Soop's friendly KITCHENERS

Always rejoice at the safe arrival of a little person.??
Number 2 DD's (first) baby due in 4 weeks. Of course you could add up to 2 weeks on to that with a first so I am trying very hard not to think about it too much, but might make the final spurt to finish a cot blanket I am knitting!!

A lovely, bright and sunny good morning to our lovely Kitcheners. We've just returned from a walk and several stops for blethers with local friends.

Welcome to the world to the wee arrivals. The name Grace, is a favourite of mine.

Alea I'm excited for you. Your grandchild will be born at a lovely time of year. We shall expect lots of photographs of baby to drool over. Also, let us see the blanket when it's finished.

A friend of ours (who also happens to be a prof gardener) is assisting with some tall hedge trimming. He's also lopping some of the overhead branches from the bird cherry tree...the one that is old, top-heavy and susceptible to wind damage. He is a cat lover. The moment he met Rory, he was "smitten". Rory made a little fuss of him in return. Funny creatures, cats!

annsixty We have free bus travel. At one time we had a ticket that slowed us to travel at less than standard ticket prices on the trains. We haven't renewed it because we haven't travelled by train for a very long time. Our nearest main station is Glasgow.

Charleyg I so agree with you. Not a word to MacSporran.

NanaandGrampa Today's choice of new baby clothes is mind boggling. I favoured all white for my boys as babes. I had a gorgeous, black, coach-built pram and all the bedding was white. The afternoon walk to the park was a treat. Happy memories!

Nannylovesshopping I hope that the sun is shining for you. Have you any shopping planned for today? Perhaps you'll be happy to stay away from the crowds. If we wanted big shops and crowds, we would have to travel three and a half hours into Glasgow.

I meant to type... allowed us to travel. Trigger happy fingers.

I think "slowed" was right first time, especially if you are talking about buses

Alea...I need another strong coffee. Should I have a second biscuit? Tough decision for a Saturday morning.

I'd go for one while you are thinking about it!!

Our pal has finished the two tough gardening jobs that MacS couldn't cope with. We are very grateful. I took a photo of him perched in the bird cherry tree. I shall see if the photo is worth sharing with you. Back soon...

Rod, the fit young man who knows a thing or two about trees.

I am going shopping today soopwith my lovely DD, have just a fifteen minute walk into town, live in Colchester. I am very fortunate in owning a beach hut fairly locally, and we are all going for a walk with GDs and dog to check whether it's still secure after all the wind we have had. It's my very special place and am very happy to be a "hutter" a lovely weekend for me, hope you and all fellow kitcheners are happy and poorly ones feeling better

Most of you now know the saga of my furniture. I went to the store an hour or so ago to tell them that I will be sitting on a garden chair for nearly a week. My armchairs are going to a charity this Monday and the store is sending me something to sit on the following day, and I have asked if my new furniture could be delivered next Friday or Saturday. It will be one item which is fine- I do not care what comes- I will be able to dine and watch TV in relative comfort. I am very grateful that they are bothering. I had worked out plan B but this will be better.

Nannylovesshopping Although I have never visited Colchester, I understand that it is a picturesque and ancient town. A beach hut no wonder it is your special place...any photos for us nosy lot?

Charleyg I admire your stamina (and your sense of humour). Your furniture saga keeps us lot guessing. A plan B, eh? You are a trooper and deserve a "happy ever after" once you reach the final chapter and you are the proud owner of a new suite.

It is a lovely day. We've done more dead-wood pruning. The garden looks delightful...even though I says so meself.

I'm so glad that you will have something more comfortable to sit on Charleygirl. Even a commuter chair would be feelingl uncomfotable after that long.

Nice to see all the photos of your home soop. Our late architect friend (also Scottish and bearded ) designed and built his own house here and eventually moved over to live in it permanently. I thought it was just right for them but whenever anyone said so he'd sigh and say, "don't forget it was designed as a holiday home. He would have liked a utility/study room as well.

