frayed at the edge

Berwick and Warkworth

 Although we have had some rain today, it is still a bit hot for blogging, so just a very quick description of our visit to Berwick on Thursday, and Warkworth yesterday.

 

The swans were out in force on the river

 

I never tire of taking photos of the bridges

 

the heron's feathers were ruffled by the breeze

 

work on the major money pit continues

 

of course we have to have a photo of the lighthouse!

 

looking from the town walls over the roofs, with Bamburgh Castle on the horizon

 

in Warkworth, we parked by the river

 

and walked along the riverbank towards the old bridge

 

this young man paddled quietly past us

 

but then with a great deal of noise …...

 

dozens of scooters roared past (that's the Northumberland flag on the last scooter)

 

a glimpse of the castle, dominating the skyline

 

it must have been quite a feat to build it with just manpower, no great cranes or machinery to lift the stone

 

I imagined Rapunzel leaning out of the tiny window at the top of the tower, letting down her hair

 

we popped into Bertram's for a cuppa

 

we hadn't been there before, and loved its style, with scrubbed wooden table tops and mismatched chairs

 

Malcolm's coffee came in a plain white mug, but I was delighted with my teapot, cup and saucer.  What was that, you spotted the cake??!!  We shared this banana and fudge cake - delicious!

A strange shadow shot

Yesterday morning, when we were sitting in the lounge having our post breakfast cuppa, we both noticed this strange shadow shot on the wall.  Well, I can hear you ask, what's strange about the sun shining in the window and casting a shadow on the wall?  The strange thing is that the sun wasn't shining in the window ...... the shadow was cast by a reflection of the sun, shining on the windows of the house across the road from us!

 

but through on the other side of the house, these shadows were caused by the sun

 

this is a temple bell, which Malcolm bought many years ago on a business trip to Manila 

 

and this is me, taking the photos

 

later in the morning, we set off for Kelso, as I had an appointment with my lovely hairdresser, to restore my blonde gorgeousness.  Of course we stopped for a cuppa on the way, and enjoyed an excellent cheese scone

 

after my hair was rendered beautiful again, we came on over to Berwick, where the sun was shining in the windows this morning.  This is my little mannequin, which looks after my jewellery

 

I had taken this knitting project with me, as it has been lying neglected for some time.  The plan is to turn it into a rug - you can see where I have stuffed the first section with some wadding

 

I bought the balls of wool some years ago at Woolfest.  It is rug wool, very rough and tough

 

this morning we had a walk over to town, and surprise, surprise, we popped in to Café Crema

 

for a cuppa and the best (and biggest) cheese scone that we have shared for some time!

 

we had to pop out in the car after lunch to run some errands, then to avoid going back to the flat to do some housework, we took a little run up the coast and over the Border to St Abbs

 

as always there were lots of lobster pots lying about round the harbour - do you think anyone would notice if I pinched one to use as a planter in the garden?

 

there were lots of gulls sitting on the rocks in the distance

 

but this one posed nicely on a wall beside the harbour

 

after an exceedingly chilly walk round the harbour, we popped in for a warming cuppa

 

and enjoyed a little sweet treat - a small piece of tablet

 

and to finish - here is The Aunts' Quilt looking good on the guest bed in the flat

 

I don't think Pooh and Jemima would be pleased if they knew that Bruce the Puffalump was sitting on the quilt.  I have had Bruce since the 80s, when I named him after Bruce Willis - that's when he was a handsome young man with lots of hair!

 

I've just checked the weather for the weekend - although it is going to be cold, it should be dry, so we may get out and about for a walk.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

 

An early treat ......

 ........ for Valentine's Day!  Yesterday morning, we popped over to The Running Fox in Longframlington, as I had offered to treat Malcolm to breakfast

 

although it had snowed during the night, it was bright and sunny

 

I was temporarily diverted from the breakfast menu by the sight of these scones!

