Autumn Glory

I love this time of the year, especially when we do get a proper autumn, with nippy mornings, clear skies and so much soft colour in the natural world. We're very fortunate to live where we do, with open views over the countryside and expansive skies. The quality of light is soft and rich.
Most of our walks involve the dogs, of course, but last week Hugh and I had a little outing by ourselves. We wandered through the rides and pathways at Monteviot, along part of the avenue planted with Wellingtonias, and round to a stile below the monument on Penielheugh. The land round here falls within Lothian Estates. Despite what you may read elsewhere, the monument IS open to the public. For a mere £2 you can borrow the key from the Estate Office (01835 862201) near Jedburgh and climb up to the top for an even better outlook over the River Teviot and surrounding farmland.The views from the top were pretty impressive in all directions on this crisp clear day. There are the Eildon hills in the distance.
On our return we enjoyed a restorative coffee and home baked cake at Woodside Walled Garden and watched the garden birds tucking into their feeders with similar enthusiasm...

W. I. P.

There is lots going on here at present but some of it is under wraps till it's fit to be seen, or till I remember during daylight hours to take pictures of it...

Hugh's putting a new roof on the woodshed. This is not a small undertaking as he is single handedly removing a very leaky corrugated iron roof and replacing it with box-section steel sheets, by means of brute strength while standing in the trailer attached to a borrowed tractor. The woodshed is 6.5 metres long and about 4 metres deep (it usually houses a vehicle and trailer as well as wood!). Dry still days would be perfect - hmm, sometimes it's still but wet, other times its dry but windy... But he's winning!

I've been doing a spot of demolition and am now applying some paint to walls. I hope you'll be suitably impressed when the images make it online!

Meanwhile, it's only a matter of a few weeks until the Woolfish wool festival at St Abbs on November 6th and I am spinning yarns, and planning to conjure up another knitting pattern for it too. There are other new creations in the pipeline, or at any rate in my head...

I recently bought a substantial stock of stunningly lovely cotton perle threads, many of which I will be offering for sale singly. In order to demonstrate one of their myriad uses, I started work on a ... well, I am not sure yet what it will be. The base fabric is my much loved merino wool sweater which a well-meaning but over-enthusiastic Hugh managed to shrink to dollsize (and I ain't no doll).
I am using one skein of the space dyed cotton to stitch with and this is how it looks so far.


and a closer look... It's fun to just make it up as you go along and see what transpires.
Maybe I should adopt that as my mantra!

Favourites

Change of medium today - I fancied showing off some of the lovely ceramics which have gathered here over the years.
I have enjoyed two different one-week pottery courses, about twenty years and several hundred miles apart, and done a little at evening class many moons ago too, but nothing more.

Instead I'm happy to appreciate the skills of others and gather examples when I can.
The delicious little vase/beaker is from David Ashby at The Courtyard Pottery in Grassington; it's full of sgraffito scribbles and the words you can just see read this way to the edge.
The candlestick I have had for many years, made by Sue and Alex at Borgh Pottery in Lewis. The jug on wee fat legs is this year's acquistion, from Spring Fling participants (ermm, I'll do my homework and come back and edit with their names)
And down here is a wonderful crackle glaze hare by Paul Jenkins which graces our hall windowsill and a fantastic bowl built by Clair Norris who lives not far from us. She has recently started making framed mosaics of hand painted and fired tiles, amongst lots of other lovely work.

And the titchy little spotty mouse was a Fairtrade purchase by Hugh for me last Christmas. He's lovely and smooth (the mouse, that is) and nice to hold (I'd best stop there).

Oops, in the top pic is dinky little wooden cupboard made from driftwood. I bought it in a gallery in Pittenweem but sadly I don't know the maker's name and there no mark on it. He makes much bigger pieces too, and they are all covetable.

Ozone Rush

Hello! Been away to see the sea, these last few days, and had a grand time.
Hugh and I went off to the Kintyre peninsula in the west of Scotland, an area neither of us had visited. We stayed at Carradale in a great wee one-room cottage with a box bed in the corner but all mod cons. From there we could walk in every direction; to the woods, the seashore, the quayside and village (bakers, three hotels and a bank open for an hour on Thursdays) or to the next village. We managed to eat out in a pub, a tearoom jam-packed full of vintage kitchen and dining type stuff, a hotel conservatory, and a converted barge moored in Tarbert harbour which specialised in a curious combination of Thai, tapas and haggis.... We were out in rain and wind but mainly glorious sunshine, met lovely people, enjoyed some great scenery, encountered a few scary drivers on the single track sections of road and picked several pounds of brambles to bring home (as you do...). There were masses of waymarked trails through woods and along the shorelines and I was all excited to discover that we were staying adjacent to Carradale House which is where Naomi Mitchison lived (famous and prolific Scottish writer and feminist and a lot more besides). We didn't drive to the Mull of Kintyre but we did look at Campbeltown Loch (as in Campbeltown Loch, I wish you were whisky, I would drink you dry - good Scots song, honest!)

Been home 24 hours, collected dogs from kennels (heartless of us, wasn't it, but it made for a relaxing three days away), done a major amount of pruning in the garden and made jam tonight with the brambles and our own apples.

