Soop’s kitchen, filled with kindness, understanding and some damn fine cake ! Come on in.

callgirl I just knew it, Mia is another neglected animal I am adding to my list! Sam is tops at present.

So sorry Dragonfly that is horrendous news.

soop so pleased you had a lovely relaxing few days away and that Brodie came to say hello.
TOYA

So sorry Dragonfly to hear of yours and your husband`s loss of a good friend, so few and far between these days.
N&G, thank you for opening the new kitchen, very swish! How many kitchens have we had now?
Soop, lovely to see you back safe and sound, so glad that your highland break was so enjoyable, and brilliant that Brodie was one of the first to welcome you home. Such a handsome boy, isn't he, are those flattened down ears a characteristic of the wild cat?
I`ve just remembered that I haven't booked Mia into the cattery for when I go away on July 9th to 10th, I must remember in the morning.
Lovely, as ever, to see you Izabella, enjoy your reading.
TOYA, xx

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201906/medium-186606-p1011966.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201906/medium-856549-p1012035.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201906/medium-4165-p1012072.jpg

Three photos for you...maybe more in due cours.
TOYA

You know beyond a shadow of doubt that I am very fond of you lot and that I've missed you all. There...I thought that you should be reminded.

Now, thing is, I cannot spend too long with you all this afternoon. MacSporran has an important meeting and we'll be dining earlier than usual. Also, we have 60+ emails to read and reply to /or not.

Tomorrow is care home visiting day. We missed Tuesdays for obvious reasons. This means that I shall return after lunch tomorrow. I hope to catch up as soon as humanly possible.

Just to add...the Heeland break was lovely. We had a hotel on the Caledonian Canal in Inverness. The weather was not at all bad. We spent a special day at Inverewe Gardens on the north west coast. Stacks of fabulous photos to sort through. We visited our favourite town of Dornoch and had lunch in the old court house restaurant. Fascinating building. We travelled to Golspie and spent an afternoon at Dunrobin Castle. We walked for miles and watched a falconry display. The gardens are magnificent.
During our journey home we made a detour through the Pass of Glencoe and over Rannoch Moor. At the close of that afternoon, we went on to the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar for a celebratory fish and chips. Returned home early yesterday evening. Our friend had looked after things in our absence, and this morning, who should visit for the first meal of the day...Broadie, of course. MacSporran photographed him.

Welcome back soop. Looking forward to hearing about your travels when you've time.

Ta Dah! Gulp! Heck!

Thank you N&G for the very fine kitchen that you have opened in my absence. I haven't a clue about all the comings and goings in the latter days of the old kitchen. I have no idea how long it will take me to catch up with our new kitchen. I am chasing my own shadow since returning home. Also, had ironing duties to complete for my pal this morning.

a warm welcome Carillion and Nannyfaraway AND any other newcomers to the kitchen that I haven't yet caught up with.

Apologies to whom it concerns. In my frequently confused state due to Alzheimers I mixed up kittylester and dragonfly in my previous post. Dragonfly - I send my thoughts and condolences. kitty I know will understand.

I used to say Normal service will be resumed soon, but who can say these days ?

Well done N&G. Knew we could rely on you to open our new kitchen ?. Very nice it is too. I bought some bubbly for the occasion but thought we would leave it in the fridge till soop gets back from her trip and then we can have a proper knees up.

Hello nannyfaraway welcome back.
dragonfly so sorry about your friend. Always a shock to lose someone. This sepsis seems to be becoming mentioned more and more lately.
anno I love savoury. Cheese and crackers, lovely ?

Hello everyone. I didn't end up joining in much on the last kitchen busy with life stuff.
Hopefully I'll be around more on this one

Apologies, dragonfly, as soon as I tapped ‘post’ I remembered I had omitted to say how sorry I am for your loss. Love to you and your husband, good friends are oh so important.

Thanks for opening the new kitchen n&g, delighted to have found everyone.

Quick whizz in. Serious panic mode here about tomorrow’s food. Keep remembering unprepared stuff. I know, daft but that’s the reality and yes, oh so minor in the scheme of things. Mr C is about to march me off for a calming walk along the beach, best go, it might work.

TOYA be good everyone.

I have helped on a couple of Living Well with Dementia courses, izabella. We get brilliant feedback!

