Soop's Special Kitcheners

Get out of the way Naomi and Kate.

The soopster model is on your tail

Looking forward to your fashion show, soop. You have natural elegance - and don't laugh; I mean it,

POGS and anno I don't alf love you.

I'm about to tackle our ironing. The weather is getting steadily worse...which may mean that we'll lose power. Par for the course.

Bye for the time being. I hope to be able to join you lot tomorrow. Further north the winds may well reach 100 mph. If so, that be well frisky.

We are ready for the arrival of the pusscats tomorrow afternoon. Two beds ready and waiting and fully equipped with catnip mice. I imagine the people waiting for evacuees in WWII must have felt a bit like this! I will report back tomorrow when they are in residence and will reveal their names then too.

Hope your hatches are well and truly battened down soop - it's going to be more than a bit frisky up your way!

Luv you too, soop. I don't like the sound of tomorrow's forecast for NW Scotland. I hope you retain your power supply - and your roof.

soop I hope the weather isn't as bad as they predict - at least you are stocked up and ready to hunker down.

First person I thought of when I heard the weather forecast at 06.00 was you soops, hope you've battened down the hatches, although must be incredible to watch from your windows. I bet MacRory has made himself cosy!

Batten down soop. I know you'll weather the storm but hope the internet doesn't go down. Know how you'd hate that!

I've come in to chuck out the old flowers, and replace with Lidl's finest yellow tulips. Brighten the place up a bit in the gloom of early January.

Need brightening up myself. Diagnosed a couple of days ago with onset bilateral cataracts. No real problems as yet, and thankfully can be sorted in due course. The upside - no more night driving. I always hated that anyway so it's no loss . New lenses and new frames. It'll be fun choosing those.

My sartorial choice soop - love the lime green.

I vote for the lime green soop not many can carry that colour off but it suits you really well.

I do 't buy daffs or tulips until end of Jan or beginning of Feb. I had already potted some indoor bulbs which I like to see at this time of year. Hyacinths are now in full bloom and Amaryllis should be opening quite soon which gives me a sense that Spring isn't too far away but, with today's forecast of storms and high winds I am really having to use my imagination to the limit.

I'm sure you won't be able to sleep tonight gagagran. Big day tomorrow.

Gagagran as soon as you have a minute after you get your babies home and settled, you must tell us the colour, rough age and names of the little darlings.

Gagagran you must be so excited. Lucky pussies being so wanted. Let us know how they settle in.

Soop hope the storm is not too bad tomorrow. You may need a wee dram to settle your nerves

Agus a friend gave me an Amaryllis bulb and pot a few weeks before Christmas. I duly planted it, stuck it on the kitchen windowsill, watered it and waited. Christmas week it started to grow and grow and grow. DH said, what is that thing some sort of triffid! (As you may gather, we are not much good with plants). Last week we went out shopping in the afternoon and when we got home we went in the kitchen to unpack and were stunned to see two huge flowers on our triffid. They had both come out in the few hours we were out shopping. We had 5 flowers open in the end, quite magnificent. I think I might buy one myself next year

Photographs too, please, gagagran.

Hellooooooooooooooooooo! It was kind of you to think of us during the storm. There is more on the way. So far, there hasn't been a power cut. I'm thankful for that. I hate missing you lot. It was what you might call a hammering of a night. I didn't sleep too well. Funny (peculiar) dreams. Neither did MacSporran sleep soundly. Rory, on the other hand...he didn't budge all night long. The windows were smothered in sticky salt spray when we awoke. MacS has already braved the elements and they are see-throughable again.

Gaga I'm so excited for you. Please, please take photos just as soon as you're able. This is a super special day for you and the newly adopted felines.

Agus a lady in the village recently spotted a clump of primroses on the beach close to her home. That must have been a joyous moment for her.

ffinnochio I've had a cataract removed from my left eye. It was perfectly painless and the vision, once the dressing was removed, was perfect. My right eye cataract isn't quite ripe enough. Or, at least it wasn't six months ago. I've been asked to make an appointment with the optician in Campbeltown.

