Soop's Kindly Kitcheners

Also vast quantities of pigeon poo from the woods!

kitty those were really expensive plants. Try B&Q next time, their lavender plants are much cheaper!

I can't talk, I am just as bad. No - I am worse when it comes to plants. You are an amateur by comparison, DBH would swap you for me like a shot!

A little story - I went on a coach trip with a friend to Beth Chatto's beautiful gardens, where there is also a large garden centre selling amazing and quite rare plants. I was surprised how many other coaches there were in the coach park, all filled to the brim with ladies wot lunch (not me, I was an honorary guest of the Bury St. Edmunds Flower arranging Club - who knew such things still existed!) and looked fairly well-heeled. The coach drivers were obviously used to coming there, and left their boots open to accommodate our purchases - but not ours, he was a novice, so many of the ladies just left theirs by the side of our coach until meet-up time. Not me - I barely made it back on time with my vast haul, only to be greeted by alarmed looks and a sound of wailing.

I handed my vast haul over to the driver, calmly stacking all of our precious charges, and asked my friend what on earth was going on, why was that woman wailing and practically screaming and almost prostrating herself in grief?

The reply - she had come back with her first £200 load of plants - and put them in the boot of the wrong coach, which was already on its way up north (they had tried to track it down) and blissfully unaware of its extra cargo! She had returned with yet another load, only to find her first stash had gone on its merry way to far distant lands without her. I SO wish I had been a fly on the wall when she explained that one to her OH!

Oh kittyl, that might take some serious grovelling. Naughty girl
I've done that before now and fibbed been very economical with the truth

janer I can't believe how huge and unremovable seagull c..p is to get off the car when it's been baked on in the sun - geese doodah must be even worse!

It's bad enough with the smaller deposits we get here!

Please can I hide from DH? I went to the garden centre for 3 lavender plants and spent £120.

annsixty that must be very difficult for your DGD (and her family) - looks matter so much at 17 and no reassurance can convince a girl of that age otherwise.

soop, isn't it lovely to see such lovely staff? The carers in my Mum's home are all brilliant. Yesterday, after 15 minutes of telling mum umpteen times where our eldest daughter lives, I was ready to leave and never go back.

janer, I empathise with your bird problem as we had a next door neighbour who used to buy wholemeal bread specifically for the birds 'to help their bowels'. We weren't under a 'flight path' but under a series of huge bird attracting trees. [yuk]

(((hugs))) to Alie.

Soutra, how is your DH? Sorry if I've missed anything but I've been under extreme stress!!

Hoping to here how things are with Bella.

Lona thank you for yesterday's much appreciated hug.

annsixty Yes, your granddaughter has had a very trying time. A friend of ours had a daughter about seven years ago. She was born with a deformed palette and lower jaw. She too has undergone some tricky surgery.

We've been care home visiting. The staff are truly kind and so very patient. I sat with the group of ladies (most now in their 90s). Once again, they related memories of times gone by. Although I know their individual stories, I listen and that pleases them no end. When it came time for them to decide between Friday's fish and chips or gammon and mash, there was an extremely long debate together with much noisy cutlery exchanging/shifting. The carer was patience personified. When I left, they all appeared to have be enjoying the meal they that they believed they had selected.

Well, here I am again and laughing out loud thanks to janer's goose, pompa's ukulele, Crafting's wayward message, Soutra's poetic language, rosesarered's ark in-the-making. There is never a dull moment in our kitchen

ann60, your GD has 'a long row to hoe'. It's very trying for her and she must be a very brave girl. Our wee fellow has most of his teeth but maybe not in quite the right places. My DS2 was born with what looked like a scar on his upper lip and the first thing the midwife did was to look for a cleft. He must have had a near miss because under that 'scar' he has a tooth missing. I'm very thankful it wasn't worse as treatment forty-odd years ago might not have been so successful. Children in less developed countries have a terrible time if they suffer from cleft palates and the charity Smile Train does a great job in providing treatment, but it can never be enough.

I was quite pleased the first time I saw it happen, our soil is so thin and sandy, I thought, free manure!!! But being in the flight path of several thousand gees, ducks and swans a year seems to have made no appreciable difference to my soil, only to my garden furniture, patio, cars and windows.

I often marvel at how birds seem to be able to sh*t *sideways especially when aiming at windows
You could always get your own back by shouting "red currant jelly" or" parsley stuffing" at it!

