Soop's warmly welcoming kitchen

Happy Easter all- I cannot believe that April is here already- another miserable, cold wet day.

I cleared out one cupboard in the kitchen yesterday and found a tenner so who knows what may be in the others. I found a fiver a couple of days ago clearing out a drawer. I wonder if the fairies have left £50 notes anywhere?

I slept for over 7 hours last night without a visit from Tara or a trip to the loo.

I echo Bellanonna in her good wishes for all for a Happy Easter Day.
We have had a bad night. H got up first at 11pm and got dressed, he repeated this at 3:30am and then before 6am.
I am absolutely shattered, he is asleep in his chair!!

We had a lovely surprise though, our D had a parcel sent to us and we have opened them to find 2Thorntons Easter Eggs.

My GS1 is off to Bermuda today to spent 3 weeks with his Father. Oh how I wish I were going with him and leaving all this behind.

Oh Ann I cannot begin to imagine what you are going through on a daily basis and H is blissfully unaware of the havoc he is causing. I agree, a one way ticket anywhere would be preferable.

Thorntons Easter eggs are scrumptious.

Happy Easter all!!

Ann, I would happily chip in for a ticket for you to leave it all behind -but you wouldn't really go would you?

Send that fairy over here please charley.

I lve Thornton's easter eggs and have moaning for years that DH didn't ever buy me one of those that were covered in icing flowers. This year he asked them if they could put flowers on one rather than a name. 'Of course' they said. DH was so embarrassed by the result that he bought me another one from Waitrose and two individual packets of my favourites from Thorntons.

Right, I'm going in the garden - I could be some time. Enjoy your Easter Sundays everyone.

Wine and chocolate anyone?

I am adding Easter Sunday greetings to you lovely lot.

Whatever the day brings, I trust that we will all do our utmost to make the very best of things. Dear Ann I am in awe of your ability to cope with the on-going situation at home. You have our very best wishes. I would like to be able to do something practical for you. I know that you would have an army of supporters if only we lived a good deal closer.

I'm going into the garden. It's sunny and through the window I can see a patch of ground that is begging to be tidied. All I have to do is convince MacSporran that I shall not overdo things.

kitty I am jealous- I deliberately left all the Easter eggs on the shelf in the supermarkets- in fact I did not look at them.

I did open a bottle of Pinot Grigio last night and there is enough for tonight and tomorrow. That will be my Easter over.

Just an update on my Sainsbury's wine delivery. I have had an evoucher for £99.99. Not bad considering the wine only cost £125!! Thing is, I don't do online grocery shopping!!

Just to say I went at 10am and ran myself a hot bath with nice bubbles in it and I escaped for 45 mins with Hamish McBeth to Scotland, pure luxury. I have everything prepared for dinner and when my GD arrives we are going to be really decadent and open a bottle of champagne.
I do now take my small pleasures when I can.
I hope everyone else enjoys the rest of their day, especially if family are involved, but if not, just be good to yourselves.
We really are worth it.

Well done kitty hope you enjoy every sip (or glug) ?

kitty can you not be persuaded to do on line shopping?!! You have done rather well this time. I am sorry I cannot join you drinking the Reisling- I prefer my wine to be very dry.

ann that sounds ideal- will H have one glass? You have to relax whenever you can.

Ann I hope you enjoy your champagne and that it lifts your spirits! Enjoy your time with your lovely granddaughter.
We have roast pork in the oven. We have had our Easter egg hunt and are surrounded by chocolate but at the moment no-one seems to want to make a start !
Blimey kitty that’s some refund - should buy you a few extra bottles!
I have to report that the chocolate cake I was disparaging about yesterday has astounded me with its yummyness! It is dark and moist and not over sweet. There is just a hint of some raising agent or other, but my apologies to Betty Crocker for pouring scorn on her cake mixes! {{whispers: I might even try another!}}

Greyduster we are also having pork and that raises an interesting culinary conundrum.
When we were all first married and started cooking roast dinners do you member being told that pork should never be slow cooked, it wasn't a suitable method .
Well since I have been cooking pork shoulder recently I always slow cook it, it is delicious and in the DT yesterday Tom Kerridge printed a recipe for 4hour cooked pork.
Please don't answer as it is just me thinking out loud.
Ps we have no stuffng, I forgot to put it on the shopping list and it is many years since I could be bothered to make my own.

Okay! I went into the garden at 2pm and I'm back at 16:41. I've worked my socks off. MacSporran has taken the odd twig and bramble out of my hair and he has offered to put the garden tools and stuff away for me. He said...WELL DONE! You've made a noticeable difference. I'm knackered and chuffed at the same time. Boast over and done with.

Ann Pop the Champagne cork and enjoy your celebratory meal of roast pork. You have a very caring granddaughter. Bless her.

Charleyg No Easter eggs but we've had a hot cross bun and this evening we have a special bottle of red wine to look forward to.

Greyduster Did you remember to save us lot a mighty big wedge of that chocolate cake?

kitty Wow! You have done extraordinarily well with your home delivery of wine. Treat yourself to something special with the generous voucher.

It is a wonderful day. Sunny, warm and not a hint of a breeze. Perfect in every sense.

I shall return tomorrow. An enormous (((group hug))) and a big thank you for being some of the friendliest people on Gransnet.

soop sunny and warm? Dull, grey and cold here! I am looking forward to my two glasses of wine later when I dine. You have deserved yours with all of that hard work.

Today has been grey and chilly, working in garage and diy. Tomorrow is our free day, but the weather does not look promising. Thank goodness bank holidays don't matter any more. I always remind my working friends how lucky they are to get bank holidays.

