Soop's comfortable and convivial kitchen.

The mere thought and description of a chelsea bun certainly had me drooling..............oh! may I dare? Then I remember the disaster when I "dared to nibble" a mincepie............so reluctantly Marydoll I have to say no to your offering.

My word folks our weather is truly playing ball,two weeks of nice dry weather with even sunshine making an odd appearance.It has got breezier the latter few days whilst there is much talk of "The Beast from the East" making another visit accompanied by snow....................even the thought makes me shiver!

We are nicely gaining ground and I have a smiling patient,tomorrow will be first of very many heart assessments at the Hospital,so fingers crossed that we can continue in this same vein at least.
However we have both drastically lost weight again and look like orphans!
I get by by almost overdosing on Painkillers so that I can keep up my role,it is getting easier and I am so grateful for that.

So many of you with lots of unpleasantness going on and I so understand the difficulties and hardships.However trying to press on enjoying the simple things like just lighter mornings makes a difference .........and yes those spring bulbs truly making ground certainly uplift
our hearts.

I had a jolly good giggle with your baking tin story GreyD..............and doubt you would be repeating the tale had it happened as you said!
As for anything in the Kitchen departm ent..........sorry just not my scene and I certainly made poor work of the subject at school.I have still got by without being a Whizz kid at domestic science!!!!

Lots of new faces popping in so a warm welcome and I am sure in the course of time our paths will cross yet again.

I think I have overspent "my break" and yes my coffee is on the cold side so I shall drink up and toodle off, wishing each one of you a pleasant, peaceful day doing whatever makes you smile.

Lovely Marydoll - moist too! Well it is a dreary day in the East Mids. Hope it is better where you are!

Afternoon all !!

Thanks for the bun Marydoll

Glad you enjoyed your time away Maw.

Nothing new from us - its been a lazy weekend for me and a decluttering one for Grampy. Boy that man keeps some rubbish !!

So as punishment he is cooking dinner :-) result !!

I'll leave you with the little boys school picture that was in my stocking from Santa.

The second lot are waiting, all iced with a cherry on the top! Definitely better than last night's burnt offering. Help yourselves, before my family get to them.

Chelsea buns! Now that took me back to a certain little pit village in my childhood where I was cossetted for several weeks once and treated to chelsea buns eccles cakes and sometimes even egg and chips for tea! Not to mention visits to a veg patch and tomatoes hot from a greenhouse. A very special memory for me. Wonderful people.

Maw I can relax again now I know that every need of Hattie's is being catered for!

At school I was told by our miserable bat of a cookery teacher that I shouldn't get married and have children as they would all starve if they had to rely on my ability to cook. I would really love to meet her and introduce her to my 5 children who think I'm quite a good cook. Or maybe Mrs Holmes is reading this!!!

Welcome twin2 - brandy snaps sound good.

Glad you had a happy time maw and you will be greeted by lots of tail wagging.

GD, your supermarket story made me laugh. I told my hairdresser that we were having Teryaki chicken for supper last night and she was amazed that I made my own marinade/sauce. Its a worry, isn't it?

Sending love to all who need it especially galen and ThePanaches.
Back later!

Evening all, just popping in to say hello, well really it should be goodnight. Hope you’ve all had as good a day as possible.
I learnt to cook at school, in the first year, now called Year 7, we all did Needlework and had to make an apron and cap for Domestic Science, otherwise known as cookery. I did ‘O’ level and passed, but when my children came to the same age, Domestic Science was nowhere to be seen on the curriculum. Anyway, they learnt to cook at home and all are excellent cooks now. Which is a good thing, since we’re out at one of their houses tomorrow for lunch.

Hattie has been having a doggy holiday at the K place Charleygirl
She is really perfectly happy to go there as I always buy her a “hoof” or pigs ear on the way in!Back too late tonight so I will pick her up tomorrow morning.

Sorry should say no problem Doodle and meant to say same with me Marydoll with 1st Xmas cake. Chatting with DS and burnt outside so much had to eat middle with spoon. 2nd cake best ever Every cloud !

Doodle my very big mistake- I totally forgot to tell Twin2 about bringing cake- possibly because I have never baked a cake in my life and I do not bother about the shop bought variety.

Maw I hope you have given Hattie extra hugs unless she went with you. Pleased to hear you had a lovely time meeting up with Flynn and others in the family.

No problem Marydoll. Chocolate Brownies tonight and a few left. Planning homemade brandy snaps tomorrow. Guests for Sunday lunch

So pleased you had a lovely couple of days Maw. Life is full of ups and downs - happy you enjoying an up.

maw so nice to hear you had a good time. I bet a few granny cuddles with Flynn cheered you up.

