Soop's comfortable and friendly kitchen...

You lot are truly long-suffering with me bleating on and on and on. Thank you for allowing an almighty big brag. I had no idea that I had roots in Scotland, let alone Kintyre. I shall now shut up.

Ann You have my respect. It will have taken an age to complete the necessary paper work. I'm glad that you had a supportive assistant. I wish you a very favourable outcome. You deserve it.

Panache Busy as per usual. Who? You!

Greyduster A girl needs all the clutter she can stuff in a suitcase. Well, at one time that was my motto. I've matured somewhat. Can pack a wee case and be happy with the selection. MacSporran is liking the new me.

MacSporran has had the lumps and bumps on his head frozen with liquid nitrogen. He tells me that it is a most uncomfortable procedure. Seeing the evidence - raised sore patches, almost too many to count, I can believe him.

Tomorrow is care home visit day. I put in an eBay bid for a personal CD player on which our pal (in the home) can enjoy talking books. Another friend has since given us one. I therefore had a merry old time retracting my bid. I must add that the assistant on eBay was a star. He took me through the process and was both polite and patient.

It has been a beautiful day. Sunny with a gentle to moderate breeze. I shall return tomorrow afternoon. Take good care of yourselves please.

Elderly is always 20 years older than yourself, young is 20 years younger!

Well done, Ann. I remember helping clients at CAB to fill in similar forms and what a tangle some of them got into - not that I was much the wiser! It's lucky (if that's the right word) that you are such a well organised person.
soop, or should I say,'Your Highness', it's always been obvious that you had something of the aristocrat about you so now we know why.
Yesterday I caught an item on Woman's Hour, talking about how people should keep an eye on their elderly neighbours during this heatwave and it suddenly struck me that they might mean me! So I turned off the radio quickly. When do we become 'elderly'?

I could not even have contemplated it Annsixty so you have my full admiration.
Complicated or long forms petrify me. I had to get help with the Attendance Allowance simply because my brain freezes faced with a form!
You have taken a very big step but absolutely the right one.

I have bitten the bullet, sacrificed my pride and filled in the financial assessment forms for the local authority.
It took my D and I several hours with trying to understand the questions, photocopying all the bills , bank statements and laying bare my outgoings.
I feel stripped of any privacy, an awful feeling when we have always managed our financial affairs well, have never, ever been in debt, and have had a good income, live mortgage free etc.
It is a horrid feeling.

It is those pavlovas that do it for me!!!

Well here I am looking pretty smart and I think just about pass muster with you elite lot!!!
As for it taking years of me GreyD..........that I think is a hope too much!
But I am certainly lighter, so not feeling the heat so much.

Always SO good to be back home and after having seen so much of our lovely countryside burned to a cinder, the talk of rain is exceptionally welcome.
I totally agree Kitty........and so pleased that no one blotted their copy book......except for a spot of drooling!!!

It rather looks as though you maybe in line for some continuation regarding help there at home Ann.......I hope it proves as good as it sounds and good for you with your forward bookings...........it all sounds a lot more hopeful.........fingers well crossed.

My word Soop you are certainly showing us up with your very impressive origins with a touch os aristocracy in your genes.
I would like to know what it would throw up if we two were ^thrown into the mix"......husband born in Scotland son of a dutchman and mother of Lithuanian origins..........I born in Wales with a welsh father and mother french/canadian but born in England!!!
No pedigrees in our lot!!

Time for tea and sadly no pavlova ..........or cheescake ......to tempt me and you wonder why I keep losing weight?
Am on my way to prepare the galoshes and kayak...............see you along the way I feel sure

Not sure I can enter the kitchen again soop. I haven’t had the right training in walking backwards and would probably come a cropper.
Fascinating revelations though. I didn’t realise you had Scottish ancestry. Did you choose to live on Kintyre for that reason? Seems very appropriate in the light of who the 40th Great was. ?‍♀️

Did someone say cheesecake?
I always say if you are going to do calories, make sure they are worth it!

That is mighty impressive, Soop! I am doing an online course in forelock tugging as we speak! I wish I had done it before I went to the hairdressers!
Looking at the weather forecast, kitty I should think all we will need are waterproofs and a lightning conductor ?.

Rushes in to the kitchen to report that it's raining but is stopped in her tracks by the realisation that she should curtsey first.

Curtsey done!

It's raining!!! It still quite warm though.

That must have come as a shock for your daughter Ann, and it can't be a bad thing in terms of her realising what your life is like. I hope things can maintain and even keel until your DH's next visit. Or, maaybe, Monday's visitors can help you more.

GD, I've just seen a joke on FB about a woman who is going away for 4 days, therefore needs 4 outfits! She packed 37 just to be on the safe side! I'm sure you won't go that far!!

I love Wells, too! It is on my bucket list of places to revisit.

Panache, I wonder if you have had any of the rain that was forecast? It should cool things down a little. We all feel better when things are not boiling don't we. The unruly lot were fairly well behaved although Maw seemed to develop a fixation with the cheesecake!

Right, I'm off to Waitrose to collect two on line JL orders. It's a bit too easy really to click and collect.

