frayed at the edge

Some favourite restaurants .......

........ and lots of delicious food!  (if you are on a diet, I apologise if this post sends you running to the biscuit tin/secret chocolate stash!!).  On my birthday, we walked up the hill to the Earth Café for breakfast

 

it had only just opened when we were in Carvoiero last year

 

and we were delighted to see that was obviously very successful

 

my favourite breakfast, smoked salmon and scrambled egg - delicious!

 

Malcolm had mushrooms on toast, also delicious

 

we visited the café several times, sharing a scone with jam and cream

 

and when on the next visit they didn't have any scones, we shared a slice of banana cake

 

Taste has now been open for five years, and always seems to be fully booked

 

we went there for my birthday dinner, and had a table inside

 

as all the outside tables were already reserved

 

we started with the "couvert" ........ going clockwise, olives, garlic butter, tuna pate and aioli, served with warm rolls

 

a little "amuse bouche", compliments of the chef

 

Malcolm had sea bass with risotto

 

while I had duck breast with potato waffles

 

and mixed veggies

 

we bravely made room for dessert ....... and Malcolm combined his with coffee to have an affogato - a scoop of ice cream with espresso poured over it

 

there was a brief pause before my dessert arrived - accompanied by three of the waiters singing Happy Birthday!  By the time they had finished singing, the sparkler had burned out, but the candle made up for it - every time I blew it out, it relit!  Chocolate brownie with salted caramel ice cream and caramel sauce ....... you know that I only ordered it for you to see!!

 

then to finish a very special meal, we were given a glass of port!

 

another of our favourites is Jan - which is straight across the road from the hotel.  This is it basking in the sun

 

and this is it in the evening

 

I had asked the waiter to take this photo

 

then when we were there several evenings later, when the waiter saw me taking a photo of my dinner, he offered to take a photo of us

 

another delicious dinner - salmon in a butter and lemon sauce with veggies and potatoes

 

Onze is just a few yards up the hill from the hotel

 

having seen someone eating this when we arrived, Malcolm promptly ordered it - a monkfish, salmon and prawn kebab

 

while I had spinach and ricotta tortellini in a gorgonzola sauce.  I tried to get the recipe for the sauce from the waitress, but she said it was the chef's secret recipe - so I shall just have to guess at what was in it - I think there was a hint of mustard!

 

but I wouldn't want you to think that all we did was eat ........ sometimes we just had a cuppa!

 

we didn't visit this bar, despite the handsome chap pictured on the wall

 

nor did we visit the establishment that this little dog guarded, lying in the middle of the pavement in front of the door

 

I'll be back tomorrow with a last holiday report, including some very special electricity junction boxes!

Two weeks of blue skies ......

...... then we came home to rain!!  So if your weather has been as dreary as ours today, I am sure that you will enjoy all the blue sky in these photos!  This is the hotel we stayed in

 

which had a lovely pool - but I was limited to this photo, as there were other people there

 

but if you prefer the beach, you only had to come out the hotel, turn left, and it was a short walk to the sand

 

however, you won't find me on the beach, as I don't like getting sand everywhere and I don't like swimming in the sea!

 

but if you want to be energetic, you can go for a stroll along this amazing boardwalk, which meanders along the cliff top

 

although I managed to take photos with only a couple of people in them, it is a very popular walk

 

I hope the crew on this pirate ship were friendly!

 

the little dark mark on the point of the cliff is a fisherman ..... I couldn't bear to watch the fishermen as they leaned right out when they were casting their lines

 

this boat was on its way to explore the caves, which is something that I would like to do, but I get seasick!

 

the buildings are beautifully maintained ........

........ except for this one - perhaps we could buy it and I could turn it into - yes, you know I am going to say a quilting retreat!

 

can you see the seagulls on the roofline ....... they were keeping an eye on us as we ate our dinner one evening

 

there were two afternoons when a little bit of cloud appeared ........ but then that meant that we had sunsets to enjoy

 

if there are no clouds, the sky goes vaguely pink as the sun goes down, so there were lots of people taking  photos of this dramatic sky

 

I'll be back tomorrow with more photos, but for today I will say cheers ........

 

as we enjoyed a glass of wine before dinner on our first evening

 

 

 

An excellent show!

