frayed at the edge

I regret that there is a short delay .......

....... in bringing you the sewing post, which will now appear tomorrow.  Instead, we have a Berwick post, as we came over this morning.  It was bright and sunny when we left Hawick, but it has been very misty here, as you can see from these photos

 

is Miss Havisham looking out of the window, in her wedding dress?

trees in the mist

 

the lighthouse is out there somewhere!

 

these cranes make me think of "War of the Worlds"

 

the railway bridge, seen through the arch of the new bridge

 

this makes me think of the "Marie Celeste"

 

but not everywhere was misty as you can see from these photos of old doors and gates

 

the old school is still rotting away, home to dozens of pigeons

 

alas, Malcolm hadn't secretly bought the "money pit" house, for me to turn into a quilting retreat!  But it is good to see that the new owners are hard at work rescuing it from years of neglect

 

walking on, we found a smart, well maintained boat

 

in contrast, an extremely dilapidated one, with weeds growing on it (I have offered in the past to buy it for Malcolm, but it's not quite the same as the beautiful boats we see in the marina in Puerto Pollensa!)

 

the new path on the quayside is finished, so you can now walk all the way up on to the old bridge .......

 

....... without tripping over an old mooring ring

 

back at the flat, there were swans in the mist in the dock

 

you can just make out that there are dozens of them

 

on our way home from our walk, we went past Lowry's coffee shop (ok, we made a detour down a steep flight of stairs to get there!)

 

we popped in for a cuppa ....... and yes, a little bit of sconnage!

 

there will be sewing tomorrow!!

And finally : part 3

After pottering round the Honey Farm, we went out the rear exit and down the road, passing the sign that told us we were in Northumberland .....

 

which of course is in England

 

we walked across the Chain Bridge

 

paying heed to this sign

 

and found ourselves in Scotland on the other side

 

staying on the Scottish side, we went down a path to the riverbank, then walked along the river.  I don't know what sort of buildings these are the remains of

 

I'm always tempted to see what is behind doors like this one

 

having recently watched the Jurassic Park films (yet again), I wouldn't sit here in case something crept out of the undergrowth and bit my head off

 

although I think I was safe from this little fellow

 

and if any vampires had appeared (even if it was broad daylight and they should all have been tucked up in their coffins), I could have waved this wild garlic flower at it

 

further along the river, we passed a field filled with a motley assortment of cattle

 

these two calves haven't yet learned about turning their rear ends to the camera!

 

and of course we have to have a couple of arty photos

 

I couldn't decide which photo to use as my last one ......... this one, of the car crossing the bridge which hardly looks strong enough for pedestrians

 

......... or this one of the steps to help you climb over the wall.  Why this one - because if you had jumped down on the other side without looking, you would have landed in a very large patch of stinging nettles!!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with some sewing

Going back

Yesterday we went up to visit Stuart and Alison.  We stopped first at New Hopetoun Garden Centre, planning to have lunch ......... but it was mobbed, as it was a "10% off everything day"!  So we went to plan B, and went to Rouken Glen Garden centre, which is on the same road

 

as you can see, we didn't have any trouble getting a table!

 

Malcolm had a cheese and pickle toastie

 

and I had a coronation chicken sandwich

 

when we turned in off the road into the garden centre, we noticed this new building.  We went to investigate after lunch, and discovered that it is a new farm, gift and coffee shop.  We will pop in for lunch next time we are up that way

 

if you want to know what all these gubbinses are .......

 

....... ask Malcolm, because he used to work there!

 

this building in Grangemouth used to be a bank, but it has been lying empty for at least 30 years

 

we used to occasionally go to this pub for dinner ........ no matter what you ordered, it came with diced turnip!  Chicken curry, rice and diced turnip, steak, chips and diced turnip ...... yum!

 

when we parked to go for a stroll round Falkirk, of course I had to visit Hobbycraft

 

I asked this young man busking in the High Street if I could take his photo - I put a contribution in his bagpipe case in return

 

I didn't go into this new wool shop, as I didn't want to buy any wool

 

some major repair work on the Steeple in the town centre

 

a lot of people think that the Romans didn't come any further north than Hadrian's wall ........ but they did, building the Antonine Wall, which runs across Falkirk.  The house we lived in during the 90s is on the line of the wall, but we never dug up any Roman treasure in the garden!

