frayed at the edge

A bit of a blur

I was at the optician's this morning, for what I thought would be my regular eye check ....... but no, because of my age (!) I needed an extra test, which required havinng drops put in my eyes.  I really don't like having things put in my eyes - I have never tried contact lenses ....... so it didn't help when the optician said it would sting a bit (yes, it did!).  But the main thing was that it left me with blurred vision for the rest of the day.  The good news is that my distance sight has actually improved, and she has tweaked my reading prescription.  I eventually picked a new pair of glasses - but you will have to wait until the 1st of July to see them.

So, to finish off our trip.  On our way home, we stopped at Masson Mills.  But we didn't stop for the shopping (ok, we did have a look round), but for the museum

 

just when it looked as if we were going to have a weekend with no sconnage, we stopped at a coffee and farm shop ........

 

....... and shared a delicious cheese scone

 

when I got up yesterday and looked out the window, I decided to go for a walk, rather than using the implements of keep-fit torture.  Although it was only 6.45, this tractor was already hard at work

 

I just missed getting a photo of this bale as it popped out the back of the baler

 

this Jacob's ewe was keeping an eye on me through the bars of the gate

 

while this one ignored me and went on munching

 

sharing the field with the ewes is this old donkey - I think it is about 30!

 

back home I had breakfast, followed by my usual Wednesday morning soak in the bath (with a book and a mug of hot chocolate).  Then we headed to Old Melrose, where we went on a new walk

 

after his flirtation with stone, Malcolm went back to his first love of wood when he saw this rustic bench

 

we passed Old Melrose House

 

on our way to here

 

back home, I was taking some photos of the poppies in the back garden .......

 

........ when I saw this

 

slightly worried that it was some sort of nasty bug which would bite or sting, I poked it with a stick ...... only to find that it was the outside of a bud, which had fallen into the flower!

 

the hostas are looking wonderful - I much prefer them before they flower

 

well, I think that's me all caught up, except for one last thing from the weekend.  Malcolm saw a book he fancied, but having hummed and hawed he didn't buy it.  Then of course afterwards he wished he had bought it.  So being a loving and caring wife, of course I went online and ordered it for him, and it arrived this morning - he says it's full of all sorts of wondrous stuff about wood (ok, that might not be an accurate quote!!)

So what did I do?

After Malcolm went off to build his wall on Saturday, I went for a walk.  The cottage we were staying in was part of what had been a working farm - you can read more here

 

the owners of the cottages rent out the surrounding fields to a local farmer - there are cows in the summer and sheep in the winter.  As I got to the bottom of the farm road, all the heifers in the field kicked up their heels and came running over.  It was a bit scary, and I was glad that there was a well-built wall between them and me!

 

they were almost dancing as they followed me

 

when I was talking to one of the owners of the cottages the next day, he described them as a bunch of teenage hooligans!

 

this cow in the field across the road was slightly more sedate!

 

back in the cottage I setted down to do some sewing.  This is the comfy sofa I spent quite a lot of time sitting on, sewing, over the weekend (I didn't get time to read my magazines).  The tv is just out of sight on the right - on Saturday I watched King Solomon's Mines (the Richard Chamberlain version) and on Sunday it was Coraline (which was scary!!)

 

looking at the room from the tv corner, you can see the well-equipped kitchen (yes, that is a tiny dishwasher on the left!)

 

the small, but charming, bedroom ........

 

....... and the ensuite shower room

 

on Sunday morning I went out for another walk, but this time the heifers ignored me, as they were too busy licking at something in a bucket

 

the sun was shining and the birds were singing- bliss ....... except for the large amount of cars going past!  It is so quiet here when I go out for a walk - I was out early this morning and all I encountered was  a tractor in the distance and one of the neighbours walking his dogs.  When I saw all these walls, I wondered if Malcolm would want to stay on a repair them!

 

I was rather taken with this beautiful farmhouse - perhaps I could live in it while Malcolm works on the walls?

 

and these two gorgeous beasties were in the field in front of the farmhouse.  I think the second one looks like a sphinx

 

I liked the way that the trees arched over the road

 

I took this photo of the sign for the footpath on my way out........

