Soop's new kitchen being built while she's absent!

That should have read...have not watched the subsequent episode.

GrannyGravy Wow! Did you mean to type GIN? We shall look forward to further update. I believe that here in our virtual kitchen, we have a stash of virtual Champagne. It's in the cooler.

Decorations etc dismantled and neatly stashed in the loft. All ornaments and such are back in place. the room looks twice as big and it's smelling of furniture polish.

Tea about to be brewed. We hope to watch 'The Workshop'. One of our favourite tv programmes. Did anyone dare to watch 'Dracula'? It scared me and *MacSporran fell asleep. We have watched the subsequent episode. Far too brutal and bloodthirsty for the likes of moi.

Logging off for today and TOYA (especially the little being that will come into the big wide world anytime soon).

Ooooh exciting time’s GrannyG keep us appraised !!!!

Strange day here, I am with DD and partner in the “Delivery Suite” as new GC is on the way. They are both having a well deserved doze (DD has epidural) and I am on GN.

Good early afternoon to our lovely kitcheners.

N&G, I was a fan of 'Emergency Ward 10'. I've seen Charlie recently on tv and although he's aged (haven't we all) his mannerisms are exactly as I remember.
Sorry to hear that you have lurgies. I would help with helping your decorations away - except I am about to set about the same task in our house. I would love a warm mince pie right this minute. Alas, the cupboard is bare.

Anneliesse The secret of life is, I believe, to not want that which you can't have AND be thankful for being blessed with enough of what you need.

We bumped into a lady from our village. She maintains that the black cat resides alongside her chickens and is fed regularly. The lady with whom the black cat lodged until his escape, also claims that he calls at her home for food. The two live about two and a bit miles apart. It's likely therefore that the black cat has the best of both worlds.

Morning all!

Emergency ward 10 here ( does anyone remember that programme from back in the day? )

It is ground hog day here with the addition of rain ! I am looking at the Christmas decorations and wishing there was a service that came and took it all down for you and put it away. I keep hoping Grampy will just get it done while I’m having a nap but he’s not taking the hint and ‘waiting’ for me to help !!

( He might be waiting some time) !

Sending you all good wishes and a hug to those in need !

Susan, I totally sympathise with your feeling of isolation and possibly panic when being unable to access much needed medical advice and support. Despite DH having support from numerous health professionals, every urgent problem has been outside office hours, so the only solution has been to ring 111.

Dragonfly and Charleygirl, and all my kitchen friends, I so appreciate your support. We seem to solve one problem, only for something else to appear.

I’m quite sad that a few of our friends have been reticent to wish us a happy new year. They’ve said so when I texted with my greetings. We don’t have many good days, but I’m happy to say today has been one! And that’s what’s important, to make the most of things.

There are always such interesting and thoughtful posts to read, forgive me for not responding to you all.

TOYA

Evening all,

Just being able to put a name to your symptoms Soop must be a huge relief. Let’s hope the surgeon can help !

And a huge result from BT too!

It’s been a day of sniffling, sneezing and such so nothing to report from here and suspect tomorrow will be more of the same.

So I’ll wish you all a good nights sleep x

I had to think about that maw ? thank you .
soop isn’t it a wonderful relief to find out what is wrong. Hopefully, you will be ‘sorted’ soon.

Good news from BT Soop as indeed they should. As for the medical issues I just hope that something can be done and wonder how in the name of the wee man, the wonders of medicine have not managed it yet. ?
It is nice to be getting back to normal after Christmas and New Year, despite having loving family around me, I found myself struggling at times. You can feel just as lonely surrounded by people as on your own can’t you?
Anyway, onwards and upwards in the year dedicated to ophthalmologists everywhere 20/20.

*soop8 I am so pleased that BT saw sense after the buggeration which went on for weeks.

I do hope everything is sorted in the near future when you have surgery.

Susan pleased to hear you are feeling marginally better but maybe that was a wake-up call for the future.

I live on my own and have this horror of being unable to get downstairs to feed my cat or let her in or out.

soop I do hope the cat settles down either in or out but it will be better if food is supplied so it knows it has a meal each evening. In time hopefully he will trust her.
TOYA

TOYA

Susan It's what the kitchen is about. A listening ear and kind support goes an awful long way.

BT have been in touch. Excellent result. We have been recompensed and our monthly payment has been halved from hereon. MacSporran has remained patient throughout the buggeration. He has been a star. I, on the other hand, have been less than Zen-like.

Update on the black feral cat. He escaped from the home of the dear lady who had sheltered all three. Turned up back on the farm. Moved on to the lady who wanted to adopt him and lived in her garden for a short time. Moved on and returned to the lady who had sheltered him and from whom he had escaped. She is putting food outside for him. This way, we feel hopeful that he will, in time, decide to move in. Cats!!!

Away to the care home tomorrow. Our pal asked me to print the words of 'Sea Fever' for him. All ready to go.

TOYA

Soop,I have just read your post.I so hope that your pain can be treated and that corrective surgery can take place.Sending all the strength and hope I have your way???

Maw,thank you so much for your post.IThe last week has been quite frightening and now that we are feeling slightly better,managed to get downstairs for the first time today,I have realised that we need to put things in place for if this should ever happen again.I have screenshot your post to give me guidance.I would advise anybody with no family near to read maw’s post and have an action plan in place.
Thank you to everybody who has posted or messaged us,it really has made us feel less alone.
TOYA

Correction...DREICH not as my previous spelling.

I have had a eureka moment and must share my findings with you.

