Soop's friendly and welcoming kitchen.

I love your kind messages. Ann has eloquently summed up the kitchen and the caring and sharing that is both important and valued.

Thank you, Grannynice...and a very warm welcome. You mention cake... not a lot of it left by the heap of crumbs swept under the rug.

Greyduster You've a very good reason to blow your top. Best to let your disappointment be aired. Us lot understand your frustration.

I shall send a message to Panache. I shall check in with you all tomorrow. It's a marvellous day...wall to wall warm sunshine.

I am sorry to hear your news soop. I hope the easel helps a little.

I'm glad charley is ok. Say she will only be allowed back in with cake, grannynise.

I hope panache is missing because she is busy packing for an immediate move!

Lovely boys, as always, N&G, whatever you say!!

GD, you deserve a HUGE icecream while you are in the park.

I'm quite cross!!! I have mentioned that we are looking for a car to replace mine and we went to test drive one today. We got to the garage and found the man who could arrange the drive. He introduced himself to DH, shook his hand and took him off to his desk leaving me trailing behind him. We sat down and he didn't once look at me until I said that I was going to be the main user, I would be choosing it and it would be in my name.

kittylester
One local garage lost a sale when they invited “Sir to look under the bonnet while Madam looks at the upholstery options” ?
I should add that “sir” only ever had company cars and wouldn’t have known a dipstick from an ashtray!

More than infuriating. kitty, hope you quelled him with a look.

Relieved charley is ok, was getting worried about her. Thanks for telling us grannynise

Oh soop, I’m so sorry. There’s much sadness around at the moment. I hope your easel will help ease things for you.

A difficult time ann, today sounds a little less fraught for you. Please think of yourself, it’s important you stay both well and sane.

Butter wouldn’t melt n&g, I’m sure they were both perfect. .

Tradesmen eh greyd? Hope equilibrium has been restored. Without aggravation of any kind I ate a large chocolate ice cream today while looking out across the water. Should be ashamed of myself. Am I? .

Hope all is well with panache, not like her to miss a day.

Bit of a busy weekend ahead for us with family stuff so it’s likely I will join the band of missing people for a while take care everyone.

So sorry about your friend Soop, it`s going to be a sad time for the village.
Lovely photos of the 2 little monkeys N&G.
Great to hear that CharleyG is alright, now hoping to hear the same about Panache.
My new C word tree has arrived, I tried to put it up to see what it looked like, but it's defeated me, I rang eldest son and yelled "HE-E-E-E-LP!!" He`s coming to sort me out tomorrow.

All condolences, Soop, to you who are so unfailingly kind to everyone else in trouble. It's exceptionally hard isn't it to get accustomed to the absence of someone young and active who we've always seen around.

Galen the very best of luck with the harp. Handel has some wonderful concertos we'll love to ear when the pleasures of Three Blind Mice begin to pall.

Hello everyone. I've been enjoying my 75th birthday today and am feeling very lucky. Lots of lovely cards, flowers, perfume and lunch out with DH.

In the midst of lunch DS texted from the Festival he and DD and their families are all at and we had a hilarious online chit chat between us. Other diners must have thought we were bonkers the way we kept laughing out loud at his posts. Great fun! Tasty pensioner's special too.

Then, about half an hour ago, the doorbell went (plays Hey Jude) and there was another delivery - a basket of roses and freesia from my dear sister on the Isle of Man!

So I feel very happy, as well as lucky and don't even mind being the age I am - I don't feel it for sure!

I am sorry for the worries and sadness some of our dear kitcheners are suffering. Please share some of my flowers - and I hope they ease the pain.
And help yourselves to a large slice of my birthday cake - it's on the table!

Evening all !

Ive finally caught up.

So sorry to hear of the sad loss of your friend and also for his loss to your tight knit community . Sending you a hug soop .

Glad to hear Charley is suffering not with her newly replaced joint but a more easily fixed computer problem.

Don't you ladies be beguiled by those angel faces !! :-)

I feel your pain maw and Kitty . I too have suffered from invisible- itus in the car showroom. I once say meekly by whilst the salesman extolled the virtues of the car we were looking at . Finally he said to my husband ' so- shall we do the paperwork?' . It was with huge pleasure I was able to lean across and say ' No thanks !! You ignored me and now my cheque book is ignoring you !!' .

Even now when I am changing my vehicle and it is obvious I am the one with a disability they do like to ignore me ( at their peril lol) !

Young Stevie will be 9 in 3 weeks and today I purchased his desired gift. He asked for a nerf gun and Grampy is dizzy with delight as it will be delivered here to be wrapped and he feels he should test it out before it is taken down for his birthday !

Some men are always boys at heart!!

Soop. So sad for your village and the school too.

Happy Birthday Gagagran -I am glad you had a lovely birthday here’s to many more!
???

Happy birthday Gagagran what a refreshing attitude to age.
I have always been happy to have reached the next birthday, many don't.

Happy Birthday, gaga! What a lovely description of your day. I'm glad for you. ?

Many Happy Returns Gagha!

A very happy birthday, Gaga! ?? It is Mr Duster’s 75th in a couple of weeks time - a very good age indeed!

