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

Just home after completing the required pick ups and drop offs for DGD, her dad is picking her up after choir and taking her home so we’re stood down now
Time for a relaxing evening with a quick and easy chicken stir fry to be enjoyed later

Hello everyone. I think I completed most things on my to do list. It had spread over from yesterday as we were out. Waitrose, wrapping brother’s birthday present, sending dress back to White Stuff (a cuff disintegrated after the second wash), a stack of WI admin and finally the Optician. I am always nervous because of the very bright lights they use to look into the back of the eye, which could trigger a migraine. However, they are really careful and all was well. Except for my eyes which have got worse in the last year, particularly my left eye which now has an astigmatism. My long distance sight is fine but I need new reading glasses. SpecSavers have a special offer so I bought two pairs for the price of one. One pair are purple and the other have polka dots on. I can collect them in 10 days. OH is out at his Beekeeping course so I can catch up on the newspapers. Have a good evening, especially those with worries or difficulties.

Thank you brook.

Good evening dear Kitcheners, today has been a good day as I have been out for a walk and it felt so good! No trips, wobbles or stumbles. There’s a real nip in the air but no ice left anywhere. We have eaten a ham omelette followed by crème anglais and I’m now ready to sleep. TOYA x

Lots of busy grans today! DS is home this week, so we are stood down - and relax! Charity shop drop off, big shop and PCC admin today. Must do the ironing …

Dusty, hope you feel better now, its hard when painful memories resurface.💐
Brook, thank you, we had a good visit this afternoon, although there is still no sign of her getting home.
Thank you, Soop and all you lovely Kitchen people for your good wishes and advice.
I am packed, ready to drive through to DS2 and family for my last full day of childcare with DGS2 tomorrow. The motorway is quiet at this time. DDIL2 is working from home, and Papa will be arriving at lunchtime with his mobility scooter in the boot so he can accompany us on our walk, so I won't be completely alone with the Wee Boy. I feel quite supported, although I'm living with ' fear of recurrence' at the moment. One day at a time...
NNGB, TOYA. 🥰

‘Evening All’

It’s Baltic here tonight. Brr! Never mind, it will acclimatise me for returning to Manchester tomorrow. Flash of lightning just now - seems a storm is on its way. It’s bleak out there. Glad to be in and cosy. The first time we’ve used the heater in a couple of years - glad it worked! Ah well, we’ve done very well weather wise for January.

Had a quiet day very dull and damp here in central Scotland although temperature was 10degrees. Have just given in and treated myself to an air fryer. Looks bigger than I thought in the kitchen! Tried frozen chips in it first and they turned out well what will I try next I wonder? Having potato cakes for supper later I have plenty so please sit down and help yourselves you lovely lot.

I am having a pyjama day today. I rarely do such a thing but I have nowhere to go and nothing to do. I've just had a hot chocolate and I'm listening to music. I have done three loads of washing so I'm not entirely a slob. I hope you are having a good afternoon kitcheners.

dustyangel, we enjoy your company. Please join us more often.

We are at Málaga airport just enjoying a late lunch.
The sun is shining.
Adios España!

Llfl I like your choice of spec frames. The more jazzy, the merrier.

Scapal Us lot will accept your kind invitation to sample potato cakes ^and anything else you need to share.

Grandmabatty Sounds like a very sensible plan. I may join you a little later.

Urms is your holiday over? It doesn't seem that long ago when you were preparing to pack your case. It is blustery but sunny hereabouts I've been watching the gulls, their acrobatics thanks to the thermals, are awesome.

Oooo, Urms Your late lunch looks delicious. Safe journey homebound.

I need to do a spot of polishing. I must be having a wee brain storm as I would far sooner hang around in our kitchen.

Slob day here also.I’m as stiff as a board and achy,dam steroid reduction!It’s also damp and cold here,ginger chocolate will help.
Safe trip home Urms.
Enjoy your evening all.

Safe and expedient journey home Urms.
I’ve made rumbledethumps to have with haggis tonight, hadn’t heard of it this morning, it’s on the Burns thread.

Turnip or Swede as it is also known mashed with butter is known as clapshot in Orkney where my ancestors are from. It is what we are having with haggis tonight.

Oops should have said turnip and potato boiled together then mashed!!!!

