Soop's Kindly Kitcheners

GandTea
In the hope you might read this as my attempt to pm you failed, just to say hang on in there. You will know your best way of dealing with this, but don't retreat into your shell entirely. Lots of sympathetic shoulders here.

Oh G&T I'm so sorry. That's horrible for you. Please come back with the same name though ? And get well soon

Murray. Who won?

Depression has hit me like a truck tonight. As low as I have been for a long while. Giving GN break for a while, see you all sometime.
xx G&t

Good news Daphne, enjoy your Lake District break Bella. It is tipping down here.

Sneaking in via a side door (Sshh)
just to say life has picked up a bit
Sis in law came up from London yesterday to visit DH, she and I had lunch at a pub near the hospital, visited DH in hospital and then she and I went to the Ab Fab film. Yes, I know it is tosh and has been comprehensively rubbished on another thread, but it was exactly what I needed.
DD came down from Brum today to visit too and then DH finally completed tunnelling under the wire this afternoon.
OK the hard work starts again, but I cannot quite put into words how my spirits sank on those long walks to and from Ward 2.

Hello dear kitcheners. After a really super weekend with my Canadian relatives at the wedding of my great-niece to a Scotsman (what a wedding! Lots of joy and happy memories made), DD3 and myself are now in the Lake District visiting my youngest niece who has recently moved here to take up a teaching post.

We have been to Ullswater today. Beautiful but so cold! My BiL has just lit the fire as we are frozen after coming from temps of high 30'sC in Malta. It is also tipping with rain. I love the land of my birth but not the weather. This is not summer .

Watching Murray/Kyrgios match now.

Take care, all, and some oat and honey biscuits if you fancy some.

I used to have a print of Monet's field of poppies with a girl with a parasol. It faded with the years and I never replaced it. Wish I could have the original! Near where DS2 lives in Oxfordshire, one year there were two fields of poppies, one red and one white. I have heard that there are certain farms in that part of England that are licensed to grow opium poppies for the legal manufacturing of morphine. My one and only red oriental poppy was dashed by our torrential rain three weeks ago.

Comment by the commentator "the Royal box is full of comedians" I thought, what's new (there goes my OBE)

Andy Murray v Kyrgios match has just begun. I shall therefore say a fond farewell and take my seat on a virtual Centre Court.

It has been a much better day in many ways. Thank you one and all.

Back again, after lunch tomorrow.

Charleyg Would you believe that Bracken sits outside the door and howls for Rory to join her? They do get along very well. He sometimes gives her a little 'remember I'm in charge' pat. She, being all girly, lies down and waves her paws in the air.

soop Tara is unlucky, the doorman is on permanent leave. She frequently sits at the front door waiting for me to open it but then she realises that it will be a very long wait so goes out of her personal front door. I have lost count of the number of cat flaps I have bought for her- I think that this is at least no.5.

Still no sign of the fellow coming to fix it. I would not be surprised if I receive a phone call saying that he will come tomorrow. Anyway, back to the tennis.

Jayh Lucky you. The photo that I have included was taken in a friend's garden. Just about every flower and shrub under the sun grows in it. The owner was a nurseryman in a previous life. He needs to be an expert. Six acres of garden - and no part-timer to assist, would put me in a very early grave.

dustyangel Did you take your photos this year, in your garden? If so, I'm envious. I love the randomness of the poppies. Perfect!

Charleyg Yet another chapter to add to your blog. Tara is a lucky girl to have a cat flap. Rory has a doorman/woman. Sometimes, not too often, he has to whinge for attention. He is extremely patient.

https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201607/medium-86520-image.jpeg%3C/span%3E https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201607/medium-594156-image.jpeg%3C/span%3E https://signal-corridor.live/uploads/talk/201607/medium-894978-image.jpeg%3C/span%3E

Anno we had the pleasure of a nearly three year old little boy visiting on Saturday. Very sweet and charming, one forgets how interesting everything is to them at that age. I can remember his dad playing racing games across the back of the church at DD1s wedding 26 years ago.

We are having a break from moving back into the old cottage at the moment. It's very hot and I've got to the stage of as long as we can manage overnight, I think the rest will have to wait till tomorrow

Charleygirl, I bet Tara would give the company a piece of her mind if she was able. She really shouldn't have to put herself out.

I haven't come across Welsh poppies before, they are a lovely colour, I've not succeeded in growing cultivated poppies either and they should be fine here. There are enough wild ones. But even they don't always come back in the same place the following year.
Ours are looking quite sad now, they have lasted a long time this year. Probably because it was such a wet spring.
I'll post a picture if them just a couple of weeks ago.

