frayed at the edge

Bottoms up!

As we were eating breakfast this morning, more and more swans swam into the dock.  There must have been something tasty to eat, as they kept sticking their heads under the water and their bottoms in the air

 

but suddenly there was a commotion, and an adult swan, with its head hooked over the back of a cygnet,  pushed it away from the group, with another cygnet swimming ahead of them as fast as possible to get out of the way

 

there must also have been something tasty on the ground (perhaps from a ship being loaded/unloaded) because the pigeons were having a good peck

 

when I looked out of the window later, I saw some activity on the far side of the dock

 

and in a shabby little boat which had been moored overnight against the pilot boat

 

there appeared to be trouble starting the engine, with much pointing and shaking of heads

 

the man with the new depth gauge soldiered on trying to lower it.  Every time he got out of his machine he had to walk round behind the lobster pots, which must have been somewhat annoying

 

at that point I had to go for my shower, and I was surprised that they were still trying to get the gauge in place when I came back through

 

I had the unkind thought that he might fall off the boat and provide me with some good photos ......

later we went for a cuppa and an exceedingly delicious cheese scone

 

we popped into Serendipity and I couldn't resist this lovely card, by local artist Anne Johnston Gill

then in a charity shop I picked up this rather grubby bag of threads

 

there is a little label inside each reel.  Coton a repriser is darning thread ....... I would have put in a link, but I could only find ones in French!

 

it is lovely thread, and I think it will be good for fine embroidery

 

Malcolm had been doing more work on his wine box chest of drawers, finishing the top and sanding it.  The last stage will be to wax it

 

we got back home at lunchtime and I spent the afternoon in the studio.  I finished the quilting on the space quilt, then I spent the rest of the afternoon working on this ......... but you will have to come back tomorrow to find out what it is!

 

to finish ....... the sun appeared this afternoon, much to the delight of this robin in the front garden

March forth!!

I accept no responsibilty for the punning title of today's post - it was supplied by the other person in the room!  So, today, the fourth of march, we popped over to Berwick.  After a potter round the shops we went for lunch.  This coffee shop used to be on the other side of the road, and was only half the size of its new premises

 

I rather like the painted tables - another project for Malcolm?

 

I ordered the French platter and Malcom ordered the grilled ham, cheese and spring onion baguette ...... then, of course, we had half each!

 

we went for a walk after lunch, which started with having to climb these old steps - I was not a happy bunny!!

but the sky was blue, the sun was shining, and there were old chimneys to take photos of!

 

we had a walk on the beach, and while Malcolm was looking for driftwood, I was looking for odd things to take photos of!

 

of course I was a responsible person and removed the fishing line after I took the photo!  I also picked up another length later on, and popped them both in the bin after our walk

 

we rather liked the way that the wall has been built round the tree

 

Malclm spotted this bird, which was hopping about on one leg!!

 

I had just snapped this swan ......

 

........ when it got out of the water

 

when we walk back home over the old bridge, we always walk on the left side ........ but as we got to the end I crossed over to have a look over the other side, and was rewarded with these photos!!

 

Malcom pointed out the shot of the railway bridge seen through the new bridge

 

and to finish, of course we have to have a photo of the lighthouse - with Bamburgh Castle just visible on the horizon!

 

 

 

Stitching fun!

The first of my new purchases that I investigated was the new ruler

 

oh dear, this one is quite a bit trickier to stitch with than the first ones I bought

 

for my second attempt I drew a line to try to keep the sewing straighter - a slight improvement.  This ruler is going to take more practice!

 

I then did a little doodling with spirals

 

after changing thread, I stitched two peapods and did a little meander under them

 

I had just taken this photo of the contents of the elephant kit when Malcolm popped into the studio.  As I explained to him about the little sachet of glue granules, to be used to stick little flecks of foil to the fabric, I could see he was frowning.  I  assured him that I would cover the work with baking parchment before ironing it, and he said he had been worried about the mess it might otherwise make of the iron.  I found this quite funny, as the only thing I have ever seen Malcolm iron is an edging strip on to a kitchen worktop!

 

I decided to make the little Japanese bag, as all too often I buy these kits and then don't make them for months (if not years!).  I ironed the two pieces of fabric right sides together and popped them on the cutting mat, ready to trim them square and then pin them together

 

it was so quick to make the bag that I had almost finished it before I realised that I hadn't taken any more photos of the stages of construction!  So here is the ta-da!

 

I popped my sashiko pin cushion into the centre pocket

 

then moved it to the front pocket - there is a similar pocket on the back (and there are two little secret pockets inside too!)

 

after the huge loads on the road on Sunday, we arrived in Berwick this morning to find a very large ship in the dock

 

there was a constant stream of lorries coming into the dock all day - at times they had to queue to discharge their loads into the ship

 

we had hoped that the ship would leave at high tide this evening, but it is still there. Perhaps we will see it leave in the morning.  There were other arrivals today, which we were delighted to see ...... yes, the swans are back!

 

Rusty!

