Soop's kitchen refuge for the sharing of...

At last the grey clouds have again been replaced with beautifully warm sunshine and a cloudless sky.We may still be shielded members in this Lockdown but surprisingly everything seems so much lighter and uplifting when the sun shines!!

Of course dear Soop it would be most churlish of me not to heed the advice,given in length by our Grandmafrench .In fact early this morning firstly our Surgery and then ,on further advice,our Dental Surgery was contacted.My dear man`s own Dentist returns tomorrow and it looks as though that may well be his red letter day!!
Of course a further concern has to be how he travels the 7 miles there and back,but enough for one day................and a very big thank you kind and caring ladies.

Hopefully you too are feeling a little less fraught Soop,when surrounded by love it is the only way to go.

As always such a pleasure reading your post Izabella and it looks as if very soon you will be surrounded by delightful colour.Plants give us such an uplift,that cosy warm inside.

Know all about dodging one`s neighbours Purplepixie,in a Sheltered Home and people of differing ages and mobility issues any short walk is one like dodgem cars!!
We walk in the same lovely garden but of course ensure we take a differing path to whom ever else is out there sampling the sunshine.For anyone watching from the windows it must present quite a picture but at least ,in the majority of cases we all stick well to the social distancing rules.

Have just seen a picture of Southend today at 1 pm and it is a real case of no spare sand space left.I maybe a bit of a misery but seriously I feel scenes such as these,and especially if replicated the country over,will mean this darn virus will again raise its head and come back to bite us.

However let us not dwell on this,trusting you are all well and in good spirits,.........and yes,counting the days!

Soop I am so sorry about your sad news but as you have said he had lived a good life before being blighted with health problems more recently. My condolences to you and your sons. How sad for his wife though and you wonder if she will really comprehend what has happened. I too stayed friends with my first husband because as you say he was the father of my children. He died suddenly of a heart attack 9 years ago while visiting his mothers apartment and she was in hospital. So like you there was a day or two of many phone cals with tears and some laughter.
Still feeling in less pain despite going for my bone stregthening infusion on Monday which can only be good. Hopefully it is a sign that the new oral chemo is working so I am keeping my fingers crossed for next month that the news is positive.

Went for a drive to our local beach last night and some apartments are obviously open after being shut all winter. I expect the owners are here to clean them after being shut for so long. It was beautiful to see the setting sun shimmering on the sea. It's lovely to be able to go out after being confined to the house since February other than hospital visits .
So much to catch up on but I hope everyone is having a good day and that the pain eases for those of you suffering.
Phew its getting hot here.

Grandmafrench Have pm'd you x

Good morning lovely Granspals.

Purplepixie I cannot begin to thank you for the virtual bread and butter pudding with creamy custard. Thank heaven's that it isn't actual/^real^/^available^. Otherwise, I would be a big as a double decker bus. I can but drea.

Thank you for your lovely post, Izabella. We have a robin who believes that he's king pin around our garden. We both love all the birds, and the first job every morning, is topping up several feeders together with a hand full of scattered seeds on various slabs to which they flock in a matter of minutes.

dragonfly If the aching limbs continue to trouble you, please have a word with your GP.

Lins Beautiful colourful petunias. x

corner Oh, that dear pussy cat. Bless you for standing in as her carer. I know how much your support will mean to your friend.

N&G Well done, Grampy. Stay pain-free please.

Doodle Several years ago, we purchased a rather delapidated second hand Singer sewing machine. It never did perform properly. A pal kindly offered to give it the once over. We haven't seen it since.

There have been many phone calls between the family over the last twenty four hours. Tears and laughter in equal measure. A fair balance of shared emotions. It is truly sad that no-one can visit his wife (other than the carers) to hold her in a comforting embrace. She hasn't fully comprehended all that has happened over the week since he was admitted to hospital. There were far too many underlying serious health issues that would have continued to blight his life had he survived. The best years of his life had been well lived.