Maureen and Doreen arrived promptly on Friday morning and we set off for Edinburgh.  We encountered some heavy traffic on the way (heavy traffic in the Borders is two cars and a sheep on the road!), so were a bit later than usual getting there ....... and when we arrived, we found that the quilt show was in a different building at Ingliston, as the usual one is being refurbished.  I think there was more room in the new venue, but it was hung with black curtains and the ceiling was black, giving poor lighting conditions for viewing the quilts - and taking photos

 

the vast expanse of black fabric was somewhat oppressive

 

some of the traders were unhappy with the lighting, so I think the organisers will have to address the issue for the next show (the usual building will be unavailable for some time)

 

but on to the quilts!  I bumped into our lovely local longarm quilter Kay, and she was happy for me to take photos of her quilts to share with you.  This is my favourite one, as I love the look of strippy quilts

 

Kay's description of the quilt

 

and a detail of her exquisite work

 

in contrast to the soft colours of the strippy quilt, this one makes my eyes go funny!  It is beautifully pieced and quilted

 

and again we have Kay's description of the quilt

 

the lighting was particularly poor where this quilt was hanging - the background is much blacker than it looks in the photo, and the stars much brighter

 

and again, Kay's description

 

this is a small quilt, as you can see by its size next to the rosette (all of her quilts had rosettes!)

 

her quilting on this one is superb!

 

Kay also gave me permission to show you this quilt, made by her friend Linzi

 

this is Linzi's description of her quilt

 

and this detail shows her quilting and beading

 

after all the hard work of viewing the quilts, I was glad to find that although we were in a different building, the catering was the same, and I was able to enjoy my usual treat of macaroni cheese and chips!

 

of course I did a little bit of shopping!  My first purchase was this super book

 

signed by the author

 

was my purchase of the book influenced by this stylish owl?

 

this fabric will make a good background for applique blocks

 

although I may have to get my French dictionary out!

 

I just couldn't resist this unusual fabric - this is just a quarter of the piece

 

and finally ........ sheepies!

 

I have already done some work on this  ............

 

........ but I am not making a draught excluder.  However, you will have to wait for two weeks to see what I have done ........ as we are off on holiday tomorrow!!  Yes, I can hear you all shouting that we have just been on holiday, but let me explain!  I booked our Anniversary holiday away back in March, as my present to Malcolm for our anniversary, but then several week ago, he was having a little browse online at late bargains, and found an excellent deal for two weeks in Carvoiero, in Portugal.  You may remember we had a holiday there last year.  So we are off at the crack of dawn tomorrow, to drive down to Newcastle airport.  I'll be back on Wednesday the 12th of October to tell you what we got up to - and how we celebrated my birthday, which is on the 2nd!!

Books, wool and patterns

When we were out and about yesterday, we had a stroll round Selkirk.  I found these two old books in a charity shop, and as they were only £2 each, they came home with me

 

they have both been signed by the author, but unlike signed books that you see on antiques programmes on tv, I doubt that has added to their value!

 

I was sad to see that the little knitting and sewing shop is closing, as the owners are retiring.  There was 20% off all wool, so three balls of sock wool came home with me.  The ball on the left is for me, and Malcolm chose the other two.  I think I might wake up one morning and find I have been sock knitting in my sleep!

 

when I was at The Quilt Shop last week, Sue, the lovely owner, said that she had been asked if there was a pattern available for the Welcome wallhanging that I made for her.  Could I write a pattern for her ....... and could I also do a Christmas version?  So I have beavering away on both patterns

 

I hadn't written down any measurements when I made the Welcome wallhangng, but I had the original working drawing (in the previous photo) so I made a note of all the fabric required

 

I cut a piece of fabric for the centre panel, and added borders

 

I drew round the template for the bunting on double stick fusible web

 

and cut out the pieces

 

then did the same with the little birds

 

I added some red and white twine to the bunting, and made a sign saying Santa stop here

 

I cut out a tree shape from paper

 

glued it to a piece of card (except the paper doesn't show up in the photo!)

