soop's kindly kitcheners and pampered pets...

That was a lovely thing to do ann.

Been struggling with the internet connection today. Blamed the weather all day then discovered the flipping wifi hub had a dodgy lead. .

It seems the Welsh weather was OK today in spite of the forecast. We are going to try tomorrow as the next time we could go is Thursday next week which is too far away for our friend. We'll be sensible and not do it if it's really icy in the morning but she needs help so we'll at least try.

Still coughing but had enough head space to sort some photos on the computer this afternoon. Good to have made a start. May finish in 2020!

Hope you avoid bugs tomorrow charley, how about a mask?

Take care all.

How kind of you, annsixty . Your D and the cat are very lucky to have you.

I've just paid €200 for my dog to have his rather strange double dew claws removed at the same time as having him neutered. I thought it was quite expensive but I know it would cost a lot more in the UK.

Hello soop and pals. Haven't popped in for a while. We've had quite an unusual cold spell in Malta, but nothing like I'm seeing on the UK news. Stay warm and cosy.

I have been sent a photograph of her in her vet fitted Tshirt. She can't wear a cone as the wound is on her neck,I would post it but being a numpty I don't know how to do the transfer, oh the shame. She was eating freshly cooked chicken soon after being home, so I guess she is ok.

I'd have done exactly the same for mine, ann. I hope ? makes a good recovery.

I have just paid a serious amount of money for my D's cat which had an operation this morning. I posted how she had had to visit the vet on Boxing day and that was premium cost. She had a large lump on her neck which burst. The vet cleared the gunge but couldn't guarantee it would not fill up again and again so this morning she had it removed.
My D and GC love their cats as much as those of you on here do and there was no way my D could afford it so I and H will live on bread and water for a few weeks just to make them all happy.

You lot are seriously funny. I believe that a sit-com on matters pertinent to "doddery old clot" syndrome could become a winner.

Who watched 'Common Sense' last night? It was extremely funny. Ordinary folk discussing current issues, reminiscent of the so-called chats that MacSporran and I engage in as we drink our early morning cuppa in bed.

Nelliem You are most definitely a coper. I'm thankful that I haven't to manage your chronic condition. You have my respect.

Corner Stay well away from that hill. It's a little tricky hereabouts. The hills are no-go zones in such conditions.

Nana Us lot know when an apology is sincere, or not. Grampy is expected to grovel. He has to make amends. It's only fair.

DaphneB and Greyduster I'm with you 100% when it comes to gadgets and gizmos. The more straight-forward, the better. Hence I hang on to my retro mobile phone. The grandchildren must think I'm eccentric. Which I am. I have been offered their cast-off cell phones...all techno wizardry, because I can't be arsed with anything that performs anything beyond sending and receiving a call.

Galen How you be?

Your "disposal" thread really did make me laugh N&G and talk of insult to injury giving you his germs. Like you I do steer clear of junior bugs which they shake off quickly but which keep me company for weeks. Make sure you get very well looked after and really milk it. But get well soon as it's no fun at all and it sounds as though you are going to need all your , erm, strength soon. ?

I note that it is still N&G and not just N yet! Admittedly you will need time to think about it as you have been given some good advice. I hope that your present lurgy does not last.

I have managed to stay clear this winter but this pm I will be spending 3-4 hours in OPD so I have a nasty suspicious feeling that I may pick up a lurgy there.

I do not need it because next week I have a coffee morning with other GNs and 2 lunches.

It is dull and raining here today-snow is forecast, I will be retiring to bed tomorrow I think.

There could be an * in the marriage service
"In sickness and in health with the following exceptions:
Man flu ......"

Definitely not as far as colds are concerned! . Look after yourself n&g, hope the germs depart swiftly.

