Soop's welcoming kitchen...

Oh no Maw! Poor Paw - I have spent a lot of hours in MK hospital A&E with my own DH so I can visualise just where you may be. Fingers crossed it is nothing too serious and you can get him back home asap. Life is never straight forward for you and I think you always cope with style and grace.

Love the birthday cards Soop - it's good to find a really appropriate one isn't it?

There's nothing like wool for warmth Nellie and as a chilly type I hate being cold. I bought a pair of fleecy booty slippers on spec as my feet are always cold and they are brilliant. Really toasty. Don't think they will last all winter though as they were only £5 and don't have a proper sole.

How is the unpacking going N&G? You seem really organised and well on the way to settling in properly. Will you need to do any decorating?

Am away to practise my music now so TTFN.

Soop I love the card.

I have resorted to my woollen "garden jumper" It's chunky knit and very warm but no longer very elegant.

I have to confess that I have never used a lot of woollen yarn in my knitting until I finally realised just how much warmer it is than acrylic.

Fabulous cards soop, any news on the car?

Flipping Ada Maw!! Not much else to say - please let us know updates! I hope it's not a hip too.

DH once played badminton against DD3 and her friend (why?) and ran backwards to take a shot, fell over his own feet and couldn't get up. He realised that he might have broken his hip so put himself in the recovery position.

Having called an ambulance I went back to him, he was fine and we were all laughing so I decided to take a photo of him prone on the floor but a woman berated me for not taking it seriously and stood between me and DH

Maw I've just read your message. Poor you and poor Paw. Please keep us updated.

It never rains but pours for you both Maw
Like your wish I do hope there is no serious harm done, the fall in itself is harm enough.
Please keep us informed.

Hey ho
Sitting in A&E.
Paw had a fall in he bathroom this morning at 8
Even our 6’6” burly young electrician who arrived minutes after could not get him up so 999.
An ambulance arrived (finally) 2 1/2 hours later and he has been in A&E since perhaps 1215.(it is now 1.45)
Bloods have been taken and he has been at the Entenox but seems to be sleeping peacefully now undisturbed by any of those pesky NHS professionals
Please, please not a broken hip.

Here is another amusing birthday card, sent from son, Andrew.

Galen An infant gunerra has been lifted from the "wet garden" and will be posted to you tomorrow. Our wee post office only operates on three days each week.

Good afternoon to you lovely lot.

Any one of you (including me) who is feeling less than bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, PLEASE speak out. It does help to share when one is sad no matter what the reason.

We all celebrate the happy times. The successes that we are proud to "brag" about. The fun times when we behave in a totally way-out nonsensical manner. So why not talk about the niggling down-times too. An enormous ((((group hug)))) from me to you.

I thought that you might be amused by one of the birthday cards that I gave to MacSporran - here it is

Hello the kitchen! After a poor night’s sleep and a late start I am still not firing on all cylinders (nothing new there, though!), but I seem to be standing on firmer emotional ground this morning (wading up to my waist in G&T last night may have helped, although my father in law always said gin made you maudlin!). I fervently hope that others are feeling the same, and if not, a big group {{hug}}. Lying awake in the middle of the night in this house is rather disturbing. It creaks and groans like an old sailing ship in a gale (and no, it is not an old Tudor cottage; it is a nineteen year old modern house made out of, it seems, compressed cardboard or something very similar!) and then there was a thump as if a book had fallen off the bed, but it hadn’t! Well the prospect of ghostly apparitions appearing on the landing does take your mind off other things and as long as it doesn’t drink malt whisky I can put up with it . It’s very cold here but not a cloud in the sky so we are going to get some much needed exercise. I will look in later.

I decided that 2C merited some heating on. The sun is out and as Bella said, it is a crisp autumn day.

Get that sunshine on you Swanny, while it lasts. Isn’t the frost beautiful? I know a lot of people will be scraping it off cars but it’s lovely to look at on this crisp Autumn day.

Morning all! Just deciding whether to go back to bed and cosset myself and my tight cough, or wrap up warm and go out in the beautiful sunshine. Touch of overnight frost as well. I think the great outdoors will win, the sky looks beautiful. Hope you all manage to have a good day, whatever you're doing (((hugs)))

Hugs ann. Don’t be too tough on yourself. You cope amazingly well. Let’s hope tomorrow is brighter for you. .

