Soop's welcoming kitchen for kindly caring folk...

Charley he is definitely not free and when he is over tired an absolute liability! Not only that but he is convinced I whisper, deliberately hide things and never tell him anything (which we have discussed at great length) so it is a really good thing I love him!
I think I had better keep him as I have become accustomed over the past 50 flump years and as I tell him nobody else will take him off my hands. He just shrugs and says that since I have taken all the best years of his life I am honour bound to look after him now - should he ever need it!

soop You really do need to get all those puotos into a coffee table book, it would sell like hot cakes. It is amazing how different the puotos all are with the different seasons, weather, light and in spite of it being the same scenic spot. We too are blessed to have a lovely view and that is also totally different to the one from our last house. No direct view of water from here but we can see where it is situated at the foot of the hills opposite.
MacSporran needs a very stylish hat which would become synonymous with him, Himself has an Aussie soft one which he always wears although I have to admit is a bit disreputable now. I probably should buy him one for 'that day' in December. That is actually a very good idea!

Topsy, I do feel for you. I took the plunge and moved from my long standing hairdressers to one in the village - I wish I had done it ages ago but it could be so different. It will grow.

Fab photos soop. And look after MacS. A strange care home visit for you but I bet your friend was glad to see you under any circumstances

Crumbs synonymous, you could try trading him in!!

And, yes, Wolfie is a gorgeous boy - and I'm not at all biased!!

soop I have just looked at replacements on akubra.co.uk and am now going to have a cup of tea! They are very nice though and I think they would suit MacSporran as much as Himself. We can't go on holiday so why not!?

kitty How? There is something called the trades description act!

Greyduster Correct! There is only one Campbeltown Loch. Long ago there were several famous distilleries in the town. I believe that three remain. All the smartest properties in Campbeltown were built for the whisky barons. Very grand they are too.

Grandmabatty Our pal had a stroke some years ago. Recently, he has found it difficult to eat solid food. Hence he's on a strict diet of soft foods. He was, at one time, tremendously portly. It's just that I'm used to seeing him looking like the laughing policeman, all ruddy cheeked and round.

Synonymous I shall check the website. MacS is never without a hat of some kind. I like the ones that Maw's Paw favoured.

Time for me to log off. Yay! G&T at nine prompt. I shall be watching 'Vera' as I enjoy every sip.

Enjoy your weekend, my lovelies. We can only do what's permitted - which, in Scotland, is very little. So, we must make the best of what is.

Hello Kitchen peeps. Beautiful sunny blue day here but this afternoon it is blowing so hard, enough to knock you flat. A very large and heavy plant pot was upended with a very large shrub in it. DH wheeled it away on his trolley to a sheltered place. No harm done - I so hate it when pots crack.

On the upside - bedding and towels dry in 2 hours and ironed and put away. We sat on the step drinking tea and pretending to chase the dogs (which makes them go bonkers with excitement) until half an hour ago.

Not very pleasant Home visit to your friend soop. How sad, with the restrictions, I suppose you were monitored because they couldn't risk you breaking the rules on safety; but it does sound like a prison visit rather. Still, he saw you which probably made a huge difference to how he was feeling poor chap.

If Wolfie is truly called Wolfie, his parents must have had his character down to a tee from the start. He looks like a little rascal and his face is so like the eldest Son of a friend when he was very small. Joseph he was called. That made him sound almost reasonable. He was a terror. He was a terror because they used to laugh at all his naughtiness and make things worse. One afternoon we were all sitting by the fire and two small children were doing a puzzle on the carpet. Adults were mostly on the carpet. Not Joseph, he decided to climb onto the window seat inside our quite fragile leaded windows and lecture us all from the gallery! I asked him and then told him to get down because if he fell and cut himself, it might mean that he would have to go to hospital and miss his tea! My DH was quite stern. He waited patiently, then pointed at us and said "You two, I think you worry too much!" Seriously - he must have been about 3. Holy terror !