 

Malcolm made this fence ........

 

......... which is somewhat neglected

 

he also made this bridge, which you can hardly see, as the garden is sadly overgrown (I will have to look out some photos of how it did look)

 

I wasn't trying to spy, taking a close up of the bedroom window ...... I was just amazed that my lace curtains are still hanging there!

 

after all that strolling down memory lane, we popped into the cafe in M&S for a quick cuppa.  We shared a cheese scone, which was tasty, but a bit small

 

somewhat larger were the meringues that we bought in the farm shop - we left one with Stuart and Alison, and we had this one after dinner tonight.  It was delicious!!

 

 

All by myself

I was home alone at the weekend, as Malcolm had gone off to Berwick, leaving me to enjoy a sewing day with Abbey Quilters on Saturday.  I don't have any photos of the sewing, as we were working on our entries for the exhibition, so all highly secret stuff!  On Sunday, I decided to pop over to Jedburgh, to have a wander with the camera.  First stop, as always, was at the Abbey

 

I never tire of taking photos of this magnificent structure

 

and of course it looks better with blue skies!

 

the workmanship is superb

 

and there are just so many interesting angles to capture

 

one last photo before moving on

 

I walked down the hill, pausing on the bridge to look out over the river, which is very low

 

this church isn't quite as old as the Abbey

 

the final stop on my walk was at Mary Queen of Scots House

 

where the gardens were looking good in the sunshine

 

beautiful blossom

 

the flower beds frame the old stone Cross Base

 

tomorrow I will show you how our garden is looking

Our Sunday walk

This post has to start with a confession!  When we went out on Sunday morning to buy the papers, not knowing that we would be having lunch at the Town Hall do, we popped into the garden centre for a cuppa, and shared a delicious cheese scone.  So having then had our lovely buffet, Malcolm suggested that we should walk round the town walls to work off all those calories, before heading back to the flat.  Good idea - except for one small detail ....... I had on high-heeled boots, and I knew that there was no way that I could walk that far in them!  So we went back to the flat, I changed my footwear, and we headed back to town.  That meant we had already walked a mile before we started the walk

 

the "for sale" sign has gone from the "money pit" house ....... I will be very disappointed if it has been sold, as I had a grand plan to turn it into a luxurious quilting retreat .......

 

while I was looking up, capturing architectural details .........

 

........ Malcolm was looking out to sea.  He gave me a shout when he saw this little boat capsize, with the sailor struggling to right it

 

fortunately help was at hand

 

and he was soon under way again

 

this chimney is all that remains of a factory that made fertiliser from fish guts!

 

I had fun playing with this view, first focussing on the houses in the distance

 

then focussing on the wall

 

while this pigeon kept an eye on me

 

of course we have to have a photo of the lighthouse

 

the allotments looking good in the afternoon sun

 

and of course I have to have an arty shot

 

this thrush just wouldn't cooperate and face the camera

 

as we ended our walk round the walls, we paused to look down Marygate to the Town Hall

 

you can't see the old bridge behind the new bridge from this angle

 

but it came back into view as we walked under the new bridge

 

to finish - maybe it was as well that the wool shop was closed when we passed it, or I might have bought the pattern and yarns for these delightful tea cosies!

What we did on Sunday

We had just set out to head south down the A1 on Sunday morning, when I realised that I had forgotten to lift the big camera, so all of these were taken with the point and shoot.  Our destination was Amble, where we were rather taken with these new pods

 

there are fifteen of them, with all sorts of little businesses

 

there are rather more boats in the marina than we are used to seeing in our dock!

 

lunch was broccoli soup, with delicious fresh-baked bread

 

on our way back, we drove through Warkworth, which has an imposing castle (the strange mark is a reflection on the car windscreen)

 

we came back up the coast road, with a little side trip to Low Newton.  We popped into the pub to use the toilets - we would of course have bought a drink if we had been challenged, but the place was so busy nobody noticed (and as there are no public toilets, I guess the pub must be used to people sneaking in to use the facilities!)

