frayed at the edge

122 photos!

We have had a marvellous day out - and yes, I did take 122 photos!  But don't worry, I'm not going to share all of them with you today!

Our first stop was at Flodden, scene of a great battle between the Scots and the English, which you can read about here, here and here.  In the bright sunshine, there was no sense of the dreadful happenings of that day, when so many Scots died

 

From the monument, there are wonderful views, including the small village of Branxton, round which the battle was fought

 

This isn't a very good photo, as the car was bouncing about on the bumpy road, but if you look carefully at the curved roof on the porch of the house on the left, you will see that it is covered in grass!

 

Our next stop was the village of Ford, where we had a browse round the Horseshoe Gallery

 

I wonder if anyone will build a house to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, as this was built to celebrate Queen Victoria's

 

The church looked lovely in the spring sunshine, surrounded by a carpet of daffodils

 

This gargoyle was keeping an eye on me!

 

Having taken some photos, I used these stone steps to climb over the wall .......

 

........ rather than open the rather grand gate (I had entered the churchyard by a small gate)

 

I had to wait until this rather large tractor went past before I could cross the road to rejoin Malcolm, who had gone to investigate a possible place for lunch

 

We had hoped to have our lunch here , but unfortunately the couple who own the coffee shop were unable to be there today. However a man who was working in the antiques building let us have a peek

 

The coffee shop looked lovely, and we will certainly go back.   We headed off to Heatherslaw Mill

 

where we enjoyed a delicious lunch.  We both decided to have a stottie (a large roll) ...... I had Coronation chicken

 

and Malcolm had corn beef and onion

 

The visitor centre was proudly flying the Northumberland flag

 

After a busy morning, we had an even busier afternoon - I'll tell you about it tomorrow!

 

 

Sun, sun, sun!

The weather continues to be glorious, with beautiful blue skies .....which made our Sunday morning walk even more enjoyable.  We had planned to spend some time at the Reivers Festival in the park- but we didn't check what time the activities started, and we got there too early!  However, several of the participants were busy organising their stalls and practising their swordplay, so I was able to take some photos

 

 

 

 

There were more signs of spring in the park

blossom

 

primrose

 

wood anenome

 

I've been busy with the Linus quilt.  I finished the quilting and stitched the binding on, adding little bits of the chicken fabric to break up the black

 

 

Now I have to to stitch the binding on the back ....... and stitch in dozens of ends!

 

When we were shopping on Saturday, I found this storage box - a bargain at £2.50. It is just the thing to keep my hexagons in - much better than the pink storage box

 

I also had a bit of an experiment with some strips.  I have seen various versions of this technique on blogs and Youtube clips - though usually done with jelly rolls.  The first stage is to join all the strips together, using diagonal seams

 

You then take the two ends and sew a very long seam

 

There was then a slight hiccup, as I has twisted the strip - oops

 

Once I had cut the strip in half, I finished stitching it and pressed the seam.  Then I put the two ends together and stitched a not quite so long seam

 

And again

 

Eventually I ended up with this.  I was using up scrap strips which I had been given and I had several strips of some of the fabrics .....  of course they ended up together, so if I use the method again, I will use all different fabrics

 

I have some pretty floral fabrics which I'll use for borders ....... yes, it will be another quilt for Linus!

My favourite season

I love spring ........ I like summer, I don't mind autumn, I dislike winter - but I really do love spring!!  Today has been glorious, with blue skies and sunshine, the birds singing, the lambs frolicking - bliss!!  We went out for a walk after lunch, and we hadn't gone far before I had to take off my jacket, it was so warm.  This ewe was a bit hot and bothered - no doubt she will feel better when her lamb(s) arrive(s)

 

The blossom is coming out

 

The catkins are abundant

 

The first dandelion of the year!

 

A carpet of tiny violets

 

The Minto Hills look hazy in the distance

 

The spring ploughing and planting is well under way

 

Looking down to the stretch of road where I frequently meet large lorries!