I too was brought up with the "so scrumptious, I could eat him" expression. Learned from my Mum. Little children of that age are truly scrumptious - so no apologies.

Have you opened some sort of canning or bottling factory, Syn ? Sounds as if you need to send your staff on a re-training course, before calling for a Lifeboat.

I am sad and quite annoyed at your hairdressing news, NannyT. I think sometimes we don't react fast enough or speak up when we should. I have a fabulous hairdresser, but that took some finding. I don't like going to the salon, though. It's not a treat or a nice relaxing experience for me but I love it when it's done and I look near human again. Only once did I have my hair ruined and, again, I wasn't quick enough. A new hairdresser was tried. She started work on my hair, her friend turned up in the salon and they talked and she cut and talked and cut and talked and....well, when she'd finished I was horrified. But I still paid !! It took 9 months for the uneven layers to grow out. A hard lesson.
However good you are as a stylist, you need to concentrate and people so often don't. Do so hope that you find someone good, so that in 4 weeks or so you can go and have it evened up, at least. Meanwhile, it might get cold enough for a hat!?

Hope MacS has a nice hat to protect his scalp, soop. I've a friend who wears one all year, after having lots of 'work' done on his scalp. Very dashing he looks too.

Susan and Grandmabatty hope your day was a good one. Garden centres are great cheery up places, aren't they. I think if you need a nap, you need a nap. Go with how you feel. Until I had a thyroid imbalance I had no idea of the impact the thyroid has on us all. If it goes wrong, all sorts can happen and often we just get used to and put up with feeling rough. Hope a good weekend will restore your energy and good spirits.

Good wishes to Doodle Izabella Panache Cherry Anno Callgirl Charley Ann and anyone overlooked.

Have a super evening, all. Hugs from French France

I’ve had it as a bloomin’ ear worm ever since I saw your photo!??. Echoes of the White Heather Club!

Just heard we folk in Stockport have gone back into the special measures we only came out of a few weeks ago.
No visitors in house or garden, no mixing of two household indoors even in restaurants.
Lots of new cases and hospital admissions.
Will my op be cancelled yet again?
I will be prepared for it once more.

Ann fingers firmly crossed that your op will go ahead. They are supposed to be keeping ops going while keeping other hospitals for Covid.
There is a large jug of Manhattan cocktail on the table. Help yourselves but don’t blame me in the morning! DH mixes mean cocktails!

It’s Friday and that’s a perfect reason for a cocktail. ?
I’m first in the queue, please may I have a paper umbrella in my Manhattan Nannytopsy.
Sorry annsixty your news today is grim. Try and keep positive ?
Grandmafrench I’m glad your large garden pot was saved. It’s been very windy here today too.

Evening All. We took off for a change of scene. Like most things in life not everything was as we thought it should be but it was so wonderful to have a brief change of scenery and meet up with some much missed friends. Good to be home now.

Those images are as ever pleasing on the eye soop. Your care home visit sounds far from relaxing though, hard to know what your friend made of it although I’m sure hearing you from a distance was better than not seeing you at all.

Woolfie will have you all dancing to his tune I’m sure kitty, impossible not to smile when looking at him.

Snap charley, our heating is also on, goodness it’s cold

Flu jabs for us tomorrow, it seems we are to present ourselves at the surgery car park with bare arms I fear hypothermia and may resort to a strapped on hot water bottle.

Take care everyone, there’s far from positive news out there.

Sorry to have been absent. As well as Lynne still being in hospital and the house being upside down during decorating, there are now additional health worries re Lynne, hopefully better news after next Thursday.
Ann, I do so hope that your op isn`t cancelled yet again, these rules are constantly changing, it`s hard to keep up. Along with my 2 youngest daughters, I`m coming to Bury on Monday to my BIL`s funeral...………..that is, unless Boris moves the goal posts yet again!
Soop, so glad you were able to get to the care home at last, your pal must have been so relieved to have visitors at last. I think that the hotel we stayed at in Campbeltown was built for one of the distillery families, Craigard House. All my best wishes to MacS, and keep checking that he`s got his hat on!
I`m sorry, my memory is so bad these days, can`t remember all that I`ve read, but TOYA!!

