Soop’s kitchen, filled with kindness, understanding and some damn fine cake ! Come on in.

Hello the kitchen. It is half past five and I have been awake for over an hour!! Someone outside getting an early start couldn’t be bothered to shut their car door quietly and that was it for me then. So here I am, drinking coffee and dunking ginger biscuits. I am supposed to have foresworn biscuits. No resolve, me.

Charley I think we must have been in a parallel universe yesterday. I too went North to make up a GN four for lunch and on the way back the train stopped and I heard someone across the aisle say “there’s a child on the line!” We were there for some time before we got under way again and presumably the child was fine, but it could have been truly awful. Apart from that, it was rather a splendid day! I even got to say hello to my first born, who made me a cup of coffee in his office.

Callgirl I’m glad to hear the London experience was a good one, but yes, they do know how to charge in big London hotels (and in small ones too!). I suppose to anyone other than us lesser mortals, it’s not even pocket change! I have to say that, although we have been to London theatres many times, I’ve never seen a West End musical. I really should complete my education! We had friends who went to see Le Mis on stage four times. Not good news about your DD’s leg, but I hope she makes the best possible recovery.

Corner I hope you enjoy your barbecue. We are spending the afternoon with GS and mummy bear, as daddy bear is doing some corporate entertaining today. I suggested to DD that we take them out for an evening meal but that GS had mentioned that they were planning to barbecue. She said it was wishful thinking on his part (I fancied it would be!) because without SiL there the barbecue would remain under its cover. So we have booked a table at his favourite tex mex restaurant. It won’t be healthy, but it will be tasty. We can do sensible another day! Like you and your knee, I am trying to keep my hip away from surgeons as long as I can too, because I don’t think it’s bad enough, but my GP said “don’t wait until you can’t stand the pain.”?

Lins when DH and I lived in a London in the mid sixties, The Prospect of Whitby used to be one of our favourite pubs too. It would get very busy in the summer though. We also loved The Spaniard on Hampstead Heath (?we did a lot of our courting in Hampstead Heath), and The Old Bull and Bush for the best sausages I have ever tasted! I don’t suppose they deign to serve anything as lowly as sausages now. It is a gastro pub I think.

N&G please can I reserve the one second from the right? I am looking for a box of matches as we speak!

Well, now I am having a sneezing fit as well as insomnia and I can hear Himself clomping about upstairs so I have a feeling I am going to get told off for getting up so early. I will look in later. Apologies to all I have missed.

I wrote a long post and now it has gone! ?.
We were awake for an hour or so at 3am when a power cut set off our neighbour’s burglar alarm. She doesn’t stay in the house at night, so there was no one to turn it off. Right opposite our bedroom window and only about 25’ away.
I didn’t expect to be awake this early, like you Grey but may as well make a start!
Glad you enjoyed London Callgirl but a buggeration about your daughter’s heel. Fingers crossed for a good outcome.
TOYA

Hay fever snuffling (mine, oops) woke me this morning, so prowling for a while.

We loved the stage performance of Les Mis we saw many years ago callgirl, pleased you enjoyed it and your hotel stay. All good wishes for your daughters recovery.

No trains for us today, the wretched motorway instead. On a summer Saturday we allow twice the usual time and be sure we have calming music in the car.

Some of you will recall me posting about a friend who had a serious accident a couple of years ago. She’s in a right pickle again leaving us worried for her and trying to work out how much support we can realistically provide as she’s a 3 hour round trip away. We’ll do what we can, she has no close family, oh the joys of getting older.

TOYA, be good everyone.

Corner, it is lucky that your friend has you to help her. Distance does cause problems. Hope your journey isn’t too awful.

Can't stop humming "Do you hear the people sing?" now *Callgirl" - it will be with me all day! Glad you enjoyed it. Memorable staging, acting and songs for sure.
London prices always shock me but I am a Yorkshire girl so expect that!

I am having a day on my own today as DH was off to catch the ferry to the Isle of Wight early this morning and won't be back till 7pm or so. I enjoy some solitude but will be glad to see him on his return so I am thinking of "Ann". "maw" "Callgirl" and all those GNs who have had to get used to being on their own. It must be so hard. TOYA.

Gaga, you have, unwittingly, given me an earworm - not a bad one to have though.
Callgirl, I'm so pleased that you had a good time in London and loved Les Mis which I saw so long ago that I can't remember the exact year, but I still have the songs going round in my head. Your poor daughter is in for the long haul with her heel, but at least she didn't have to go to Derby and will be able to enjoy visits from her mum.
soop, no offence, but I felt so pleased for Federer, beating Nadal in style - and he is such a stylish player. He will have a bigger challenge with Djokovic. Looking forward to the women's final this afternoon.
Now must get skates on and shoot off to the parcel office to pick up a package. My former postie used to sign for me and put the parcels in my 'safe place'. Not so the new one.

Good morning. I have a new best friend helping me cope and it is working amazingly well so far. Post- it notes!! My saviour. Various surfaces now adorned and said notes removed when something is achieved and remembered.

