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

Internet connection is "iffy". I shall log off while I'm able and wish you all a pleasant and peaceful evening.

Did you stay at that school Grandmabatty? Were you scared?

Susan I hope Asda and the inquisitive cat have been separated and are now in separate rooms?

Such a sad story about your childhood pet soop. My children had hamsters, gerbils and mice and they always died just as you we got attached to them. Tears were inevitable ?

What a sad story soop?

Puzzler,cat and hamster are being kept separate??

TOYA

susan we had a cat and a hamster at the same time, the cat was brave when hamster was in its cage, not so brave when it was in its exercise ball rolling round the floor ??

GrannyGravy ?

The cat is old and not very well and usually keeps away from any room our little grandson is in but the arrival of the hamster has given her a new lease of life!

Annodomini Your detergent mishap reminded me of when my then-3 year-old thought he would 'help' me by 'cleaning' every kitchen surface and the floor with a whole bottle of neat, 'hands that do dishes' detergent while I was otherwise occupied in another room. I can't recall how many weeks I spent removing the resulting froth, foam and bubbles....

Evening all! I don’t like dark, empty buildings at the best of times - I would have struggled in your school Grandmabatty.
A bit of washing, some sewing, tidying up - a useful day, if not very exciting. We changed the bed too and I am really looking forward to bedtime!
I had hamsters too. One escaped, chewed holes in my school scarf, then took it back to its cage as extra bedding. Our house always was cold!

A warm welcome, VioletCloud. You have a beautiful name. Make yourself comfortable. It's a day for indoor cosiness. Outside, is another story.

Nannytopsy I have a new mattress topper. Super comfortable. New pillows. Freshly laundered sheets. Simple pleasures.

I've to have bloods taken on Monday. Not by a vampire. Zoledronic acid infusion awaits for next Thursday morning visit to Lochgilphead hopsital.

I have gingerbread scented candles on at the moment as it's so miserable outside. Ghost story episode :
... I looked closely at June. She was known for pranks so I didn't pay attention to her warning but the following day proved how right she was.
As usual I worked late. When seven o'clock came round, I decided enough was enough and packed up to leave. I pushed open the double fire doors into the corridor where June taught and immediately it felt wrong. It was so cold, I could see my breath. As I walked on, the doors opened behind me. With a sigh of relief I turned round. No one was there. Nettled, I turned back and walked more quickly. I could hear June moving her desks in her classroom because of thenoise on the linoleum floor and it sounded like she had a cough. As I approached the classroom, my hackles went up, I could feel someone breathing on the back of my neck and then someone whispered my first name...

Welcome Violetcloud are you new to GN? Did you bring cake?

Grandmabatty, I hope you don't mind but I am ignoring you!1 Has anyone else found that all emotions are heightened during this stupid period. I don't like ghost stories at the best of times. Hallowe'en was my Dad's birthday so we always noted it but without all the normal ghoulish stuff which wasn't so prevalent when I was a girl.

DD2 had 2 kittens as a birthday present one year when she was about 6, on the understanding that she looked after them herself. She took this very literarily and tried to shampoo their hair. Washing it off was a fun evening!!

Just off to find what Christmas lights we have to donate to the Christmas Tree Festival in the village church. I could be gone a while.

Kittylester I don't mind at all! I checked with Soop first and she was ok with the ghost story. I'm a frustrated writer I fear.

I’m all ears Grandmabatty and love a well told ghost story. Have no idea how this is going to end - but at least I know you are still alive to tell the tale ?

Love kittens too kitty. Our DD had 2 when she was about 5 yrs old. We let her name them and she came up with Sooty & Sweep. Her favourite toys were Sylvanian Families and she had a School House and a Bakery. Sooty and Sweep were so tiny they climbed in and out of these and were an integral part of her games. No fur-washing though.

Grandmabatty We all have the option to follow a thread, or not. No harm done. I look forward to the next chapter.

kitty Bless those kittens. There will looked like pom-poms after the shampoo.

