The Soop Kitchen

Well done alea - but you are supposed to do it before noon! Polar bear washed up on Mull

The weather really is weird- I was contemplating today whether to wear a jacket when I was going out because it was warm and sunny in London.

Please batten down the hatches and I hope that you all have heating and light.

Tara and I are having an early night- hers seemed to start around 6pm. Alright for some.

Oops.
1st Feb not 1st April.
<crawls under stone>

My red camellia is breaking into blossom ( stupid thing)

Lucky you in the south of England with your warm sunshine. It h been a gruelling day here. Cold too. At the moment Henry is actually now screaming around our house. Sounds like a gang of banshees. Rather scary! Can't sleep.

Jud I like your description of the wild wind. It really does scream...

I've been sitting with M together with our friend and neighbour B who is also in the Campbeltown care home. Like Crafting, I could hardly open the car door. I was bent well over against the wind as I walked from the car to the entrance to the home. I must have looked somewhat ancient.

Alea I believed every word you said. I'm a right sucker. I get taken in all the time due to such pranks.

Did anyone watch 'Vera' on Sunday? I thought that it was a first class drama. Brenda Blethyn was first class in her role as Vera.

Whoopee! ☀️☀️☀️ at last! Pretty chilly but nevertheless lovely blue skies and sunshine ?

Sorry to rub it in for those under glowering skies, it's the first day for yonks with no rain!

Hope you're well battened down oop North, and damage-free too feeling slightly guilty for being so gleeful

soop I did too ! Can't tell you how sheepish ?? I felt when I read Elegran's post ?????

No damage from the wind other than lack of sleep - I was watching compulsive cleaners at 1am, and even that didn't send me to sleep. But the rain ? As it has been so wet for the last 9 months there is just no where for it to go. There is 2 inches of water in the garage and 3 on the patio, impossible to walk on the grass. The dogs don't even want to go out.

Getting a bit bored now. OH was back Sunday pm and had a lazy day yesterday which included a trip to the supermarket where he purchased shiitake mushrooms and is now ill. I thought they tasted horrid and didn't eat mine so he has only himself to blame ?

Hope everyone else is OK, the weather seems to be settling now so hopefully the worst has passed.

Any other Scots remember the hurricane that hit Scotland in January 1968? I was home on leave from Kenya and when I woke up in the morning I couldn't believe the noise the wind made. My mum phoned the slater about some slates that had come adrift and discovered that she was already well down the list. When we went into Glasgow by train we saw roof after roof covered in tarpaulins, trees down everywhere and right across central Scotland it looked like a bomb site. The following Saturday, my sister was married in St Andrews on a glorious day of bright sunshine and calm sea.
Keep your peckers up, and your heads down, Soop and Bags. One day there will be sunshine again!

The wind is certainly picking up in London. I will be staying indoors now, the heating is on, supper sorted, Silent Witness will be on later and my on line delivery will be arriving early pm tomorrow. Idle-moi?

You lot are lovely. I've really enjoyed reading all your messages.

Hail is hammering on the window. We lost the internet connection for a short time this afternoon. Marvellous how much housework I managed to cram in between it going awol and returning. I feel almost holy. The bedroom cupboards are awfully neat. I had no idea that I had so many pairs of socks and black tights.

Tortoiseshell and Rory are "bonding" in the utility room. I shall find umpteen muddy paddy paw marks when she leaves.

Tomorrow is the day for attending to my pal's ironing. She has been poorly but is recovering well at last.

Please take great care of yourselves. I shall pop into our kitchen early afternoon.

BT broadband was down for a long time yesterday but never came back on for us. After a 30 mins wait this morning I managed to get through to the helpdesk. My router had reset to default settings and was it obstinate about being reset to the right settings. The cs girl had to speak to their technical dept who were able to show a way round, so back and running again now, but what a pain. Made us very late for work, where luckily the router is ok.

