Soop's comfortable and friendly kitchen...

panache a special portion of each shall be put aside for you. Many thanks for your advice re downsizing, also from you n&g.

soop I forgot to add on my last post how beautiful and regal you looked in your crown, and how gorgeous your GGC are.

Sadly, looking at the juices dripping from the blackcurrants, there may be rather fewer jars of jelly than hoped for. Do jars in the kitchen stretch indefinitely as per ‘the magic porridge pot’? On the other hand, walking the dogs this afternoon we decided the blackberries growing on the Heath were too good to pass by and managed to pick about 750g in about 5 minutes. The will be turned into Blackberry vodka,as we usually do.

Strawberries in raspberry purée on the side with cheese and biscuits to follow. (And a glass of port laydees?)

Thankyou, Corner, we intend to take it easy, but there is no pleasure in driving anywhere much these days. Hopefully it will be dry tommorrow.
Nonna the blackberries in our lanes are plentiful but quite poor specimens this year, due to the lack of rain I suspect. I hope they are better when we come back from holiday. I like to keep some in the freezer.
Last minute bits and pieces today and packing the car this evening and then an early night and a very early start. We were awake early this morning, as our smoke alarm went off twice - not the urgent, toast is burning, sort of noise, but odd little intermittent beeps. It is a mains alarm so not a battery problem. There’s always something. I might try and snatch another five minutes.

Good morning! do I smell coffee brewing?
Nonn - I am new here, but would love you to reveal your blackberry vodka process, having personally turned the making of blackberry brandy into a meltdown event ?

*Nonna !!
(sorry, it looks as though its going to be another fat finger day)

Good morning, Chaos and welcome!

Good morning, greyd.
I hope you enjoy your trip through my neck of the woods, tomorrow. Good choice of travel day....there are usually less idiots per mile on Tues-Thursdays, and little in the way of quaueu ☺

*queues
aaarggghhh!!!

Having just made my way to the kitchen after such celebrations in Wales yesterday,and then reading the few posts...... excuse the slight pun but I am now totally chaos struck and utterly confused!!!

I think I will wend my way back to a quiet room and lie down awhile before returning ...........hoping then I can make head or tail of whatever is going on here in what has once been a relatively calm kitchen!!!!!

Just wishing you safe travelling GreyD......and I hope you have some fun time and sunshine........I shall wave as you by pass us!!!

I really haven't intended to cause any confusion, Panache.
If I have inadvertently breached netiquette, please accept my apology. The typo errors are driving me just as crazy as anyone who suffers reading them. I have a small keyboard/large finger combo which results in typos....and a "smart" phone which is stupid enough to undo typo correction because it thinks I have added the typo to memory.

Maybe I will just sit in a corner and cuddle a coffee, for a while.

Hang in there, Chaos. We all have more than a few ‘fat finger’ moments! ?

Back to the safety of the kitchen.
I won’t be starting any more threads in a hurry.

Morning all !!

We have survived our visit from the big kids but only because the weather broke on Thursday night !! A good time was had by all and now we have almost 2 weeks to recover before we have the little boys for a week !

As always I am clueless ( always the last one to work it out ) so welcome Chaos --- and either ...its lovely to meet you....or...… hello as usual :-)

I don't think I envy you the journey grey , maybe if it stays a little cooler but its the traffic that I hate ...I have gotten used to relatively light traffic round here although the BIG tractors are out in force . Have a lovely holiday though if you don't pop in before you go !!

I'm in the queue to taste your blackberry vodka Nonna ! Sounds delicious .

ooooh and hello Topsy !! You only have to give the kitchen a miss for 24 hours and its full of new people and interesting stuff.

I did have a read on the clique thread and NOT talking about a thread( because that would be detention offence :-) ) BUT I still am always surprised when people think the kitchen is cliquey ( if that's a word) , there are few threads as welcoming , and yes it does move at a pace in here and yes there are a number of regulars but I have never seen anyone ignored or unwelcome.

I'm with charley Fennel , no just stacking boxes. If what's inside is unused or hasn't 'earned' its place , just let it go . We still have about 15 boxes of craft stuff to sort in the loft and though it breaks my heart , if I am just keeping it in case it will have to go .

Soop the tiara suits you as if to the manor born ! Your style is impeccable !! And the picture of the baby in the stripy suit is simply adorable!!

I am off out shortly to refill the fridge and cupboards, how much can young children eat????? !!!! I had forgotten , they are like a plague of locusts.

Ill leave you with a picture of the big kids .

Happy Days all xx

Please do not sit quietly in the corner on my behalf Chaos it is what I need to do, because with all these change of identities I am simply stuck!!!
Not for long I can assure you as I heard mention of black
berries and that ............or pavlova... has me ready to run miles.......well in my mind at least!
Perhaps someone will put my mind at rest so that I again join in where appropriate?!!

