Soop's comforting kitchen for the sharing of...

Mmmmm salted caramel brownies - how delicious thank you muse
What a sad situation with your mum SueD and such a difficult task sorting out and cleaning your mums house. I remember that awful task myself after my mum died, it’s never easy but hope you make a bit of progress each day.
It’s been warm and cloudy all day here in Inverness and no breeze. SiL is off work today so we’ve had a day off childcare and I’ve been catching up with housework and gardening. We’re going to eat early this evening, open a bottle of wine and see if we can find something to watch on TV
The paint colours sound really good and vibrant llfl good on you - unfortunately I always play it safe and tend to go for light grey / pastel tones - boring I know! Hope you’ll share a few pictures when it’s all done ? Hope your talk goes well tonight too, sounds interesting

Hello everyone. Well, we have finally decided on the paint! How many weeks/months has that taken? We have let the decorators know and look forward to seeing them hopefully, on 1st August. We have chosen raspberry diva for the hall and landing; a sort of deep apricot blush for the kitchen and a sunnyish yellow for the lounge - with one wall papered in the most amazing emerald green wallpaper. Phew. I also spent a couple of hours preparing for a talk I’m giving tonight on Women in the Early Church.

Good afternoon dear Kitcheners. I’m so glad of the cooler weather today.
What an awful task SueD, as others have said let the cleaners do their job.
I lost so much fitness and muscle tone during my cancer treatment and recovery Soop and I wasn’t starting off from a particularly good place anyway! Things seem stable now so I’m just keeping on keeping on, so to speak. It’s very hot work though! 30 minutes is my current target, and I’m gradually increasing the resistance so my legs are forced to work harder. I’m still doing my daily physio and balance exercises and I do feel better for it.
Thank you for the lovely cake Muse

Baggs

Recipe, please, muse!!! ? I have grandsons visiting next week

Baggs. I buy ready made sauce. Sainsburys own or Jude’s (from Sainsbury).
Put half mixture in tin, drizzle 2 tablespoons over that then rest of mixture and more drizzling.

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chocolate-recipes/salted-caramel-brownies/

Recipe, please, muse!!! ? I have grandsons visiting next week

Sue My heart goes out to you. You are presented with a terribly distressing task. I echo the suggestions of other Kitcheners. They are paid to do a thorough clean and have experience of what to expect. This is new to you. Try to step back a little and allow the professionals to take over.

Jax Hurrah for Mr Jax, he will have had a birthday celebration to remember, and us lot enjoyed being able to virtually join in.

muse Oh for a taste of your salted caramel brownie. It looks beyond delicious.

Ladyleftfieldlover Wot! No pud? That is beyond belief. Sue them for dereliction of duty.

Maw Rain is precious. I look forward to a most welcome downpour, especially as we depend on a spring water supply.

Blossoming Thirty minutes cycling deserves a badge. Not so long ago, I did 40 mins daily on my exercise bike. I so wish that I had the energy to continue. We do walk for half an hour daily. Once upon a time, we walked in the hills. There are times when I really do not appreciate being so lack-lustre. The cancer drug has robbed me of my get-up-and-go. However, it also protects me from a return of the disease, for which I am grateful.

Nannytopsy The baby will sort him/herself out. If not, all will be well, thanks to the team who will care for Mum's wellbeing.

After yesterday's wardrobe busting exercise, I have now to try on every pair of jeans that I've unearthed. If a pair are too tight, I shall launder and pass on to the Salvation Army clothing bank. I guarantee that there will be a number of pairs that will be put to further good use. It makes sense.

Lunch is being served. I may return a little later. Love to you all.

Grannmarie Your grandson who took your husband's hand, deserves a huge hug. What a lovely boy he is.

Naughtyneine PLEASE continue to make us lot laugh at your shenanigans.

I'll keep my hopes going SueD for that better day today. Those cleaners do a brilliant and thorough job. We booked two ladies for step mother's house. We had bagged up some unwanted clothes but they did the rest and arranged for all the black bags to be taken. Thorough and honest. After they finished, one lady rang to say she'd found £40 stuffed behind a radiator in the kitchen. Step mother spent nearly all day sat at the table next to the radiator. Find a little time for yourself today Sue.

Sun out here in mid Cornwall but we still have that lovely northerly breeze. Rain wishes here too Jax.

Gross SueD you mention that cleaners are booked to come in, so don’t do too much yourself, although it’s tempting, you’re paying them to do their job.
MrJ is back to work today, he appreciated all your good wishes, thank you.
Nice cake muse we're a bit caked out here, maybe a sliver!
I am wishing for rain, the promised showers yesterday didn’t happen.

SueD I can appreciate how overwhelming that must be. Could you afford to use a cleaning agency for a one off deep clean? They usually send in a couple of people for about seven/eight hours who blitz the place. I did this once in my own house as was unwell for quite a while and overwhelmed with where/how to start. I used a small local firm of two ladies. They did a magnificent job. It gave me back my bounce to start cleaning again. I appreciate that there is financial outlay.x

? SueD, that’s a truly grim task. I helped a friend do this and she decided to literally get everything bar a few items taken to the recycling centre. We got two men and a big van to take it all, well worth the cost. Her mum went into a care home so probably a different scenario from you.
Do you have anyone impartial who could give you a hand?

SueD, .

Oh Lord, Naughtyneine! What are they like?

I didn’t have as much to do with the wee ones today, ds1 & dil had that job while dd was working. I had the horrible task of clearing out soiled bedding and a mattress and dirty kitchen goods etc from my mum’s house and making it presentable enough for cleaners to go in and do a deep clean later on.