Some of you will be aware that I've had various procedures, including surgery, in the pelvic area over the years. Whether or not mesh was used in one operation, remains questionable as the notes are no longer on record at the private hospital in Cornwall. Anyway, a prolapse has bugged and blighted my life for yonks and, soonish, I shall have a GA and a surgeon will have an in depth rootle to establish what's going on. From time to time I experience a searing pain in my pelvis and front passage which floors me and last evening, for about two hours, it did just that. I have mentioned the symptoms countless times to the GP. There have been few answers apart from the fact that I also get ongoing UTI's which could be linked to the pain.

I Googled..."searing pain in front passage and pelvic are"...the result is Pudendal Neuralgia. I have read the many accounts and printed masses of info. It is what causes my pain. A trapped nerve that can be damaged in pelvic surgery. I cried with relief. I am not imagining it. It is real and it is something that may be able to be corrected. The investigation in Oban hospital may well reveal the cause.

Apologies for bending your ear to this revelation. I cannot begin to tell you how much better I feel for getting such info' at long last.

Another drab, dreich day in London.

Tara came home at 3 pm yesterday, something exhausted her because she slept on my bed until midnight and then found another somewhere in her house. She has a hard life.

I do not need anything so I will stay indoors and put the washing machine on as my bedding does not do it itself.

It will soon be the 7th and surgery will be over.

My thoughts go to Anneliese and her husband- it will be a difficult year.
TOYA

Morning all,

It is germ central here in chilly Norfolk. I am 'proper poorly' as we say , and Grampy is trying valiantly not to catch it too which involves avoiding me as much as possible. :-)

I can't join all who are glad the season has passed I'm afraid, germs or not I enjoyed every long, drawn out, commercialised minute of it .

I am way behind in the kitchen but as I plan to remain here on the sofa for the foreseeable future I shall do my reading and be back later x

Happy New Year all! May your troubles be small and here be a little joy in each and every day.

Maw That is brilliant. I wish that I could include it on Facebook. Also, your informative message to Susan. Thank you so much.

I am glad that the festive season is drawing to a close. "In my day" the countdown to Christmas was measured in mere days. It's all so drawn out and commercialised and...dare I say...a tad tacky when it comes to flogging sofas/beds/you name it "in time for..."

That's my wee nellie moan over and dusted. Best said and forgotten.

It's driech and on the cool side. Nevertheless, we are happy to be alive and thankful for all our many blessings.

Thinking of the Panaches and Carillion who must be feeling stressed as her dear husband's back surgery is only a few days hence. (hugs)

Love it, thanks for sharing that maw, that and your poem greyduster have sent me off to bed smiling!

soop what a marvellous word “forewallowed”, it pretty much describes how I’ve felt today..or perhaps ”not worth a curdie” which was my mums expression for how she used to feel after a sleepless night. Last night was a short one and if I'm honest probably not improved by a bit too much celebratory fizz! I was up and doing at a reasonable time sorting out breakfast then an early lunch for dd2 and the girls, sil went off to football early on. I must admit i did little else other than change the beds and process laundry for the remainder of the day as I felt a bit “wabbit”, another of my mum’s gems!

So its off the sleep for me, i need my strength for helping dd4’s house move. I’ve a list as long as my arm of things to do or bring! Night all, sleep well x

Thanks Maw. That's a big improvement on the usual inaccurate renderings of Auld Lang Syne!

To all my friends in ThecKitchen, I am a bit late in wishing you all a Guid New Year, but hope the link makes up for it! tapping the picture when it comes up should trigger the sound.
www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=2ahUKEwjIh_ebt-PmAhWGTcAKHVHeA48QwqsBMAR6BAgKEAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fstvfootagesales%2Fstatus%2F1076117083279319041&usg=AOvVaw37m15RpmDSVatmM9__jcnH

Great poem greyduster I found myself singing it!
How has everybody survived the so-called festive season?
Am I the Grinch to say that I am really quite happy to be getting back to normal?
Susan your experience was alarming. At the risk of teaching you to suck eggs you really need a plan B and maybe a C for when things go pear-shaped as they clearly did.
A chain of command or “tree” for instance where if one person can’t respond they immediately pass it on to someone who can. The repercussions of what you were reduced to filled me with horror.
The response you got from 111 would be laughable if it had not been so serious.
You need to stockpile (within reason) essential medical supplies, bottles of water, tins of soup and tissues, loo paper, cartons of orange juice and a couple of ready meals in your freezer. Two other words - internet shopping.
Then, if GN /Soops Kitchen could help, a PM to somebody in your area (I’m too far from the Welsh borders where you sound as if you might be) but I bet there’s someone. Don’t wait for the next illness or fall to put things in place, I have mostly found the more prepared you are for emergencies, the less likely they are to happen!
Right, lecture delivered, I hope you won’t take it amiss but just as we do not seem to know about the Panache’s, it is dreadful to think of any of us lot poorly and alone.

Great poem, grey. Enjoy your televiewing. Dr Who, anyone?
I can't say I was at all taken with it. Probably getting (or have got) too old for it now.
My usual New Year's Day - a visit from my cousin who lives in Florida but comes over in the winter to keep up the maintenance of the three homes they own here. Don't ask! Waitrose provided a fine lunch - Charlie Biggens fish pie followed by Normandy Apple tart. And all I had to do was to follow the instructions and turn on the oven. We had a good catchup-on family news and photographs. Later, I had a snooze, I think I had talked myself out.
A Happy New Year to all and let's hope it's an improvement on the last one.

Thanks eilyann, a few prayers would be welcome here. Wishing you a good new year too ?

To all struggling at the moment and wondering when it will all end. We are all with you with prayers and supporting vibes.