frayed at the edge

Only for you, dear readers ........

........ would I go out into the garden at 7.15 on a rathjer chilly morning!  I was hoping to capture the full moon, but between camera shake from the long exposure time, and shiver shake because it was so cold, the photos are a bit blurry!

 

I do like getting post, so I was delighted witth today's delivery! 

 

the red envelope contained a Christmas card, the Australian one was a present from Meredithe, which is now under the tree ........ and the pink one was another kit from the wonderful Kate.  The handsome dog is Bruce

 

out in the studio, I was listening to some seasonal music

 

I was given these lovely poppy fabrics by Margaret, as a thank you for lending her some patterns and some books.  I will probably make a runner for the kitchen table with them

 

while Malcolm was out, I wrapped his presents and put them under the tree.  I had a litle bit of present sewing to finish, then I was able to make a start on the laundry bag, using these fun fabrics that I bought at Stitchin' Heaven

 

after cutting the fabrics to size, I stitched the peg fabric to the top of both sides

 

then stitched the iron fabric to the bottom

 

next, I needed some laundry!  I drew some shapes, and looked out some odds and ends of fusible web

 

as I have just put a new cover on the ironing board, I used a piece of baking parchment to protect it while I ironed the fusible web on to the wrong side of the fabrics

 

it's amazing what you can find in your stash ...... pretty coloured strings to use as the washing lines

 

I've been making more fudge!  However this isn't for us (well, we might just have to eat a square or two for quality control), it's for presents

plump, slightly sour, cherries

 

seasonal cranberries

 

I have a special day out tomorrow - do come back to find out all about it!

Fun at the Fair

Saturday morning saw us trundling down the road to Southdean Village Hall for the Christmas Fair.  With a little bit of difficulty, given the size of our table, we got our stall set up

 

the hall was cold while people were setting up, as the door was wide open, so we were very glad when we were able to get a warming cuppa.  But once the door was closed and the heaters turned on, the hall warmed up and we were able to shed coats, gloves and scarves.  Unfortunately as the day wore on, the weather worsened, with rain and wind.  However quite a few people braved the weather, and Malcolm was pleased with his sales.  He had a lot of interest in his driftwood creations, and we had to endure a fair amount of teasing about how many bottles wine we must have drunk to provide the corks!!  However it wasn't a happy homecoming - as we had another power cut.  Fortunately the power was restored in time to cook dinner, and to settle down to watch the semi-final of Strictly Come Dancing.

The weather was much better yesterday morning, so we headed into Hawick to go for a walk along the river

 

we weren't able to walk as far as we usually do along the river, as the unpaved section was too muddy, so we turned off and went through the tunnel under the old railway line

 

and took the footpath which follows the route of the railway

I followed my own advice, to remember to look up

 

we were heading to The Mill for a cuppa

 

but we were too early, so we walked across the footbridge to have a look in the window of Yvette Jelf's hat shop.  I wouldn't want a peacock feather on a hat - it's one of my superstitions, that they are unlucky

 

this fascinator is very pretty .......

 

....... but given the current weather, I would rather have this hat!

 

we were the first customers in the Mills' coffee shop, so I was able to take photos

 

the scones were delicious - we chose a fruit one and a cheese one

 

I was walking past the lounge door after lunch, when I glanced out of the window, and saw a woodpecker on the peanut feeder.  While the large window gives us a wonderful view of the garden, it also means that the birds on the feeders are aware of any movement in the room, and fly away, so I crept along the back of the couch to reach the camera, which was on the little table at the end of the couch

 

I also knew that Malcolm was on his way round to the front of the house, so I quickly took this photo as soon as I turned the camera on, in case he frightened the woodpecker away

 

 I then zoomed in and took another two photos, but when I took a step forward to try to get a better angle, the woodpecker flew off

 

to finish - sometimes it's just the little things that can brighten your day.  When I bought salmon this morning, I was given lemon pepper butter to have with it, and when I opened a new box of teabags, there was a little extra inside

 

 

It's getting closer!