A flaming goose has only gone and chosen to splash on my bathroom window, hasn't it. I have actually see them fly overhead and drop their little parcels like WW2 bomber pilots, so know how it can happen. I shall have to get the hose out and play with the jet spray. No helpful rain to wash it off today, of course.

pompa if you can play classical guitar, I feel a little less concerned for mrs. pompa's sanity. We had to buy our 14 year old niece a ukulele last xmas, it is apparently very popular on the Wirral. We were very grateful to discover how cheap it was, so yes, I do understand that some are rather more superior to others. Ukelele and blues - who'd have thought!

The last shipment of paving slabs to go around my raised veg beds arrived today, so am very happy. As I was explaining to a friend last night, it means no summer holiday for us this year because the whole project has cost a small fortune, but the weight it has taken off my mind, to feel a bit more in control of my garden, is immeasurable. Mind you, if you cost it all up, it will take quite a few years before we get our money back! I was surprised that DBH was willing to fork out so much money for a veg garden, and do it all properly, but he was just pleased to have less grass to mow apparently.

JaneRowena Just think, if you learned to play the ukulele, you could sing 'when I'm cleaning windows' now that you have sacked your window cleaner!

anno GD had an op on her gum when she was 8/9. Time blurs a bit now!! She had bone taken from her hip and grafted into her palate for her adult teeth to grow from. Sounds rather sci-fi doesn't it? When that was established and the teeth started coming through she had 3years of orthodontic treatment and recently had her last brace removed. She just wears a plastic
retainer at night. I hope your little GN fares well with his treatment. Unfortunately my GD's nose was affected right up to the bridge so that is what the next surgery is for, to try and improve the appearance of that. We seem to have been on a long and sometimes difficult road, she will be 17 in November which is a tricky time for all.

ann60, my great nephew was diagnosed in utero with a possible cleft palate. It turned out that only his lip was affected and wonderful surgery was done when he was about 6 months. He's almost 3 now and has the most glowing smile ever - definitely not a 'terrible two'. There will be more surgery on the gum, I think, but we know he is in safe hands, though I don't know what size they are.

Thank you *pompa *for your good wishes.

I'm sure his skill has improved with practise. It's amazing what plastic surgeons can do nowadays. I hope all goes well.

My DGD1 was born with a very bad cleft lip and palate.The surgeon who has looked after her since the day she was born has hands like hams and fingers like jumbo sausages. They are also the hairiest hands I have ever seen. As a family we marvel at the intricate work he does. DGD has her 5th surgery on June 19th and we pray they have not lost their magical skill.

Jane that plinky plonky sound comes from a lack of £££££, like most musical instruments add a few more ££££ and you get that tone. Compared with most instruments ukes are relatively cheap.
George Formby & Tiny Tim come to most peoples minds when it comes to ukuleles.
They are great instruments for blues.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV8zn1PrRIU

Jane, like so many great performers that had more to give, IZ died at the age of 39 (I think the reason was obvious, at 6'2" he was a huge man). When he died, flags in Hawaii flew at half mast.
How he could play so beautifully with such large hands amazes me. Although Andrés Segovia (arguably the best classical guitarist of all time) had huge podgy hands, I saw him in concert in 1979 at Lavenham Church, unforgettable.

I do aspire to play uke like IZ, but that voice, no way. (I used to play classical guitar btw)

That is lovely, pompa. Although I think you should hide his biscuit barrel. Are you intending to serenade Mrs. pompa? That ukulele has a lovely soft tone, unlike most plinkety plonkety ones I have heard. Maybe you can get them fitted with a muffler....

If you go on to Streetwise in your area, join up and put a notice on it, or ask on the forum bit, maybe you will find a group in your area. Or even start one up.

loopylou

Crafting !

Déjà vu?

Oh dear. I think I need to lie down in a darkened room and be fed grapes. I was sure that I had posted a comment earlier about pompa and his ukulele. I remember seeing it (I did honestly) but now I've come back to the kitchen I find it isn't here . Did I post it on the wrong thread ...or was it all a dream..or have I over indulged with too many grapes . ..

CharleyGirl, we used to go to a lot his gigs, we were the oldest punks in the mosh pit. Probably why I now need hearing aids. He still plays, but in a folk band now, touring pubs etc for charity.

We already have a garage, used for storage of all Mr Roses' off cuts of wood(enough to build an ark) and he has a workshop next door to it, and is now musing on another shed of sorts to be placed at the bottom of the garden.Isn't that more than enough man caves already?
I Would like some hot coffee please, if there's any going, I need some to recover from DGS2 and his antics.

Ouch!
Even that chap had to start somewhere!
Ear plugs might be useful pompa, possibly for both of you?
I'm sure you'll be a maestro before long.

I agree, it is lovely. I have never heard of him before. That standard is very high and I cannot see you attaining it anytine soon. I am looking after Mrs. p's interests as the poor lady is possibly deaf now if she had to put up with your son's punk band.