We have a tree that needs sorting out as well, a relative has volunteered but I'd rather get a tree surgeon in if its not too expensive. I'd be able to look then.

Just sticking my nose in to say hello. In the lovely warm sunshine this morning I planted four roses. The first I have ever tried growing.
I dug two big holes in some very wet but sandy soil for the climbers and put the two patio roses in pots in a home made mixture of potting compost soil and farmyard manure. It has turned very and wet.

They could not have more luxury treatment so they had better grow.
I am now trying to finish a fire fighters outfit for three yr old DGS1.

dustyangel The tree needed serious attention. It is old and we, (and the birds) love it. However, when the wild winds of winter thrash around our plot, the tree rocks - alarmingly. MacS has, just recently, needed to tether it to concrete blocks, which have now been removed. We are also pleased that a lot more light streams through the kitchen window.
Our first home together was a store house, which my husband converted into a very spacious and delightful property. After that, we converted a hay loft, and the Cornish farmer who sold it to us, gave us an acre of paddock as a "bonus". It was an "upside-down" house. We lived under the exposed rafters. We then came to Scotland. We attempted to buy two plots with loch views. Both transactions got as far as planning permission being granted. Both then presented us with insurmountable problems. As a result, we rented a holiday accommodation in the nearby village for almost a year. The local people went to a lot of trouble to suss out a third plot on which we might eventually build the wee house of our dreams. We were introduced to our lovely neighbour (at present in a care home) and he agreed to sell us part of his plot that had become too difficult to manage. That was nearly twelve years ago. Not in our widest dreams did we hope to have such an idyllic spot with a stunning sea view.

Well done, Nelliem Is it possible to show us the fire fighters outfit? I would love to see a photo.

I'm adding the very first photo that we took on the beach opposite our newly built home.
MacS propped the camera on a rock and set the timer.

Time to say a fond farewell. I wish all our Granspal Kitcheners a peaceful and pleasant evening.

Hi Folks, very mixed day today. I saw consultant re my kidney pain yesterday. He said he would refer me for a ct scan and that I should hear in 2/3 weeks.

Took some stuff to the charity shop this morning, hit the gate post and did £300 worth of damage to my car (not a mark on the post !)

Got home to a letter from the hospital offering me a scan in 10 days time, wow, hows that for service.

Soop I will post a picture when I have finished it.

I heard that we now have a new B&M store which I had never heard of. I decided to visit, another car driver and myself took the first entrance but we ended up on a building site. We could see the store with cars parked, frustratingly on the other side of a large fence. We both gave up and exited but I did discover that the building site is going to be an Aldi store so I will be returning.

Re furniture, if I was not being helped out I would have been alternating between a plastic garden chair and a computer chair. I would have had to clean a garden chair for Tara and find a cushion as she cannot be left out. With luck this time next weekend everything should be sorted. Everything I am doing now is for the "last" time- I would not like to repeat this performance anytime time soon.

Soop, you look beautiful in the photo!

Charleygirl you must visit the B&M store they are fascinating, rather like a bazzar,. . They sell everything from food to garden furniture and plants but not in normal supermarket format, and you cannot fail to save money at Aldi although the choice is limited. I have forsaken choice for money saving except for once in 2 months when "I go mad" and visit Sainsbury's.

Thanks "annsixty" I do intend to visit the B&M store- I have no idea why I have never heard of it before unless the company has few stores in London. I do need plants and I would imagine that the store is cheaper than Homebase. There used to be a garden centre within walking distance of my house but houses and flats have been built on the land.

I can't believe you all have had a nice day, been raining here again most of the day. However, as I spent an hour and half on the phone to Apple I didn't notice the weather. I have to give Apple full marks, no charge though I am well out of warranty and he talked me through everything carefully, managed to delete and rebuild my mail boxes without losing my data. Now I can send emails again. I was sure that was what was needed but I knew if I did it myself I would lose all my data.

I am leaving the half packet of chocolate chip cookies that I didn't eat afterwards - think only eating half was very restrained of me - please finish them up before I am tempted.