Yesterday was grey, dreary and damp, so yet again we weren't able to go for a walk.  So we went off to The Old Melrose Furniture Showroom (that's their Facebook page, it's the only link I could find).  There was a Christmas Fair, but again we didn't buy anything.  However, we had the consolation of sharing a toasted teacake ......

 

....... and a cheese scone

 

on the way in to the Furniture Showroom, we saw this enormouse tree, which probably came down during Thursday night's storm.  The second and third photos were taken through the side windows of the car, which were wet

 

back home, I put up the Christmas tree(s) and decorations, but I had to wait until today to take photos, when it was brighter

the big tree

 

the driftwood tree

 

the minimalist tree - and the new bunting above it

 

the tiny mittens garland

 

the Gnome brothers and sisters as usual squabbled over which cushions and stockings were to be put on their chairs  ...... I had to remind them that only good Gnomes get presents from Santa!

 

the elves are counting down the days in the kitchen

 

the little wallhangings brighten the doors

 

in the dining room, I turned the table runner over, to reveal the Christmas side

 

and decorated the deep windowsill

to finish, I hope thhe owls play nicely with the robin, which has popped in to visit for Christmas

 

 

Old-fashioned skies

When I was sorting out some photos for today's post, I realised that I had forgotten about these ones which I took late on Saturday afternoon.  Skies like this always make me think of those enormous paintings you see in museums, which feature God, angels, cherubs, saints etc

 

the maple toffee vodka has been bottled

 

and the Christmas pudding vodka has been strained twice.  First through a nylon jelly bag to drain the liquid from the fruit

 

and then through a paper coffee filter to remove the residue of the spices.  I'll bottle it tomorrow

 

as we are now counting down to Christmas, I changed over the quits on the guest bed this morning.  These aren't the best of photos, as it has been a gloomy, grey day, and I had to use the flash.  For most of the year, the row-by-row quilt is the top one on the bed

 

but this lovely quilt was given to me last year in Melbourne by the lovely Helen.  Although there are no Christmas fabrics in it, the colours are definitely Christmassy

 

Helen is well known for disliking fabric with birds on it, but she had been in such a hurry to finish this quilt, she didn't notice the birds on the border fabric!  So she very generously gave me the quilt top, which Kay quilted beautifully for me

 

underneath both quilts is this log cabin quilt which was one of the first quilts I made twenty years ago.  It is made from curtain fabric samples, and is very heavy!

 

I have been busy sewing all day, but I can't show you what I was doing as it is a Christmas present.  I was using my walking foot

 

but the bar across the centre was making it difficult to see where I was stitching a very precise line

 

I had a word with my resident Mr Fixit (aka, of course, Malcolm) and it was only a matter of minutes until he had solved the problem!  He simply used his junior hacksaw to remove the offending section

 

The wrong weather!

We were disapointed when we saw the weather forecast for Sunday, with talk of cloudy skies, which was not what we wanted for our visit to Jedburgh Abbey.  So we were delighted on Sunday morning to see that we had the wrong weather, with bright blue skies and sunshine.  This is the first view of the Abbey, when you come out of the Visitor Centre

 

at this time of year, the sun is low in the sky, which meant there were lovely deep shadows

 

 

while admiring the magnificent building, it is easy to miss tiny details

 

I declined to climb the steep, narrow spiral stairs to the upper level (I did it last time I was there - not a happy experience), so I gave Malcolm the camera with the small lens .......

 

........ while I stayed at ground level with the big lens

 

I set the camera to B&W for these next photos

 

this is the tomb of the 8th Marquis of Lothian

 

as I took this close-up, I had a shiver down my spine, as I felt that he was going to reach out and grab me!

 

then, of course, we had to go for some sconnage!  We went to the Woollen Mill, where they have the most amazing cheese scones.  They are so big, we only have one between us, rather than the famous Sunday 2-scone lunch

 

to finish ....... if you think the Abbey is a fantastic building, consider this.  It was built using these tools!