When we arrived in Berwick on Sunday, this rather rusty ship was sitting in the dock

 

it had been sunny when we left home, but it got cloudier and mistier, the nearer we got to Berwick.  However we still went out for a walk.  We could see this sign in the distance, and with the help of the long lens were able to read it.  We were delighted to read that the area is going to be refurbished

 

as we walked out to the lighthouse, the waves were getting higher and higher - I was feeling seasick watching them!

 

every so often the sun would break through the clouds, and reflect off the waves

 

the swans weren't bothered by the waves, looking as serene as ever

 

for once I didn't have to decide whether to have the lighthouse on the left or right of the photo, as it was straight ahead!

 

yesterday we went for a potter round the shops, then instead of walking back over the old bridge as we usually do, we came back over the new bridge.  It is only when you walk across it that you realise how much higher it is.  I had to turn round to take the photos, to keep the sun behind me.  I took several, to show just how long the bridge is

 

 

when crossing bridges, I only look out, I never look directly down, so it was Malcolm who spotted this swan-shaped picnic table at the foot of the bridge

 

back at the flat, I spent quite a lot of time at the window watching the ship being loaded

 

by the end of the afternoon the ship was fully laden, and you can see how much lower it is in the water compared to the first photo

 

to finish, an "arty" shot of the pilot boat, complete with its reflection in the still water

Sunrise and sunset

The reflection of the sunset on Saturday turned the river and the dock pink

then yesterday and this morning the sunrise turned the sky orange 

 

over the weekend we encountered lots of birds -  swans

 

cygnets

 

seagulls

 

eider ducks

 

a shy robin

 

I still have lots of photos from the weekend to sort out, so I'll bring you another intallment tomorrow, and I'll finish with some excellent sconnage

fruit with jam and cream

 

cheese

I saw a ship .......

......... but I didn't see it come sailing in, as it was already in the dock when we arrived at the flat on Saturday morning

 

this was a BIG ship

 

 

all these little fishing boats could fit on board with room to spare

 

after lunch, we wrapped up warmly and headed for the beach.  This might look like a pile of rubbish

 

but a closer look produced the first piece of driftwood of the day - when I sat it on the sand I couldn't quite decide if it was a bird or a fish!

 

I had a different subject to decide if it shoud be on the right or the left of the photo - the clock tower

 

I like the shapes and colours of the rocks - inspiration, perhaps, for a quilting design?

as the forecast wasn't do good for yesterday, we headed back home in the morning, stopping on the way at The Teviot Smokery for a cuppa and excellent scones

fruit

 

cheese

 

on Saturday morning we had collected this picture from the framers in Berwick.  Malcolm had found the First Day cover, featuring the famous Berwick swans, in a charity shop, and gave it to me for my birthday

 

but we only saw two swans over the weekend, and they vanished behind the ship before I could get a good photo!

 

I popped out to the garage this afternoon to take some photos of the driftwood we have collected recently.  It doesn't show up too well against the grey concrete floor - when the weather is better I'll take some of the bigger pieces out into the garden to get better photos

 

 

to finish, these arrived today for Malcolm.  He is planning to make a bookcase and/or chest of drawers from them

A change in the weather

It was trying to snow this morning in Berwick, but by the time it was light enough to take a photo, the sky had almost cleared

 

as we walked over to the town centre this morning, I was just getting the camera out to take photos of some swans when Malcolm spotted this heron flying low over the water.  I just had time to snap it before it vanished under the bridge

 

we couldn't decide if the swans were having a good wash or were performing some sort of mating ritual - they were almost turning somersaults in the water

 

beautiful blue sky ........

 

....... which sadly didn't last.  This is what we encountered on the drive home

 

the closer we got to home, the more snow appeared

 

when we got home, it took Malcolm three goes to get the car up the drive!

 

these photos are specially for Lee and Meredithe (and the Squealers) who are currently enjoying lovely summer weather in Australia

 

in the front garden the sparrows were waiting for the bird feeders to be filled

 

but they vanished when it started snowing again

 

when I was in the studio this afternoon, I listened to some appropriate music

 

to finish, I think we need some sustenance to help us cope with the bad weather  ....... how about this cheese and leek scone, which we shared witth our cuppa this morning

 

Bits and bobs

No theme today (ok, sometimes often there is no real theme!), just a rather random collection of photos.

