Soop's warmly welcoming kitchen

Not many mosquitoes round here at the moment to warrant quinine for malaria, but it does help with night cramps, or is it the vodka? Might do a clinical trial by cutting out the tonic water!

The table extension sounds good n&g, have you thought of a patent? We stick with a buffet if ours come together. The Littlies sit in the floor, at least the crumbs don’t have far to fall.

Cold and damp here today, ventured out to the shops for a couple of hours on the bus, sort of at a loose end now. Enthusiasm for anything is in short supply.

Goodness, charley, more hassle. I own to slight panic if without a washing machine. Mr C has been known to point out we have enough clothing to last a month .

Right, I need an occupation. Alternatively I may just go visit a neighbour.

Greyduster Here it is. Next step will be to mount and put on a backing. That's eleven in my collection!

Greyduster Enjoy fun-time with your grandson. Precious moments in store.

corner that sounds like a good plan. A buffet is ideal and as you say, the little ones will enjoy sitting on the floor.

Ingenious grampy! We put littlies on the kitchen window seat and then shove the table up in front of them so they are trapped!!! For more people we use the dining table for grown ups and 'Auntie Sally's' table (normally used to hold the drinks tray and decanters) for the children but it's not as effective as having them trapped!! People advocate using a paste table but they are too precarious for my liking. Enjoy your weekend N&G.

I look forward to seeing your rabbits too soop. As I have said before, I really envy anyone who has a talent for anything art or craft based. Will we see yours GD? The Great Painting Challenge starts this week - do any of you watch it. I love it - which is strange for someone with my complete lack of ability or knowledge.

Galen try to save some of the Vodka till after they have gone - that's when you will need it most!!

I started another thread telling people who had been really kind to me about DD3's good news. You will all be surprised to hear that she is pregnant!! The baby is due in early October. It's seems an age since we found out and it can only get worse now that Bertie and Persie know. Bertie was thrilled but Persie couldn't hear anything when she listened to Mummy's tummy so got bored. Anyway, she was 5 yesterday and has played the 'I'm the birthday girl' card at least a million times over the past week.

And, then I had a tooth out!! And, I will need a partial denture!!!

Gaga Your bench is a multi-tasker. Very sensible.

MacSporran and I will celebrate a fairly low key Easter weekend. We are happy in our home. A few treats and we'll enjoy and count our blessings. A few weeks to go before we have the gathering of our clan in Oakham, Rutland. It is then that we have a weekend of unbridled madness, the memories of which will be savoured for a very long time to come.

soop, you posted that while I was posting. That is fabulous.

Hearty congratulations to your dear pregnant daughter. Oh, the joy of waiting for the newcomer. Bertie and Persie will no doubt be asking...is the baby ready yet? October is a lovely month for baby's arrival. Keep us lot updated.

Thank you, kitty The above message is for you.

MacSporran has cleaned the car and the windows. The shower is in bits. The newly bought replacement is wrong for our home. It will be returned tomorrow. Something due to our water tank.

I've unearthed the complete first series of Bleak Expectations. Three CDs running time of three hours. Do any of you remember the series? It's very amusing.

I've been listening to the Alan Bennett Diaries 1980-1990. It helps me to forget the weariness that creeps over me when riding the exercise bike. I love his dry sense of humour.

Now it's time to log off. Visit to the care home tomorrow. How time flies! I shall wish you all a peaceful evening. I hope to return to catch up with your latest happenings tomorrow afternoon. Please take care of yourselves.

Hearty congratulations Kitty, to you and your daughter, lovely news! Only about 5 weeks now to my next great grandson`s arrival, he`s to be called Max. There`s to be a baby shower on Saturday evening, but I can`t go as I`m babysitting youngest grandson Kian.
Soop, the rabbits are adorable! I hope you soon get your shower sorted. I have a problem when in the shower, the grid thing on the floor keeps coming off and sticking to my foot, and I`m in absolute dread of anything coming up there before I get it back in place! I know rats are not to be desired in the house, but to be honest, a rat wouldn`t put the same TERROR in me as a spider. After all, a rat is just a big mouse, isn`t it, I`d be inclined to try and stroke it, whereas a spider would set me off with the screaming ab-dabs! (Got me head down now, ready for getting told off about rats!!)

You have my admiration callgirl, I do not ‘do’ rodents of any kind. Spiders however are no problem unless the huge, black tarantula look alike. Need a [yuck] emoticon.

Isn’t it lovely to be able to share the news kitty, my congratulations to all again. Teeth are a pain when they come and a pain when they go. All I can do is wish you well with the process. I’m sure you are so much braver than I would be.

Enviable painting again soop. Sadly even my stick people do not look like people, , so no chance of me producing anything like it.

Our Easter weekend will also be a quiet one. If my mojo has returned there’s a lot we can catch up with, if not well, we won’t . This afternoon I did go and natter with a neighbour, then chatted on the phone to a friend, managed to produce supper before another neighbour called round. So a talkative sort of afternoon and evening, enjoyable but I am left with a sense of ‘but I should have....’. Daft eh?

Hello soop and everyone. No I'm not a new visitor to the kitchen just an old one who had to re invert herself.
In case you're wondering, I could mention that I've done a lot of crafting in the past (no I'm not nannaandgrampy )
Sorry you couldn't contact me charleygirl I was probably in transition between my old and new self. Thank you for the warning about the voucher I will be on the lookout.
I was going to say I can't write much more because I've had a really bad cold and when I talk too much I start coughing then I realised how daft that sounds.