 

and the stones were lifted using this very basic device

Slightly chilly!

We didn't go for a walk yesterday, as I was away for the day having crafty fun (sorry, no photos from that).  So, although it was rather cold ...... the frost didn't lift all day ....... I decided to go for a walk after not having lunch, as this is a Fast day

a noble-looking horse

 

there was just one donkey out in the yard

 

I hope this lorry didn't meet one coming the other way!

 

I never tire of this view

 

or this one

 

the Waterloo monument in the distance

 

the tree is looking a bit sad since it lost its last large branch

 

heading for home

 

there are lots of sheep in the fields round about us

 

back home, these blue tits were enjoying the peanuts

 

while the sparrows watched from the hawthorn

 

if you thought that the pear and chocolate jam was a strange mixture .......... I bought this cheese this morning.  It sounds very strange indeed, but it is delicious!

 

I also bought these little chocolate treats for Malcolm

 

Friday Fun

There was a new lady, Thelma, at patch'n'chat this afternoon.  She had brought this amazing quilt, which is made up of all sorts of fabrics from years of family history

 

Maria was working on her thistle wallhanging

 

 Maureen was blanket stitching round her quirky reindeer

 

Margaret has started yet another wonderful quilt - despite the fact this is a cat, I will share it with you!

 

then there was the Friday cake ....... Annette's wonderful chocolate sponge with fresh cream.  It is so light, it just melts in the mouth

 

as always, I will be busy sewing at the weekend, and I hope you will be having a good time.  Love Anne

 

to finish -  I took this through the front door this morning (it was much too cold to go out) - our farming neighbours playing working with big machines

Let there be light!

We had just settled down to watch some tv on Friday evening, and I had picked up my knitting, when ...... we had a power cut!  Which meant it was very dark, as we have no street lights here to provide some light through the windows.  Fortunately there was a scented candle burning in the kitchen, so we were able to see to get out more candles

 

and the camping gas lamp ........ not that we go camping, we have had the lamp since we were without electricity for several days following the Great Storm in 1987!

 

we passed the time by listening to some music

 

and enjoying a glass of wine

 

on Saturday I was busy making the samples for tomorrow's workshop, showing the step by step construction of the pieced blocks

 

yesterday we headed off to Selkirk, to see the archimedes screws at Philiphaugh, which provide enough electricity to power 200 homes.  The last time we were there, there were large machines everywhere, but there were only a couple yesterday, including this one (I don't know why Malcolm keeps saying no when I ask him to buy me a machine)

 

these buildings weren't there when we last visited

 

it was hard to see the screw as there is a lot of fencing

 

this is where the water flows in to the screws

 

and this is where it comes out - a passing stranger provides the scale!

 

there is a drain where water pours down - it gave me the shivers looking down into it to take the photo, despite the fact that there was no way I could fall in

 

the water comes out here

 

and flows downstream to here

 

sadly the water wheel doesn't work .......

 

...... but it has given its name to the cafe, where we went for one of our famous two scone lunches

cheese

 

fruit

 

next we headed to The Haining for the craft fair.  It was a little bit disappointing - lots of jewellery, some knitting, jams and chutneys - we didn't buy anything.  However we were quite happy to pay our £1 entrance fee to see inside the house, which at the moment is sadly delapidated

 

and we enjoyed the views from the grounds

 

back home, I went on with the prep for tomorrow's workshop, auditioning fabric for the sashing

 

I had a very special day out today, but you will have to wait until Wednesday to read about it, as of course tomorrow I will be telling you about the workshop ....... but here is a little clue to where I was

 

to finish - Kelly sent me this photo of her new boots. I want a pair!!

