Soop's warm and welcoming kitchen for kindly folk...

Bonsoir dear Kitcheners. I've been seeing an awful lot of ill health and worries here. May that change for the better very soon for many of you.

The Kitchen Queen had best not be going to pieces after such a success with that Stoma. Like Neine says, there must be 'support' available. Seems as if you've got that covered. I noticed today that when I typed 'stoma hernia support pants' - in a very random search - loads of photos, types, advice came up. colostomyuk.org gives so much info, including an article on parastomal hernias and how to manage them. May you soon be properly fitted and relieved of your latest setback, Soop. In the meantime, sounds as if you should start a Soop Rebuilding Programme. My DH is due for surgery, a TKR immediately after Christmas. The fun stuff just keeps on coming, doesn't it?

That Gingerbread House is a riot, Baggs. Good for them. As long as it's gingery and marzipanny, I should think that anything goes design-wise. We don't all want traditional - a log cabin, henhouse, yurt - anything goes. May your poorly DD, her family and all of you have a super Christmas.
Families, Ann - they can make you crazy. Keep strong, keep smiling, keep sharing if you wish. It'll pass. x
Yia better times are coming and I shall be wishing hard for you. Batty, oh poor you. I've only recently tested negative but the nausea lingers. Don't rush it, be good to yourself, take it easy, lots of doing whatever feels best for you, and don't worry. All well wishes for a proper recovery coming your way from the South of France.

Love your Smartie nails, Urms - especially the shape.

There are lots of Covid tail-end Charlies about at present. Are we being punished for avoiding it for so long? SueD be careful in this icy weather. Hope your troubles are lessening. Those icicles look meaningful, Brook, have a wonderful party. And whatever else, Blossoming please stay upright.

I'm off for a small glass of vin chaud/glühwein/mulled wine - something I can actually taste!
Wishing you all the best Christmas time, with peace and health and relief from sadness and care. Remembering you all - very fondly. Joyeux Noel, lovely Peeps.

Lovely to hear from you GrandmaFrench, a very merry Christmas and a happy new year to you and yours 🥂🎊

Lovely to read your post again Grandmafrench. Happy Christmas to you and yours. Slainte!

Thank you all for your kind words. I'm in bed but have managed to eat a little today. Grandma French I think you are like Santa! You appear at Christmas and cheer everyone up. I hope you are well now and you enjoy your gluwein tonight.

Lovely to see you here Grandmafrench and wishing you and your family all the very best for the festive season 🎄🥂🎉🎅

A late visit from me.

Good to see you grandmafrench and good luck to your husband for his TKR. Mine was a total success, new lease of active life, hope the same for him and indeed for you soop. I was very surprised at the short time I had to wait, hope the same for you although I’m sorry you have to go through more surgery. Guess one of the joys of maturity is our bodies need fixing now and again.

Hope the gingerbread mansion reaches its designation safely baggs. I often think about your daughter and her struggles, wishing you all the best Christmas it can be.

Good to hear you sound a little better grandmabatty, keep resting. Sadly covid seems to be no respecter of people, much desired plans or seasons maw, get well wishes to your daughter. That little tree is beautiful.

Families can exhaust us, ann, much as we love them. Rest if you need to, I did a lot of it at the beginning of the week and feel a whole lot better for it.

Best try to sleep. My claim to fame at the moment is to become remarkably wide awake as soon as I get into bed. No logic when I’ve been working hard to keep my eyes open for the previous hour

Sleep well everyone. TOYA.

I didn’t post earlier this evening as getting ready to meet friends fell hard on the back of grandparenting duties. Hey ho.
We’ve had a lovely evening and sat here with a cuppa I just peeped in the kitchen, as you do.
GrandmaFrench!!
“Bonsoir” dearest lady - what a most wonderful surprise to hear from you. Rare as hen’s teeth but fantastically welcome!
I hope you both have a great Christmas time over there in French France.

I shall toddle off to my bed now and leave this, my Christmas card to you all.

Wishing everyone here in soops a magical Christmas and a very happy and healthy New Year.

Just caught up and wanted to send greetings to the much missed GrandmaFrench. Lovely to hear from her. Grey and still bitterly cold so domestic drudgery can’t be avoided but couldn’t jut ignore a visit from such a favourite poster.

soop so sorry to hear you are in pain and yet another operation for a new knee.
I reckon when I reached 70 my bits started dropping off!!

