Soop's Kitcheners...

Could I have a diet coke instead please?
See you over there

I shall therefore open the new extension and pour everyone a glass of bubbly.

We are up to 999 visits to the kitchen

anno Sorry that I cannot oblige by offering our cat to do the business. He believes (rightly so) that he's far too grand for such menial tasks.

annsixty Our pal had a huge sack of bird seed, that was stored in a bunker, chewed right through. He's since hidden it elsewhere. He also had the back webbing of his ancient piano chewed through. Piano never did sound the same thereafter.

We met another friend this morning who had been putting down several traps in the village church. 'Poor as a church mouse...' sprang to mind.

anno someone who worked in a garden centre told me that bird food is THE favourite food of mice. They had to keep it well protected. He told me this AFTER we had a large sackful scattered all over the garage floor.

There's been a mouse in the garden bin where I keep bags of bird seed. I found one corner of a bag gnawed and then some droppings in the bin itself. It's definitely a mouse, not a rat, as the droppings are tiny. Not sure what I should do - don't have a cat!

Good late morning to all the Kitcheners Very shortly we shall be moving into yet another extension. I've put out party nibbles and we shall maybe have a glass bottle or two of bubbly. It's good to have something to celebrate.

Charleygirl I shall look on line to see if I can find the gadget to which you refer. It does seem to carry a hefty price tag. There has not been any sign or sound from the wee interloper. Rory appears to be exhausted this morning. Why, you may ask...to be perfectly honest, we have no idea. The most energetic thing that he's done in the last few hours, is sleep...always with one ear on alert, just in case the packet of treats makes a certain sound as it's being carried towards his bowl.

Galen A perfectly valid question. Why is it that I've never given the matter any thought. Do the men wear underpants? I imagine that they must. Do you know the answer?

I would imagine it to be kilts too as they are worn by males and females now.

Mr Google ?

Can anyone tell me, in the highland regiments, the men wear kilts!
What do the female members wear?

I bought one of those electronic gadgets which I have plugged into the kitchen. When testing it I hear the awful noise that the mouse is supposed to hear. I was lucky, I bought one on line for under £30, its original price was double that. I have not seen a mouse since. These stray mice have been Tara's cast offs- she got bored and they ran to hide and decided to stay and possibly breed. The sound from one gadget apparently covers upstairs as well.

number your wee tale has tickled my silly sense of humour.

So pleased to hear your news, bellasnana and mr b. What a relief to only have to go now every three months. I hope he continues to regain health and strength.

I see that bags has posted the advice re the humane trap that she told me some time ago. When we had a little family of meece living in the garage I persuaded DH to buy a humane trap and peanut butter enticed them in. He released two a couple of miles into the countryside but apparently that isn't a good idea. The other three didn't seem to survive the trap - perhaps they died of thirst. I just didn't think of putting a little eggcup full of water out for them!

I hope everyone is recovering from their falls, wet or otherwise. It's such a shock - one minute you're fine, the next thinking 'well, what on earth happened there?'

Some chocolate brownies here (made by a friend, not me) and could you please remember to leave a few crumbs for the little furry friends.

Galen...I know that you're a tough cookie, but throwing a cooker would take some doing.

I read in the newspaper that a man who had had an operation on part of his brain (he suffered from epileptic fits) discovered that he had lost his fear of spiders...he now has an aversion to music.

Grannyknot I like your choice of celebratory music. It's just the thing when there is good news to savour. Thanks for sharing.

Charleygirl It has been a beautiful day. Rory has been outdoors and helping MacSporran clear fallen leaves. After the high winds of late, the trees in the copse are bare. Never mind, it will soon be spring.

I'm signing off for today. I wish you all a pleasant and peaceful evening. Should any one of the kitcheners be the one to post the 1000th message, please be the first to open a new Soop's Kitcheners on behalf of the rest of us. If not, I shall do so tomorrow. Remember, we only want one kitchen. It confuses those of us who are easily befuddled, including me, if more than one kitchen opens. I recall trailing around in a trance on the occasion when three kitchens were operating. I felt well and truly lost without you lot to keep me company.

When we were first married, we only had a few items of furniture that people had given us, then after a few months we were given an old 3 piece suite, old and shabby, but comfy. Then we had a few mice-ly guests move in, they chewed all round the bottom of the suite, with the result that we had little piles of the sawdust filling all over the floor. One day, I was in on my own, doing the washing up, when from behind the sink tidy on the draining board, I spotted a pair of beady eyes staring at me. I very slowly got my hand behind it, grabbed hold, it squirmed and bit me, but I held on, went next door to ask if their cat was at home, she wasn`t, then the mouse jumped out of my hand, ran into the road, right under a double decker bus, ran back again, and disappeared through the grate above a neighbours cellar...........I never did tell her, and we still had loads of mice! I don`t like the idea of killing them though, they`re so pretty and cute, but the humane traps didn`t work for us a couple of years ago, but once we got a cat, we never saw the offending mouse anymore.

That gave me a chuckle Galen. I thought it odd to keep a cooker by the chair but to then lift it,making aim for a spider, took a bit of convincing.....then, I read your clarification.

Conker not cooker.
(Don't think I could throw a cooker)

I'm finding this cooker thing excellent for spiders. I keep one by my chair and throw it at the the little b****r if it shows its head!

Soop we always found our mice fell for chocalate

soop that mouse knows when it is on to a good thing with Rory not giving a stuff about it. Not a good idea it dining on your velvet cushions.

The weather in NW London is like summer again. I had the French doors open at 8.30am but Tara was not interested, I had obviously disturbed her sleep.

My exercise bike has at last gone, leaving me with a space I had forgotten about. Tara was very wild eyed and frightened when she saw the bike go, thinking that the house was to be emptied of furniture.

Hehe that should be simple not simply...

Bella and everyone ... whenever I hear good news, I dance a little jig to the "What do the simply folk do?" song from Camelot. Cheesy I know, but I don't care. And my family have got used to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFZQr3JrpaI

Good morning dear Kitcheners It was on Monday 15th of September that we cut the ribbon to yet another kitchen venue. Less than two months later we've shared 979 messages. I think that, by the close of today, we shall open yet another branch. Do keep visiting. It represents a haven of goodwill between us.

POGS The mouse has chewed my velvet cushion...I'm not well pleased. No sign of it last night. At least no sounds emanating from behind the skirting board. MacSporran has placed fresh peanut butter inside the humane trap. He's really, really, really wants to evict it from our house. Rory, being Rory, couldn't care less...

It is a beautiful day. There was the annual, simple memorial gathering in our village of 200 inhabitants. A surprising number of men from such a small community died in the war. A piper played, and a young girl of fifteen read a moving tribute that she had written. I found that very moving.

I ended up in a 1st class seat by default travelling Edinburgh to London but only tea and coffee were served, no food. I think if we wanted food we would have had to have gone to aonther carriage- that would not have been possible as it was two lots of train passengers packed into one.

Subsequent to my rant, I looked up the Cross Country Trains web site and was confronted by a most impressive account of their on-board catering for first class passengers which bore no relationship to the scant provision on my journeys.

Bellasnana

So pleased to read your post. Keep the good news coming now old fruit. .

Soop.

How sweet, you both love those meeces to peeces. .

Perhaps Mr. Mac Sporran would have more luck if he put in a matchbox for a bed and a cotton wool ball for a pillow so the wee mousy felt like bedding down for the night. You two are so lovely.