I needed him to give the scale to this tree stump?!

 

in this view, can you see the little flash of pink?  That is my glove, so you can work out just how big the stump is

 

I walked out of the top of the park to visit the walled garden.  Someone had decorated the vegetable plot with some quirky scarecrows!

 

what a stunning acer!

 

this paved area is new since I last visited the garden, but the greenhouse has yet to be refurbished

 

a late raspberry - no doubt a hungry bird will eat it

 

I think this is a lily seed pod

 

this old door is obviously still in use

 

unlike this one!

 

I headed back into the park to finish my walk.  There was no one in the shelter - I think it was a bit chilly for sitting about!

 

I said I would show you what I bought on Wednesday at The Quilt Shop.  First, some excellent cotton wadding (a girl can never have too much wadding!)

 

and four fat quarters of greens - these will probably be used for stems and leaves in an applique quilt

 

knowing that I wouldn't be going out for a cuppa and cake today, I popped into one of the local supermarkets yesterday after my walk.  I found this amazing piece of cake ........ chocolate and salted caramel lumpy bumpy cake.  Perhaps not the best of names,  but it was delicious!

 

when I am busy teaching tomorrow, I will have to remember to take photos to share with you on Monday!  Have a great weekend, love Anne

A touch of frost!

  It was decidedly chilly this morning, with frost on the deck

 

and the sky was full of contrails from early morning flights

 

now, before we get to the rest of the day, we need to rewind to Sunday afternoon, when I was busy working on Santa Stop Here - this is the wallhanging ready to be pinned before quilting

 

it doesn't take long to pin something small like this

 

I started by stitching the applique in place, using monofilament thread, which of course you can't see, so this is the wrong side

 

I then quilted the background with a small meander

 

again, it shows up better on the back

 

trimming the edges after quilting

 

the binding stitched on the front, ready to be hand stitched on the back

 

lots of buttons and beads sewn on (you can click on the photo to enlarge it, to get a better look at the buttons)

so now we have arrived at this morning, when we set off over the Border to Morpeth, to deliver the walhanging to Sue for the shop (you can read about the shop in this post), along with copies of the pattern (and one has already sold!)

 

just look at these luscious new fabrics

 

delicious colours

 

oh, I could have brought all these batiks home with me!  I may have bought a little something, I'll show you on Friday

 

I had taken Mrs Billings with me to work on ....... and you can see how pathetic mine is, compared to Sue's.  (stop laughing Meredithe, just because yours is brilliant too!!)

A stunning start to the day

 It was worth getting up early  .........

 

.......... on Saturday morning

 

......... to take photos of

 

.......... the stunning sunrise

 

then in the afternoon we headed to the beach, where the tide was out

 

leaving strange patterns

 

in the sand

 

this cute little dog wanted to play with us

 

has someone started building a new Stonehenge?  No, these are just odd bricks that someone has stood on end

 

I keep saying I am not going to pick up any more seaglass, until I have used some of my collection, but who could resist this little bird-shaped piece

 

as always I pottered along, taking photos of the groynes

 

which always look different as the sand shifts round them

 

the autumn sun is lower in the sky, casting longer shadows

 

and you know that I like rusty bolts!

 

this is probably the biggest razor clam shell that we have found on the beach

 

another good find, to add to my growing collection

 

the railings along the promenade have recently been painted, which must have been a very boring job

 

there are still a lot of tyres on the beach, from when they were left there by last winter's storms.  Some are standing up

 

some are lying flat

 

others are just visible

 

and someone has had fun with this one!

 

I think it is obligatory to have an ice cream after an afternoon walking on the beach!

Very happy mail!

There was great excitement yesterday morning when the postman delivered a parcel from the other side of the world!

 

so what delights did it contain?

 

a card and presents for my birthday from Meredithe, who was unable to post the parcel to arrive on time as she was quite poorly

 

a fabulous sheepie tin

 

and in the tin, an owl tape measure, and an owl shawl pin, just in time for my hand knitted scarves and shawls coming out of the wardrobe for winter ( which the "experts" claim is going to be very cold and snowy!)

 

and how cute is this tote bag .......

