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

Lovely to hear from you Izabella. Your description of your world after the rain is so evocative. Do go on having what sounds like a very pleasant and interesting holiday.

Be kind to yourself dragonfly. Sounds as if a treat is deserved.

Thank you for updating us baggs. What a buggeration for soop and macs.

Good to see you absent. I can’t top the previous comments .

Sounds an excellent trip izabella, good news about your toe, hope your CH recovers quickly.

Very concerned about mr and mrs panache. I fear no news is not good news.

Had a lovely time this morning listening to four year olds sing Christmas songs. They were all so confident and happy, wonderful.

TOYA. Take care everyone.

Take care dragonfly your body is telling you to rest

Izabella pleased your toe is better, I think a nice cold glass of wine is a panacea for a multitude of ills - cheers ?

Really worried about the Panaches

Wishing you all a peaceful day/evening

TOYA

Thank you Baggs for being there, so to speak!
This must be driving soop and mac to distraction.

dragonfly, sending ??? and hoping all's well xxx

Ah but, absent, you are absent, not absent ?

Apparently the helpful (at last someone helpful!) engineer who visited the soops today said it could be another WEEK before the major problem is solved. I'm hoping this implies that they now know what the problem is! I gave soop your love and she sends hers.

Lovely words as usual Izabella.

Lovely photos N&G.

I had an usually bad day yesterday - sank in the doldrums and wasn’t able snap out of it. Better today.
I hope all is well with everyone.

Glad to see you are present absent

absent . Hello again.
dragonfly hope you are ok. Take care
TOYA

Hi absent, I have missed seeing you - have you been an absent absent? Are you ok?

You sound on top form Izabella. I hope you dh's problem clears up soon.

I am sorry not to see anything from panache and I think we should attack with the leg of lamb - who has got it? soop needs some help! Thanks for the updates baggs. Send the soops our love

Lovely photos n&g.

Are you ok dragonfly

Sending love and TOYA.

Just for the record, Soop is not absent; I am absent.

I hope you are ok dragonfly? I don’t have any particular words of wisdom for you but hope all is well. One day at a time has become my mantra

A huge storm blew into the Coramandel last night and we lay in bed listening to stair rods hitting a tin roof. Oddly soporific. This morning we awoke to a sparkling clean world still drippy from the rain. The lawn provided great HENtertainment over breakfast. There was great competition for fallen fruits with the hens being top dogs. They were watched suspiciously by three rabbits who moved in to finish what was left. A veritable plethora of songbirds twittered anxiously to see what may have been left for them and when the answer proved to be ‘not a lot’ proceeded to dislodge more fruit from the orchard. Peace was restored eventually but the constant theme was ‘your piece looks better than mine’

A very lazy day as CH has a flare up of something patella related. Good job we are static for a few days here. Those enquiring about the toe (thank you) it has settled in a better position than previously. It is the one that has been displaced for ages and received a joint injection recently. The break seems to have shifted it from previous gunk

Well despite Al’s medication I am enjoying a glass of well chilled Oyster Bay. And very good it is too

TOYA, looking forward to soops return and still mightily concerned about the Panaches

Yes we all miss soop I needed her words of wisdom today.

Galen that’s fantastic

Tell dear soop we miss her too Baggs and thank you for passing on the messages. I can’t understand how BT cannot realise how important soop is. ?

It amused her great great Aunt Doreen and myself.
This is a photo of Doreen me many years ago

Out of the mouths of babes!
? Galen
In the last 5 days we have done Lincolnshire, Warwickshire and Salop from Suffolk. Tomorrow I am off to West Mids and Staffordshire leaving DH to look after the cat and the builders.
Next year there is a rumour some of them will come to us!
Poor Soop! I hope they get sorted soon.
TOYA

Galen

Quote from my 5yr old dgd when visiting my 98yr old aunt.
‘ I’ve a friend at school whose granny is 103. And do you know? She’s not dead yet’

And we miss her!

Today's engineer visit to the Soops jas resulted in him informing them that the problem is somewhere between them and the exchange. This is what a different engineer told them two weeks ago ?

I'm beginning to think BT isn't trying hard enough to narrow down the fault area ? We are having trouble with our connection too but at least we have it some of the time.

soop misses you all 'dreadfully'.

Hello the kitchen. Just finished cutting up a chicken to make a curry and am struck by how much akin to handling nuclear waste cleaning up after, and disposing of, a chicken carcass has become! It induces positive paranoia in me these days after fifty three years of cutting up chicken and never giving bacteria a second thought. I should have shares in Dettox!

We are in the throes of sorting out how to pack the sleigh the car when we go away at the weekend and I have already blown DH’s masterplan out of the water by handing him a long list of things I absolutely can’t live without while we are away, that are going to take up a lot of space. He got snitty about it so I suggested he think again about the jigsaw carrier and pile of board games and the fibre optic Christmas tree and a whole load of ho ho ho inducing (not!) seasonal paraphernalia he has on his list!! Impasse. This is before we even think about the presents, the foul weather gear, etc etc. We’ll get there. Just not yet!?
Ann I agree with all who say you should not feel guilty about picking up the threads of your life and having a little joy. Seize the day in the knowledge that you loved your DH dearly and that he would be glad for you.?
Hope the toe is mending, Izabella and that you are enjoying your holiday.
N&G I thought I heard on the news that an eagle had been sighted dropping mince pies in Soop’s direction and cats have been seen running off into the forest with them?!! His aim must be off - you need to have a word!
Right, I have to go. I will look in later. Hope there is word from the land of the mountain and the flood!

Morning all !

You're so right Charley seeing the festive season through the eyes of a child is truly magical. If you could have seen the two of them earnestly following the instructions from the 'big elves' whilst learning to tiptoe you would have chuckled.

Long may it last I say!

Oh no I must have missed the part where you said you broke your toe Izabella that's not good- what a nuisance !!

I hope BT finally get Soop back on line today because Eddie the Eagle is fed up ferrying mince pies up there lol

We have a day of niff, naff and trivia and tidying to do , so will return later.

Happy day all !

Feelingmyage55 we have now moved on to NZ and are in the Coromandel.

izabella I am just loving following your holiday in Tasmania. The more photos the better.
Went to a lovely church service this morning then had coffee with a friend. Going to write my cards tomorrow, late I know but I have to be in the mood. TOYA

Ann just enjoy your trips and outings and don't think about reasons because they really are not any more valid than the fact that for all those years as a carer you really were stuck. It is what it is I'm afraid. In any case, your DH would be pleased for you to be enjoying life again and if you imagine him back in good health he would assuredly be cheering you on! It is difficult not to think too deeply but do try, I am just so pleased for you that folk are rallying round, being kind and including you in their activities so now all you need to do is make sure that you all enjoy each other's company so that more invitations will be forthcoming.