The Soop Kitchen

Happy New Year to all kitcheners and thank you for your most warm and welcoming hospitality throughout the year, soop and MacSporran.

I have brought a large box of Thorntons Continentals for everyone to dip into. You may eat as many as you like as they are virtually calorie free!(being virtual themselves)

It's wet and gloomy and a bit chilly here on the south coast but I have daffodils and roses in bloom and saw a robin with nest building materials yesterday so are we safe to say we are not having a winter this year?

I was just hovering but you have tempted me in with the Thorntons. Can I come in?

Help yourself Tizliz - then have a sit by the fire and enjoy the lovely sea view. I'm sure soop won't mind!

Could do with putting my feet up, been cleaning the grinding machine (we have an engineering business), what a thing to do on New Year's Day.

Happy New Year to all!
Soop, you are a tonic and an inspiration, so here`s to another great year for you and MacSporran (and Rory, of course!) xx

ffinnochio By the time I get to make the journey to West Sussex, it will be close to a year between spending time with young man Torben. I therefore know how you must be feeling. I hope to see you in the spring.

Gaga Thornton's chocolates are my all-time favourites. Please may I tuck into the hard centres? Once upon a time, my late Mother would take the liberty of pressing the chocs. If the centre was soft...tough! She would leave it alone in the box. If the centre was hard...tough! She would "bags" it.

Hello Tizliz and welcome to our cosy kitchen. I like your name a lot.

Dear number Many thank-yous for all your good wishes. Any time soon I shall be sipping a delicious sloe gin with ice and lime. This sort of debauchery comes to an end at the start of next week.

I now need to pedal away on the exercise bike. Twenty minutes tops.

Group (((hugs)))

Thanks to soop, dusty and others. - I'm not as down as I was, just tend to wake up that way!

ah - I can eat Thorntons without reading what's in them - good. No cow milk, no eggs, no calories - great.

AlieO

Even virtual chocolates have me salivating! A sign of addiction? Oooh-er!

It's Saturday and it feels like any other day. All routines have gone absent without leave. I have never known such a seemingly endless holiday.

It is wet and cold outside the door. Rory refuses to sit upon his doormat. The breeze ruffles his coat. He doesn't approve.

I shall write a few thank you letters. Check emails. Wash a few woollens. Flick the feather duster hither and thither. No daily paper, as the shop remains closed. Hey ho! As bags would say.

Every day to me appears to be the same whether a BH or not. Today, although not particularly cold, there is now driving rain outside. Just lovely.

Tara spent the entire night with me, squeaking if I turned or had the temerity to rescue part of the duvet. She did allow me a lie in but I think she was catching a plane as she flew out of the house hours ago.

With luck the heavy rain will stop tonight's fireworks. Is it just my Scottish upbringing thinking that they are such a waste of money. The festivities are over- why still have the bangers going off.

On that happy note I will do something useful.

100% drizzle here! Very dreary indeed. But I am pursuing my latest quilt project with gusto, on the grounds that it would be nice to achieve something on this gloomy day. I work in the conservatory and have an uninterrupted view of the grey to the horizon!

Hope your calorie-free chocs are lifting your mood Alie!

Charleygirl Rory did eventually venture a few paces outside the door. I had already washed the utility room floor. Within the blink of an eye, he returned. MacSporran followed him around, and informed me that he had at least 24 dirty paw prints to wipe up.
And, I agree, fireworks do feel like a waste of money. Okay for a special occasion but...

Luckygirl It remains leaden grey in bonnie Kintyre. We have had a thirty minute walk. Home to make a pot of tea. After which, I'm hoping to service Tortoiseshell kitten's new lodge. I need to kneel down in order to do so. I've a square of carpet for that purpose. Only I'm wondering, would it make a cosy base for the lodge floor.

Sorry, I'm a bit late ..Happy New Year Kitcheners ...sorry was that a bit too loud and cheerful....anyone nursing a hangover? We've had so many visitors recently I haven't had time to pop in and check what's going on.

