Soop's kitchen for caring and sharing...

Well that was scary... Both our phones have gone off with a siren sound and then a voice telling us that we are in the red warning area and instructing us what to do....I wasn't too concerned up until then....now it's a flurry of activity to make sure phones are charged....like wise torches. Reindeer have been culled and are lying on their sides along with Narnia light and garden statues. See you all on the other side 😱😱😱😱😱

Stay safe all of you in the red area, batten down the hatches.

Hellogirl a difficult day for you 💐
We’ve wet snow here and the wind is picking up, but nowhere near as bad as elsewhere, stay safe everyone especially if out and about. What a shame about so many Christmas events being cancelled, but safely comes first
I’ve a weekend to myself as DH is down in Manchester to visit his sons and families, taking down lots of presents etc. He’s a busy social weekend ahead, but Im not sure what I’m doing yet as it very much depends on the weather. I could easily have gone along with him but he enjoys some time alone with his 3 grown up sons, he did have 4 sons but sadly one passed away a few years ago. They always remember him is some way when they all get together
Easily done with the coat uttb and all sorted out ok in the end
Enjoy your lazy night grandmabatty, you deserve it after all the running round you do, pleased you enjoyed your McDonald’s treat!
12 goes Jax, think I would have given up before then!

Mince pies for all in the kitchen grannysomerset ? 😀

My step Gd in Bangor has had the warning on her phone to stay indoors, strictly no going out.
It is so scary.
We seem to be safe in the NW but I feel so sorry for all in the affected areas.
Stay safe everyone.

Naughtyneine i passed a boat on the river today called Nauti nine made me think of you 😊

Hello kitchen people. I’m all tucked up in bed. I don’t think we’ll get any text warnings although we have rain and wind, it’s not significant.

I had fun at the WI travelling coffee morning. We met at a garden centre around half an hours drive away. Coffee and cake and an amble in the shop, then home. I caught up with a V&A lecture which I missed on Tuesday and read the paper.

🌹for those of you with difficulties. Sleep 💤 tight.

The sea is as rough as I've ever seen it. No ferry operating today. I saw a sparrow appearing to fly backwards! I very much doubt that I could make it down our path to the car in the drive without being blown over. It is a buggeration of a storm.

Please, you lovely lot, take very good care of yourselves. It isn't a day for a leisurely stroll. Indoors is safest.

I have an exercise bike to mount and pedal to no place in particular. Thirty minutes of unconfined joy! After which, a friendly game of Scrabble.

Wishing you all a pleasant and peaceful weekend.

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Hi all, a blustery day and still going with squally showers, I hope you’re all safe and warm.
We’ve done little today, I’ve read the paper, MrJ has pootled online and we watched some football.
Imogen has decorated their tree, we’ve got a poinsettia for me to kill!
Snow brook?

Just a bit left Jax, it snowed overnight but has been raining most of today so it’s washed away. Thank you for the pictures, Imogen looks so tall!
I’ve only been out for an hour this morning, to the In Post locker to drop a parcel off and to take round wrapping paper to DD2s that was stored at our house. Other than that a lazy day, some more online shopping done, card writing and present wrapping
I hope the storm has blown itself out now without too much damage
Hope grandmabatty is enjoying her curry snd karaoke tonight!
Well done with the pedalling soop and hope you won at scrabble!
Thinking of everyone in the quiet corner, sending hugs 🤗

I’m tucked up in bed cuddling a hot water bottle and listening to the wind and rain, it’s a bit like being in a caravan, except it’s not rocking in the wind thank goodness. Although we’re only in a yellow warning area for the weather, it’s been a horrible day. The family are always very busy on Saturdays with swimming, gymnastics, drama and dance classes, today the 6 year old also had a birthday party to go to. This afternoon my son in law and the 9 year old bought a real Christmas tree, then decorated it. Sundays aren’t quite as busy fortunately. I just sit and watch and cuddle the dog.
jax I checked about the compression socks with the physio last week & he said I had to wear them for 6 weeks. I’ll do 5 weeks, and wear some M & S 80 denier socks for “tired legs” instead. They are quite tight but do allow me to wriggle my arthritic toes.
Stay warm and dry everyone. Night night.

I suppose it’s gritting your teeth time Redcar very, very frustrating.

Redcar I am in Essex also, the wind is gusting the rain is falling.

The wind woke me just before 4am and I am wilting

Real tree is now finished

Hello kitchen people.

I mainly baked today, including a very rich chocolate loaf which I will transform into a Christmas shed for next Saturday when elder son and his family come for a pre-Christmas dinner. I also made two batches of chocolate fudge icing which I’ve popped in the freezer.

My food processor which OH bought for my 70th last year is not fit for purpose any more. Fortunately it has a three year guarantee. We’re taking it back tomorrow for a refund and hopefully I can get another one pdq.

Sleep 💤 tight!

Wet & windy here, we are staying with our DD & family in Cambridge for a couple of days. We were booked to visit the lights in the Botanic gardens this evening, but, as with everything else that was cancelled due to this storm.
we are lucky to be safe in the warm with family.

Warm thoughts to you all, especially those with added troubles & worries.