Just a quick dash before I finally do some housework. My son has done weeks of painstaking research into my family tree on my father's side. I am bowled over with the amount of detail and important great grandfathers that are here in print. The furthest great grandfather, my 40th, Alpin of Kintyre "Pictish Thame of Fortrenn" was born 778 AD in Fordoun, Kincardinshire and died in July 834 AD. My 36th great grandfather was...clears throat...Malcolm 1st MCALPIN King of Scotland he was born in 897 AD...I can't go into more detail just now because You lot will ban me from entering the kitchen.

I cannot find a single servant so I need to do stuff for myself.

When I return, I shall read every one of your messages. Please excuse me for a wee while.

While I know we Mothers often shoulder problems ourselves and seek to shelter our children, it is a good thing your D knows exactly how things stand. The more people in the family who know what you are “carrying” the better as you will have to involve them and they need to understand the strains you are under.
No criticism of anybody is implied but I know from up until last year that I always tried to put a positive slant on things even if I was silently screaming “Help!”

Put it all out Greyduster then pack half and put the rest back in wardrobes and drawers.
This is excellent advice , I was never able to follow it.

I have just picked my H up from the card home. Hedidnt know who our D was, she was very upset, when I asked her on a scale of 1 to 10 how much he had deteriorated since she saw him after his stroke she said 9 1/2.

I have another person coming to assess us both on Monday on behalf of our GP and AS, it is anew appointment to liaise with us all.
If she gets more done than the GP and the MH team, it will be good.

I have booked him in for two two week stays between now and C.......s ,then I start to pay the full cost.
I can't take it with me.

It is baking hot here, unbearable really but we have to cope, mostly by staying indoors.

I have been doing my holiday ironing this morning and, to paraphrase a well known movie “I think we’re gonna need a bigger case!”?. We are only going for a week, but I keep finding things in my wardrobe that I may just need to fall back on.....! There has to be some sort of treatment for CPD (compulsive packing disorder). To have the wardrobe doors slammed on one’s fingers, perhaps? ?

Panache ?✨. I will join you today in a visit to the hairdresser. A good haircut takes years off me. Something has to!

Making a hasty visit again feeling the heat already.
I only hope we too do not exactly "melt" here along the west coast!!

But also learning valuable lessons from Maw`s beautiful heart felt tribute yesterday,those of us with our men folk must value them,perhaps even more... each and every day,we never know what has been planned for us....I have more reasons than some to be so grateful to my man`s tender loving care.For the past 22+ in his role as my one and only dedicated carer.
...............I would not be writing this were it not for his outstanding thoughtful, daily care.
Ironing is but one of his many tasks Corner although sometimes a little rough around the edges, he in many instances is far better at many of our household chores than ever I was........and I was a would be perfectionist....but please note the would be.!!!!!
A big thank you for your understanding too,much appreciated.

Of course you would not change your diamond GreyD.
Diamonds are for life!..........Let him sparkle!!!

Life goes on and hopefully this day a planned hair do might do more for me than any prescription might!

So I bid you all good health and strength to meet another hot day,perhaps THE hottest,take good care and do keep those fans whirring and keep well hydrated.....see you at some point later.

Thank you Maw for reminding me to appreciate my DH.

Dear maw not sure whether to write this or not but DH and I celebrated our 48th last week. Mine too is a dear man and I treasure every minute with him. Your posts remind me how lucky I am and to make the most of the time we have and how precious it is. I think paw would be pleased with the dignity and grace you have shown since his passing but perhaps would be happiest to know that you still manage to maintain a sense of humour and fun. I hope your day brings more happy memories than sad. ??

Wishing you well for tomorrow ann, look after yourself.

I understand the desire to keep going panache, I suspect we’re all happier when we feel we’ve accomplished something, no matter how small. Please don’t overdo it though. Aah, I’m sorry about the apartment, I also understand that sort of disappointment, onwards eh?

Mr C shares the ironing, well if I’m honest he does the things I struggle with like the duvet cover. I quite enjoy doing most of it, weird I know. Pleased to report all is good with BT, well Openreach, a miracle worker came and worked his miracles. All we need now is for the toilet to agree to flush, it’s currently on strike. Oh well, can’t have it all

Stay cool everyone and take care.

A lovely message Maw. Perhaps as well I hadn’t read it before we met or there might have been waterworks in MH. You remind us to treasure our men every day.

Too late to change my mind after 52 years ?. He is actually a diamond, ironing notwithstanding!

I am impressed with your sense of humour Ann in the words of the old comedian I have to say "Thats the way to do it!!"....... have one more outing I say,make the most of this night..........whilst you may have to put a lead on your man when next he goes to this place!!!

GreyD I can but say you chose the wrong man perhaps?!!!

Soop if I obeyed every time you tell me to put my feet up or take a rest, I may as well lie in my coffin!!
Whenever the body allows I aim to get my penny`s worth in!
Giving in is NOT an option........though true enough I am not much good to soul or beast nowadays!

This time it is good night!!

I am picking my H up tomorrow morning Panache a last meal out tonight with my D who is here for a few days.
I admit to having enjoyed my 10 days.
Just as we were going out this morning the phone rand and the name came on the display of the care home.
My heart beat a little fast as I answered thinking, fall, illness.
No it was the administrator telling me that when I pick him up tomorrow, he owes them£17:80p!!
He went to a park yesterday and really enjoyed it, I didn't ask what he spent it on, my D thinks perhaps on lady friends. It wouldn't be on me that's for sure.

Panache my son was in the RAF for 22 years and his father spent the same time in the Army, but they very rarely offer to do ironing! What am I doing wrong?