*Soop's* ever welcoming kitchen for kindly folk.

Long day for us involving a trip along a canal with a stuck swing bridge. . I loved it all, even getting stuck!

I’m hoping your water issues can be overcome soop, we’re quietly melting here, hope your need for a shower is less.

Totally understand if posting becomes difficult susan but please don’t ever think you can’t be honest here,

Good for you ann, onwards to the next one now.

I’m envious of your flight muse, my one experience of a helicopter was magical,

Time for sleep now, it’s been a hectic day. Good night everyone sleep well.

Sorry to hear about your DDs sadness muse it’s good that she talks to you though and she’s got you to lean on. Hope things improve a bit for her soon

Wow they’re beautiful photos muse and what a fabulous birthday treat - Thanks for telling us all about it!

I’ve had a lovely enjoyable but busy day with the DGC, football for sports mad DGS and dancing and crafts for DGD followed by us all meeting up in the park for a sunny picnic and ice cream - perfect. Same sort of plan again for tomorrow! Then we dropped them home and started in our garden doing the battle with the weeds, a never ending job really
Hoping things get a bit easier Susan and the appropriate care for your FiLs can be found. Sorry to hear it’s getting you down but please carry on posting when you can as we’re all hear to help each other out when needed ?
Sounds like you had a lovely break Ann so pleased for you!
Thinking of panache for tomorrow ?

panache ?

Thinking of Panache for tomorrow?.

Muse you are very adventurous! That's not something I would do. Nevertheless, happy belated birthday. Panache ? thinking of you. Good evening all.

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Excellent news about Toby going home very soon soop. Lots of praise for the NHS. They looked after Jax's Imogen so well too.

Pleased about those windows and the new front door annsixty. The train journey sounded not too stressful. The break was just what you needed - and an extra day too.

Had a glorious day yesterday. On 30 December 2019 I was 70. I rarely celebrate my birthday on the day but I had two things planned for 2020. We all know what 2020 was like? But, finally, one of my treats happened. A helicopter flight (first one), with me in the front seat by a very young pilot, doing a sightseeing zoom along the north Cornwall coast. I say my first flight, as I would love to do more.

The company only do these flights two days in the year from the airfield near Perranporth and they were raising money from the flights and photographs. They currently have £200,000 pledged for Cornwall Air Ambulance. ??

MrM was there with me too (in the back) and afterwards he spent ages longing for drooling admiring the gyrocopters at the airfield. Impressed with the covid rules:
Masks and copious amount of hand sanitising in the helicopter.

In the afternoon and today I've been sewing outside. Our table and parasol have been moved to get more shade. Extension lead out and the sewing machine was in action. Thanks to Sewing Bee, I'm in the mood for stitching. One tunic made and cutting out two more tonight. It's also keeping me off my bad leg. Slow progress which was not helped by the trek I had to do last Friday to Specsavers.

Apologies to Mick's Good Morning peeps as I've rabbited on about my birthday treat already.

Build work continues with mugs of tea being replaced with many glasses of water and squash. I could do with an ice machine. We have 20T of infill arriving at 7:00am Wednesday.

About to ring DD. She is in need of a long chat. Still so tearful.

Life is a bit difficult at the moment as FIL’s care is leaving a lot to be desired.We have done a ten hour round trip to try and organise things but sadly the lack of care is affecting FIL.

If I disappear for a while it’s because it’s all getting us down and I don’t want to drag the thread down,I will try and keep up with everyone when I can.

I had to pop onto today to send our thoughts and prayers to panache for tomorrow.x

TOYA

Well done, Ann; you will be ready for anything now you have recharged your batteries and boosted your confidence. I am suitably impressed. Glad too that the door and windows are a success - a good week all round.

Nothing to report here. The hot weather is a bit much for both of us and keeping DH hydrated is hard work. One GNer suggested fruit ice lollies and that is the plan for tomorrow. Well, I like them, so nothing will be wasted.

Great news about Toby. Isn’t the NHS wonderful sometimes?

Well done Ann ! Now you need to plan your next trip while you are on a high!
Still isolating in Topsy Towers although DH will be out shopping soon. I need potting compost.
Love to little Toby!

We are just back from the Norfolk coast, DH caught up with all the grass cutting & strimming, then, yesterday went out on his kayak, & had a dip in the sea. (first time this year). Our part of the beach is usually very quiet, but yesterday all the "boys & their toys" (& girls) were out, we noticed it as lots of the "toys" were motorised!
We had a good weekend, although very hot, ( I
don't cope with heat).
We do get beautiful sunsets over the sea there.

On the way home we picked up more supplies to drop on the doorstep for our son & family who still have a couple more days of isolating, (fingers crossed they test negative}.

Just catching up with your news, delighted to see the gorgeous photo of Toby, I do hope he continues to make good progress, warm thoughts to you & your family soop.

I'm pleased your trip went well annsixty, & that your door & windows got fitted.

Take Care x

Well done, dear Ann. You certainly are a star.

Lovely photo, chicken. I like the dappled sunlight.

All day I have tried my best to at least get a reasonable likeness of our pal's cat. I have failed. She goes into hospital for knee surgery tomorrow. I promised her a painting on her return. Which means...deep breath...I must sketch another hoped for masterpiece this evening. Is it any wonder that Van Gough cut off his ear!

Tomorrow, sometime, our neighbor will be returning with an industrial pump. He and another neighbor will trek into the hills and, with a lot of heaving get the underground water pipes clear and ready to carry fresh water from the holding tank. It has some distance to travel.

I shall be mightily relieved to have both a completed portrait and running water. After which, with luck, I shall have more time to devote to our kitcheners.