Dearest soop sending you love and hugs on the loss of your ex, I never use the word hate but I really hate this horrid virus it is destroying lives and devastating families.

susan that is dreadful service from that deli, I would contact your local council they should be closed down, allergies are serious not to be messed with.

Will pop back later

TOYA ???

Oh, PP I forgot about my offer of pear tarts with a splash of Kirsch and thick cream. Help yourselves. Yes, we do want to her about your barmy neighbour when we have time. Lockdown light relief necessary !!!!!!! x

Good morning everyone.....just. Lovely to hear you are out and about and busy as a bee, Izabella. Think that birds and animals can quickly get accustomed to human contact. Birds, particularly. Years ago I had such a darling pet Magpie (named Mervyn). He came to me to rear after a farmer cut down his nest and he hadn't fledged. Never believed I could have had so much fun from a free flying bird. He would hurtle across the field and onto my shoulder as soon as I called him. Wonderful.

So sad for the anniversary/loss of your tiny GS, dragonfly. Do hope you find that your meds are the reason for the leg pain. Are you drinking enough water? Really stupid question, but if it's warm in the UK and you have been losing more fluids than usual, it's worth a try.

Very hot here - 31 degrees. I have just raced in from hanging out laundry. Yesterday evening at 6.30 I scrubbed a deckchair and all the canvas to remove the winter dirt and sand etc., By bedtime it was bone dry and spotless. That's the sort of drying weather I appreciate.

Hope you are feeling more "normal" today, soop. It always takes a time for bad things to sink in and for us to get back on an even keel. Have a better day today. Hugs from me and from my garden !

Hi all. I hope you and your sons are all ok today. It is a horrible time but you have to keep looking after yourselves.

I got up early and did my walk before 9am and managed to avoid our barmy neighbours - long story which I wont bore you with right now.

Have the best day that you can and I’ll pop back later with some bread and butter pudding and custard for all to share.

Lots of love.x

Good morning everyone from a sunny Shire filled with enchanting birdsong. An early morning mist has now burnt off and we look forward to a sunny restful day. Perhaps some weeding of the veg patch, some poetry reading to CH and a recap of kitchen postings via my friend Kate.

Yesterday we had a collective "plant up"around the house and all bedding plants and dahlias now in their summer homes. CH supervised from his deckchair, inbetween moving pots and bags of compost for us all.

I seem to be developing a new relationship with one of the resident crows here. East morning I say "morning bird" and he/she now replies with a cock of the head and a brief crow. There is a definite intelligence in its eye and recognition of me as an individual. Slowly getting closer with each encounter and a degree of trust is now palpable. They are such huge birds when seen in close proximity. On other ornithological matters, both owls and woodpeckers have fallen silent of late. Busy elsewhere no doubt. No recent sighting of the heron either. I assume it has emptied the pond of titbits.

soop I hope things improve family wise soon. As ever my thoughts are with all who are struggling. Forgive my inability to respond to everyone.

I now need to both hang out washing and sow more radish and lettuce. J.S.Bach, Beethoven ^et al^ on the back burner for now, and I await a table top easel for my painting by numbers project courtesy of mail order.

TOYA and keep safe.

Good morning. I was so sorry to hear your news soop.

Today three years ago my DS and DiL lost their unborn little boy at 20 weeks. It is a sad day for all of us.

I have woken up with aching legs. I am hoping it is a side effect of my medications.

Stay safe everyone.

Good morning everyone. It’s going to be very warm today so I think indoor jobs are the way to go. Its certainly too fierce to do planting out.
Doodle I want to get back into patchwork. I have quite a lot of C .... fat quarters ( too early to say that word!) so I will start small with placemats and perhaps a table runner. There are trousers to be shortened too
I keep thinking of Morethan and her family. for you if you are reading this.
Don’t overdo the sun today ladies!

So sorry to hear the sad news Soop , my sympathies to you and your sons .

