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

What a beautiful home coming Izabella may you continue to find beauty in all you see.

I hope if you are travelling Oban today soop you have a safe journey and the outcome for MacS is good.

I spent 6 hours at the oncology assessment ward last night as I have enflamed veins in my chemo hand. A lovely doctor saw me when I arrived and gave me antibiotics and steroid cream. He is arranging for me to have a port fitted for future infusions.
Then I waited 6 hours for the results of my blood tests. I am afraid eventually I discharged myself in tears saying they could ring me today if there is a problem.

Resting at home today to recharge the batteries. Onwards and upwards!

izabella What a beautiful post. I feel as if I was in the car with you. It seems that although you have “woolly” moments that you also have moments of heightened awareness and joy. Thank you for sharing and please keep on sharing.
I have been having internet issues again so fallen behind on some details of kitchen happenings and world news but have at least made better progress with house/cupboard sorting out and spent more time listening to the radio. soop Sometimes enough is enough and scar tissue is a problem to be weighed against possible solutions. Feet up and watch the tennis. Federer and Nadal are on to entertain and distract you. I am helping one of the family move house soon. The question was “are you busy on XX week” to which I blithely answered “no” as I thought I was going to get a nice invitation. I didn’t see the request coming and although I am happy to help, this is a biggie. My suggestion of spreading the load a little has fallen on deaf ears. A reminder that the young can suffer from selective deafness too. They clearly haven’t noticed that I am no longer 40 ?, a fact that certainly has not escaped me. Never mind, coffee, cake and chocolate will fuel me and then I can flop. — oh no, help is needed with painting, decorating etc. TOYA and hopefully the arrival of February and the lighter days brings better health to those who are under the weather/struggling. I have left cherry Madeira cake on the side.

Stardate 29/1/20 @ 07:52 GMT

We landed safely yesterday at ‘Sparrowfart’ after 36 hours of travel home. I managed a night’s sleep and awoke relatively ‘with it’ this morning , so I wanted to share this before the memory went.

It was raining on arrival with a biting wind that chilled. We were welcomed into a warm vehicle and were then thrust into the traffic melee and confusion our roads have become these days. I felt myself becoming confused and a little dispirited.

However, as so often happens, mother nature gave us her own soothing and magical welcome. We were driven over the Pennines which were cloaked in fresh, crisp snowfall that sparkled and added an eerie light to the landscape. The contours and drystone walls of the hills presented a visible mosaic of field systems.

Initially the sky had a few dark clouds and was largely unremarkable. Slowly the clouds turned a dark crimson plum colour, very faintly outlined at their bases with a very fine line of shimmering gold. This developed slowly to a brighter red, then salmon pink. I turned my head and noticed amazingly fluffy candyfloss clouds of pink/yellow/salmon pink scattered in the brightening sky. By now the sky was a paler blue and one of the candyfloss clouds was pierced by a brilliant white vapour trail. As ever, my heart lifted and I thanked mother nature for her magnificent and inspiring welcome back.

I shall now endeavour to make this less about me and try and concentrate more on the lovely residents of the kitchen. Suffice to say, I could not absorb information on here as well as the daily experiences of the antipodes. Lovely to be back and thank you all for messages and lovely comments made during my absence.

TOYA

Glad to hear you are being a really useful grandma ( or RUG) Maw. We are on duty on Thursday evening, so get to do bath and bed ?.
I am awake at silly o’clock because DH has pinched the quilt. It’s a new habit he has developed! However, it is a beautifully clear sky out there with lots of stars.

Hello from Walthamstow where I am “Mary Poppinsing” until Thursday. D has flown out to Minneapolis for three weeks, and SIL has to be in Chipping Sodbury by 9 tomorrow morning so is setting out at sparrow fart. Back Thursday evening.
So I am looking after Flynn from first thing and tomorrow night , plus taking to and collecting from nursery tomorrow. While he is there , I am seeing youngest D and little Otis who I think we are taking to “Squish Space” at the Barbican. Hand over chez Flynn to Sis in law on Thursday , touch base briefly at home then up to Birmingham to take Toby to some school workshop which requires a “parent or carer” on Friday morning.
Welcome home Izabella - what an amazing trip!

Finally caught up with you all. Soop you have certainly had more than your fair share of pain over the years. Dragonfly I do hope you will be feeling better soon. Keep your pecker up my dear!
Welcome back Isabella!
Hope progress being made in the Syn household.
And the rest of you lot - where has all Marydoll’s bottomless cranachan gone? Where’s mine?

GrannyGravy The Range sounds like my idea of a retail nightmare. Stay away. That's my advice.

corner In my opinion, you need plenty of TLC and more treats that you haven't needed to cook. I'm rooting for you. x

We may not go Oban if the weather remains very uncertain. Two reports of snowy roads between Lochgilphead and Oban. It's a long and winding road at the best of times.

I shall catch up with you all again tomorrow. Stay cosy and keep safe.

dragonfly Doing nothing, albeit boring, is the key to your body being able to manage what you are experiencing. I think about you constantly. You, my dear, are a real trooper.

