Soops Kitchen , kindness and cake served with love. Come on in !

Ironing done! Tomorrow I shall have my pal's double load to tackle.

I happened across a photo that MacSporran took of me some fifteen plus years ago. I was the decorator and he was the carpenter during the housebuild. My word, we were both in the rudest of health during that time.

TOYA moon] ...until tomorrow after lunch. x

Saw this Cinnabar moth on our travels at the weekend. I had it on my hand. Have never seen one before.

Here is one of we two...

Evening all,

It was an up and down sort of day - Grampy went down in weight and I went up !! How is that possible? when we eat the same thing but I eat less than him??

Beautiful poppies GrannieQ , my favourite . Grampy agrees with your theory re having a wee pre weigh in !! Im more on your train of thought GrannyG :-)

Enjoy your time with Pip the pup.

Sam has had a quiet day , with no real improvement to his paw so we shall just have to give it some time.

There has been a brief stop to the rain so the ark might not be needed !!

we shall see .

soop you really did build your own place. I’m not surprised you chose it. Your photos are so beautiful you must wake every morning and look out on that glorious vista.

Hi sam hope you are feeling better today. We won’t mention your little accident ?. Hope you are getting lots of cuddles today ?

What a wonderful little moth. Nature has a way of bringing a smile to my lips. I am trying to keep up with everyoe in here but I admit I am not doing too well on that score. Wall to wall rain here but the funner beans are nicely settled in. Lots of phone calls to the antipodes and i managed to cook a birthday meal for the CH without incident. off to the Memory Cafe tomorrow if I can remember where it is ?

Thinking of everyone

Wonderful photos on here the last couple of days. Soop, you haven`t changed a bit!
Rascal, that moth is beautifully coloured, but if it flew near me I`d scream the place down!
Izabella, nice to see you again, keep coming into the kitchen to let us know how you are getting on.
N&G, the weight thing is just a blip in the grand scheme of things. I`m picturing your face on the day that you lose a few pounds and Grampy puts them on, lol. Best wishes to Sam, bless him.
It`s STILL raining, I haven`t noticed it stop for 2 days. Parts of the town are flooded, but we`re OK, despite being on the banks of a waterway.

Used to see lots of those moths in the midlands.
Never seen one down here thug

Though!

Hello Galen!
I don’t think the rain has stopped here since Monday afternoon and at times it has been torrential. Good for the reservoirs! We have been sorting photographs for the last two evenings - so much in the bin yet there are still hundreds. We are aiming to make an album each for DS and DD showing them growing up and all the important moments plus the same for us. Minus all the anonymous French beaches! It’s going to take some time ...

I have never seen that colourful moth before here in Scotland. It was dry and dull yesterday. Roll on some warm sunny days.

We had a few of those moths in the garden last year - they are a daytime moth I think. Very handsome. I don’t know what this extended spell of cold wet weather is going to do to our moths and butterflies. They struggle as it is. We have had two walks recently where we hardly saw any butterflies, even in the hay meadows.
N&G hang in there; it might take a couple of days for antibiotics to kick in for going Sam. I hope he is comfortable. As for the weight thing - I can’t seem to shed an ounce, and my scales aren’t helping, so you have my sympathy! I put it down to metabolism !
Gq your plant photos are lovely. I am having another crack at lupins. I’m damned if I will let DS grow something I can’t grow, so I bought a couple for my new flower bed, but this weather is not helping. They look a bit sad. After yesterday’s deluge everything looks a bit sad!
Izabella I don’t manage to keep up with everyone either so you are not on your own! Glad the birthday meal was a success.
DH has a dental appointment this morning to see about another iffy tooth. He’s already lost one, and it looks like he may also lose this one as it is also loose. We have a quiet day, today. I made two fish pies yesterday and took one over for DD - she needs comfort food at the moment. I shall eat the other today. I don’t need comfort food; I just love fish pie!
I will look in later.

A sunny good afternoon greeting to you lovely lot. Ironing duty over and done with. Returned home to be told that MacSporran has booked three nights in a hotel in the Highlands. Am I chuffed? You bet.

N&G Providing you feel well and continue to enjoy life, do yourself an enormous favour. Fret ye not that losing weight is a slow process. Every photo I've seen of you is a picture of health and exuberance for life. K up the good work.

Izabella There are few of us lot who can honestly claim to be up-to-date with happenings in the kitchen - I am not one. Whatever you feel like sharing with us, whenever it may be, you are assured of a warm welcome.

Greyduster We two love fish pie. Any to spare?

rascal That is one beautiful creature. The name Cinnabar seems most appropriate.

Brodie hasn't paid the wee chalet a visit for several days. Nevertheless, the dish will be replenished regularly. One has a duty and lives in hope.

Another pic from 'the build' archive. Countless hours of hard graft. The reward was worth every moment of toil.

The breast care nurse phoned moments ago. I have agreed to return to Letrozole for a second time. If I need to, she will refer me back to the oncologist and my meds will be changed for something less fierce.

