Soop's very welcoming kitchen...

Maw - you must be so exhausted, physically and emotionally, after the last few years. I can't imagine what it must feel like to be in your shoes.
Also everyone is supposed to feel jolly at xmas, but in midwinter it's hard to keep going.
Thinking of you. x

NannyJan53 A very warm welcome.

Wonderful photos!

Maw I hope the day hasn't continued to get you down, it is very early days for you.
My S took me to Aldi this afternoon and I met a friend of a friend whose husband died 3 weeks ago.
She looked so drawn and sad and said Christmas is a time just to be got through.Although her H died of lung cancer, diagnosed 11 months ago, it was from an industrial cause ,asbestosis, so she has to go through an inquest in the New Year.
Best wishes to all who are bereaved and grieving.

Condolences and sympathy for all those in need of them. The death of a loved one is hard to deal with.

I've been asked to post the photo I took of marydoll and soop on this thread (it's already on the Edinburgh meetup thread. So here it is: the proprietors of the the Argy Bargy Cafe and the Soop Kitchen together

Awwwww! Thanks Baggs

How lovely to put a name to a face, is it possible to do it on the other photograph?

So sorry about your cloud Maw, it does get easier, with the odd lapse here and there, but it`s still such early days for you yet. Just take each day as it comes, things will get better in time.
Soop, so sorry about your double bereavement, always sad, but particularly so near to Christmas.
That`s a lovely photo, thank you Baggs.

Do you mean the other one taken at the Edinburgh meetup, ann?

Yes please.

That is lovely grannyqueenie!
I just wish I had some control over my emotions.
Fair enough listening to tiny children singing “Away in a Manger” or dealing with yet another notification of paw’s death e.g.to cancel his phone contract) or, as I had to do, to ring a friend of 40+ years who had just sent us both a Christmas card. She doesn’t do email AT ALL so had missed out on the “mail shot” when it happened. But just to be swamped by waves of tears with no apparent trigger?
Anyway, as is the way of things, the day went from bad to worse when I tried to take a pile of washing down to the machine and carry my mobile and iPad.
The latter crashed to the floor in the utility room shattering the screen. I rang round various people to get quotes for repairs but some sounded distinctly dodgy and I didn’t feel like handing over a device which could have personal info on it.
So I rang Apple to try to get an appointment to take it in. Guess how much?
£296!!!
I decided it would be worth claiming on the house contents insurance after all, but asked their advice on merging account info from my iPad to Paw’s which is sitting unused. The Eastern European girl (from her accent) was patience personified but it still took well over an hour to talk me through it, mostly as I had no idea of various passwords.
Then Direct Line insurance. That was another long phone call, so I have effectively done NOTHING else all day, but on the plus side, it did give me something else to focus on, even though I felt choked at deleting paw’s ID so that I could transfer or install the apps I use regularly. He must also have accidentally pressed the camera button while he was in hospital, blank pictures, but poignant to see the dates.
Oh hell, there is no let up is there?
Not a great day, perhaps tomorrow will make up for it. I am going to London to watch the touring production of The Tin Drum by Knee High Theatre which DD2 worked on over the summer, first in Cornwall where they are based then in Liverpool where it opened at the Everyman.

I hope it's allright that I've pinched the photo and reposted it here!

From front left going clockwise: Elizabeth1, Katek, Jangran99, Jane10 just visible, Gillybob, Empty chair where GeminiJen had been sitting, Elegran, Soop, Oldgoat, Marelli, Bellasgran, Marydoll, Baggs
(EllenT had left already).

I pinched elegran's listing too!

Thank you I am so pleased to match everyone up.
I live in hope of making it to a meeting somewhere, sometime.

Hello nannyjan welcome to the kitchen.

baggs is that really you I would never have known. You look so young (sorry that was not meant quite as it sounds ) The new haircut is a great success it really suits you. Glad all of you had a great time on your meet up and thanks for the photos.

maw so sorry you have had such a bad day. You must miss paw so much. I hope you sleep well tonight and tomorrow seems a bit brighter. Big (hugg) x

Thank you for the photos baggs, such elegant Grans.