Ann, hoping you’ve enjoyed that champagne. I was thinking of you earlier when we collected elderly friends to take them to church this morning. He is 97, with dementia and recovering from a broken hip. She is a few years younger and so quick mentally, but it’s a huge effort coping with him on a daily basis. She said she could have cheerfully murdered him last night, but within minutes he’d forgotten all about it. Fortunately she retains her sense of humour and keeps smiling, well most of the time.
dd4 and her aching heart, but minus boyfriend, came across yesterday as planned - all a bit tense and her mother couldn’t do right for doing wrong!. But we did manage a belated birthday meal for the old boy and littlest gd, who brought her mum, dad and big sister too. So far so good thought I! When the others had gone home and the evening went on dd4 got more and more upset and decided she would go home this morning. So the beef’s in the freezer for another day and we two went out for lunch instead, both feeling a bit deflated. I’ve since had a message from her apologising for bolting, poor girl just doesn’t know whether she’s coming or going, but despite being my “baby” she’s a grown up and I have to respect that....sigh...it was so much easier when they were little and a cuddle fixed things!
kitty I’m guessing you might be prompted to have a go at internet shopping with that whopping voucher! I can’t advise, but sure someone here will.
Wishing you all a restful evening and a where needed

Wobbly you're so right. We no longer look forward to Bank Holidays as none of our usual activities take place and the weather is usually rubbish. We've been retired less than a year!

I agree about the bank holidays not mattering when your retired and I’ve only been retired a year too. I hope you have a better dayannsixty I’ve been busy cooking and cleaning up after my son and family have visited over the last few days. So been cooking big roast dinners and entertaining the youngsters in between. My poor sick DiL seems to have decided that she can confide in me. Her main fears are that my son will not manage with the children well if or when the worst happens. She’s well at the moment but she and we know that could change at any moment. I find it really hard to reassure her, I think it’s important that I acknowledge her fears and not just dismiss them because I can’t face talking about it, as in “oh don’t be silly you’ll be around for years, experts are coming up with cancer cures every day” type of answer. I think others do it all the time. I can understand why. No one wants to think we might loose her. Over the last few months it seems to me that she’s accepted that her time may well be limited. I think she is starting to prepare the children. She is teaching them how to look after their own physical needs. How to prepare school bags, uniforms, that sort of stuff. They are still unaware of how ill she really is. After she’s left I try really hard to come up with a solution to ease the every day pressures but I find that coping with her emotions and mine upsetting. I wish my son could handle thing a bit better. I accept that he’s frightened and that he’s probably worried about money because he’s working less, so earning less so he can be back home before the children get home from school. I just wish that he could be...well a bit kinder. I have talked to him in the past but there’s a fine line between kindly advice and interference. Sorry I never came here with the intention of poring this out. I hope I haven’t spoilt your Easter . I can’t really talk to anyone in real life. I don’t want to upset the family or make them disappointed in my own son. Big big sigh. On a good note I have a happy gorgeous 7 year old nanna’s boy cuddled up next to me.

How sad for you morethan, is your dil getting any support from Macmillan or Marie Curie, they might be able to have a word with your son.

morethan, I am so sorry that you are carrying all this on your shoulders.

It is hard morethan to tread the narrow line between practical planning for an uncertain future and fearing one has “given up”. Being positive (and optimistic) is what keeps us going isn’t it?
Your DIL seems to be the person in her family however who has best understood what the situation really is and I admire her objective of preparing the children for the possibility of life without her.
A friend in Kent 30 years ago did exactly that when she knew her cancer was incurable. It was heartbreaking to watch from the sidelines, but as their mum she felt it was one of the most important things she could leave them.
Is your son still in a degree of denial?
I know I was with Pa I truly believed if I sorted out his drugs/gave him healthy organic food/ made sure he was comfortable /“kicked ass” when the surgery or hospital were playing silly buggers, all that, then I was somehow normalising the situation. I wasn’t of course, all I could influence was what was in front of me and as such make the best of the moment but I was in denial about the future because it was too painful to contemplate.
I think you are doing exactly the right thing in being supportive, providing a listening ear when required and not resorting to the trite clichés which your DIL must be so tired of.
It is desperately hard for you in your different roles as Gran, MIL and Mum but I think you are doing a grand job

Well said Maw

What bank holidays mean to me at the moment is that there's rubbish on TV! I have 'celebrated' the Easter weekend by choosing films I've missed out on. 'Cloud Atlas' (on Prime) was one I'd wanted to see as I had read the book and couldn't imagine how it could possibly make a coherent film. I think I'd need to watch it again to answer that one. So yesterday it was The Martian (Matt Damon) which was excellent - full of suspense, also wondering if the hero's horticultural efforts would really be possible if one was marooned on an alien planet. So today I will be looking for something more relaxing. Also treated myself to Aldi's dark chocolate with hazelnuts - much better value than an Easter egg. Now I need to get back on the low carbs pronto! Luckily my scales are in need of a new battery and I can't be bothered to go out to get one on a horrid morning like this.

When I was first diagnosed with Breast cancer, in one of the first meetings with the BC nurse she asked what I was concerned about.
Obviously to me my first thought was leaving the family
I thought she was very unsympathetic by saying , I can assure you they will cope.
When I thought about it afterwards I realised she was saying ,you have enough to cope with and worry about getting through surgery and treatment and she was right.
Your Dil' s worries are a 100 times worse than mine, but by facing up to it and preparing her children she is putting in place her own practical solution and also putting her own mind at a little bit of ease .
And although you are only going to say it to yourself, there may be more and better treatments just round the corner, we must all pray so.

Good morning to you lovely lot. The wind is raw. The sky is grey. No gardening for me today.

I've read through all your posts. You have so much experience and compassion to share. There is nothing better that I can add. Bless you.