Soop's Kitchen Extension

Thanks LizG I thought long and hard about sharing it.

gracesmum I have just reviewed my knittting projects (unfinished, of course) the 'oldest' is an arran jumper I started to knit for no.2 son when he went off to Uni..... he will be 40 in a couple of weeks time!

OGM, thank you for sharing your poem. Such insight made me feel quite tearful yet again, but that's no bad thing. I think I have somewhere an unfinished cricket sweater that I started for DS2 when he was still at school. He will be 41 in January. Do I win?

gracesmum, one of my favourite shops is a tiny wool shop in Didcot which I often fear will be gone whenever I go back to look for it.
As for cards, last night I was at the Lowry Theatre and had a browse round the shop thinking about buying cards and calenders, but thought twice about it, knowing my propensity to leave belongings behind in theatres and coaches. But I plan to go back. Also a trip to the National Trust shop at Styal Mill or Lyme Park is in order at this time of year and I'd get a nice walk at the same time.

Hello again, can I come in? I just found your poem ogm, beautiful and sad...light at the end.
anno I have wondered about that shop too!

Feeling rather disgruntled as my next door neighbour gave me more numbers for gutter repairers, I phoned them and was to have had two calls back last night - guess what, nothing......
I do have another number.

I will make you some shortbread biscuits, which I love, and can eat here!

OGM I have never really 'got' a lot of poetry, but you have written a truly beautiful poem. A very emotional piece that resounds with each of us.

OGM Your poem is perfect. It speaks volumes...in a hushed voice. for you from us lot
AlieOxon Keep calm. All will be well...eventually. Stay awhile and we'll help you to eat your home baked biscuits.
anno National Trust shops are like a treasure trove. Beautiful cards and unusual gifts...a trifle expensive but very desirable.
OGM Your son will be chuffed to bits whenever it is you finish his sweater.
Today I've driven the car into the village. When we returned, we found not only the skip, but a wheel barrow piled high with logs at the very point where I needed to avoid the willow branches. Mr soop offered to park the car. I was brave and replied that, as the driver, I should do so. My heart was thumping wildly as I did so. It took rather a long time...but the point is, I didn't make a mess of things. Mr soop hugged me. He set my hearing aid off...I entered the house with a loud ringing in my right ear.

Bellasnana To lose an only child, in an accident, at such a young age is heart breaking.

PS to you lot...You do realise that we shall soon need to build a further extension to the kitchen. In my dreams, I'm including an Aga in the new one. bags can bake her flapjacks on the premises. Saves us waiting and wondering when the next batch will be delivered.

Lovely words OGM - beautiful.
An Aah-gaah Soop? How very posh!! My MIL used to have an elderly and temperamental Rayburn when they lived in Dumfriesshire, but it did keep their damp old kitchen very cosy!

Hate the things! You have to bend down to them. If they made an eye level one perhaps?

gracesmum what colour should we have? I like green. How about you?

Galen You won't need to do any bending. We'll position your special chair [with the tartan cushion] as close to the warmth as you like. Mr soop will do the rest of the gubbins. In a virtual world, we Granspals are exempt from household tasks. Much too boring

soop a dark green one sounds great. The extension and new furniture will be ready by Christmas easily.

I have no idea how the thing works but I do like the heat it emits.

Charleygirl We get two fit men to shift the comfy sofa [generous enough for all of us to loll on] into the kitchen. Shall we have an old fashioned "singing kettle" ...brings back memories of time spent in my Nana's country kitchen.

Dark green would be lovely, but so would bright red........? Not fussy - when we bought or present cooker a range type aga-a-like gas and electric I chose cream as it looked homely. Doesn't matter as long as the biscuits shortbread cakes welcome are is warm!

soop not the new sofa. I am worried that because there is so much food and drink around 24/7 that somebody is going to have an accident and it would be difficult to clean it. Maybe black leather? The only problem there is Rory, he may wish to sharpen his claws on it. Tara certainly would, but I would leave her at home when I visited.

gracesmum Yes...let's go for cream. As you say, it's a homely look.
Charleygirl Virtually nothing bad ever happens in our kitchen. Even Rory is permitted to act in his usual characteristic manner...please bring Tara along. Rory enjoys the company of other cats. He's very gentle since he had the "snip". The two can curl up on the rag rug that bags made for us.

Mr soop has hired a skip - an eye watering £300 ['though it should have been more] in which to chuck all manner of stuff that has been cluttering the loft space. He needs me to stand at the foot of the ladder so that he can pass the rubbish down. He then fills the wheel barrow and takes it to the skip that partially blocks our drive. This morning, after I had driven to the shops and back, he wanted to park the car for me. I said...trust me...and edged gingerly past the skip on one side and the willow on the other, right into the usual parking space. I could sense Mr soop tensing every muscle. However, afterwards, he hugged me and set my hearing aid off. We had such a giggle.

Oh soop we have a dreaded skip at the moment. 'They' brought it while I was out, so both garages and half the drive are blocked for the duration. Mr Icy was in, but didn't appreciate that the positioning might be a problem (!). I might be able to edge a car round it but there is a pond on t'other side and I'm too chicken to try.
The French for skip is benne - I thought you might like to know that

Hey, this sounds lovely. We had a Rayburn when I was a kid in Welwyn Garden City. A cream one.

Good news, one builder came and I have settled with him to do the gutters probably on the 26th! At a rather lower price (2K) and including stopping my roof over the side passage leaking........whew big relief.

I can now think about getting a new washing machine.
Oh, and I must get on with that shortbread....

Could we have a very girly bright pink Aga?

Last time we had a skip, the men very careful placed it over the front wall, in the front garden, so we could continue to use our narrow drive. Great idea!! Until different, and not quite so careful, men came to take it away and knocked the decorative sticky-up bits of granite off the top.

We had a Rayburn in my childhood home. After it was installed, parents had to go out and buy a fridge because the kitchen got too hot. Said fridge lasted almost 40 years until dad died and survived three house moves.
Thank goodness for that Alie. What a weight off your mind that must be. Shortbread..... yummmm.

Icyalittle Heck! Safe parking. A pond just might be one obstacle too many [for me] at the moment.

AlieOxon Told you so. First things first...we're all waiting to sample your prize winning shortbread.

kittylester We can change the colour daily, if you like. In our virtual kitchen ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is possible. Sorry to hear about your the decorative sticky-up bits. Sounds painful

Respect*Soop*!! Good parking!

Oh dear, you lot have made me laugh so much. Knitting exploits, parking with a hearing aid going off, an eye level Rayburn. I think I am totally losing touch with reality and my ribs are aching. Need to sit down, warm my toes and stuff more flapjacks and shortbread - purrfect!