Another happy picture N&G...............and I can imagine you need enough food to feed an army of youngsters!
But isn`t it just lovely watching them enjoying their meals?

Talking about food I think it time I made way to my own kitchen.......see you later.

chaos the Blackberry vodka is usually DH’s province, but it basically involves putting washes blackberries into a demijohn, adding sugar, and occasionally honey, and the topping up with vodka ( we usually look for the cheapest we can find). It needs shaking up regularly for a couple of weeks, till the sugar has dissolved and then (this is the hard part) leaving it for a couple of months before straining and bottling. It makes it rather like a liqueur. There may be some of last years left, if so I’ll put it on the side!

Panache Geraint seems like a very personable young man...and I shall add my congratulations to the multitude of others. Excellent. and, as we say in Scotland, Slainte.

Greyduster Safe travels and happy days in Cornwall. We lived in Lostwithiel for a time. I also worked in Fowey.

Sounds like the same principle as sloe gin, damson gin or any of the variations.
We used to make a lot for Christmas presents, but it did get expensive buying several litres of gin!

Nonna I'll forego the jam even though it's a great favourite but I will offer to sample the Blackberry Vodka. Will you be marketing it? If so, I shall buy a bottle.

Nannytopsy we're going to get along famously.

ChaosInc I prefer the spelling quaueu It has a certain charm.

Dear Maw What have you been up to? I only ever use our kitchen because it is safe from stuff that I wouldn't like to get embroiled in. Is that the correct spelling? Sit down and I'll peel you a grape or two.

N&G I love the photo. Such joy. Very special. And, I understand that the kitchen has been in the news again. Why? What is it that some people find offensive? I must confess, I'm somewhat bemused.

Just to recap...from day one, all I've ever wanted was to create a virtual meeting place where Gransnetters would feel welcome and comfortable to air and share whatever experiences they wished. At first, before the kitchen, I had my personal struggles with a few posters. I was to blame because I was far too sensitive to criticism. Thankfully, I've toughened up a little but, thanks to every person who has joined the kitchen for the purpose of sharing in a caring way, I have only ever felt that the plan works. Life often throws some pretty awful spanners into the mix, and the manner in which countless people have dealt with the worst of circumstances, has been humbling. There is also light-hearted banter. There are times for celebrating. For as long as there is something to discuss, the kitchen will continue to welcome all those who derive some comfort from it. I'm glad it exists. Thank you all for your contribution.

Now for a twenty minute exercise bike ride. Devil for punishment - me.

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A lovely photo of MacSporran as he begs me not to point the camera in his direction.

soop I think we all appreciate the fact that you started the kitchen. It is everything you say and more. It is a wonderful place to share jokes, laughter, humour and fun but at the same time offers real (not virtual) caring for others in their troubled times. This is the best place to be on GN and all who enter are made welcome. No cliques, no hidden agenda, no politics or nasty comments, just loads of ordinary people caring about others. You started a very special place, and you and the very handsome McSporran are dear to us all.

Exactly doodle. Well put.

What’s up ‘out there’ maw ? I’m not often venturing out of the kitchen. Fresh from spending time with friends who are far from well and have left us worried for them it’s almost, not quite, last straw time in corner-land so I’m not risking additional strife. Oh well. All will pass.

Good to see those happy faces n&g and I’m guessing yours was just as happy. We’ve a session with Littlest next week. Can’t wait.

Don’t fret about fat fingers chaos, we’ve all been there and will go there again I’m sure.

I’ve decided I deserve a glass of chilled white so I’m off to the fridge. Take care everyone.

I am emerging from the corner to whinge about spending three hours in A&E this evening with DD and GS2, who had managed to split his lip, tear frenulum and gum, and loosen three baby teeth following head first crash into a basin edge. Poor scrap.

soop...I rather thought that was how the kitchen was supposed to work. Delighted to have found a place with coffee and cake on hand, but sorry to hear you have needed to justify. Its a nice thread!

Nonna...thank you. I do make sloe gin, and tackled blackberry brandy the same way. After three weeks I just had blackberries in brandy! so I squashed them. Major error, which just spiralled into ....chaos!

Panache...I promise that is my last mention of the b word! (and I don't like pavlova). Please don't be confused by my identity!! I truly am new. Feel free to check with the powers that be. If I have chosen a name resembling another, or appeared as someone disappeared, then all similarities are entirely coincidental. It seems I just have poor timing!
Can we both be un-stuck now?

I need a drink.

I have been here a while, only changed my name because it was too easy to recognise! Please find a lemon drizzle on the side - practising for wedding cakes!