 

I cut it out, and also cut out a template for the tree trunk

 

I had a good rake through my stash, and found these snowflakes - when I sew them on I'll add a little bead in the centre

 

making a start to drawing the pattern sheets

 

I needed to draw some little circles, so borrowed this technical doodah from Malcolm - he has had this for many, many years ....... from way back when engineers actually did their drawings by hand, not on the computer.  Stuart, too, is an engineer, and I seem to recall that he did his drawings both by hand and on the computer when he was at university

 

the basic pattern sheets.  At this stage I make photocopies ......

 

....... in case I make a mistake when I add the writing.  Now I need to do the written instructions ...... and make the Santa wallhanging so that I can take a photo for the front cover of the pattern

 

I won't be here tomorrow, as I shall be away all day at the Autumn Quilt Show at Ingliston ........ and I shall have to make my own dinner when I get home, as Malcolm has gone over to the flat and I will be home alone until Sunday!  I'll be back  on Monday with my show report (and no doubt one or two purchases).  So, a day early, I will wish you a good weekend, love Anne

 

Jumbo!

I recently got these jumbo binding clips as a free gift with a magazine

 

this shows just how big they are compared to standard ones

 

but as it is only the end of the clip that grips the binding, I can't see the point of the jumbo ones .......... unless you were adding a very wide binding

 

I can hear you now, asking why I have used fabric with (yeuch) cats on it!  It was included in a bundle of fat quarters, and I didn't realise until too late that there were cats (nasty little beasties) on one of the fabrics

 

the lovely Margaret, she of the exquisite appliqué quilts, has started coming to Abbey Quilters Monday afternoon sewing sessions.  So she needs a mug bag (we all take our own mugs to use).  I looked out this almost finished one - it is inside out at this stage.  Then I delved in my various stashes and found a suitable piece of fabric, and a length of cord

 

a tip for when you are cutting cord, which likes nothing better than to unravel at the cut.  Wrap a piece of sellotape round the cord

 

snip in the middle

 

ta-da, no unravelling ends!

 

and you can stick a pin through the sellotape for threading it through the channels for the cord

 

then once you have tied the two ends together, you can take the tape off and fluff out the ends

 

here is one side of the mug bag

 

and here is the other.  I even found a pretty mug in my stash to put in it!

 

"sock war" is hotting up, with Little Miss Smartypants now knitting toe-up socks!  Well, the honour of Scottish sock-knitting rests on my shoulders, so maybe one or two pairs may appear from these books

 

but maybe not these weird-looking things!

I've never been one ........

...... to shirk a challenge, so when Little Miss Smartypants Meredithe mentioned knitting 16 pairs of socks in 2016, of course I said I would too.  The only problem was that she was on pair 12, and I had knitted one!  However, I bought some sock yarn to knit up when we went to Hampshire - I knew I would get a lot done in the car during the long drives there and back.  This is the first pair ........ I do like to start the second sock at the same point in the colour sequence as the first one

 

but I had just gone past the start point of the first sock when I got to the toe

 

and that part of the sequence didn't appear again until the heel, which was far too much to wind off, so they don't quite match

 

I bought this sock wool in the wool shop in Alton, as Malcolm said he would like a pair

 

I thought I had started in the same place, but as I was knitting in the evening with just the light of a small lamp ...... oops.  Fortunately Malcolm isn't bothered, as you won't see them when he wears them with his winter boots

 

hooray, this pair turned out matching!

 

this pair match down to the heel turn

 

but then the sequence has a slight hiccup

 

this is the latest pair - I should finish this first sock tonight

 

and now for a tale of woe!  When we got home, I popped into Fun2Do in Hawick to get a ball of wool to do another pair for Malcolm.  I started knitting .......

 

........ then there was a slight problem with a break in the yarn

 

but on closer inspection, it looked as if the yarn had been cut, and there were several more ends in the ball.  I took it back to the shop yesterday, and the member of staff who served me was as puzzled as I  was.  She too thought that it looked as if the yarn had been cut, rather than breaking when the ball was being wound.  She is going to send it back to the manufacturer ......

 

........ and I got a replacement ball.  But unfortunately there wasn't another ball of the manly colourway, so I just had to get another girly one!

 

on Saturday, Berwick was invaded by rather a lot of Goldwing motor bikes (they look like a cross between a motor bike and a large armchair!)

