soop's kindly kitcheners and pampered pets...

Charleyg MacSporran thinks otherwise. Although it was I who invited Rory to take over share our home, MacSporran and Rory are in cahoots with each other. I shall however pass on your well-meant message.

No, not brother charleygirl, cousin (DD1's eldest, 6) he is so lucky to have 3 gorgeous cousins on each side of his family, 6, 5 and 2 in each case, which has meant also lots of lovely hand me down baby equipment and clothes!

Daphne, Flynn looks as if he will be a useful driver one day. It's amazing how quickly they reach that age!Play your cards right and you'll have a ready-made chauffeur. The cold winter sun is streaming in the windows, highlighting the patches of dust which I have studiously ignored since I came home on Thursday. My cousin visited yesterday but, luckily, isn't the kind of person to comment or even to notice - it runs in the family. I had a stonking headache on Hogmanay and was unfit to go out for the evening. It's getting better now and I have come to the conclusion that my other sinus is feeling left out, since the infected one was cleared, and is putting its oar in, so to speak. I have steamed my head! I am sorry to hear that Rory isn't himself. It's upsetting when you can see there's something not quite right and they can't tell you about it.Let's hope for a 'guid new year' for him and for all of you and your pets.

Capricious keyboard! 'let's hope for a guid new year.....'

Daphne he is lucky re clothes and playmates also. Flynn always looks so happy, it must be difficult to extract him from his car walker to go to bed, unless the walker goes with him!

I hope that Grace is enjoying some well earned rest- she has had a hard time with all of those folk invading her house. Good luck for DH tomorrow, I hope that you are not travelling into London and that the treatment will be local at MK.

Good afternoon everyone. Looking after Littlest today, had a walk in the frost, (bought a hat for the return journey, ears were freezing, I look ridiculous in hats but needs must!) stopped for a restorative cuppa and back by way of the park. Suddenly it was lunch time . Taking advantage of a post lunch nap to put my feet up with the iPad.

I visited the thread you describe ann, the comments were totally unnecessary. Hope you are OK, no need for unpleasantness ! Pleased you had some support with your husband's fall, sounds as if he wasn't hurt, which is good, still scary though.

Flynn is just magic, daphne, they all look so happy in the photo of all three. Sounds as if you have the calm before the storm, lovely though the storm might be. I'm looking forward to normality tomorrow, envy you your head start n&g, the Christmas 'stuff' is destined for the loft and we have the older two after school. Nice to get back to routine.

Oh soop, no chance of minimalist eating here, too many yummie things to finish. I'm I'm awe of your willpower. Hope Rory is improving and more himself, just a bit off colour with luck.

Our bug is still with us. Proper boomerang bug. It leaves for a day and then it's back. Bit fed up with the cough, still it has to go one day, today would be good !!

I I know I will have missed all sorts, so apologies. Best sort the kitchen before Littlest wakes and wants the next top up. How come he can eat and the weight increase is where it should be? Could be a stamp if the foot and a 'not fair' coming!

Stay warm and well everyone.

No, Charleygirl I'm afraid this is to the Royal Free, but thanks to SIL1's generosity we are picked up by car, driven to the hospital then the driver will carry on over to pick up DD and Flynn, then bring us all home once DH's appointment is over.
I very much hope the Christmas lurgies are behind you all, especially cornergran and that Mr Sixty has had no further ill effects from his fall
It is a worry as I expect few if any of us would be able to get a man to his feet in those circumstances.
I would not fret about dust on piano keys, as good a place as any to keep it!
My sis-in law has an apron saying "my idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance" probably Dorothy Parker! Sound thinking.

DaphneB Tomorrow's journey sounds very much more reasonable. I'm pleased that you will be spared the weariness of a regular journey.
I'm a huge fan of Dorothy Parker. Have her books. A witty, wise, some would say, wayward lassie. I used to pour over her poems about so-called lost love...that was long before I found true love with MacS

corner I'm sorry to hear that you haven't yet sent the bug packing. Freezing cold temperature = earache and runny "nubbies" as my late Nana would say.

anno Thank you for the New Year greeting. I send mine to you.

