Soop's lovely warm and friendly kitchen

‘Evening All’
?

Gosh it’s brass monkeys in Manchester tonight. Good job I’m cosy and well fed. Dry January is going okay. I’ve surprised myself actually. I’ve come to realise these past few weeks that I find it easier to have no wine than one wine. One is never enough! And so on.

soop I looked up on a map where you live. Geography was never a strong point for me. You mentioned Campbeltown so I found it and was most surprised to find it level with Ayr across the water. For some reason I had you right up, past Skye!

Talking of which, my stepfather reminded me there’s a new series on scenic railways ... tonight it’s the glorious Glasgow (Scotland’s largest city) Queen Street Station to the Isle of Skye. Such a gorgeous area. 9pm Channel 5. The West Highland Line. I’m off to watch it now ...

Hope everyone has a pleasant evening. Chin up over there in Stockport annsixty - please don’t lie low for long. We’d miss you both here & on Mick’s sister thread. x

‘Goodnight All’.

Jax ?, here’s to not swimming in the cold sea

soop I am amazed that Fern can eat so much in one sitting unless she does not quite realise yet that room service is available not quite 24/7 but veering in that direction.

Fern will be indoors by mid-June I think.

The electrician came this evening and I now have a working doorbell and video entry system. It goes without saying my doorbell rang when he arrived for the second time in a month and the video system came to life. I could have screamed but half an hour's fiddling and all is well. I have no idea how long it will work. He did not charge me which I thought was really decent of him.

It is so cold here I checked the radiator and it is burning hot.

Look after yourselves.

Definitely a cold day. I’ve quite enjoyed feeling under no pressure to go out although we did go to our closest farm shop for ourselves and a neighbour

Do what’s best for you ann. We’re all her for you, come on back as soon as you feel it’s right. Speaking for myself I’m avoiding phoning a couple of friends as they are invariably complaining about something I can do nothing about. I can’t recall doing that before no matter the pressures in my life.

One of ours has to self isolate, worrying as he lives alone. My mission will be to find out what if anything he needs and get it to him.

I’m ready to sleep now, good night everyone, TOYA.

Baggs wanders into the Soop Kitchen feeling a little shamefaced. I have a problem dealing with any kind of excitement, even something so ordinary as a little bit of suspense in a story. I'm watching When the heart calls on Netflix and I have to keep stopping in the middle of episodes when something in the story adds a little tension, as all good storytelling does!

Similarly, when I can't sleep I like to recite a poem to myself. It usually sends me off. Recently the two I've used the most are Tennyson's Ulysses and Gerard Manley Hopkins's Inversnaid. The rhythm of the words in my head is soporific. I decided recently to re-learn The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, which I knew off by heart when I was sixteen. Trouble is, because I know the story gets tense and upsetting and full of strong feeling, I've had to give up after a few stanzas because I just can't take it.

This seems utterly ridiculous. I usedn't to be like this. I wonder if any kind kitcheners have any suggestions that might help me deal with this.... whatever it is.....? Surely I should be able to preserve a sense of detachment and not get so emotionally involved?

Many thanks if you've got this far.

Oh crikey baggs! I don't like suspense generally but, at the moment, I spend a lot of time with a cushion in front of my face asking DH to let me know when it is safe to move it. And, any sort of sadness really affects me.

It's the current situation, I think, but is quite wearing!! And, I'd be happy if someone could come up with a solution.

Baggs,Dd showed me a technique that they use with anxious children. You work your way from the base of your thumb with a finger from the other hand breathing in to the count of five and down the other side breathing out, until you reach your little finger then you work your way back again. It can sometimes take several repeats but I can usually get my blood pressure down to reasonable levels with about one or two now. I think I would feel an idiot doing it in in the doctor’s surgery which is where, it was going sky high though.

Apart from that Hello to soop and everyone from sunny Portugal. It actually is sunny today and the temperature has risen to the dizzy heights of 7° but we’ve had frost for the past few nights and a lot of rain accompanied by leaks in the house. Bathroom and kitchen mainly but I’ve read Kitty’s posts with great sympathy.

I find I am becoming more detached as bad news is piled on bad news.
Although my dreams have been much weirder than usual.
No help at all for Baggs am I?

It’s certainly a sign of the times, Baggs, but frankly, I’ve always been like that. It’s one of the reasons I could never finish reading “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas!” And if the tension ramps up in a film on TV, I just have to “go and see to something in the kitchen!”

I’ve been having weird dreams too, Pittcity maybe it’s our subconscious telling us that we’re not really as detached as we think we are.

Actually, pittcity, that's what's so odd. I'm really detached about the bad news rumbling on and on. I think we've got to Covid Bulletin 57 from my employer. We read them and do what we have to do and roll our eyes as the excess verbosity of it all.