Fennel Hernias have always plagued me. I've had both an inguinal and a femoral hernia repair - one with mesh. I've had anterior/posterior ventral suspension rectified (possibly with mesh). This present vaginal cystocele and rectal prolapse has been repaired on three occasions and the latest hasn't held beyond the first week. I've also a hiatus hernia which has been troublesome twelve years. In all, nineteen surgical ops over the years. My inners are scarred and as I shall be 80 next year, I have come to the conclusion that I have put my body through all that it deserves. If I'm told that there is need of be further interference, I shall almost certainly say thanks, but no thanks.

Afternoon all. Brief respite for the catering manager . Fortunately we all agreed we’d eat out today otherwise food poisoning was truly likely as Mr C coughed all night and the night nurse wasn’t a bottled one . Lunch was excellent, apparently they will still want tea .

Take it as easy as you can soop, I don’t like the sound of snow approaching you.

That’s not good dragonfly, it sounds as if resting would be good for you too. Hope you’re out of that treacle soon.

Welcome home izabella, another one needing a rest?

Hope mr s, has maintained his good humour today synonymous, although you both could be forgiven for a bit of a grump.

Apologies to those I may seem to have ignored, disturbed nights make the cotton wool head even more fuzzy.

TOYA. look after yourselves.
.

Welcome back Izabella.

Sorry to hear about your DH's setback * Synonymous*. As you say one thing after another.

Hope you are still feeling a little better soop.

I am still suffering the effects of the chemo I had a week last Friday. I have a high threshold of pain and can cope with most things but this has been brutal. Most of the time I feel as if I am wading through treacle. Still only three more to go. I am lucky I do not have children to get off to school and can do as I please. It is just so boring doing nothing!!

I've just caught up with this thread and soop, your longterm problem is certainly a pain in the you know where.
Amazing that the medics haven't yet found a solution for you.
After all this time.

Welcome home Izabella

Hope you are feeling brighter today soop and Synonymous hope your DH is resting (Mr.Gravy had a TIA several years ago, scary but treatable)

I have just been to The Range for the first time, and I think it shall be my last, I really do not like these huge stack them High and cheap warehouse like stores. I get put off "rummaging " by the vastness.

TOYA

Welcome home, Izabella . Relax and we'll see you later for a dish of Callistemon's virtually calorie-free, never ending supply of Cranachan.

Synonymous You and your husband remain nin my thoughts. Us lot send endless rallying vibes across the airways.

Hello Doodle, Charleyg and Bellanonna. It is a bitterly cold day. We will be going into Campbeltown shortly. We've heard that Oban has snow. Hopefully, it won't hang around too long. I wouldn't wish for MacS to drive that road tomorrow en route to his hospital appointment.

Wellcome home

? ❄

A nap now after 36 hours of travel.

TOYA

Apols for misspelling

? bless him, Synonomous.

Thank you Doodle and everyone for kind messages. I am watching Himself quite closely and he seems alright apart from being a little grouchy! It is a shame really as things have been on the up just lately and I know he feels it quite keenly but he has still retained his SOH.
eg The lovely lady in A&E called to him for an update as we left and he said "Apparently I will live, for a while anyway" and laughed. Then she said, "See you later then" to which he replied "Nothing personal but I hope not! "

Here you are; the bowls are larger than they seem so endless supplies for everyone:

Hello all. Too many posts to respond to so a big wave ? to everyone.
synonymous I know you said you DH had TIAs before but please watch out for any signs and remember the FAST routine. With my DH the only perceptible sign was a slight weakening of his grip in his right hand and nothing else. Fortunately a doctor had told me what to look out for and within an hour we were on our way to hospital and two days later an operation for a blocked artery in the neck.
Glad your DH is home and being followed up.
Lovely recipe Marydoll I might give that a go.
TOYA ?

Would I lie to you? ?

soop, of course all recipes displayed in the kitchen are calorie-free, especially Marydoll's!

Hello Marydoll I may save your recipe. I may cook some of that delicious sounding Cranachan. Is it calorie-free? Lovely to have you back with us.

I have a date with audiology tomorrow in Campbeltown. On Wednesday, MacS has an appointment in Oban with the blood specialist. If the snow holds off, we may visit our pal in the care home. He needs cheering up.

Night night for now. Take good care of yourselves. Back again sometime tomorrow.

A warm welcome halfgran Us lot love food.

anno I would so enjoy as huge dish of the above mentioned cranachan.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Rafa match (highlights). What's more, although the bleeding hasn't ceased altogether, the internal painful bruising has quietened down a lot. The wretched "thing" is still apparent. Never mind, I am, I'm certain, on the road to feeling brighter in spirit.

Thank you for all your support. I do appreciate your kindness.

Cranachan

2 tbsp medium oatmeal
300g fresh British raspberries
a little caster sugar
350ml double cream (we used Jersey double cream)
2 tbsp heather honey
2-3 tbsp whisky, to taste

Method
To toast the oatmeal, spread it out on a baking sheet and grill until it smells rich and nutty. It will not darken quickly, so use your sense of smell to tell you when it is nutty enough. Cool the oatmeal.

Make a raspberry purée by crushing half the fruit and sieving. Sweeten this to taste with a little caster sugar. Whisk the double cream until just set, and stir in the honey and whisky, trying not to over-whip the cream. Taste the mix and add more of either if you feel the need.

Stir in the oatmeal and whisk lightly until the mixture is just firm. Alternate layers of the cream with the remaining whole raspberries and purée in 4 serving dishes. Allow to chill slightly before eating.