frayed at the edge

Berwick and Warkworth

 Although we have had some rain today, it is still a bit hot for blogging, so just a very quick description of our visit to Berwick on Thursday, and Warkworth yesterday.

 

The swans were out in force on the river

 

I never tire of taking photos of the bridges

 

the heron's feathers were ruffled by the breeze

 

work on the major money pit continues

 

of course we have to have a photo of the lighthouse!

 

looking from the town walls over the roofs, with Bamburgh Castle on the horizon

 

in Warkworth, we parked by the river

 

and walked along the riverbank towards the old bridge

 

this young man paddled quietly past us

 

but then with a great deal of noise …...

 

dozens of scooters roared past (that's the Northumberland flag on the last scooter)

 

a glimpse of the castle, dominating the skyline

 

it must have been quite a feat to build it with just manpower, no great cranes or machinery to lift the stone

 

I imagined Rapunzel leaning out of the tiny window at the top of the tower, letting down her hair

 

we popped into Bertram's for a cuppa

 

we hadn't been there before, and loved its style, with scrubbed wooden table tops and mismatched chairs

 

Malcolm's coffee came in a plain white mug, but I was delighted with my teapot, cup and saucer.  What was that, you spotted the cake??!!  We shared this banana and fudge cake - delicious!

Catching up!

I don't know what happened, but these photos from last Thursday never made it into blog!  In the morning we went over to Rothbury for a walk, as the sun was shining, as you can see from this view of the River Coquet

 

we walked down on to the river bank so that I could capture the imposing stone bridge

 

this is a shot of the other side of the bridge

 

this was a school, and the bell tower now provides a vantage point for the gulls to survey the town

 

you can never have too many photos of old doors ……….

 

..…….. and old gates

 

we were glad when we got back to the car park that this enormous gull wasn't sitting on our car!

 

in the afternoon, I tackled a job that strangely I had been looking forward to doing!

 

I do love using the high pressure washer - there is something very satisfying about seeing the dirt wash away

 

of course it does mean getting a bit wet and dirty - but at the end of the afternoon I simply turned the washer om my trousers and shoes and washed them clean too!

 

you can see the difference between the clean railings on the right, and the yet to be cleaned ones on the left

 

we were amazed at how clean the deck boards looked as they dried out in the sun

 

there is a bit more work to do, but getting rid of the years of grime was immensely satisfying!

 

fast forwarding to yesterday, if you follow me on Instagram (@annetaydon) you will have seen the next two photos.  Malcolm finished planting up the two planters that he made from the section of the deck that he had to demolish …….. 

 

..……. and added gravel, pebbles, stones and driftwood

 

they look good sitting on either side of the front door ( I also pressure washed the doorstep and the path!)

 

the first of the clematis that we planted last year has flowered

 

and finally, I don't know what this plant in the rockery is, but I do like it!

A very grand day out!

 I had said that I would tell you today what Malcolm was making with the old clock that he bought last week, but that will have to wait until Friday, as we had a very special day out yesterday.  We had received an invitation from The Newcastle Building Society to a presentation at Alnwick Castle.  Not only would we be treated to a buffet lunch, we would also be given a guided tour of the grounds of the Castle, after a talk from the CEO of the Building Society.  So of course we accepted the invitation.  As the Castle is still lived in by the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, there are no ugly car parks in the grounds of the castle - but who would object to walking from the outlying car park up to the Castle while enjoying this view!

 

there was a large group of children walking into the Castle in front of us

 

it is a magnificent building

 

these two tourists give you an idea of the scale

 

this ring is for tethering your horse

 

with a rather fierce beastie to look after it

 

after the presentation and a delicious buffet lunch, we went on the guided tour, which was conducted by a charming young man named Daniel.  If you have been thinking that the Castle looks familiar, it may be because many films and tv programmes have been filmed there - the most famous being the Harry Potter movies, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (the Kevin Costner one), and the latest Transformer movie

 

 and an episode of Downton Abbey, which of course is shown all round the world (although I have to admit that I have never seen it)

 

but this is a real life hero, Sir Henry Percy, aka Harry Hotspur

 

this courtyard has been used in several firms, including one in which our guide Daniel had a minor part!

