Soop's kitchen for kindly folk.

Jaxjacky well done Imogen! Brook being a nurse will be a hard shift and little respite. I hope your DH is a good patient. Grannygravy your meal and wine sound lovely. Soop I love rhubarb crumble. Blossoming such a lovely scene.
I'm toya. Good evening Kitcheners.

Hello all. A quieter day in the sunshine. Church this morning and then a light sandwich lunch. We went to a nearby NT property which has the most beautiful gardens. The house contains a Burne Jones mural which OH loves. Of course a Cream Tea in the Tea Room beckoned! For £10 altogether, we each had two perfectly made scones, clotted cream, strawberry jam and a pot of tea each. I have English Breakfast and OH has Earl Grey. Last year it was £4.50 for a Cream Tea so it’s only gone up by 50p. Highly recommended. I made lamb and all the trimmings for dinner with a selection of homemade ice cream for pudding. I am now sat on the sofa with Milo and Ripley. When OH has finished watering the garden we will watch Antiques Roadshow on catch-up. Have a good evening.

Oh Soop, thank you for the suggestion of a wee online celebration when my ds finishes his treatment. Seven months ago I couldn’t imagine we’d even get to this point. We’ll have lots of cake and tea and maybe some bubbly as well, shall we? ❤️

Good luck to your Dh for his knee replacement, Brook. A friend is having a new hip next month. They’ve gone private as the waiting list in Aberdeen is three years.

That’s a lovely photo, Blossoming, so summery. In fact, everyone in the Kitchen seems to be making the most of this weather.

We went to a country show yesterday, which was enjoyable. All very low key in beautiful surroundings. I bought a lampshade, as you do at country shows. 🤔. Then we shopped for the weekend and had a quiet evening. Today has been more laundry from the visitors (one more load to be done!) and sorting out paperwork and various admin tasks. It’s been sunny again but a brisk breeze is blowing.

I feel as though it’s bedtime already so I shall have an early night with a new book, I think.

TOYA. Xxx

Had a lovely day with family for oh birthday dd s partner does a lovely barbecue Gc were like locusts when food was ready , we are relaxing at home now .Sending healing thoughts to all that need them.

Is there any rhubarb crumble left? Just a taste would be wonderful, or stewed rhubarb? You lot have really made me fancy some. .
Soop the ° thingy is just above the 0 on an iPad but I know you usually use a computer and I don’t know how to find it there. On a phone it’s just above the number 0 as well.

Some enjoyable times here. Good to catch up - or try to! Some worries, too. I’ll join you all in thinking about urms, never far from my thoughts.

Up and down here. Our attempt to celebrate our friends 80th birthday on Thursday left me feeling very uncomfortable as she was so stressed she couldn’t relax and enjoy it. I felt for our family who had travelled to be there and for our friend who was so tense. I left her thinking we shouldn’t have organised it although we were called with profuse thanks when we arrived home.

Still thinking it through yesterday and not at my most cheerful we wandered out along the coast in the afternoon. Finally hearing and answering my phone I discovered our goddaughter and her husband had driven 250 miles across the country to spend the afternoon with us. We had no idea they were coming! They carried on to our location, not very far, and we spent three hours together. No, they didn’t want to stay overnight, no they didn’t need food they had just wanted to come and make sure we were really OK. I didn’t know whether to be mad with them - what if we’d not been close to home - or burst into tears at the thoughtfulness. They left us just before 5 intent on surprising someone else on their way home, finally arriving just after midnight. I still can’t believe anyone would do it.

I’m into the annual home insurance renewal cycle. Does anyone else find it a major trial? It’s so hard to compare policies, so much tedious question answering, thank goodness it’s just once a year.

Should be a decent week ahead. A steam train trip on Wednesday, probably Thursday the outside of the conservatory roof will be cleaned which believe it or not we both enjoy, a trip on an open top bus just along the coast tomorrow morning as a carrot to get me back to the house insurance in the afternoon. You’ll all hear the cheer when that irritation is sorted. .

Time for bed, hope,you all sleep well. TOYA.

It's been a very warm day here in East Anglia, finally seem to have lost that cold NE wind.

Hope all goes well for your DH brook, I don't regret having my TKR's, it's 12 & 13 years since mine were done.

cornergran, our home insurance is due later this month, we ought to shop around as the quote for this year's renewal is a big increase. So, yes, we also find it a trial.

I love soop's idea of a celebration for when your DS finishes his treatment, SueDonim.

I send warm thoughts to you all, especially those with worries for themselves or their families & friends.

Just popping in before bed. We have DGS1 and DGD here tonight, school run tomorrow and then here again tomorrow night. I had to do the 18 mile round trip at bedtime to fetch Teddy! He may be 9, but he must have Teddy!
Got more done in the garden but my knee is letting me know all is not well.
Sleep well everyone.

