frayed at the edge

Early one morning .....

....... just as the sun was rising - oh, ok, the sun had already risen and I didn't hear a maiden singing in the valley below, but it was still quite early!!  But to continue, on Monday when I went out for my walk, I took the camera with me as it was a lovely morning.  When I start the walk I'm still half asleep and the verges are just a blur of green, but by the time I have eaten my piece of fruit and have hit my stride, I start to see all the wonderful colours in the verge

 

 

Unfortunately, I'm not very knowledgeable about the names of wildflowers, I just enjoy looking at them!

 

 

I love ferns when they are just uncurling (is that a word?) - I think they look like something from a sci-fi film

 

 

There is a saying ........ ne'er cast a cloot till may is oot........ which roughly translated means don't take off your thermal vest until .... ah, but is it when the month of May is over, or when the the may blossom on the hawthorn is out?

 

 

This next little flower is tiny - not even as big as the nail on my pinkie.  I think I will have to print out this picture to turn it into a pattern for applique

 

 

There have been vast amounts of dandelions this year - seemingly because of the severe winter.  This one has already gone to seed.  When we were children, we used to blow on the seedheads, believing that the numbers of puffs it took to blow away all the seeds would tell us the time!

 

 

When you were little, did you hold a buttercup under your chin to see if you liked butter? (if you did, the buttercup would cast a golden light!)

 

The lambs are much more independent now, and spend more time away from the ewes, with the bolder ones squeezing through the fences to feast on the lush growth in the verges.  The lamb in the field looked anxious when I stopped to take this last photo, but the one on the verge wasn't going to leave the tasty morsels it was tucking into!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The magic of technology

Yesterday's post may have appeared as usual ....... but I wasn't here!  I wrote it on Wednesday and scheduled it to be posted yesterday evening, as I was away from home from 7am to 9pm!!  So, what was I doing?  I went on an outing to the city of York, to see a quilt exhibition .... but let's go back to the beginning ...... last Friday, my friend Anne said that she was going with Kelso Embroiderers to York.  There were spare seats on the coach and would I like to go - of course I said yes.  So it was up at the crack of dawn to head to Kelso to meet up with the Embroiderers Group.  We set off in our comfortable coach and were soon crossing over the River Tweed at Coldstream

 

 

On of the good things about travelling by coach is that you get a good view over the hedges.  This is a field of potatoes

 

 

The fields are ablaze with rape - even on dull days it looks as of the sun is shining!!

 

 

When we arrived in York, of course the first thing we did was have a cuppa, then we headed for the exhibition, which is in the Quilt Museum of the Quilters' Guild of the British Isles.  We arrived at the door .....

 

 

....... and the camera had to be put away, as no photography is allowed, not even a general view of the wonderful room that the exhibition is in (it's because of copyright issues).  So please click on the above links to see more of the exhibition!!

However, I can show you the wonderful gardens round the museum .....

 

the wrought iron and old bricks show off the plants beautifully

 

 

the old buildings provide a wonderful backdrop for the gardens

 

After a delicious lunch, it was time for a little sightseeing

 

wandering through the maze of streets in the Shambles ........

 

 

I remembered to look up

 

 

I wonder who Mad Alice was

 

We met up back in the gardens at the museum, and enjoyed a cuppa in the sun before heading for home

 

 

On the way to York, I was sitting on the wrong side of the coach to take a photo of the Angel of the North, but I was ready to capture one on the way home

 

You can read about the Angel here and see more photos  here.

 

The forecast for the weekend is for good weather, but whatever the weather is, I hope you all have a good one!!  Love, Anne 

 

A quick history lesson

Yesterday, we went over to the village of Newstead, where you can see a slice of history in one short walk.  The first stop was at Trimontium, the site of a Roman Fort.  We are taught in school that the Romans were an all-conquering nation - but they met their match in the Scots, and had to build forts and walls to protect themselves!

 

 

As we continued our walk, I was distracted by a cute animals photo opportunity ........

 

 

........ then Malcolm spotted these strange fungus (fungi?)

 

 

We got back on track, and reached our next stage in history ...... the old road bridge over the River Tweed.  You can see that the river is very low at the moment.

 

 

Next to the road bridge is the Victorian Leaderfoot Viaduct.  Unfortunately, the viaduct is no longer in use, as train services to the Borders were axed years ago

 

 

Next to these two magnificent structures is the modern road bridge (that man got in my photo again!!)

 

 

This detail of the old road bridge shows that things can look good as well as being functional

 

 

unfortunately, the modern bridge is merely functional

 

 

I know there has been a distinct lack of all things crafty since we got home from our holiday - however, it's back to normal tomorrow with the Tuesday Tutorial, and I am working hard on a knitting design which I hope to share with you soon!

 

 

Early morning delights

Yesterday, I crawled out of bed and was out the door at 6.40, determined to walk off some of those cake-calories.  It was a lovely clear, bright morning ....... but it was frosty!!  However I soon forgot about the unseasonal weather, when I saw these little cuties

 

they weren't too sure about someone taking their photo ......

