Soop’s always open and very welcoming kitchen.

Hi kitchen friends, I am cooking a Goan Curry, curtesy of the Gymkhana Indian restaurant (gift from friends)

Survived swimming lessons, sorted out first aid box (40% out of date 🤷‍♀️) and hand washing done. All in all a good day 🙋‍♀️

‘Evening All’.

Passports arrived, thanks everyone! Yay!
Jet2 flights booked we will get a taxi at 8am in the morning!

Delighted to hear from our Bolton friends this afternoon that they are now flying out too at the weekend - so we will overlap it seems. Wonderful! Especially as his out patient appointment yesterday (on the urgent pathway) for blood in urine prompting a bladder scan has shown kidney stones only. A massive relief for them!

Excellent news re passports cornergran and friedgreentomatoes! I hope you have a lovely week in your happy place fgt and pleased for your friend that his scan didn’t find anything sinister!
Well done to your Dgs1 grandmabatty, and I hope he didn’t hurt himself too badly when he slipped on the steps.
Not such a nice day weather wise today, but I had a walk, did some ironing then visited my friend with dementia.
Tomorrow I may go to the garden centre for some seed compost, will try not to buy too many plants.
Booked my spring Covid booster jab for next week, I must admit I’m fed up with them, but I’ll keep having them.
Have a peaceful evening everyone.

FGT2 🌞🍦🏖️

Hi all, my brother and his wife have just left after an early dinner, easy company and my venison pie went down well.
Patio was cleaned at lunchtime by MrJ and my son, bacon sandwiches all round!
Great news on the passport front corner and FGT, it is one of our better civil services.
It was grey most of the day here Redcar, possible frost tonight.
Have a good night's sleep all (FGT will be too excited) 🙂

FGT Yay! Corner Ditto!

Redcar The Covid booster jab is a blessing. Mr Soop went for his Shingles booster yesterday. He didn't follow up because the nurse said that with his immune suppressant condition, he may suffer a negative reaction. As we both have Glasgow hospital appointments to attend, best we remain free to enjoy the journey.

GrannyGravy Mr Soop is partial to an authentic curry. He's away to have his dressings changed. If I can summon the energy, I may ride my exercise bike to no place in particular.

Our granddaughter's husband has received a special award in a ceremony overseen by the Chief Constable of the police unit in which he serves. A video accompanied the presentation. Sadly, we could not hear the citation clearly. We shall discover the details when we speak on the phone. A proud moment for the family.

It is a sunny day. The birds are busy and extremely twittery. It's that time of year.

I shall try to catch up again tomorrow. Should our kitchen need to close during my absence on Friday, please would the last visitor reopen a new venue. The key is in the usual place.

Good afternoon kitchen pals, a dry sunny day here but with a strong cold wind blowing everything about
A good interesting volunteering session this morning, the medical students are nearing their exams so understandably a bit nervous although I’m always very impressed with how good they are. Home for lunch and now I’m just in from the garden, I’ve been outside pottering most of the afternoon weeding and general tidying up. The garden waste bin is due to be emptied tomorrow and there was nothing much in it so that spured me on!
Roasted veg soup is on the go so it’ll warm me up later
Hoping Mr&Mrs FGT are now safely in their happy place
Good luck for Friday Mr &Mrs Soop and a very big well done to your DGDs husband
Thinking of everyone in the quiet corner 💐

Good luck on Friday soop and happy holidays to FGT! I keep looking at the TUI app … 🤫 I have an appointment with the hip consultant on Monday and I am waiting to see what his waiting list is like before I book anything.
On the other hand, I went to the local nursery today and have some planting to do tomorrow, before it rains on Friday.
Hope everyone has a good evening.

The weather has been wonderful here today, sunny and warm.

I have been to the gym and then more sorting out bits and bobs that have accumulated whilst I have been immobile.

Jacket potatoes, chicken Kyiv and veggies for dinner.

Keeping everything crossed for the soops

Breakfast at the nursery this morning with dgs2 was a delight. I hope they do it again. He brought his best friend to sit with us. She's a wee cutie and he is besotted with her. He fed her pieces of strawberry and blueberries.
I visited mum later this morning but she slept the entire time. At least I know I was there. Then lunch and an hour and a half in the school library. Once home, a little bit of gardening and a cuppa before my mince and tatties for dinner. It was a productive day. Soop congratulations to your granddaughter's husband. Grannygravy I hope your knee and foot are mending.
Have a good evening Kitcheners.

A beautiful day today, I did some gardening, pulling up masses of sticky weed, it’s everywhere this year. The back garden has been taken over by violets, which are also growing in the lawn and in every pot of plants! The bees were enjoying the violets and muscari. Tomorrow’s forecast is good too, and I hope to be able to carry on with the gardening. I sat out for a little while in the sun. It was very quiet, just a skylark singing over in the field behind the new estate behind my house, most enjoyable.

soop I hope your hospital appointments go well on Friday and you get some constructive advice re your hernia from your consultant. I hope mr soop’s head is healing too.

grandmabatty breakfast at the nursery with your dgs2 and his friend sounds lovely!

