SOOP's kindly Kitcheners

as I have stuff to do. I shall pop in again early tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for your company. x

The hat dates back to the 1950s...

We are in the process of compiling an album of granddaughter's wedding photos. I thought that you might like to see two photos in my GN album of an outfit (all purchased on ebay vintage site) and NOT worn, because my friend in the village (who is honest) said that I looked "old"...just like your comments if you can spare a mo'

loopylou I'm relieved that I am not alone in messing up. Makes me feel almost human.

bags makes delicious flapjacks.

soop I've cocked up those threads several times, so join the club ..... actually given them up now as decided that I couldn't trust my brain!

Yum, flapjacks craving here too, don't think an apple or three would hit the spot somehow

Has anyone a foolproof flapjack recipe? The best ones I ever had were made by my late great aunt.........

Has our bags left a tray of freshly baked flapjacks? I am so hungry. May need to chomp on yet another apple...my third of the day.

I've a wee confession. I thought that I was bright enough to add a word to the add a letter...game. Instead I made a b****-up and a Gransnetter (who had spotted the -- deliberate-- mistake) kindly stepped in to put matters right. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Silly me!!!

Charleygirl

soop it seems that MacSporran is waiting forever for Monday to arrive. What a pity they could not take the relevant blood samples in the surgery and send it off- sorted.

I received a bill this am from EDF for wait for it, 2011! I was pleasant but he quickly cottoned on that I was not happy. I am certain it is not my bill- I pay by direct debit this account was paid by cheque or cash. The fellow said that he has cancelled the bill- I said that had better be true because I do not want to see bailiffs at my front door looking for £22!

I paid my car insurance last week but today received an urgent reminder to do so again. It was agreed that I had paid- can no company run smoothly?

At this rate Tara and I will be in a care home sooner rather than later.

janer Good for you. Gadding about (unnecessarily) when you have more than your fair share of stress to deal with, is not an option you need to try to manage right now.

Alea well...well...well. What a super surprise. If I received such news, I would be delighted. I would love to know what steps you will take to arrange to meet your half brother...not forgetting your new sister-in-law. It will be a very emotional and special moment when first your eyes meet. I'm feeling a lump in my throat (on your behalf).

Charleygirl You are a trooper and you have my respect.

Alea; how exciting. Are you going to meet him? I found that, when I met a second cousin a few years ago that I'd only ever met once before when we were both very young, it was amazing how alike we were. In fact, I think he understands me more than anyone has ever done or will ever do. We even have similar things in our houses.

Oh dear, I was so gobsmacked by my news yesterday I didn't read further back on the thread so don't want you to think I am ignoring the worries and stresses you are undergoing.
Polyps are quite common janer and are usually removed and biopsied at the same time. Some people e.g colitis sufferers seem to have more of a tendency to them but also qualify for more frequent colonoscopies and spotting them early and removing them is generally enough.
soop another worry for you and macsporran, try to tell yourself there may be half a dozen reasons for the blood tests, perhaps his Hb is down, or white blood cells up(often to fight an infection he may not know he has) or cholesterol, or. . . any one of many relatively innocent reasons.. Early warning system - it is why we have blood tests, isn't it?
charleygirl I hope you are hirpling extremely carefully with your trolley (and not off it ) and that you are receiving offers of help?
And I thought of you annsixty when I had tests on my eyes involving a bit of local anaesthetic. Respect! I found the stinging which persisted made me feel quite sorry for myself for the rest of the afternoon (!) despite being taken to lunch by my optometrist friend. Wimp!
All is fine, she assured me which was a relief and also a relief that she is so on the ball about early diagnosis of potential problems before they damage the sight.
I wonder what today will bring. . . ?

Here's a thing.
I will not go into too much detail, to protect, as they say, identities, but I had a letter today from a very nice man, a few years older than me, who, (are you sitting down?) appears to be my half brother!
It appears that my Dad had a bit of a thing (relationship/fling, who knows) in the early years of WW II. The girl got pregnant and the baby was adopted.
My dad did not marry my mum until 5 years later, and all the people in question, biological mother, Dad, adoptive parents etc are now dead so other than acquiring a brother it doesn't have a lot to do with me. My (half) sister whose mother was married to our dad at the time, may well find this hurtful ( that marriage broke down anyway, partly because of her own mother going off with someone else during the war) . Bottom line for me is that those were extraordinary times and who are we to judge the actions of others?
But gosh, a new brother and sister in law! She may well be on GN!! This has really given me food for thought today.

I knew I would have to bite the bullet and phone her, because DBH was starting to look fraught and I knew if she got hold of him before me, all would be lost!

