Soop's Kindly Kitcheners

GandTea The sun is shining here in Kintyre. Yesterday was a different story. You will be pleased with today's Gig and deserve a cooling G&T just as soon as the hour is decent.

Charleyg Don't go giving GT ideas. Her Majesty would enjoy a tune on GT's ukulele, as I understand that she likes George Formby foot tapping tunes. Whose garden was it, GandTea?

Hi soop and everyone, please may I join in. I am rather a 'newby' but I love to read about you always, and what you are doing. My cooking skills are not fantastic but I can bring in some quite decent chocolate chips cakes (still oven warm) to have with a cup of tea. That's if DH doesn't get to them first!

alea it's so good you don't have to worry about the travelling now but less good if you've a grumpy patient to care for. Hope your routine returns soon and there is space for you. Grumpy patients surely try the patience. . The wedding photos are lovely n&g, as I forgot to put our roast in the oven our meal will be very late, could eat one of those scones while I wait, tummy rumbling is drowning out the recording of the earlier procession for the Queen. Loved the hat soop and the sense of community around your home. Can't drink gin, guaranteed upset tum, but a nicely chilled glass of dry white wine will be welcome later. Fingers have been crossed for your gig g&t, hope you are more content with this one. Sun is shining here but so windy so admiring it through the conservatory. .

millymouge Welcome! Consider yourself to be one of us lot. All you need to bring into the kitchen is yourself. All the food magics itself from some mysterious place. We enjoy it because it's calorie-free. However, choc chip cakes will earn you plenty of brownie points.

cornergran The roast will be served - eventually. Relax in your conservatory. A chilled white wine within easy reach. I've just gobbled a double choc Magnum. Well, we are still celebrating HM birthday. That's our excuse. In seven minutes time I shall raise a glass of G&T to you lovely lot and then, I shall log off and read the newspaper.

It has been a lovely day. Our new kitchen has had a few visitors and I have enjoyed your company. I wish you all a peaceful and pleasant Sunday evening.
Until I return tomorrow

Don't apologise soop!! (I was cross! )
But I now "go with the flow" as anything else seems like too much effort! Annsixty is right talking about being "taken for granted". One of my problems is that I think I try (too hard) to make it all seamless, so instead of stopping off for fish and chips, I did delicate sea bream with herb butter, steamed baby pak choi and jersey royals with rhubarb (one of his favourites) in between getting in, unpacking his bags and putting out fresh pj's for him, glass of water on the bedside table, Horlicks at bedtime etc etc etc He wasn't interested in eating, so I felt deflated.
I actually seem to do not a lot more these days and (whinge) sometimes feel my own identity is disappearing as I morph into a one woman support system!! With every incident or illness DH slips down a level in activity in the house, making tea, carrying his own glass of water (can't do that, walking with two sticks) being aware of time, remembering appointments, helping in any way in the house - not that he ever really did, but filling and emptying the dishwasher, collecting stuff for the bins, making the bed etc all a distant memory.
Right end of moan, better out than in, but a line now needs to be drawn.
------------------------------------!!

Alea if that is the sort of food served in your house, Tara and I are very interested. I doubt if Grace would notice Tara, the former being asleep most of the time and the latter out all day. I am very good with bins and stuff like that- I would make a very good labourer.

soop -,congratulations on the new kitchen. Do they grow in size each time a new one opens?
Alea -,yes, been there etc. I think grumpiness is an age thing and illness just compounds it. Of course he appreciates all you do, but he's a man and I'm not sure they can always show their feelings. As you - or someone - rightly say, just worrying about a sick partner is very wearying, plus then the visits, waiting around for a doctor to get information, and the physical extra things once you get home. Many of us looked forward to a different kind of retirement but it often doesn't work out as we'd hoped. Keep your sense of humour going, have chats with your girls, and enjoy the new baby!

soop I've often wondered how you chose your name. Are you able to divulge? Mine simple means beautiful granny, which is a total lie, but at least I can get away with it in here. But of course the Granny bit is true?

Well Bella you have told us how you chose your name and very appropriate it is. Mine is my Christian name and the age I look instead of the almost 79 years that I will be next month.

I am sure that GandTea could guess where my name comes from

Yesterday's flood water has receded, leaving muddy silt at the end of the garden where there was a small lake at its worst. Today I found that the small cellar hadn't escaped, though the rest of the ground floor seems OK. The 'cellar' was once a coal hole it the house's days as a miner's home. The bottom compartment of the freezer was welded to the base with a sheet of ice - if only I'd discovered that when the flood happened. Anyway, by brute force I extracted the container and cleared the ice. Mustn't moan - some people further down the road are worse off. I think Waitrose was flooded!

Yesterday's flood water has receded, leaving muddy silt at the end of the garden where there was a small lake at its worst. Today I found that the small cellar hadn't escaped, though the rest of the ground floor seems OK. The 'cellar' was once a coal hole it the house's days as a miner's home. The bottom compartment of the freezer was welded to the base with a sheet of ice - if only I'd discovered that when the flood happened. Anyway, by brute force I extracted the container and cleared the ice. Mustn't moan - some people further down the road are worse off. I think Waitrose was flooded!

If it's worth saying, say it twice!

Lots of pictures and a couple of videos on google anno of the floods and the damage. I think we were both very lucky to escape, you with minimal damage and us with none apart from a flooded garden. Just a very short distance people have had to leave their homes and I read of a children's nursery near you which will be closed for months.

If that's the nursery I'm thinking of, it's certainly in the most vulnerable position. What a blow for the owners and the parents who depend on it. That flash flood took such a short time to wreak so much mayhem.

ann I thought that you had a pleasant little pond at the end of your garden, I had no idea that it had been caused by flash floods.

You and anno it would appear got off lightly in comparison with others.

Hello all. Lovely new kitchen soop. And your hat photo cheered me up. You look just like I imagined you, and that is a compliment.

Still struggling today but at least poor DH is much more grateful for the help he has had than your grumpy, Alea. Hope he is settling down at home now.

Will keep looking in but not feeling much like posting happy stuff at present.

I'm not sure of what constitutes a flash flood, Charley, but it happened quite quickly as a result of an afternoon of exceptionally heavy rain. And just as quickly it has mostly subsided, leaving behind a lot of damage and mess. I was lucky because my house is an end of terrace and the water was channelled down the side of the house into the garden where it formed a small - almost picturesque - lake and joined up with the local brook. I haven't ventured as far as the shed (don't want to risk slipping) but don't think there was anything sufficiently valuable in it to cause concern.

ann - looking 60 at 78.? That's amazing. Must be in the genes !

As far as I remember, soop started off as supernana and it somehow got truncated, though I cannot remember why! I was annobel but annodomini seemed more appropriate when I looked in the mirror.

Ouch! Tempers flaring in other places, glad of sanity peace here. (thatbags totally with you, well said)
Now, my sister in law is coming up from Kent this evening and will DH-sit for me tomorrow so that I can spend a day getting to know this little man.

Alea a lovely picture how old is he now?