Friday Smiles - Week 189

Hello Everyone,

Warning ... more photographs this week!

I hope you have had a lovely week and that, like me, you'll be sharing some smiley moments with Annie at A Stitch In Time. We've had a busy time out and about which means we have a few more lovely memories to add to the many we already have.

Sunday we went down to the secondhand book shop at Culzean Country Park, both to drop a few read books off and to look for a couple of books for my sister, Margaret. She reads a lot. After that we took a wee saunter round the grounds.

While Alan was gazing out to see, I discovered these busy little hoverflies/wasps (I'm not too sure which) enjoying the flowers on the ivy.

Ivy flowers look quite nondescript, no pretty colours, just green, but the insects adore them.

Monday we went to the quilt exhibition at Rozelle and I've already posted a few photos here so I'll control myself and not share anymore. Suffice to say the quilts were well worth the visit.

Moving swiftly on to Tuesday we took a trip to the big city, Glasgow. Instead of driving up we put our free bus pass to good use and let the bus driver take the strain! I was heading to John Lewis haberdashery department to buy sewing thread but we stopped for lunch in the restaurant there too before going out onto Glasgow's main shopping area, Sauchiehall Street.

This was a surprise. An old police box, Dr Who must have missed this one, being used as a retail outlet selling essential oils!

Sauchiehall Street is long so by the time we reached to top we were ready for another cuppa. this time in Waterstones Book Store coffee shop which is where I spotted these fabulous posters depicting some favourite classics.

Here's Alan showing me how pleased he is to be shopping with me :)

On the way back to the bus station I spotted this poster which brought back memories of childhood trips to Burntisland which is on the east coast of Scotland, near enough to Edinburgh, my home town, for a day trip. Ah, happy days :)

Just in case you are wondering about the rest of the week .... Wednesday we had visitors and yesterday was super busy for me as I spent the morning at a quilting class and the afternoon at the weekly craft club I attend. Yes, it's been a very busy week but it has resulted in a lot to smile about.

And finally,

My little, but growing, pile of crocheted hexagons. I'm using up all the oddments of yarn I had tucked away to make a blanket big enough to fit a double bed. Don't they look almost delicious enough to eat?






Apologies to Kate and Robyn for not visiting them during the week - I ran out of week! Hoping to do much better this week - there's no plans for trips out this coming week. Yet!

Take care all and have a lovely weekend.

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 382

Hello Everyone,

I've not posted for few days. Been busy away and not near the computer but it's Wednesday, time to join in with Julia's What's On Your Desk, and share what's on my desk with the world.

I know it looks a bit staged but it is and it isn't. Much of what is out on the desk, fabric, thread, rotary cutter, is in preparation for the quilt class (morning) and craft club (afternoon) I'm attending tomorrow but just before I took the photo I remembered that I had this bag, seen in the planning stage last week and finished this week, to share with you. I found the pattern for the bag in an old issue of Love Sewing (issue 03). The handles were a freebie with the same magazine. I did modify the pattern a little bit - missing a bit here adding a bit there - till I was pleased with the end result. I now have a pretty bag to carry crochet yarn and hook back and forward to the craft club every Thursday. In fact, this week I'm going to have a go at making the little black bat that is another freebie - this time from the current Simply Crochet magazine you can see on my desk. I now need to make another bag for my quilting project - that needs to be much larger, of course.

I mentioned I had a few busy days recently. We've been out and about with a trip down the coast to Culzean and Dunure on Sunday, a shopping trip yesterday to the big city, Glasgow ... mainly to John Lewis haberdashery department (see the reels of threads at the top of the desk) ... and Monday we went along to see the Ayrshire Quilters at Rozelle 2016 exhibit here in Ayr. I thought you might like to see one or two of the beautiful pieces of work we saw there.

Just one of the three rooms the quilts are displayed in.

Two of the small quilts made to celebrate Rozelle - there's a lovely tearoom in the basement of Rozelle House hence the quilt on the right and the other shows two old ladies passing on the news of the quilt exhibition.

A beautiful signature quilt - each piece has been signed by a guest at a wedding and then made into this fabulous quilt.

And finally, I'm including this quilt because it is very similar in design to the one I'm learning to make at the quilt class ...

... though I don't expect for one moment it will look as fabulous as this.

That's me for today. Apologies for the lengthy post but I hope that you have found the quilts as interesting as I did.

I hope you have had a great week.

Happy WOYWW,

Friday Smiles - Falkirk, The Kelpies and The Wheel

Hi Everyone,

Warning! A photo heavy post follows.

I hope you having a lovely Friday and that there's been a lot to smile about in the week. Last week, on my post for Annie's Friday Smiles, I mentioned that we were off to Falkirk to celebrate my husband's birthday. Needless to say, we had a fabulous time, found plenty to smile about, and the weather was kind too. I took a ton of photos so I thought I'd show some, in the form of montages otherwise you'd be here all day.

Falkirk is a town that sits in the very heart of Scotland, midway between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The town has some very attractive buildings, this is just a few. Click on the montage to see it enlarged.

Falkirk Trinity Church, also known as The Faw Kirk, with it's ancient graveyard, is sited in the centre of the town. It contains important historical memorials from the time of William Wallace, the Battle of Falkirk (1298) and a later second Battle in 1746. The carvings are in the wall surrounding the churchyard.

All around the town on pavements and walls are engraved quotations, including part of William Wallace's famous cry for Freedom.

The magnificent Kelpies, designed by sculptor Andy Scott, are situated in the The Helix - a recreational park with visitor attractions that include a lagoon, wetlands, splash play area, trails and other outdoor events. The Kelpies, standing 30 metres high, are the world's largest equine sculptures. The name, The Kelpies, reflects the mythological water horses that are part of Scottish folklore. It is said that these water kelpies are shape-shifting creatures that occupy our lochs and rivers, much of their bodies being underwater and that they posses the strength and endurance of 10 horses.

Each Kelpie has a name, Duke and Baron, and a descriptive 'Head Down' and 'Head Up'.

They each have a quotation of their own too. Falkirk folk clearly love their quotations.

The Saturday we were there coincided with a National Addiction Recovery Walk, organised by the Scottish Recovery Consortium. Those that attended were each given a red rose which was ceremonially thrown into the Forth & Clyde canal that is located just behind The Kelpies.

After the Kelpies we went on to visit the Falkirk Wheel - another amazing feat of engineering. The Wheel is the world's only rotating boat lift. It's breathtaking. For even better photos do click the link, it is worth it!

And it seems we can't get away from the Kelpies, not that we would want to, because there's another set of 1:10 scale maquettes on display at the base of the Wheel.

And finally, we had a bit of a giggle when Alan decided he had to take his cap off while one of the security men obliged by taking our photo.

Apologies for the length of this post but there really is a lot to see in Falkirk. We didn't manage the half of it so will have to return, perhaps next year, to visit the places we missed this time.

Hope you enjoyed my Friday Smiles and if you would like to see more do pop over to A Stitch In Time so see more reasons to smile at Annie's.

Have a wonderful weekend.