I hopefgt & her DH are chilling out in their happy place now.

Have a peaceful evening everyone, gentle hugs and best wishes to those in the quiet corner.

‘Evening All’

From delightfully warm an sunny Málaga! Our Jet2 was on time, the taxi from Málaga to our happy place took the usual 8 minutes! So easy. We did a quick supermarket shop across the road for Weetabix, milk, blueberries and Greek yoghurt. Other stuff is already in the cupboards. I said to Himself ‘look we are on holiday this week so no cooking!’. He agreed. Good man.

We strolled down to the marina at 5pm (here, an hour ahead). We sat looking at the boats on the marina, the palm trees and birds of Paradise plants in the sunshine. I enjoyed two glasses of Pinot Blush and counted my blessings. I am determined not to worry while I’m here. I’m not going to think about the fact that Himself has lost 5lbs in weight (I hate that) nor that it’s his scan a week on Friday. This week is just to be grateful and joyous that we are here at all thanks to his team at the Christie.

We ate on the marina and got a taxi back up. These days we are early birds. Home by 8pm, pj’s and kettle on now. It wouldn’t suit many holidaymakers but it’s good for us, post diagnosis. To be honest we were up early this morning and we are tired anyway. Tomorrow is (as Himself often says now) a whole new day, untouched.

Good night Kitcheners and thank you for thinking of us.

soop I hope you see how much love is coming your way before you go to your appointment. I love your attitude. As I do your's FGT.

The kitchen is full of brave and caring people.

Hi all sounds like lots of busyness today, a little sunshine does that, we finished off the patio and I had the hose out in the garden. Book club this afternoon, this evening I’ve just left WI, my last one, I tried it for six months, but it’s not me, too cliquey and staid.
I’m so very pleased you both got away * FGT*, precious.
Your breakfast sounds delightful Grandmabatty so sweet at that age, nothing like our hulking 12 year old!
Hopefully more sun tomorrow before the rain due on Friday.

Hello kitchen people.

So glad to hear the FGT2s are in the sunshine. I’m thinking of the soops too.

We went to see the film Conclave this morning. It was a Seniors showing so there were lots of white haired people! I highly recommend the film. There are a multitude of priest and nuns, excellent acting and an interesting story.

Now, OH is watching a Scandi Noir on Netflix and I’ve just finished watching a lecture on London’s canal system.

Have a good rest of the evening.

Gorgeous blue sky FGT, thanks for the picture and enjoy sitting in the warm sunshine together

Redcar we are overrun with violets too! I shall be out there tomorrow planting like others. Coffee at about 11 everyone? ☕️

Disappointing day weather wise, fog first thing and we’ve only seen a little sun in the last hour, the gardener has just been, she helps me with the bad bed which is on a slight slope and behind the greenhouse. She’s also good with plants other than veg, I'm relatively new to anything other than vegetables which I’ve grown for many years.
I had my stretch class at 12 which incorporates a balance section, forward planning I hope, a fun hour with mixed abilities, I spend at least half an hour each day practicing.
Chicken tray bake for dinner with extra veg, I’ve got at least half a stone to lose, as I'm tall it’s not obvious, but I know!

Jaxjacky it's rained here all day and is still raining. no gardening today. I did an hour and a half in the school library and then came home to potter. I'm off to dds soon for mexican style Pilaf. Apparently she made enough to feed the street. 😂

Thanks for the coffee Nannytopsy hope you got your planting done ok
The weather is miserable here today too Jax, cloudy, windy and rain this afternoon. This morning we were round at DD2s helping with a few jobs and this afternoon I’ve been sorting through things to see what’s suitable for selling and what’s going to the charity shop. DH has gone out researching for a new car, we’re going for an electric one this time so it’s all new to us
Well done with your stretch class Jax I didn’t make it to the gym today. I guess the WI isn’t for everyone, at least you tried it though so good for you
Thinking of everyone in the quiet corner, take care all x

Enjoy dinner at your DDs grandmabatty sounds good!

We have had a lovely sunny day not much housework done reading outside better choice, I will catch up another day.

It has been a mild sunny day here in the south east.

My cleaning fairies have been and the house is sparkling.

Cottage pie, kale, peas and whatever veggies are left in the veggie drawer for dinner.

I have been slowly getting to grips with all the bits and bobs which have been neglected over the last seven weeks.

Night night 🙋‍♀️

nannytopsy I hope you got your planting done. I was at a neighbour’s this afternoon and he had a lot of white violets in his driveway! He cut my grass this afternoon and chopped the flowers off some of mine. I don’t really want them all over the lawn!
After three days of minimal back pain, and just when I thought all the exercises might have improved it, it decided that it was time it reminded me that it really wasn’t happy! I didn’t walk, but cleaned the bathroom instead, including the shower tray and the floor! I dead headed more of the hydrangeas and cut a bit off a large fuchsia which is threatening to take over!

soop I hope your and your DH’s hospital appointments go well tomorrow.

Night night everyone.

Best wishes for tomorrow soops 🤞