 

fortunately we knew .....

 

that these threatening figures on the roof are statues!

 

the Union Flag was flying proudly in the breeze

 

as we made our way back to the car, I spotted this tree ........ could this have been the model for the Whomping Willow?

 

 

(yet another) change of plans!

The plan for yesterday morning was : pop down to Morpeth for some bits of shopping, visit Jennifer, then head up to Berwick.  Unfortunately we got up to discover that the boiler was on the blink, so the plans had to be changed.  But one thing never changes - the camera is always to hand in case a photo opportunity arises.  You may think this is a rather poor blurry shot .......

 

but is was the sun shining through my little stained glass candleholder, casting a coloured shadow on the wall, while we were having our after-breakfast cup of tea

 

Malcolm found a heating engineer to fix the boiler, but he couldn't come  out until this morning, so we headed to Morpeth as planned.  After doing the odds and ends of shopping, we went for a cuppa, and shared a piece of rather tasty lemon and coconut cake

 

who could resist this little sweetie, patiently  waiting for its owner outside M&S?

 

we spent an hour with Jennifer - she is making good progress and hopes to be home by the end of next week.  She thanks you for all your good wishes for her recovery.  Afer lunch, we decided to abandon our chores, and headed to Alnmouth for a walk on the beach.  As you can see, a lot of people had the same idea

 

it was cheering to see so much blue sky, after the recent bad weather

 

you know I always find strange things to take photos of

 

including crab claws

 

and a large lobster claw

 

I had given Malcolm one of my cameras to play with, and he promptly got his revenge for all the times that I shout at him for getting in my photos, shouting at me to get out of his!

 

when we looked at all the photos later, we argued over who had taken which ones, each of us claiming to have taken the best ones.  But I know Malcom took this one of some coils of wire lying on the sand

 

while I took this one of the remains of a lobster pot

 

I also took this one of the waves pounding on to the beach, with Coquet Island in the distance

 

we both took photos of the groynes

 

Malcolm because he likes the weathered wood

 

 

and me because I like the rusty metal

 

away from the beach, there was still plenty to take photos of, the church spire

 

chimneys (and more wonderful blue sky)

 

yet more chimneys

 

but what was this ....... we both thought that it looked like a Minion disguised as a chimney!

 

after all that walking and competitive photography, we were in need of a cuppa and sustenance (yes, I know, cake twice in one day is very naughty!)  This was an unusual cake, which was described on the menu as apple and cinnamon, but it also had oats and chopped nuts in it, and was very delicious!

 

we will be visiting Jennifer tomorrow morning, then in the afternoon I hope to do some sewing.  Then on Sunday, our former next door neighbours (the lovely shoe shop owners) are coming down for a visit.  The forecast is reasonable, so we hope to go out for a bit of sightseeing with them.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne 

A most enjoyable day!

Yesterday morning, we decided to pop over to Rothbury - after being stuck indoors all last week, we were itching to get out and about.  This is the great pile of snow I was standing in front of on Saturday- as you can see there is still an awful lot of it!

 

although the roads are clear, there is still a great deal of snow on the verges

 

arriving in Rothbury, we parked in the car park down by the river, and walked over the footbridge into town

 

the view up the river from the bridge

 

a little splash of colour against the snow

 

after the snow-filled skies of last week, it was so good to see some blue

 

it's not every day that you see a tractor parked on the main street in town!

 

it will be some time before this pile of snow melts - the truck behind it gives you an idea of the size of it

 

I do like an old, weathered church door

 

another splash of colour

 

on the way back to the car park, we walked over the road bridge

 

snow drops in the snow!

 

of course we went for a cuppa, choosing the Elm Tree Coffee Shop, as they do a "morning special" of a cuppa and a scone for £2.80 ....... a bargain!

 

Malcolm ordered a fruit scone

 

and I ordered a cheese one, but of course we then had half each

 

on the way home, Malcolm kindly pulled off the road so that I could take photos of these magnificent beasts

 

I like the way their horns point in different directions

 

but I was glad that there was a stout hedge between me and those horns!