Doodle you seem to have chosen to NOT receive PMs
Is that right?

I have also PM'd Doodle in her old self and received the same message.I assumed she had her reasons.

soop, I love the bunnies. Please don't exhibit them too close to your handsome Mr Fox!

I’m in retreat from those who seem unable to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. I’m surprised and almost shocked at how much it hurts. I’ve too many painful things, emotional and physical, in my life without adding to them. I’m not sure where this leaves me with GN, will take myself off for a bit if a think.

I think ages ago I chose to block PMs as I had a number of very peculiar emails from someone who I don't think I have seen on GN for a while. I had forgotten I had done it actually. I have just had a look at my settings but don't seem to see anywhere I can un block. I will ask GNHQ. Thanks for pointing it out maw and ann I will let you know when I get it fixed.

Sorry you feel like this cornergran
I hope things seem brighter in the morning?

Cornergran life sometimes seems too much doesn't It?
Today my H is 82, he didn't know until yesterday that it is his birthday when family ,who can't come today, came with a cake and chocolates and biscuits, all he want these days, and even when they were here we had to keep reminding him. I find it so sad, but he is happy in his own world.
The birthday dinner will be Salmon as it is Good Friday but it happens to be a favourite as he doesn't have to chew.
I wish you all a very peaceful weekend.

kitty that is lovely news and ann you have my sympathy, as always.
We have just had three days in Snowdonia, a favourite haunt . We even visit favourite plants - Wilson’s filmy fern in the Aberglaslyn this time. (DH is a botanist!) So lucky with the weather - it didn’t start to rain until we had turned our faces towards England! Eaten too much, diet starts in earnest next week ready for DDs wedding!

Poignant for you Annsixty but if he is happy in his world, that is a blessing.
My friends OH is now in his mid 80’s and enjoyed the company when his son and daughter and their children came on his last birthday, saying “What nice people these are, how kind of them all to come today”
No idea who, no idea why, but it did make him happy.

Morning all !!

Happy Easter to you all - I shall be mostly missing in action this weekend so thought I would get in early !!

Another lovely painting soop ! They are going to be treasured !!

I love the idea of trapping the smalls Kitty !! We should have built the orangery with that concept in mind lol. Congratulations on your DDs news. I do love a new baby and we have certainly had a few in recent months - long may it last!!

The whole tooth thing, partial denture.... I KNOW that's coming for me as unbelievably I have a wobbly bottom tooth. I MUST go to the dentist but I have to really force myself to do it , I hate it so much .

Hello Doodle - love the new name ... will probably take me months to work out who you were

Corner sending you a hug ( and some wine !!) stay here and chat with us lot . I haven't seen any threads really lately , so don't know what's going on out there !

I am always amazed at how easily people can say hurtful thing in anonymity . If they are as harsh in real life they must be sad , sad people.

Happy Birthday to your H Ann , it sounds like he enjoyed it in his own way and that is all you can hope for I suspect.

Our visitors start arriving today with my lovely brother , his wife and Chip their dog coming to stay until tomorrow afternoon. Looking forward to it immensely and then of course ALL the rest arrive.

I have it all planned with military precision ( so of course it will go wrong ! As Grampy says ' No plan survives first contact ) . There is an Easter Egg hunt planned, a treasure hunt with maps and my favourite a picture scavenger hunt . the idea being the children get a list ( or in Coopers case - as his reading isn't great yet - a page of pictures) and they have to go round an take photos of the things on the list.

The adults give up their phones, the smalls have a high old time and there is peace for probably 30 mins. When you're a grandparent , that is sometimes enough to recharge your batteries !!

I'll leave you with my first spring picture and wish you all everything your hearts desire !!

PS GOOD NEWS : Easter Eggs have no calories as they slide right off the curved surface due to the gravitational pull of the moon !!!!!!!

N&G That’s the funniest thing I’ve read in ages! . I don’t believe a word of it of course!
Corner I’m very sad to hear you so disconcerted. A hug from me, too.
Ann, please wish your DH a very happy birthday from me, and I hope, in some small way, he enjoyed his day yesterday. I wish you peace this Easter weekend; look after yourself.
We had a bit of an up and down night here. GS had a couple of horrendous nose bleeds, poor chap, and his bed looked like a crime scene, so there is laundry to do. I felt so sorry for him. We shall have a relatively quiet day I think. We introduced him to golf yesterday at the local pitch and putt. I was carefully explaining and demonstrating to him the “right way” to address and hit the ball, and when I hit it it shot about three feet into the air and landed about a foot away from me. I’ve never seen him laugh so much. He has begun to get the hang of it, but he’s not ready for The Masters yet, and by the look of it, neither am I!
I will look in later. The sun is shining here for the moment.

I’ve just popped in for a quick hot-cross bun if there are any going, and cup of tea of course. I’ve got to get back to sorting my holiday clothes for my holiday in mid April. I’m really bad at packing, I get into a bit of a dither. I have to do it early because it’s the school Easter holiday so I’ll be having the children a lot and I’d like to go and see the injured soldier next Monday. I hope your Grandson is ok this morning Greyduster two of my children used to have nose bleeds. It can be quite scary because it looks as if there’s a massive amount of blood. They grew out of them when they reached 13 or so. Sounds like you’ll be busy N&G A very happy Easter to you all ?