Daphne I have also been wondering recently why we spend so much money on appliances which have all the bells and whistles and then only use one of the bells and one of the whistles! My dishwasher will be pressed into service today as I strip out my oven and stick all the bits on there on an intensive wash. It has to be pristine (the cooker) for tommorrow when an engineer comes to find out why the cover won't come off the bulb in the main oven. Several people have tried but all have failed. It sounds like a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but I am getting fed up of having to shine a torch in there to see what's going on, and it is insured so why not!
N&G that you now have Grampy's lurgy (love the "doddery old clot" description!) is bad luck! I know we say, in sickness and I health, but were we that serious?

Crafting - really!!!
The dishwasher is beyond economic repair N&G and I am just waiting for DH's verdict on the family finances to get the go-ahead to order a new one. We are on to out third Bosch and have gone up a spec each time, but I honestly wonder if the extra knobs and twiddled are worth it. I rarely use more than 3 basic programmes and the extra cost of the "energy saving" and "water saving" machines seems to be more than the so-called saving over several years. However if he says we can having the all-singing all-dancing model, fine, but my basic one, 30 years ago washed as well as its successors.
I am sorry to hear you have caught Grampy's cold, typical!! Mind you the way men cough and sneeze, the whole street risks infection. I once heard DH sneeze when I was out walking Grace round the block!
Sounds like nasty weather is on its way, indeed already there in some places. Duvets and hot chocolate everyone!

Good morning all !

Well despite all that fuss about not babysitting so I stayed germ free...yes you've guessed it I've caught Grampy's cold !! Please pop over to the ways to kill Grampy thread as I am now on a mission !! I have avoided any coughs and colds this winter and bugger me if the doddery old clot doesn't give me his !!!!

I bet you're glad your cleaner is back Charley I could do with one here BUT DONT WORRY ...I shall recline on the sofa Cleopatra-like and direct Grampy !

Oh Daphne being a coper is all very well but who copes for the coper? I'm hoping you ( and your dishwasher) are feeling much better.

Glad your procedure was less traumatic than you expected Gaga , sometimes we are our worst enemies with an over active imagination. That's half my trouble at the dentist I am sure.

Corner I have forgiven but not forgotten especially in light of my current runny nose, sore throat and cough !! The patio still beckons !

soop Grampy's heinous crime was to tell me I had got biter at 60 and that he didn't want to listen to my opinion. He thought he was being funny , I disagreed and when he apologised it wasn't a REAL apology. Although he is now being over solicitous it will not do him any good - I have decided his days are numbered and so far a leg of lamb looks the way to go !!

Funnily enough lamb has always been a particular favourite of mine

Dishwasher is beyond economic repair apparently, but the loo in the en suite now flushes so I
daphne, I thought yout were going to say you washed your dishes in the toilet!!!

Nellie so sorry to hear of all the pain you have to put up with. Hope the treatment helps.

galen are you feeling any better?

"Cornergran" At least its not just me posting long tales of woe.

Sorry, nellie, took so long over my post you beat me to it. That sounds horrid and is a bit scary to read as I have facet joint deterioration. So far I can manage so not being troubled by any suggestion of major interventions. I understand the desire to avoid anything too intrusive and hope you can be made much more comdortable without risk.

I think I am feeling a bit better thank you cornergran - but I may not let on for another day or two
??

Mr Duster will learn - the hard way. Look after that bruise, greyduster. If you don't have any arnica I am sure Mr Duster will be pleased to go out in the wind/rain/snow to get some. .

My good news is that my tooth soreness has gone. The not so good news is that there is a temporary filling pending the beginning of the process for a crown. The dentist assessed the level of coughing and said he thought I would be too uncomfortable if he began today. I suspect he had fears for the safety if his fingers. So, comfortable again and I can forget about it until the end of the month when we will begin. Oh joys, can't wait, of course that's unless I catch more germs between now and then .

You sound a bit better, Daphne, sorry about the dishwasher though, have you got those paper plates?

I use a soup maker for my cauliflower and blue cheese soup and make it to the maximum level. . Another chuck it in and hope recipe. Onions and/or leeks, some garlic, lots of cauliflower, ( sometimes a mix of cauliflower and broccoli) plus 50:50 water and milk with two vegetable stock pots, blitz it a bit when cooked, mix in heaps of blue cheese and sprinkle some on top with a little paprika. Four very generous servings or six less generous. Can honestly say it never turns out the same twice!

