frayed at the edge

Grand living

When I visited Callendar House two weeks ago, it wasn't just to take photos of the beautiful building. 

 

 

 Back in 1996/97, the quilting group that I was a member of at the time, Greenpark Quilters, made a wallhanging for the house, to celebrate the life and times of William Forbes, one of the owners.  Unfortunately, I didn't see the wallhanging when it was first hung in the house, as I had moved to Indonesia!  Some years ago, we eventually got round to going to see it, taking Malcolm's Dad with us.  When I said that I had made the central panel of the wallhanging, he kept saying 'you never did that'!  I had to show him my photos to convince him that I had.  So today I looked out the photos (yes, real photos) so that I can share them with you.  I'm sorry the quality of some of the photos isn't very good, but the originals were very glossy prints and it was difficult to take clear photos of them (one day I'll master my scanner!)

I started with this drawing

 

 

I used it to make this working drawing

 

 

Of course, way back then, I didn't know that one day I would have a blog, so I didn't take lots of photos, which means we have to skip a few stages.  This is the basic block that I produced

 

 

I added some shrubs at the sides and an outer border

 

 

 

And this is how the final block looked

 

 

This (not very clear) detail shows you the stitching on the windows ........ and Malcolm's contribution - he painted in the shadows on either side of the tower with fabric paint

 

 

Once the quilt was assembled, it was hand quilted, with all the group members taking turns - this is Grace working on it

 

 

We were all delighted with how the quilt turned out, and others obviously agreed with us, as we won an award at the Scottish Quilt Championships

 

 

So, to return to my visit to the house ....... did I get to see the wallhanging again and take more photos - NO!!  It has been taken down and is in storage, as they have revamped the museum amd it didn't fit in with the new exhibits.  However I did take lots of photos - including two of scenes in the grounds of the house that featured in the wallhanging.  First is the old bridge

 

 

 

and second, the entrance to the icehouse

 

 

 

Inside the house, there is a portrait of William Forbes

 

 

 

To end, in contrast to the very old house, here is something very new ...... a tiny rabbit which Malcolm spotted hiding under the hedge in the front garden this afternoon

 

 

However it wasn't long until it hopped out and started eating my oriental poppy!

 

 

However, the little thing was just so cute, I didn't grudge it a little nibble (as long as it doesn't come back with a horde of brothers and sisters!)

 

Almost a change of plan!

We got up this morning to discover it was snowing!  This was the view from the kitchen at 7am - no, it's not a blurred photo, that's heavy snow!

 

 

We were worried we would have to change our plans for the day, but an hour later, this was the view from the front doorstep

 

 

As we headed down the A68 towards the Border, there was more and more snow lying - until it was at its deepest as we crossed into England

 

 

Our first stop was at Jennifer's, to give her a stool that Malcolm had made for her

 

 

Jennifer had given Malcolm the piece of needlework, which had been done by her mother-in-law, and asked him to make a stool - she was delighted with the result!

 

 

There was a rather unusual sight in Jennifer's back garden - a female pheasant (unfortunately the male was nowhere to be seen, as he is much more colourful!)

 

 

Next on the agenda was ........ lunch!  We went to the Milkhope Centre, where we enjoyed some rather tasty sandwiches

 

 

But we were under strict instructions not to eat too much, as next we went to visit Rachel, who had promised us a feast of baking!  First we had the most delicious cheese scones, hot from the oven

 

 

You know that Malcolm and I usually share a scone when we are out, but these were so delicious, we disgraced ourselves and ate two each (as did Jennifer!!).  Then we somehow found room for a slice of this wonderful, delicious, gorgeous (you get the idea) mocha cake (yum, yum, yum)

 

 

But of course there then followed the quid pro quo ........ those of you who regularly read Rachel's blog will know the tale of woe about her dishwasher.  Although she had sourced and fitted a new circuit board herself, it still wasn't working.  Malcolm delved into the innards, and promptly produced a large piece of glass (from a broken wineglass) that the repairman hadn't noticed.  We all held our breath as he pressed the start button ...... drat, it still wasn't working!  Unfortunately, to do any further investigation required a specialist tool, which Rachel didn't have, so we will pop down again sometime soon (Malcolm hates to be defeated!)