We are starting our diet tomorrow so I just need to leave a few things on the table.. Leftover turkey anyone? How about a mince pie or sausage roll? I'll just pop the remains of the Christmas cake on the corner so help yourself if you would like some

A turkey sandwich would be just fine. I have not tasted turkey this Christmas. I may take a trip to Waitrose tomorrow and see if they are trying to sell them more cheaply to get rid of them.

Trust Rory to time his daily trip outside when the floor had just been washed. Tara does exactly the same- they have it worked out to perfection.

I'm happy to welcome you back to our kitchen Crafting. My diet starts tomorrow (Monday) therefore I would enjoy another mince pie with a slice of tangy cheese. Neither *MacSporran nor I have over-indulged. My waist hasn't expanded and my clothing remains comfortable.

Charleygirl Lo and behold, it's still raining. We dressed warmly and went for the daily stroll through the village. The wind (an easterly) blew MacS's hat off. It was that fierce, it made my ears ache. Didn't stay out too long. Back home to discover that Rory had remained asleep on the tartan rug on the bed.

Love to all our Kitcheners...tomorrow we return to something resembling normality.

The heavens have opened here and it is so dark. I was going to go to Dunelm Mill but that can wait. I have put out my bin + for 2 neighbours and also sorted out the mail for one set of neighbours who return today. They receive so much (he is a magistrate) that it is difficult getting in the front door at times.

No doubt when Tara decides to return home she will be as dry as a bone with only the odd sprinkle of water on her. Like Rory she hates water.

I will be more than pleased for the world to return to normal tomorrow- I have had enough of idleness. I suppose that I have not spend much money so that is a bonus.

Charleygirl Quite! It is tiddling with rain. Grey sky. Grey sea. Grey islands.

Thankfully we have a Sunday paper. I always enjoy settling down for a good afternoon catching up with the rest of the world. I note that the usual Sunday magazine is missing. Never mind. I shall survive.

A friend gave us a bird feeder (with suckers) that fits on to the outside of our bedroom window. Together with the feeder, we received a canvas shopping bag filled with lots of delicacies for our flock to enjoy. MacS stands very close to the window and is enraptured by the comings and goings. His favourite bird is the blue tit. I'm very fond of the chaffinch. Rory lolls on his tartan blanket on his bed and barely gives the visitors a second glance.

A good Monday morning to our lovely Kitcheners. I feel almost relieved that normal routines have been resumed.

First things first. I must away to dismantle the tree and decorations. The room will then have a jolly good vacuum and polish.

The weather remains grey and breezy but there are a few blue patches in the sky.

Almost forgot to mention that Rory and Tortoiseshell kitten sat side by side on the utility room door mat last evening. We were able to watch them from the bedroom window. They looked so at ease.

Decorations down! - I had forgotten that. I think I will wait till DGD is here on Weds so she can "help"!

soop that kitten has designs on moving into a lovely warm house. It will take many months but I think that she may achieve it unless she is a true feral cat but one has changed his tune, why not another, if she is allowed of course. A lot depends on Rory's attitude- I am well aware that he is king of the castle and may not tolerate intruders even if they are related.

Luckygirl Sounds like a very good plan. Many hands...and all that.

Charleygirl The moment the kitchen door that leads into the utility room, opens, Tortoiseshell runs to the safe side of the garden fence. She is becoming less nervous but...as I've been told by MacSporran - she's not coming in!

Oh go on soop we all know MacSporran is a big old softie. I'll just sit back and wait to see if in time she makes her way indoors.

Crafting I would put money on it although it will take some time. It is a major feat that she goes anywhere near her new "home" never mind in it.

Crafting and Charleygirl You are both so naughty. I daren't show your remarks to MacSporran. However, you are so right...he is a big old softie.

I've had a thorough clean-up of all the decorations and such. The room looks a lot larger than I remember. My back aches at the mo'.

The usual visit to the care home planned for the morning. I'm hoping that I may be able to sit on a proper chair. The footstool is far too low. I may get down to it...but I doubt that I'd be able to raise my backside from it.