 

back home, I started prepping the dinner.  I know there are four chops on the plate and there only going to be three of us for dinner, but the chops were packaged in twos in the freezer.  I had found a recipe on the internet which I thought I would try.  I rubbed the chops with olive oil and sprinkled them with a sea salt and herb mix

 

I then put two tablespoons of sugar and four tablespoons of honey in a bowl, zapping them briefly in the microwave and stirring them together

 

after browning the chops, I put them in a foil tray and spread them with half the sugar/honey mix and popped them in the oven for 15 minutes.  This photo shows the chops turned over after that first spell in the oven, with the rest of the sugar/honey mix spread on them, ready to go back in the oven for another 15 minutes

 

I had decided to serve green beans and mashed potato

 

it was an excellent dinner (we may have had a starter and pudding too) and Jennifer went home with a doggy bag with the extra chop

 

to finish, a bit of nonsense!  JDtheTractor and CheekySockMonkey decided to deal with the pile of snow still sitting in front of the house

 

I think they are going to be there a long time (did you spot them at the bottom of the pile?)

 

indoors, the Gnome Sisters declared that they weren't going out to help, preferring to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate

 

while the Gnome Brothers said that hot chocolate was just for girls, and they were going to drink beer - oh no they weren't, the beer was returned to the fridge!!

 

we came up to the flat this morning, and have been for a long walk on the beach this afternoon, so do pop in again on Monday to see the photos!  Have a good weekend, love Anne

Worth getting up for!

After all the recent bad weather, it was a joy this morning to see this wonderful sunrise

 

I should have been making the breakfast, but got a bit sidetracked taking photos

 

do you remember Malcolm re-covering the dining chairs just before Christmas.  At the time, I looked out this beautiful piece of fabric, which I bought when we lived in Indonesia (so I have had it for more than 17 years!), as I thought it would look good as a runner on the dining table

 

having had a hunt through my furnishing fabrics, I found one for the backing, and soon had the two fabrics pinned together

 

I was brave, and used a metallic thread for the quilting

 

a detail of the quilting

 

I made the binding with this African fabric, which I bought in 2001, at the big quilt show in Houston (well...... you have to have fabrics for a while before you can bear to cut them up and use them)

 

getting ready to join the two ends

 

the line on the left is where I cut off the extra fabric

 

the two edges lined up ready to stitch

 

pressing the seam open - as you can see I use steam when I am pressing seams, and the camera lens got a bit steamed up!

 

 

the binding folded in half and pressed, ready to stitch the last few inches in place

 

 

this shows the reason for joining the binding with a diagonal seam - when it is folded in half and stitched in place, the seam is staggered, so that the bulk of the seam isn't all in the same place

 

I have to admit that the runner then sat for some days .......

 

until I made a start to hand stitching the binding on the back, when I was at The Quilt Shop today

 

Malcolm's sister Jennifer is visiting for dinner tomorrow, so once I publish this post, I will have to hit the cookery books for a recipe involving pork chops!

 

Snowed in!

We got up on Tuesday morning to a world that had turned white

 

with more snow than we have seen for some time,  going out in the car was ruled out

 

after lunch we went out for a walk

 

enjoying the scenery

 

and pausing to take an arty photo ....

 

....... or two

 

we headed down the hill out of the village

 

until we reached our destination.  So what was so special about this stretch of hedge?

 

because on the other side of the hedge there are alpacas!

 

who were watching us watching them

 

on Wednesday morning we got up to a lot more snow

 

 

our next door neighbour had groceries delivered ....... but the van got stuck!  After all efforts to dig the van out had failed, Malcolm applied a bit of sideways thinking to the problem.  This is him, wearing my "foul weather" jacket, heading out with a watering can full of hot water.   He melted an area around the wheels, allowing the driver to get traction to drive off, an hour after he arrived!  You can always rely on an engineer to find a solution to a problem Sorry for the poor photo - I took it from the attic - not only did the window have snow on it, but you might have noticed a bird had splattered it as well!)

 

later in the day, the sky cleared and the moon appeared

 

we had even more snow yesterday morning, so I decided to be brave and go out to take photos, but I don't have long boots.  It's not just engineers who can find solution - I simply wrapped my legs in clingfilm ......