But tell me a fictional story and I am, so to speak, behind a cushion, like kitty.

dustyangel, thank you for describing that technique. I will certainly give it a go.

I'm sure that's true Dustyangel.

Good afternoon dear kitcheners.

Baggs Whenever I feel over anxious, it is almost always down to my over sensitive imagination/nature. I imagine the plight of neglected children, lonely elderly people and abandoned animals. Some would call me "soppy" but try as I might, I find it impossible to switch off and rationalise. It's as if I need to tackle humanities problems personally. Which of course is nonsense. Knowing that it is nonsensical doesn't help in the slightest. I must therefore accept that I am "soppy".
When stressed, I also recite poetry.

The garage engineer phoned last evening. The fault has been fixed. He's to return the car to us either today or tomorrow. The firm is family. They are reliable and friendly.
Still no word from BT

Urm we live about 22 miles north of Campbeltown. Our village is Clachan. It is a small community with a very big heart.

No help from here baggs, sorry. My only thought is perhaps somewhere many of us don’t dare get too anxious about what is really happening because we can’t control it. Directing that to the fictional means we can control the anxiety it by limiting our exposure. I’m not sure if that even makes sense .

Quiet day here, had a walk, Mr C is immersed in yet another jigsaw and I’m simply faffing about.

Good news your car will return soon soop. Ours is due a service, garage has cancelled as all the mechanics are self isolating after one tested positive for covid. When I thanked them for doing the right thing I heard that many customers were complaining. Oh dear.

I think the passport office has got woke and gone all pc! I’m trying to get a new passport on line and it tells me the photo is the wrong colour. , I’m white with white hair. Which bit of me do they think ought to be changed?

Galen probably the background, needs to be plain light colour with no shadows!

Galen I would know you anywhere. Those pearls are a giveaway.

corner Mr Soop has bee talking to BT for almost an hour. Guess what? They will arrange for another engineer to call. *Mr Soop is the most Zen-like person I have ever known. He is courteous and patient and believes that this month long saga will be resolved eventually.

The garage mechanic has returned the car. He is a really nice chap. As of now, we won't need to rely on the kindness of pals hereabouts who have delivered the paper and milk etc.

I feel weary. I shall put my feet up and enjoy a
Fern is in the utility room enjoying her meal. We haven't seen her since late last night.
It's less cold today. I've been pedaling and have a rosy glow as a result.

I shall leave you all with virtual hugs. Enjoy your Saturday evening in whatever way you are able. Until tomorrow...

The background is a projection screen. I have no plain walls in my house.

Evening all !!

Oh Baggs , I am a fan of that series too but I'm right with you on the tug on your emotional heart strings !!

Nothing wrong with being emotional in my opinion. We'd be in a sorry state if everyone had a heart of stone.

We enjoyed a walk in a frosty forest with Sam this morning. We debated over going as its 30 mins away but its the only place accessible for my scooter so we thought we would risk it. Its the only time I actually get outside ( apart from the short walk to the West Wing lol ).

We went early and there was hardly a soul there. The only drawback was 3/4 of the way round the scooter battery started beeping signalling it was running out !!!! Grampy had to push me up any little hills-- thank god Norfolk is flat!!

Anyway, its party food night ( we are cooking leftovers from the Christmas that never was!) Have a nice evening all !!

Just popping on to say goodnight everyone

soop if, and it is a very big if, BT ever fix the problem, please do not pay them a penny for their incompetence and I would want a year's free broadband. You could always say that people on FB would be very interested to hear about their total incompetence.

Life goes on here in this quiet, lonely house. I am now getting daily lie-ins to 9 am but I would prefer the 5 am clarion call.

Next week will be mid January- it will soon be spring.

Morning all,

Its brisk here this morning. We have had the pleasure of a visit from Norbert the pheasant who treats our garden like his own fast food take away!!

I'm with Charleygirl Soop BT own you big time !!

I'm so sorry the house is so quiet Charleygirl , its a big gap Tara has left . I could lend you Sam for a while :-) He does not like the cold and so doesn't need much in the way of walking and he will happily help you with leftovers and as for quiet....that dog snores like a Harley Davidson !!!

Perhaps there will come a time when you feel you could take another furry friend home. It would be one lucky cat that's for sure xx

Charleyg I agree with N&G's closing sentence.

N&G I can picture Grampy pushing your scooter up the little hills. Did you give a royal wave from time to time?

It's dreich in bonnie Kintyre. A choppy sea. Grey sky. The perfect weather for taking it easy with the newspaper.

I've been watching the great spotted woodpecker hammer away at the peanuts. He's not a greedy bird. If he manages to extract a couple of nuts, he's away and the friendly sparrows, tits and finches return.