So sorry for your losses, soop, difficult any time but perhaps more so at this time of year.

Many hugs maw, it is very early days yet, just be as you are.

Beautiful image and words gq.

Night night everyone.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201712/medium-578128-eebe3797-d942-4759-93f6-0eb9c1bd66bf.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201712/medium-740747-6a4a4417-1d64-444f-8944-e035b4e96866.jpeg

Good morning, The Kitchen. Santa has paid us a visit (he looks a bit frayed around the edges already) and even Mrs Santa put in an appearance! Perhaps mercifully she did not choose to reveal the full extent of her beautious countenance!

A crisp and bright good afternoon to you lovely lot. I'm aboot to play catch-up. Settle down and talk amongst yourselves. I shall return.

I fear that I shall be playing catch-up for some time yet. You lot have been beyond busy since I last came into the kitchen on my return from the "Edinburgh do".

We are fortunate to live in a small community of people who do their best to support each other, especially in times of need. During our visit to Edinburgh, a relatively wealthy city, I was saddened to see lonely, homeless people for whom there is little to celebrate. If I lived in a city where homeless people sleep in doorways, no matter what the weather throws at them, I would, if I could, do something to bring some cheer into their lives. I image having a trolley in which I could store prepared hot drinks and sandwiches, and I would do the rounds to distribute the food on a regular basis. I feel that it would be a pleasure to try to help and engage with those in need.

I'm not intending to be maudlin. Even though the two recent deaths of people we were fond of have saddened us, during their lives, they had family, home, and good friends. This feeling that I have for people who have so little, always haunts me especially at this time of the year.

I agree soop, it's a very sobering thought. I'm sorry you came home to such sad news.

I'm pleased to put names to faces too, so thank you, baggs and others.

How are you doing today, Maw?

Those two santas look slightly under dressed, if I might be so bold.

Hope your feet are warm by now Corner and that you had a good time despite everything!!

Have a super Christmas with your family anno - you could have bought a whole bottle of rum and kept the rest for medicinal purposes. We have so many part used bottles of booze from recipes that I'm thinking of making a punch for the kitchen - as DH says, everything tastes ok by the second glass!

I've admitted defeat and started to use the antibiotic drops for my eye. The nurse said to try not to as it is caused by a virus so should get better by itself. It's been a week now and I'm flipping fed up of dabbing, batheing and trying not to scratch.

I'm not sure I should admit to this but I've just read kitty's post without my glasses on and the words seem to blend together. On first read through I thought kitty had written "I've admitted defeat and started to use a vibrator!" ?? I have no idea where that came from..sorry kitty

Great photos GREYDUSTER. Definitely into the Christmas spirit already!

Crafting

Thank you, kitty.
Eyes are very precious. The irritation may well benefit from soothing drops. It could be that you have conjunctivitis as well as the cold virus that has sent some of our villager friends straight to bed. I hope that you'll improve as the days pass.

anno I also send good wishes to you for a happy family Christmas. There is one particular rum that I remember enjoying some long years ago. I cannot recall the name. It was dark, smooth and warmed the cockles of my heart.

Maw Is today a better day for you? I'd like to think that it is. You've been through a huge trauma and are constantly in my thoughts.

I think that all the latest seasonal images are wonderful. Thank you for sharing with the rest of us lot.

By the way, I did mean to say a very big thank you to Elegran for the time and trouble that she went to on behalf of the Edinburgh Granspals gathering. It was a very successful event. No one was arrested for disorderly behaviour. 'Though Oldgoat did refuse a second glass of wine because, in her words, I tend to get bawdy. Baggs and I asked what she meant by bawdy but Oldgoat wouldn't give us a clue.

I've been working on the stag portrait. Here is an update of the progress thus far.

Hello again, Artyfarty It's been a while since you last visited the kitchen. There are buttery flapjacks lurking somewhere in the cupboard. I bought them from Tesco (finest range) would you care to share?

Maw I remember the 'Knee High Theatre' from the time we lived in Cornwall.