 

...... then wrapped more round the top of my boots

 

it worked - my legs stayed dry as I waded the snow

 

I stuck my yardstick in the deep drift in front of the hedge

 

a mere 18 inches!

 

I won't be sitting here any time soon

 

we brought these birds home from Indonesia - I am sure they wish they were back there in the sun!

 

it may look lovely, but I wish it would go away

 

back indoors, I took a photo of an icicle hanging in front of the lounge window

 

later in the day, it had grown quite a bit

 

then early this morning, it had grown and twisted - it was easily 24 inches long

 

and was sprouting sidekicks

 

it had been shaped by the wind

 

which was strong enough to blow the bird seed out of the ground feeder

 

 

and blow over the heavy wooden plinth the bird bath sits on.  Fortunately the bird bath didn't break

 

we may have been stuck in the house since Tuesday, but don't worry, we didn't have to do without  scones.  Fortunately there were two emergency ones in the freezer ....... I enjoyed a mug of hot chocolate with mine

 

As I write this, I am watching the local news bulletin, with film of the main A1 closed for 30 miles between Alnwick and Berwick.  Hundreds of people were stranded in their cars overnight!  So I think we will be staying home for the weekend!  Whatever your weather, have a good weekend, love Anne

 

Ambling around Amble

 Yesterday morning was just a bit chilly, so we wrapped up warmly (Malcolm even put his woolly hat on!) and headed over to Amble for a potter round the harbour.  Most of the little pods were open .......

 

........ but as we had already had breakfast (kippers on toast) we were able to resist the delicious smells coming from the sausage pod

 

we also resisted the lure of the cheese pod!

 

oh, oh, oh, the temptation to pinch a lobster pot - surely they wouldn't miss one!

 

and a rusty anchor or two would make a talking point in the garden

 

and I'm sure Malcolm could make use of this in his shed

 

there was the usual joke about Malcolm's occasional wish to buy a boat

 

I said that if we found out that we had won the big lottery prize on Friday, perhaps he could have this rusty fishing boat.  We didn't win as much as a penny, so it's back to plan A and the rowing boat!

 

for once I didn't mind this eider duck turning his back on me, as it showed off the flash of green on the back oh his neck

 

while admiring all the handsome male ducks, did you notice the two females - yes, the plain brown ones!

 

while I was sticking the camera through railings to take this photo of the falling down building

 

Malcolm noticed this plaque, which we must have walked past many times

 

we've seen this before on the High Street, pigeons huddled on an old roof.  I assume that there is poor insulation in the old building so the roof is warmer than the surrounding ones

 

I must pay more attention- in all our previous visits I haven't noticed this old mosaic in the doorway of a shop

 

then came  the big decision ....... would we have our cuppa here?

 

or would we have it here (a considerate driver, who had been parked in front of the Tea Rooms, drove off just as I stopped to take the photo!)

 

we decided on the Tea Rooms, as we fancied a toasted teacake

 

and instead of my usual pot of tea, I had a salted caramel hot chocolate - delicious

 

on the way home

 

the trees are still bare

 

but in the garden there are signs of growth.  This is the apple tree

 

one of the conifers in the front garden

 

and the miniature rose on the deck

 

several weeks on, the little narcissi are still flowering outside the kitchen door

 

to finish ...... this is one of those "is it just me" moments.  This plaque is over the door of the Post Office, and obviously covers the word Post.  So, why mount the plaque on the old, carved stone lintel, when it could have been put above it?

A windy day out!

Yesterday morning we headed down the coast to pick up Lucie to go out for lunch.  She had chosen this place by the beach in Blyth

 

this photo doesn't show just how busy it was, as it has been a school holiday this week

 

the three of us chose the same - haddock and chips.  It was all freshly cooked, the batter was light and crispy and the chips were plump and non-greasy. (thank you very much Lucie, for such a delicious treat!)

 

this starling was one of many keeping an eye on the people eating outside, in case they dropped a morsel

 

after lunch, we strolled over to the beach, stopping to admire the iconic beach huts (have a look back at the first photo, and you will see them on the chip shop sign)

 

looking out towards the lighthouse, the sea didn't look too rough

 

but the wind was whipping the tops off the waves

 

but despite the bitterly cold winds, there were some brave souls surfing!