My part of the baking/skills swap is much easier ....... to knit a cushion cover to sit on a chair with this cushion, which was made by Rachel's Mum

 

 

It is now 7pm, and we are still so full of cake and scones that we haven't had any dinner!  However, Rachel gave Malcolm the last two scones, which he will have later for supper.  She also gave Jennifer and me a large slice each of the mocha cake - I might share mine with Malcolm with our afternoon cuppa tomorrow ........ although I could be like Nigella and get up in the middle of the night and guzzle it (except I don't have the required red satin dressing gown to do that!)

 

Rescheduling

I had more or less planned today's post (yes, there is some planning involved in writing this stuff!!) when all my plans were changed.  Why?  I was driving up the hill on my home from Hawick this morning, when I saw ....... more lambs!  I ran into the house, dumped my bags on the kitchen floor, grabbed my camera and ran (well, walked quickly!) back down the hill.  It was dificult to get photos, as they were a bit obscured by a fence and a hedge ....... but prepare to say - aaaaaah!

 

pretending to be shy!

 

 

have you got my good side?

 

 

this little one has just arrived - but it won't be long until ........

 

 

it catches up with this one!

 

When I walked back up to the house, I could hear a lot of birds chirping in the garden.  I crept up and had a peek - and was rewarded with the sight of a bird that we've never seen in the garden before.  Once I had taken some photos, I had to get out the bird book to identify ......

 

a long tailed tit

 

These tits are tiny.  According to my book, they are the smallest British bird (I thought that was the wren).  This next photo shows you just how small they are

 

what bad manners, sitting on the food!

 

 

you can see its size compared to the peanuts

 

I took this next photo earlier this morning - I didn't get a good look at the bird on the right before it flew off, but I think it is a coal tit - we don't see many of them in the garden either.

 

 

If you look carefully at the sparrow on the right, you can see it has a little feather in its beak - we can already hear the sparrows outside in the morning, above our bedroom window where they nested last year

 

 

It's Monday, so that means a progress report on the knitting project.  Last week's face cloth didn't take long to do (it was such a bright sunny day, I took the photo outside!)

 

 

Given that it is Shrove Tuesday tomorrow, the timing is right for this week's pattern - little Easter bunny egg cosies

 

 

Normal service will be resumed tomorrow, with a look at the weekend sewing and our Sunday morning walk!

 

A little bit of history

Yesterday, when we were heading to Milestone Garden Centre for lunch, Malcolm suggested taking the back road, as there was somewhere we hadn't yet visited which he thought would be a good subject for the blog.  We turned down a very narrow lane, squeezed past two cars and a lady walking her dogs, and finally reached .....

 

 

......... Bowden Kirk in the village of Bowden.

 

 

The church has been added to over the years, with several date stones tracing its history

 

 

 

 

The church is surrounded by some very old graves.  Sadly, some of the headstones can no longer be read, but those which were sheltered from the weather have stories to tell

 

 

 

It wasn't just the church and graves that were old - this tree has obviously been there a long, long time (Malcolm kindly provides the scale of the tree's height!)

 

You can see just above the level of Malcolm's head there are strange outcroppings on the tree

 

 

I forgot to include this photo yesterday.  It was taken in another old graveyard - this one in Kelso, when I was on my way to knit'n'natter

 

 

Remember, if you would like to win the narrow frilly scarf shown in yesterday's post, leave a comment and I will choose the winner tomorrow. 

Catching up!

I've got lots of photos to show you, starting with this one from Saturday, when I finished the quilt top for the Linus tractor quilt - now I just need to layer it and quilt it!

 

 

When we were about to get in the car on Saturday morning to go to Hawick, the postman arrived, with a mysterious parcel for me.  It was from Amazon, but I knew that I hadn't ordered anything!  I opened it to find it contained a present from Rachel   (thank you  Rachel) ...... this wonderful book of vintage socks

 

 

It is packed full of the history of socks and the vintage patterns the book is based on.  There are clear instructions for the construction of the different heels and toes

 

 

and who could resist knitting a baby's bootikin!