 

...... then took this one from the other side of the road on my way back - yu can see the path meandering off into the distance

 

this little stone barn made me think of The Little House on the Prairie

 

back at the cottage, I tried to capture the beautiful scenery, but it was very hazy

 

I still have to tell you what we did on the way home on Monday, and about my walk this morning, and the walk we had before lunch ....... and I haven't even shown you any sewing yet this week!  We very rarely have pudding (I don't count a low-fat yogurt as pudding)  - but look at this  delicious concoction we had tonight.  And although it looks indulgent, it was surprisingly low in calories ..... the meringue nest is 50 calories, as is the spoonful of half-fat creme fraiche, and although I didn't work out the calories for the fruit, it wouldn't have added many more

The long and winding road

Just a quick post, as it will soon be dinnertime, and after a long day on the road we are ravenous (ok, we did stop for lunch, but that was a long time ago).  It was sunny when we left home

 

and sunny when we crossed the border

 

but the further south we got, the wetter it got.  Then we got stuck in a great long tail back of traffic - something we are not used to in the Borders!!

 

but once we broke free of the traffic and turned on to the back roads, we were rewarded with the most wonderful scenery

 

we are staying in a little farm cottage

 

we might not be home until late on Monday, so you may not hear from me until Tuesday.  To finish the week, a bit of fun.  There is a song constantly on the radio  just now, the chorus of which goes something like

she can't sing, she can't dance

but who cares

she walks like Rihanna

 

so thinking about my three fantasy boyfriends, Robert Downie Jnr, Johnny Depp and George Clooney, here is my version

he can't cook, he can't clean

but who cares

he twinkles like Robert

 

he can't saw, he can't nail

but who cares

he smoulders like Johnny

 

and as for what George does, well. this is a family-friendly, pure in thought and deed blog, so you will just have to think of your own third chorus!!

While you do that, I will wish you a good weekend, love Anne

Last night's red sky .......

 

..... was, for once, the harbinger of a glorious morning.  So I leapt out of bed at 6.30, threw on some clothes, grabbed the camera, and headed out for a walk

a wonderful higgledy piggledy fence

 

apple blossom in the old orchard

 

misty Minto Hills

 

misty Ruberslaw

 

having taken the photo of Ruberslaw on my right, I walked on down the road and looked to my left.  What was this? Had a new hill somehow been formed ....... well, all I'll say is that I looked to see if Job was sitting on it ..........

 

there was a house here until recently ........

 

......all that is left is the garden gate

 

this Jacob's ewe posed regally for me ........

 

....... as her lamb watched

 

the horses were munching on the lush grass

 

while this one had a long lie!!

 

don't you wish you had this view a few minutes from home!

 

an electrical gubbins sparkling in the sun!

 

when we went through for our afternoon cuppa at patch'n'chat ........ yippeeeeee, my favourite apple and sultana cake! 

 

We are off early tomorrow to visit Stuart and Alison.  When they moved into their new house last year, we said that we would give the a deck for their back garden as a house-warming present, so Malcolm and Stuart will spend the weekend making it (Alison and I might ake them a cuppa .... or even pour them a beer!)  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

More excellent sconnage!

We went for a long walk along the River Teviot yesterday.  The air was full of birdsong ....... and the smell of wild garlic

 

there were lots of wildflowers

 

not all bluebells are blue!

 

there were interesting old fence posts

 

an old raised section ......

 

...... and a new one

 

this swan was sailing serenely past

 

but the duck on the right stuck its head under water just as I snapped!

 

the river level is very low just now, but you can see from the detritus caught in this tree how high it can be

 

I love the way this tree hangs out over the river - it reminds me of the Pine Walk in Puerto Pollensa

 

I had to pause as I went to take this photo, as a car drove over the bridge ...... most inconsiderate!

 

we left the path at this point, and walked round the road and on to the bridge.  This is the view from the bridge looking on down the river

 

on the way back along the river, Malcolm spotted these ducklings with the mother.  They were being carried at some speed by the current, so it's not the best of photos

 

having walked so far, we of course needed some sustenance ...... and what better than a two-scone lunch at the mill -  as usual we had half each

fruit scone

 

cheese scone

 

back home I set the camera up on the tripod, in the hope of catching the tits going and out of the nest box.  Ah well, perhaps next time I'll manage to get more than its rear end!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with lots of sewing - I wonder what this is a detail of?

