Soops kitchen for caring and sharing...

Welcome Grandmabatty. You will soon get to know us lot. Some of us are laydees and more refained than others!!!

Susan I cannot believe Henry has grown so much- he was a babe in arms and very ill not so long ago.

I have done absolutely zilch today. It has rained slightly so I will not have to water the garden. TV is fabulous so Tara and I will be having yet another early night I think.
TOYA

Hello Soop, may I join your kitchen?

Susan It appears that Little Henry isn't so little. In fact, he's growing into a fine young man. He has such a mischievous expression. I can quite believe that he's a handful when he gets into top gear. Thank you for sharing his photo. Us lot are very fond of him and we all wish him the very best of health.

I haven't managed to get myself into top gear today. Lethargic sums up my state of mind. Never mind, it's Saturday evening soon...time for a the weekend G&T. Cheers for later. Or, as the Scots say, Slainte!

Thinking of you all. You are very special peoples.

Henry isn’t doing too badly soop.He made really good progress initially with his new medical team.He is still doing really well developmentally and is a happy,cheeky chap but has lots of tummy pain and the occasional bad skin reaction.Walking round the furniture now and very vocal.
Thank you for asking,as I have said before the support of all in the kitchen really helped us in the worst days of his illness.

Sending you lots of (((hugs))). Have a super day. You are a star.

I keep an eye on the kitchen but find it difficult to keep up with all the comings and goings. I've got lockdown brain.

TOYA

Dear Maw, your posts are so eloquent. Paw was indeed a very special person with whom you shared many very special years. Enjoy being with your family today and having Hattie home is a well deserved blessing.

Ann I wish that I could hug you and tell you how much I admire you.

Nannytopsy Your visit to Lowestoft, together with happy memories of times gone by, sounds perfect.

Susan Is little Henry continuing to improve?

maw thinking of you Glad Hattie is back with you today. Some extra cuddles needed for you I think. Your posts of dear Paw made us all feel like we knew that wonderful man, your “forever and always friend”.

annsixty

Thinking of you today Maw, I hope today has lots of very happy memories as well as “what should have been”
You were blessed with a long and happy marriage and a lovely family.
Next Sunday my H and I would have been married for 62 years, I will only give thanks that he has not been here during this difficult time, not visiting him for five months would have been dreadful for both of us.

I so agree about this difficult time Annsixty - however challenging solitary lockdown has been, it could have been so much worse

Sending love maw, I’ll be thinking of you today.

A hug from me for everyone, no there doesn’t have to be sadness in your life to have a hug .

Thinking of you and your family Maw ?

Sending (((hugs))) to morethan at this difficult and very sad time ?

Thinking of you today Maw?

Wishing you a lovely day today with your lovely family remembering happy times although as Ann says there will be the what should have been thoughts as well.

I think Paw would be so proud of you.

Hope that Hattie is continuing to improve.

TOYA

Thinking of you today Maw, I hope today has lots of very happy memories as well as “what should have been”
You were blessed with a long and happy marriage and a lovely family.
Next Sunday my H and I would have been married for 62 years, I will only give thanks that he has not been here during this difficult time, not visiting him for five months would have been dreadful for both of us.

A golden wedding anniversary is a rarity maw , and you and paw so very nearly made it together, but it wasn’t to be.
Raise a glass to your long, very special marriage today, along with your beloved family.
I’m sure paw will be looking over your shoulder. ❤️

Good morning Kitcheners I hope this Saturday finds you well and at peace with your world.

I am having a.brief respite with a cuppa before I get going.
A certain moistness in the air, but I am sure it will be nothing compared to the East coast gales and torrential rain I woke up to in St Andrews 50 years ago ! I remember thinking This can’t be true - but it was, right through to the reception when the clouds lifted and the sun came out!
So for all who still have their life’s partners or who, for whatever reason may no longer be together, I leave you with this thought

Freyer there is a lady near here who keeps alpacas and sells the wool at the local farmers market. I have not used it myself but they are Lings Meadow of Stanton, Suffolk.
Very best wishes Maw - what an awful few days.
We went to Lowestoft today and had fish and chips looking down on the beach where we floated FiL’s ashes off to sea ( an ex Navy man!). Lots of memories of times on the beach when our two were young and the fun of a beach hut. Sleep well everyone.

Puzzler Tara only stays on my bed long enough to be cuddled but when I switch off the light she vanishes. The 3rd bedroom is hers with a single bed in it but she has not slept there for months preferring the laminate floor of the landing or even a window sill.