 

as I like a reasonable amount of milk in my tea, I get annoyed in establishments that give you a tiny little jug of milk, as if it was rationed (although Malcom always gets a big jug of hot milk to have with his coffee).  So I was delighted yesterday that not only did I get plenty of milk, but it was served in a cute little bottle

 

Malcolm ordered the full breakfast .......

 

....... and I ordered the eggy bread with sausages - but I didn't expect to get such a plateful!  The food was delicious, with most of it sourced locally, and the bread is baked on the premises

 

after breakfast, we worked off a few of the calories with a walk round the church

 

the sun was shining through the trees, casting interesting shadows

 

although the wooden and glass doors are beautifully made, I think they are out of keeping with the age of the church

 

the bell tower is unusual, with a double opening

 

there were lots of snowdrops in flower

 

and lots of daffodils peeping through the grass

 

I do wish that the old gravestones could be cleaned and protected, are they are little bits of local history.  The wording on this one is unusual "Underneath this stone are deposited the remains", and also mentioned is the "afflicted widow"

 

this one is an unusual shape

 

this one faces away from the prevailing weather, so isn't as worn as many of the others

 

a last photo before we headed back to the car

 

now, I could lie and say that on the way home I got Malcolm to drop me off, and I walked the rest of the way taking photos

 

or I could tell the truth that the photos were taken through the windscreen from the comfort and warmth of the car!

 

there was still evidence of the overnight snow

 

with it even clinging to the tree trunks

 

the slightly scary downhill run into the village

 

we came up to Berwick this morning, as we had an appointment at our Solicitors to sign our updated wills.  Having moved to England, we were advised that it would be a good idea to have them re-written under English law (Scotland has a separate legal system).  We were delighted to find a new shop - The Little Vintage Shop.  Although it makes us feel old that what they sell as vintage is what we grew up with!

 

then a few doors along we saw this notice in an empty shop window.  I have done some paper making in the past, so I might sign up for one of the classes

 

I had a bit of fun taking photos of the railway bridge through the "new" road bridge (we were crossing the river on the old bridge)

 

I wonder if the local council would move the lamp post on the road bridge, as it doesn't quite line up with the centre of the span?

 

in this photo, you can just see a train crossing the railway bridge

 

this afternoon, there was a flurry of activity on the dock

 

but I was momentarily distracted

 

by the antics of these gulls

 

who looked as if they were having an argument

 

and I almost missed the moment when they removed something from the boat

 

it was the engine that was belching out smoke that I showed you in a recent post - they must have heard me say that they needed to do some serious maintenance on it!

 

I'll be back on Wednesday with a quick and easy tutorial.

Two very different days

 Before I tell you about the weekend, I thought I would share this piece of absurdity with you.  This enormous plastic envelope arrived for Malcolm on Thursday - it is actually folded in half.  That's a mini bag of M&Ms (I just used it to hide the address) - the pencil gives you the scale

 

in the envelope was a folded piece of A4 paper, and a little plastic bag containing a tiny brass nozzle.  I don't know why it couldn't have been put in a normal sized envelope - so much for cutting down on plastic waste

 

so, on to the weekend.  It rained all day on Saturday in Berwick - not showers, just constant rain.  However, you don't have to go out to take photos - I took these through the window!  Out on the river beyond the dock, dozens of seagulls were diving into the water

 

they flew round and round for quite some time - then simply flew off!

 

this little fishing boat sailed out of the dock, trailing a cloud of smoke behind it.  I think they are needing to do some serious work on the engines!

 

this swan was having a good peck at its feathers

 

stretching its neck over its back to sort them out

 

finally it straightened up, every feather back in place

 

as we weren't able to get out for a walk on Saturday, we had a detour on our way home yesterday, as it was a bright sunny morning.  We decided to go to Bamburgh, as we prefer to go there in the winter, when it isn't crowded with tourists!

 

there were lots of daffodils .......

 

...... and snowdrops growing under the trees

 

I shall have to remember to plant daffodils round our trees in the autumn

 

this camellia was smothered in buds

 

unfortunately this shop was shut, so we couldn't sample their wares

 

this is the local cricket ground 

 

I wonder if it is the only one in the country situated in front of a castle?

