Soop's welcoming and supportive kitchen for kindly folk...

Sneaked in to the busy kitchen to save my place. I'd like Assam tea, white, no sugar. A calorie free flapjack would go down a treat.
Don't suppose Urmston has any leftover wine....(leftover wine is NOT a thing!)

Big virtual hugs to all x

Love the deer photos....we get them also...beautiful creatures..the other day a sheep jumped over the fence into our garden...had to go for the farmer...
Having a weepy one just now...fretting re overseas children and grandchildren....thought would pop on here for a 'happy fix' albeit know that we are all struggling in different ways...*Urmston*...am having a ?also...chins up everyone...tomorrow will be a good day......it has to be...✨?✨

Earl Grey for me for my morning visits please too. Good supply Grammafrench. Are you a loose or bag lady?

soop. Please take care when removing ticks. Mya gets a lot and so do I. Fortunately her tick and flee tablet take care of hers. Mine are removed with an O’Tom Tick Twister stick. Important that the head of the tick comes out.

Baggs Love seeing the deer on our land and yes they eat what ever is going. One year, a whole row of runner beans. Last year it was new growth on our young Cornish apple tree.

I'm in awe of Mark, gardener. We can now see the edge of the pond. It was just a mass of cooch grass with bamboo overhanging. Not seen the two sets of steps for 5 years.

MrM was in for dinner at 8:15. Success.

I rang dear son at lunchtime. He sounded a little better than last week but he will soon start to struggle financially as he will only be getting statutory sick pay of £95.85 for 28 weeks. Doctor asked him about depression and suicide. He said it was more anxiety than depression.

Love the high back squishy sofa soop.

Good afternoon lovely peoples. We've had a wee stroll. I am knackered. Will have lunch and return to play the usual catch-up. Hey! The sun has got his hat on. It's a beautiful day.

Good afternoon kitcheners. I've brought the loaf I made this morning. It's lovely with butter and I may have some for lunch. Soop a walk is such a good idea. I might have one later to work off the bread. I've got a gammon in the slow cooker for dinner. I visited mum this morning and she was okay. The visits always begin with her litany of complaints but by the time I leave she has cheered up and today was no exception. I'm looking forward to a WhatsApp chat with friends this afternoon. Take care.

Hi kitcheners, I have done all the household jobs I intended to do, so that’s me on the sofa with a book for a while, with a compulsory cup of Earl Grey ?‍♀️

Grandmabatty Your loaf is a winner. I swear that I can smell the slow-cooking gammon. I've some special Isle of Arran chutney in the cupboard. Hint!

GrannyGravy I am drinking Breakfast tea...without a biscuit.

muse Don't mention cooch grass. It's a buggeration to remove. Not that I've any intention of gardening for a wee while. We are still debating the possibility of hiring a gardener for the heavier gardening. Maybe one day every so often would suffice.
I do believe that your son's anxiety will diminish now that he has professional support. I wish him well in both mind and body.

farview Fretting about our families with whom we have so little contact, is par for the course. When those families live abroad, the situation is doubly difficult. We have to hold on and believe that, with time, we will have the most wonderful reunions to look forward to.

Pittcity If you are hoping that Urmstongran has any left over wine, you must be a believer in unicorns. When I came into the kitchen earlier, all the alcoholic drink had evaporated. Someone, guess who, had hidden the empty bottles behind the bins.

Coucou (that’s French for Cooee) Kitchen lovelies.

It’s a lovely day of 19 degrees and sunshine and almost navy blue skies. Hooray! Just stopped for a sneaky look into the kitchen and have made my own Earl Grey. Peeps saying they enjoy that tea certainly explains why, in the old days when I could travel to England, I’d often find only a couple of boxes on the supermarket shelves. Why not stock more and sell more? ? One of life’s unanswerable conundrums? Mind you, I do know lots of folks who will say, “bleugh! Scented tea!”

muse, I can be a loose lady here in France, but they don’t stock EG Decaff, so I buy bags from Ireland.

Late yesterday afternoon the rain hammered down. Shortly after, the clouds cleared and here is the result...

Urmstongran I hope that you get your poorly symptoms dealt with asap.

That’s nice, my cat just trod on the Post Message button!

I have to say, in Urm’s defence soop, she only imbibes at weekends - unless she’s frolicking about in Spain! ? But, maybe she had an emergency and tea just didn’t fit the bill? Also *Granny Gravy*’s in the corner on the sofa, she might know something. And shouldn’t you have your feet up and not be rummaging about behind the bins?! Cheers to you @ 9pm. x

Hope cheery days have been had by all. We have to banish the blues at all cost.....they’re worse than couch grass. ?
Take care, everyone. ??‍♀️?

Hi all, no allotment today, where I also have the dreaded couch grass, instead hands down the toilets. We have such hard water with residual lime scale, so I’d bought some paste, seems to have made not one iota of difference, b****r.. Another man came round to look at the proposed garden works, not heard from the one at the weekend. I also coloured my hair, just needs a cut now, the fringe is getting annoying.
Urmstongran sorry hear your neck/ear aches and pains have returned, maybe your wine was medicinal. muse good you had a chat with your son, anxiety is exhausting, I hope he is offered and accepts some help.
These flowers were delivered on the 13th for Mother’s Day, still some pleasure in them for us to share.

Good afternoon/evening lovely people. soop we too have alcohol that evaporates!! Strange isn't it?? Urmonstongran I do hope you are feeling better today . Duncan is not coming in the kitchen today - hiding in the laundry basket from the "small person" who was here this afternoon . Fishcakes with salad for dinner tonight. Sending virtual hugs to all our friends in need of a little comfort. Stay safe everyone

What fabulous skies you get Soop. Absolutely stunning.