Lines

On Friday, Maureen and I headed to Kelso after patch'n'chat, and had a potter round the town centre deciding where to go for dinner.  We chose the Waggon Inn, where neither of us had been before, but it has a very good reputation.  And boy, did it live up to that reputation!  I chose macaroni cheese, which was delicious

 

Maureen had fish and chips, which she enjoyed

 

then I disgraced myself by having a pudding (Maureen was very good and had a cup of tea).  This is a toffee sundae.  Layers of ice cream, whipped cream, toffee sauce, little crunchy bits .........

 

I somehow managed to stay awake during Sheena's talk, which was both informative and entertaining.  But you won't be surprised that Maureen and I only had a cuppa at the end of the evening, and didn't have any of the delicious cakes.  Lunch on Saturday and Sunday was supplied by the Waggon Inn - we had delicious soup and very tasty sandwiches

 

and Maureen and I were able to catch up on the cake-eating, as there were lots left over from Friday night

 

so now that we've seen all the food - on with the sewing!  Sheena asked that I didn't take photos of the stages of what we were doing, as it would show the details of her workshop, but she was happy for me to show you sample piece from the Saturday workshop, and my pattern from Sunday.  On Saturday we did a lot of work learning to draw curves.  In the morning we worked on "s" curves. producing this

 

once we had marked the curves on our fabrics, we then used different stitches to produce different effects

 

this was done with a twin needle

 

one of the many decorative stitches that my machine can do

 

a length of decorative thread held in place with a zigzag stitch

 

in the afternoon we learned how to draw "c" curves, which we then used to draw up a pattern for a wide border.  By the time I had drawn my pattern, I didn't have time to stitch it, but as soon as I get it done I will let you see it

 

on Sunday we were worked very hard producing patterns for a handstitched sampler.  There was a great deal to take in, but by the end of the day I had produced this

 

one of the exercises was to make a pattern with our first name initial.  I decided to add my surname initial as well ........

 

....... before I went over to the dark side of patchwork and quilting, I used to do a lot of counted cross stitch, and in  a corner I would put AD followed by the year - of course as well as my initials, it could be anno domini!

 

as we packed up yesterday afternoon, Maureen pointed out the way the low sun was shining on the tops of the trees in the distance - there was a rush to the window with cameras!

 

to finish ...... some more food!  This afternoon I started with these veggies

 

and finished with a big pot of chilli con carne - there is enough for six meals

 

Sunshine after the rain

On Saturday it rained and rained ....... and then it rained some more!  However, when we got up yesterday, the sky was blue and the sun was shining, so we headed off to Melrose for a walk.  The beautiful blue sky provided a wonderful backdrop for all sorts of things .....

 

this boat was motionless at its mooring

 

but just a matter of yards away, the river was roaring over large boulders

 

this is a very handsome church

 

tractors!

 

I was looking forward to taking photos of the Abbey ....... but what was this?

 

oh dear - it is covered in scaffolding

 

these wonderful carvings are on a bank

 

of course we went for a cuppa - but we didn't have a scone!  Instead we shared a raspberry and vanilla muffin - delicious!!

 

Monday is my "domestic" day.  I make a start to the laundry, then head out for the weekly food shopping.  Then I quite often  cook for the freezer.  Today's cooking was for "Fast" days.  First was butternut squash and sweet potato soup

 

it has curry powder in it, and is very tasty

 

 

next was Greek lamb stew - this is the lamb browning

 

this photo doesn't do it justice - it tasted so good that I could have quite happily tucked into it in the middle of the afternoon, when it came out the oven

 

after our complete failure to find any sloes, I bought some on ebay (is there anything you can't buy on ebay?!)  I put them into two jars, with sugar and gin.  I will shake them every day for a couple of weeks, until the sugar is all dissolved, then shake them occasionally after that.  Although it will be drinkable by Christmas, it will be even better if we leave it for a good few months

 

the last job of the afternoon was the one that I detest - the ironing!  This is just some of it - by the time I took the photo Malcolm had put his clothes away (it's bad enough doing his ironing, so I refuse to put it away!)

 

I'll be back tomorrow with an update on the studio reorganisation ....... this is the "worse before it gets better" stage