Another local lady has unexpectedly died. She was waiting for a bed to become available in Campbeltown hospital, after a short stay in Oban hospital. She contracted sepsis and died yesterday in the early hours. Such a shock.

Sooty and Sweep. I loved watching that children's tv show when my son was young.

Oh soop so sorry you have had more sad news. ?

Oh, soop, I'm so sorry to hear that. There is such a lot of sad news about and, as I said above, I think it seems as though all our emotions are much closer to the surface nowadays - well mine are.

Grandmabatty, please don't think I was being rude - I should have put a smiley face after my comment. I'm sure everyone else is enjoying your story - but I'm just a scaredy cat!!

puzzler, those two kittens spent a lot of their lives rammed into a small, red, plastic pram. Luckily, they didn't bear a grudge.

Soop that's such sad news for you. Kittylester I wasn't offended in the least! Don't feel you have to qualify your comments. I'll give you a smiley face. ? I'm off to make an apple galette.

I'm with Kitty on this one. Not that I haven't read your story, Grandmabatty and (says she who is an authority on nothing!) it's very well written; but I can just confirm that the last line above made a really cold shiver go down my spine - a frisson, as the French call it - and it's a gloriously warm and sunny day here and I've just come in from the garden and am a little overheated. So there! Also, I avoid anything remotely scary on t.v., films, books etc., Maybe I have far too vivid an imagination. I shall continue to read it though - but not late at night, and if it gets any more spooky, I shall march straight into the sunlight with Kitty. No shadows and chilly places for me. Are you aware that the extra suspense of your small 'paragraphs' each day is making it even worse?

There's some disadvantage in living in a small close community where everyone knows everyone, soop. It hurts like mad when people die unexpectedly - like an extended family. Not good at this time when we are all looking out for each other. We're all filled with 'there but for the grace of God'....I think. Your little mouse pet story made me sad. How touching for the Vet to be so kind and how sad (and brave) for two little girls to cope with that!

Puzzler more than 1 kitten is always hilarious, but they do get themselves into some difficult situations sometimes. I'm sure I've told the story of my friends' missing cat when one Boxing Day we helped them search high and low for this tiny kitten which had just completely disappeared for most of the day. We all feared the worst, she never let it out but she had never let it out - too young. After turning the house upside down (7 of us) we tried to cheer up and put it to one side. She made some tea and had turkey sandwiches and wonderful Xmas cake on offer. She opened the fridge to get out the turkey and there, curled up asleep, INSIDE the bird, was the kitten. They're such fun, so tiny, so perfect but can drive one totally bonkers !!!!!!

Glad the hamster has given your dear old cat new batteries, Susan. She's going to be plum tuckered very quickly.

A memory foam topper on a soft-ish mattress, down pillows and a down duvet. No need to even turn over in the night.....bliss, soop. Enjoy. Locked down hugs from me to you all and all missing pro tem - and where is Cherry ? )

Thank goodness your friend found that little kitten Grandmafrench when she did - a night spent in a fridge would have had a very different ending!
I bet she had one very full tummy ?

Evening all and a welcome from me too violetcloud !

Just a brief one from me as excitingly the little boys are on their way( with their mum and dad) for Halloween . They are our bubble and part of our 6 but as we saw them so recently we didn’t think we would see them again so soon. But their Mum has decided we will take every opportunity to get together as things are going downhill so fast .

And I’m not arguing !

I’ll leave you with a picture of my mummies ! I’ve made dozens and they will each be tied to the tree in the front garden on Halloween for our small people to find !

I’ll pop in when they have gone again!

Grandmafrench Wow! As you rightly say, creatures can, and often do, send us totally bonkers! That wee kitten mastered the art of self survival. That's for sure.

Yes indeed, where are you Cherry? Please put our minds at rest.

I've stood for nigh on two hours ironing stuff to perfection. Such tasks help to take the mind away from sad events, if only for a short time.

Every good wish to all of our Granspal Kitcheners. Tomorrow is a new day. We shall meet and continue to support each other as best we may.

N&G full marks yet again for your creativity. You are such a clever Nana. The children will have a wonderful Halloween.

Got to love a toilet roll inner soop ??