Hello kitcheners.
Just back from a couple of days in London wth the adorable Flynn and others in the family.
SIL arrived back from 10 days on business in Hong Kong early (very early) this morning and then I joined the sisters in law and DD3 and her DH for lunch at a Spanish restaurant near the Young Vic in The Cut and then a matinee of The Convert at the Young Vic.
Powerful play but brilliant - set and design by DD2 of course.
Anyway home now and tucking into a bowl of chilli watching an old “Taggart” in my PJs.
Life is not all bad despite my “down” of a couple of days ago.

Thanks Kitty childs step now in place so fingers crossed!

marydoll. Apologies for contradicting you but not “burnt black”. Only well fired!

Oh dear, Chelsea bun disaster!! ?
DS! came for tea with DGD, as mummy was at a hen do. I made Chelsea buns as a special surprise for him, as they are his favourites and burnt them BLACK, as I was too busy chatting!
However, it didn't stop DH and DS eating them.
I shall make a new batch tomorrow.

Hello twin2 you will find a warm welcome in the kitchen. I do think however, that charleygirl forgot to give you one vital piece of information about coming into the kitchen. We love cake!! Did you bring any? #everhopeful.
You are more than welcome to start a cookery class in the kitchen as long as you make lots of cake and leave lots of samples for us to try. ??????.

Hello all.

I have tried to catch up with everyone but things are so busy in your kitchen soop.

Still seems to be an abundance of troublesome problems. I can only hope that solutions are found.

I am having a “lazy” day, I have been lent a book from a friend of a friend, not my normal genre but I am totally hooked (Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness) so laying on the sofa reading.

I need to start on the vegetables for dinner, but I am just too comfortable!!!

Keep warm and safe folks x

I was really lucky Galen and enjoyed domestic science , as one of 4 whatever I brought home ( except the soused herrings) disappeared pretty darn quick.

Loved that story Grey , who would only buy one sandwich tin???? The mind boggles.

Oh wow I can’t imagine having a twin who has lived so far away Twin2 . My brother and sister are very close , almost joined at the hip lol must be very hard for you. Your sister sounds very kind .

Thanks for making me welcome.

Just having a G and T with DH. Our DRY Ginuary ?. Less calories than wine !!

Yes NannaandGrampy I am a twin. My twin sis has lived in Australia for 25 years. Lots of stories I could tell ?. Never soused a herring.

Galen I have also experienced rock rock cakes ?

Twin sis much more academic at school top set for everything - me bottom set. She tried to hide how well she’d done so not to upset me ?. I loved Home Economics

Take care everyone

Greyduster Reading your latest post has made me chortle. Better than any tonic is a good belly-laugh. So, many thanks.
As for a Chelsea bun...I could manage two right this minute. I blame Brexit. I'm almost too tired to care and that is a dangerous thing.

I shall log off and read today's paper. The wind is howling outside the window. I can hear the sea crashing on the shore. Please, dear Granspals, stay safe and keep cosy. I may decide to have a G&T in an hours time. I like to live dangerously. Not really! I'm simply being childish. It's that time of day.

Soop you sound as if you have had a full on day! I hope you will find some time to unwind, and I am sorry to hear MacS’s cough is no better. Does it help if he sleeps propped up?
Hello Twin2 and welcome!
Charley your story reminded me of a visit to a supermarket when a young lady approached me in the kitchenalia aisle and asked if I knew anything about cake tins as she needed one and didn’t know what to buy. I asked her what sort of cake she was baking. “The sort that comes in a box” she said. And the box was at home. And she hadn’t read the back of the box, which would have told her which kind of tin/s she needed. We ended up trolling over to the baking aisle to look at cake mixes. It was a sandwich cake. Back to the kitchen aisle to present her with two sandwich tins. “Can’t I just buy one tin?” I said she could but two would be easier. At this point, I was losing the will to live and reached for a nearby rolling pin, hit her over the head with it and shoved her limp body in an empty freezer, throwing the tins in after her...... No, of course I didn’t ?‍♀️ but I wanted to! In the end, she just took one cake tin, because it was cheaper than buying two. I shrugged and we will never know how the cake turned out!
Marydoll I will have a Chelsea bun, please. I have been very good this afternoon, having had my lunch and nothing else - yet! But my resolve is weakening by the minute!

Welcome Twin2.
I'm not usually this late. It's been a crazy night of hacking coughing from MacSporran, lift to Campbeltown thanks to my pal to do the week's shopping. A call in to visit pal's husband in the care home. Loss of power supply thanks to extremely stron winds in Kintyre, followed by a long visit from our new neighbour. I am well and truly "bushed".

Marydoll A chelsea bun would help to restore my equilibrium. Can't remember the spelling. I'm far too tired to refer to the dictionary.

N&G Your post made me chuckle.

Galen and all those who are suffering for whatever reason, you are in my thoughts. This too shall pass. Oh yes please!

I may pop in again later. You lot are good for me.