Soop's Special Kitcheners

anno I have never seen a lone long-tailed tit. They prefer to be part of group. We've only ever seen them in late summer. They always congregate in the bird cherry tree...which is thankfully still standing. More high winds in store, I imagine.

The long-tailed tits have reappeared in my garden this weekend. This is usually a sign of cold weather and it has been.

Deal, Agus how kind of you.

Nelliemoser We have no idea whether the mouse was one such and therefore determined to move in with us, or one of a family. We've had a second trouble-free night. All is well in the soop household.

MacS and Rory are fast asleep. I'm about to perform a few jobs around the house as quietly as I can. It's a grey day. Fireside and newspaper time...lovely and peaceful.

Soutra. I must have my daily cheese fix. I could live on it so please allow me to help you unload any leftovers. I'm sure I must have been a mouse in another life. (Cheesy )

Have a lovely get together with friends and neighbours today.

soop go for a slab of the cake when no one is looking. I will give you some of my stash of cheese for a piece of cake. Deal?

Is there any evidence this is the same mouse? Bbecause unless you get rid of a nest just outside your door they will keep coming in one a time. Spray their backsides with hair dye before you release them.

Oh yes please Soutra how thoughtful of you to share with us lot. I can well imagine the noise of merry chatter that is coming from your home right now. The cake looks amazing. Please save me a slab sliver. Have a lovely, happy, fun-filled gathering.

There are likely to be leftovers . .. . As usual I suspect I have overbought anybody for French bread and various cheeses or breadsticks and cream cheese dip?

Crafting Don't you go putting such thoughts into MacS's head. He's dealt with what he believes to be the mouse entrance, and any notion of a creature wishing to warm it's wee paws beside the fire is a No-No. As we were turning in last night, Rory stood at the foot of the bed and hissed noisily. MacS shone the torch under the bed...guess what...my pink spiky hairbrush was lurking just within Rory's sight. He must have been startled by it's presence. Perhaps he thought that it was a colourful hedgehog.

Soutra Good grief...you will need to sleep after next week's to-ing and fro-ing. The train journey should offer you a breathing space in which to unwind and nod off. Take very good care of yourself. If us lot could we would all muck in and offer you a helping hand.

I have spent far too long trawling through back-up files of photos of which are far too many...I really must log off and make myself appear to be useful.

The wind is much chillier today. The waves are skittish. Rory, on the other hand, remains sound asleep on his warm tartan rug. Every so often he makes little snoring noises. It's a hard life!

Oh if only crafting, Monday is the day we have to be at the Royal Free by 9 which will involve being away from here by 7. Tuesday is an hour later (also Rotal Free) and on Wednesday I hope to catch up on my sleep on my train journey to Scotland for my 95 year old uncle's funeral on Thursday. Back on Friday again, hoping for a 4 hour nap or at least a good read

Soutra your get together sounds lovely. I'm sure everyone will have a good time. Don't forget to have a rest the following day, it sounds as though you will be very busy

granjura I've just been looking at your lovely photos. I love snow so really

Soop are you sure you and MacS shouldn't just adopt your mouse like you did Rory? It sounds as though he's taken quite a shine to your home. If MacS blocks up his entrance are you sure you won't be awake all night thinking of the poor creature outside shivering with cold rubbing his tiny paws together trying to keep warm?

I'm wondering where AlieO is. Have any of our kitcheners heard news of her lately? I do hope that she pops in from time to time.

loopylou We love long-tail tits. We only have a couple of visits from a family of them twice each year. Finches galore in our garden, coal tits and blue tits, robin, male and female blackbird and one wee wren. Wonderful creatures!

Hopefully the mice have taken the hint and will allow you both an uninterrupted night's sleep! MacSoop is a true gentleman, bless him.
My snowdrops are coming out too, lovely to see them.
Weather here is lovely and sunny but quite cold. Much earlier I set off shopping and there wasn't any ice but by the time I got to the main road it was -4 and very slippery. Do hope we have an early spring, I so hate the cold.....
Doing the Birdwatch survey, I have a dozen long-tail tits on the suet and 3 robins beating each other up, a spotted woodpecker, 4 coal tits and a blackbird at the moment, love seeing them.
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and that tomorrow's gathering goes well Soutra!

Soutra You, my dear, are a marvel. Tomorrow's celebration will be a great success. You have put so much effort into organising it and all your guests will realise what a star you are. Have fun!