In spite of letters and emails to the NHS, I've been given an appointment in Glasgow on Wednesday. As both a gynaecologist and the rectal prolapse surgeon will be present, we are keeping the appointment. I can then return home knowing that I'm in full possession of the facts in respect of my drop-bot.

Okey dokey...time for some serious tidying up. I've dropped a splodge of paint on the computer room carpet. It's sort of canary yellow...the splodge, not the carpet. You can't miss it.

It's raining. The clouds are low and leaden grey.

Rory is napping on MacS's lap. MacS is attempting to do a mammoth crossword. Every so often he calls out with obscure clues like I should know because I happen to have a reasonable IQ. Nine times out of ten I cannot assist him. On the occasion that I'm "with it" I feel very proud of myself.

Care home trip in the morning. My pal's resident husband is going through a very difficult time. He imagines that she has a boyfriend and gets very distressed. My pal loves her husband to bits. No amount of reassurance gets through to him. The doctor was asked to see him again last week. She's wondering whether it is the start of a form of dementia. All so unnecessary and sad.

I shall be with you again when I return home. Bye for now.

Happy New Year to everyone in the kitchen!

I do hope that 2017 will prove to bring good health.

annsixty do not get upset over people you don't know - and my best wishes to you for the coming year. I am learning that it is no good rushing in to defend someone - that way lies trouble!

We have had a busy weekend - NYE with the family (as soon as we got up on New Year's Day our bed was taken over by two cats ), then family over for the day and then the DGC stayed overnight, now returned to the loving care of their parents .

Now I need some sleep

Thank you for sharing the photos everyone!

Daphne that is good of your SiL. I was aware that this happened last year, fabulous to continue this year. You will be very well entertained on the way home provided of course that Flynn is awake. On refection with luck you will not travelling during the evening rush hour and with luck will be home at a reasonable hour.

corner you cannot seem to shake off this lurgy that you acquired ages ago. I always knew that there were bonuses for not being out and about as much as I should but cannot.

soop I hope that Rory is better tomorrow. The only plus side is that if a vet had to visit you would not be paying BH charges. I am well aware that normal charges are more than enough.

Right here I come into the kitchen. Oops, I'm stuck in the doorway. Will someone give me a push from behind please. I'm really jammed here . I have over indulged over Christmas. Every day I've been getting bigger and bigger. My jeans don't fit, my chair squeaks in protest when I sit in it. The time for the dreaded diet is here.?

No cakes for me please ?No leftover mince pies or chocolates ?No Christmas cake or sausage rolls. Now soop can I have a go on your exercise bike? You might have to give me a leg up. Here we go! ??‍♀️

Crafting that made me smile.
I'm vegging out sitting on the sofa, after a very indulgent festive season, feeling like a beached whale . Something has to be done but I'm off to have a hot chocolate with a drop of Baileys added while I make a plan. I'm sure a virtual diet would work just fine.....

Posted before reading previous posts. Thanks for that sunset soop, love the big skies in the Western Isles. We were on Islay this summer, our first visit and I was mesmerised by the evening skies. I hope we'll get back another time.
I'll never get round to commenting on everyone's posts, I don't now how others manage that! Yes there can be a lot of sniping on some threads, but thankfully not this one. So thanks all for making it a warm and friendly space.

I'm sat up in bed coughing, on week 5 of my boomerang bug charley, its really weird, it goes for a day, sometimes two, then it's back. I feel ok most of the time, it's just the cough. Littlest spent the day mimicking it, raised a smile .

Back to our sort of normal routine from tomorrow, I'm sure that will help. Bore the bugs away maybe. No fear of sausage rolls from me, crafting, we finished them for supper this evening . I do however have some stollen that I have sneaked in and left in a tin on the table, save me from myself, please?

