Soop's Kitcheners

Agus at this time of year, I feel very sad for homeless and friendless individuals who must watch the crowds rushing by, laden with shopping for a celebration that they will not be a part of. I also think about the children and lonely elderly people for whom there will be no pleasure, for whatever reason. And...I feel sad for any animal that is neglected because the owner is far too busy to bother with it. I'm that sort of person. Sometimes I wish that I could "toughen up" but it's too late for me to change my inner nature.

I empathise and share how you feel soop. But toughening up would mean you would not be the caring person you were meant to be, just one less person who cares.

Agus

No toughening up, soop - it's the rest that need to care more. I hope homeless people will make their way to the soup kitchens and day centres that are offering company, a good Christmas dinner and warm shelter on Christmas Day. If only homeless animals could do the same, but there are lots of good people who do watch out for them and try to do their bit. Please, folks, buy an extra tin of dog food or something to help animals in distress and drop it in one of the many boxes at supermarket entrances to show your concern.

when People like you are very special.

Hi everyone, been really busy and fraught but thought I'd pop in just to say hello and check everyone is ok before I start doing the ironing.

Hope all of you with problems are coping well. Christmas is not a good time to have additional burdens, is it. Take care, everyone.

The posts about homeless animals made me feel like sharing this bit of good news with all you dog lovers. A friend of mine has taken on 2 cocker spaniels, now 5 and 6, who have just been used as breeding machines - never seen the inside of a house, never been walked on a lead and so on. My friend has the patience of a saint with them - working hard on getting them used to being part of a household, housetraining them and all the rest. My role is that of dog-loving visitor, to help socialise them. They are really doing well under the circumstances. While they haven't been abused as such, their welfare and happiness have been totally neglected. What really makes me tear up is that they have such sweet little temperaments underneath their nerviness. Dogs are such forgiving creatures. They have certainly found a safe and happy billet with my friend.

vegas What a lovely thing to do, I hate to see animals who are so nervous that you wonder what they have endured. Well done to you and your friend.

It's freezing here today and my lovely clean kitchen floor is now wet and covered in wisteria leaves, courtesy of two lovely blokes who delivered my new fridge-freezer.
I hope this one lasts longer than my old(?) one!

Snuggle up round the fire and enjoy some hot chocolate/mulled wine, or in Bellasnana's case,something chilled!

vegasmags It certainly takes endless patience to turn the lives of animals around (for the better). Well done! Our ex-feral cat Rory, had never lived in a home and had certainly never approached people before wandering into our garden, many months ago. People in the nearby village said that he was "unapproachable and vicious..." He is lying in MacSporran's lap. They are taking an afternoon nap together. They have swept the fallen leaves - together. They are inseparable. His wifelet and one of his daughters still call by for a bowl of food, which, because they are totally timid in the presence of humans, they choose to eat outside the house.

Lona Enjoy your new fridge-freezer. I bet that you'll be wiping every wee mark off the shiny new surface. Having wisteria leaves on the kitchen floor is a small price to pay. Did you give the nice delivery men a mince pie?

vegas, your friend is a saint. What a wonderful thing she's doing.

soop, I don't think you had to train Rory - it seems to me that he trained you and MacS very persuasively.

Hello everyone. I'm just reporting in, as per soop's orders by text message , to report that all is well on the boggy brae where I live. MrBags took the "truck" (clattery old 4x4) this morning because it can be relied on to get him down the hill safely even on ice. It was icy this morning though there has been a thaw today where the sun has reached. I did go out this morning but the cold air "got me" (I've got a bit of a cold) so I decided to spend the day doing scrappy patchwork.

Here's a nice warm loaf I just made, and some butter. Don't eat it too fast, now!

Apparently we're diverting to Vigo tomorrow instead op Oporto! Not sure why.
Good job I bought my port today in Lisbon. (Where it was very foggy!)
Love to you all.
Be good!

Ah...dear bags you're a star. I can smell the freshly baked bread. Not frosty here. Nowhere near as "breezy" either. Keep warm, and don't go overdoing stuff.

anno How well you know "our Rory"...we are his faithful servants. He is boss cat and don't we know it. Tortoiseshell kitten has arrived. She's waiting on her special patch. She's triggered the outside light. I shall look through the window and our eyes meet. With that, she knows that her food is moments away from being served. At the same time, I place freshly warmed newspapers in her wee chalet. After her meal she'll retire to the shelter of her chalet and stay until late evening. Aren't we blest.

I'm orf. Hope that norty Galen isn't up to mischief. She'll give us lot a bad name.

Galen could be that you're proving to be too much trouble. Could be that they've decided to drop you off and sail onwards without the pleasure of your company.

More than likely!

Evening all. I seem to have even less time to look in since I've retired (almost) from work. I really must be more organised.

I would have baked a cake but I've had an incident with my oven.
after seeing the miracle wrought upon my DD's oven by a professional oven cleaner (who knew such a thing existed?) I decided to treat myself and my oven to a makeover.

The chap arrived at 9 am with his bag of tricks and set to work. I had warned him that we had to leave at 1pm to go to a funeral. He took the oven to pieces, both doors removed and taken apart, every single nook and cranny polished.

At 1.10 he had finished putting it all back together and we pushed followed him out.

Four hours later we returned to find the glass door of the oven in smithereens on the floor. Shades of your shelf soop. My poor wee dog must've had an awful fright.

Anyhoo long story short I may not have a replacement by christmas. Ho ho ho!

On top of that I had my cast removed on Wednesday but have to wear a splint for another couple of weeks. I'm perhaps naively shocked by the lack of movement in my wrist.

Worse things happen I know.

Have some virtual lemon drizzle

BTW, the oven cleaner chap insists that it is an inherent fault in glass oven doors and a complete coincidence that it happened immediately after he worked on it.

Aye right! As they say in these parts.

baubles my darling girl...what a to-do. When we were living in Cornwall, we had invited pals in for Boxing day lunch. Just half an hour before they arrived...the glass door in our oven also shattered into a trillion fragments. I've also heard that someone had a similar experience when their glass table "exploded"...

MacSporran has cleverly repaired the inexpensive but treasured ornament (used to advertise Yardley Lavender products) which came down when the glass shelf shattered. I'm so pleased. It has now been placed very carefully on one of the remaining glass shelves.

Ahoy there Galen what mischief are you making today? I trust that you're not marooned on some distant shore! Us lot miss you.

The weather is so much calmer today. The ferry is operating - always a good sign. I hope that all our kitcheners are warm and safe.

Gorgeous rainbow photo Soop. You'd need scuba gear to find the rainbow at the end of it though. What a resilient person you must be to cope with catering with no power. Have done it when camping, but that was years ago and in much warmer weather. Glad there is a calm sea for you today.

Thank you Purpledaffodil I love your name. I've been searching through countless jackets on ebay. Not for me but on behalf of a friend. All of a sudden, the computer has decided to cut me off at the important bit. I'm so cross with it. Never mind, I'm about ready to log off and enjoy the fireside and the Saturday paper. Enjoy your Saturday evening. I shall return tomorrow to catch up with my Granspals.

Nice rainbow Soop glad to hear the weather has calmed down a bit where you are. Sunny here but very frosty. Might venture out for a walk soon but well wrapped up I think. Good luck with your eBay search.

Baubles isn't it amazing how things "coincidentally" happen just after someone has been working on them. I have lost count of the number of times our car has "coincidentally" developed a fault after it's been in for service. Hope you get it fixed before Christmas.

I'm looking forward to all the treats we will have in the kitchen when Galen returns from her cruise. I'm quite partial to a glass of port....

When does Galen return from her short life on the ocean waves?