Soops kitchen for caring and sharing...

The biggest problem with struggling to arrange long-awaited medical appointments, soop is that you then have to blinking well go !! Oh! No!

On the bright side, I do feel that "Rootle and Scan" does have a certain ring about it. Obviously not as appealing as "Fish and Chips" but a helluva lot more sensible than "Track and Trace" (whatever that might eventually mean!)

Think you might need a peebol, for calls of nature in the car.

Jackdaws are indeed very loud. Such a shame at stupid o'clock in the morning. I put them in the same group of hooligans as sparrows, tree frogs and cicadas. Today our garden is totally silent in the heat, except for the cicadas who make it feel like we're in a blazing spaghetti western. Gorgeous fat swallows keep swooping and diving into the pool. At sunset their little chests look almost chestnut in colour. Towards dusk they do this in the most reckless way at the same time as little Pipistrelle bats who are out mosquito hunting. They are the equivalent of our Red Arrows here. We sit in the garden and try to ignore them, especially when - in our peripheral vision - one appears really close. I wonder if anyone has been concussed by either a swallow or a bat? Just a thought.

A great story in our family was when my dear maiden Great Aunt, many years ago, went to stay with her Sister (My Gran and Granddad) in the country. Very hot evening. She was a very timid soul and had a horror that bats could somehow become entangled in your hair! She was getting ready for bed, a lamp was lit and the blinds and windows were open. A small bat swooped in - poor Aunt shrieked and swooped out. Granddad was summoned and he then reported that he had eventually swooshed it out of the bedroom window - helped by Great Aunt's corsets, which she had just removed! A fit of the vapours like you have never seen....don't think she ever forgave him for that!

I think Galen just managed to avoid a heavy fine. She actually put a poster containing the "C Word" on this thread, but got away with it solely by mentioning magnesium spray. Lucky shot, Galen, but you're a braver soul than me.

Had such a lovely FaceTime conversation yesterday evening with dear friends in Norfolk. We laughed so much, it was like real life again. Tomorrow we shall spend the evening in the garden of a lovely couple, sitting at a safe distance and enjoying the local wine and seafood. Can't wait.

Keep safe all you wonderfully kind and patient Kitchen folk. Continue to laugh - they can't take that away from us !!

Hugs from the hot land of France !

Dear soop, those two journeys might be much awaited but I know are challenging and as always, you make life seem always liveable without fear and something we need to really take in our stride. Xxxx

Just focusing on you now, for a change...because you always put everyone else first...x

Thank you, Carillion Very kind words.

Grandmafrench We've ordered two-pee pots from Amazon. Isn't that exciting. I shall need to practise using mine. My aim isn't that accurate at the best of times.
I love the saga of the corset and the bat. I also like the term fit of the vapours. I may decide to have one before the day is done.

anno Jackdaws and crows squark all day through. It's not a restful sound.

I've done the ironing. The prolapse is giving me problems and I need to sit with my feet up and watch the latest news bulletin. Can't think why. Can you?

Lots of love to you all. Take good care and I shall return tomorrow.

All the best soop. I agree with Carillon.

anno, I sympathise. My bugbear is the incessant cawing of two pairs of wood pigeon. From early morning, through the day, into the evening. I hate it. Parakeets also add to the cacophony but no jackdaws in this area. At the moment I can only hear my lovely blackbird so there is an upside to the output from our birds.

soop wishing you all the best - is rootle anything like pooter?
I understand a scan - hope that goes well.

You could take poteen From the Argy in a flask to keep you relaxed. ?
And if you’re using those pee-pots remember to take clean underpants in case you miss as the car is jogging along.
Big hug for you ?

We did once have a pipistrelle entangled in hair in France.
My husbands chest hair!

I thought - obviously erroneously - that bats' 'radar' system enabled them to avoid collisions. That evidently doesn't apply to hair.

We caught an image of a bat on our outdoor CCTV - it looked very Bram Stoker. Just the silhouette in the dusk.

Good gracious Galen the hussy. These french birds think they can get away with anything (no offence intended grandmafrench) I hope you gave her her marching orders.

I carefully disentangled it from my beloveds hair, then gently released the bat outside.
I might have accidentally pulled a few of his hairs out, but the bat was unharmed

Puzzler A rootle round the nethers determines the rate at which the rectal prolapse is showing itself. Imagine a Victoria plum sticking out of the bum. Well, that's the problem that, taking into consideration my age, fitness, blah blah, needs radical surgery or not.

Galen Aww! Perhaps the pipistrelle was thinking of borrowing a few hairs for nest building purposes.