 

I stood well to the side as this horse passed us on the bridle path!

 

As we came up the hill to the house, Malcolm walked on home as I stopped to take some photos of the lambs

 

You know I quite often finish with a quirky photo, and today I had a choice of two ........

a rusty knot in fencing wire

 

a double yolk in the duck egg I was about to poach for lunch

 

Where was I?

I remember, we had finished our wonderful lunch and set off for home.  The road home from Duns took us to the village of Greenlaw ....... we have driven through it countless times, going back to 1983 - but we have never stopped there!  So yesterday we stopped to take photos of the old Town Hall and the church.  You can read about both of them here.  The town hall lay empty for many years, and even starred in a BBC programme about restoring old buildings.  It is now offices - but from what we could see, there wasn't anybody in the building.

 

 

 

I popped that last photo in, just in case you are looking for some unusual office accommodation!

 

Next, we walked round the church and the old graveyard

 

 

What would you have on the end of your grave ....... this somewhat odd carving

 

or this charming one

 

or an angel to watch over you

 

We paused to admire the carving on this Celtic cross

 

and to wonder what the meaning was of this skull and crossbones set into the church wall

 

The church tower was once used as a jail - I guess there weren't many escapes through this metal grill

 

 

The last stop on the way home was at Hume Castle   It was a steep walk up to the castle - we must have walked off quite a few calories!

 

Unfortunately, it was dull and misty, but if you click on the link, you will see lots of photos taken on sunny days.  The views from the castle are stunning, even with the mist

 

 

Only the outer walls survive

 

 

 

From the top of the walls, we had a good view of farmers getting on with spring planting ......

 

....... and ditch clearing

 

and we could see major landscaping works in this back garden!

 

To finish ....... I remembered today to take a photo of the fabric I bought yesterday - it cost £8 for three metres!

What we did today .....

....... or what we did up to and including lunch .... it was such a busy day I will have to save the afternoon's doings for tomorrow!  We went over to Duns, where our first stop of course was for our morning cuppa - you know that we normally share a scone, but when Malcolm went up to the counter to place the order, he couldn't make up his mind, and ordered the cheese one which you can see, and also a plum and orange one.  Both were delicious, but we preferred the cheese one

 

While Malcolm was getting some money from the hole-in-the-wall, my eye was drawn to this architectural detail above us

 

Of course I had to visit my favourite shop, Albany Vineyard .... I bought a super remnant, which I'll show you tomorrow (ok, I forgot to take a photo of it when we got home!)

 

I also bought a new British quilting magazine, which I had a browse through at lunchtime.  I'm not a great fan of Popular Patchwork and Patchwork and Quilting, so it's good to see a new magazine with a mixture of projects, articles and interviews

 

This cushion may have to go on the to-do list .....

 

...... but not the mug cosy, as I don't like my tea too hot!

 

Our lunch in Pearson's garden centre was delicious ....... I had a cheese and onion toastie

 

and Malcolm had leek, bacon and cheese quiche (I should say that after such a fabulous lunch, we had a very frugal dinner tonight!)

 

These last photos are out of sequence, as I took them on the way home ....... but I wouldn't make you wait an extra day for lambs ......

 

........ and three fat hens!

 

ps - I'm sorry about the wire mesh in the photos - but they were taken hurriedly from the car when Malcom made one of his emergency photo-taking stops!!

Soaking up the sun

As usual we went for a walk yesterday morning, choosing Melrose for a stroll along the river.  Last time we were there, there was snow on the ground, but yesterday was glorious!  Although I think perhaps these fishermen would have felt it a bit chilly round their nether regions, standing in the waters of the River Tweed

 

For a change, we crossed the footbridge and walked along the far bank

 

The air was full of the scent of wild garlic, which grows in profusion along the bank and under the trees

 

These shaggy ponies are usually in a field over beside the Abbey ...... they look quite content in their new surroundings

 

There were signs of spring everywhere

On our way to have a cuppa after the walk, of course I had to pause to take a photo of the Abbey

 

Having worked up an appetite after a longer-than-usual walk, we decided to have an early lunch ...... the bacon rolls were delicious!