MacSporran received a letter from the haematologist with another appointment for February. She also mentioned that she has referred MacS to the cardio vascular surgeon. Our GP phoned this morning to check on him. I thought that was a very decent and caring thing to do.

It was indeed, in this day and age. I really like you in the lime green jacket, if it's a summer wedding a pale cream skirt or dress under it could look good. Navy blue linen? I have one to go this summer, I know how tough it is!

Thank you, jane I'm about to go to my "best clothes wardrobe"...in which amazing garments hang and long to be worn. I shall take every item out and lay each one on the bed. I shall then ooh and ahh and put them all back again...I am a very strange quirky person. So... before that Galen makes a rude remark...watch it!

I shall return later because I'm longing to know whether the pussy cats have joined their new and loving household.

Why would I do that?

Galen

Good luck with the cats gaga.

I've come in for a little R&R or at least a hug, . Feeling rather defeated today. It seems to be one step forward and one step back with Mum and her care home at the moment. Mum is much better in herself but the care seems to have gone from brilliant to haphazard and we get different outlooks depending who is on duty!! So, I'm going to hide away in here for a bit and also going to take my flipping boots off!!

I have a friend going through exactly that, kitty. She spends hours up there 'training them up', as she thinks of it. And having meetings so that they all get to understand what she wants and what she knows her Mum would like. She's getting there though. I think once they realise you aren't going to go away and let it go, they give in and do it your way. So exhausting though.

I`m so pleased that you`re all OK Soop, hope things continue to go well.
I`m on tenterhooks awaiting the arrival of Gaga`s pussy cats!

soop How very caring of your GP to telephone you. I expect you and MacS are his favourite patients.

ffinn I've been told I will probably have to have my cataracts removed at some time in the future and I find the thought horrifying, but so many of my friends have had them removed and ALL of them are really positive and reassuring about it.

Today is the first time I've seen the news for days and reports of the weather in the north east are awful. Thinking of those in that area, soop if MacS has to go out in it you will have to tether him to something heavy inside.

I didn't have a very good night either. DH went into hospital for a week yesterday and as I was coughing non stop with this bronchitis, I decided to get up at 12.30 to have some honey in hot water. Taking my glass cup back to bed I lost my footing, dropped the cup and landed on all the broken chunks of pyrex. Cut my hand and leg which bled copiously all over the hall. I managed to get up and grabbed a towel from the bathroom for pressure after I'd taken a 4 inch piece of glass out of my leg.
I tried phoning DN and also a friend but a bit worried about leaving the phone to ring for long as by then I was feeling lightheaded so I dialled 112 and all Portuguese deserting me spoke to them in English. They were marvellous but it's difficult to give directions to someone in Lisbon. (Our area has a 'safe house' scheme with each house is given a number and their whereabouts in the hills logged with the local Police.) They said an ambulance would find me so I turned all the lights on and opened the front door in case I passed out through loss of blood. Probably being over dramatic as I think I'd stopped it bleeding as quickly by then.
Two very kind ambulance men arrived and took me to the health center, where I had 17 stitches in my leg and another 4 in my hand.
It was four thirty pm by the time I got home and then another hour to clear up the gory mess. There was blood everywhere.

kitty ((hug)) and (cake)

[cake]

obviously no blood left in my brain.

dusty dear girl, I'm shocked to learn of your fall and subsequent damage done. Heck! You were really lucky to have been able to summon help. You are most certainly NOT being over dramatic. Bless you, you deserve lots of tender loving care. Please take care and I hope that your nasty cough soon disappears. Big warm gentle ((hugs)))

kitty I echo janerowena's sound advice. Let the home in which your mother is living, know that you mean business. Good luck.

number I am also longing to hear news from Gaga. Phew!