Soop's welcoming kitchen for friendly folk

What time do you want us to arrive grandmabatty ? It all sounds delicious. We have a left over bean curry ?
( Its been curry, but what is it now?)

I have been channeling my inner domestic goddess today. I've made butternut squash and sweet potato soup, scones that 'riz' beautifully and peanut butter cookies for the boy tomorrow when babysitting duties recommence. I've also made a sticky gingerbread. Tonight's dinner is roast chicken with roast potatoes, parsnips, tender stem broccoli, mash and gravy. There. That should do. I hope you have a good evening. See you in the kitchen tomorrow.

Lucky you soop, two chances to choose furniture!! It is stressful, isn't it?

Jaxjacky, I dont want to worry tou but we have ordered chairs twice from JL in the last year, each had 15 weeks delivery quoted. We, too, had the regular up dates until a month before deliverywaa due when we were told that the fabric we had asked for was now out of stock. This happened twice!! We now have yet another chair on order which is due in a month - I'll keep you posted!!

Lovely looking bread n&g. And, it's nearly tea time!!

Malt loaf with lashings of butter on the table. (It comes with a walnut warning)
I too have just come in from the garden after a very satisfactory afternoon. The garlic have been planted out, with lots of nice roots on them and the shallots and red onions. I would have planted them all in autumn but it was too wet.
We spend a lot of time sitting and studying the garden - still the decisions to be made about siting flower beds.
Enjoy your evening all!

Just in from pottering in the garden, it’s a bit of a nothing day here in Inverness - just grey, cloudy and quite cold. DH is happy as he’s putting some stuff on the lawn - he’s obsessed with the lawn! To me it’s boring and just grass but to him well it’s another thing entirely ....
We’re having salmon, baby potatoes and vegetables later, well hopefully soon as I’m a bit hungry and as I’ve got some Tesco salted caramel and chocolate chip muffins in the cupboard I don’t want to start on them yet ...there’s enough for us all though so help yourselves and of course they’re calorie free
I hope you find your perfect sofa soop , DD1 recently splashed out on a beautiful sofa from Loaf - very soft and comfortable and good for sinking into ... so she tells me as I’ve not had the chance to see it yet ... but I will! ?

I still haven't fully caught up with all the happenings in our kitchen. That time will come. I promise. I am so lucky to have you lot in my life.

*have not had

We had a light coloured cloth suite and regretted it soop.
You can clearly see where both our heads rest on our favourite seats by the dent and the grubby mark - and we’ve had it cleaned professionally each year, but it still comes back.
(You will think we’re very dirty).
I know now why my mum had those antimacassar things on the back of the chairs which she was forever washing or
“straightening up”.

Thank you, nanna8 for putting my thought that the sofa was too "busy" for a small room.

Thank you for all your kindly comments. I wish that you were here beside me, to give me honest and sound advice, as I go on my second third traipse/hunt through the furniture sale sites.

I had a little perv back at the pics of your settee,soop and, nice though it is, I agree with you. It is a bit ‘busy’ for a small room and you might get sick of it. These days we usually go for leather because pussies don’t scratch it, or at least ours don’t, and it wears well. I am after a 2 seater that has that thingo where you can press a lever and have a foot rest.

Doodle I decided to fill mine in online today and now I can forget about it which is possibly what would have happened if I had left mine for a few more days.

I chopped my hair this evening- an excellent pastime when watching Casualty. I decided I did not need a mirror! The sides are fine and I cannot see the back!

Sounds like you had a lovely day urmston - could you perhaps send some of that warm weather up north please ? I’m sure a few of us would appreciate it ?
Don’t think we’re having the census here in Scotland yet ... I heard it’s our turn next year

soop good for you for being brave enough to change your mind when not certain. I love the sofa you had chosen and thought it was stunning but if it won’t fit you will not be happy. I hope the right thing comes along soon.
Grandmafrench that was an epic journey for your jab. Glad you are feeling ok and no side effects.
charleygirl I am so glad you too have filled in your census online. After I had completed it (including the question of who was living here on the 21st March 2021) I did wonder if they would reject it as having been completed too early but all seems to be ok. Strange questions. I don’t remember being asked so much last time.
Hope everyone has a good weekend (including you Urms ?)

‘Evening All’
?

A lovely day here. Sunshine too and it was quite warm when we met up in the local park after lunch with the grandchildren and their parents. The playpark was really busy and the ice cream van was doing a roaring trade!

On that happy note I shall bid you all a pleasant night ahead. x

‘Goodnight All’.

Hi to everyone in the kitchen this Saturday evening - I’ve got my weekend glass of Rioja on the go already ?
We’ve been out for a lovely walk around Strathpeffer today - very nice but such a shame to see all the hotels deserted and the gardens in need of a tidy up. We enjoyed the walk though and the change of scenery
What a journey grandmafrench but worth it in the end. I wonder what the truck drivers were actually arguing about?.. Anyway stopping for the coffee and cake sounded good and then the picnic lunch on the way home - perfect! no trip is complete without this in my view...
soop it’s better to have changed your mind about the sofas than to get them and not be 100% happy... I often see things that I like and look gorgeous in pictures etc but then think I’ve nowhere for them at home or they just wouldn’t fit in! It’s so difficult choosing things these days as there’s so much choice ...
your new sofas sound lovely jaxjacky in fact anything from JL usually is ...sounds like you’ve had a busy day!
Fruity malt loaf sounds yummy nannytopsy and the sourdough .. well you’re just too clever..
Enjoy your tacos BA my brother lives in Mexico and wow are they hot and spicy there !