 

I promised you handsome young men, but I don't think these chaps qualify

 

nor do these ones

 

here they are ........

 

........ who can resist a well-turned out Minion (well, I can't!!).  The bike owner found it quite funny that I wanted to take photos of his Minions, not his bike!

 

there weren't any bananas on offer for the Minions, but if they were really peckish, they had the choice of burgers, donuts and ice cream ....... which I think are the three major food groups!!

Harvest moon

On Friday night, we had a good view of the harvest moon.  I used one of the specialist settings on the camera to take this photo, which also shows that there was some activity in the dock

 

then for this one I used the digital zoom, and there is a little bit of camera shake.  Sadly our moon wasn't orange, as it was in some parts of the country

 

the gates at our end of the dock are only open at the weekend, so on Saturday morning, I snuck in to take a photo of the big green machine

 

and the other two big machines and their reflections

 

because of the full moon, the tide was exceptionally low, and we spotted not one ........

 

........ but two chaps out with their metal detectors

 

the low tide revealed the foundations of the old bridge

 

and the new bridge

 

 

 

and there was only a trickle coming through the railway bridge

 

Malcolm walked on and pretended he wasn't with me when I stopped to talk to this pigeon, asking it to turn its head and look at the camera

 

because of the low tide, we were able to walk round the foot of the walls

 

Malcolm obligingly provided the scale

 

this bricked-up doorway also shows the height of this section of the wall

 

most of the foundations are laid vertically

 

but there was one section which was laid horizontally - we couldn't see any reason for the change of direction

 

this enormous metal flap covers a storm drain - I wouldn't want to be walking past if it suddenly opened and let through a flood of water!

 

a quick pause for an arty photo

 

we left the shore and continued our walk along the quay.  This photos shows the difference between low and high water

 

I had to stand on the edge of the quay and lean slightly forward to take this photo ...... scary stuff, as I get the urge to jump when I do that (I believe lots of people feel the same way).  But the boat caught my eye, with evidence of the many colours that it has been painted

 

but at least it is still in use, unlike this one which is slowly rotting away

 

we had a seat on the quay to enjoy the sunshine, and I amused myself by taking lots of photos of the old bridge.  First a general shot

 

looking through one of the arches to the railway bridge

 

then through another arch to part of the new bridge

 

and another part of the new bridge

 

and then through to houses on the far bank

 

this is one of those street signs which makes you think that they must have had a very long meeting to decide what to call the street at the end of the bridge!!

 

if you walk through this entrance, you will find a very small flat which is entirely under the buildings on top of the walls.  It only has windows looking out into the passage, there are no windows looking to the outside, so you would have to have the lights on all the time.  But if you fancy living like that, it is for sale!

 

on our way home yesterday, we popped into the Mill in Jedburgh for a cuppa and a scone ........ and this photo looks just like the one of last week's scone!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with a knitting update ........ and some very handsome young men on motorbikes!!

Basking in the sun

Butterflies don't appear in our garden in any numbers until September, when they congregate on the buddleia

 

these ones were way up at the top of the bush ......

 

........ which meant the photos were of the underside of their wings (is this the butterfly equivalent of sheep turning their rear ends to the camera?!)

 

there were also dozens of bees, but they never stay still long enough for a photo

 

the last clematis of the year is flowering - these flowers are just opening

 

then these ones are fully open

 

and this is what is left when the outer petals fall off

 

 the everlasting sweet pea has decided to flower this year, after sulking for several years!

 

I love how the tendrils curl round themselves when they can't find anything else to grip

 

the climbing rose on the pergola is still flowering

 

this bud is on a miniature rose - it is only the size of the tip of my little finger!

 

the osteospermum has decided to flower again

 

and the olive tree is looking very healthy

 

although I don't think we will be harvesting these olives any time soon

 

I could have been naughty, and said these olives were on our tree, but they were on a tree we saw down in Hampshire!

 

we have lavender bushes all over the garden - I brush past these ones going to and from the studio, which fills the air with a delightful smell

 

I spotted this the other day.  Do you know what it is?

 

here is the plant it is growing on ....... yes, we have our very own passion fruit!!