 

sand, sea and blue sky - bliss!

 

we rather liked these posh beach houses

 

away in the distance, you can just make out Dunstanburgh Castle

 

and one more castle to finish - the magnificent Bamburgh Castle

 

this has been a rather hurried post, as it is Abbey Quilters' monthly meeting tonight, and I need to pick Maureen up much earlier than usual, as we have committee duties to attend to.  I'm not sure if I will be able to take any photos tonight, as we have a guest speaker, but I will be back tomorrow with some sewing.

What we did on Saturday

When we walked over the old bridge on Saturday morning on our way to town, we heard a splash and a plop ...... and there below us was a seal, which had come out of the water on to a rock.  I only had the point and shoot with me, so you can't see him too clearly.  And even less clear is the heron on the little outcrop behind him

 

then we spotted another heron - this time you can see more of his reflection than you can of him

 

the sun reflecting off the water had given this photo the feel of a painting

 

it was an exceptionally low tide, and you can see the wooden piling round the bridge pier

 

and this is very old wooden piling round the foot of the old bridge

 

I rather like the bits of reflections of the bridge in the pools

 

later in the morning we set off for the beach, and we got a closer look at a heron

 

looking back at the three bridges basking in the sunshine

 

this is the ramp for launching the lifeboat - there isn't usually this much of it exposed - we were worried that there wouldn't be enough water at the end of the ramp if the boat was needed

 

the sky reflected on the calm water

 

I wonder who had fun making this - could it have been us?  A couple walking their dog stooped to ask if we were going to dance round it ....... Malcolm said yes we would be back at midnight, and I added that we would take off all our clothes.  Did they want to join us?  For some reason they said no!

 

if we could have picked this up, we would have brought it home to make a seat in the garden

 

I think Malcolm was contemplating how many logs this would provide

 

of course we have to have a photo of the lighthouse

 

I just liked this abandoned tyre, standing upright in the middle of the beach

 

halfway through our walk, we sat in the sun outside the cafe on the promenade, and shared a delicious bowl of chips

 

then, on our way back after quite a bit more walking on the beach, I treated us to icecreams

 

I'll be back tomorrow to tell you what we did on Sunday.

A walk in the park

On Sunday we walked over the old bridge, then along the river to Castle Vale Park

 

the start of the walk is dominated by the railway bridge

 

this photo shows the scale of the bridge, with the tiny figure of a rower who had just come through the arch

 

the air was full of the small of wild garlic - but look out for the nettles if you pick it!

 

as always we paused to admire the ruins of the castle

 

this plaque shows what the castle might have looked like

 

someone has had fun with the trees and branches washed down the river in the floods, building a wonderful boat!

 

the boat even has a deck

 

but my favourite bit is the branch at the front which looks like a strange four-legged beastie is trying to climb aboard

 

further along the path Malcolm spotted this owl peeking out of the undergrowth

 

and who can resist a rotten old fence post (but again, look out for those nasty stinging nettles)

 

it looks as if this tree is coming into leaf

 

but it is fluffy catkins, not leaves

 

we encountered several gates on our walk.  The first one is in need of some tlc

 

the second one is at the entrance to the park which was to have commemorated the coronation of Edward VIII, but after his abdication, it was dedicated to George VI

 

but this is my favourite - if you look to the left of the gate, there is nothing to stop you simply walking past it!

 

this beautifully restored cottage is a holiday rental

 

it has a stylish weather vane

 

and a quirky garden seat

 

as always on our way back, I paused to take a photo of the view through the railway bridge to the "new" road bridge, and the old bridge

 

the railway bridge is so long, that even this photo doesn't show the full length of it

 

as we walked back into town, we crossed over the railway just as a train pulled into the station

 

somehow the beautiful old buildings have survived - so may old stations have been knocked down and replaced with ugly modern buildings

 

we were going to have scones for lunch, but we made the mistake of looking at the menu, and instead had rather delicious sandwiches.  It may look as if I used a special effect for these photos, but it was just that the lens had steamed up!  Malcolm had egg mayo

 

and I had coronation chicken

 

we walked along the quayside after lunch - and there was another lovely rusty pile

 

late in the afternoon, these two swans came into the dock

 

I'll be back tomorrow with some sewing - and some knitting.  But to finish - I was delighted to read the other day that a recent survey showed that the population of long tailed tits has increased because of the mild winter.  And to prove it, we have had more in the garden

 

Only two to go!

