Soop's Friendly Kitcheners and well behaved pets.

Love your kitchen soop, even though I tend to lurk in the dark corner by the sink. There's never any blaming, just lots of support. What's not to love?

There are times when you just don't want to get involved in problems - personal or political - you just want a nice cup of wine tea and some cake. That is what soop provides.

Catching up sat in the hospital waiting area before visiting time begins. Was wondering who had been paid a vast amount of money to plan the least hospitable space possible. Hard chairs, gloomy walls, poor lighting. I know funding must be diverted to patient care, but I don't believe it would have cost more to make this a more comfortable place to wait. Or have I been watching too much Casualty?

Moan over. Honest .

As a relative newcomer to the Forum and the Kitchen why shoukd any place be thought inappropriate? Surely there's room for everyone In whatever space they feel comfortable. Just because I don't Ike shopping in a particular supermarket I don't get hot under the collar if others do.

number and bellasnana remain in my thoughts. I hope there is care for them both in the real world

Off visiting now, will find my again.

We do actually get sympathy and support just when we need it and we won't get hassle from those who don't really "know us" and know what makes us tick and the problems we face.

I just wish to say thank you for some pleasant remarks. I do have other stuff to attend to. I shall wander off for an hour or so and return to catch up a little later.

I don't know which hospital you have been waiting in, but I so agree. Surely a lick of paint costs next to nothing in the vast scale of the NHS budget. The choice of colour too can either be relaxing or intimidating. A few decent magazines on low tables would not break the bank and flooring in any colour other than battleship grey would be an advance. I know I can bore for Britain on this but a visit to the Churchill hospital in Oxford recently was an eye opener on how to get it right. The John Radcliffe is pretty good too, but what grabbed me in the pleasant, calm, nicely lit coffee shop at the Churchill was a baby grand in the corner with a sign saying "Play me"
God knows cancer is a buggeration for any attention and their family so anything at all to humanise the experience has to be applauded.

I don't know where "attention" came from, substitute "person/patient/individual" as you please.

I haven't got round to reading other threads yet so don't know what has been said about the kitchen or anyone in it. The kitchen was the first place I tentatively posted when I first joined GN. I was given a warm welcome by the lovely soop and others and haven't looked back since. In the following years I have found a great deal of humour, fun, interest and support from the posters in the kitchen and many have come in to lick their wounds and receive some comfort. Long may it continue (it's also the best place for lovely 's ??? - it's a donut, honest!)

I don't post on the kitchen a lot because I probably don't seem to have much to say, but when I have I have always been welcomed and received support, advice and comfort. I am very careful of any thread that I post on as some of them can be quite harsh in their content. I have been surprised at times as to what sort of comments some can post, but the kitchen has always seemed a safe haven. Thank you for that.

'When a Gransnetter is tired of soop's kitchen he/she is tired of life' to paraphrase Samuel Johnson (who incidentally gave his name, very kindly I thought, to one of the houses at my old school.
I first learnt to swim in a freezing cold pool at the local baths when we went from primary school. Everyone hated it, it was so cold and quite miserable.
When I was about 9 Mum arranged for lessons with a neighbour at the bigger pool in the local baths; he gave me the confidence to swim my first length!
However, nowadays the DGC (at 8) can beat me easily.

Corner and Daphne I totally agree and I have always thought if ever I won the lottery I would go from hospital to hospital making waiting rooms better .

I think in a lot of cases it's not even about a lot of money . After the birth of their first child (Jackson) his dad raised some money and it was doubled by his employer and he and his team totally revamped the nurses rest room in the maternity ward one weekend . I think about £3000 bought new furniture , new microwave , kettle etc and new paint throughout .

The difference was amazing and so welcomed by the hard working nurses .

I thought it a lovely gesture of thanks .

NanaandGrampy It appears that Jackson deserves a special hug for playing his part in the revamping of the nurses rest room.

