Soop's Kindly Kitcheners

Any day now and we'll be driven to drink thanks to early Christmas carols playing loudly and non-stop as we buy the groceries. Totally barmy and maddening to the extreme. Bah! Humbug!

loopylou The highland beastie isn't yet binned, I'm attempting to lift some of the muddy colour with water. By gum, watercolour painting can be awfully tricky. Perhaps I should try working with oils.

Charleygirl I am so fed up with the shops selling "tat" be it for Halloween, Guy Fawkes, Christmas, whatever. It's all so pointless and, in some cases, macabre. I must be getting old. It just seems like an awful waste of money.

I would think that the residents would be better off without "decorations" if that is all that can be found.

The staff must have known that many maybe a bit frightened, not understanding what is going on.

The Hallowe'en decorations sound more like the stuff of nightmares to me soop, poor residents being forced to endure such.

Oh dear, I do know what you mean when fiddling and muddying, I gave up on watercolours for just that reason, I always thought just a bit more then hated the results.

Hello to our Granspal Kitcheners. It's a lovely day...breezy and bright. We've been visiting our pal in the care home. Bloody cut-out bats pasted to the windows. A sheet with a painted-on grimace stands/floats in the corner of the room. Big furry spiders dangle here and there. A cardboard skeleton is pinned to the wall. I fiddled with it and he now appears to be dancing a jig. The residents appear to be oblivious to the fact that Halloween is meant to be "celebrated"...in fact, M asked me why the crows (bats) were looking through the window. I told her that it was to celebrate Halloween. She asked...is it his birthday?

I've messed up the highland beastie portrait. How? By fiddling and muddying the freshness of the paint in the process.

Alea You have summed up my feelings perfectly. I too am Ashamed of mankind That awful image made me cry.

stillhere It's perfectly possible to love one's husband and enjoy time apart. Make sure that you spend your time doing whatever makes you happy. You deserve some quality "you time"

Nellie Are you joking? I've an awful feeling that you are not. 4am is most certainly not the time to be doing anything other than sleeping.

I can fully understand how people get so desperate when their OHs retire. I do remember the thread, Alea because he has eight weeks off during the summer, and I find that very hard. I can cope with the Easter and Christmas and half-terms, because he is actually in his study working still for most of that time, but the summer seems very, very, very long. Plus he eats at lunch times (being used to school dinners) and only snacks in the evening, so my days are often wrecked to start with, until I have retrained him to eat later.

Well - he left at 7am this morning, (I went back to bed and slept until 9.30 )as he is at his best in the mornings and has six hours of driving ahead of him. I hope it does him some good. There isn't any internet at the cottage, it will be interesting to see how he copes.

soop I hope you have recovered from your sensible decision. I really think if you wanted to travel so far for Christmas, you should leave nowish and return in late May.

I am the one clearing off for a holiday in early November so OH won't have me unreasonably mithering him about him reorganising stuff in the cupboard backing onto my bedroom at 4am in the morning.

Little does he know, Stillhere !!
Love him dearly but I even look forward to a few hours to myself if DH is in for one of his iron infusions or blood transfusions.
I remember starting a thread on "having the house to myself" and with respect to all those who who have lost their DH, I think it struck a chord with more than a few.
BTW soop I saw that FB picture too, before I realised what I was looking at. It made me very very ashamed of mankind.

DBH is packing, ready to leave very early tomorrow morning. I am getting quite excited at the thought of my his little break. The phone has been ringing a lot over the past couple of day, I have heard him replying to people with something along the lines of 'Stillhere? No, she doesn't mind at all. Yes, she'll be fine. No, I think she is pleased to see the back of me for a bit.'

Hello Kitty...not what I typed initially.

https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201510/medium-258320-pa282907.jpg%3C/span%3E https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201510/medium-529040-pa282910.jpg%3C/span%3E https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201510/medium-777832-pa282913.jpg%3C/span%3E

Hell Kitty It is good to have you visit. I can well understand how you must be feeling about the fierce neighbour. I am sobbing with heartache having seen the most appalling image of a butchered Ape on the Facebook page.