 

but we hadn't gone just to have lunch and a chilly walk ...... Lucie had quilted The Aunts' Quilt for me.  This is just a sneak peek until I have stitched on the binding

 

back home, I got out all the leftover fabric to make the binding

 

and I also found the remains of a jelly roll which I can add in if there aren't enough scraps

 

so yesterday I cut all the shorter lengths

 

then this afternoon I cut the longer strips.  I hope to get the binding made and stitched on over the weekend

 

on Monday, when we were in Berwick, we popped into Mielle Patisserie ......

 

........ to share one of their delicious Provence scones

 

we  have also had a sweet treat - Sue's son-in-law, Adam, had these biscuits made for her, with an edible paper on top of the icing, with the shop's logo.  Adam has also designed a website for the shop - you can see it here

 

and to finish, I took this photo of the sunrise on Tuesday in Berwick.  The sky looked as if it was on fire, and just as I snapped the photo, a bird flew in to the shot to add some interest

 

it's a reasonable forecast for the weekend, so hopefully we will get out for a walk.  It should be milder, so Malcolm is hoping that he can get more work done fitting out his shed with a large workbench (and I will have to remind him to take photos!).  Enjoy your weekend, love Anne

An early treat ......

 ........ for Valentine's Day!  Yesterday morning, we popped over to The Running Fox in Longframlington, as I had offered to treat Malcolm to breakfast

 

although it had snowed during the night, it was bright and sunny

 

I was temporarily diverted from the breakfast menu by the sight of these scones!

 

as I like a reasonable amount of milk in my tea, I get annoyed in establishments that give you a tiny little jug of milk, as if it was rationed (although Malcom always gets a big jug of hot milk to have with his coffee).  So I was delighted yesterday that not only did I get plenty of milk, but it was served in a cute little bottle

 

Malcolm ordered the full breakfast .......

 

....... and I ordered the eggy bread with sausages - but I didn't expect to get such a plateful!  The food was delicious, with most of it sourced locally, and the bread is baked on the premises

 

after breakfast, we worked off a few of the calories with a walk round the church

 

the sun was shining through the trees, casting interesting shadows

 

although the wooden and glass doors are beautifully made, I think they are out of keeping with the age of the church

 

the bell tower is unusual, with a double opening

 

there were lots of snowdrops in flower

 

and lots of daffodils peeping through the grass

 

I do wish that the old gravestones could be cleaned and protected, are they are little bits of local history.  The wording on this one is unusual "Underneath this stone are deposited the remains", and also mentioned is the "afflicted widow"

 

this one is an unusual shape

 

this one faces away from the prevailing weather, so isn't as worn as many of the others

 

a last photo before we headed back to the car

 

now, I could lie and say that on the way home I got Malcolm to drop me off, and I walked the rest of the way taking photos

 

or I could tell the truth that the photos were taken through the windscreen from the comfort and warmth of the car!

 

there was still evidence of the overnight snow

 

with it even clinging to the tree trunks

 

the slightly scary downhill run into the village

 

we came up to Berwick this morning, as we had an appointment at our Solicitors to sign our updated wills.  Having moved to England, we were advised that it would be a good idea to have them re-written under English law (Scotland has a separate legal system).  We were delighted to find a new shop - The Little Vintage Shop.  Although it makes us feel old that what they sell as vintage is what we grew up with!

 

then a few doors along we saw this notice in an empty shop window.  I have done some paper making in the past, so I might sign up for one of the classes

 

I had a bit of fun taking photos of the railway bridge through the "new" road bridge (we were crossing the river on the old bridge)

 

I wonder if the local council would move the lamp post on the road bridge, as it doesn't quite line up with the centre of the span?

 

in this photo, you can just see a train crossing the railway bridge

 

this afternoon, there was a flurry of activity on the dock

 

but I was momentarily distracted

 

by the antics of these gulls

 

who looked as if they were having an argument

 

and I almost missed the moment when they removed something from the boat

 

it was the engine that was belching out smoke that I showed you in a recent post - they must have heard me say that they needed to do some serious maintenance on it!

 

I'll be back on Wednesday with a quick and easy tutorial.