When MacSporran and I worked at 'the big house', the home of the local laird's elderly mother, I discovered a teeny weeny bat along one of the upstairs corridors. We partly opened a window and placed it on the deep ledge together with a saucer of water. We hoped that it might find it's way up the ivy into the eaves of the house where there were plenty of hidey holes. It had disappeared when we checked a little later.

As young children our DS and his friends joined a Bat Watch at the local nature reserve. The chap who ran it was married to our MP. He used to hold bat watches in the House of Lords and very popular they were too.

I am pooped, just washed all our Tesco delivery on the patio. It was BOILING, I could have done with GrandmaFrench's cool courtyard where she does hers. Everything we asked for was delivered and no substitutions.
We had some entertainment however a Chinook flew past quite slowly hugging the coast. It is such a distinctive sound and was heading over to you Cherry. We usually see all the planes going over to the Wales Air Show but not this year sadly.
The sweet peas are lovely this year and smell divine. Hope everyone will enjoy a little sunshine today.

Love, love, love sweet peas, Lins. Non ! GrandmaFrench's cool courtyard is not cool. There is a little "loggia" type roof along one wall where I try to lurk with the groceries. But it's probably 34 degrees out there now on the thermometer and I was just thinking of unpacking some British goods....delivered from the UK. Hooray! Only some nice tea and some vanilla bean paste etc., This will hopefully fix the financial situation in the UK immediately!!!! I'm going to leave the surprise package for a while until a bit cooler. Mustn't complain about all the sun, though. People (especially in the Northern Hemisphere) need their Vit.D. We're given special little glass phials to break and contents to swallow in water every couple of months to keep up our Vit.D stores here. I thought it was all bit bonkers, (300 days of sunshine!) but when the Doctor explained that down here older people tend to hide from the sun and therefore don't get the required dose that everyone would imagine, it all made sense. Enjoy your summer weather and hope your feet are feeling better today.

That was some description, soop. How horrid for you. I once saved a little sheep from similar problems. I was leaning over a field gate, as you do, and thought "how strange". So I went and spoke to the farmer who went up to the field to "deal with it". Oooer! He said it was very common. Maybe no one is safe from the scourge, soop. Not that you're going to feel much better for knowing that, but you know that we've all got everything crossed that such a blasted uncomfortable and life-interfering thing can be given the old heave-ho, as soon as possible.

I'm more entertained by your recent Amazon purchase, quite honestly and the practising that must take place before you set off. Do let us know if you get the hang of it, because I think they'd be perfect to have in the car for emergencies.

Galen could we have a more detailed description as to how a little bat gets caught in a man's chest hair, please? Was it a collision? Was it a bat you rescued? Was Mr G, as has been intimated by that Doodle person, on some sort of assignation?

One more little batty story. We had a very naughty Siamese who would climb across the roof of our house, years ago, and sit on the apex (?) Every evening at dusk, all the little Pipistrelles would swoop here and everywhere and one evening she reared up and swiped, hard! Pipistrelle dealt glancing paw and cat sails down roof, slowly and majestically, into fishpond. It was thick with water lilies. Cue cat attempting to look unbothered and walk on water across the pond. She was very irritated as she climbed out, having all but sunk before reaching the other side. She then did that lovely cat thing where you extend each trouser leg and shake it, over and over. Pipistrelle on lawn, looking dazed. Knowing that you're not supposed to handle bats (rabies risk), we found some gloves and then realised that actually they don't really stand up, do they. What to do? DH hooked it onto the rotary line where it swung happily in the breeze until it decided to take off again later and under cover of darkness, quite unharmed.

I'm away for a shower AND some make-up! We are going for drinks and seafood in the very large garden of some friends in the village. We have agreed to properly social distance (they've only just escaped from Switzerland and came through the border at speed - or as Canadians say, "like grass through a goose" ). They were stuck in Switzerland for 4 months, so well used to doing as they're told under stern Swiss rules. However, we have agreed that if we sit apart, there shall be no need for "disguise", so my mask can be abandoned.

Santé, dear Kitcheners, take care and have a lovely evening.x

Just popping in to say hi.
Spent the last two days hanging about in the hospital waiting for scans, doctors etc.
Fortunately they found nothing so now I do not have to go back for a year.

It sounds as if you are going to be doing the rounds of the hospital quite soon soop it would be so good if they can sort you out if only so you can get on with the ironing.

While I was out yesterday Ocado delivered and DH diligently put all bags in the dining room and washed his hands not thinking that any of it needed to go in the fridge or the freezer!

