Soop's Special Kitcheners

Hello, kitcheners! Just drifting in for a wee cuppa between tasks. It really is too damp to work outside today, though I might still do a wee half hour. I'm making scrappy patchwork mug coasters to sell and am pausing after my sewing machine had a little thread outburst after I had a new idea about coffee table runners.

Talk of old cars reminds me of my old Fiesta. He was called Diggory. Came up in conversation last time the GC were visiting and my son-out-law asked if we were talking about Diggory. He said, "I've heard all about Diggory". Seems DD remembers good old Diggs fondly too

Skoda Fabia - great car, I bought mine in 2009 when it was billed as the best of the super mini's. The seats are high enough to be comfortable for those of us with backs that protest. My sister has one of the new mini's, it huge in comparison with the one I drove 1969 - 75. Loved it, but would feel so anxious on motorways in such a small flimsy car these days. My daughter has a Fiat 500, it's big enough, comfortable and very easy to drive and manoeuvre.

Soop, the growth of your clan sounds wonderful.

Just remembered Kitty. It was you and I who mentioned our Citroen Diane on another thread. I loved mine too, column gears and peel back roof. DDs still reminisce about it.

My first car was a Citroen Diane which would only start in 2nd gear and wasn't very stable in a high wind. I loved that car to the extent that when we decided we only needed one car and I should have DH's brand new Volvo, I cried for my clapped out Diane.

My youngest daughter has a mini, dark blue with a white stripe, and she LOVES her car! To the extent that after a recent accident, it was written off, despite her and her hubby thinking that it shouldn`t have been, so she gladly? paid the garage about £450 to buy it back, and has had it repaired on the insurance. All back together again, just waiting for the white stripe. I searched high and low before Christmas, finally found a key ring with a dark blue (with stripe) mini on it, she loved her small "extra" Christmas present.

Hey there...POGS

AlieO One of our granddaughters is to marry in the spring. There may be delightful news for us, in the fullness of time. With three granddaughters all well into their 20s and grandsons that are maturing in the best possible way, the clan will hopefully increase, and present us with darling great-grandchildren. Oh my! I've gone all soppy.

I'm off to deal with stuff aboot the hoos. Nothing too strenuous. Almost time for a G&T. I've been informed that Rory has, in the short time I've been chatting, taken up residence in my best armchair. Should I get cross and shoo him off? What do you lot think? As if...

Goodnight and (((hugs))) for you all.

Stop it anno you make me feel old!

But I guess as the oldest, I am now the head of the clan....
Or this bit. Some of my relatives went all over the world!

Well it is panto season soop.

Bye for now Cinderella.

I'm away to sweep floors and wash dishes. I shall return in due course.

janerowena That sounds like a very nasty virus. My sister's family are also very poorly with similar symptoms. I hope that from hereon you begin to get stronger. Continue to drink plenty of fluids. And keep warm. (hugs)

AlieO I'm delighted for you. What a wonderful way to start the new year. Brilliant news.

Soutra Yes...Pandas and Polos have both been reliable cars for me. I still love the Mini best of all. I also drove a Spitfire for a year or so...not the plane, the car.

Should I ever be LUCKY enough to own a Mini, I shall without a shadow of doubt find it blissfully comfortable. Mind over matter...

anno the worst ever purchase of a second hand car for us, was a Saab. It was a rogue motor. The chassis and the mileage had been tiddled with. It broke down that often, we spent more time being rescued by the AA recovery service, than we did actually driving it. Not happy recollections regarding what we thought was our dream car.

Soutra you bought back some happy memories for me, too. I have a couple of friends in the BSO, I haven't seen them or the orchestra for the past eight years although our sons all keep in touch.
I have been in bed with the delightful norovirus for the past three days. I am slowly returning to the land of the living, but dbh returns to work tomorrow leaving me in the hands of a nineteen year old with a stinking cold. Delightful.

My first car was a cherry red mini, 1971. Loved it but I did have to sit for a while until it dried out bit whenever I drove through a 'deep' puddle.

If I was choosing a smaller car just now my choice would be the Fiat 500. I had a black Ford Ka in France, really nippy, spacious inside and never a problem. I left it with DD2 when I returned home and she eventually traded it in for her favourite car, a VW Mark 5 convertible banger. She called him Murphy and I don't want to know what she spent getting him back to pristine condition.