I came here to share tonight's sunset. I shall then wish our Granspal Kitcheners a peaceful evening.

Kitty Come on now don't be a scaredy cat.

Hi everyone! Soop, you could sing your arias in the kitchen then we could all enjoy them!

Sorry, I haven't been in for ages but the library is keeping me and a couple of others really busy. But, I am now hiding from a neighbour who was intending to exhibit and, hopefully, sell some of her paintings in our up coming Art and Craft Fair. She has withdrawn because she didn't realise there would be other artists involved! I hardly dare go out of the house as she is quite fierce!

Stillhere, I hope you have the rest you deserve while your DH is away and that he comes back feeling much better for some exercise in the fresh air.

My pal has let me borrow a book of Scottish songs. I'm about to sing a few arias in the privacy of the so-called studio. The latest attempt at painting Fiona the heeland coo's portrait is beckoning. Gulp! This time, I am determined to get it right.

HappyNan1 I meant to say ...makes me feel less downhearted...

HappyNan1 Having made a "sensible" decision makes me feel down-hearted. It's in the dithering phase that I get my knickers in a twist. You lot have helped enormously.

stillhere I'm sure that a wee break apart for you and your husband will help to give you some well deserved sense of peace and tranquillity. Time to recharge your batteries.

Crafting is right. Depression is a monster to deal with both for the sufferer and the carer.

I've been having a sing song with the Care Home Four. We all sing the wrong words to music that doesn't seem to fit, and one dear lady shouts "yippeeee" at the end of each verse. I have said that, with practice, we could enter X Factor.

Our pal, who is also a resident in the care home, asked his wife to buy him a waistcoat with pockets. Why? she asked. So that I can put the fob watch in the pocket. He replied. She asked, do you have a fob watch? He said, No! There followed a long silence.

stillhere I am so sorry for both you and your DH. Depression is so hard to deal with. Let's hope the break does you both good.

I agree with your decision, we had a dreadful time trying to get back from the outlaws one Boxing Day in the snow. What was even worse, apart from me falling over in the snow, was we only managed to find one place open for a coffee - and their loo was frozen!

DBH however is going up there this week, he is still very depressed but doesn't feel he can leave the house much down here, in case he meets someone he knows. I suppose he is a bit paranoid, but I think we both need a bit of a break from each other so I am not dissuading him. He can go for long walks and read a lot - he will be staying in his parents' holiday cottage so at least MiL won't be able to talk his ear off. I am just hoping it doesn't snow him in, it snowed us in for a week one November in the past.

Soop living where you do must be like having a constantly changing painting on the wall every time you look out of the window.

Love the picture of the ram Soop, looking forward to seeing Emma's pic when it's her turn.
You definitely made the right decision not to travel at Christmas, the weather can turn really wintery up there so quickly and getting stuck either on a train or in a car is just awful. You stay snuggled up with MacSporran And Rory until the spring

anno Consider the free TV as being a well deserved perk. We will when *MacSporran reaches his 75th in early November.

Nellie Such a sweet and totally innocent remark. He loves you...lots and lots...so there!

Pompa Ahoy there! Where you be? Us lot are waiting for an update on your exciting life.

To visit the Care Home Four in the morning. I shall pop in to catch up with our Granspal Kitcheners when I return. (((hugs)))

How about this for a put down? I spoke to DD today about visiting the grandsons tomorrow.
DD says that DGS1 (three) had been saying he loves his Nanan (me) lots and lots. So just as I was feeling pleased with myself.
DD added "he says he likes you because you have nice toys at your house like the boot people toy and the medical set!" (Fisher Price C1980s style.)

Thank you! Little boy .

My free TV licence turned up in the post today. As it's a concession to 'the elderly', that makes me feel really categorised, and a bit patronised too!

Thank you dear Crafting...

Ahem! I also found your painting of the ram was good too soop (rem being the posh way of saying ram of course )