Soop's friendly kitchen

n&g,

Forgot to say, me and Lynne have had our toenails chopped off by a very nice chiropodist lady who came to the house. It wasn`t cheap, but necessary.

Consider the weight thing firmly put to bed N&G, especially as it`s not a few pounds that I need to lose, it`s a good few stone, and at my age there`s not enough time, so SOD IT!
Soop, what a lovely photo, Teddy looks to be a sturdy lad.
Some great photos on here again, I love the scenic ones.

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Evening all !!

Lovely afternoon here thank goodness.

Fabulous picture of you and young Teddy soop that's definitely a keeper.

Sounds like a lovely trip Anno ! I hope the airport people are as good to me when I go in just under 2 weeks.

Had a lovely brunch with the little boys in a farm café just outside Centre Parcs. We delivered Coopers present and were well thanked. He was a little concerned about his birthday decorations ( his Mum usually goes to town ) and asked me if they would be 'teleported' to him !! Where do they get these things.

This afternoon both boys were mad scientists so Ive added their pictures. I'm exhausted just hearing about everything they have done.

Lets put the weight thing firmly to bed , I just bought an apple crumble with cream for dessert !!

Hello the kitchen! I have missed a lot again, haven’t I? I’ll do my best to catch up.
Soop glad you had a good weekend and I’m afraid if it had been me, they would have had to drag me home kicking and screaming from Torben and baby Teddy! I fancy your son Matt looks th most like you out of the three of your boys, but I stand to be corrected!

Ann having read all your recent posts, I don’t know how you are still standing. All I can say is you are in my thoughts more often than not these days and I wish I could say something that would help, but I am glad that others have good advice to offer. I agree that respite care is a very good idea.

N&G stop posting pictures of fishy looking streams please! I am overdue a fishing day but the weather has been too cold for me (and, indeed, the fish!) since the season opened. Things might look up next week - a good hatch of mayfly will herald Duffers Fortnight! Actually that’s a myth as big as ‘the one that got away’! I hope you had a lovely day with the little boys at Centreparcs and that they are all enjoying themselves. Long time since we went but I certainly enjoyed it. Not sure I could cope with all the cycling now though!

Anno it’s years since I saw a live production from Opera North. They did Prince Igor in 1982 and it was truly memorable. It is a great favourite of mine for its wonderful, powerful arias and of course its choral piece de resistance at the end of the second act. It is not often staged these days.

Gq lovely photos. Is that your local res? Very enticing!

Corner I hope your bruises are fading and the weather is improving in your part of the world. You have had more than your fair share of rain down there.

There seems to be a lot of talk about weight loss around here. I am another who seems to have got out of the exercise habit and has been piling on the pounds, so there has been much gardening in the marsh, and we are walking tommorrow and, it seems, on Saturday as GS has proposed a family walk. DD was most surprised, as was I! He hates walking! If he cannot run - or better still, run while kicking a ball - life is not worth living. I think he has been abducted by aliens and they have left some other child in his place! It has fallen to me to find a route; presumably one that has rocks to climb on and streams to poke about in (that’s for me but he can join in if he wants! ). I hope I can come up with the goods!

I had better go and get our evening meal on. Risotto tonight. DH has a dodgy tooth so he has requested that we don’t have anything chewy (unfortunately, most of my cooking is chewy!). Apologies to anyone I have missed.
Have a pleasant evening folks!

Ha !! I have just the t shirt for you Baggs

I've decided my house and my garden don't do smart. I think DD2's description of hereabouts is probably the best: "organised chaos". Things look chaotic but they are not. Well... some might be.

anno That sounds like a highly successful visit to Dundee. MacSporran would have enjoyed the performance of Richard Strauss's Salome. I agree wholeheartedly with you that long journeys are more relaxing by train. We found it so. Especially with the excellent support given when we needed to catch a connection, the busiest station being Birmingham New Street . I would give the train company 5****.

ann anno's advice is sound. You remain in my thoughts.

The sun is shining. It has been a glorious day in Kintyre. The garden is looking very smart and the new growth is romping away.

I have a more relaxing day ahead of me tomorrow. I shall be dropping in during the morning. If the weather remains good, we shall have a lovely walk through the lanes.

Bye for now.

While you southerners were moaning about the weather, I was in Dundee visiting my sister and her husband. We had wall to wall sunshine and cloudless skies. Spring is not so advanced there as it is in Cheshire but there were great swathes of daffodils and tulips everywhere. We went to see various relatives and friends; and I was treated to an evening at the Dundee Rep where we enjoyed a hilarious comedy and an afternoon at the Perth Concert Hall where we heard a fine concert performance by the Opera North company of Richard Strauss's Salome, a very powerful work. We were eating out a lot and my sister had made a luscious lemon drizzle cake for when we were eating in. I flew from Manchester to Edinburgh where my sister met me, but in future I will revert to the train as traipsing around airports to the remotest gates did my poor knees no good. Having said that, both airline staff and fellow passengers could not have been more helpful - even the security staff were kindly to the old dear with silver hair and a walking stick! It's good to be back home where a nasty wet morning has morphed into a bright and breezy afternoon.
ann, I hope you will take advice from Age UK or CAB before you complete those financial information forms. Their advisers are accustomed to the ways and means of Social Services!