A lovely start to the day. We went for our usual walk. I wanted to take photos of the snowdrop carpet at Balinikal House. I did manage to take just three...and then, the heavens opened and a massive hailstorm caught us off guard. By the time we reached the village shop, we were soaked. Hurried home, changed into dry clothes and had hot drinks.

granjura No mouse caller in the wee small hour. MacS thanks you for being concerned but would like me to reassure you that he rather enjoyed taking good care of the creature. Anyway, we hope that we shall be mees-free for some time to come.

I think that's a lovely idea Soutra. I find it is so easy NOT to entertain and then you end up with such a humdrum existence. It may be stressful now, but your friends will love you for it, it is a great anniversary to celebrate and you may well inspire others and generate other invitations to brighten the future dull days? Win win really!

I'm not surprised Soutra! It's the sort of thing I do too!

Dropped off the bottom of Active Conversations? I am shocked.
Wondering what I have let myself in for -we moved from London to this village 30 years ago tomorrow so I thought it might be nice to have a few friends round for lunchtime Bucks Fizz. Then because DH can't really stand so I will be doing it more or less single handed, I thought cheese etc rather than nibbles. Then I got a bit carried away with invites -looks like about 37. So yesterday I bought my body weight (or so it seemed from the bill) in cheese at Waitrose, 12 litres of fresh orange juice and 9 morebottles of prosecco (I already had 6 in the garage but that's not enough)from Aldi. I have baked a Christmas type fruit cake for those who stay to tea and will buy the baguettes tomorrow morning. Have I gone too far? I know I had a bit of a sleepless night last night.

granjura Thank you VERY much for your very thoughtful message. I shall report what you have said to MacS. If you knew him, you would realise that he is a very stubborn individual. He really is his own person. Yes, he gets up once each night to take care of the mouse. He has stopped taking said creature out and about. Hence the bucket in which mouse slept over last night. At the moment, he and Rory are snoozing. You are a very kind lady.

Soop, I do not know how to say this, but I will try. I am concerned, honestly, about Mc Sp getting up so often at night to save those little mice, however cut they are. He has been really poorly, and not out of the woods yet- and truly and honestly, he should be getting as much sleep and rest as he can- to keep as strong as poss. to cope with the aftermath of his recent illness and current issues.

How can you perhaps protect him here- he just can't keep getting up once, twice thrice a night to take mice away. Sincerely, please.

That's nice!

granjura How romantic!

Soutra Ouch! you certainly have more than your fair share of hospital treks to cope with. I raise my hat to you. Best wishes for your husband's next procedure.
MacSporran is to have more bloods taken, initially at the local surgery followed by another visit to the haematologist in Oban for yet more tests in February. In due course, when the rate of deterioration has been established, he will undergo therapy - for which he may need to travel to Glasgow. As for the aortic aneurysm, that too needs monitoring. He's been referred to a cardiovascular surgeon and we are awaiting an appointment.

number Your husband has been through a nasty time and must be in a great deal of discomfort. Thank goodness for Morphine! The moment it kicks in is blissful. Good wishes to him for a speedy recovery.

loopylou Mouse visited again at 4.30 this morning. That is the fourth visitor this week. MacS put it into a bucket together with bird seed and paper towel. It stayed overnight in the bucket and was transported to Ronachan lay-by at breakfast time. I can assure you that Rory does not waste energy catching mice. He is the most stay-at-home, laid-back cat we've ever encountered.

We called at the vets in Campbeltown for Rory's special balanced diet food. When MacS recounted the tale of the early morning mouse visitors, she laughed out loud.

Nellie MacS was almost swept of his feet by a gypsy selling "lucky white heather" on London Bridge. She wanted to give him a kiss...I think that he had possibly given her more than she expected for the heather.

Galen Us lot love you.

Galen, the centurions I spotted last week were all quite short, so perhaps yours was off duty. There were lots of young ladies having their picture taken with them.

When I was in my early teens I was told I would have three children and two husbands. The three children was right but I have only had one husband (so far)

I was told this at a school fair - and the "gypsy" was a girl from my class decked out in bright scarves and enormous hoop earrings.

When I was just starting to think I might be pregnant with no. 2 baby, an old gypsy came to the door selling various bits and pieces. I bought some "lace" to edge a pillowcase with and she thanked me profusely. Then looked me in the eye and said "You're carrying a little girl". It turned out that I was but I often wondered how she knew that - was it just a guess. Probably but I wasn't even sure I was pregnant or just late. Very odd.

Well I did one day meet a tall, dark stranger...

Clapham Junction April 1970

still the man of my life. But that was just fate ...