 

the tennis court is being refurbished - Malcolm wouldn't let me play with the machines!

 

guess which way the wind mostly blows!

 

I wonder if the cricket club would let me borrow their heavy roller, as some of our grass is a bit lumpy and bumpy, and would benefit from being rolled

 

another view of the castle

 

it was a day for looking up at chimneys ........

 

..... set against the blue sky

 

the birds looked as if they were deep in conversation

 

as we walked round the cricket ground ......

 

this little robin followed us

 

sitting prettily for his close-up

 

we popped in here for a cuppa

 

but we didn't have chops and ale

 

instead we shared a delicious piece of carrot cake

 

I have now remembered to take a photo of my Charming Bag - I'll share it with you on Wednesday!

 

More of the white stuff!

I know a lot of you in this country are fed up with snow, but these photos are for Meredithe, Ma and the Squealers, who are wilting in the heat in and around Melbourne.  This was the birdbath yesterday morning

 

with a collar of snow round the icy water

 

I think the footprints are probably from a cat, which had carefully walked along the edging between the path and the grass

 

our neighbours' monkey puzzle tree looked good with its dusting of snow

 

while we had rather a lot on the hedge

 

this is yesterday's sunrise

 

with more spectacular colours - the little dots are birds flying past in the distance

 

then this morning we had a very pink sunrise

 

with lots of fluffy clouds

 

we came up to Berwick this morning, stopping in Belford at Sunnyhills

 

where we shared an excellent cheese scone

 

when we got to the flat, there was a ship in the dock, which was sitting very low in the water.  Was it waiting to be unloaded, or had it been loaded and was waiting for high tide to leave?  We would find out later in the afternoon

 

we had a (rather chilly) walk over to town.  When I stopped to take a photo of the Victorian pillar box, I had to include the matching Porsche!

 

these little birds are well camouflaged when they are poking about at the water's edge

 

until you spot their red legs

 

it was very clear, and we could see Bamburgh Castle in the distance

 

I would love to know why this house has two wind-speed meters on its chimney stack

 

do you remember this house, which I christened the "money pit"?  I tried to persuade Malcolm to buy it, so I could turn it into a quilting retreat, but sadly someone else bought it, and has been slowly refurbishing it

 

then there was the "very big money pit", where work has finally started to turn it into apartments

 

and now there is this old building for sale - but the drawback to this one is that there is hardly a straight line or a right angle, as it has subsided over the years!  So I don't think Malcolm will buy this one for me either, which is a disappointment, as it would be wonderful to have you all come to visit (although perhaps not all at the same time!)

 

back at the flat, there was suddenly a flurry of activity in the dock

 

with the swans escaping out into the river

 

before the pilot boat shepherded the ship out of the dock

 

we are just watching the weather forecast on tv, and it is to be dry and bright tomorrow, so we hope to get out and about. If you have weather like ours, wrap and well and stay warm, and if you are melting in the heat in Melbourne, stay cool and drink lots!!  Love, Anne

Beware seagulls!!

 On Friday morning, we went for a little potter round Berwick, stopping first to admire the second-hand bookshop.  For years the owner had a weekly stall in the Buttermarket, but recently decided that he would prefer to be indoors.  The shop is stuffed full of books, and has an amazing mural at the back of the shop.  It was shut when we went past on Friday, but next time we visit, I will ask if I can take a photo of the mural to share with you

 

this shop may claim that it sells vintage ....... but for Malcolm and me a lot of what it sells are things from our childhood - and we don't think we are old enough to be called vintage!  When we were in recently, I started to laugh at one of the items for sale, which was described as Edwardian.  So why was I laughing - because the item in question was a white wicker Moses basket on a stand, exactly the same as the one that Stuart slept in for the first three months after he was born in 1978, so hardly Edwardian!

 

another vintage shop, filled with more things from our childhoods!

 

this old window could be turned into a quilt pattern .....

 

I wish the new firm offering boat trips the best of luck with their business, but I don't think I shall be going on a trip out to sea, as I get seasick!