Sorry to read there are so many poorly people - I hope they feel better soon.
I love the gingerbread house Baggs and hope your DD's radiotherapy has been successful.

Lovely to hear from GrandmaFrench again.

I have nothing planned today except cleaning my oven (yuk). It is supposed to be a self cleaner but nobody told it that! I still have to do the shelves.
Then I shall toddle off to Next to pick up some shirts which should be in today. Long story but when I first went they hadn't arrived and when I went again they had sent them back. Comedy of errors!!

I hope every one has a good day and the temperatures go up and the sun keeps shining.

A very warm welcome back, GrandmaFrench. You've been missed.

dragonfly What remains of my body when I die, is to go to medical research. Perhaps what remains will be interesting enough to be informative.

Urms Your canine nativity photograph made me chuckle. Thank you.

Grandmabatty One day at a time. Continue to be extra kind to yourself. We'll have you back to the rudest of health in time for the festivities.

I need to tidy the computer room. I've been wrapping gifts. The resulting chaos is akin to a hurricane having blitzed every inch of available space.

Today has flown by in a flash of activity. Not true . I did wrap gifts and I have cleared away the detritus. We then called in on friends in the village. We laughed a lot. Caught up with the happenings in the village. Ate chocolates. Moaned about fragrance adverts on the tv. Attempted to put the world to rights and agreed that we would continue to do our best but not expect miracles. Our friends are devoted Christians. We favour the Buddhist philosophy. We understand each other's point of view. Returned home in a happy frame of mind.

Time for a and read of the newspaper. Bet that it's brimming with good, uplifting news. I jest.

Enjoy your Saturday evening. Until we meet again tomorrow, take good care of yourselves.

Afternoon Kitcheners.What a treat To hear from Grandmafrench.Hope all is well in French France.
Still feeling rubbish but hopefully be better soon.
DS did 2 hours at work today.He said it felt bit strange but it’s a start.
Keep improving Grandmabatty.
Have a good evening All.

Afternoon everyone. We bought a tree! Well, we bought two. The first one was dropping needles copiously even as we were putting it in the car. OH took it back and got a refund - £75 We then drove to another place and bought another tree for £55. This one seems fine. It is soaking in a bucket of water and I’ll decorate it tomorrow. I made two dozen more sausage rolls this afternoon and J Oliver’s make ahead gravy. OH is cooking Waitrose chicken Kiev for dinner with rice and sweetcorn. Have a good evening.

Good evening kitchen pals, I’m just about to settle down and watch the Strictly final
I’d intended staying in today but DD2 asked for some help with the DGC so my lazy day didn’t happen. But I was lucky enough to see DGD singing with her dance class at the Townhouse in Inverness - a beautiful Christmas concert with lovely little voices
Hoping you’re feeling better soon Yia and you too grandmabatty
Take care all and enjoy your evening

Good evening dear Kitcheners. Today has just run away with me, pottering and sorting. Hope that’s the start of good times for your DS Yia. Hope you’re feeling a bit better Grandmabatty. I won’t try to mention you all as my brain is turning to mush! Sending love and blessings to all. It’s been bitterly cold again and my blanket is beckoning. TTFN, TOYA 💕

‘Evening All’

We’ve had a lovely lazy, relaxing day with no calls on our time. I rang my stepfather. Himself watched the football. We’ve eaten. We are warm and sated and grateful for being so. Our family is well. That’s a big plus, I do very much appreciate our good fortune.

Baby steps Yia. He’ll get there.
Baggs I hope your daughter’s radiotherapy brings good news and some hope for you all.
LLFL I bet your freezer could rival our downstairs ‘larder’ for Christmas delicacies! Well done you.
Hope you’re feeling less washed out tonight Grandmabatty and that the awful nausea has passed.
‘soop’ you continue to inspire us with your fortitude. You are one special lady. Let’s hope the ‘elastic bandages’ do the trick when they arrive.

Hope this Saturday evening is peaceful for all the lovely people here tonight. x

Hello Grandmafrench, it’s good to ‘see’ you.