 

Perhaps I should have saved a bit to give to this dog, which watched us with big sad eyes as we walked past, on our way back to the car

 

One last pause, to take a photo of this quirky chimney

 

As well as embroidering the stitcheries for Anne's quilt, I have also been busy in the studio doing the piecing.  This is as far as I can go until the stitcheries are finished

 

When I was looking for something to watch on tv, I found this programme

 

You might think they are somewhat mad, capturing large alligators, but there is a lot of money to be made!

 

I learned from the programme that alligators never stop growing - I wouldn't want to face a little one, never mind some of the huge ones the brothers deal with

 

It was so warm yesterday afternoon, we had our cuppa in the garden.  I fetched the camera and set the timer to take a photo of us, Malcolm with his coffee and me with my hot chocolate ......

not a very good photo, let's try again

 

now you can't see Malcolm's face and I've somehow acquired several chins!!

 

Sewing old and new

Some years ago, I made a quilt for Stuart, and every so often he kindly lets me borrow it to show off  to friends.  I had asked to borrow it again, so that I could show it to Kay, as she was interested in how it had been  longarm quilted.  Having shown it to her last Friday at patch'n'chat, the quilt is now safely installed on the spare bed, until I return it

 

 

Rather than a duvet, we have a comforter on our bed ....... we actually have two, a summer one and a winter one.  However they have seen better days, as we bought them when we were living in Indonesia - and we have been home for over eleven years!!  So I asked Kay if she would make a new one for me.  I chose an all-over design - you can read about the quilting here.  I got the comforter from Kay on Friday ....... but I have to put the binding on, which will be a long job!  So for the moment the comforter is folded across  on the spare bed

 

 

 

After a busy morning sewing, I decided to go for a quick walk after lunch - and of course the camera went too!  I was delighted to find sheep in the field at  the bottom of the road, as there are no sheep in rest of the surrounding fields at the moment - Billy the Farmer, who would normally have ewes in the field across from us, is laid up after falling off his horse at New Year and breaking his back, and the elderly farmer who came to my rescue last year when I found a tiny lamb in the middle of the road sadly died last summer, and his farm is lying empty.

 

 

 

I was taking some of my "arty" photos ........

 

 

....... when I couldn't persuade the camera to focus  on this dried nettle - I guess it just couldn't pick it out from the busy background.  Then I had one of those "lightbulb" moments ...... I put my hand behind the nettle, focused, then took my hand away

 

I then used the same method to capture this rosehip

 

but I didn't need it for this beech nut

 

I like how the moss is growing on top of the lichen - and I like the colours ..... an idea for a quilt perhaps?

 

You know that quite often I have close encounters with large lorries when out for a walk, but today I had just turned back into our road when this monster roared past!!

 

To finish, a spllash of colour ...... a tub full of crocus outside the house at the end of the road

Winter's last gasp?

When we got up yesterday morning, it was snowing!

 

Then this morning it was frosty - I had to scrape the car when I went out for the usual Monday morning food shopping.  However, it was also bright and sunny, so, as we didn't get our usual Sunday walk, we went out after lunch.  We walked up to the church, then took the footpath through the field.  As soon as this horse in the next field saw us, it got a bit agitated

 

It kept running at the fence and thrusting its head towards us - I don't know if it was trying to bite, but we kept well out of its way

 

In contrast, this little one was a real sweetie!