 

 

...... but these two posed quite happily!

 

Those lambs were very young, unlike these two bold ones who were munching away on the verge, and stood watching me approach for some time (the photo is a little bit dark as we were in deep shade under large overhanging trees!)

 

 

I could see where they had squeezed through the fence to get in and out of the field, as they had left rather a lot of fleece behind!

 

 

It might be the middle of May, but the daffodils are still flowering in the verge

 

 

These primroses were a bright spot under the trees

 

 

The apple blossom is starting to appear - I hope there is a good crop of apples like last year, so that I will be able to make more jelly!

 

 

I had to take yet another photo of my favourite tree - if you click on it to enlarge it, hopefully you will see several birds in the holes - it looks as if they might be nesting

 

 

This afternoon, I abandoned the holiday laundry to head for patch'n'chat.  It was lovely to see all my friends and catch up with their latest projects ........ and of course there was cake!  Annette had made a wonderful lemon meringue pie for us ......

 

 

.......I'm going to have to do some more walking!!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, love, Anne

 

 

 

Beware of the geese!

Today has been chilly, but bright, so after lunch, I set off for a walk to take some photos for today's post.  Usually I turn up the hill past the church, but today I went downhill and along the main road, walking quite a bit further than usual.  It was worth the extra distance to capture this photo ......

 

 

I decided not to take the chance of encountering either the loose dogs or the geese, and hurried on past!  I make no apologies for the next 2 photos - as far as I'm concerned, you can never have too many photos of lambs 

 

if you think this is a cute photo ....

 

 

if only you could see the little tails wagging!

 

There was one annoying thing to see - who dumped this toilet here?  If they could make the effort to drive out of town and heave it down the bank, couldn't they just have taken it to the tip?

 

 

You know that I like old, dilapidated buildings, especially if rust is also involved, so this one ticked all the boxes!

 

 

When I saw (and heard) the water trickling down through this wall, I stepped forward to take a photo ..... squelch!!

 

 

Of course, along with everyong else, we have been watching the news about the disruption to flights because of the volcanic ash - but we have to admit to being somewhat selfish in our concern ........ we are supposed to be going to Majorca next Tuesday, with Stuart coming out to join us the following Tuesday.  The news tonight is more hopeful, so we have fingers firmly crossed!!

 

 

 

Not quite so glorious!

This morning, Malcolm suggested we went over to Duns, despite the weather being decidely cooler, after a few glorious days.  However, we had a very enjoyable walk through the Duns Castle Estate.  The castle isn't open to the public, although you can have your wedding there!  We caught a first glimpse through this arch

 

 

However, we did get a better view further on in our walk

 

 

The castle has two man made ponds in its grounds, one of which is called Hen Poo - but I haven't been able to find out why!  You can see the pond in the background, beyond the sheep and lambs

 

 

It was a delight to walk through the woods and find primroses flowering

 

 

When I saw this piece of hollow tree trunk, I tried to persuade Malcolm to lie down in the mud and take an arty shot through it .... but for some reason he wouldn't do it!!  So you will just have to make do with this one I took by getting down on my knees

 

 

When we left the Castle Estate and followed the road back into town, we were greeted with this wonderful display of daffodils - there must be thousands of them

 

 

In front of our house, we have a new, boring, block wall ..... I wonder if I could persuade Malcolm to build a wall like this so we could have plants growing in the nooks and crannies

 

 

We know that Queen Victoria was very small, so perhaps that is why this postbox is only a foot off the ground, so that she wouldn't have to stretch up to post a letter

 

 

Tonight there is a very large jackpot on the lottery, and if we win, we are heading straight back to Duns to buy this house - well, really it's the fabulous conservatory that we want!

 

 

After all that walking, of course we had to have a cuppa, so we called into Hugo's

 

 

As always, I had tea and Malcolm had coffee.  I did think about trying to fit the teapot into my handbag, but fortunately common sense prevailed (no, I wasn't worried about being caught stealing the teapot, I was just worried that the leftover tea might spill!!)  We also shared some toasted bannock, which was delicious

 

 

When I'm out and about with the camera, I have got used to looking up, but it's just as well I was also looking down today, or I might have missed these two old doorways.  The first has a wonderful tiled step .......

 

 

........ and the second a metal name sign for a previous business on the edge of the step into the shop

 

 

You may have noticed that, apart from the Tuesday Tutorials, there has been a dearth of knitting and sewing ...... this is because I have been working on something very special ..... all will be revealed on Friday!!  (but there will also be a post as usual tomorrow)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glorious sunshine!

At last ...... lots of sunshine and not just a warm, but a positively hot Sunday, meant we had a wonderful day out yesterday.

We went to Coldstream to visit The Hirsel, home of the Home family (their name is pronounced Hume).  Malcolm had been there three weeks ago with his sisters, Jennifer and Judith (I couldn't go!) and he came home full of tales of the wonderful highland cattle - especially the calves.  

 

this cute little fluffy bundle will grow to look like this ........

 

 

....... this is an older calf with small horns ......

 

 

this is a young adult with medium horns

 

 

those horns are handy when you have an itch!!

