Soops place of refuge and friends

Good evening, lovely Kitchen people.🥰

I'm just catching up on all your news, lots of busyness and travelling going on, not so much gardening because of the weather! What a shame about the Open Gardens, Redcar, very disappointing especially after all that great weather you had recently.

Another wet and windy day here, fingers crossed 🤞 for some brighter days. I hope you're right about the heatwave, Charleygirl. 👋

I hope FGT and Ladyleftfieldlover have some 🌞 in their suitcases!😎 Welcome home ladies, thank you for the photos, your holidays sounded just perfect.

YiaYia and family, enjoy Corfu, the sunshine will do you all a power of good.

Usedtobeblonde, what a worry for you. I hope your DGD's BF has recovered and promises to always carry an epipen. Glad you enjoyed the wee one's party, well done you for coping gracefully in an unfamiliar situation. Families are tricky at times!

Nannytopsy, I hope your mouth is more comfortable now. I'm also partial to a LIIT on holiday, it certainly packs a punch!

Sounds like you had a very lively weekend brook, with DGD and the gorgeous wee pup! You'll be glad of a quieter day today.

It is a treat to have your car nicely valeted, Jaxjacky, mine is long overdue. Are you managing ok with driving now?

I hope Grandmabatty is ok and enjoying a restful day before her early rise.

I enjoyed my golf club lunch, thank you ladies! They had a special "Retro" menu for "people born before 1961", three courses for £10! Well, we had lentil soup and a main each, absolutely no room for dessert, which was trifle or old school steamed pudding and custard. It certainly had us reminiscing about the popular meals of our childhood. 🤣

Lamb steak casserole for dinner this evening, followed by my version of Eton mess, meringue, natural yoghurt, pomegranate seeds sprinkled with cinnamon!

Wishing everyone a peaceful Sunday evening and a good night's sleep. 😴
TOYA, especially those with worries, illness or sorrow, and all in the Quiet Corner.

Thinking of Castle and her DD, sending kindness thoughts.

Pleased you’ve had a lovely day fgt with family and enjoy your time with L’il miss tomorrow
What good value grannmarie, you did well there! Dinner tonight sounds good too
I’ve come through to bed for an early night, it’s comfy and quiet here and DH can watch what he likes on the telly!

Thank you grannmarie it’s lovely to see her and of course give her hug. Also reassuring to see that despite everything she’s doing ok. She’s loving spending time with dgd and tomorrow joining us at baby ballet an experience they’ll both love. Fgt. your stepfather will be pleased to see you home.

Good evening kitchen folk. It's been better weather than expected here. I've sorted the bolognaise and the lentil soup and put loads in the freezer. The boys were very good today although dgs2 needed bribed to get dressed this morning 😂. I did some tidying in the school library and picked up the boys afterwards. They've been eating continuously since the back of 3 until 5. Dgs2 painted a lot and dgs1 played football in my long hall. Dd just appeared to borrow A3 paper. Dgs1 has to make a poster and do a talk. Dinner smells delicious so I'm off to twirl spaghetti. Enjoy your evening kitchen folk

Hi all, a rainy start, then about 4pm sunshine, seems to be the trend lately.
This morning on the voluntary phone, averagely busy. This afternoon a friend here for coffee and cake, it’s her birthday today.
Chicken and vegetable curry for dinner.

I have a full house!

The Imp is here for his weekly sleepover, he has been joined by his mum (DD) and his brother 🤷‍♀️

There home is in the same road as ours, it is literally a five minute walk away 🤦‍♀️

Evening all! I’m outside the village waiting for the choir to arrive but I can’t open the door. Such a pain - sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it isn’t! No one else has arrived so I may be on my own.

Lovely news Castle that your DD has arrived safely. Enjoy the baby ballet.
Granmarie...there are some benefits to being over a certain age!!!!
Jax...I hope the niggly hip pain resolves itself soon. I saw a private GP today and she was happy for me to have the Diclofenic Sodium that I use when the pain is bad. She understood that I only take them rarely ( maybe 3 times a month ). I can't take Naproxen so was panicking a bit as I was running out of DS. It makes such a difference to actually talking to someone face to face rather than on the phone.
UTBB...I hope the BF is back home and recovered...it was a timely reminder for me to find where I've put my EpiPen before we go away tomorrow.
FGT...Welcome Home. It was lovely to read about your holiday and so glad that you were able to embrace it all...sadness and joy too with old friends and new.
I am feeling at a loss a bit....We dropped in to see the little family I support yesterday. ( DH is involved now too especially with the 6 year old who from a previous relationship (same Mum). He is a sweet little boy but overlooked by both parents...Mum more involved with the newest 2 but trying to make an effort and Dad who he lives with spends most of his time on video games and the result is he misbehaves. I briefly met the maternal Grandmother on the labour ward and again yesterday...she has a very troubled history...mental health, shoplifting, self harming etc and more recently diagnosed with cancer of the throat and has had surgery but has turned down chemo. I was chatting to her yesterday and she told me that she wants to end her life and the reason for coming over for the weekend was to say her goodbye in her head. I told her how much she was loved and needed and that C would be distraught if she took her own life and it might even make her return to taking drugs ( and then losing the children...I didn't say that bit). I was trying not to flounder and say the right thing and she did seem to be taking in what I was saying....I came away deeply upset at how sad it was that her life had been such...children in care etc etc and now this...I felt hopeless that I couldn't help...other than to listen and maybe help her to see a different perspective. It's left me troubled despite DH saying you can't cure all the problems of the world even though you want to...

