New Soop Kitchen in her absence

Hello kitchen people.

The usual Monday. Waitrose plus dropping a bag of stuff at a Charity shop and buying a birthday card for my granddaughter’s 9th birthday.

Our cleaner came so the house is sparkling.

I did my Long Term Conditions Review on line. It seems that I am obese. Eek. I probably do need to cut down and do more exercise. I have an appointment in a couple of weeks for a blood test so I’ll see what they suggest.

Sleep 💤 tight.

Good afternoon dear Kitcheners. It’s been another beautiful day here, MrB and I have been busy sorting out some more stuff for the charity shop and moving some furniture around so I can move about easily. I’m ready for a short nap before teatime, beans on toast tonight.
Love to you all ♥️🌹

Hi kitchen pals, it’s been really warm up here in Inverness but quite cloudy, we’ve not seen much sun.
I hope you got your nap in Blossoming
I’ve had a busy day but ticked off most of the things on my to do list. The best bit was that I got to the gym, I did my two classes, had a coffee and chat with a couple of friends and felt so much better afterwards. I always get a bit stressed before travelling as I need to double check numerous times that I’ve got everything and all the various travel arrangements are in place. Anyhow most of it is done now so hopefully a rest and an early night this evening
Love the tractor getting pizza Jax late night workers!
Llfl I wouldn’t trust the online analysis - cheeky things!
Thinking of everyone in the quiet corner, take care all x

Hi all, another lovely day, bedding washed and another load, both dry. Admin done from yesterday, I really don’t like spreadsheets, touch the wrong thing, it goes haywire!
Sowed some more beetroot, I'm so bad at succession sowing, ‘oh lots of lettuce’ it gets used, then I re sow - wrong.
I hope you sleep well brook a necessary journey, but not exactly fun.
I like beans on toast Blossoming with Tabasco, enjoy yours.
Greenhouse watered, a glass of white, I read today it’s good for you 🥂

Brook I hope the remembrance for your brother's wife goes well and the long journey isn't too tiring. I'll be thinking of you.
Boys were dropped off this morning. Then I tidied up the mayhem they had created at half seven 😂. After that, mince in the slow cooker, then hoovered throughout. A washing done and hung out, weeding done and a sit down. I picked up the boys in the afternoon and they'd had a good day. I've discovered squirrels have been digging my muscari and eaten the bulbs. 😡
I've had mince and tatties for dinner and finished the rhubarb crumble, tidied the house again and I'm sitting on the couch watching tv. Enjoy your evening Kitcheners

What a busy day Grandmabatty! Your brother is a chancer isn’t he! My oldest brother is currently convalescing from his cancer surgery in a care home. He is being very difficult I gather!
We ( well, mostly I!) have done lots in the garden today. The beans and sweetcorn have been planted out and I have planted one of those 3 tier ladder things ( do they have a name?) with tumbling Toms, herbs, chard and baby leaf lettuce. My back is giving me grief - perhaps a trapped nerve? Think sciatica going from side to side about 8” above my waist. It feels like I am being stabbed! Lying on my back or relaxing in my chair are the triggers so obviously I shouldn’t relax!
There seem to be lots of happy Kitcheners out there. Keep it up!

I am behind with the kitchen news (as usual)

Back home from Spain, after an interesting 24 hours, but hey ho it is what it is

Been out for an early dinner with DD and her boys for her belated birthday meal (it was yesterday)

An early night for me, gym in the morning along with washing and ironing. DH has earned multiple brownie points as the kitchen was spotless (he cooks and the cleaners do not clean the kitchen (my choice))

Nightie Night 🙋‍♀️

brooke i hope your journey goes smoothly and that the service for your sister in law goes well.
Lots of busy people today!
I went to the garden centre this morning, lots of people buying masses of plants! I only wanted weed killer, but also bought some patio cleaner and some solar lights for the garden, Then went on to the farm shop, just three things on my list, but somehow I spent £30!
Saw my friend with dementia this afternoon, she was awake but not making any sense, bless her.
Her DH cut my back lawn while I sat with her, my next door neighbour had already cut the front for me.
I spent some time trying to work out how to take the king sized 10.5 duvet to the launderette for a service wash. There’s nowhere to park near the shop and I can’t carry it far. It’s too big for my washing machine, so I think I’ll just hang it out to air in the sun tomorrow. That will be a struggle and hopefully the washing line won’t break under the weight of it.
My tomato plants are doing well on the windowsill, they need to be a bit bigger before I can pot them on and put them out. I need to plant some salad leaf seeds too.
Have a peaceful evening everyone.