 

of course we have to have a photo of the old bridge

 

and an arty photo of a rusty iron ring - this one is about a foot in diameter

 

I was using my little point and shoot camera, so couldn't zoom in any closer on the salmon fishermen

 

back at the flat, I got out this tin which I bought some time ago in a charity shop - not for the tin itself, but for the fankle of embroidery threads it contained

 

I have been gradually untangling and winding the threads onto cardboard bobbins - what a feast of colours

 

on Sunday we popped over to Amble for a stroll, pausing to admire the boats in the marina

 

the sign on this door made us smile - you might not inspire confidence in your clients if they think you might nick (steal) all their money!

 

a large pile of new lobster pots

 

I wonder how long it will take until they look tatty like the one at the bottom of this pile

 

I'm assuming that the ropes have been put on the roof to dry

 

no, me neither, I don't know why these toys are tied to the mast

 

but at least they weren't tied up with this heavy rope

 

Malcolm was keeping a close eye on this seagull - I will explain why later

 

this unusual duck was swimming so fast, it was hard to get a good photo of him

 

when we are on holiday in Majorca, Malcolm always looks wistfully at the large (expensive) boats for sale in the marina, while I tell him this size is what he can probably afford

 

and the owners of this boat obviously thinks that too, as they have called it Mr D!!

 

in the hedgerows, the brambles/blackberries are ripening

 

and there is a large crop of rosehips

 

some of which are already ripe

 

I took the next two photos from the car as we drove home

 

it always amuses me to here people "down south" claim that it is "grim up north" - yes it is very grim driving through such lush countryside

 

a trip to Amble means a trip to the Cheese Pod

 

oh no, shock horror, they had sold out of Blagdon Blue, a delicious local cheese, and we had to make do with Nettle and Garlic (the Nettle might already have been eaten ......)

 

and now back to the reason Malcolm was keeping a wary eye on the seagull.  On Friday morning, as we were strolling back to the flat, I had stopped to take this photo, so Malcolm was several feet in front of me.  There was a great prolonged splattering noise, followed by a great deal of shrieking (and perhaps some swearing) from Malcolm.  He had been comprehensively covered in seagull poo!  Fortunately I had a packet of wipes in my handbag, so he could clean the worst off his head and face, and as soon as we got back to the flat he had to strip off and shower!  Everything he was wearing had to be thoroughly washed, so it was fortunate that he had a change of clothes at the flat!

 

before the nasty incident, we had been in Café Crema

 

where we shared an excellent cheese and chive scone

 

this is just half of it, split open and spread with butter, which promptly melted, as the scone was still warm from the oven - bliss!

 

Swans galore!

 When we arrived at the flat last Thursday, there were lots of swans in the dock, and as the gate was open (it is normally only open at the weekend), I sneaked in to take some photos

 

there were also quite a few geese amongst the swans

 

although this duck was content to sit on the edge of the dock

 

but the swans peace and quite was about to be well and truly disturbed, as this VERY large ship came into the dock

 

at first they headed to the far end

 

but then decided they would head out into the river ...... their upright posture shows that they were travelling at speed to escape!

 

the ship was so big that it needed help from the pilot boat to berth

 

and in no time at all, the lorries were rolling in to take away the cargo

 

after all that excitement, we headed out for a walk to town.  As we crossed the old bridge, there was a great flapping noise, and half a dozen swans flew over us

 

work has ground to a halt on the money pit.  It actually looks more shabby now - I hope that they will eventually clean the stonework so that the repairs are less obvious

 

a pause for an arty photo, with rusty barbed wire

 

and of course there has to be a view of the lighthouse!

 

I'm sorry, but I think this man looks ridiculous, with his pretend kilt, half-mast socks and the pony tail.  As we walked along behind him, I said to Malcolm that I would have to take a photo of "kiltie kiltie cauld bum" ........ it turned out that Malcolm hadn't heard this expression before.  Well, Scotsmen traditionally don't wear anything under their kilts, so of course they have a cauld (cold) bum!!  I suppose I could have offered to knit him a proper pair of kilt socks.........

