The Soop Kitchen

My friends have always had a NYE party but numbers have dwindled, usually for reasons of age, and/or family commitments and tonight we are having pizza, bubbly and Scrabble for three! And, as I have to drive, there's a limit on the bubbly!

Bags my voice is always soft and low! An excellent thing in a woman?

M&S sandwiches for our New Year's Eve meal - I am sure they will be yummy!

Happy New Year greetings to all.

A good afternoon to all our lovely Kitcheners. Although it is colder and the wind remains frisky, it is dry at the moment.

Alea I am hoping that Grace will be back at home with you just as soon as she has recovered from her surgery.

Bellasnana I'm sure that you will enjoy your wee break with your little darling. So many nasty coughs around. Nothing came of my sore throat. More importantly, MacSporran remains hale and hearty.

anno Comic tantrums... I was always delighted with a colouring book and crayons, a pretend post office with stamps and such and, best of all, a wee doll wearing hand knitted clothes.

We visited our pal in the care home this morning. Usually go into Campbeltown on Fridays. I am forgetting exactly where we are in the week. The usual routines have been shaken around a bit.

We are remaining in our own home tonight. The group of people with whom we have often spent part of New Year's Eve, is sadly depleted. At this time last year Anne was alive, Bobby hadn't yet succumbed to dementia, and Alastair was not a resident in the care home.

MacSporran is to cook a roast lamb supper. We shall light the fire, get cosy, and most certainly enjoy a dram or two of a very fine malt...a gift from Matt.

I wish every one of my dear Granspals a pleasant evening. I hope that 2016 is kind to you all.

Welcome back Galen I hope you are in one piece, even if your crutches are not. Surely if they damaged this it's there responsibility.

Taken altogether, it seems to have been an eventful Christmas while I've been away. Galen, I hope the damage was more to your dignity than to your body. Do you have any kind of safety device to prevent slippage from your saddle? Just got back from family Christmas. The journey was strangely uneventful - I fully expect delays at this time of year but not so today. My senior GD is 24 tomorrow so I took her out to lunch on Monday to celebrate. It was good to spend time with her as I have missed her since she graduated and went South. Youngest GS is still a Santa believer and was very miffed that he didn't get the laptop he'd asked for. Imagine if several billion children worldwide asked Santa for laptops and every one of them went off on one, when they were disappointed. Cosmic tantrums?

Insurance (Petplan) will only pay 80% of the claim and there is a £120 excess as she is an old girl. Nonsense really as young dogs get into much worse scrapes!
All those years I have paid between £30 and £50 a month without a claim. but if you don't insure you have to be prepared for a huge bill where surgery or broken bones are involved.

Alea poor Gracie- as we had not heard I did hope that her tail had healed. With luck it will just be a tiny piece removed. I will definitely be thinking of her. Will the insurance pay for her treatment?

soop and thatbags I suppose that your only saving grace is that the weather is still mild- imagine what it could be like with 3 feet of snow or worse. I do hope that roofs stay in place and that a certain kitten is enjoying her new abode.

My thoughts are very much with you girls North of the Border. The Rest&Be Thankful landslip sounds dreadful as do the other road closures/bridges being washed away and of course just all that water!
Keep safe, and I hope you keep your power supplies too. Candlelight is very romantic but rubbish for boiling a kettle!
Spare a wee thought for Gracie tomorrow morning when she goes in for her operation on her tail. Vet says a piece has to come off if there is to be any hope of it healing.

????

soop, R&BT again! Yikes! The new, amazingly engineered 'fencing' stopped a landslide a few weeks ago but today's must have been in and unfenced place, I suppose.
Local ferry seems to be being cancelled almost daily, though it runs sometimes. Highland railway flooded in parts near the coast as well. Hey ho.
The wind was keening round us last night so it must have been pretty ouchy near you.

galen, hope you are fully recovered from your mishap! I can just imagine your voice when you spoke to those first aiders . Take care.

bella, I hope you don't catch the cough too. Have a lovely time with DiddyB.

Oh Galen I'm just glad you didn't do yourself a mischief when you fell. Sorry to hear you were less than satisfied with Cunard but I'm sure you will let them know

What makes you think you won't regret inviting me along on your next cruise? I have awful tummy troubles so you may very well wish you had gone alone

Seriously, though, I hope I can be of help if you need it. I'm no expert but am very good at taking orders so if you told me to take your sandal off I would jump to it.

Hello soop and all kitcheners. Hope everyone is ok and not suffering from the effects of the weather. Am shocked to see all the flooding and really feel for the poor souls who have had their Christmas ruined and so much to contend with.

I'm off to Gozo with DGD tomorrow for two nights. She is excited but has an awful cough and cold so hope she'll feel better soon.

Goodnight all

It is time for me to close down the computer. I trust that our dear Kitcheners will remain safe and warm. I shall return tomorrow.

bags The Rest and Be Thankful is closed again.

Hello dear Kitcheners...Yes, Loopylou it was an exceedingly blowy night. At times the wind howled that noisily, I was a tad afraid that the bird cherry tree would topple. It didn't. Kitten spent all night in the new cabin. She waited for breakfast before strolling off into her forest. At four-ish, she'll return. Rory refuses to set a paw outside his house. Such a canny cat!

