Soop's warm and welcoming kitchen...

Ann you absolutely do deserve it. Now you can relax for a bit while her mum takes over. Those plastic chairs are awful!

I disappear for a week - well go away - come back and struggle to catch up. panache I send you kind thoughts. Lean on us. Your poor DGD ann. Tonsillectomy is not as straightforward as folk think and hope the hospital comes up trumps quickly. soop happy to hear you are painting and hope it keeps your mind from others things’. Please put your feet up sometimes.
I have been visiting, doing the rounds really since I have spare time this month and have been well look after and entertained in return for spring cleaning, cooking and tidying cupboards. Quite why it is easier to do in someone else’s house has always been a mystery to me. Bought a Christmas tree today that can be planted out and am planning some home mead decorations to add to the conglomeration that has accumulated over the years. Off to catch up on TV that I have not seen and enjoy a cup of tea in my own special cup - simple pleasures.

Ann you’re truly not kidding yourself, that g&t was very much deserved indeed. A &E on a Saturday evening is certainly not for the faint hearted!

Too late to sat much or comment other than to say your description of those early days of retirement was spot on for me maw. As I’d also moved half way up the country I was very disoriented for a few years really, it felt like the “real me” was just slowly disappearing. Thankfully with time it all sorted came good and im happily settled here with no regrets for any of it. Thinking of you as you edge towards it all Galen, it can be a big change to adjust to.

Night all, sweet dreams!

Galen I feel I should put the other side of the debate! After several years of being increasingly unhappy at work, I rebelled in retirement. Time to be myself, sit in the garden, do the things I never had time for. I did go back and do a bit more work but on my terms and I enjoyed it much more. Now fully retired and still enjoying every moment. I hope you can be happy!
On a less happy note, two grandchildren here tonight. The six year old has been very sick ? and the three year old is running a temperature! Just like the old days!

Revelled!

Today I am doing a pre-departure Christmas banquet with the support of CH. Wish me luck. Hopefully all will be cooked in the right order at the right time. If not, we shall open another bottle and adopt plan B. c, d, e, ......................

Galen you will never look back and your retirement is well deserved. Maw I have lost the plot but a resurfaced post it note assures me that @'Maw not well.' Have you recovered?

Now I need help with the oven times which may take some time

Good luck Izabella, I'm full of admiration, a banquet would be beyond me these days. Once upon a time no problem, out of practice now. Not sure if I think thats a good or bad thing .

There's lethargy here today, weather is grey and we are both a bit down. I'm about to write some Christmas cards, see if dredging up positives to put in them will lift the spirits.

TOYA, stay warm and dray everyone.

Wow! You lot are turbo-charged and I am dilly dallying.

Ann You deserve so much more than a G&T. What a wonderful grandmother you are. Recharge your batteries and prepare for the eventual homecoming of your beloved granddaughter.

Izabella Enjoy!

Feelingmyage Your post made me chuckle. We have always bought Christmas trees that can be planted in the garden. Hence we have a mini forest of sorts. This year, we'll opt for something different. I have tree ornaments going back years. One in particular belonged to my own grandmother and came from Woolworths.

Syn I cannot wait to hear what the bods at the prosthetic clinic have to say regarding the flighing bolt. That really could have had serious consequences.

The three feral feline siblings are far from settled. The dear lady looking after them, housed them in her dining room and has had to remove the curtains and all the china. They live under a dresser. They do use the litter trays. They are eating. they will take a VERY long time to adapt to their new surroundings. The long-term solution has yet to be decided.

Thank you Izabella probably not much more than a bad cold unwilling to be thrown off and perhaps laryngitis which has made my life uncomfortable for a couple of weeks.
Absolutely not serious! ???????
Good luck with the banquet!

Maw It's high time that that buggeration of a cold moved on...feet up...keep cosy...

I'm logging off. Have done the ironing. Feeling slightly saintly

Until I return tomorrow, TOYA.

Pleased you got home okay Ann. I have spent many an hour in A&E with my parents and it is not a pleasant place to be. Hope your DGD is home soon.

Wow and exploding leg Synonymous should you contact the local rag?

Feeling very festive channelling my inner Domestic Goddess.
3 1/2=litres of Bergamot and bay gin now “macerating” in the garage, 8 jars of cranberry and gin jelly ready to cover and a bowl of cranberry and orange relish (not to waste the cranberry “pulp” ) in the fridge waiting for the little Kilner jars to finish in the dishwasher.
That’s the gin side of Christmas sorted anyway ?

