Soop's welcoming kitchen!

anno Bellasnana and DebnCreme

We've enjoyed a very happy two hours with our pals. Their company has cheered us no end. Rory put in an appearance and seemed relaxed. After much merry chatter we're now preparing the evening meal. Needless to say, our Rory was first served.

Tortoiseshell kitten and mother cat have both put in an appearance. Not today but fairly recently. It's comforting to see them both looking very healthy.

Back to catch up with you all tomorrow. x

Don't need to ask soop. Sending much love, (((hugs))) and . will be thinking of you and your friends.

Hope the improvement continues for your DH Granny23 take care of yourself and don't overdo it either of you.

Oh dear soop, so sorry your friends have suffered such misfortune. It is very hard to find words to help other than to hope things will improve for them all.

I'm another one who wishes we all lived closer but thank goodness for the virtual closeness at least.

Take care everyone

That is awful soop every time you reply something else has happened to one of your friends.

I saw some of the Davis cup matches but not a lot as I had TV problems and also I do not have a "red button" to switch to here.

MacSporran is really going to miss a 4 legged boy who adores him. Still, absence makes the heart grow fonder. I have so much chicken in my freezer, Rory would be drooling if he was here. Such a pity that the animal loving folk are so far apart, I would love to look after him.

Many years ago I looked after a friend's 2 dogs and one was an Old English sheepdog. My DH was in America working for 2 weeks and the dogs would not allow him in on his return! Even worse, the sheepdog refused to go home with her owner which was very embarrassing. She had to be almost dragged out.

Good to see you back in the kitchen soop. It's disconcerting, to say the least, with good friends suffering such health difficulties. Don't wear yourself out!

I also wish I was closer to GN friends.

I cannot begin to thank you lot enough for all your very thoughtful messages. Latest news is that our friend has suffered a bleed on the right side of his brain. His left arm and leg have been adversely affected. Due to his vast size it's going to be a right bummer getting him on his feet, let alone doing all the necessary exercises. It took the team of two ambulances to take him from his home!!! Twin sister still recovering from the car accident and needs further treatment for lung cancer. Her husband [another dear friend of ours, had a black-out whilst driving her to a hospital visit] writing off her car in the process. He's now not allowed to drive and has to undergo tests to establish why he's unwell. It's all so unsettling. Three good pals all in trouble with health issues. Our two fit pals are coming for afternoon tea today. We need to give "orders" concerning the tender loving care of our MacSporran's cat in our absence.

Granny23 I'm thinking of you and hoping that progress continues.

ffinnochio Your smiles will have lit up the room. Bet you had such fun with lots of tender kisses and cuddles.

Gally A meeting with Marelli and Grandmanorm is bound to lift your spirits sky high. I so wish that I lived much closer to my Granspals.

Charleygirl Did you watch the Davies Cup on Sunday? The Italians thrashed our boys. I was so disappointed after the brilliant result of the doubles match on Saturday.

Lona enjoy the sunshine. You deserve a treat. We'll hope to have you back with us before too long.

bags dear friend, I could have done with your company recently. I often felt like jumping in the car and popping over to see you. A coffee and flapjack and a short time with you...magic!

Off to clean the house thoroughly. Don't ask...

Have fun, lona

soop I hope you are ok, we missed you yesterday.
I'm going away later this afternoon, to Spain for a few days, so I won't be online.
I've left an apple pie and a jug of cream for my kitchen friends to enjoy, and some chicken for Rory.

to all.

I do hope that your friend is a little better soop. Stroke and heart attack are not good combinations. He is fortunate to be surrounded by so many friends.

I was expecting an aerial man here today betwween 8-12 mid day but I received a phone call at 7.15am! I was up, just but did not have time to get dressed. They were here last Thursday but were 1/2 hour out of the house, I was £60 lighter and it was back to square one. This is the 4th lot who have visited. We nearly had a fight today because I said that I was not paying the service charge of £60 on top of the price of a new amplifier as they were here on Thursday and zilch had happened. At least with the early call I have the rest of the wet day to myself. I do not hold up much hope but I must be optimistic. Soon I will need a part time job to fund my TV. Tara at least loved the 2 fellows and they fussed over her.

How lovely for you ffinn. The first cuddle is always very special, no matter how many GC you have. Today I have to wash, iron and pack for a trip south to help with GSs in the first week of the school hols. My good neighbour is moving about a mile up the road with her tribe of gorgeous black labradors (and cat) today. I will miss them but she assures me that she chose her purchaser carefully!

Good to hear you'll be meeting some GN-ers soon Gally.