 

 

First of the year!

When I got up at 6.30 as usual this morning, I decided to go for a walk, for the first time this year, instead of working out on the instruments of torture (aka the cross trainer and rowing machine).  It was a bit grey and misty, but the sheep in the field across the road were already munching on the grass

 

there were lots of ...... wildflowers

 

...... new leaves

 

....... old  gates

 

I would have liked to get closer to take this photo of the horses .....

 

...... but it would meant braving the thick nettles in the verge!

 

on my way up the hill, these two little lambs looked very cute

 

and they managed to look even cuter on my way back down

 

one of the neighbours has had a load of logs delivered.  It was very tempting to pick up one or two on my home, to add to our log pile!!

 

this old tree always makes me think of the Whomping Willow in the Harry Potter books, but sadly it has lost its last big branch over the winter

 

however the sheep have obviously made good use of it as a scratching post

 

I'll be back tomorrow with a special post inspired by a parcel I received last week .......

 

...... and then on Friday (yes, I sometimes actually plan ahead!)  I'l have more wonderful things to show you which have arrived in parcels with foreign stamps!

 

Sconnage!

Hooray, the weather was good on Saturday and Sunday (back to normal wind and rain today).We were able to go for a good long walk yesterday morning.  We decided to go to Abbotsford, to try out the new riverside walk, which goes past the back of the house.  The house is due to reopen soon, after a major refurbishment

 

This rhododendron was in full flower

 

but this one was still covered in buds

 

I haven't seen a heron on the rivers in Hawick recently, so it was good to see this one

 

I don't know if this is the same one, further along the river

 

these horses  have a beautiful spot to graze, on the bank of the river

 

I love ferns when they are unfurling ...... I think they look like something from a sci-fi film!

 

a higgledy piggledy fence, with a sea of wild garlic round it

 

we may complain about the rain, but we wouldn't have such a green countryside without it!

 

I think we must have missed a signpost on the last part of the walk, as we ended up going past the house

 

then it was into the Visitor Centre for a cuppa ....... and scones!

cheese

 

fruit with jam and cream

 

to finish - the warmer weather has encouraged the blossom to come out - just in time to be damaged by this morning's wind and rain

 

back tomorrow with lots of sewing.

 

 

Old wives' tale

Did you, like me, learn this saying when you were little

Red sky at night, shepherds' delight

Red sky at morning, shepherds' warning

 

So after this sky on Friday night .......

 

....... I didn't expect this on Saturday!

 

We went for a walk in Melrose yesterday morning.  After the heavy rain, the river was full - the noise was amazing as the water poured over the rocks

 

the blossom still isn't fully out

 

but there are plenty of signs that plants are catching up after the cold spring delayed growth

 

I took this photo not because I want the jacket, but because I was thinking about how it would look as an applique block!

 

Malcolm is having his annual battle to stop the swallows nesting in the garage ...... every time he opens the garage door they swoop in.  I went out this afternoon to sort through the contents of the chest freezer, to make sure there wasn't a fossilised, unrecognisable lump of something languishing at the bottom.  No sooner had I made a start to the sorting out, when the swallows appeared.  So, I came up with a cunning plan to deter them ......this is the fleece that Malcolm wraps tender plants in for the winter.  I think he will be using it in the days to come, as clipping it to the garage door is a lot less bother than having to constantly open and shut it when he is busy in the garden

 

this might look like a somewhat boring photo of ivy on our neighbours' wall...... but I think there are several sparrows nesting in it.  They are also nesting as usual under the roof at the front of the house - but we now have so many sparrows that I guess they have had to find more places to nest

 

some good news to finish - it was much warmer today and the bees were buzzing about the garden!

 

 

Beware of dragons!

The second Saturday of our holiday was a bit cool and wet, so we decided to visit the Caves of Drach ...... the Dragon Caves.  Our friends Lee and John in Sydney had recommended that we go to see them, as they had visited them when their cruise ship called in at Majorca.  We knew from their description that the caves were going to be amazing - but we hadn't imagined just how amazing!!