Our workshop is near a hydro scheme and the water is just pouring over the top of the dam this morning. So much water - makes the 2 inches in my garage look like nothing (actually it had gone this morning).

soop I did not think that Rory's daughter was allowed to put a paw over the threshold and here is was in the utility room! Rory I know will never share his tartan blanket.

Tara arrived home today at lunchtime, the same time as the on line delivery man and she left in a strop because she did not receive my undivided attention!

I live in an end terrace of 3 and the middle house is permanently rented. A lovely family live there now. For the last 4 months we have had 4 loo blockages and I knew it was not me as did the fellow who owns the 3rd house. Normally he unblocks the drains and life goes on. Today he decided to call in a plumber and we have now discovered that it is next door! Good luck re the conversation my friend M will be having with them!

Good afternoon. It is dry and we do have sunny spells. I can also see the peaks that have been shrouded in mist for such a long time.

Tizliz I'm pleased to hear that your computer blip has been sorted. Should I ever lose the connection with ours I send a text to bags...I only ever worry that I cannot keep updated with you lot...

Charleyg Rory does allow Tortoiseshell to cross the threshold (when he feels magnanimous)...We leave the back door ajar and close the kitchen door. They have been known to sit together for well over an hour. T will disappear the moment we touch the door handle. She will never get used to we humans. When I put her food outside her cabin, she sits just the other side of the wire fence. I turn my back and within moments she dives through the gap and tucks in.

As it happens, she has just put in an appearance. When Rory stepped outside the door, she did a little prance around him. He likes her.

Did any of our Kitcheners watch the programme on which an elephant gave birth? I was moved to tears. The family of elephants rallied around and gave support to the mother and newest member. After a short time the father was allowed into the enclosure. He was ginormous. His new daughter was tiny in comparison. It was a very moving programme.

Can it really be Thursday! This week has gone by at a rate of knots.

I see that the ferry is back in action. The sea remains choppy but nowhere near as wild as it was earlier in the week.

I've treated us to a hand crafted mirror. Ideally I would have preferred it hanging a different wall. However...MacSporran commented on the weight of it and that the wall of my choice isn't "solid". I shall take a photo...just for you lot. Hang on a mo'

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201602/medium-986726-100-2367.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201602/medium-878531-100-2368.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201602/medium-527044-100-2364.jpg

Tizliz...don't forget what it is I want to do for you.

Hello Bellanonna Stay for a and tell me what you think of the mirror (and new cushion) I have saved my pennies and am delighted to be able to enjoy both the mirror and cushion. Makes me want to do a wee bit of shifting stuff around. Do you know the feeling?

Bella Ooops! I was reading an old post and mistook it for something much more recent. Ignore please.

Oh, I do like that mirror soop, and the cushion is lovely too - make sure Rory doesn't plonk his self down on it!

That's a lovely mirror. I love mirrors but have only one I'd rescue in a fire. The others are all quite mundane. I'd ditch any of those to have one like yours!

Thank you, loopylou the price of the cushion was extremely reasonable. On eBay! The mirror maker was also found on eBay. Rory is duty bound to plonk himself next to the cushion. He gravitates towards anything that I'm hoping to keep clean and fur-free.

anno I've often sat in my chair and imagined a mirror for that particular space. I like the variety of shapes and colours. The packaging was beyond anything I had hoped for. We now have three entire rolls of bubble wrap in the loft. Such good service from the seller. I'm very impressed.

I just love that cushion and the mirror is also elegant. Tara would not be bothered about the cushion, she likes to rest on the top of an armchair.

I have recently ordered a 3 piece suite and I had to take her into consideration. She will find the top of all three items very comfortable but she will not be going remotely close to them until I find covers. It is not coming until the end of April so I have some time.

soop you appear to do so well on ebay- I cannot get my thick head around it.

Charleygirl I've found a way to deter Rory from thinking that he can scratch a chair that he's taken a liking to. I have a large feather duster. It is propped at the very point that Rory heads for. He dislikes feather dusters. So...one up to me!
I would love to help you to navigate eBay. There are some tremendously good bargains to be had. Pity that you do not live close by.