I have finished another two stitcheries ........ so only two more to go!

 

as with the others, I trimmed them using my template

 

and added the backing fabrics.  This is the two of them in a patch of bright sunlight on the design wall

 

oh dear, I didn't notice until I saw the photo on my laptop, that one of the stitcheries is upside down

 

so that's thirty in the pile

 

I had a blitz on cutting the rest of the other hexagons, altogether I have cut 64 small and 64 large hexagons 

 

the next job was to cut wadding.  Using two rulers, I cut strips

 

then cross cut the strips into rectangles

 

the next stage is to tack the hexagons to the wadding, then trim them.  It's easier to do it that way than cut out hexagons from the wadding, and tack them together, as the soft wadding is difficult to cut accurately

 

Malcolm has been busy in the garage, making a new planter from more of his stash of old pallet wood

 

it has an old plastic storage box inside it, which won't show once it is filled with compost and planted up with a variety of plants

 

we're over at the flat, and the small runner is looking good on the new shelves

 

now for the best photos of the week!  We popped in for a cuppa this afternoon, and Malcolm had caramel shortbread

 

and I had an exceedingly delicious slice of rocky road

 

to finish - this was the stunning sky when I got up at 6.30 this morning ........ but I didn't go outside, I simply took the photos through the back bedroom window!

 

we are planning to head over to St Abbs tomorrow for the Wool Festival and on Sunday we will be glued to the tv to watch England playing in the final of the cricket T20 World Cup.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne  

 

 

 

I took so many photos today .......

....... that the sewing has been bumped over to tomorrow!  First, I went out into the cold garden at 8.30 this morning (it was so cold the water in the bird bath was frozen!) to capture some ewes and lambs in the sunshine

 

we went out to Harestanes for lunch, as the cafe had re-opened after being closed for the winter

 

Malcolm had a roll with ham and chutney

 

and I had tuna savoury (as always I gave Malcolm the tomato)

 

after lunch we walked through the courtyard, where there were little pops of colour in some large plant pots

 

it was probably just as well that Mary's Dairy was closed, so that we weren't tempted by the delicious cakes and ice creams!

 

I liked the view through the door in the old wall

 

when we got back home, I decided to go for a walk.  First stop was to take a photo of this lamb - you can tell by the wrinkles that it is a very young one

 

the donkeys weren't in their usual field, and I had to take these photos through gaps in a thick hedge

 

a pause to look out to the Minto Hills

 

and the Eildons

 

if you only glance at this photo, you think that the horse has no front legs, as they blend in with the house in the background!

 

I braved the muddy path

 

to see the Jacob's sheep

 

then further down the road I squeezed through a tiny gap in the hedgeand stepped over a rusty wire fence ........

 

....... to take more sheepie photos

 

and just for good measure, on down and round the bend ....... more sheepies!!   This lamb was snuggled into its mum

 

but this one was running round bleating, looking for its mum

 

on the way back home, I spotted where something had been digging in the verge

 

from the size of the whole, I think it must be badgers

 

I took this photo of my favourite bit of scenery from further down the road, trying to get an arty effect, but it hasn't really worked

 

these two donkeys had moved round behind the stable - and the one on the right has obviously had lessons from the sheep about turning his back end to the camera!

 

then we have some arty photos that did work - an old bit of hedge, with an old bit of fence, and dead weeds from last summer

 

a little bit of sheep's wool, caught on a tree

 

and a leaf caught on barbed wire

 

two fun photos to finish.  First, I had stopped to chat to these four ramblers, who were having a rest in the middle of a very long walk.  When I asked if I could take their photo, they promptly posed, pretending to be studying something in the distance

 

and this is our neighbour, BillytheFarmer, checking on the lambs