Soop's Kindly Kitcheners

What sad news, too many things all at once in a small village.

Today, November finally arrived down here, it has been Spring until today. This morning it was wet, misty and raining and so dark. It didn't get much better as the day progressed, but we have had a good autumn so shouldn't complain, especially since the heating has barely been on. I spent today trying out various different ways to make apple Turkish delight, I do so hate wasting my apples and am constantly looking for new ways to use up the glut. None of us can give them away in this village! Picture all of us with big gardens roaming the village looking for unwary neighbours with small gardens, sidling up to them and whispering 'pssst... want any apples?', hoping to get rid of ours first.

Pompa how did it go? I do hope all is well.

Lovely photo, soop, of all of you! What a pretty scarf!

I've only just finished my ironing and my back is complaining something awful. Together my pal's ironing this morning, that makes a total of five hours of dashing away with the smoothing iron. Procrastination is not a sensible thing!

Tomorrow I shall start a portrait of a young German Shepherd. I shall then concentrate on painting a much-loved Collie.

Right now...I'm going to put my feet up and enjoy a .

Love to all our Granspal Kitcheners. I'm wishing you a pleasant and peaceful evening.

Thank you Charleygirl.

We had a lovely evening treat with our good pals. Only one out-of-focus photo, as we were far too busy blethering to remember to mark the occasion with images for the album!

The two portraits were greeted with enthusiasm. I was so relieved.

A lovely lady in the village has suffered a "massive bleed" and isn't expected to live. Her family are divided and need to reach a decision regarding nil by mouth or the alternative. Again, a very dear man in the village has returned to hospital with terminal cancer. Another lady is to have a mastectomy at the end of the month. It's a sad time for the small community. Thankfully, there is staunch support for all those that are facing sadness of one kind and another.

The ironing MUST be attended to. I shall return later. x

My apologies for being a tad late with saying happy birthday to MacSporran. Are you certain that you have his correct age because he does not look it!

I would love to see a photo of Rory awake! He is always asleep when you take a photo.

Thanks for sending a photo of the cow and another of the ram. If I had to choose, I think that it may be the ram! They are both gorgeous.

I agree, Tara does not like any disruption in her house so tonight she arrived home at 5pm and has settled down to snooze rather than leap up the door to open it. That may happen later.

I had to move my TV in this room last night so of course now I have no signal on every channel. Marvellous. On the set in my bedroom there are no BBC channels available at all.

I may do some more paper shredding- that should keep me occupied.

number (((hugs))) Mine will have to wait until tomorrow. Must shower and wash hair. It takes an age to dry. The hairdryer conked out a long time ago.

Anyway, Thank you all once again for "spoiling" MacSporran. He does enjoy being fussed over by "his ladies"...

I shall return tomorrow afternoon. Will tell you about our evening treat. I would so love a glass of Champagne. May need to settle for something a little less exotic. We shall see.

Many Happy Returns of the Day MacSporran!
Hope all is going well for your daughter Pompa.
Soop, those are 2 wonderful portraits, I hope the recipients will be pleased with the results.
I started tackling my mountain of ironing at just after midnight last night, and I was completely shattered, to put it mildly, by the time it was finished. To make it worse, there`s the beginnings of another pile already!

Or even OK!

Hello pompa - glad you have appeared - a man to do the washing up!

I hope that DIL is K and that a new GC has arrived safely.

joolyg The Campbeltown folk are kindly.

Alea I'm very impressed. A special work of art from one of tender years. Well done!

Charleygirl You will be glad of a breather. So much disruption can be stressful. It is possible that Tara is also "put out" by the commotion in HER home. I'm told that cats are sensitive creatures.

kitty my mountain is almost as high as yours. I'm putting off the ironing as it's MacS's birthday. I shall regret it because tomorrow I have my pal's ironing to plough through.

I'm really wanting to start the dog portraits. Possibly on Thursday you will find me wearing my arty-farty hat.

https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201511/medium-827854-pb032972.jpg%3C/span%3E https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201511/medium-382390-pb032965.jpg%3C/span%3E https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201511/medium-953458-pb032966.jpg%3C/span%3E

Hello to our lovely Kitcheners...I'm sorry to be so late. It's been a busy morning and MacSporran thanks you very much for many kind messages on the occasion of his 75th birthday. He's all of a

I kept my appointment with the Care Home Four. We did have a brief singsong. A pal let me borrow a book of Scottish songs. It was sort of helpful.

Pompa Thank you for putting us lot out of our misery. We shall all need to know about baby's arrival. I too hope that your appointment goes well.