That’s so sad Neine I hope the lady gets some professional help and support quickly but well done with listening and talking to her yourself, I’m sure that would have helped ❤️

It’s been quite a good day weather wise here too grandmabatty, we’ve enjoyed a busy day working in the garden. Lots of cutting back, pruning and weeding, there’s always lots to do. Tomorrow I’ve a volunteering session so a bit of a change from the garden. I should also really go to the gym but think I’ll give it a miss if the weather stays warm and dry.
Hope you eventually got in ok * nannytopsy*!
Enjoy the busy house GG and your curry Jax!

Oh neine how heart wrenching. Many years ago I was involved with children in care where the parents were allowed access, some of the histories were so sad and infuriating at the same time. I could do nothing.

neine what a sad situation, and a worrying one especially as you can’t do anything to help apart from listen.

It wasn’t as wet here as forecast today, we even saw the sun for a while this afternoon. The DGDs’ school sports day was postponed until Friday when hopefully it will be dry.

I had two walks today and avoided getting wet, but my back is protesting at the unaccustomed exercise. I did some ironing then not much else. The forecast is for a chilly night so I have the fleece blanket ready to put on the summer weight duvet later just in case.

Enjoy the rest of the evening everyone.

‘Evening All’.

I’ve had L’il Miss (9) with me all day (an inset day). She was a delight and I told her so and that she could come again.😁

I think I might arrange a sleepover here for her. It was never possible these past 3 years while Himself was receiving chemotherapy treatment. (Immunocompromised & being so very careful). We shall see. I think we’d both love it, eating out locally together, bath time and all the joy that special time would entail. Sadly, it’s now possible.

Hello kitchen people. It’s always nice to be back in the mothership after a holiday! I did a trip to Waitrose while OH visited his bees. He thinks one hive is doomed and one of the others seems not to have a Queen anymore. He has ordered one. It will arrive in a box accompanied by a few ‘courtier’ bees.

FGT2 - our granddaughter loves coming to stay overnight on her own. She only started doing this last year when she was 9. She was always happy to stay with one or both of her parents but now is very happy. She takes over the room and makes it her own! She loves our cats and she is allowed to have them on her bed until lights out.

I spent the afternoon at my neighbour’s together with her daughter and another friend. We got on with whatever craft we’re working on. I’m doing quite a large collage.

Sleep 💤 tight.

I think having L’il Miss for a sleepover would be lovely if you can arrange it fgt special times together ❤️

Hope your DH bees recover and thrive llfl 🐝

Good afternoon all. It’s thundering here although it sounds a distant away.
I do hope the bees survive, I think it very important for the ecosystem .

I have managed to get the services of a gardener, two young men actually.
They do two gardens across the road.
The gardener they had before was too busy to take me on but these two will start next week, hooray.
When my GD leaves I will get a cleaner as well, then I shall be more self sufficient.

Sainsbury’s have just been and is put away and I have folded yesterday’s laundry, this is much more than I usually accomplish in one half day!!

Enjoy what you can of today everyone.

We had a great day with family luckily we were able to sit outside nd the boys played football with no plants damaged ! Nannytopsy hope your toothache has settled.
Fgt one of my grandsons loved staying overnight he gets in the shower and likes to clean the glass and tiles .
Neine hope you find your epipen I try not to forget mine when the children were small I suffered anaphylactic shock I was in hospital 5days don't know what causes it. Jaxjacky hope you enjoyed your curry mine never turn out like our very good takeaway.
Redcar hope sports day goes ahead .

Oh gosh hulahoop nothing like the professional ones, although not so long ago I used to have a pretty decent go, usual a bought sauce now.
I was born in Pakistan, my Dad worked there for a while and both M&D developed a taste for curry, so we were bought up with it.
We’ve just had a squally thunderstorm, didn’t last long, I’ve spent a large part of today making phone calls, some fruitless, annoying. MrJ now off to bowls.
That would be special FGT find memories of ours when younger.
Have a pleasant evening all.

I hope you and L’il Miss enjoy the sleepovers, I really enjoy having GC here.

Still have a houseful, DD is unwell so is staying here for a few days with her boys.

Have rang the opticians where my records have been sent, they confirmed my suspicions that the other practice has gone into liquidation, will check online whether or not it was voluntary. The receptionist was very helpful and is emailing me my most recent prescription. Now I need to find mew frames.

Are you happy for me to reopen the kitchen as we are near the end of this one?

grannygravy please open a new kitchen for us.

Yes please GG13 that’s good of you.

May I just say before this thread closes - as it’s the one where we were told our dear lady soops had died - how much we all miss her kindness and sense of humour. She was the linchpin that held us together, sharing our woes and our happiness. She will never be forgotten by any of us and keeping the kitchen in her name continues her legacy.

RIP dear soop. 💐

Special thoughts must go to her husband who loved her dearly as she did him, that shone through her posts.

And to Baggs who kept us updated and passed on our best wishes during those sad days. Thank you.

I second that FGT2

FGT2that is all so true. She will be sadly missed. I am going to close this thread appropriately, and thanks GrannyGravy for starting another.

We all have very fond memories of soop in her marginally younger days and her love of cats. RIP Annie.