Congratulations Alie. Lovely news.

anno please be very careful about buying a car privately unless you know the person selling it and/or the history of the car. Do you know somebody who could help you, a mechanic maybe, re the workings of the car? That is why I go to a dealership because I know that I will not be sold rubbish and I can always appear on their doorstep with said car if there is a problem which I have done in the past. Another reason why I buy locally.

soop Rory has had an interesting life but he has now fallen on all four paws and is thoroughly enjoying his retirement.

My sister in law has a Panda and it is very comfortable with a reasonably "high" position. They are also v cheap to run! The bigger Minis are also comfortable but overpriced IMHO.

Fabias are nice and I liked having rear doors for passengers who like me find it difficult into a 3-door like my old Polo.

Alie, congrats; do you realise that you are becoming an ancestor? . soop, I would have liked a mini at one time, but I want a vehicle with a more upright driver's position and as I said, a narrow one. Have you seen the width of the newer minis? I've seen an ad for a yellow Fiat Panda which might suit my purpose.

soop - there is ANOTHER greatgrandson on the way!
That'll be three babies, all different parents, in a year........

I could not now sit in a mini seat. They have probably improved since I had one Circa 1976 but it was a dreadful Friday car. No fond memories at all.

anno I would so love a Mini. I've been dropping hints for a very long time. MacSporran is taking notice but we still have plenty of life left in our present motor. There is a lady, not so far away, that owns a Mini Cooper convertible - in sunshine yellow. I'm rarely envious...but...

Charleygirl When Rory went to the vet for the snip, he was thought to be about 10. This means that he's now about 12-ish.

AlieO. I'm hoping that the coming year is kinder to you than 2014 proved to be (from time to time.)

Blow me down with a feather! I have just this minute lost all the responses to the above posts. How on earth did that happen!

Iam64 Yes please, I shall sample your potato cakes. My mouth is watering.

Soutra MacSporran and I are all agog with shock. Good grief. That was a hefty bill for Grace's poorly paw. Our Rory has cost us over a £100 for treatment...however, the vet did motor from Campbeltown (24 miles in order to collect him). At the time, he was far too vicious to coax into a cat carrier.

Now I've to read back before I respond to those kitcheners that have been busy debating stuff. Give me 5 minutes, please.

Thanks for the tip Charley. I will have a look at Webuyanycar. I've almost got the stage where I'd pay someone to take it! My son once sold a disreputable old Peugeot on Ebay for parts and made more than he would have if he'd taken it to the scrap yard. I need a narrow car because, living in an end terrace, I don't have much room to get it down the side between the house and a fence.

Ouch.
I'm another Skoda owner, a Felicia, and have been happy with it for 9 years BUT...it's getting a bit senile...........

OUCH!
We came back from Bournemouth yesterday ( not an unqualified success but enough on that) and I collected Grace from kennels. They had dressed her paw and all seemed to be well but I tried to change her dressing and it started to bleed copiously so I had to ring the emergency vet and take her over in the evening. One bright pink bandage and £250 later . . . I am afraid she made a dreadful noise and it took putting a muzzle on her and 2 vets plus me holding her lead and head before they were done. I squealed too at the bill but hope Petplan will make a sizeable contribution. I have to put a plastic bag over it when she needs to out for a wee etc and of course everything froze last night so I have had to take her into the garden on the lead so that she doesn't try to run and slip.
So far she isn't worrying the bandage but I have a "cone of shame/lampshade/buster collar" at the ready. Oh dear

Welcome to Skoda owners club! We are on our4th- a black Roomster which is a bit like a Tardis, no bigger than the average medium car on the outside but huge on the inside and with plenty of headroom for the tallest of passengers. DH bought one of the earliest "Audi shaped" Octavias and we were forever being stopped by people asking " Is that really a Skoda?" Since then we have had a diesel Roomster(him) a Fabia (me) and now that he has stopped driving, we have traded them both in and bought the present car.

anno I sold my car at "webuyanycar.com" and got a much better price for it than I was offered at a car dealership.