I'm about to resume exercise bike riding. Should be a doddle - not!

Love the photos. Teddy is adorable soop and the water views just my sort of thing n&g. Envious me?

Five minute sit down for a cuppa then back to it. Time in the foreseeable future seems to be spoken for. Not so sure it’s a good idea but it’s the way it is.

Please all stop talking about weight loss. The very fierce physio reminds me every time I see him that my knee would benefit from less of a load. I said I’d lose weight if he paid for a new wardrobe . So in the spirit of the thing I’ve some gluten feee chocolate digestives here if anyone fancies one to save me from myself.

Take care all. Just be careful out there.

soop Teddy is a poppet.

It is the 2nd of May and I have the heating switched on!

What a lovely photo soop!

And, yours N&g!

I'm not stopping as I'm due to do the school run but I hope you all stop talking about excess weight before I come back or I shall have to hide!

Many thank yous for the lovely messages and *N&G's truly beautiful photographs.

It was an ironing duty day. I've just returned to have a late breakfast and coffee by the cupful.

I missed adding one decent photo of Edward John aka Teddy and me. I shall print this and send a copy to my granddaughter.

I shall return in due course. Am feeling in need of a wee sit down and gather my thoughts session.

Probably- I would be inclined to say you are either looking after the house for a friend or you rent it- that will get rid of them. They only want to speak with owner/occupiers.

I have just had the third cold call in two days. Each one assured me that they spoke to me previously and I had told them to ring back about my investments, soffits and thermo efficient wall coatings. Is this a new way to con older people by making them think they are getting forgetful?

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Morning all !!

More pictures please soop . You looked like you were enjoying your cuddle. It sounds like a fabulous time was had by all ! Just the pick me up you need after what feels like a long winter !

I am so sorry ann to hear things are going from bad to worse. I do help you get some help soon.

Callgirl well, that's my education for today LOL I've never heard of them but Baby is seriously cute !!

My daughter and her family took part in the family quiz at centre parcs last night and I chuckled as she said how bad their general knowledge is but they were stars when it came to TV shows and chocolate bars !!!

I'm with you on the weight loss front Callgirl < I have LOTS to lose , and was doing well before Christmas when I went to class with my daughter but then Christmas derailed me ( it always does) and then I lost my way.

Bizarrely, Grampy and I started afresh this week ( 2 weeks before we go on holiday !!) if only to lose just a few pounds before we put loads more on !! I refuse to diet on holiday.

Sadly, food is a celebration in this household :-(

I am off to meet up with the Centre Parkers today , it is young Coopers birthday tomorrow and we are handing over early presents ( and having breakfast :-) ).

Jackson has a poster on the wall of a certain make of cars and all they do. He has a magnificent collection of cars but he is missing some from the chart so he kindly emailed me a list last week INCASE I saw any.

In true Nana fashion I have found some , and will be taking one with me this morning. I shall be his hero

I'll leave you with a picture from yesterdays glorious weather( which has disappeared again today) in case anyone needs a little sunshine x

Soop , that’s a fine trio of sons you have there!

Ann please push for respite as quickly as possible. You can’t live like that for much longer and it’s not as though the situation will get any better. I can’t begin to imagine what it’s like for you. Please keep coming to the kitchen. If you need to vent, then just do. Hugs.

5lbs? 5 stones would be closer! Still stuck at 2 1/2 after about a year. I joined the local gym last week ( local authority, not the posh one I used to go to ) but I can’t use it until I have been to my gp for a letter. Foolishly I was honest and ticked to say I take drugs for high blood pressure. It is lower than the centre managers - that’s because I take the drugs!!!! Can’t get an appointment ...

By the way N&G, in answer to your question of a week ago, I`ve asked and Baby is a Black Headed Caique.

Yes callgirl, I can relate to that. I often think that if I had been able to value what I had, or rather didn’t have in terms of lbs back in the day, I’d have less to fret about now! Hey ho, onwards and upwards for us both - or maybe that should be downwards, I’m not sure! Either which way it’s got to be about valuing ourselves in the here and now, warts and all! xx

I was looking at some photos yesterday from a holiday in 1972, at a time I thought I was fat, I weighed 10st.12lbs at the time, if only I weighed that now!

Yes indeed callgirl same here! While that 5lbs would take me back to what I was before Christmas, sadly it’s a far cry from where I should be! xx

You`re all very kind, but if only 5lbs were what I needed to lose, lol!
By the way Soop, those are 3 fine looking sons you have there.