 

....... made to support a good cause.  Thank you Meredithe, for such lovely presents - the tin and tape measure  are now in my sewing basket in the flat

 

I took these photos of my sock knitting yesterday morning, before we left to come over to the flat.  The light was really bad, so they have been taken under the ceiling light in the lounge - some of them on my footstool, and some of them on the rug.  This pair is for Malcolm - they are more green than they look in the photo

 

sorry, this one is a bit out of focus!  Again, these are for Malcolm - the same pattern, but in a blue colourway

 

but there was a bit of an oops in the second sock, where something had obviously gone wrong with the printing of the pattern on the yarn

 

the same yarn in yet another colourway - this pair is for me (and I finished them last night)

 

I've got lots of  left over bits of yarn now, so I have come up with a cunning plan.  I unearthed a skein of yarn from my stash and wound it into a ball.  Now I am going to knit short socks for me.  I'll use the leftovers to knit the rib, then use the skein to knit the feet - after all, no one  will see them in my boots!

 

we walked over to town this afternoon, and of course went round past the Money Pit.  There is still a lot of work going on.  The rotten bits of window frame have been replaced, and the windows painted

 

why did I take this photo?  If you look closely at the big tree on the right, you will see that it is laden with apples!

 

some time ago, we went to have a look round the show house at this development when they had an open day (we had no intentions of buying one, we were just being nosey!).  The work is now almost finished, and instead of a great mound of earth and rubble, the centre space is now being landscaped

 

the little black boat is one of the fishing boats that moors in the dock

 

there weren't very many people on the beach today

 

this is an old fire insurance mark on the front of a house (well spotted, Malcolm!)

 

I rather like this window - I wonder if Malcolm would let me cut a hole in the studio wall to install one?

 

I have shown you this fire escape before - it is on the back of the Money Pit.  I just like the contrast between the curved and straight sections

 

when I was sorting through my photos, I came across this one from earlier in the week.  Has an alien invaded my kitchen?

 

no, it's just a saucepan waiting to be washed up

 

instead of going for a cuppa and cake this afternoon, we had a cuppa and shared a delicious cheese scone at the Garden Centre this morning

 

the forecast is reasonable for tomorrow, so we are hoping to go for along walk on the beach.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

Catching up on the celebrations

On Saturday, we headed up the road to spend some time with Stuart and Alison ........ and to finally celebrate our Pearl Wedding Anniversary, Malcolm's birthday, Alison's birthday, Stuart's birthday and my birthday.  All that celebrating called for a very special meal, so we decided to go to Pierre's in Falkirk.  Stuart and Alison had been there recently, but I think the last time Malcolm and I were there was when we took Stuart and my Dad for lunch in 1999.  Why do I remember it was 1999 ...... because it was to celebrate Stuart's 21st birthday and my Dad's 80th (my Dad's birthday was the day after Stuart's)  Our meal on Saturday started with a little amuse bouche, cream of carrot and coriander soup, served in a tiny espresso cup

 

I only took photos of Malcolm and my food rather than hold up the eating taking photos of all four meals.  This is my starter - hot smoked salmon with a mango and avocado salsa

 

Malcolm had chicken and haggis terrine, with red onion jam

 

my main course - chicken breast, with creamy mashed potato, green beans and a mustard sauce ....... and the two little bonbons - one black pudding and one haggis

 

Malcolm had a ribeye steak with a blue cheese sauce ....... and some wonderful chips, which were supposed to be for two, so he shared them with the rest of us

 

my pudding .... it said on the menu that it was a chocolate panecotta, but it was more like a chocolate mousse, with an orange sauce and orange segments - utterly delicious!! 

 

on Sunday morning, having recovered from Saturday night's meal, we headed to The Wheelhouse for breakfast.  Stuart chose French toast with bacon and maple syrup

 

Alison and Malcolm both chose this - a circle of toast, with mushrooms and hollandaise sauce ....... and a surprise ingredient, black pudding hiding under the sauce!

 

I had ordered egg benedict - but hadn't expected to get a double helping ...... so Malcolm manfully helped me eat it!