Hope all's well soop. Not long now until you're off to visit your grandson. I've just returned from my first visit to our new granddaughter in London. It was wonderful.

soop hope all goes well with your pals? Not long until you are on your way to Sussex? G23 good to hear that MrG23 is more comfortable.
I am looking forward to DD1 and family + stepgrandson (14) arriving later this week. I have had a strange weekend. Have been incommunicado since Thursday - all my friends are away or busy with family so have spent time alone for the first time ever, apart from my Cruse chat. Busy preparing for impending visit, but also continuing with the big clear out which in itself is depressing. I keep finding photos and momentos of family long since gone, so have spent a long time sobbing into my g&t. Thankfully I am meeting up with Marelli and Grandmanorm next week so will be cheered up. It is now 7o/c and the b****y sun is shining for the first time in days, the sky is azure blue and the seagulls are caterwauling. Sods law

I hope there has been some good news about your friend today, soop, though I fear not since you don't appear to have posted on here today.

Glad MrG23 is picking up and hope he continues to improve

The flying ant infestation sounds similar to our bee invasion a few years ago. I captured lots in jars and put them outside and I also hoovered up a few hundred over the course of a few days.

Been out at part three of my archery coach training course today. The assessment is in two months' time.

dustyangel and thank you. Are the bugs flying ants? It seems a tad early for such things.

I've been watching Andy and his partner, Fleming, win their Davies Cup doubles match in Naples. Terrific game. Lots of shouting!

soop I'm so sorry to hear about your friend.
One of DD1's in laws sounds a bit like him in that he is a lovely, kindhearted man with a larger than life personality and a body size to match. Can't seem to shift the weight and his wife is really worried about his health. He is barely fifty.

Thank you soop, Anno and Lona,for sharing your experience of infestations. I can usually be quite philosophical about bugs, if they leave me alone, I leave them alone, but this lot are still appearing. I've given up the brush (the wings stick to it) and moved the vacuum to the bathroom. There seem to be a lot more wings than bodies which is a bit worrying. I found myself thinking it might not be so bad if the bathroom floor wasn't white but then realized how horrid it would be not be able to see them. Eurgh.

Thank you, whenim64...there was better news today. Our friend managed to phone his wife and sister from his hospital bed. Tests to be carried out to determine damage done. He is a larger than life character in both personality and size. We believe that his size has contributed greatly to his health problems.

My very best wishes to your and your friends, soop.

Thank you all very much for your kind messages. The villagers are all "on call" and ready, willing and able to offer assistance. Have just this minute been speaking to our friend's wife...who is such a dear and lovely lady. She's staying at home because she has an elderly dog to care for. Should she need to go to the hospital, in Glasgow, there are offers to look after her dog.

I shall be back in the morning. My love to you. x

So sorry to hear about your friend Soop, some families do seem to get more than their fair share of misfortune, don`t they? I t must help them a little to know that they are surrounded by such good friends.

soop Your twin friends must be reeling with shock, what a shame. Some people seem to have such a lot to bear

dusty some years I have flying ants all over my sitting room carpet and walls, and other years not a one! Vacuuming them up is a good way to cope.

soop that is shocking news It does seem so cruel that fate deals some people a very unfair hand.

soop, I'm so sorry to hear of your friend's stroke. That poor family isn't having any luck. You are in such a supportive community which isn't so very common in this age.
dusty, your infestation reminds me of the time I kept finding bluebottles all over my ground floor. Tracing them to their source, I moved the sofa and found the carpet crawling with maggots. [yuk emoticon] Overwintering flies must have laid eggs which eventually became bluebottles. Your flying ants remind me of the ones that used to come out when it rained in East Africa. They would creep under doors and shed their wings before crawling out again. They drove me crazy and I really felt for our poor pupils who had to do prep in the evening with these creatures fluttering round their heads.

Hello dear Granspals. I'm late. Our friend who had a heart attack just last year, has had a major stroke. This dear friend is the twin of our lovely neighbour [who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer]...oh dear! Whatever next!

Granny23 I'm very happy to hear that you have your darling man "back" from the doldrums. The long sleep will have done him a power of good. His upbeat frame of mind will also help you to relax. I want you to be well cared for.

dustyangel the infestation you are trying to be rid, of reminds me of an episode that occurred in my late mother's olde worlde cottage. One spring day she opened the door to the "best room" and found it swarming with newly hatched flies. She was terrified and called her son in law to come quickly and deal with the buzzers.

I'm logging off for a wee while. Back with you all later.

Granny23 Glad to hear things are slightly better and your family are helping you both.
It's amazing what a good sleep will do to help the body recover.

Granny23 I'm glad your DH is getting back to his normal self, I hope those B12 injections are working, you must really be in need of them. I meant to tell you before that a friend of mine had to have a course of them and she is feeling much better for it.

ffinnochio I'm . We'd hoped to be able to have the studio roof done later in the year but after all the leaks yesterday in the cottage's roof, have realised that if we want to live in it while the work is being done, then we have to do something about the cottage first. Ironically in all the rain over the last week the studio has stayed dry.
The joys of living in old house, I went into the bathroom midmorning and found the floor covered in dead and dying insects, some sort of flying ant. One must have nested in the cane ceiling in the Autumn. As some were still alive and trying to escape to the rest of the house all I could do was spray and shut the door and go back later to sweep them up. The trouble is that you have to do it several times and for the next few days I'll be finding them all over the place.