Soop I am so sorry to hear about your young friend. What a loss it must be to your community. My heart goes out to his family, and to you.

N&G as you say, it doesn’t take much to bring out the little boy in grandads! Stevie will be lucky to get his hands on it if Grampy gets there first! DH has a souped up water gun that squirts round corners and they fight over it!! It has been much used this summer, along with the less desirable one that doesn’t squirt round corners.

I feel a bit more at peace with myself, having spent the evening watching GS play in a pre-season “friendly” football match. They got hammered 11-2, but I was as proud as a peacock because guess who scored the two!

DS is here to lunch tommorrow. His recent knee problem is sufficiently improved for him to resume driving. Or so he tells me! I hope he’s right. He is apt to be cavalier about these things!

Good night one and all.

Happy birthday gaga. Your day sounds to have been just right. Mr C is also 75, an excellent age to be.

soop I’m very sad to hear about your friend, you. and your community will be the poorer without him I’m sure. Sending you a hug x
Tired but not yet sleepy enough to snuggle down, so must away off this iPad or I will regret it tomorrow...and so will those near me, sadly I’m inclined to be just a teeny weeny bit grumpy after too little sleep!

I have just got back to bed after H's fourth fall in 8 days.
He heard me go to the loo and called for me.
I hadn't heard him for once.
I had had a revelation when a friend asked me if the ambulance people had used an inflatable "thingy" to lift him, she said the carecall people used one for her H.
I got our single elictrically operated blow up bed downstairs, rolled him onto it and plugged it in.
He slowly rose up although he wasnt happy, but it is a good one and is quite high.
When fully inflated he was able to swing his legs over and stand with the aid of a door handle, his stick and me.
I got him into bed , threatened him with the direst consequences if he moved again , and was back in bed in 20 mins.
Needlass to say I can't sleep now.

Just back in bed after a mammoth session of cleaning up H, the bed, the bathroom and all.
Bed had to stripped, he had to be changed and washed and I am in despair. It is no help that the CH boiler has developed a fault and BG can't come until Tuesday. The only way I can get hot water is to have the CH on full blast at the same time.
I could turn all the radiators off but to be honest I am too damn tired.
Duty SW tomorrow morning ( if I ever wake up).

Oh, ann. I hope you do wake up and call the SW. You really can't go on like this. You have been a tower of strength but this is more than a woman can cope with.

Well done GD GS. A good start to his new grown up 'life'.

Belated birthday greetings gaga. Yesterday sounds a very happy day.

Well, we bought the car but DH got the price down a lot so I'm happy. Having had lots of blue, silver and white cars we have kicked over the traces and ordered a bright red one. Hope we don't live to regret it!

We are meeting one of DH'S brothers today to share our worries about another of his brothers. I hope we don't live to regret that either!

Take care everyone and please nudge Ann to wake up and make the call!

ann please get on the phone. As kitty says you can’t go in like this. You’ve been superb but are one person, more is needed now.

Congratulations on the car kitty. Such a good feeling when the decision is made. You’ll be able to see this one in the car park

Like your grandsons attitude greyd, I so enjoy seeing the children realise their achievements. Pleased you’re equilibrium settled.

Best be off. The fray is about to begin here. Take care everyone.

Morning all !!

Happy Birthday gagagran sounds like the perfect day . ( I love Hey Jude too!!)

Congrats on having such a talented footballer grey ! I bet there was much celebrating going on. As for the round the corner gun -- even I want one lol!!! Ours shoots one, two or 8 bullets simultaneously !! So is much desired.

Oh Ann what a night !!! Do you not count as a 'vulnerable' user with British Gas. I think they have to prioritise you if you are. Might be worth a call. Inspired choice with the blow up bed though. But is this helping you make your difficult decision? You are without doubt the strongest of women but even the strong must know when it is time to get help. Sending you a stiff drink !!!

Looking forward to seeing a picture of you and your new car! I love the sound of a red car - its a bit like thumbing your nose at ageist people !

Can I share a bit of news with you all??? :-)

I got my Pip approval this morning! I am so excited its ridiculous. But it means I get to keep my car for 3 more years and that is the difference between freedom and being imprisoned in my home . Im so relieved and cannot praise the lady who did my assessment highly enough.

I was concerned having read so much bad press about it but she was kind, and very human which made the whole process far less daunting.

Anyway, I'm wishing you all a day with a spot of sunshine in it , I'm off to make some birthday cards :-)

This is heartbreaking Annsixty both for you and for your husband. I can only hope his dementia is such that he is not really aware of what is going on. My heart goes out to you both.
Please, please, please get extra help or care before your exhaustion makes you ill and before despair becomes the dominant emotion. Frustration, even that born out of love, can be a destructive intruder into your emotions.
Thinking of you xx

What Maw says, Ann. Please, please do something before exhaustion gets the better of you. While you come across as someone who is coping well, you probably won’t be given the priority that you now need. Just let them know that it’s getting more and more difficult. How on Earth you actually managed during the night and on so little sleep I just can’t inagine.

Ann you are amazing!
But where is Panache?

OMG what a night Ann ! I hope the duty SW can do something for you , I remember nights like that but I had family to call on , the night he fell backwards into the bath ! My DIL came to my ,and his, aid