Team won!
Grandmafrench what a journey, but you got the holy grail, achievement ?? Apparently there is a push on in France this weekend for vaccinations, so my French friends tell me, Macron with an eye on the elections no doubt. Charleygirl5 I did our census earlier too, I read the questions out to DH, he had a wry smile. I think the slow cooker beef may have to wait until tomorrow now as it went in late, so, duck legs with new potatoes and veg instead. Pleased to hear all four legged friends are ok, minus a few teeth some of them, but ok.

I love you lot. What a day of trawling through furniture sale sites. Naturally, ever single sofa that I liked, was in the upper price bracket. The simpler the style, the more costly the item.
Nothing set in stone. Yet! Mr Soop understands my concerns regarding the suitability of the wildly outrageous sofa that we both swooned over. He thinks that it would have fitted into our sitting room but, we both need to be certain. It's very unlikely that we'll ever go through this business again. Best be patient for a wee while longer.

Nothing much achieved. I'm ashamed to think that I've as good as wasted a day. I have enjoyed the search. I'm certain that some of you will understand the thrill of the hunt.

First thing tomorrow, before I get bogged down with the mission, I shall catch up with all your news. Sorry to have neglected you.

Enjoy your weekend. Remain safe and sound. There is a chilly wind a blowin'.

Just popping into the kitchen to say hello and see how everyone is today. Duncan came back from the vets absolutely fine minus two teeth and with drops we need to use twice a day for an ear infection. The bill was a bit of an "ouch" but he's worth every penny. I'm sure he'll be distinctly unimpressed tomorrow when "the small person" arrives!! A bit of a buggeration earlier when Mr BA discovered the boiler was not working. A bit of brute force put it right but for how long....?? Mexican tacos tonight and probably an early night in readiness for my nanna duty tomorrow. Virtual hugs all around and hope everyone has an enjoyable evening

Good afternoon everyone!
It is very chilly here today - I am sitting with a blanket round me while the heating warms up. I am in desperate need of cake so I shall throw a fruity malt loaf in to soak over the rugby half time. I made sourdough today / they look better than my last ones, if a bit brown on the crust.
GF the French do know how to make a production of something simple!
Soop enjoy choosing again.
Keep warm everyone.

Your doing the right thing Soop no point in buying if your not sure.
Last year we bought two snuggle chairs I now find them so uncomfortable and will end up giving them away!Lesson learned probably not?

Pleased you got your jab Grandmafrench that was some journey.
Just had a doorstep visit from number one DS and GSs so nice to see them it will be even nicer when they can visit in the garden again.

Have a good Saturday everyone.

I was vicariously envying the furniture soop but it wouldn’t suit here, you’ll find something that feels just right. We’ve just ordered a new 2 seater and an armchair, in a similar dark blue leather to the ‘visitors’ two seater than we never use. The chair is mine and really is on the way out, two rips on the arms, just worn away, I do sit with my leg over the arm though, an essential design criteria for the new one. Not being delivered until May, JL sends me emails to say it’s coming along nicely ?. I’ve been to the allotment, friend and I loaded my car with rubble bags full of weeds, the gunge leaked into my boot, I had put a liner in, it stank too...disgusting, quickly taken to the tip. Home, change of jeans, liner out on the grass, boot left open to air and a beef casserole thrown into the slow cooker, I shall watch my football team with trepidation at 3, if they can’t beat Sheffield we’re doomed...TTFN.

I have just filled in the census form online. A good job I am almost computer literate. What my last job worked 20 years ago, but they do not know if I am disabled and partially sighted has to do with today's living and planning in advance is beyond me. Another box ticked. I doubt if I will be around to fill in the next one.

GrandmaFrench this will make you laugh- my GP surgery decided that my local vaccine centre, a bus and a tube ride away-around 6 miles, is too far away!
TOYA

What a palaver Grandmafrench. Sounds like you drove through 4 seasons in one day - however the end result is Excellent! and I’m glad the staff were all kindly towards you. ?
We went to several showrooms 4 years ago to see sofas and try them out soop but we were still unprepared for how big the suite looked when it came into our sitting room. I’m sure you’ll get just the right one for you soon. It’s fun looking.

Glad your expedition ran smoothly Grandmafrench and bruised deltoid muscle notwithstanding, you won't suffer any ill effects. Your tales of La Vie Française are really interesting.
Today I have been shopping, changed sheets and got a washing out on my tiny teeny whirly which is portable so I can move it around to catch the sun. It's a new acquisition and so far I'm delighted with it. Not quite in the same league as new furniture though Soop. Never mind, the looking can be as rewarding as the buying.
I've been sloth like for a while and yesterday and today I feel the real me is emerging. Perhaps my motivation has been hibernating. I'm not sure what I'll get up to today, but have a good day kitcheners.

Soop. I have 2nd and 3rd thoughts quite often. I'm with Grandmafrench on the plain colour hence a new set of covers on their way soon for our suite; This time it's russet. It's the forth colour change over the 12 yrs. Worst one was oatmeal. Oh dear! The company always have a good sale. Reason for plain (I do like patterned sofas) for me is that I have two pieces of striking art work on the wall.

Grandmafrench Hope DH finds a place soon. We were Pfizered too - no after effects. Looks like you'll beat me for the 2nd one. We were told end of April ish.

Good luck with the clearing out Polomint. A favourite job of mine - seriously. I wish MrM would let me loose in his workshop.

Hellogirl1 hope all goes well for your Mia.

Beautiful flower photos. Chilly but sunny outside so plenty of layers on for Mya's walk soon.