 

the lighting shows off all the stalactites and stalagmites to great effect, and you can easily imagine dragons lurking, waiting to pounce on unwary travellers!

 

we wandered on, oohing and aahing

 

we arrived at a large chamber with a lake in it.  We were directed to rows of benches, and after everyone was seated (probably several hundred people), we were told that boats were going to appear, carrying musicians who were going to play some classical music pieces for us.  The lights were dimmed, and three boats appeared.  Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos during the perfomance, but I was able to snatch a quick snap as the boats left

 

it was an amazing place to visit, and I am sure we will go back next time we go to Majorca

 

on our way to the caves, we had seen a sign for a restaurant, which said that it was in an ancient monastery.  We decided to call in on the way back for a late lunch. 

 

there didn't seem to much evidence of old buildings, but we didn't mind, as the food was so good.  We decided to share a "mixed meat grill"

 

just as we manfully (and womanfully?) put the last helping on to our plates, the chef appeared with more!

 

I had to admit defeat, so the delightful waitress took my plate away and came back with a doggy bag ...... whch we enjoyed for lunch the next day!  While we were eating, we could see this fine fellow

 

but when we left, he had tired of strutting about the branch, and had settled down for a snooze

 

to finish, my holiday sewing.  I finished the applique and embroidery on the April block for Lucie's "A is for Applique" challenge, and as I had decided to "quilt as you go", I made a start to the quilting

 

I had asked Lucie what the theme for May's block was, so that I could work on that one too.  It didn't take long to think of a block for "happiness is ....."

 

I'm off out this evening for Abbey Quilters monthly meeting - hopefully I will be able to take some photos to share with you tomorrow.

 

 

The big night out

On Friday, we headed to north to Stuart and Alison's and after getting dressed up, Stuart ran us through to The Edinburgh School of Food and Wine, for an evening of eating French food, and drinking French Wine.  Stuart and Alison had given us a gift voucher for a food and wine evening for our birthdays last year, and we had decided to wait until the spring to book our places.  The evening was co-hosted by Great Grog, and we were greeted by a rather handsome young man from the wine merchants.  This is the menu and wine list

 

I don't have a photo of the canapes, as we had them when we were standing chatting with the other diners (there were fourteen of us) in the entrance hall, so first we have the scallop St Jacques

 

then the delicious coq au vin.  This was such a generous helping that I couldn't finish mine, and even Malcolm, who would normally have eaten my leftovers, couldn't find room for any more!

 

next was cheese, with oatcakes and pear chutney (I was slightly critical of the chutney, which was more like stewed pear)

 

then ....... the most amazing tarte au citron.  There was silence as we ate it, apart from occasional little sighs of pleasure!

 

before each course, young James the wine merchant described the wines, and we had to hold the glass up to the light to check the clarity, swirl the wine round the glass then sniff the bouquet ...... then finally we got to taste it!  At the end of the meal he quite happily agreed to have his photo taken, but then went all shy!

 

Stuart came back for us, and on Saturday morning we had recovered enough from eating all that food to enjoy the breakfast which he cooked for us.  On the way home, we decided to stop in South Queensferry, to have a stroll in the sunshine.  I'm sure that I don't have to tell you that this is the Forth Bridge

 

although the sun was shining, the views over the river were hazy.  This is Inchcolm Island, framed by the bridge

 

the tide was out!

 

I love the pirate flag (and the plastic seagull!)

 

blue sky and old chimneys - a great combination

 

when I saw the stretch limmo, I thought Malcolm had arranged a treat for me ..... sadly it drove on by!

 

I have lots more photos from South Queensferry, which I will keep for another day, as I also have photos from yesterday.  We weren't able to go for our Sunday morning walk, as it was raining, so instead we headed here for a cuppa.  The sconnage was of the highest quality ........

fruit, with jam and cream

 

cheese, with butter

 

out in the grounds of the visitor centre, a new children's play area has been built (we were very tempted to have a go!)

 

perhaps Malcolm could make me a wooden cart and horse?!