You know how a place you know well changes when it becomes empty? That’s what’s happened to mum’s house. While she was actually living in it, the dirt wasn’t so apparent but now she’s in hospital, and I suppose you see things more clearly then, it’s apparent she hasn’t been coping for a while. She won’t admit it though.

I don’t know where I am going to start with making it habitable again, I really don’t.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202207/medium-590872-screen-shot-2022-07-20-at-23-04-43.png https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202207/medium-746983-screen-shot-2022-07-20-at-23-00-14.png

Good evening Kitcheners from a exhausted but pleased muse. Oh the delight of day at 19 degrees and a northerly breeze. I got so much weeding done in the polytunnel and a flower bed this afternoon. Haven't dared to stay in the tunnel for more the a couple of minutes to check on the toms for the past few days.

What a time you had that day Naughtyneine. It's many many years since I squeezed myself into a loo accompanied by little ones and mine have all been girls. Good luck to your DOH in getting it all back into his man cave. MrM would get one of those looks from me if he ever empties his boy's shed.

Hope today was much better for you SueD.

Did you get a pud when you got home Ladyleftfieldlover? I was going to say that MrJax might have some of that lovely cake left? If not, perhaps you'd like a square of the salted caramel brownie I've made. I've got a tiny piece with a dob of crème fraîche. Bigger piece on it's way to MrMuse. Help yourself Kitcheners. ?

Hope he had a great day Jax. What a lovely thought the ring was.

That second sunset photo is amazing soop. Thank you.

Highlight of my day was an hour's chat with DD this evening. She has two day work left then a break of two weeks with lots planned. Off gigging first (camping) and then a short holiday with DGD1 in the Derbyshire Dales . She will drop in on my brother to give him a hug from me.

Take care Kitcheners.

Good evening, Soop and lovely Kitchen people! ?

We had an overnight and childcare day with DGS2, spent most of the day in the garden in much more comfortable breezy sunshine. At one point, The Wee Boy's play tent was blown from one end of the garden to the other! DH joined us today for the first time since his collapse, things are improving and I'm very thankful. DGS2 took his Papa by the hand and made him join in at the sand pit, paddling pool and play tent, it did my heart good to see that...

I'm glad you're feeling better Soop, thanks for the beautiful sunset photos, I particularly like the last one.

Congratulations to MrJaxjacky on his 60th birthday, the celebrations sound great!

Many Grans enjoying holiday times with DGC, making special memories. ?

Hoping everyone is OK after the heat, TOYA.
NNGB ? ?

What a strange lunch! It was the monthly U3A lunch and the venue was a recently refurbished ancient pub in a nearby town. Inept apart from the actual food. We had to wait an hour for our food to appear. When it did, it was tasty but there wasn’t much of it. So I was looking forward to having a pudding at which point one of the waitresses announced that they didn’t have a Dessert chef today, so no puddings. Tonight’s WI meeting involved a talk on Agatha Christie. I’m now in bed being harassed by Milo and Ripley.

Still pretty warm in Suffolk and very little rain last night. We had a PCC meeting here tonight, so biscuits were baked and sausage rolls have been made for the WI village cafe tomorrow.
The grand baby is misbehaving- he was head down and ready to go. Now he is sideways again and with 4 weeks to go.
I have to admit that I would be happy if DD had a section. I had two and I think it would be safer for them.
Sleep tight everyone ?

It has actually rained this evening -soft, refreshing rain!
Feeling much more human I am happy to say, so no excuse for not getting my get up and go going again!
I hope everyone has a better night than we have had earlier in the week. Got to be up betimes as I am having a Smart meter fitted tomorrow- night, night all ????

‘Evening All’

It’s late. I’m just in from book club and popping in to say isn’t it lovely to have the cooler air back? ‘See’ you tomorrow. x

Just slipping in to say hello and good night. Much cooler and ddog much less bothered by the heat.
Have done very little today but will make up for it tomorrow. Perhaps!
Best wishes to all.

Take it easy soop love the pics.
A very happy 60th Mr Jax.
Another day with Oscar we took him to the park to meet his friends with a Mr.Wippy after.
Looks like we are about to get a storm?
Have a good evening everyone.

Much cooler here today, a mere 21°C, I think we’re due some rain tonight Brook: the ground is rock solid now so I suspect much of it will run off. Mr. B did the shopping this morning while I cleaned the bathroom. I did 30 minutes cycling too, missed it the last few days as it was just too hot. A little garden tidying this afternoon, but we weren’t hurrying!
Glad you’re feeling better Soop. I hope your DH is enjoying his birthday Jaxjacky.
Have a relaxing evening all x

Hi all, MrJ assures me he’s having a lovely birthday thanks brook and Finley looked fine when I picked him up from school, DD was at a funeral/wake. I picked her up too, she said it’s the first parent of one of her circle to die, the parent, a Dad was in his 60’s, no age.
Dinner is on the way, I bought a ring for MrJ’s birthday, it is from Bangor NI, not far from his family home in Belfast, he’s chuffed.
Have a lovely evening all x

Gorgeous sunshine here in Inverness again after yesterdays downpour and about 21º
I’ve had a busy morning with the two DGC but then a lovely relaxing afternoon with my friend from the gym, just sitting with a coffee and having a good catch up!
SueD sounds like a busy day yesterday- hope today is slighted better!
Hope MrJax is having a lovely 60th Birthday! ???