Little Toby could be returning home within the next couple of days. His Dutch grandparents will be helping to get him settled back into his normal routine. Nice thing is, both he and his older sister speak in both English and Dutch. Their Daddy is Dutch.

Night night for now, dear peoples. Tomorrow may be a better day for us all.

So glad that Toby is doing so well,*soop*. What a brave little chap. Also glad that your trip was so successful Ann. No wonder you're tired out with all that travel plus the heat, but how lovely to come back to a rejuvenated house.

I'm finding the heat a bit much. The blinds are all down and the patio windows open behind them night and day which helps but it means living in semi_darkness.Still, rather that than stifling. My geese have got the right idea, sleeping most of the day in the shade.

Yes it was special Yiayia4 we've lived here 38 years and gave never seen so many dolphins so close up. My mother would have said that it was a sign of hot weather, mind you she said that lots of other things were also a sign of hot weather .
It is so hot outside, I've put clothes on the line and gave now retreated into the lounge with a lolly and two fans.
Did any of you see the rescue of Ollie the Springer spaniel on BBC Breakfast earlier? He went into the water on a beach near us and was found by the RNLI a few hours later. He was lucky that the sea is so calm at the moment, the Lifeboat crew located him perilously close to the rocks.
Your jolly sounds just the ticket annsixty, pleased you enjoyed yourself.
Hope that Toby had a good night and is allowed home soon, nothing like your own bed at any age.

annesixty brilliant, I’m so pleased it all went so well, including your return to an uplifted house. You deserve to be proud ?.

Lovely photos Soop and well done Annsixty. I'm glad you had a good time.

Good afternoon all.
I am safely back from my jolly with my dear friend.
I enjoyed it so much I stayed another day and arrived home late afternoon on Saturday.
I am still feeling so tired with the heat and the travelling but it really was worth it.
The plans my friend had made had to be modified after the first day as she was quite surprised just how my mobility had gone down since we last met but we found plenty of things to talk about and short visits to make.
We ate out one night and two of her friends came for a meal on Friday evening which we ate in the garden.

I am actually quite proud of myself for coping with the rail journey, one change each way and I had e-tickets which I was fine with.
It was so hot on the journey back on Saturday and I was impressed when the guard came down the train with cases of bottles of Harrogate spring water, it was so welcome..
My windows and new front door are installed and I am delighted with them.
I have to look for blinds now, I have large windows and they are very open.

I was so happy to read about Toby’ successful outcome after his op and dare to hope he is home by now.
In the photograph I saw a faint resemblance to Teddy.
Take care all on freedom day, it won’t make any difference to me.

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I wish to share last night's Kintyre sky with you lovely lot.

No luck, thus far, with the cat portrait. I'm about to try again.

Hi kitcheners. It's been social city here with the boy wonder. He insisted on visiting neighbours Val and Ruari. (Ruari is the dog) and was shouting for her all up the street. Then she got dumped for a group of teenage girls. He promptly went up to them and said "Hi, big girls," and of course they blethered to him. There were various other neighbours who got the full on charm offensive too. We've played in the garden and he's having a nap while I gather my energy for the afternoon. I'm sorry about your cousin Madgran. Lins that sounds like a fun bbq. I'll be back later.

madgran thinking of you x

It’s another scorcher here today, I have been putting off doing a few tasks because of the heat but today I have to get stuck in! Crossed 2 things off my list so far, so quite pleased with myself

So special Lins to see ?.It reminds me of years ago on our old sailing boat.My D.I.L and I were singing Flipper king of ocean!! Within seconds a pod of dolphins appeared.A very treasured memory.

Morning Kitcheners.
Such good news about Toby soop, a lovely photo of him. I hope his recovery is swift and uneventful, his parents must be so relieved.
We've been enjoying the beautiful weather but trying to stay at a distance from the many holidaymakers here. On a walk along the coast on Saturday we saw some dolphins in the water near us, what a treat. The sea is so blue and calm at the moment and no wind, so unusual as there is nearly always a breeze off the sea.
One of ours came for a BBQ with his little family yesterday they brought several water pistols, which were very welcome as a way of cooling off. DD and DS reverted to childhood as they chased around soaking each other. Our five year old squirted Sam and he resembled a little snappy alligator as he tried to drink the water sprays. I

Madgran77 ?
Wishing everyone a good day.

I have to go to my cousins funeral today. Not sure how things will be organised as it is "Freedom Day"! It's worrying but I have decided to do it.

Positive news re Toby soop.

Happy Monday to everyone!

I’ve been away from the kitchen for a while as we’ve been enjoying a lovely family holiday by the seaside on the Isle of Bute. We had lovely sunny weather most of the time and we’ve made many happy memories to treasure. The DGC were in and out if the sea most days, we enjoyed a few beach BBQs, went trekking with Alpacas, played board games in the evenings and saw lots of daily life on the farm where we stayed. Amazingly we all remained calm throughout the entire week with no falling out or cross words - phew! Not easy as there’s been many a time in the past when family tensions have been rife so it’s always a bit of a worry for me
But it’s good to be back home now and back in the kitchen
As it’s a warm evening I’ve left a few bottles of Prosecco for us all on the side - enjoy a glass this evening ?
Take care all

Comforting news on Toby and good news on the water front soop. The cat picture will come, it’s hot and you’ve had a lot on your mind.
Children and grands been and gone from bbq, all under the sun umbrella in the shade, it just starting to cool a bit, phew. MrJ did a splendid job of cooking, as you can see, ( he will wear his socks outside), after I did prep, guess what we’re eating tomorrow evening?
I bid you a gentle, good evening. X