 

 

Last week I bought a bunch of beautiful lilies.  When I left on Thursday morning only one or two of the blooms had opened, but when I came home on Friday, they had all opened

 

 

In the mirror, you can see a little bit of this embroidery, which I did many years ago for my Mum and Dad

 

 

Although we have had some frosty mornings, it has been warmer during the day, and there are more signs in the garden that spring is just about here.  This is new growth on the forsythia

 

 

and this is one of our many clematis

 

 

This next photo is actually from about ten days ago - I was just pottering round the garden, hoping to see some new growth (while lamenting the plants which haven't survived the winter), when I saw a flash of colour under the old leaves of the hellebore.  I immediately fetched the secateurs and snipped off the tatty old foliage

 

 

We went out for a walk after lunch today.  We were going to go up the bridle path, but it was extremely muddy!  Instead we walked through the wooded area beside the road.  This little holly has a long way to go before it it as tall as the trees round it

 

 

Two other flashes of green caught my eye - the first one is a welcolme sight of new growth

 

 

But it won't be long until this nettle is big enough to sting an unwary walker!

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed this round up of photos that nearly didn't make it into the blog - I need to lie down for a rest now!!

Another day out

 
Yesterday, I headed down the road to Chesters, for a Woolgathering - where a bunch of us get together and indulge in all things crafty.  It was a beautiful morning, so I had a quick stop on the way to take some photos.  Ruberslaw stood out against the sky

 

 

Looking back down the road, I had a good view of the Mintos and the Eildons

 

 

Oh dear, we were so busy talking and working all day, I forgot to take any photos!  But I can show you the progress I made on my scarf

 

 

But on to more important things ........ lambs!  I went out for a walk after lunch, and as I did last time, I struggled through the hedge and over the fence to try to get closer photos.  I was somewhat embarrassed when a woman appeared in the field, accompanied by a little girl and a small dog.  I thought I had better explaing what I was doing, but she had realised that I was taking photos and ....... she asked if I wanted to come into the field to get closer!!

 

the lambs are getting big

 

 

this is the tup (he has broken one of this horns)

 

 

they are just so cute!

 

I was delighted to get so close to the lambs ........ and I have permission to go into the field again to get more photos as they get bigger!  There were some ewes in one of the other fields - I wonder if the one on the right knows that she is different from the others

 

 

As I was walking along looking for things to thake photos of, a bit of colour caught my eye.  A closer look showed it to be a rotten apple!

 

 

Then later, when I was squeezing through the hedge, I noticed another little bit of colour - a ladybird!

 

 

It's Monday, so that means an update on the knitting project.  The little floral corsage didn't take long to do

 

 

This week's item won't take long either - a washcloth!

 

 

I still seem to have quite a collection of photos to show you - I will have to do a catch-up tomorrow!

 

A tale of two bridges

 The forecast promised much better weather for today, so I was a bit disappointed on the first part of my journey when it was very cloudy, and at times misty.  However, as I approached Edinburgh, the sky started to clear, and the odd gleam of sunshine appeared.  I decided to have an early lunch, in the hope that by the time I reached my destination, it would be even brighter.  So I had a quick stop in a garden centre (of course) for a most enjoyable roll with cheese and coleslaw

 

 

After lunch I headed for South Queensferry, stopping briefly on the way to take a quick photo - I am sure you will recognise these structures ..... the Forth Road and Rail Bridges

 

 

Of course for years, the rail bridge was known simply as the Forth Bridge, until the Road Bridge opened in 1964.  There were lots of trains crossing the bridge - this gives you and idea of the scale

 

 

I grew up hearing jobs described as 'it's like painting the Forth Bridge' - because as soon as they get to the end of painting the bridge, they have to go back and start again.  As you can see, they are still working on it

 

 

The bridge is so big, it was hard to get all of it into one shot

 

 

Once I had walked through the town, I was able to take photos of the road bridge.  I remember once being in the car with my Dad crossing the bridge.  I said to him to look down to the left, as I knew someone who lived down there ...... I forgot that, like me, he doesn't like heights - his eyes were fixed on the road ahead!  There is a footpath should you wish to walk across the bridge (why would you do that?)

 

 

I had intended you show you lots more photos, but Typepad has had one of its periodic hissy fits, and I've had to do this through Internet Explorer, which is somewhat clunky!!  Never mind, I'll save them for another day!  Stuart and I are slumped in front of the tv, full of lasagne and garlic bread (and a glass or two of wine!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll cross that bridge .......