Woolgathering tomorrow - it will be grand to sit and knit/stitch/spin/sew and catch up with some friends for the day!

Been and Gone

How can it be 12th September already? My life is whizzing by, and it's not from lack of cramming things into it!Weather for the Art Trail was sunny and blowy, good touring weather in the Borders. We saw lots of friends and met new visitors as they explored the open studios over last weekend.
I sat in the sunny cottage porch in between times, knitting or spinning and feeling rather mellow and relaxed. All the hard work was done, the cottage living room looked extremely colourful with silk bunting and bright yarns, cushions and collages, cards and handknits, and I really enjoyed having the time to talk with people as they wandered in the door. Once they'd exhausted my little haven of colour, they headed down the road to find Hugh in his cabin, surrounded by fresh and uplifting new acrylics.

Then yesterday I spent at Abbotsford, home of Sir Walter Scott, at the first annual Longbow Archery competition. Admittedly I was participating in the craft fair rather than active with bow and arrow, but truly that's a blessing for all bystanders.... Several fellow Crossing Borders members were there so it was a good chance to catch up and compare Art Trail experiences.
As ever, if Rob and Anne were in attendance, so was Katie. This little black bundle of mischief wins everyone's heart. She's five months' of pure energy and I'd whisk her home tomorrow if I could - Midge would be delighted to have a playmate (Ash, less so...)

Art Trail Ahead!

We are ready to rock!

The signs are up, the sheep are in situ (!), the entries in the children's art exhibition are hung, the cakes are being baked for the art cafe at the Village Hall, the cottage living room is now the Tart's gallery for the weekend, and the sun is shining!

Come and see us if you possible can.
We're all open from 10 am till 5pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Seven days from now...

... my mind will be even more addled than it is today!

(Fortunately I have an idyllic rural view from my kitchen this evening - lucky or what?)

The cottage living room will have been partially stripped of furniture

A riot of artwork and all sorts of textile-related stuff will take its place

Chaos may reign but by 10 am on Friday 3rd September,

the Border Tart's little corner of the

will be ready to rock!

Look out for my sheep!

Just checking in...

A bit of a run on duties for the next week or two.
Scrub the cottage ready for visitors, bake bread for them, bake for the impending Southdean Show, feel guilty about not putting in enough entries for the Industrial Section in said Show so scrabble around for more jars of marmalade and chutney, handknits and other crafty bits, assemble all the stuff I need for my stall at Smailholm Show the following day, cram in some spinning and stitching and get the washing out while the sun's shining. Southdean Show - 2pm on Saturday - all the usual tents and entertainments plus stock judging, BBQ with real quality burgers, tea tent with yours truly assisting, great bookstall by Latimer Books of Kelso, model railway etc etc.

Smailholm Fete from 11 am on Sunday - the same but different!

Next week there's another changeover in the cottage, and some admin work every morning in Jedburgh. In between times I am making some groovy collages and texture and pattern studies to display at the Crossing Borders Art Trail on 3rd 4th and 5th September. Lots more to waffle on about that in the next post....Tra la la la... time for a cuppa or maybe a little lie down!

Cultural Trip

Pittenweem Arts Festival runs for a week from Saturday 7th August. For nearly thirty years this Fife coastal village has turned itself into one giant art exhibition for a week every summer. Last year was my first day trip there and I loved it. But with about 100 different venues to visit that just wasn't long enough. This time, my friends and I decided we deserved two days to enjoy the festival so we drove up early Saturday morning, and returned to the Borders on Sunday evening. In between times we....

• chatted with some delightful artists, both visiting and resident - those that stand out both for the quality of their artwork and their charm are Morag Muir, Jennifer Pettigrew, Georgie Young (that's her garden above) and Elizabeth Shepherd

• met Elvis (oh yes we did, he has four paws, a low-slung undercarriage, and has left his footprints in Georgie Young's concrete path)
• saw some awesome weaving by the Dovecot Studios
• were introduced to a fine specimen of a Labradoodle
• watched the torchlight procession and the fantastic first night fireworks
• bought some small scale artwork and drooled a lot over the big stuff
• ate perfect fish and chips from the famous Anstruther chippie, having queued for a long long long time
• climbed innumerable steep wynds
• admired a canoeing terrier
• enjoyed chocolate scones at The Cocoa Tree
• loved the opportunity to walk and talk in other people's gardens
• shared our thoughts on artists and artwork and presentation and the whole Open Studio thing
  

We drove out to Ovenstone Artists Studios and admired work there. My favourite was Joanna Foster whose work you can see above.

We'd booked into the Crichton House B&B in Anstruther, a quick mile or so along the road. It is the best possible advertisement for good Scottish hospitality. A spotless establishment, great rooms, good showers, a lovely happy hostess and a marvellous breakfast!
I went for a walk before mine, and admired the shell decoration on the gable of the house down the road.

Six Today

Well now, you may remember that some time ago I agreed to share this blog with her ladyship, on the understanding that I would be able to post regular blog entries.