I missed my test Corner , forgot to book a courier so am doing it in the morning ! I take heat from you saying you’ve had worse ??

Grampy is much better Soop ( thank goodness lol)

Thank you everyone for your good wishes, they mean so much. Had more than a few wobbles this week, but getting there as they say. I have just been for a stroll down to the sea and the tide was in, cold wind though. So good to have some fresh air and do something normal ifykwim, simple pleasures.

Looked over to Mumbles Chezzy but it was a bit cloudy, said Hi anyway.
The potted petunias are for Soop and everyone missing loved ones, which is most of us.xx

susan glad to hear Henry is a bit better. Wishing him well.
dragonfly oh happy Dexter ? bet he can’t wait.
Hello greyduster nice to hear from you. Hope you are ok. You too harrigran
Dear soop

nannytopsy how lovely you got a new machine. I got one for my 70th birthday and I too got one with a needle threader as I couldn’t see to thread a needle. Hope you enjoy using it.
What are you going to make?

Evening All. Oh soop, sad times indeed. Sending love to you all.

The covid testing process was well managed, little wait and really cheerful, pleasant people organising it. The test itself wasn’t something I’d look forward to but I’ve had worse. There’s no thought I’ve got the virus, the test was offered to inform a research project. Random allocation, they got it right, very random here.

A friend and neighbour is in hospital, no not virus related, I’m on cat feeding detail and feel so sorry for the poor creature. She’s really moping. Mr C is very allergic to cats so I don’t dare bring too many cat hairs back, or indeed the cat. I find I’m worried about both friend and her cat.

Some positive and not so positives in the Kitchen today. apologies, I can’t respond to everyone, TOYA, just be careful out there.

DH and I send our condolences to you soop, that you say you remained friends with your sons' father and that they are a fitting legacy - says it all really.
Be gentle with yourself, thinking of you. ?

I've finished the ironing, and now I'm here to say a final thank you before I log off until tomorrow.

The weight in my heart is lifting hour by hour. for all of you.

Please continue to take great care of yourselves.

Soop,thank you for asking about Henry.He is back to himself now,it took a few days for his poor skin to recover.
I have just about calmed down?although I still can’t believe it happened.The consequences could have been horrendous?

Big hugs Soop. It's times like these when hugs are most missed ?

Dear soop, condolences from me too. He was a strikingly handsome young man back then.

callgirl1 You are still doing what comes naturally to you - carrying on regardless. I am very concerned to learn that your son's long term cough is no better. When does he have the scan? love to you.

N&G Please give Grampy a virtual hug. Gout!!! My late father maintained that it is the worst pain ever. Except of course, for childbirth, about which he knew very little.

Dreamkeeper Please pay heed to Grandmafrench's sound advice.

It is good to see that the kitchen has been busy. It's lovely to welcome back a few who have been taking a wee break. You are all very special peoples, as Torben likes to say.

Away to finish the ironing.

dragonfly Woop woop! Or should I shout - Woof woof!. That's for our Dexter, naturally.

Purplepixie Your hot toddies and cheese board sound awfully tempting. Any Saint Augur? One of my favourites.

You lot seem to be very handy with the hair clippers. MacSporran is hoping to sprout dreadlocks - eventually. My hair is at the shaggy stage. Okay for the time being. The natural curl helps somewhat.

Soop, like GD I have been reading and not posting but I wanted to say how sad I am for you and your sons. I'm glad you all feel relief now. Sometimes death can be a blessing.

Sending love to all in this lovely kitchen.

Thank you yet again for your comforting messages. I appreciate them. Our kitchen is indeed a refuge during times such a sthis.

I also need to say to Susan that I could hardly believe my eyes on reading about the deli' incident. What a wicked oversight on the part of the person entrusted to deal with your order. I would have blown a gasket. Is little Henry recovering? I've yet to do a proper catch-up.

So sorry to hear the sad news soop. It says a lot about you that you maintained a good relationship with him. My condolences to you and your sons.