Although it wasn't very nice yesterday - cold and damp- we still went for a walk.  We parked at the Leaderfoot Viaduct and walked up the hill until we had a view of the three bridges

 

 

On the way, we passed these ewes, patiently waiting for their lambs to be born

 

 

As you can see, most of the sheep were lying down, but this one was obviously keeping an eye out for trouble - she gave us a very stern look!

 

 

Back home, I spent the afternoon in the studio.  I added the eyes to the chickens

 

 

 

So that's the first of the four wallhangings finished ...... and work is progressing on the other three

 

 

I can no longer watch all the Star Trek re-runs when I am in the studio at the weekend - for some reason the channel is no longer available that they were shown on.  I couldn't find anything I wanted to watch on Saturday afternoon, so I watched a DVD of Cliff in Summer Holiday (I got it free some time ago from a newspaper)  Just have a look at his quiff!!

 

 

Yesterday, I was delighted to find an episode of Diagnosis Murder.  For the last five years of his life, I visited my Dad twice a week.  We used to enjoy a steady diet of Diagnosis Murder and Murder She Wrote - I think over the years we must have seen all the episodes.  We much preferred the earlier Murder She Wrote, set in Cabot Cove.  In one episode of Diagnosis Murder, they were on the pier at Santa Monica - I was jumping up and down, saying to my Dad 'I've been there'!!

 

 

Later, I was watching one of the music channels.  Malcolm showed perfect timing when he brought me a cuppa, just as Beyonce was telling him he should have put a ring on it!

 

 

It's Monday, so that means a progress report on the knitting project.  The flowerpot covers were very quick to knit.  They might have looked a bit more interesting if I had used different colours, but I didn't want to use small amounts out of full balls, and I didn't have any suitable leftovers from other projects. 

 

 

This week's project won't take very long, it is a little floral corsage

 

I will probably finish it tonight!

 

Abandoning Malcolm

As usual for a Thursday morning, we went to Hawick for a cuppa and scone (maple syrup and pecan).  Then we went for the weekly food shopping, as I hadn't done it on Monday.  When we were almost home ....... major excitement, ewes and lambs in the field!!  As we pulled in to the drive, I said to Malcolm perhaps I should just  run back down the road and take photos, in case they had moved to the back of the field when I went out for my walk after lunch.  So I abandoned poor Malcolm and left him to cart all the shopping into the house.  I knew I would have to approach the field quietly, so as not to scare off the ewes and lambs, but I was wearing these shoes ......

 

 

....... which have a small heel and are noisy when I walk.  Although I was trying to tiptoe, I could see that one of the ewes was already aware of me, so I quickly took this photo, in case they ran off

 

 

However they stood their ground and I was able to take some closer shots

 

The lamb on the left wasn't quite as bold as its sibling, preferring to stay as close to mum as possible

 

 

this ewe has much darker wool

 

 

The ewe decided I was no threat and went back to eating the grass, and the lambs decided it was time they were fed too!

 

After lunch, I headed out for my walk, heading down the hill and out to the main road.  When I saw this approaching, I made sure I was standing as far back from the road as possible!

 

 

I have shown you this sign before, but I thought you might enjoy seeing it again

 

 

Further on, there are lots of bends in the road

 

 

 

 

There were lots of signs of spring, with snowdrops ......

 

 

......... winter aconites

 

 

....... and daffodils

 

 

On the way back, I could here something very large coming up behind me - I was able to take a photo as it went on round the bend

 

 

Fortunately, I remembered to change my shoes before I went out .... this was the state of my boots when I got back home!!

 

 

Day and night

When I looked out of the front door this morning, I thought the birch tree had suddenly sprouted lots of buds.  However on closer inspection, they turned out to be raindrops!

 

 

However, these are buds on the ornamental quince, which is recovering well after losing most of its leaves in the freezing weather in December

 

 

But what I thought was new growth on the Russian vine, turned out to be lichen!

 

 

However, there was no doubt about this new growth on the flowering currant - definitely a sign of spring

 

 

At last, I have found some daffodils in the garden - can you see them peeking out at the back and on the right at the front of this clump of ornamental grass?

 

 

The beech hedge will keep its winter colour until well into the spring - it won't shed its leaves until the new ones appear

 

 

After a rather soggy start to the day, by early evening the sky had cleared, and we had some colour in the sky as the sun set

 

 

While the sun was setting in front of the house, the moon was rising behind it!