Soop's Kindly Kitcheners

soop Have you got one of those hats with a veil to protect you from the midges? Very chic.

oldgoat My husband, MacSporran has one. He cannot work in the garden (at the moment) without it. When our home was being built, the roofers needed them too. We had an anti midge machine for a time. Emptied the container regularly into the sea. Millions of the wretched things.

It isn't sunny. It isn't raining. It is sticky/muggy and the midges at the rear of our home, the area that borders the forest, are particularly bothersome. Rory manages to bring a few indoors, they lurk in his fur. I've bites behind my ears.

soop, I had a holiday job with M&S (on Princes street) when I was 18. It was during the Edinburgh Festival when many performers were enjoying shopping sprees which they couldn't in their own countries, mainly behind the then Iron Curtain. They bought socks in bulk. Unfortunately I got fired for being rude to the floor manager (a bully in my opinion which didn't count for much).
I have a flock of jackdaws roosting in the nearby trees and now have to close my window overnight because the b*****s wake me up at first light. They are the rowdiest and most argumentative of birds.

Woke up this morning to see a deer sitting in the middle of our garden. Will need to put more protection round the roses.

Yes, Varian, definitely do that . They ruined our roses. And a few days ago I saw one trying to rip off the protective cover on a fruit tree trunk. They've already stripped the new fruits off a fig tree.
soop - I do sympathise about the midges - I think they've been known to drive a person mad!

soop When our children were young we used to stay at a lovely campsite near Glen Trool, in Galloway. The site was surrounded by trees so midges were a problem.Installed in the toilet blocks were those blue electrocuters which you used to see in butchers shops to zap the insects. In the mornings there would be a heap of dead midges under the machines.
We went back to have a look at the site for old times sake and found that it had closed. Wonder whether it was the midges that did for them?

It is dry at present but it has not been particularly warm here. We had a mini monsoon early morning but that has all dried out now.

I have been channel hopping between Andy and the football and shouting for England. I have lived longer in England than Scotland, I moved here in 1968 for a year, it has been a long year.

Wherever Tara's day bed is outdoors, there is polystyrene around because she brought a lot home last night in her fur, after of course the house had been hoovered. She does look after number 1.

I wonder if that was the same camp site my parents took us to a couple of times, triciaf. One year the midges were so bad that half way through pitching tents my dad was ready to go home! He was getting bitten to distraction and reacting badly (huge, swollen lumps all over his face). Fortunately my mum had antihistamine tablets with her as she suffered from hay fever. She gave my dad some and his face did improve.

I think it was that camp, when I was seventeen, when I started to get hay fever too only nobody recognised it because it didn't make my eyes red and itchy and my nose didn't run very much. All I got (get!) is incapacitating headaches.

Oops! Sorry, triciaf. My post should have been to oldgoat! Not that it isn't for everyone to read anyway.

Oh, anno, I had a weekend job serving "cocktails" in a smart hotel...I was about 22 at the time. A group of people were waited on hand and foot at their table, by me. All was going well. That is until one of the men clicked his fingers in my direction. I ignored him. He reported me to the hotel manager. Manager, bless him, expressed his dismay that I should be treated as a serving wench. I honestly thought that I was about to get the heave ho.
In the heart of the village is a rookery. The noise of birds chattering away umpteen to the dozen, is extremely loud.

varian "Our deer" live in the forest bordering our garden fence. It is very rare for one to leap across the fence. The forest, at the moment, is lush. Nourishment is in plentiful supply.

oldgoat For a creature so small that are a mighty big buggeration.

Tricia You think what I know to be true. I've witnessed people waiting on the verge for the bus to arrive and they appear to be practising the whirling dervish dance.

Charleyg I watched the Andy match. He won. Tara and Rory cannot tell us how they "suffer"...Rory hasn't budged since breakfast time. He's snoring right now. Yet, should I open the 'special cupboard door, containing his special food' he'll be right beside me and mewing like a banshee.

bags Incapacitating headaches must be a whole lot worse than itchy eyes and a runny nose. Are you allergic to a specific pollen?