 

Many years ago, there used to be a railway here, but unfortunately it fell to Dr. Beeching's axe.  However, there are still signs of where the line ran.  This tunnel under the line was probably to allow the farmers to move their stock

 

Usually I see this view from the other direction, this is heading back up the field to the road

 

When we got back to the road, Malcolm headed off home as he wanted to do some work in the garden, while I went to check on the Jacob's lambs

 

 

 

 

 

To finish, a little taster of tomorrow's sewing report

Making a splash

Fortunately on Friday I had the camera handy when this male blackbird decided to have a bath.  He had a very good splash, before flying off

 

 

 

More at home in the water is this heron, which we saw yesterday morning when we went for a walk along the river in Jedburgh

 

As always after our walk we went for a cuppa.  We thought we would try Border Meringues, as it is now open on a Sunday

 

They are famous for all sorts of cakes, not just meringues.  I have tasted some of them before, when Annette has served them at patch'n'chat, when she has been too busy to bake.  The coffee shop is lovely, light and airy, and the cakes are fabuous.  I succumbed to a slice of lemon meringue pie

 

and Malcolm had a slice of Border Tart (needless to say after all that cake, we didn't have any lunch!)

 

We also had a tiny meringue each, which came with our drinks - crisp on the outside, chewy in the middle - perfect!!

 

Back home, I had a busy afternoon, quilting the frog quilt and putting the binding on

 

 

As you can see from the first photo, I had still to stitch down the binding on the back, so I pinned a corner to let you see what it looks like  - it also shows you the pretty variegated thread

 

I had another piece of the frog fabric, but I didn't have another fleece, so I had a look in my stash and found this brushed cotton sheet, one of several that I bought half-price in a sale some years ago, knowing that I would use them eventually for quilt backs!!

 

I made a start to the quilting yesterday, then finished it this afternoon. I used quite a thick polyester wadding, so you can see that the quilting is much more defined

 

 

To finish - I was tempted to indulge in a spot of dognapping yesterday - it was hard to resist the sad expression of this dog patiently waiting for its owners at Border Meringues!!

 

 

 

A lovely sunny morning .......

....... so of course I spent it indoors!  After a wait of a few minutes when I got to Ingliston, the doors opened and I went straight upstairs  ..... to have breakfast!  Suitably refreshed and revived by a bacon roll (with brown sauce) and a mug of tea, I headed for the quilts.  Most people start by browsing round the stalls, so I had plenty of room to take photos.  Of course, every time I go to a quilt show, I have a debate with myself about posting photos, and usually only show general photos and photos of friends' quilts.  But then I read other blogs and see lots of photos, so I'm going to show you more than usual!!

This first quilt is by Anja Townrow, a Dutch woman who has lived in England for years.  The quilt is based on the very traditional double wedding ring block, but it looks quite different with the addition of the fun applique

 

I love this blue and white quilt .......

 

....... and shall let the maker tell you about it

 

a detail of the beautiful hand quilting

 

There are a lot of pieces in this quilt .....

 

....... again, the maker's description

 

and to give you an idea of the scale, this is my (small) hand

 

Of course I had to take a photo of this wallhanging

 

made by ........

 

a detail of the feathers

 

This tiger is amazing

 

but unfortunately I didn't check this photo of the label when I took it, and it is blurred - I hope you can read it

 

the detail on the face is amazing - look at the beading in the eyes!

 

The show was very busy - the busiest that it has been for some time.  By lunchtime it was getting very, very crowded, and the queue for food was very, very long.  So having looked at all the quilts several times, chatted to lots of friends, and bought one or two things, I decided to head for home, stopping on the way at a garden centre for lunch.  Further down the road I stopped briefly in a layby to have a drink, and quickly took some photos of the scenery

 

 

 

So what did I buy?  Some back issues of my favourite Australian magazines

 

More Anni Downs fabric (Meredithe, I checked this time that there were no cats!)

 

beautiful teeny tiny beads

 

And last, a fun pattern for a felt toadstool.  As soon as I saw it, I knew it was just the thing for Cobweb the fairy to sit on.  The photos are shown with permission

 

 

After seeing so many lovely quilts, I am looking forward to having a busy time in the studio this weekend!!  I hope you all have a good weekend, love Anne