I'll see if I can find out about the dnr.

Well the rhubarb and ginger jam does it for me. I am firmly ensconced next to the kitchens aga where I shall devour enjoy a substantial modest smear on some lovely bread.

Welcome carillion (I remember the one in Loughborough where I grew up)

Kittylester I am so sorry to hear your news. Yet more sadness in this wonderfully welcoming kitchen. I hope you feel supported.

News yesterday that I am enrolled in a Living Well with Dementia Course (I have no recollection of putting my name down, but that's par for the course) together with a carer. Meanwhile I continue with all the memory games I can.

Incidentally this probably needs another thread, but does anyone know if a DNR here is valid if travelling abroad?

Meanwhile memories of a lovely trip to Chastleton House, a NT property presented 'as found' and fascinating to visit. There is no tearoom but the church next door served tea and cakes. Eaten on a proper church pew surrounded by wonderful stained glass. Sublime ...........

Am now currently surrounded by paperbacks from friends. It matters not if they have been read before as I rarely remember the content, however one cover looks vaguely familiar. Will be interesting to see if any bells ring when I read it.

Hoping today's buggerations for all are of the diminished and copable variety TOYA. Mine is minimal - having loaded the washer it is now raining. ?

N&G thank you! It's smashing to be here in this kitchen x.
Will be sending you some brioche and blackberry jam from the Bon Repos bread festival later this afternoon.

Hello dragonfly46 thank you for your welcome but sorry to hear your sad news x.

Sad news Dragonfly. On the other hand, GG sounds like a great evening! A freshly baked sourdough loaf on the side with rhubarb and ginger jam.

dragonfly our ADs ex is known as "The Idiot" by all our family and most of his own??? The only good thing to come out of their relationship was our beautiful GC. Her new man is absolutely adorable, we all love and respect him.

I have just read my post again - it was meant to be - DH's best friend who died. (My DH has only been married to me)

Talking of exes - my DD had a few near misses before she finally married at 39. I have nothing to do with any of them and breathed a sigh of relief when she sent them on their way. My SiL is a treasure.

dragonfly so sorry (crossed posts) ???

Love what you have done with the new kitchen N&G, thank you.

Well I have woken up in a glow of family love this morning. We actually managed to go out to dinner with 4 of our 5 AC last night complete with wives and GC.

Our AD and one of the DILs are pregnant and it was just so flipping nice to see the 4 young cousins interacting and playing (they are not allowed to get down from the table but we're taken outside etween courses to to let off steam).

We shall not all be together for several years as eldest son and DIL are off to Africa (he is in the armed forces). Our eldest GC could not join us as they are in mainland EU at College, thank goodness for FaceTime!

I am not up to date with kitchen news, sorry.

I hope kitcheners are all well and if they have "buggerations" they are manageable.

TOYA ??

Welcome Carillion and thank you for the cake and especially the Prosecco!

Pleased you got your tooth sorted out Kitty but sorry about your car. Have you sorted out a new car for DH yet? Maybe you should give him yours and buy a new one for yourself unscratched!
Lovely garden Alygran I love flowers in the garden and it seems that it is a good year. I have a profusion of foxgloves, lupins, companulas, peonies and roses.

We heard last night that my DH's husband died yesterday. He had been ill for the last 13 years but always pulled through. It was sepsis that caused it in the end. We are devastated. He was the guy I used to go to for advice.

Well done N&G and thank you for the new kitchen! Ow, where’s the cake??

Lovely garden Alygran! I found the lanyard thingy at WCG a bit of a nuisance too - I would much rather have a paper guide I can shove in my pocket than a lot of hard plastic cards I have to carry around my neck, but I suppose paper ones are more expensive to provide these days. I haven’t seen them used at any other NT property yet, though.

I have to get going but I will look in later and see if there is a chair going spare.

Thank you N&G for opening this comfortable and welcoming new kitchen. I see that there's an extra-cosy armchair for soop when she gets back from the Highlands. I will squeeze into a corner and enjoy my 'damn fine cake'. If anyone likes cheese with cake, here's a nice chunk of Stilton; alternatively have it with one (or more) of these savoury crackers. Bon appetit.

N&G Tara does not get treats so he will soon fit in. She has not been in contact with a dog so that should be interesting. Sam's paw needs to be kissed.