DaphneB
MacSporran wouldn't need to be asked to play a tune on the baby grand in the John Radcliffe. As a student he played the piano in the bar of a nearby inn. He'd start with a few bars of serious music...and proceeded to play jazz. Never failed to please. He was paid in pints. Bass beer became a firm favourite.

Jalima when I was about eleven I swam fourteen lengths of the Mounts swimming pool...that was one mile. I think that it marvellous that wee babies learn to enjoy water. My own mother was terrified of it. Such a pity.

My dad taught me to swim in the Firth of Clyde. I was a hardy child. I would practise the breaststroke lying on my tummy on a big footstool.

soop
I may have swum 14 lengths in the past but only with a break in between!!
I expect that DGD2 will be beating me before she's 5

Do parents teach their children these days or pay for lessons ? I treasure memories of swimming with my Mum . Not really the same with a class :-(

DS takes the DGD and got them started, but they are having lessons now.
My DC learnt in classes - they would listen to an instructor far better than they listened to me!
My Mum learnt to swim abroad and I don't remember her swimming here in the UK, perhaps it was too cold for her.

I totally get what you're saying Jalima I couldn't teach my girls either so had to be satisfied with swimming for fun .

anno I can picture you lying on a footstool...arms and legs going umpteen to the dozen.

Jalina A five year old child would think nothing of swimming a mile. I always liked swimming under water for a width of the baths. Also enjoyed "dancing" in the water. Made it up as I went along. Still have sturdy thighs as a result.

It really is well past my 'puter time. I need to appear to look busy.

Ironing duty for pal tomorrow morning. After lunch I shall pop in to say hi. Until sush time...

It's the Royal Glamorgan, Llantrisant Daphne. There is a small, pleasant coffee area in the entrance, usually full, too busy to take seats for very long. The other coffee lounge is grey, everywhere. Hard chairs, horrid tables, drinks in cardboard cups. It's a place worried relatives wait, families spend the two hours between visiting times, ambulatory patients are taken by their visitors. Our friend is very poorly following a serious accident, its a 90 minute journey for us so we arrive early and try to relax. Gransnet very useful for me while I wait and try not to think about my numb rear end!

Think I've forgotten how to swim. . Swimming lessons were school related at an outside pool. Freezing most of the time. Neither parent could swim so no family lessons. I used to be able to manage a very slow length, seem to have forgotten how now, can float but that's about it. Love the water so if we're somewhere hot I float a lot . Made sure our two could swim well, their children were in the water from babies, the little one is having such fun, the older two swim like fish. Really pleased.

I grew up near the River Severn; my sister and I used to pretend we were swimming but actually we had our hands down in the mud, holding ourselves up. We wouldn't dare put our faces in the water because it was as brown and thick as cocoa.
When we were about 10, our classmate drowned in the nearby docks so the school fundraised and built a swimming pool where we could all be taught to swim. I still remember the whole school standing at the side of the road to watch his funeral cortege pass by. So sad.

oldgoat the Severn is so dangerous!
We went to Barry with a group of friends and DGC in the summer - the water was brown and muddy and I paddled with the DGC but I had a good shower when I got home again.
No swimming for me until I get past Hartland Point .....

ps although Woolacombe is OK

Does anyone else remember that we used to have occasional 'quiet threads' which were started usually by someone who was feeling a bit stressed or tired? I can't remember the titles but they weren't considered to be divisive then.
Just saying
I think we used to sneak the odd glass of wine in too.

OldGoat Jalima When I was at school in the sixties we lived in Bristol. I went to school on a bus along the Portway by the river Avon for seven years.

When the tide was out in the hot weather the smell from the river was dreadful. I have never felt I would like to even paddle in the Severn estuary.

Apparently there was a Lido at Severn Beach, MIL used to go there when she was a girl.
I bought a DVD called 'Return to Severn Beach' for DH.

We did return from time to time to watch the new Second Severn Crossing being built.