This is my first...and then only on sufferance, I fear, as it is my birthday. Ah yes, I am a now a mature and rather attractive six year old. I've kept my trim figure, though I have developed a reasonable ruff (NOT a double chin, so don't even think it!).

I've had a pleasant day though no special treats have been forthcoming, and the expected stream of visitors bearing gifts has failed to materialise. I am, of course, above such things now but a little more attention would not have gone amiss.
I managed to snuggle up to Hugh at lunchtime but it was all too brief as he then donned chainsaw gear and went off to cut up wood. I retreated to the living room to catch the afternoon sun...

to Jupiter and back in a day

We had an awayday this week, to Jupiter Artland which is a lovely place to explore.
It is a contemporary sculpture garden in the grounds of Bonnington House, outside Edinburgh. Works by many leading artists have been commissioned and then constructed in situ, with the relationship of each artwork to its topographical location being a crucial feature.
So there!
It's open four days a week and we were lucky to have a clear, dry and at times very sunny day to enjoy there.
Above is a view of Life Mounds by Charles Jencks, and below is Over Here by Shane Waltener. It's knitted on circular needles with four different coloured fishing lines in a design inspired by Shetland lace.

And here we see Mr Roberts enjoying a latte puchased from the groovy caravan cafe. The wellies were advisable as some of the paths through the woods were squelchy.
As Bonnington House is a private residence there are some nice domestic elements visible too, like this dinky hen house
As the route we took did not return us to the entrance and shop, I can't give a good account of its contents though I am sure they'd have been tempting. One fun thing I did take in, though, was that they had Rob Ryan's deliciously designed parcel tapes for sale. He's a very talented man who does papercuts on a big, and sometimes giant, scale.

Tomorrow's a lovely summer Woolgathering, with knitting and stitching, cakes and coffee, and a great catch-up with my friends...come along if you can!

Eeeek!

As hens age they often lay bigger eggs, but some are more aesthetically pleasing than others.....don't know which one was responsible for this effort today but I suspect she'd probably like a little rest now.

Lots of things to attend to:
Cottage visitors this weekend - note to self: clean windows loathsome task, check over kitchen, bake bread, check for speedy spiders already making new webs, lay out towels, pick a few flowers - hopefully I can rustle up something not too greenfly-ridden.Woolgathering on Sunday 25th - all welcome, of course - I've done a page that you'll see over at the top right to tell you what we do. Always lovely to catch up and see who's working on what. These are new yarns I have just washed, some of them spun with fibre from my Woolfest haul.Border Union Show at Kelso on 30th and 31st July - we'll be there with a stand to promote Hugh's off-road business FarxFour, with fresh coffee and home bakes for all so come and find us at the far side of the West Ring.The first blackcurrants need picked. Strawbs nearly finished; the resident frog in the bed has done a grand job of keeping the bugs and slugs away but there's a wee moosie been tucking into a few prize specimens. Plans for boozy treats with some of these fruits....Various tasks in readiness for Southdean Show on August 21st, and I'm on duty in the tea tent again this year and I get to make up the jar for Guess the Number of Sweets in the Jar - two great jobs for me!

Knitters Unite!

Can you resist these? They make you smile, and every one that's made and sold brings benefits all round. Check out the website and find them in Fair Trade stores - there are masses of different soft toy animals in wool and cotton as well as great sheepy teacosies and accessories

Kenana Knitters started in Njoro, Kenya 1998, to help rural women find some much needed form of income using their spinning and knitting skills.

They're a self-supporting knitting co-operative, they pay themselves a fair wage and the sales fund a range of welfare projects in Kenya.

Knitting is ideal. It requires minimal equipment, can be done in snatches when time permits. When the rains come and the family crops and vegetables need tending, not much knitting gets done, but in times of drought and crop failure, when the family garden is bare of supplementary vegetables, money can now be earned to purchase the necessities of life.

The group generates two forms of income; buying the wool locally then creating more work by turning the wool into marketable products such as toys, bed-covers, scarves, hats and other accessories.

Happy Snaps

Ok, let's have a bit of eye candy!

Here we see my first and last purchases of the day at Woolfest. I have my lime green Herdy mug from two years ago, my natural undyed Herdy sheep money bank from last year and those clever Herdy folk have guaranteed my continuing support by bringing out stylish teatowels. They are FAR too good to submit to dish drying and will probably be refashioned into cushion covers or bags and why not?
The fibre? Glorious stormy grey and rich bordeaux dyed Shetland by Wheeldale - I bought some last year and was very pleased to find them there again. Also below is one of those irresistable blends of merino and silk from Wingham Wheeldale also had bags of Teeswater locks which shouted BUY ME - what could I do? And the buttons, well I was overwhelmed at the choice from McAnaraks but finally settled on these ones, for projects as yet unidentified...And p/hopping? A whizz of an idea - generous knitwear designers give their patterns for free to Medecins Sans Frontieres - you choose your patterns, make a donation and get busy with the needles!There were lots to choose from at Woolfest where they raised over £1000, egged on by Clare's enthusiasm and ably assisted by Natalie at the YarnYard next door. Find p/hop right here and get busy! You know you want to...

p/hop = pennies per hours of pleasure