I know what you mean about the hay fever headaches, bags. At its worst I feel as if I have a bad dose of flu.
I've heard thunder rumbling around this afternoon and it's raining again.

Aren't dogs strange? I won a packet of treats in the Spar competition and great excitement was evident as I opened the package, but they are not their usual brand . Anlon snatched his and it was gone in seconds, Harvey took his gracefully and laid down with it between his paws and contemplated it before eating it carefully. Hope it made up for them being stuck inside as it is raining and 'daddy' went off to work without them - can't walk them on my own.

Actually not sure it is rain, we are just in a cloud. Can't see more than 100 yards

I've a cold sore and bunged up nose and a cough. Could it be hay fever? I would sooner it wasn't a cold. I need to remain germ free for MacS's sake.

Tizliz the low cloud is hugging the mountain tops. Wind is getting up. Good news for peeps and bad news for midges.

Away to sketch some sweet peas. The perfume is wonderful. One of the prettiest flowers, I think.

Until I return tomorrow afternoon...I'm wishing you all a pleasant and peaceful evening.

Our assorted colours sweet peas have all turned out a burgundy colour! Doh!
No Soop there were a few crumbs on the plate but no sign of any cake.
Who shall I blame?
Alea aww, so cute ( I want one) babies are wonderful, especially as DGC ( hand them back etc.)

thatbags - my experience of midges was similar to that of oldgoat. We were camping on Skye with our 2 girls. During the night our tents were black with midgies on the inside, we wore our balaclavas back to front over our faces. The girls ended up sleeping in the car. I'll never forget it, neither will they.

Ah yes, unforgettable camps, triciaf!

I don't know if I'm allergic to a particular pollen, soop. I doubt it. It seems to be all of them! Or maybe I'm just allergic to fresh air; it feels like that sometimes. Hey ho.

We stayed at the Luss campsite beside Loch Lomond in July of 2004, and the midgees were horrendous. It was a beautiful place, but our holiday was completely ruined by the midgees. One night the caravan seemed suddenly to be full of the things, although we`d been very careful coming in and out. We spent the night trying to avoid them, and in the morning, the lights in the caravan ceiling, which were flat against the ceiling, were black with dead little critturs. After that I swore that I`d never return there except outside the season for them, which is apparently from June to September. However, we`ve been several times to your part of Scotland Soop, during July and August, and never been troubled once by them. They`re not like the insects we get here that we call midges, these are a completely different species, and vicious with it!

Afternoon all!!

Hope you're all well although it sounds like midges and hay fever are causing some problems!

Tizliz I know what you mean about dogs and how they accept 'our offerings' lol Sam loves a digestive biscuit, it's a big treat . But he can tell if we buy anything other than Mcvities and will gracefully decline if that's all that's going! However if he does get his preferred brand he will take it unbroken to the lounge then wait for Grampy because he always has 3 biscuits for himself .

He will then watch Grampy until every last crumb has gone to be sure he's not getting a shot at a second biscuit. Once they've gone he goes back to his own and delicately breaks it up and eats a bit at a time.

I'm very excited ladies !! Our Grandaughter , aged 9, has arrived in Dublin with her Sensei and team to take part in the World Karate Championships . We have a YouTube link so we can watch live over the next 3 days . I'm very proud of her not least because apart from Cubs and staying with us this is the longest she will have been away.

I'm looking forward to the picture of the sweet peas soop ! I've attached a picture....please could you paint this in my garden??

https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201606/medium-15025-yellow-ellie.jpg%3C/span%3E https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201606/medium-299567-big-girl-persie.jpg%3C/span%3E

These two photos turned up in my inbox within seconds of each other. They are of DGDs 2 and 3, who are cousins. Both look just like their Mums. Sorry, doting Ma, moment!

So sad to hear of Jo Cox dying. What a terrible thing to happen.

Oh Kitty how lovely does your little sunflower look?? And her little cousin! You're allowed a proud ma moment

Yes , sadly I saw that moments ago. The worlds gone crazy x

They look very alike kitty are they in real life?
Don't little girls love dressing up and dancing although I do have an exception in GD2 who although not a tomboy hates dressing up and would live in black leggings and sloppy tee- shirts.