Well i am just returned from my very first supermarket shop. It was worrying and exciting at the same time.
My last shop was in Asda over a year ago where i was shocked to see rows of empty shelves. Hadnt ever seen that other than in East Berlin and more recently Cuba. I even took a photo. Thank goodness things were back to normal in Sainsbury today. So its onwards and upwards for me now. Feeling happy.

Grandmafrench That's what cats do, just because they can.
Our cat has been missing again for two days and two nights. We have supper ready to serve just as soon as she cares to grace us with her presence.

Jaxjacky Your flowers are beautiful. Such cheerful colours.
What colour is your hair? Are we allowed to see a pic? My hairdresser will be opening again soon. She has promised to phone me with an appointment just as soon as she can fit me in.

BladeAnnie Our Duncan is a very wise feline. "Small persons" are to be avoided at all costs.

We've been watching our favourite programme - The Repair Shop. Will, my favourite craftsman, made it even more watchable.

Away for today. I have Hellogirl1 in my thoughts. Together with all of you who are needing some tender loving care.

As you asked so nicely soop!

Coucou grandmafrench how I envy the 19º sunshine and blue skies ... it’s been sunny here but windy and cold!
Soop another beautiful picture and lovely flowers too jaxjacky I love the vibrant yellow colours - thank you both
We’ve been out walking today, managed to dodge the showers so we stayed dry, apart from my left foot that found a very deep muddy puddle ? - oh well cleaning my boots will be tomorrow’s job.
I did think about doing similar to urmston and opening some wine ? ... maybe later if I can find a bottle stashed away somewhere
Well done with your supermarket shop silverlining onwards and upwards ...

Thats such a lovely colour jaxjacky! Looks like you’ve done a really good job of colouring it yourself

Looking good Jaxjacky well done.
Enjoy your evening everyone.

That’s a nice colour Jaxjacky
Very tired tonight. Got up very early (for us) as the gasman was coming to fit a new pump for the boiler. We were without heat or hot water last night. It wasn’t a cold night here so we were ok but I am surprisingly exhausted just having someone else in the flat.
Still hoping Mia returns.
Not seen annsixty or galen recently. If you’re reading, I hope you are both ok.
Grandmafrench Nice to hear your cat is assisting with your posting on GN ?
TOYA ?

‘Evening All’

Happy to say I’m feeling a lot less anxious today. The under jaw pain and earache was gone (again) when I awoke. Good. As the practice nurse said last month ‘we like intermittent pain, it means things are no worse’. I wish I didn’t have health anxiety it’s rubbish the way it clouds reason and spoils living.

We’ve had a lovely afternoon with my stepfather (another Duncan!). He’s just a joy to spend time with. Kind, gentle, humorous and from the West Highlands - what could be nicer? We enjoyed some of his Famous Grouse and looked at some old photos. Nice to share some memories together.
?

I think your hair colour looks very professional Jax are you taking bookings by any chance?

Right I’m off. I shall be watching the double bill of ‘The Terror’ at 9pm on BBC2 in a bit.

I do like this kitchen. More so, the people in it. Wishing us all a peaceful night ahead. x

What's the opposite of a wobbly day? A solid day I suppose. Yes, that's what today has been.

I made the effort to look less like a scruff. Makeup, earrings and new poncho on for my walk. Used to do this every day. Not new poncho but decent clothes. That's what lockdown as done to me.
Brilliant walk with Mya and met so many that wanted to stop and ask about her distinctive eyes. `One blue. One brown. Sun out and I called for MrM medication on the way home and two stilton cornish pasties for the freezer.

MrM on his 8th day of sawing and drilling holes in these sleepers but it looks like it's all done. Just hope he leaves it up to Mark, gardener, to lay them all !

Cut the grass (lower setting). Looks much better.

Dinner at 8:30. . We had some venison haunch given to us before Christmas. Got it out of the freezer for tonight's dinner. Yum. My ginger cake and custard for pud.

Watched Great Celebrity Bake Off tonight. I do like Philippa Perry.

Good to hear many of you getting out. Glad the anxiety is diminishing Urm. Love the colour and flowers Jax and the sunset Soop.

I'm off to count some sheep. Bound to spot * Pinchy* amongst them

I have some very sad news to share dear kitcheners. The ‘lady with the thin dog’ tells me this morning that Hattie is very very poorly and her Mum is in bits. That the prognosis is poor and there is a strong possibility she will lose her. She may have to take THAT decision later today - and says playing God is so hard. ???

If surgery is involved, she is having to look at a 5 figure sum to the vet (as she says, honestly the charges are ridiculous, but you go with it because you love them) and she will have reached her insurance limit before that, although that is not the point.

If surgery cured Hattie she would agree immediately but it apparently seems to be more complicated than that.

She just cannot contemplate seeing a young happy dog decline and struggle with her breathing as she was on Tuesday.

Hattie has had to have more fluid drained from her lung this morning, which says to her that this is not an isolated incident.

This is just heartbreaking isn’t it? ??

Urmston that is truly very sad news and my thoughts go to that particular lady. Losing a pet is very hard. My last dog had to be put down at 11 and I swore I would never have another. Let her know I'm thinking of her if you are in touch. Thanks for letting us know.

Oh crumbs Urms how very sad, she dotes on Hattie and can’t even reach out here for support. I’m going off to mutter. Please tell her my thoughts are with her x.