We had lots of fun and laughter at last night's Abbey Quilters' Christmas party.  We played our two silly games.  A very brief description of the games:- the first one - everyone has a wrapped fat quarter.  We sit in a circle and Sandra, the Chairman, reads out a story featuring Mr & Mrs Wright.  Every time she says (W)right, we pass thhe parcel to the right, and every time she says left (yes, you've guessed!) we pass the parcel to the left.  At the end of the story, you open your parcel to see the fat quarter, hoping it will be something you like!  The second game - everyone has a raffle ticket, the holder of the first ticket drawn takes a wrapped fat quarter from the bag and unwraps it.  The next person either takes another parcel from the bag, or if they prefer the already opened  one, they "steal" it, in which case that person has to take another one from the bag, and so it goes on (I hope you followed that)  It soon devolves into chaos, as there are always several fat quarters that everyone covets, so there is a lot of stealing!  Mine was the first ticket drawn, so of course I picked the parcel wrapped in owl paper!  Unfortunately that revealed a rather boring brown fabric, which no-one wanted to stteal,robbing me of the chance of acquiring either of two sheepie fabrics!  The other fat quarter is from the Mr & Mrs Wright game

 

but for me, the best part of the night was when Anne S gave me a present .......she saw these and promptly thought of me!  They will be a very special addition to the real hot chocolate that I have on Friday mornings when we have a cupppa in the middle of doing the housework (thank you Anne for such a super present!!)

 

I love to have fresh flowers in the house, which I put in this crystal vase, which I have had for forty years.  When Stuart was a tot it sat on the floor in a corner with big paper flowers in it (well, it was fashionable then!) and amazingly survived!  The lilies are really fragrant - every time I walk past I pause to enjoy the scent

we are in Berwick tonight.  On the way we called in at the Garden Centre for lunch (delicious carrot and sweet chilli soup, I must have a go at recreating it  at home).  We were delighted to find that the donkeys were still there

 

at the Christmas Fair on Friday, I sold two of my six shell pictures, so this afternoon Malcolm put the remaining four on the wall in his shower room  (he uses the en suite shower room, I use the bathroom).  If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you will see reflected in the mirror a bit of me on the left hand side, and the bedroom window with the view out on to the dock

 

when we arrived at the flat, I looked out the window ....... and there was a swan heading out of the dock.  I don't have the big lens with me, so you can only just see it to the  left of the boat

 

I took this photo in the early afternoonn, but it already looks as if it is getting dark!

 

to finish ...... we first saw this Christmas tree in Marks and Spencer in Singapore, but of course we didn't buy it as it was much dearer than it wold be at home - and we didn't have room in the suitcases for it!  When we got home and saw how much it cost we still didn't buy it - but then Malcolm noticed an advert in his newspaper this morning - hooray it had been reduced to half price (£5), so we called in at M&S to buy one

 

but it isn't just a tin tree ...... it revolves while playing a tune ....... and has two packets of tree shaped shortbread biscuits in it!!

 

Curtains!

When we went to Ikea to buy the bed for the guest bedroom in the flat, we also bought curtains for the lounge.  Because we needed to buy three pairs, we bought their plain cotton twill ones, which are very reasonably priced.   But there is one drawback - they only come in one length, which is extra, extra long!  So when we came over to the flat this morning, I brought the sewing machine with me

 

I always have to consult my instruction manual, to remind me how to do blind hemming

 

there was a lot of crawling about on the floor, measuring and cutting off the excess fabric, ready for the new hems

 

the first pair done

 

then the second pair

 

the third pair are split, with one on each of the side windows.  As you can see, by the time I finished it was dark!

 

I have a nice pile of leftover pieces, which will be used for cushion making

 

it has been a horrible wet day here, with the lighthouse barely visible through the gloom

 

no seal, no swans, just one soggy seagull, looking miserable on an old, sagging roof

 

so to finish, lets have some colour!  Here are just a few of the beautiful orchids in the Botanic Gardens in Singapore

 

and a colourful little lizard

 

 

 

Messing about on the river

On Sunday afternoon, Malcolm pointed out that there was a rowing boat coming down the river

 

which was quickly followed by several more

 

but perhaps the rowers in the last little boat weren't too sure of their stamina, as they also had an outboard motor (and none of the boats rowed back up the river, we saw them later being towed behind cars!)

 

the swans have been spending a lot of time out on the estuary, with only the occasional one appearing in the dock.  I realised that I don't know very much about swans, and whether they  migrate ...... like me, you can find out more here

 

the seal, as ever, entertained us ......... but every time I got him in focus he vanished under the water - on several occasions showing me his bottom as he went!

 

on Sunday evening the seagulls made a great deal of noise over in the river

 

while dozens more sat out on the sandbanks

 

yesterday I layered up the Father Christmas wallhanging

 

and finished making up the kits (except I realised later that I had forgotten to put in the red buttons for his coat)

 

I keep forgetting to take photos of the progress of Mrs Billings, as I have been stitching away on the hexagons for the last border in the evenings.  So yesterday I remembered to round them all up and count them - I have enough of the coloured pyramids and almost enough of the calico ones for another side, with several coloured ones left over to start the third side

 

then today I made another Father Christmas, and layered it up as well.  The one on the left will be used at the workshop to show the students how to hand quilt it, but for quickness I shall machine quilt the other one

 

all this sewing requires a lot of stamina, and Malcolm made sure I didn't flag this afternoon, bringing me two tiny cakes

 

and a mug of hot chocolate

 

and finally, for all my cat-loving friends, this afternoon I took this photo of the nasty little beastie cute little cat just for you !