 

The Wheelhouse is beside the Falkirk Wheel, and near the Kelpies.  You can read about them here, here and here. I had a quick search through my photos for the Falkirk Wheel and found these two.  The first was taken by me

 

and this snowy one was taken by Stuart

 

I'll be back on Friday with a sock update!

 

 

An excellent new book!

I was delighted last week to receive a copy of this new book to review*, from the lovely Aimee at Quarto.  The book is by Matt Chapple, winner of the Great British Sewing Bee.  Matt joined the army aged 16 as a vehicle mechanic, but along the way learned sewing skills to keep his uniform smart.  Over the years he has honed his skills altering and making clothes for his family

 

opening the book revealed these stylish drawings, and there are clear illustrations throughout the book

 

the table of contents shows how wide ranging the book is ....... the last section is on how to properly clean your shoes!

 

this is from the section on the various ways of transferring pattern markings to the fabric

 

the instructions for taking measurements so that the clothes fit are very clear - I wish I had known all this years ago when I did a lot of dressmaking

 

an action shot of Matt - one of his very good suggestions is to collect large pebbles from the beach to use as weights

 

although this shows matching the pattern for dressmaking, his method would also work for patchwork

 

when I turned the page to Scuba Skirt, I was slightly perplexed - how would one go scuba diving in a skirt!  But of course it refers to the fabric, which is the same as that used for wet suits

 

and there are touches of humour too ....... if you were to name your sewing machine what would you call it?

 

there is something for every sewer in this book, whether beginner, intermediate or more experienced, and it has certainly made me want to take up dressmaking again.  It would make an excellent Christmas present, whether for a friend, or for someone to give you!   The book is published by Jacqui Small, and you can buy it here

 

* other than the copy of the book, I have received no payment for posting this review.  I was given permission to take photos of the book to share with you.  The photos from the book are by Simon Brown.

 

 

A selfie!

When I was sorting through my photos for today's post, I came across this one.  I took it on holiday with my Kindle, which I was trying to set up to take photos of our meal, to email to Stuart and Alison.  I don't usually take selfies - but I rather like this one!

 

I used to have two lovely, delightful friends in Melbourne ......... Meredithe and Helen.  But when they were recently at a quilt exhibition, they not only took lots of photos of nasty little beasties cats, they then arranged them in a collage to send to me.  I have told them I may start speaking to them again in about a zillion years time!! (M & H, you know I love you, really!)

 

I hope it really is an old wife's tale that lots of berries in the autumn means we are in for a hard winter, as our rowan tree is laden .......

 

....... with pink berries, which the blackbirds love

 

the climbing rose on the front of the house is still flowering

 

and this clematis in the back garden is flowering for the second time

 

this fuchsia has been flowering for weeks and weeks!

 

after pottering round the garden with the camera, I had a stroll along the road.  There are sheep in the field across the road

 

I think this one was saying "who are you looking at" in a picking a fight sort of way!

 

a little further on, the donkeys were out in their field

 

I was surprised they didn't have their coats on, as they seem to wear them for most of the year

 

three of them stood nicely for the photos

 

but this one just would not turn round!

 

the horse sharing their field just has such a superior air - look at me, I am sleek and handsome, unlike those shaggy donkeys!

 

after spending the summer out in the hedgerows, the sparrows are back in the garden

 

I didn't mind this one turning its back, as it means you can see the striking patterns on his feathers

 

these three were deep in conversation

 

while this one ignored them

 

for every successful bird photo ........

 

........ there are a lot like this

 

and like this, where the camera has focused  on the metal bird, instead of the robin (yes, I am blaming the camera, not my photography skills!) (according to my spell check, both focused and focussed are acceptable spellings, but neither looks right)

 

it's Friday, so that means cake!  This afternoon, we shared a slice of banana bread, which was delicious

 

we are visiting Stuart and Alison this weekend, going out for a belated dinner to celebrate our Anniversary ....... I even have a new dress to wear!  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

Before we see the Happy Mail

we have to pop out into the garden this morning, to admire the clouds

 

with just a faint tinge of pink

 

and a hint of sunshine

 

and now for the Happy Mail.  When we got home last week, there was a parcel for me from one of my lovely long-term readers, Dawn (no blog).  I was delighted to find this owly work bag, which she had sent me for my birthday

 

it is already in use, keeping safe my latest pair of socks for Malcolm

 

next, this beautifully wrapped parcel

 

which contained this gorgeous notebook to add to my collection (perhaps I could use this one to keep track of all my other notebooks?!).  So where did this come from?