 

walking back across town, I spotted this gate with thick overhanging ivy

 

a new gallery has opened just along the road from the flat - it might not look anything much from this photo, but it is a listed building, so they are limited as to what they can do with the outside

 

but the stylish door leads into ........

 

........ a cornucopia of arty delights.  If you are going to be in Berwick, email me and I will give you directions to the gallery

 

I took this photo of the salmon fishermen  at 10o'clock on Thursday night

 

then I took this one on Friday morning, as we walked over the old bridge in search of a cuppa and cake (more of that later!)

 

after lunch we went for a walk on the beach, but it started to rain!  So we got back in the car and drove up the coast to St Abbs, where we went for a walk round the harbour

 

I am always tempted to acquire a lobster pot to put in the garden

 

one of a row of fish hooks on a boat ready to go out to sea

 

but this gull didn't need to go fishing - he had found something tasty to eat in this box on another fishing boat

 

almost back at the flat, Malcolm spotted this view of the fishing boats, seen through an arch of the old bridge.  He dropped me off to take the photo ........ leaving me to walk the rest of the way!!

 

but then that meant I also took this photo - perhaps one of the most photographed views of the old bridge and the town

 

and so back to the cuppa and cakes.  Malcolm chose this delicious cheese and leek scone

 

while I indulged in a slice of gooey chocolate cake!

 

do you remember some weeks ago Anne made this cute sheepie for me?

 

of course that meant that I wanted to send her something in return, and knowing that she collects cruets sets, this pair of cuties was just the perfect present!

 

and do you also remember the happy mail from Kelly, which included the fun piece of John Deere fabric

 

Kelly had recently managed to open an old family trunk, which she knew contained some old family quilts,  However she was disappointed that the Sunbonnet Sue quilt that she remembered from years ago wasn't there, so what better thing to send her than a little Sunbonnet Sue cushion

 

I'll be back on Friday with my end of the month report on 17UFOs in 2017 ........ and I have lots to report this month!!

 

More ships!

When we got up on Tuesday morning, we were somewhat surprised to find that a ship had come into the dock overnight!  As soon as it was light, there was a constant stream of lorries queueing up to load it

 

then this morning, we saw that an even bigger ship had come in overnight, and there were even more lorries waiting to load it

 

of course yesterday we had to endure Storm Doris.  This is looking from the front windows to the back windows ......

 

........ and from the back windows to the front.  Why am I showing you the windows?  Well, at one point during the storm, the rain was lashing against both the front and back windows, which was decidedly scary!

 

when we walked over to town this afternoon, these two swans .......

 

........ were determined to hide their heads under their tails

 

but the duck posed quite happily

 

as we walked along the riverside path, these two cygnets went past.  They still have to shed the last of their juvenile feathers

 

not only did this swan have a dirty mark on its back, but is also had a dirty line round it from the silt in the river after the storm

 

suddenly the sun went in, and it felt a lot colder, so we didn't walk all the way round the path to look at the driftwood boat - hooray for the digital zoom on the camera!

 

we walked up through the park, where there were lots of signs of spring.  Grape hyacinths

 

my favourite, snowdrops

 

daffodils

 

pale hellebores

 

and dark hellebores

 

walking through the town, Malcolm pointed out this chimney.  I think it could do with a bit of pointing at its base

 

this is the back of the Big Money Pit.  There must be some work going on inside, as this window has wire mesh over it, probably to keep the pigeons out, and there is a stepladder.

 

the owners of the Money Pit must have read my last post about their house ........ because the scaffolding has gone!

 

as we crossed the bridge on our way back, I could see a group of swans on the far side of the river

 

and several lorries loading the ship

 

when you look at this photo, what catches your eye ....... the washed-up beer can or the male duck?  Did you notice the female duck?

 

and so, on to the Friday cake!  Malcolm chose a chocolate brownie with almonds - I didn't taste it as I don't like almonds, but he said it was delicious

 

I had a piece of millionaire's shortbread, which was sweet and very, very delicious!