The plan is to put Christmas away tomorrow, so better try for sleep. Stay warm and well everyone

I just think of it as 'the gift that keeps on giving' cornergran

I've been very gifted this last year Jalima ?

Another amazing sky, soop and love the delicate colours in yours grannyqueenie - is that in Scotland too?

As DH said this evening 'I thought you'd stopped coughing'

No, it just keeps coming back to remind me it's still there.

Jalima looking at the time of your post, I take it that you cannot sleep? It really seems to be a horrible bug going around. I have not been socialising much lately but I could still pick it up from a supermarket-maybe there is something to say about on line shopping.

I scoffed 2 layers of Thorntons since Christmas, they were delicious and I have even lost 3 kg. I have done this before and somehow the weight has piled on again but not this time. 1-2kg a week would do nicely. That is achievable whereas telling myself I must lose a million kilos is not.

Good morning all !!

Sorry to hear about the gift that keeps on giving Corner . Get well soon !!

We have not finished all our festive goodies and so I will have to keep eating them !! Its a tough job but someone has to do it !!

Safe travels today Daphne enjoy your trip home with the lovely Flynn !! Hope all goes well.

We have been working with Jackson on receiving gifts politely especially the ones he doesn't like . Yesterday they all popped in on the way back from their other Nanny and my daughter told me about a gift he received earlier. It went like this...

Nanny : I have a surprise for you Jackson.
Jackson VERY exited...rips open paper.

Little voice - I've got this one already.......

My daughter is about to jump in when he leaps up runs to hug her and shouts BUT I LOVE IT !!!

I think we've cracked it

Today we MIGHT venture out but we are equally likely to stay in our pjs all day and watch TV . The decorations are down and away so not much else going on here !!

Happy day all !!

Well done Charleygirl I will hold my hand up to putting on a few pounds but I WILL get them off again!!
Tree and our few decs down today and back to what passes for normal,although actually life has been pretty much normal over the festive season anyway.
Must get going will pop in for coffee during my break.
Hope *Daphne's visit goes well.

Morning all! I've just popped in to check on everyone. We have been so busy with family things and catching up with stuff that didn't get done during the 'flu period'.

First things first - I do hope Rory is feeling better, soop.

I have (as usual) missed the thread where people have been having a go at Ann. I do get fed up with people being so nasty. We won't have it, so there!

There is an article in the dreaded DM this morning that goes someway to explaining the blessed bug that we all have which made me feel a little bit better, so I hope that everyone who is suffering will start to pick up soon. I've started taking a tonic - hoping it helps!

I'm also eating up our goodies - just to build up my strength, you understand.

Anyway, I've left some Hotel Chocolat bits and bobs and some hot chocolate for anyone who needs it.

We are going on an expedition today. Firsty, to DD1's in Derby to deliver all the stuff they and one other daughter left here over Christmas and, then on the way home (!!!), we are nipping to Nottingham to get a link added to the bracelet that DH bought me for Christmas. I think it was made for a very small person indeed as I have quite slim wrists and it is a tough too tight. You might like to know that my wrists are my only slim bits.

I will try to pop in later as I've been missing my kitchen catch-ups.

Which tonic is that, kitty? Are you taking one of the new 'designer' gins with it? Please don't tell me about chocolate - even if it's virtual. I think I have overdone the cheese this Christmas as well. I tried to buy a M&S cheese taster board last Friday to give to friends, but every single one of them was right on its use by date. So I bought several cheeses and made up a tray to go with a basket of crackers and chutneys all of which were very well received. Need I say that I kept some 'samples' for myself?
n&g, Jackson is wonderfully well trained. I've known adults less gracious on receiving an unwanted gift!

N&G what a polite young man Jackson is- at his age he could easily have gone into a big strop saying the wrong things.