 

 

the cattle come in all sorts of colours

 

But there was more to enjoy ....... lots and lots of daffodils

 

 

Beautiful buildings - in wonderful surroundings

 

 

A swan sitting in the sun, preening

 

 

After a cuppa and a scone, we had a browse round the wonderful craft shops.  There is a wide variety of gorgeous things to buy, all very reasonably priced.  I couldn't resist this little salt pig, with its cute spoon

 

 

I think you will have realised that Malcolm like all things wooden, so when I saw this beautiful bowl, I bought it for his collection

 

 

I took the last two photos in the garden this afternoon - it's wonderful to have such bright sunshine for taking photographs.  I also took this photo of the cracket that Malcolm has just finished for Jennifer

 

 

He was working on one for me this afternoon

 

 

Do you remember that the olive tree got flattened when the snow came off the roof?  It's not looking too good ....... and the ceanothus behind it is looking very sad as well

 

 

I lost one of my hellebores, and the other one wasn't looking to good, but suddenly over the last few days, it has shot up and (almost) flowered

 

 

 

 

  

Worth the wait!

We finally made it to Morpeth today, having had to cancel our trip last week because of the snow.  We went out for lunch with Jennifer ...... but I'll tell you about that in a minute, because I have to start with the most important event of the day ......... lambs!

 

two shakes of a lamb's tail

 

 

just like mum

 

 

we're shy!

 

 

I'm just so cute

 

So, now that we've admired the lambs, back to our lunch with Jennifer!  We went to Frameworks in Blyth

 

where we enjoyed a very nice lunch, accompanied by a man playing a baby grand piano!!  We then had a look round the shop - do click on the link above, as there are lots of photos of all the lovely things that they sell.

We then went down to the waterfront, where the staithes (wharves) have been redeveloped.  Blyth has a long industrial history, and to celebrate its long association with exporting coal, this sculpture was erected

 

You can see more photos of the scupture here.  I also took this photo of the Alcan silos .... is it just me, or would it have been better to paint them a blue/grey colour to blend in against the sky?

 

Again tonight, there is a bit of fun to finish with ...... this may look like a large cuddly toy in the window - but it wags its tail and moves its head!!

  
  

 

Back to nature

Yesterday we decided to head off to Harestanes, one of out favourite places for a Sunday morning walk .... although we hadn't been for some time because of the weather!  As soon as we arrived, we could see that the weather hasn't stopped work being done on the hedge behind the carpark

 

the original hedge, tall and straggly

 

 

cut almost through at the foot of the stems and bent over

 

 

a framework and woven top has been added - the hedge is already growing strongly

 

Although it is now spring, it still looked like autumn under these trees

 

 

But these daffodils were a welcome splash of colour on a dull morning

 

 

Before we went out, we only had a glass of orange juice and a cup of tea, so when we finished our walk, we were more than ready to tuck into delicious bacon sandwiches

 

 

We saw posters saying that there was a demonstration of green woodworking, so of course we went to have a look.  Malcolm was delighted to be given a go at shaping a piece of wood ......

 

....... helped by plenty of advice from this lady, who was shaping a leg for a stool

 

 

I think I will have to get Malcolm some specialist woodworking tools for his birthday and Christmas this year - it's all very different to the sort of stuff he usually does.

There are also some craft shops at Harestanes, and I bought this little oil drizzler for Malcolm - it is only three inches high!

 

 

I also couldn't resist these beads - now I just need to design a project for them

 

 

It was a very pleasant way to spend the morning - and in the evening, some Easter egg may have been eaten!!

 

 

 

 

 

What a difference a day makes!

After such an awful day yesterday, it was wonderful to get up this morning to sunshine and blue sky!  However, there was a very cold wind, so when I suggested to Malcolm that we should go for a walk after lunch, he was not overly enthusiastic.  But if he hadn't come with me, he would have missed seeing all of this ......

 

snow on the Eildons .......

 

 

with a little on the Minto Hills ......

 

 

with Ruberslaw looking magnificent!

 

We have lambs in the field across the road from us every spring since we moved here - except for this year!  So I had hoped to see some in other fields on our walk.  However, the ones that we saw were too far away to take photos of.  But further up the road, we did see the Jacobs' lambs, which are now quite big - I'm sorry it's not the best of photos, but I couldn't persuade Malcolm to climb a fence and squeeze between trees and bushes to get a better shot!

 

 

But there was unexpected compensation for the lack of lambs, when we saw this foal and its mum

 

oh mum, they're looking at me!

 

 

please mum, can I have some more?

 

 

mum, mum, they're still looking at me

 

 

bye, see you another day!

 

After admiring the foal, I spotted this building behind their paddock.  I have no idea what it's for, but I just liked the mix of old stone, wood and rusty corrugated iron

 

 

As we continued on our walk, I saw this view through a gate - the way I could see the sun shining through the trees made me think of 'The Secret Garden' .........

 

 

Finally - the daffodils in the verges are starting to flower in sunny spots - soon there should be a blaze of yellow all around!