Millym, the car park at the NT Tatton Park is also £6 - even for members of the Trust - but that's for a full day. At nearby Lyme Park, also NT, the parking is pricey too but free for members. When I used to take GC to run around and play in the playground there, my NT sub more than paid for itself. I joined the Scottish NT 30 or so years ago and it occurred to me recently that if I had joined then as a life member, my sub would have paid for itself by now.
Ah, hindsight is 20/20!

soop I was jumping between both matches but I was really waiting for Andy's match. Roger's was a walk in the park.

My Morrisons on line delivery has arrived with nearly £10 worth missing. They were very efficient and have debited my account. At least it was 12 litres of semi skimmed long life milk and not tonight's supper or the fresh vegetables for my supper.

Only the cat flap man to come now and Tara will be more comfortable I hope.

Hello Anno and Soop. My garden fills with these yellow poppies every year. I had no idea that they were Welsh poppies. I love them

anno It is the same flower. A Welsh poppy. Thank you for the info'

cornergran and anno Is this the flower that you like?

Isn't the yellow poppy a Welsh poppy? They spring up unpredictably all over the place and all too often are treated as weeds. I don't mind them as they add a splash of colour. They are sometimes orange too.

Is this the one you mean?

Charleyg I started to watch Roger's match and then went over to Radwanska v Cibulkova. Terrific game. I thought that it was the most exciting game of the championship so far. I was rooting for Cib...and she triumphed.

GandTea Sadly, we've no wealthy benefactors that I know of. You never know, I may indeed come into enough of a small fortune to pay for your course and accommodation. I would love to be able to treat you.

Andy's match is to begin shortly. I'm feeling heaps better today. Less frazzled. More like my old self.

WOW, thanks Soop, I shall pray for fortune to shine on you.

Peter who runs that business has deeveloped parkinsons and his days of making Ukuleles are numbered. Whilst he can he is teaching others to make ukuleles, he has an apprentice and runs 1 week 1/1 courses where at the end of a week you will have made your own top quality uku. But the 1 week course is about £1000 plus accommodation etc. I have that on my bucket list.

I had an early phone call from the window company- half of their fitters in this area appeared to be off sick and he could not send round the 2 men to sort out the patio?? I told him that it would take 5 minutes and was a one man job to reverse the cat flap. Somebody is coming later today. It would appear this is a one man band who goes around fixing other folks mistakes- says a lot for the company.

I have just hung the front door curtain outside, I hope that it does not rain but it is looking increasingly likely.

I think that Roger will polish this match off quite quickly. He has had an easy run to date.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for Andy because he will have to raise his game a couple of notches to win.

anno You have painted a lovely picture in words. The walk through the gardens, with fruit ripening in the orchard, is exactly what I would like to be doing right now.
It is muggy and damp...midges are lurking. Fortunately, there is tennis to watch a little later. I'm feeling "laid-back" ( a more refined description of lazy.)

millym A parking fee of £6 does sound a tad over the top, especially for families with several children to cater for. We came across a similar car park in Cornwall. We'd try to park outside the grounds, which meant a long, up-hill walk, but we were fitter in those days.

GandTea anything bespoke carries a hefty price tag.
I took a look at the ukulele on the website you shared. Should I ever find that I'm far richer than I think I am...I shall treat you to one of those instruments.

Tizliz You had been looking forward to seeing your family. I'm in that particular place right now. Once a year we all get together. I've still some time to wait until we do, but I would feel as you do if the plan goes awol. You are entitled to feel downhearted.
As for the hot curry, my husband would have had "seconds"...and done the washing up.

kitty That is a delightful photograph. I would enlarge and frame it, if I were you.

Jalima I had forgotten that our G&T had also been Bogoff I liked Pompa (the name) best of all.
Iceland went out of the competition with heads held high. I'm hoping Wales win their next match. They are a spirited team.

NanaandGrampy I love your work. You have a keen imagination and put a great deal of thought into everything you create. There is a lady in Campbeltown who owns a shop in which she sells all things made in Kintyre. She also makes greetings cards and we now place an order with her for family birthdays and such.

cornergran I believe that I've a photo somewhere of the yellow, poppy-like flower. I shall see if I can find it.

Bellanonna I remember the time when a Mrs Barber used to sell ice lollies for a penny each (old money). She was in her 90s and owned the smallest sweet shop on earth. Two customers at a time created a jam!

Charleyg Right! Thank you for reminding me. I'm away to see whether Roger is on court. Mr Cool. He has it all.

It's certainly a real treat for me to shuffle breeze into our kitchen to find you lot gathered. You have put an ear to ear on my soppy face. Thank you. I shall now read through all your messages.