 

I won't be here on Monday, but I'll be back on Tuesday with my February report for 17 UFOs in 2017.  I hope you have a good weekend, love Anne

Chips by the ocean!

 On Saturday the sun was shining, so we decided that rather than going for a walk on the beach, we would have a day out in Eyemouth.  The first thing to catch my eye was this somewhat complicated knot - and its shadow

 

an imaginative bit of upcycling in front of the Lifeboat office!

 

the water in the harbour was brown from the river running into it, following some very heavy rain

 

a family of swans ........ I'm assuming that is the male swan who walked forward to guard the others

 

I think it is unusual for so many cygnets to survive

 

we were a bit concerned watching this little fishing boat coming into the harbour.  It was rocking from side to side, and at one point we thought it might roll over

 

the last time we were in Eyemouth, they were preparing the site for this memorial

 

you can click on the photos to enlarge them, to make them easier to read

 

it is hard to imagine what the families must have gone through, waiting and watching for the men who didn't come home

 

although the figures are only a few inches high ........

 

they convey the emotions

 

I popped into Whigmaleerie

 

for some more sock yarn

 

I hadn't seen this one before

 

as you can see, it contains 39 percent cotton, so it will be interesting to see how it knits up (hey, Meredithe, I've just started pair 13!!)

 

Malcolm was rather taken with these seats made from pallets ....... perhaps he will make one for the garden?

 

the planters weren't as stylish as the ones he has made

 

a random heap of rope and lobster pots

 

Malcolm spotted this shadow shot on a boat

 

brand new lobster pots - one of them would look good in the garden with plants in it

 

we usually see this boat at St Abbs ...... I wonder why it has been moved to Eyemouth

 

I liked both the name and the cute little bee on this boat

 

Malcolm tells me this is a sacrificial anode*, attached to the bottom of a boat  .........

 

for weeks now there has been a song played constantly on the radio called Cakes by the Ocean, hence today's title (although we were by the sea, not the ocean!!)

 

* you can find out what that means here

Boats, gulls ....... and chips!

On Saturday, as it was a lovely day, we took a run up the coast, stopping first at St Abbs.  As always, there were all sorts of things round the harbour to see.  Lobster pots

 

a rusty ring

 

rusty metal - no idea what it's for

 

I love this rusty building

 

the person who left these lying obviously didn't think they would be stolen

 

Malcolm liked this collection of bits and bobs on a pallet

 

there were lots of gulls about - fortunately this one wasn't on our car

 

and lots of pigeons sunning themselves on the roof of their loft

 

we saw the lifeboat go whizzing by - hopefully it was on a training exercise

 

this tanker was going somewhat more slowly

 

and the two men who eventually paddled off in these canoes were going the slowest of all

 

this boat came in quickly through the channel between the rocks

 

but had to slow down to go into the harbour

 

Malcolm spotted this rosehip, which is already starting to ripen

 

we then went on up the coast to Eyemouth, where I was tempted to steal pinch acquire this little ice cream truck

 

when I see a door like this one, I always wonder what secrets may lie behind it!

 

fortunately the Eyemouth lifeboat was moored in the harbour, no emergencies for it

 

a fishing boat coming back into the harbour

 

you wait all day for a cargo ship ........

 

......... then two come along at once

 

we were entertained by a seal in the harbour

 

then we saw a pair of swans with their cygnets

the cygnets looked a bit scruffy

 

as they are losing their juvenile feathers

 

on several recent visits to Eyemouth, this little shop has been shut, so we were delighted to find it open

 

it mostly sells wool, with quite a few kits, as well as various other crafty bits

 

purchases were made by Malcolm - but they are for my birthday, so you will have to wait until October to see them

 

of course, as we were beside the sea, we had to share a portion of chips for lunch!

 

and yesterday morning we shared a delicious cheese scone ....... so this morning I was up at 6.20 and on the rowing machine and the cross trainer!

 

to finish - you know that I have a slightly weird sense of humour ...... so is it just me that sees an unintended meaning in this sign??!!