Alie Enjoy your haggis. I trust that it will be nice and spicy.

Galen Thank goodness that you are now back home and safe and sound. Will you be writing a snotty delicately phrased letter to Cunard?

number How lovely is that.

Good to see you here Alie - enjoy your haggis!

Wild wind here! - I have delayed fetching my DGD for her day here as the gusts will probably blow the car over - but I am venturing forth at 11.30.

soop. Luckygirl, loopylou thank you for thoughts. I'll be parking around here somewhere.
I just fancied haggis for tomorrow and got one - like some?

Soop, you take care up there, it`s very beautiful, but can be very wild. You`ll be pleased to hear that Duke`s picture has now made it onto Facebook.

Welcome home Galen, it's good to hear you're back in one piece ?
I hope Bella's keeping abreast of all the shenanigans and that she knows what she's let herself in for!

I hope soop's well tethered to the mainland, it's blowing up a hoolie here, goodness knows what it's like oop there!

Bella might regret going on this cruise with me!
One of my very expensive carbon fibre crutches got broken. About £200 for a replacement.
I think it was done by a grumpy coach driver who wouldn't let me tell him how to fold my luggie, and then told me I should have been on the disabled access shuttle which no one had told us existed!
I'm very annoyed with Cunard this cruise!
It has not been up to its normal standard.

Home and safe!
Unpacking tomorrow! ( by Kate!)

Galen Such out of the ordinary mishaps seem to single you out from the rest of the passengers. I'm glad that you haven't lost your spirited sense of humour. I shall be glad when Bella accompanies you on the next boating holiday. She'll keep you out of mischief things in order. Do take care...please. Us lot like having you around.

The wind is picking up and I can sense that Kintyre is in for a pounding. I'm away to batten down the hatches.

Stay safe and

Galen what a predicament. Glad you weren't hurt though. Are you safely home now?

I slipped off the seat of my luggie and ended up sitting on the floor of its middle with my legs splayed out in front of me on either side of the tiller!
I was stuck!
I managed to ring the pursers desk and ask them to get someone to help me up!
They sent two nurses!
Please, just take off my sandals I said!
No! You must keep them on was the reply.
Just take them off then I can get my foot out I said!
No! You must keep them on
I AM A DOCTOR! Just take my sandal off!
The young junior nurse then took off my sandal and I could then wriggle my foot round the tiller without the sandal catching!
She then brought a chair and held it steady while I pulled myself up on it.
I assured them I was not injured and they departed.
Needless to say the daft senior one was a young male.
I was on my way to breakfast so no drop had passed my lips!

I've been to the care home. M believes that her Xmas scarf has been taken. You may possibly recall that she also lost her birthday scarf. Another resident was proudly wearing her own new scarf. It most definitely did not belong to M. M looked daggers at the lady throughout my visit. A carer says that she'll have a good look around M's bedroom. It must be tucked away somewhere.
I had to sit on a low footstool, as all the chairs were taken. I also had to sit with my back against a wall heater. It was unpleasant. When the time arrived to say farewell I developed cramp...much to M's amusement. I was too proud to ask for assistance. After all, I'm a spring chicken compared with the residents.

Galen What on earth have you been up to? Please do tell us lot when you're home safe and sound.

Alie I too am wishing you some well deserved peace in the coming year. You have had more than your fair share of sadness.

Luckygirl It is a blessing to have good medical care when required. There are so many of our pals with rotten colds and bad throats. Fingers tightly crossed that MacSporran will not succumb.

To all our lovely Kitcheners who have had to endure a difficult few days for whatever reason...
And to our lovely Kitcheners who have shared in family fun and companionship... Happy memories.

It was sunny all morning. However, the dark clouds are rolling in. We must expect high winds this evening. I feel terribly sorry for the thousands of people who are experiencing some of the worst floods in living memory. And still more rain is forecast.

Oh dear Luckygirl but thankfully you did not have to wait and the doctor was charming.

What on earth happened Galen, I do hope that you are alright. Was it caused by an over indulgence of alcohol or more likely, the ship veered the wrong way! At least you can rest for a couple of days before you return to terra firma.

soop and MacSporran another lovely photo of you both- you can have a few days peace and quiet now.

I hardly know the days of the week, it has been so peaceful here- life will be back to normal next Monday.

We have sunshine here in NW London, the first for ages and again it is so mild. I do hope that we do not get a nasty wake up call next month.

Alie - how very difficult for you - thinking of you.

Galen - a fall! Not a great idea. Hope you are on the mend.

I have had a few busy days with activities for 4 days, and, to be honest, I am very happy settling down into our semblance of a routine again. Trip to the out-of-hours doc yesterday for OH who could not swallow (PD + a bad cold and not able to take his meds) was not a great addition to Christmas, but the doc was charming, kind and as helpful as can be, so that was excellent. I think I might use the out-of-hours ones all the time! - it was very efficient and the surgery was empty so no waiting!

soop - sun! Now there's a turn up for the books!