Evening Kitcheners. Brook we had a lovely evening, thank you. I'm just home. We left a little earlier than usual because my uncle was flagging a bit. He does all the cooking and made three different curries. Much singing was done, a Christmas quiz and board games played. A thoroughly lovely time. I'm off to bed now. TOYA

Hello everyone! It’s wet and windy in Suffolk but no more than that. We have had the heating - not something that we often do in the morning.
It’s the church carol service tonight so wine to be mulled, glasses sorted out etc. in my mid 60s, I am the youngest on the PCC by some margin, but I do think others could do just a little bit more. Moan over!
Keep warm and cosy until this storm has finally cleared

Imogen is quite tall brook (5’ 9 size 6/8) I think it’s the perspective.
Beautiful tree GG13 good luck with the mixer LLFL 🤞
Sounds like great fun Grandmabatty
Enjoy Nannytopsy have an extra glass for organising 🙂
Off to pub later for meat draw, just the one prize will do, I know it’ll be very busy.

One lucky person will be taking away the BIG Christmas
Hamper which includes the following all the local butcher.
(Tickets for this are £2 per ticket)
English Mustard
Hot Horseradish
Creamed Horseradish
Cranberry Sauce
Luxury Maple Sauce
Redcurrant Jelly
Mint Sauce
Potts Chicken Stock
Potts Lamb Stock
Potts Veal Stock
Roasted Chestnut Stuffing
Wild Sage & Roast Onion Stuffing
Turkey breast Roasting Joint
Pork Belly
Unsmoked Gammon Joint
Sausage Meat
Pigs in Blankets leg of Lamb
Bottle of Red Wine

Our regular meat draw will ALSO be running tomorrow for the
usual £1 a strip and we've gone a little extra this week with more and bigger joints

Hello everyone. Pleased to report we’re out of the wind red zone now but goodness it was scary yesterday. No howling wind, just the sense of and imminent strike by a runaway express train. Never heard a noise like it.

Our home escaped unscathed, sadly a lager ceanothus (10 ft tall plus) at the side of oir wind tunnel side path was virtually uprooted. It became wedged on a shed roof, had it moved the conservatory was in its path. As it wasn’t salvageable, when the wind eased a bit we spent an hour cutting it down, up a ladder I went to remove the top. With most of the branches gone we were able to pull it flat on the path where it will stay until we can borrow the right implement to cut it up for transport to the tip. Sad though I am to lose the shrub oddly I enjoyed the removal process, it was very satisfying.

Hope you win the Christmas prize jax. I do admire your persistence with the exercise bike * soop*. I’m full of good intentions which definitely lead nowhere.

Friends are arriving in an hour or so for five days. I’ll be going very quiet while they’re here. I’ll be pleased to see them as they have had to make several diversions to avoid blocked roads. A worrying day still out there.

Take care everyone. TOYA

Just baked 30 mince pies, a mix of short and puff pastry.

Sitting down with a puff pastry one and a sherry, enjoying the peace and quiet before DD and the GSs arrive for pre-dinner snacks to keep them going until 6pm, when the roast beef should be ready.

A large one I hope GG13!

Yay...we have power restored...we went off just before 2am on Saturday morning and came back on at 1pm today. It's been freezing cold too.... Thankfully we have a gas hob and a log burner so we could at least have tea and bacon and egg for the DH and his friend who is down for the weekend. I slept in my dressing gown last night with naughty puppy and his big brother acting as insulation between DH and me. We had offered to take an elderly parishioner to Mass yesterday( I don't think we'd have ventured out of it hadn't been for her) and as we arrived at church and were getting her out of the car we heard a whooshing noise and looking down saw we had a serious puncture. This Birthday weekend is proving such fun🤣🤣🤣. Luckily DH's friend had driven down so he was able to transport us home. Today we had scrambled egg and smoked salmon for breakfast as I didn't want to waste the salmon
I'd bought for Christmas. We have just had a lovely outing to a very Christmassy National Trust house just over the border in Devon. I've taken some pictures and will post them for you to share.
I'm not thinking too much about the state of the freezer yet...in the words of Scarlet O Hara... Tomorrow is another day.
I'm going to be 70 tomorrow...I have absolutely no idea how that has happened.... apparently I was born in similar weather conditions and Mum had been in labour for 3 days and the midwife decided to call the doctor out. She arrived on a bicycle having come straight from a cocktail party complete with her cocktail hat. All three of them had just finished their cigarettes moments before my arrival into this world. My sister's words on seeing me for the first time were 'she looks like a rosy red apple'. She used to put a picture of an apple on Facebook on my birthday. I'm very lucky to have people who love me very much in my life...it's only sometimes those no longer here or don't want me in their lives makes my throat catch. I'll catch up with all your news soon.

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday for tomorrow Neine enjoy your special day! 🎂🎈🥂 Pleased the power is back on, that’s a long time to be without
Gorgeous tree GG13

I had such an enjoyable FaceTime call with DS earlier, he really is so kind and friendlier than my other two! He’s sent over a parcel full of Christmas gifts for all the family, I know everything will be beautifully wrapped and chosen with care. I won’t be seeing him over the holidays but I’m pleased that he’ll be enjoying some skiing in Switzerland with his partner.

Enjoy the time with your visitors Corner they should just be here by now!
That’s some prize Jax someone will be very lucky
Sounds like a really good fun evening grandmabatty - so pleased for you
Shame about the botanic garden lights Gillgran, I know the Cambridge botanical gardens well, I could picture you there! x

Just wanted to send hugs to Blossoming if you’re still reading this thread, hope things are ok and we’re missing you in the kitchen x

Jaxjacky

A large one I hope GG13!

Is there any another size?

The wind has finally dropped to a mere breeze now, thank goodness. I think it might still be still raining a bit and it feels chilly. Your meat draws sound brilliant jax, I don’t think any of the pubs in my village do anything like that.
neine that was a long power cut, if it’s a chest freezer the food should be ok if you haven’t opened the freezer. Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for breakfast sounds great!
grannygravy enjoy your sherry and mince pie.