Next week MacSporran has a hospital appointment one day in Oban. I have a hospital appointment in Glasgow early the following day. Rory will be delighted!

Photos of MacSporran taken this morning as he wrestled with the gunnera foliage. Rory celebrating his best pal's birthday [on my best throw] and the finished portraits of Fiona and Jimmy (I call him lots of different names.) He couldn't care less, which is just as well.

Happy Birthday MacSporran. Have a wonderful day the two of you.

Hi Pompa Hope all goes well for your dd!

Happy birthday to MacS, hope you both have a lovely day soop

Pompa

Thinking of you you and your DD , sincere good wishes to you all , especially for the safe arrival of grand baby Pompa.

Just popped in as I heard pompa but I missed him. Let us know what happens please!

Off to do a mountain of ironing - as my neice says, the pile is so high there is snow at the top and a man wearing crampons and carrying a flag!

Next you will be learning Arabic Soop, Todays paper says that 2 Syrian families are being relocated to Scotland, one set to Bute, the other to Cambpeltown.

Im sure they will get a warm welcome in time for Christmas

Good luck to your DD Pompa! Has anything happened yet?

Hello Pompa lovely to hear from you again. I do you hope that your DD is okay.

soop I am not on FB any chance of seeing this beastie?

The window men were here for 12 hours having worked their socks off. They shut the front door around 9.20pm as Tara belted in. She had a bite to eat, I rehung the curtains in this room and I have left the remainder for tomorrow.

I sat down to eat a microwavable meal and Tara leapt on to the top of the chair beside me and was promptly sick. It was sheer good luck that I managed to whip my supper away because that was the target!!! Honestly I do love her! I thought that I had taught her better manners.

I have just seen your "muckle coo" on FB, it's amazing!
Reminded me of what we have above our sideboard !!!!

Sharing the same EXCELLENT taste, of course. The red "work of art "is one of little 3 year old DGS's "cut outs" (eat your heart out Matisse!)

Nice to see you surface again Pompa, and hope all goes well with you! Tight lines!

HELLO pompa!
Long time no hear, so as to speak.

I do that somehow all the appointments, timing and travel works out - good luck for your appointment.

Hi All. I seem to remember saying that I thought life would slow down soon !!! How wrong could I be. We had our diaries organised around our DIL expecting a baby in 2 weeks time, after this Thursday we had nothing important arranged. Hey Ho, we get a call yesterday to say that she had liver problems and they would induce her this morning. Things started to kick off around lunch time, so on tender hooks. if it does make an entrance today, we can't get up there tomorrow as I have a consultants appointment re my tumour, so I guess we will head up to Doncaster tomorrow evening. BUT, I really need to get back for Thursday evening if possible. All very exciting (we don't know what it will be).

Good thing, it means that we will now be able to see Joe Brown (if we can still get seats), not had a chance to read back ma

I hope everyone is well, not had time to read back messages.

Soop Well so was Rory until you worked your magic!

I have been trying my level best not to explode with frustration. Why?...you ask. My mobile phone hasn't been in use for a week because it tells me that there is no network coverage. I have Googled the network coverage for this area...and the result was that nothing was amiss. There is not a problem. Asked a "Guru" for assistance. He and I understood each other , up to a point. I was then given a helpline number to ring. Was informed that the number had been changed. Rang new number. Asked umpteen questions. Went over all the ground covered with the "Guru". Lady checked the signal in our area. She told me that there was a fault. [hock] So...here I be...all flustered and "het up" as my late Nana would say. No idea when the network will be restored. Engineers working on the problem.

Nellie Kitten is unapproachable. She knows how to alert me to her presence (under the Hydrangea bush) and she knows that she will be fed. She is shy and will remain so. She and Rory get along well (outside). We would love to know whereabouts in the forest she lives. Mother cat has been absent for a few weeks.

No, Numberplease. We had regulation uniform shoes. Shorts had to cover the knee. No veto on going around in twos. Sex wasn't really mentioned, in fact I don't think it was a much used word in those days, but certainly as a subject it was hardly talked about at school. I can't remember the sisters being restrictive although we had to remember our " manners" and curtsey, just a token bob, whenever Rev Mother walked by. No talking at all in the corridors, but apart from the discipline the nuns were quite a nice bunch. I'm sure a lot of the rules reflected the times we lived in and I have often wondered whether other girls in the 50s had proper sex education? We learned about the copulation habits of rabbits in biology and much later, when it was felt we were ready, we were taught how to behave around boys, which included not wearing tight tops, things like that. Quite funny looking back on it, but I did enjoy my schooldays.

Should we all take bets on how long it will be before Rory's daughter becomes a tame house cat and moves in with the Macsporran's