So. I can now confidently wish Ann60 a happy birthday and note that Synonymous you are now getting more help which is good. Dragonfly may your patience continue as you wait what will seem an indeterminable time for the scan appointment. And of course I appreciate the torsos so engagingly posted by N&G Great fun.

Callgirl your name is on the post it but I have to admit that is as far as it got, but you are in my thoughts.

There. I feel much more in the swing of things again!! And apologies to anyone I have missed.

Oh yes it was Les Mis - which I enjoyed some years ago. I remember now.
Today is Aldi with CH. I find holding onto the trolley helpful when my balance goes "off" but have to rely on CH for actually putting the right things in the right trolley ?

Ok concentration waning so I will wish everyone as good a day as possible. ~i shall of course bumble on in my own increasingly unpredictable way. My support worker comes soon I may bake cake and pop any remnants into the kithen.

Bless you all and sorry for my long rmbling post.

Dear Izabella your posts are far from rambling and always enjoyable and very welcome.
I have been out early to Simply Food as it is Carnival day in our large village/small town.
It means the roads are almost blocked for a couple of hours while the parade goes to the local park.
It is a bit chaotic but some people love it and put lots of hard work into making a success and raising money for local causes.
At least it is dry for them but no sun as yet.
I had a lovely evening and actually a very nice day all round.Another number ticked off, I wonder how many more I will get.

Good morning all. Sorry I haven't been around for a few days.
Recovering this morning from 3 very long shifts. Had a very stressful one on Thursday as tenant had to go into A and E. I didn't end up finishing until 11.30 pm and I had started at 9am.
Hard but nice shift yesterday as Tenant was having a 75th Birthday party. She had a Disco as she still loved dancing.
I'll try to catch up with everyone later today.

Morning all !!

It must be the time of year for it Ann. Here we have a village garage sale going on , buy a map for a £1 and it shows which houses are taking part, then its the WI strawberry cream tea at 2:30pm and there's a cake sale on the Fairland supporting funding Santa's grotto for the village children and finally the care home down the road in celebration of an outstanding inspection report has an all day 'come and celebrate' fete on with drinks , a bbq and live music !!

I'll bring back cake for you lot :-)

You're sounding bright this morning Izabella , so glad your new best friend is helping !!

Enjoy your free day gagagran !

Corner , have you tried the new Beconase Plus nasal spray for hayfever? Its suppose to stop it before it starts and I have to say Ive been impressed with how quickly it stops my itchy eyes.

grey the one on the right is yours ! Don't break him !!!

I'm sorry, I'm no tennis fan ladies but to those who are, enjoy your TV - I'm off on a cake mission !!

N&G Slimming World will not be impressed with your weekend of cake eating!

I will be watching tennis but I am sure Serena will sail through it.

Tomorrow I will be screaming at Novak to win. What am I going to do next week? Thanks, you do not have to tell me!

Izabella you are certainly not a rambler and callgirl that sounded like a superb time in London- a pity that your loose change is marginally less than £10 or £20 notes!

Some but not all matinee theatre seats are very reasonable and that is going to be my next project. I just love musicals.

One of my nephews used to work in a London theatre giving his parents and myself free tickets but he has inconsiderately moved elswhere.

I must make a move because I have a busy day of sitting in my chair watching tennis- but no cake N&G!

N&G& Please don't apologise for mesmerising us lot with a triple dose of gorgeous hunks. We shall have one each. *Ann can have first dibs.

callgirl1 Oh you lucky lady. I have always longed to see Les Mis on stage. I do have a video but, good as it is, it's not the real thing.
Sorry to hear that Dawn's injury isn't as straightforward as the doctors hoped. She is a strong minded lady...she will recover with some style.
As for the Waldorf, opaque glass windows, eh? What were they trying to shield you from? Maybe the Premier Inn was on the sky-line. Mind you, we are always happy to stay at the P.I. as you get what you pay for.

Bellasnana It was a thoroughly entertaining game. I wish that it had gone into a fifth set. I wanted Rafa to win. He is a charming man and, in spite of losing, he still made time to sign an autograph for his fans.
I now wish for Roger to beat Novak. A dark choc Magnum awaits the final.
I've grown to like Serena much more since she partnered Andy in the mixed doubles. She and he made a good team. They enjoyed the challenge. They made me smile.

Callgirl your trip sounds amazing. I do hope your DD makes a full recovery.

Izabella as always lovely to hear from you. You still write as beautifully as ever.

N&G I wish our area would have a garage sale. We have so much rubbish!

Got to go and watch the tennis now. Hope Serena wins and rooting for Novak sorry Soop.

Greyduster I admire your stamina. Your post was most entertaining.

corner You are a truly good friend.

Izabella I am also a great fan of your posts. Your post-it tip is a good one. I think that I shall follow suit. Reading through reams of posts in the kitchen mesmerises me. If I made wee comments as I do so, I may not forget to include those to whom I wish to respond.