As it happens, she isn't ill at all, she is now over it, just fancied seeing us. Well I think we need a bit more notice before we go planning a six hour journey not including stops at the best of times, and as DBH was upstairs having a nap I was able to tell her that it really wasn't such a good idea just yet.

She is saying that she doesn't see us enough - what did she expect, going and moving all the way up there! My own mother is four hours away and that is bad enough, as is DD. We used to be able to get to MiL in under 3 hours.

Charleygirl I hadn't read that you were back in plaster! Poor you
I hope it's not too painful. I've known someone with one of those trolley things and she said it made a world of difference to her.

Janer you sound as if you are like a piece of elastic that's being stretched. You can't go on indefinitely.
I think numberplease's advice is good.

soop you and McSporran are in my thoughts. With plenty of positive vibes.

Our Social Services lent me one of those trolleys, Charley. It was a godsend when I'd had my hip 'done'. My GD enjoyed pushing it around and was most indignant the next time she came and found that it had been reclaimed. I also had a bed/chair table of my own which gave me the very bad habit of eating in front of the TV. I haven't been cured of that ten years later.

I am coping, thanks all. My local council would not want to know because I stupidly saved for my retirement. A friend is bringing over a trolley which her council lent her and I will be able to bring food safely from kitchen to sitting room and the trolley will bear my weight. I will then decide if I should buy one if not for this disaster, for the next!

My TV decided to take a holiday yesterday but to my amazement, somebody came within an hour and fixed it. I can only get 2 channels which is just fabulous so for £75 he has taken it back to the workshop and by Saturday I will know if it is the TV or aerial at fault. I have not wanted to fork out for a new aerial in case the TV did not work.

I have one in the bedroom and it works fine and it is connected to the same aerial.

annsixty only £150000 for the surgery? Small change re my monthly pension and no doubt yours- I know- dream on. I missed the news but a friend is bringing round a newspaper tomorrow.

I am managing- with difficulty I have organised on line shopping and I do ask neighbours to buy the odd loaf of bread. I will cope provided that this POP is only on for 6 weeks.

Thanks so much for your concern

janer you're no good to anyone if you try and do too much, please take it easy and say " not at the moment".

soop I'm worrying with you. Let's hope the results of the blood tests are better than hoped for!

Charleygirl you must be worn out! Heaving yourself around on crutches is no joke on your own, isn't there anyone who can help?

for all.

soop, I wish they would get a move on and do the blood test right now. It's agony having to wait and then wait again for results. Worse than exams, though your DS, janer, might not think so. To all who are waiting and quaking in their boots, good wishes and good luck and plenty of .

Soop, all my best wishes to MacSporran, and to you, of course, the worst thing is all the waiting and wondering.
Janer, continue to take care of yourself and your nearest and dearest, bugger the rest of `em!
Because we are behind with Mia`s vaccinations, there isn`t going to be a big enough time lapse for her to go into a cattery when we go away. I`m in negotiations with various grandchildren to come and feed her a couple of times a day, offering a cash incentive, but nobody`s taken the bait as yet.
The other day I placed an online order with Cotton Traders. On their web page there was a promotion code to quote in order to get a discount, but the code wouldn`t work. I placed the order anyway, but wrote to complain. A very nice man rang me to say that that code wasn`t valid, past or present, but to compensate, he`s sending us a free gift that only came up after we`d put our order in, it`s a small suitcase and matching backpack, so all isn`t completely lost.

As you know soop things are not always as they seem. So try not to worry (oh how easy for me to say I know). Waiting for tests and then results of tests is so hard when one is worried anyway.Best wishes to you both

loopylou It's a pity that the bloods cannot be taken sooner. Monday seems a long way off. MacSporran is napping at the moment. Rory is in "pester-mode"...the sun has got his hat on...as the song goes. Rory won't go outside unless MacS joins him.

janer I echo what soop says, you have far, far too much going on without heaping more on top. Are there any other family who could step in?
Please take care ((hugs)), even a very squashed jam sandwich can only withstand so much sitting on.........

soop and MacS, I hate cryptic messages like that. I do hope that this is just a blip - I have everything crossed for you (eyes included) x

janer Please do not be afraid to say no. You really do not need to take on yet more stress than you're dealing with right now.

About an hour ago, the doctor's surgery 'phoned MacSporran. Apparently his latest blood test isn't what they had "hoped for..." MacS has an appointment first thing on Monday for further bloods to be taken and sent to Oban hospital. Sigh!

That someone keeps sitting on.