Have fun this evening Grandmafrench.
Hope your hands are less painful Cherry

That's excellent news dragonfly ? Is Mr D on the norty step?

soop it’s a painful affair when it’s in the “nether, sitting down regions”. I suffered similarly after the birth of my second baby and spent the next 10 days sitting on a donut orthopaedic ring for pressure relief. Ouch. I hope relief is on the horizon for you.

dragonfly - results worth celebrating although you would have been anxious beforehand, worsened by the Covid situation.

Grandmafrench I enjoyed your ‘animal tales’.

I’m having a lazy day so thought I’d drop by and offer to make Pimms for anyone in the Kitchen.
It’s nearly Wimbledon time, aka Pimms season.

Take a glass, 2 large chunks of ice in the bottom, pour in a measure of Pimms No.1, top up with homemade lemonade. Not finished yet - add sliced strawberry, a twist of cucumber and a good spring of garden mint. Viola! ?
Sip through a red and white paper straw. Enjoy.

One of these is never enough ?

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202006/medium-742867-p1013927.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202006/medium-237272-p1013925.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202006/medium-360777-p1013930.jpg

You lot really are the tops. You always cheer me.

I've been busy clearing out stuff that has accumulated in the computer/music/art studio and it has taken the best part of the entire afternoon. MacS says that the room now looks very much larger. And so it damn well should. The shed is now full of the stuff which will be recycled.

I took photos of MacS's adorable young robin earlier this afternoon. He waits for MacS to open the door and, depending on whether he goes outside (or not) robin hops after him and also enjoys the odd seed treat.

Also adding a photo of the beautiful low cloud over the islands.

Much love to you all. Until tomorrow...

*sprig. Not spring

Sorry too exhausted to say anything other than hello all. Had just (literally) finished eating when our Waitrose delivery arrived 45 minutes early. Carrying loads of shopping upstairs and washing it on a full tummy had left me worn out and in need of a sit down. Hope everyone is ok
Take care all TOYA ?

soop today we have just returned from a similar trip to the one you are about to undertake and for those journeys I have a waterproof bag we call "the ensuite" containing tissues, hand wipes and hand gel together with a bottle with a screw lid which has a conversion kit called a 'she wee'. I have never had to use that at all, thankfully, but Himself often has as it is such a long journey. For me it is more mind relief than any other kind!
When we got to the hospital I was allowed to go in to use the loo fortunately but had to go and wait in the car for him - nearly 2 hours.
I have not been very well for a while so am so glad to have been able to get Himself there and back safely and without an overnight stop.
I bought three of those bottles on Amazon as Himself has them for overnight use and they sit very delicately in a small bucket by his side of the bed?

I'm beyond thrilled that you have come back safely and can avoid hospitals for a year, Dragonfly. You can have a proper celebration of this news - probably as soon as you have finished putting away all those groceries. And thank you, we had a lovely evening sitting in our friends' garden. I never knew a garden with 11 metre high walls, until I met them. An old Occitan mas - an elderly farmhouse, complete with cellars and a fabulous old well, spotlit and covered by a glass floor in the hallway, from where they get their water supply to jet wash the terraces. Ooooh, I love it, but would need to be at least 30 years younger to cope with the work. That's how long they've owned it, from when it was a heap 30 years ago.

Brought home some Baklava for a sweet treat with bedtime drinks in the Kitchen.

Sorry you've been unwell synonymous. Love your travelling loo arrangements - very necessary in these times. Doodle time to get that Dumb Waiter installed....then take a well deserved feet up somewhere before the next delivery arrives.

I laughed at your wicked remark to soop, dragonfly. She's got to have a better reason than finishing the ironing if she's to succumb to more rootling, surely! I love that little feathery face, soop. Aren't little Robins the best? They are always looking for human company. AND you're still working too hard. Don't you find that getting recycling s l o w l y nearer the exit is always such a pain? Two delicious Pimms for us, please puzzler - better than hot chocolate on such a hot night. Nighty night all. Sleep well - especially those who've had worries or pain.

I had my two Pimms earlier - very refreshing! It has been awfully warm today and will be for the next couple of days. Indoor jobs I think, apart from some watering.
I hope the gels are home from the Argy. Sleep tight.

Good day All.

Just popped in to leave some fresh flowers for Kitchen visitors. All species are dying off quickly in this blooming heat. These Carnations are still mainly in bud. No fragrance though, sadly.
We probably need Cactus in here - they survive in desert conditions. Phew. It’s 30 degrees out there. Shouldn’t complain really , it is Summer after all. ?

soop don’t you just adore Robins? I didn’t know the babies don’t have red breasts to begin with?