I've recovered from the debacle that was my attempt at stretching with Finlays help. The Domestic Goddess award was within touching distance by Saturday evening. The cottage was sparkling from top to bottom as we had friends coming to dinner. We met when DOH was going through his conversion (to Catholic). Very similar story to ours and lovely friendly people. I sorted and cleared and rearranged both kitchens (summer and the winter one with the aga...I still pinch myself that I'm in a 140 year old cottage with an aga!!!). I'm still trying to remember where I've rearranged things to...DOH said the bread bin was in the way of him making the tea and would get knocked off the work surface and he didn't care if it look aesthetically pleasing where I'd put it🤣. I made 2 of the Rachel Allen loaves...so we could have it with the homemade goodies.. chicken liver pate to be followed by chicken in tarragon sauce with new potatoes and green beans...and then a strawberry roulade. We went to the 5.30 Mass beforehand by which time I was in trouble big time with the back and hamstring pain and had to sit for most of it. It was a lovely evening and sitting on the decked area sipping wine before dinner made all the hard work worthwhile. Yesterday...I did nothing!!!!!
SueD.... definitely corks to be popped when your DS gets to the end of his treatment.
Brook...wishing your DH a quick recovery...for both your sakes!!!
Corner...I dread the House/Car renewal too but make myself a list of the musthaves and then go for the one that fits (with not too large an excess). Have fun on the Steam train ...which one are you going on?
Soop....I do hope Mr S is able to get his poor head sorted very soon.
Blossoming...a lovely picture... It's what Summer is all about.
I can't go back to the previous page or I will lose what I've written but I think Yia posted that she'd found somewhere lovely so fingers crossed for you.
AnnS...I think your trip was just what you needed and your DGD sounds like the friend we'd all like to have in difficult times.
Luckily in this kitchen we've always got someone to listen...and share our good and bad times. What a blessing.

Hope your DH’s op goes well Brook, good luck with the aftercare! MrB is very fond of rhubarb but it’s something I’ve never taken to, except for rhubarb and custard sweeties . Your dinner sounds lovely Neine especially the tarragon chicken, a favourite of mine.

It’s another sunny day here, I’m loving it so will be out and about again!

We have just this minute been told of the death of a very dear friend of ours who lives in the village. He was a lovely man. His wife and family were with him when he died in the local hospital. I feel a heavy weight in my chest.

soop so sorry about your friend. Thinking of you 💕

I’m so sorry, Soop.

Such sad news soop. for you both and the bereaved family.

Condolences soop on the loss of another friend.
It seems inappropriate to say I have had a nice weekend but I have.

No cooking to do, out for meals Friday and Saturday and last evening my GD and I cooked on my new bbq for us and two guests.
My GD’s friend’s father came with her.

I hadn’t met him before, he is a nice man, easy to get on with but they are going through a most horrendous, almost unbelievable situation that I was so careful of what I said.
Some people have the most difficult lives, when mine is dull and boring I say Thankyou.

I hope you all have the good weather we are enjoying, make the most of your days.

Sorry for your loss Soop

Glad your weekend went well Ann, I’m loving the sunny days here.

More sad news for you soop. We don’t know when our friend’s funeral will be yet.
Today I have cut the lawn and done yet more washing. There’s an awful lot of ironing …
Hope you are all having a good day.

What a sad start to the week Soop...thinking of you and your friend and their family too.

Soop sometimes it feels like we get more bad news than good doesn't it. I have had a lazy day minimum housework ,chat on phone to friend ,done a bit more of my jigsaw . I am going for fluroscopy of my left hip tomorrow fingers crossed it works .

I'm sorry to hear that you've such sad news, soop.

Sending you my condolences and a big (((hug))) soop

More sadness soop.
Washing day, two loads done, I don’t iron Nannytopsy only MrJ’s shirts are ironed and he does them.
I’ve been on the voluntary phone today, so sorting out of lifts to do. Dropped a return back to M&S earlier, it’s in a food hall, I resisted food, but a bunch of peonies won me over. Quiz tonight, so an early meal of oven fish, chips for the worker whose been grafting today.
Good luck tomorrow hulahoop.
Enjoy your evening if you can.

Good afternoon kitcheners. Oh boy am I tired! Boys are dropped off home and I'm having half an hour on the couch before I tackle the mayhem which is my kitchen. Dgs2 takes great delight in emptying cupboards and drawers so I take breakables away from him and put them out of his reach. I now have to restock the cupboards. We were at the swings and later on walked to the motorway where lorries flashed him and tooted. He was a happy boy. Then dgs1 helped my neighbour empty the boot of the car of plants. He was very proud of being helpful. Tagliatelle with smoked salmon and cream cheese sauce for dinner. Have a good evening Kitcheners.

Soop I'm sorry to hear about your sad news. Condolences. Hulahoop good luck tomorrow.

Such sad news Soop💐
I’ve had a reasonably quiet day. Waitrose this morning. OH went off to play croquet with the U3A. The boiler service man did his stuff. A friend popped round for a cup of tea. Actually, my friend was borderline distraught. Her OH is ten or eleven years older than her and hasn’t been well for some time. She really didn’t want to go home. It is OH’s turn to cook dinner so I think it may be a Charlie Bigham ready meal! Have a good evening.