Should be visiting our poorly friend tomorrow but we've all agreed to wait until the weather settles a bit, she lives on a very steep Welsh hill, and snow is forecast, so an unexpected empty day. I should do some cleaning, wonder what I will do?

Stay warm and well everyone.

Soop My back is a really long running problem. When DS was about a year old I fell downstairs carrying him and landed heavily on my left leg (I did not have a hand free and did not want to drop him.) I had a very bad sprain.

I think the impact of the fall might have set up a stress fracture and about 3yrs later after another pregnancy, (DD was just two, August Bank holiday 1981 to be precise.)

I developed severe back pain and ended up with "spondylolisthesis" which is a slipping backwards of one of the lower back vertebrae. I was wearing a surgical corset for well over two years to give that injury a chance to stabilise. That seemed to work.

The bank holiday weekend was the point when I could no longer sit comfortably in any soft chairs. I need a seat that is just the right height and angle at the back or my back quickly becomes very painful.
Other peoples settees, theatres, restaurants, bars etc. Basket chairs at Mediterranean outdoor restaurants are dreadful. However I have got used to managing that and demanding getting myself a suitable seat. (Just call me Goldilocks!)

Eventually the facet joints on the left side have become very worn and painful. I had the first treatments about 9 yrs ago in 2008 and several in subsequent years. The joints have become a lot more painful in the last couple of years and I am unable to do long walks much over 3miles without getting a lot of pain. I can still go up hills quite quickly though .

The only real alternative to the injections now is to have these joints fused together which is a relatively major procedure and does not always resolve the pain.
One surgeon has decided it would be very difficult to fix it the simplest way and has suggested that a different surgeon. He is more experienced in a different procedure but that decision is probably a last resort.

Soop I am quite sure right now, you understand all about doctors, their varying opinions and not making things any worse.
Take care all.
xx

There is a bruise developing on my forearm. I'm sure I won't be able to do a thing tommorrow! He'll have to do everything. What a shame! How will he manage? (Sigh).

Gudnight all. Sleep tight. Back with you tomorrow afternoon.

granniequeenie Yep! It was you who made the delicious soup.
I'm laughing at the comment made by your dear husband. When asked a question regarding appearance, I always look MacSporran in the eye. It's a beady eye. I refuse to blink. He knows what I'm hinting at. If indeed my bum looks big, so be it. Just don't dare say so.

Shame on Mr Duster...I now know to which thread you're referring. I sympathise with you. Feet up. You've had a tumble. TLC prescribed in huge dollops. Or else...*Mr Duster* will have a queue waiting on the doorstep with rolling pins. Come to think of it, I believe I have one dating back to my late Nana's era. It's awfully big and heavy and...deadly,

Daphne The wind outside the window sounds not unlike an express train.
I'm certain that one of us lot made some stinkyblue cheese and cauliflower soup recently. I'd better not sample it. It gives me wind in the willows. If you get my drift.

lona I'm sure no one noticed the old boy, they'd be too busy like me watching the rather dishy young man across the road, he was out there in his sexy pants and a hoodie!'
Sorry about your poor dead dishwasher daphne, I'd hate to be without mine.
I make soup with Brocolli and Stilton, which would probably work with cauliflowers too. It's not exactly a recipe more chuck it all (onion, potato, veggie stock cube 1pints of water, black pepper and brocolli) simmer for about 20mins, add cheese and blend till smooth and add water or milk if it's too thick.
greyduster how do they manage to lose all sense of tact or diplomacy? Reminded me of when I asked if a particular outfit made my tummy look big, he looked long and hard and asked me why I was mentioning something "that we all know is a problem"......I'm not telling what I said!!!
soop it does sound like you and your man are a good team. Mine did some housework today while I was out helping at the local toddler and baby groups, he's good chap really....if a little on the tactless side at times!
I hear we may have some snow tomorrow, that'll be fun!