Nannyfaraway Three cheers to the 75 year old lady who still enjoys discos. On our return from town yesterday, I happened across an Elvis disc in the car. The moment I heard his voice, my feet were dancing and I was transported back in time to when I would rock 'n' roll around the kitchen with my sister. My father sitting in the background - shaking his head and muttering - bloody row!

Charleyg I am also ready for the match. I have no cake. Best not, and say I did. Temptation is all too easy for me to succomb to. The back-bone of a flip-flop sums up my will power.

not junk dragonfly - its all 'vintage' now or 'preloved' or better yet' retro' or kitsch' LOL !!!

dragonfly It's only fair that both contestants have their supporters all fired-up. The support of the crowd must be invaluable on such stressful occasions. I sometimes favour the "under dog". I believe that Novak will win. I would prefer Roger to be the Champion as he is as good as invincible.

Back later.

NG* I recently purchased a necklace at the local car boot sale. It cost twenty pence. I love it to bits. It is possibly my favourite 'preloved' item of jewellery...and 'kitsch' with it.

Aha! Just back from shopping and noticed a pink (that was yesterdays colour) post-it note on the coffee table reminding me that I omitted to ask if anyone had an update from Panache Palace? Also to Greyduster - yes you were quite right regarding Wentworth Castle Gardens.

For those you watching tennis, i hope you enjoy the matches.

Izabella post it notes are a brilliant idea. I'm sorry your Living Well course was cancelled. Has you husband been offered a place on a CrISP course? They are full of brilliant ideas, mostly supplied by other people who are caring for people living with dementia.

I think you are fantastic to continue to post.

I am sure Serena will sail through it
Enjoy eating your words, Charley, though some cake would be nicer. That was the most one-sided final ever. Poor Serena was feeling her age and her lack of match practice.
Looking forward to the men's final which I hope will last a bit longer!
Izabella, thanks for the post-it advice. I have loads of them, if I can find where I have put them. I also have a handy gadget called a 'boogie board' (looks like a mini blackboard)
on which I can write memos to myself or useful phone numbers, all of which can be deleted at the press of a button. Comes with its own stylus and works off a little battery which hasn't yet needed to be changed.

What a match! A very worthy winner. anno Tomorrow afternoon's match will be the cherry on my cake, if I had any. There will be a dark choc Magnum to relish.

Poor Mahut has just sustained an eye injury. He appears to be okay to continue with the men's doubles. I like him a lot. Would like him to win in due course.

It has been a glorious sunny day. After tomorrow's match, Wimbledon treat will be over and done with and I shall return to a less frantic routine. All this dashing between matches has worn me to a frazzle.

I too am hoping that the Panaches are contuing to slowly but surely settle into their smart new apartment.

TOYA and hoping to be back with you in our kitchen tomorrow.

The women's final was indeed spectacular and the best person won. What a lovely girl she is!

soop before Serina partnered with Andy I did not really have much time for her but we saw more of her personality when she was playing with him. To me, she and Venus were a couple of powerhouses.

I did not want her to but thought she would sail through today's match and I was pleased in a way she did not because Simona definitely was the better player and she was delightful afterwards. Romania will be celebrating this evening.

It was a very one-sided match and unbelievable it finished in under an hour. Tomorrow's will be very different and I am sure may go to 5 sets. I must have an easy supper sorted out because I will be exhausted watching the pair of them, whichever way it goes.
TOYA

Always a pleasure to hear from you izabella . Like your post it note idea. One thing we did think of for my brother was to put pictures on cupboards of their contents like cups and plates and label coffee and spoons. I hope you don’t mind me mentioning it but have you thought of putting some sort of tracking device on all the keys in the house, car keys etc. My brother often picked them up and put them in trouser pockets or on shelves etc and it would help my SIL to find them if she could make them beep at her.

Greyduster my DH enjoyed the Prospect of Whitby and he also went to the Mayflower which dates from the 16th century and before that it was known as The Spreadeagle. The pub was and is still licenced to sell stamps. I will tell him about the others you mention and I'm sure that he will visit them on another occasion.

I enjoyed the tennis today and Halep was a worthy winner. Serena was very gracious in defeat though. At the semis on Thursday, there were many empty seats for the first match featuring Halep, which was the better match by far. It filled up for Serena's semi which was very one sided. I don't understand why people would go to only the one match, having paid so much for the tickets. DD and I saw as much as we could and thoroughly enjoyed seeing Serena Williams, as McEnroe says - the greatest player of all time.
However we can now say that we've seen the new Champion too and wasn't she a breath of fresh air?

Callgirl1 I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's injury. Having had a foot operation, I know how painful it is. Although recovery is slow, she will get there. Please give her my love and best wishes.

Hope that the Panaches are a little more settled and cosseted in their new home. Do people still give salt as a good luck present for a new home anymore? I'm sending a box of Cerebos/Saxa anyway, with love.
TOYA