When's the party Maw so I can put it in my diary?

ann do hope your DGD is on the mend soon. I think you certainly deserve a large drink....or two.

Well Galen I think a kitchen party next weekend would be in order for your retirement. maw we need more bottles of your most potent mixture so get brewing. ?

Maw that's some production line you have there. Christmas chez toi is going to be ginimitable, ginspiring and probably ginebriated.
ann, I hope you have a peaceful night and get better news about your DGD in the morning (((hugs)))
Galen, it sounds like a busy week for you, culminating in your leaving dinner. You will survive retirement - maybe you will write your memoirs?

?????

That’s great maw but 5 boxes of gin based goodies will not be enough for galen let alone her retirement party. Better start getting a bathtub of punch ready. ?

Not only leaving do on Friday, family arriving on Saturday to celebrate my 75 th on Tuesday.
Apparently I’m taking them out for an Italian meal Saturday evening. As my leaving do is also an Italian, I won’t need feeding for the next week.
Maw I don’t like gin, can we have vodka as well.
It will have to be Sunday as I’m invaded Saturday. They’ll leave Sunday morning as 5 year old has a party to go to, and they’re very important at that age.

Vodka jellies all round?
We’ll be threatening the Argy at this rate

Maw maybe if Ann's GD visited your gin palace her throat maybe soothed to an extent she will not care. Oh, I just remembered, she will be on antibiotics so cannot do any sampling.

Morning all !

I have no excuses for my absence other than winter weather induced laziness :-)

Congrats on your retirement Galen , sounds like there will be some great celebrations. Don't worry about what you'll find to do in retirement I'm sure you will find plenty to keep you occupied.

All round to yours for a tasting session then eh Maw?

Hope your GD is feeling much better today Ann what a weekend you had.

We went to a Christmas Fayre yesterday thinking it would be a small affair and it was not only huge but packed. Its in a place we go to often , there were some lovely things for sale but as we are trying very hard not to replace all our decluttered stuff we only purchased some local edibles for Christmas. Mind you Grampy needs to go to Specsavers as he offered to buy some local goats cheese and I had to point out it was actual some facial products based on goats milk !!

Its a crafting day today I have a Minecraft themed party to prep for and then some Christmas items . Hope you all have something nice to get you through the day !!

Congratulations in advance Galen on both your birthday and retirement.What a fun and busy weekend.
I would be very happy with any (or all) of the gin based comestibles.
My GD was home last evening after what I have to say was a less than satisfactory experience of the NHS.
When the bleeding started I rang the hospital where she had her op.
They told me to ring 111, it took me 35 mins to speak to someone who said go to A&E!!
It was downhill from there.
After waiting over four and a half hours for ambulance transfer it was agreed my DiL could after all take her in the car.
To cut to the point of the story she was sitting in A&E in the second hospital until after 3am when a Dr ,not an ENT one admitted her.
Therefore she had been sitting on a hard chair mixing with everyone for twelve and a half hours.
No food or drink in case she had to go back to theatre.
She saw a medic at 10am who decided she could be discharged when the blood clot which has formed had dissipated.
She was “thrown “ out of her bed to sit in a chair as the bed was needed.
She was discharged with ab’s at 4;30 and after waiting for her meds she left at 5: 30pm.
She was exhausted and very hungry but struggling to eat, her throat is so sore.
I really hope this is not typical for everyone, but worry so much it it getting the norm.
Now, who to vote for on Dec12th?
I look forward to the doorstep canvassers who will tell me that under them this will all be fixed.
I will post another time about the unreasonable relatives demanding instant care for their family member, the time wasters in A&E and the Carer who came with a patient from a care home who totally ignored her charge , was rude and arrogant and then just upped and left.
She made me upset and worried about the people in her care.

Ann Bloody wotsit! I could barely believe what I was reading. It sounds like a living nightmare. Surely you have every right to lodge a formal complaint. I could not remain quiet if such a thing had happened to a member of my family. You have my sympathy and a huge, tender hug.

Maw and Doodle and all the rest of you lovely lot, I agree that we should celebrate Galen's retirement in style. I happen to have a bottle of real Champagne that I shall put behind the kitchen bar in readiness for the party.

Champagne is second in my list of favourite drinks soop so I am looking forward to the party already.