 

it is my first purchase from the etsy shop which has just been opened by the delightful Crafty Brownies.  If you haven't already discovered their blog, do head over and have a browse, as they have a variety of super craft tutorials ........ and then visit their lovely new shop which is filled with all sorts of gorgeousness!

 

when I was at the Quilt Show just before we went on holiday, I had intended to by some Christmas themed buttons from the Stitch Witch, to embellish my "Santa Stop Here" wallhanging, but she wasn't there!  So I ordered them online, and they arrived while we were away.  How cute are these little snowmen

 

and the parcels look good under the tree

 

to finish ....... no, these didn't arrive in the post!  I had bought them when I did the food shopping on Monday, and Malcolm assumed that I was going to make some sort of exotic dish with them.  NO!!  They are my seasonal decoration ....... and one day I will get round to making a Hallowe'en quilt with the fabrics I bought a year or two ago!!

 

Little sheep all in a row

Before we went on holiday, I made a start to this kit, which I had bought at the Autumn Quilt Show, although as I mentioned, I am making a wallhanging rather than the draught excluder 

 

all the fabric needed is in the kit

 

I started by tracing the sheep bodies on to fusible web, and fusing it to the wrong side of the fabrics

 

then I stitched the borders on, to help with the placement of the sheep

 

the bodies in place, but not yet fused as there are bits to be tucked under the edges

 

the faces, top knots and legs traced and fused to  black and white felt

 

the first sheepie with its face, top knot and legs in place

 

the sheep all fused in place

 

layered up and ready to quilt

 

I stitched round the edges of the sheep with invisible thread - a sort of combination of raw-edge applique and quilting.  I have turned the piece over to the wrong side, so you can see the stitching

 

I changed to the walking foot and quilted in the ditch round the borders

 

then back to the quilting foot to quilt the background

 

the background quilted ...... and that is as far as I got before we went away.  Now I will have to decide how to quilt the borders

 

as you can see, I have rather a lot of projects on the go at the moment (and of course there is all the sock knitting as well!) ............

 

so for the next few weeks, I will just be here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  Do pop in again on Wednesday, as I have some Happy Mail to show you!!

You may have thought .......

........ that the sun had gone to my head when I promised you interesting electricity boxes, but this article in an expat magazine might pique your interest

 

don't worry, I didn't take photos of all 55 boxes!  This one was outside our hotel, so I started with it

 

then just snapped ones which caught my eye.  I love the way that the fly that the chameleon has caught is on a bit sticking out the side of the main box

 

I think they got the proportions a bit wrong ....... the bee would never fit into the hive!

 

every time I see a bird of paradise flower, I start singing "may the bird of paradise fly up your nose" ......... (I can't remember any more words!)

 

how cute is this frog!

 

this one was outside a bar!

 

I am not sure if the moon is rising or setting, but wouldn't it be good to be sitting on the beach watching it

 

and to finish, some random photos.  Why did I take photos of pomegranate trees hanging over the pavement?

 

because they are, of course, for Meredithe, the famous Miss Pomegranate and Chintz (hope you are keeping better sweetie!!)

 

maybe if we win the lottery we could buy a villa, and you could all take turns coming to stay?

 

the crossed legs are a clue as to what this sign indicated

 

yes, it was the door to a very posh Ladies! 

 

it's Friday, so there has to be cake!  On Monday, our last morning, we went wild and had two cakes with our cuppa (and as usual we had half each!)  Strawberries and cream

 

and apples ....... so, healthy eating really!

 

I have a vague recollection of doing some sewing before we went away ........ I will have to get myself sorted out for Monday, when normal blogging will resume.  We are over at the flat, and it has been a bit wet and dreary, but hopefully the weather will improve and we will get out for a walk on the beach.  I hope you have a great weekend, love Anne