We had 5yo GD for a sleepover last night. She didn’t get me up until past 7am - an improvement on the ten-past-six of her previous visit! She informed us that when we’re dead, she’d going to live in this house, because she likes it so much. 👀 😂

Dd collected her at lunchtime then invited us to come over and have our evening meal with them later on. We did that, then I had to bathe and hair-wash both children - I earned my supper!

Back home now after crawling in the car along roads that are frozen solid. I can’t wait for the thaw.

TOYA. Xxx

Well, that's my fix of "Strictly", I'm a great fan, always have been.
Now Cliff Richard is on TV, I can't remember not adoring him! (we're "Rocking around the Christmas Tree" now,!!
what an exciting life I lead, .
I've done little the past 2 days, finally got Covid, my DH is 2or 3 days ahead of me, I am surprised how rough I feel. I feel better sitting up, I could do with one of those beds that you can raise up.! I now have more understanding & sympathy for others! I hope you soon feel better Grandmabatty.
I hope you are able to feel more comfortable soop & answers found for the discomfort.
How lovely to see you Grandmafrench, good luck to your DH with his TKR, (both mine were successful 12 years ago).
Christmas greetings to you too.

warm wishes to you all.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202212/medium-753680-26c13ef4-1cb2-40ae-83f7-bfa0544f0e0e.jpeg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202212/medium-343055-87edd66e-b152-4692-969d-7835aa971d10.jpeg

Wow! There were nearly a hundred posts to catch up on! That will teach me to drop in more often.
I’m so sorry to hear of so many poorly kitcheners and those with sadness in their lives and I do hope you all have better health or some good news before Christmas.
Here’s our Christmas tree at last. Despite retirement we are still struggling to get things done!
And here’s Fergus who has learned to blow raspberries in time for Christmas! 🥰

Nannytopsy How wonderful to be greeted by a smiling, raspberry-blowing Fergus. Your tree is delightful. This afternoon I shall prepare to decorate our twigs with lights.

gillgran My pop hero was and will always be ELVIS. I trust that you will fully recovered by Christmas.

I shall return before too long.

Good afternoon dear Kitcheners, beautiful Christmas tree and a beautiful boy NannyTopsy. It’s much milder here today, much of the ice has gone but it’s now pouring down and the weather forecast shows this lasting until New Year. I have washed my Oodie and am snuggled in my favourite blanket again. Stay safe and warm all x

Beautiful pictures nannytopsy especially of Fergus, so cute!
I’m not doing much today, just a few jobs done this morning and then I put a few things in my case for my trip to DD1s next week. The DGCs and SiLs Christmas presents are already in Cambridge, I got them delivered straight there so I just need to wrap them up when I arrive
DH is going to watch the football soon and I’m going to try to sit still for a bit and read.
Hoping our poorly Kitchener’s are feeling a bit better today, TOYA

The rain hasn’t stopped all day. Daughter and grandchildren came this morning and sorted the last decorations, including chocolates on the tree.
We’ve been to the pub for the Christmas meat draw, no winners! Chicken and spuds on the go, veg to do in a bit.
Hope the poorly people are improving.
Enjoy your evening all x

How lovely to see you Grandmafrench, you`ve been missed.
My tree is up now, but only one bauble on it this year, the In Memory one that David`s wife bought for me. No trimmings up, just cards.
My memory is getting worse, so may I wish all sad and poorly people a great improvement, forgive me for omitting names.
It took me so long to get around to writing my Christmas cards that I`m afraid the ones that have been posted won`t arrive in time for Christmas.

Just popped in for a catch up. I feel so sad for you Hellogirl. Sending you Los of gentle hugs.

I e ho everyone else's good wishes to your daughter baggs. I also hope the gingerbread house makes it safely.

soop, you sond as though you had a lovely day. I hope you get your buggeration sorted quickly.

I'm loving all those Christmas trees. Because we were going away, we didn't order 'our' rented tree and, when we cancelled the holiday, they didn't have any left to rent.

I think I detect a look of you in Fergus, Topsy.
We were in for a quiet day until DD3 asked if they could pop round for a while this afternoon. To say that Wolfie was excited is a huge understatement! Consequently, dh and I had to order a take away rather than cooking a pot roast chicken.