I will practise what I preach.
I have had the black dog on my shoulder all day today, I just hope tomorrow is another day.

That is the reason! My grandmother used to start the lunch of mince, potatoes and sprouts or cabbage around 8.30am until everything had been boiled for so long that it was all unrecognisable. Sorry but yuck!

I was forced to eat them at home and I would be in tears, my mother telling me that there were starving children in Africa and me saying well post this lot to them!

No sprouts charlie? Find it hard to believe, after all they have been boiled for four hours. What’s not to like?

Oh greyduster, can’t these places be disappointing? On the whole I prefer food in to food out, you must be extra disappointed if the meal was part of your birthday treat.

Whinge away if you need to, always someone to listen.

This may make you smile, there was just a huge bang, leaping up and rushing to the kitchen thinking there was exploding pork to find - fireworks over the fence. Phew .

Greyduster just because other people have things going on in their life doesn't make your issues any less valid.
You know you can whinge all you like in this kitchen, I'm sure it does us all good to let it out.
I have slow cooked a piece of shoulder pork, which I do every so often, it looks dry and very uninteresting so that's my confession for today.

I just wrote a post that was such a spectacular whinge that I’m glad I scrapped it - given the things others are having to put up with at the moment, it deserved nothing more than to be consigned to the ether. My weekend has ended on rather a flat note, but that’s life and next week will be better!
Soop I hope your car is not in too much trouble. We had a car with an automatic gearbox - the less said about it the better! That was a long time ago though.... I’m sure they have improved since then! Glad you have friends who can help out.
corner I would like to come and share your lunch - it sounds a thousand times better than the one we had at our very busy local “gastro pub” (what the hell is all that about, I ask you!) this afternoon. It was just this side of edible and I could have fed twenty people three courses for what it cost. If anyone ever suggests going out to eat on a Sunday (or any other day for that matter) I will club them to death!
Okay, ‘Say goodnight to the people, Greyduster!’

Thank you for the invite, corner...at what time do you want us to sit down to dine together with the rest of us lot?
We go to the hospital on Thursday. Call to the RAC tomorrow.

Maw Such a pity that you couldn't have fitted in a lunchtime visit for a leisurely meal on your way back home. So pleased that all went well with your journey. It's the nightmare of looking for a car parking space that sends the blood pressure rising. Luckily, we have a blue badge. Even so, the spaces are few and far between.

I'm logging off very shortly. Before I do, I've an important email to send. After which, read the Sunday papers and have a .

I will be on your doorstep within the hour corner but no sprouts or pud for me thanks. The remainder sounds fabulous. If I enjoy the meal, Tara and I may move in permanently. I am very good at washing clothes, floors and grass cutting.

It is cold here so the heating is now on as I have returned from Waitrose. I am looking forward to watching the Strictly results because I like to watch the professional perform.

Soop I do hope that the car can be repaired swiftly and cheaply- it is never ending.

Sounds like the best way to travel maw, worth the early start.

Oh dear, charley, you must be disappointed. Just finished preparing ours, if you like stuffed pork fillet, roast potatoes, sprouts, carrots and romanesco broccoli (or is it cauliflower, never sure) you are welcome to share. Strawberries and black currant sorbet for pud.

Can understand your concern about the car, soop, hope tomorrow proves less stressful. You’ve got good friends there, at least you will be mobile while the problem is identified with yours. Cars, eh?

Best sort that food. Had a little wander to a store that sells everything so Mr C wouldn’t go stir crazy and found something to put the awkwardly shaped gift for Littlest in. Somehow some Christmas lights also found there way home with us. Not sure how that happened.

Maw I cannot believe that the pair of you were on the road so early for an MRI scan. I was unaware that they were done on Sundays but it was to your advantage, especially as you were not driving.

At least Hattie was not left on her own for too long.

The sun has been shining here but now that I have returned from Waitrose the heating os on as it is fairly chilly.

No nephew arriving tonight with cooked food so I will have to do it myself. Life is not fair.