Soop's kitchen extension

A happy Good Saturday afternoon to our lovely Kitcheners.

It remains grey and the islands are hiding behind a misty veil of low cloud.

NanaandGrampy How about finding some mossy stones in your garden. A really good close-up image might inspire. I also like bark on trees. The textures are beautiful and varied.

oldgoat I'm with you. We've restored two barns into cottages (both in Cornwall) and we've lived in three caravans during the renovations. I needed to see "the light" at the end of our toils. Something akin to your daughter's project, would fill me with dismay.
I like the fact that the signatures of previous owners have been exposed.
Do your very best to enjoy your visit. Is there a pleasant inn nearby? Somewhere in which you can relax and enjoy the comforts of eating out and the likes...

dustyangel Your closing comment made me hoot with laughter.

Brilliant idea, soop , I shall put my coat on and see what I can find.

I was thinking of travelling to a beauty spot but you remind me that beauty is right under our noses if only we look .

Of course from your location I imagine you have beauty out of each window

I've never been tempted into renovation. All the people I know that have done it say 'never again'! In the last few weeks on Radio Shropshire, I've been listening to reports on a project for the BBC DIY SOS. Very sad story - London firefighter injured in accident so no longer able to do his job, moves to Shropshire with wife and small daughter and buys small rural cottage to do up, wife develops acute leukemia and sepsis and dies which has brought on psychiatric problems associated with his previous job, then they find many problems with cottage including mill stream running right under property which wasn't on any documentation, so he and his daughter have ended up living in caravan. Local people contacted DIY SOS to see if they could help, and the cottage has been almost rebuilt in the last 9 days in all this wet and cold weather. They've had almost 100 tradespeople working on it from all over the country. Makes you feel good after all the horrible things that we hear

NanaandGrampy I look forward to seeing a few images that have inspired you. Below is my close-up of the seed-head of a flower.

Badenkate Wow! What a super group of people. Isn't it heartening to know that there are many generous-of-spirit folk in this oft-times selfish world. Thank you for sharing such a heartening true story with us. I'm wearing a

Oh that's beautiful soop you've inspired me . I can definitely see the artist in you.

NanaandGramy go ahead and see what you can find.

https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201602/medium-610018-dsc-0027.jpg%3C/span%3E https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201602/medium-819012-dsc-0195.jpg%3C/span%3E https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201602/medium-768606-dsc-0206.jpg%3C/span%3E

These are my choices then I think.

My current competition includes a waterfall, a blue tit and some mussels

Tortoiseshell cat has come to visit Rory (her Papa)...they will sit in the utility room for the next hour, door ajar. The moment I touch the door handle, she will run and hide behind the cabin. Rory comes into the kitchen and eats his supper. Tortoiseshell will emerge from her hidey place once I've placed her bowl of food near the entrance to the cabin and closed the back door. It's a regular routine. We do love the cats.

Good night to all our Kitcheners I wish you a peaceful evening. I shall return in the morrow.

NanaandGrampy WOW!!! I've just seen your images. FANTABULOUS! Very well done. Full marks and a gold star.

You should feel very happy with your photographs. I think that you are naturally talented.

Just on our way home following a flying visit to DD's in Edinburgh. After a quick inspection of all the ongoing renovations we went out for lunch in a cosy pub near the Forth Bridges. (Good idea soop.) The new bridge is really coming on and everyone will be relieved that HGVs will be allowed to cross the road bridge again from tonight.Very chilly north of the border today!

Mountain Avens. Found above Inchnadamph Sutherland. July 2011
Isn't it lovely.

Thanks soop

I hope the judges feel the same !

Sleep well

This afternoon we had an unusual bird in our garden. I called up to my son who was in his bedroom at the time and he could see it had a sparrow in its claws. We have deliberated between a sparrowhawk and a falcon but we are clueless and we didn't have a camera to hand. It was as they say "nature red in tooth and claw" but fascinating if macabre.

This is a Sparrow Hawk. They usually pluck their prey. They are beautiful if merciless birds.

We watched one plucking and devouring a pigeon in our garden. All that was left was a pile of feathers.

I am enjoying all your wildlife and nature pics and full of admiration!
#feelinginadequatenow

Can we start a corner just fir people like us Alea? I have taken some photos that I considered would be artistic - I've deleted them now!

soop - your pictures are lovely - I take pictures but don't know how to put them on here.
There was a sparrowhawk in our back garden a few weeks ago, where the chickens are - lots of sparrows come to eat the chicken's grain. I saw the hawk flying in and out of the chicken house, and one day found a dead sparrow in there.
But he's not been back recently.

I was part way through a lengthy post, when I did something strange...whatever it was, the Gransnet link closed down. Bah! I shall therefore start afresh.

Good morning to all our Kitcheners. It is damp and grey and murky. However, we are well-blest to be living in a location that is both beautiful and peaceful.

oldgoat I believe that we may enjoyed a delicious lunch in the same inn. It was a long time ago. The bridge is a marvellous iconic structure. The building of it must have been a monumental task and very many lives must have been lost during the construction.

Nelliem I like your photograph of the Mountain Avens. The petals look almost waxy in texture. We've visited Sutherland on just one occasion. I was very taken with it's raw beauty.

annsixty A Sparrow Hawk frequents our garden. Somehow the birds sense when it is around because quite suddenly all feeding stops, and there is no sign of a bird for what seems like a very long time.

Alea and kitty No need to feel inadequate. If something, no matter how ordinary, catches your eye...it's worth photographing. I always think that getting in as close as I can to an insect, or flower, or cobweb, or moss, or leaf...I could go on and on...go for it.

TriciaF If you haven image that you would like to share, then you will need to reduce the pixels. Go to the image and click on. You will be given an option to "Open with Paint"...click on this option. You can then "resize" I always select to resize by 50%...you should then be able to click on the browse button that you see on this thread and share the down-sized image with Us lot. Having read through my so-called helpful advice, I am completely befuddled. However, give it a whirl. It would be lovely to see some of your images.

Elegran is possibly the best person to make such matters easier to follow. She's a very clever Granspal and she doesn't get bogged down with waffle.

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Gosh what a lot of wonderful pictures on here. Love your latest soop and all the others too. That sparrowhawk has had a lovely lunch. Good thing they eat pigeons as sparrows are declining at a great rate. Look forward to more visual treats !

For you, Bellanonna

Taken in springtime as I stood beside our garden fence. We often have deer wandering down to see us.

soop I would love seeing them appear at the fence- this one is handsome. I do not think that Tara would like competition so would get rid of it.

One of my neighbours had a fox sunbathing on his shed roof- that must have been a sight.

Charleygirl I would most definitely have photographed the fox. I like foxes.

Deer at fence for you. x