I hope it rains overnight because I forgot to water the plants tonight. I have a feeling I am being told it is bedtime because Tara is walking backwards and forwards over the keyboard.
TOYA

PS I hope Hattie continues to recuperate.

How sweet of your good friend Maw , she knew just the right time to come and brighten your afternoon.
Your beloved husband would be very proud of how you have coped with Hattie, this week and gone alone today to lay golden roses at his grave.
I hope your family lunch is a very happy event tomorrow, and that you’re able to reminisce about the happy times you and your husband spent together without too much sadness.

It may not be a BBQ outside - who knows what the weather will do tomorrow, it’s very changeable - but it’s being together with your family that matters.

Good evening Kitcheners.
A busy day prepping for tomorrow’s family lunch (possibly barbecue -or possibly not ☔️)
I actually went to Waitrose today , mask in place, to buy some flowers for Paw’s grave - Golden roses for our Golden Anniversary.
I had an emotional moment up at the village churchyard , it was so peaceful and beautiful and I have so much to be grateful for.
Hattie has had a quiet day and fingers crossed she is on the mend - what a fortnight!
My very good friend and neighbour appeared at my door this afternoon bearing a huge bouquet of flowers, two iced buns and a bottle of Prosecco which we proceeded to demolish! (fortunately my preparations were more or less complete)
Good friends are worth their weight in gold aren’t they?

Well it’s Friday evening and I hope Maw and Hattie are snuggling together for a night of TV viewing,

Charley I hope you are making sure the bed is in the neat order Tara likes it’s for when you both turn in for the night.

soop and Izabella Ihooe your nearest and dearest get the treatments they need sooner rather than later.

Doodle are you off for a raucous night/shift at the Argy Bar?

I’ll be joining soop with a G&T around 9 pm in my reclining chair, watching Peter Kay’s Car Share. It’s my dose of humour to kick off the weekend in the right spirit ?

TOYA.

Izabella sorry to harp on about your CH's diminishing eyesight but he needs a diagnosis NOW. Some problems can be arrested immediately using eye injections. I only hope his hospital trip is early rather than late August.

He should also ask for an appointment at the low vision clinic- I found them very helpful.

izabella,I too will have a chuckle when listening to the commentary on the ice skating??

Maw,thinking of you and Hattie and hoping she is improving.

I am glad MacS has had an appointment with the dermatologist and hope that positive news will be forthcoming as to treatment when your pictures have been viewed.

Love Ivy’s portrait??

We have been to visit a local National Trust property today.Our first proper outing since the easing of lockdown.It went well thankfully,social distancing adhered too so for the first time we have arrived home not in a panic.I am finding the shops too stressful so back to online delivery next week.We are building up to lunch out,have decided where we will go just need to get my confidence up.

Hoping for a quiet weekend as this week has been busy with DGD staying and our trip out.

TOYA

Well I know I posted before but it’s vanished somewhere.
izabella along with others, I love your humour, I could visualise you doing the triple salchow. (In the kitchen I hasten to add not the bedroom ?) Glad you didn’t come to harm. Your CH isn’t the only one to put something on the hot plate
soop that dogs character leaps off the page. It’s a lovely painting.
In some ways, MacSporran was responsible for me first posting on GN. I joined and lurked in the outer regions of the kitchen about the time you were posting about his poor scalp, many years ago now. You posted a photo and I think my first post on GN was to say that I hoped MacSporran wasn’t in too much pain and got some treatment soon. I would echo that post again tonight. ?

I meant to tell you that the dermatologist phoned and spent some time debating MacS's scalp eruptions. He also agreed that I may photograph the damage and send the images to his email address. It (the scalp) is not a pretty sight.

I've been catching up with housework. To think that once upon a time I was "house proud" and could not bear to miss a day's polishing and spending far too long being totally dedicated to shifting stuff and more besides. Glad I'm cured. Better things to do these days.

Away to read the newspaper. Feet up. A nice . Looking forward to a Friday G&T treat on the hour of nine.

Please continue to take great care of yourselves. My thoughts are with Maw and Hattie.

Until tomorrow...

Charleygirl thank you. Due to covid no assessment of visual acuity has been done. He will be assessed in August some time and we have to take it from there. My own mother was blind but that was pre-computer, hence my query about software.

Just fed and watered the dahlia collection and now looking like a downpour later. Will now go and work on CH's portrait, my latest painting venture.