I shall log off as I have one or two jobs to do aboot the hoos.
The weather continues to be fine and dandy. The sea is a wee bit frisky - but no 'white horses'.

Panache is never far from my thoughts.

I've a free day tomorrow. I shall pop into our kitchen and hope to find that good news is on the agenda.

TOYA

Just back from a lovely lunch with friends at the George in Stamford. Usually at this time of year we sit outside but it was freezing so retired to the dining room.

Soop I am sorry your meds are not sorted out yet. Maybe Anastrozole is kinder - I have very few side effects and it does the same job. If you do take them get the Teva brand it seems to produce fewer side effects. I was shocked to hear that you seldom have a pain free day. Your build looks very impressive no wonder you are proud of your marvellous home.

Good to see you Izabella and I hope things are going as smoothly as possible for Panache.

We have just heard a very dear friend who is suffering from cancer has been taken into hospital with sepsis. We are praying for him. He has been ill for 12 years.

dragonfly so sorry to hear about your friend. Hope he improves soon.
izabella your sense of humour is still in tact ?. Hope you find the Memory Cafe.
Galen when are you off on your drug run...oops sorry I meant cruise ?

dragonfly I took Anastrozole for 5 years with no side effects after Tamoxifen produced lots.
I wish both you and soop well with your future treatment.
It is so easy with the hindsight of 19 years to say you will be fine.
I didn’t like it in my early days and I never do it now.

All quiet here in queenieland, thankfully the day is ending on a calmer note than it began.
You may remember Pip our well she may now be hanging onto that position by a very slender paw very favourite grand dog came yesterday to stay for a few days while dd2’s kitchen is bring extended to within an inch of its life! Normally pretty well behaved she barked for ages when we went to bed, only stopping when the old boy went down and had stern words. Then she woke me up at 5am with intermittent barks, clearly my stern words fell on very deaf ears as she didn’t really settle properly. We eventually got up just before 7am . The old boy took her off for a walk, with my strict instructions NOT to let her off the lead. She has been known at times to forget any recall she ever learned and we had to be out at 8.30 as I do a full day of volunteering on weds and the old boy gives me a lift there. Did he listen to what I said, no of course not! Some while later he came back in white faced panic mode with a lead but no dog on the other end. That’s because the said dog would not go close enough to him to be clipped on. He’d somehow got her back to the front of the house but she was having none of it. Enter granny throwing kibble down into the front garden hoping she’d be persuaded to come over the threshold, nothing doing! Eventually I captured her by going and sitting in the front passenger seat of the car, where she happily hopped in and joined me.! I took her into the house for her breakfast which she gobbled down then promptly threw it up on the kitchen floor! Clearly it wasn’t just us who were traumatised by this carry on. The old boy suddenly remembered he needed to go off and have a shower at this point, let’s just say my lips were well pursed by this time!! Thankfully she settled down and seems fine now, butter wouldn’t melt...mind you she hasn’t been off the lead on the other walks of the day! Haven’t told this tale to dd2 yet, she’d feel so bad on our behalf and possibly be wondering if we can be trusted their much loved dog.

I’m sure the lovely Sam wouldn’t behave like this n&g Sorry to hear about your friend dragonfly, 12 years is a long time to be ill. soop no wonder you love your home, having invested so much of yourselves in creating it.

Well I’m off for an early night, wishing you all a peaceful nights sleep and very much hoping for the same for myself

We are dog sitting from Saturday and your story strikes fear into my heart grannyq!
Our granddog would take to the hills - that’s the whippet in her - never to be seen again I think.
Our main difficulty will be negotiating with Charlie cat about dogs and big teeth.

Oh dear,I wonder if Hattie read your post yesterday Granyqueenie, as she had me up at 4.30, 5 and 5.30. Her tummy was rumbling ominously which usually means eating grass, sicking it up and then , like the Very Hungry Caterpillar, “feeling much better”. Trouble was it was chucking it down and Madam doesn’t like getting wet. We both got back to sleep about 6 and she is out for the count now. I only feel that way. Picture attached. Looks a lot like us.
Wishing you all relief from whatever troubles you today TOYA xx

I need a good talking to.
I am feeling sorry for myself.
A friend came for coffee yesterday morning and I asked how afriend of hers who I know ,was.
She was widowed about a year ago.
My friend said well I hardly see her, my life is so busy, after all I still have a husband and a house to look after.

I am still in discomfort with my back, I am walking bent over just like a little old lady, I know, I know , no need to point it out.

I still go out reluctantly, I am tired all the time.

I long for some social life but can't motivate myself and don't think physically I could do much.

Please tell me off roundly and give me a firm kick, you know where.

I should count my blessings but somehow can't.

Take heart Nannytopsy our pup slept like a dream last night and didn't stir till we got up well after 7.30. As she was kept on the lead this morning all was well, old boy moaned about getting wet, I wasn’t overly sympathetic! Good luck for your stint.

maw that picture is only too familiar...the only thing missing is me with a torch so I can identify what/where I need to scoop up in the morning, happy days! Hope your day picks up as it goes along, sadly no sign of the weather doing the same! ?