Nothing wrong with a pj day grandmabatty especially after a couple of full on days with your DGSs - enjoy the rest - you too Yia
I’m back home now eventually after a morning at the gym and then Costa all afternoon with my pal. Lots of news to catch up on even though I see her most weeks, it’s a very good job there’s comfortable chairs there
One of my other friends at the gym said I was looking pale and tired - why do some people say that I wonder, it’s hardly a compliment! I was feeling ok until then but decided I’d better make a bit more effort, apply a bit of blusher and lipstick and get my hair done 🤣
Hopefully Urms is safely in the air now and back home soon
Enjoy your Burns night supper everyone - I’ve not heard of clapshot Scapa thanks for letting us know. I do like Orkney though, I’ve been a couple of times and find it so fascinating

Whatever the rumbledethumps is Jax - enjoy!

Hello all. I’m curled up on the sofa with Milo. I am full of food and sleepy. It was the monthly U3A lunch club today and it was fun. A couple of dozen of us eating a delicious lunch and chatting away. We won’t cook tonight but there’s some leftover beef stew in the fridge and an assortment of vegetables. I will be listening to a zoom talk later on the history of London’s museums. Have a good evening and hopefully Mr and Mrs Urms are safely home.

Mashed potato and Swede with butter, then thinly sliced kale/dark greens, melded down with butter, all mixed together in an oven dish, grated cheese on top brook. Ready for the oven now, to be served with haggis.
I’ve done some online ‘stuff’ today, pleased to see my house insurance due soon, is £13 cheaper this year. I’ve also sorted monthly ‘pocket money’ for Imogen and Finley, direct into their bank accounts, Imogen just need a slight increase befitting her age.
It’s been a dully, foggy, drizzly and cold day, I was glad to close the blinds, rather earlier than previous days. Someone said to me the other week ‘you look well….for your age’!
Hope you improve soon Yia
Enjoy your evening all x

thanks Jax that does sound yummy

I’d completely forgotten it was Burns night tonight although it wouldn’t help much as it is very hard to get swede here. At the moment cooking is very difficult for us as for some reason the hob won’t work. It’s insured with the electricity company but they can’t come in till Thursday and that will only be to tell us when they can do the work!! I’ve run out of ideas of veg you can cook in the oven so we’ve been going out for a cheap lunch for several days running, such a shame but we manage to force ourselves.

Thank you again Brook and Granmarie for being so kind when I was down the other day. It really does help to be able to unload here. 💐💐

It’s bitterly cold at night at the moment, 2° tonight forecast. The house is well insulated but only the bathroom has the heating on. It makes for clear beautiful days though, as long as you stay out of the wind.

Good evening, Soop and lovely Kitchen people, happy Burns Night 🌹, I hope the 'red, red rose' emoji shows up okay ?

I'm just popping in to share my news with you, and to praise the NHS, because I have arrived home from my childcare day to find a letter from the local hospital with my appointment for the Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic. I'm really impressed, and very relieved that I will be seen soon, in two weeks.
Enjoy your Burns Supper, Jaxjacky, and any else partaking of haggis this evening.
Grandmabatty, you deserve your jammies day, I think I'm going to do that soon, maybe even once a week?
TOYA, NNGB. 🥰

I've missed so so much over the last 2 weeks. I'm just going to post what happened yesterday so you will have some idea of what life has been like...madness is the only way to describe it
Honestly... You couldn't make it up. I've just spent the last 40 minutes (in increasing darkness as I've signed up to the energy saving 90 minutes)... Trying to find out which of the animals (3 dogs and 1 very old ((22)) cat) was wheezing really badly. It was everywhere I went which is not surprising as I can't even go to the toilet without all 3 dogs following me. Ned was not impressed with me pressing my head into his chest to confirm it wasn't him. Luna whose bowels at the best of times have a mind of their own and such it was when I bent down to listen to her breathing... they decided make their presence known by letting rip a guff that had me reeling across the room adding to the ever increasing wheezing sound. The cat bless her looked mildly alarmed when I stuck my head in her basket and licked my hair whilst I
ascertained that her breathing was better than mine after Luna's 'gift'. The wheezing sound was getting louder the more I tried to find out who was about to expire and I began to panic.. and thought an emergency trip to the vet was imminent and thought best to have a quick wee in case there was any kind of delay. Having left all animals dozing in front of the fire with one eye on me in case I decided to try and get down and perform some other inspection on them ...I ran to the loo...and the wheeze came too and it was at my heels.... It was then that I realised that my bloody sketcher slider footwear things had developed some sort of malfunction and had been wheezing like an iron lung for the last hour. Gggrrrrr. Still only 18 minutes to go and the lights can go back on and I can have wine.