Dear Hellogirl just wanted to say I am thinking of you - and Lynne and wishing you well.
These are worrying times for us all but you have more than you share to deal with.

Great to see you callgirl but sorry to hear about Lynne's further worries. It never rains but it pours. Take care of yourself.

Glad you had a good time with your friends corner. We need these changes of scenery don't we?

We should have taken DGD1 shopping today. It has become a tradition that we take her out for lunch and then clothes shopping for her birthday but that has been vetoed by her mum (dd1) on the grounds that her school has lots of Covid cases. We were also to have been treated to a curry made by DGS3 - that is maybe a blessing.

The first viewers of the empty house next door are coming today. I need cunning plans for putting them off if I don't like the look of them. Any suggestions?

Play loud music, possibly opera and shout a lot. Can you borrow a dog that barks too?
Then send DH out to light a bonfire with wet leaves and a couple of old tyres. That should do it. ?

So many things we need to do differently kitty, we have done something similar with ours later in the year for Christmas (sorry, it is nearly October ) and have already had a re-think. Weird and often sad times for sure.

No bright ideas for the viewings, will be reading with interest as we have an empty property next to us.

I’m sorry there are more worries hellogirl, thinking of you.

Relieved to hear yesterday evening that a poorly neighbour tested negative for Covid, she was so worried as were we for her.

Take care everyone.

Good to hear from you callgirl but so sorry you have further worries with Lynnes health.

Ann,I hope your operation goes ahead.The lady who did my eye screening on Thursday said much the same as Nannytopsy that hospitals are trying to keep routine appointments and operations continuing as much as they can so ??????

Glad you had a nice outing and meet up with friends corner.A change of scene gives such a boost in these unsettling time’s.

Today’s job is to put together the toy car we have bought Henry for his first birthday which is on Monday.He is having a party tomorrow where guests will arrive at timed intervals so as not to exceed the permitted numbers.

TOYA

Good morning everyone thought I would just pop in to tell you about Mum’s 100th Birthday yesterday. After temperature checks, gown bedecking and mask donning I was allowed to be with her to open her cards. I am not sure she was aware it was her birthday or who I am but I think she had a nice time before falling asleep.

I am sorry to be behind with all your news but so sorry to hear that Lynne is unwell Callgirl.

Dragonfly
How lovely it is to have you posting again, I trust you are well and enjoying life again.
Congratulations to your mother, my own mother got her card from the Queen and lived on another year and eight months.
Fortunately she was totally with it until a week before she died.

You look very well on the photograph and I hope that is a sign you are “back to normal “

We would love to see you posting again, I am not as regular as I used to be, but keep my hand in, so to speak.

Callgirl, I am so sorry Lynne has yet more ill health.
I hope Thursday brings you better news.

I hope to go out to eat tonight but our new local lockdown may put paid to that.
My GD and I are self isolating from tomorrow, apart from 2/3 hospital visits for necessary tests, in the hope and expectation that my operation will still go ahead.

Wow!! The new kitchen is very warm and inviting.

Sorry I haven’t been around for a while but I have been through quite an emotional rollercoaster. Lots of anxiety and feeling down right down and miserable. More kicks up the bum and here I am.

How about some chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate on this nippy blustery day.

Soop Thank you for your beautiful photos - you live in a beautiful part of the world. Also thank you to all who have posted wonderful photos. The wee lad looks huggable.
Stay safe and well during these strange and scary times.
Sending love and hugs to you all.

Dragonfly - A big congratulations to your mam for reaching 100! Happy birthday to her. X

Oh Purplepixie sorry to hear you have been so down. I know exactly how that feels. I hope you find your positivity again soon - it has a way of hiding its head!

Thank you Ann for the welcome back. As you can see I once again have hair which is pretty useful in this weather. I am slowly returning to a new normal as we all are with this virus.