 

when we walked over to town this afternoon, I paused on the bridge to take this photo of the Money Pit, on the other side of the river, in case there were workmen about when we walked past

 

but there was no-one there, so I could take a close up of the very serious scaffolding which has been put up since last week

 

as we walked along the river, there was suddenly a great sound of flapping wings, as some swans took to the air

 

we were very restrained when we went for a cuppa, sharing a delicious piece of lemon drizzle cake .........

 

........ as, unusually for a week night, we were going to have pudding!  Maureen had given me some plums, so this morning I added some strawberries, a teaspoon of sugar and a drizzle of vanilla, and after a quick zap in the microwave, had the base for a crumble

 

as we have limited space in the kitchen in the flat, I don't have a big store cupboard of ingredients, so I bought a crumble mix

 

just out of the oven

 

delicious!!

 

whether or not you are eating delicious puddings, I hope you have a super weekend, love Anne

 

A feast for the eyes!

Yesterday saw us heading south to Morpeth, so that I could spend the day with my lovely quilty chums at Sue's wonderful shop (if you missed my first visit to the shop, you can read about it here).  The shelves are filling up nicely

 

with wonderful lush fabrics

 

these ones are still wrapped, as they had just been delivered

 

the colours of these fabrics are deeper than they look in the photo.  Annie put the three together to make a bag with.  She was promptly asked to do a class in the shop, showing the others how to make the bag!

 

this new charm pack was very tempting!

 

if you are looking for a Christmas present for a quilty friend, then head to the shop to buy one of these colourful tins

 

or perhaps some fun buttons

 

there was so much going on (mainly talking and drinking cuppas!) that I forgot to take photos of what everyone was working on, but I did take this one of Barbara's clamshell project, which just keeps growing

 

in contrast, Lucie's elongated hexies are in lovely muted shades of pink

 

so did I buy anything?  Of course I did!  I do like a nice spotty fabric (or several)

 

and who could resist these cute buttons - not me

 

this tin isn't for a quilty friend ...... it's for me!  I may have to fill it with some emergency chocolate!!

 

we came over to Berwick at teatime ........ and it is so misty that we can't see the water in the dock, so we have no idea if the tide is in or out!

A busy night

As always for our first night back at Abbey Quilters, there was a great deal going on.  Lots of chatting, as we caught up with those members we hadn't seen over the summer break, the queue to pay our dues for the coming year, Sandra our chairman welcoming us back and outlining the syllabus (lots of good talks and workshops).  Then it was my turn, to give a quick introduction to the different methods of doing appliqué, as our challenge block this year is an appliqué one.  I had made up boards with little samples

 

and had taken in a pile of quilts to show the different methods in use

 

my neat and tidy display didn't last long, as after my little talk the members had a good look at the quilts

 

as it was just an ordinary meeting, there was no home baking, just biscuits

 

and then we had the star of the evening, the supremely talented Margaret, with a selection of her stunning quilt tops (they haven't yet been made into quilts)  Some of the angles of the photos are a bit wonky, as the tops were laid out on tables and draped over chairs.  I love everything about this one, the cute bunnies and the beautiful fabrics

 

this is my favourite bunny

 

can you see that this cute little girl has a tiny doll in her pocket?

 

of course I love this wonky, cross-eyed owl!

 

Margaret thought the original pattern of penguins in the snow and ice was a bit boring, so she sent them on a sunshine holiday

 

I think this one stole Dame Edna's specs!

 

she has done several teddy quilts .........

 

....... I need another word to use instead of cute, to describe this one

 

this one is from when she was going the a "bling" phase, with lots of beads and crystals

 

you may recognise this little girl ........

 

....... and this one, as they are similar to the fabulous little girl she gave me for my birthday last year

 

I guess this frog is waiting for the princess to kiss him - he already has his crown for when he turns into a handsome prince!

 

and now for something completely different to finish ........ Maureen had emailed my to ask if I would like a courgette from her garden - and would I like a long one or a round one.  I replied that I would like a long one, as I would probably spiralise it.  However, I won't be spiralising the one she gave me - I have put my reading specs in the photo to give the scale

 

she also gave me a round one ....... I shall have to have a hunt through my cookery books for a recipe for this one - perhaps scooping it out, stuffing it and baking/roasting it

 

I have had a fabulous day out today - I shall tell you about it tomorrow!