‘Evening All’.

It’s been hot and sunny here. Glorious!
I went to the Trafford Centre with a friend and bought a new pair of Birkenstocks in a lovely pearl shade with rose gold buckles.

Redcar I wash my quilt in the bath, let it drain then put the quilt over the clothes horse. The polyester quilt dries in no time.

nannytopsy good idea, but unfortunately I only have a walk in shower! I could give it a shower maybe? I’ll have to try to work out how to drain it. I did follow a tip I read on this thread (I think) about folding a duvet cover before washing it. I folded mine when it came out of the washing machine & found I could hang it outside quite easily.
Life is full of these challenges when you get older and less able, it’s really helpful to read how others deal with them!
Night night

Hello kitchen people.

It’s been beautiful and warm today. I spent the afternoon at a friend’s place and it was lovely to sit in the garden,

OH visited his bees. He is still worried about one of his hives but hopes he can sort it out.

I watched the first lecture of my new online V&A course. It was good and interesting.

Sleep 💤 tight.

Good afternoon Kitcheners another lovely day.

Well yesterday was very eventful as I ended up in A&E!I had really strong palpations and my blood pressure just shot up to a crazy reading.I became more and more anxious and that just made it worse.After lots of tests they found my sodium level is a little low and one heart test came back slightly up,everything else was good.They have booked me in for a heart scan and monitor.Happily these can be done after my holiday, thank goodness!I think it was mostly a panic attack as I was so anxious.Much praise to the NHS a long wait but lots of tests done and given reassurance and kindness.Very tired today and just chilling in the sunshine.

Take care all and enjoy your day.

Good afternoon dear Kitcheners. Another warm sunny day here, I’m sat in the kitchen enjoying the sun.

YiaYia what a horrible experience, it’s difficult not to feel anxious in those circumstances. Glad you’re feeling better today.

The last few weeks have caught up with me, I’m taking it easy now a few necessary tasks out of the way. I have been checking through my various subscriptions and have cancelled a few I no longer use or need, and have saved a bit of money in the process.

Have a lovely evening all 🌹

Good afternoon Kitcheners. It's a beautiful day here with a temperature of 23° and sunny blue skies. Yiayia that must have been very frightening. I hope it was a one off. Blossoming listen to your body. Take care. Nannytopsy my brother is extremely difficult and also very entitled, a horrible mix.
Today I washed jackets and my dressing gown and they are drying beautifully on the line. I watered the pots and did a little more weeding. The dishwasher has been emptied and loaded again and the house had a quick hoover. This afternoon I worked in the school library for an hour and met an adorable class. Then home for a lie down and I'm now up, ready to go outside for a while. I'll do a little more weeding and sweeping before dinner. Enjoy the rest of your day folks.

Good afternoon Kitcheners. Another lovely day here too. I went for a walk fairly early this morning and met some dog walking friends, all walking before it got too hot for the dogs.
I had intended to have a restful day, but seem to have been busy all day with lots of little tasks. I did find time to sit in the garden with an ice cream!
yiayia that must have been a frightening experience for you, I hope you’re feeling better now.
I’m sorting out things in the garage and shed, ready for the skip arriving tomorrow morning 🤞. Some items I’d hoped to put in the skip are not allowed so will have to go to the tip instead, which is a nuisance.
I was looking at a dead hydrangea and the compost in the pot was full of vine weevil grubs. I dug some out and left them for the birds but need to clean the compost if I want to use it again.
I repotted a Pieris into a bigger post, with fresh compost but will need to check all the pots for vine weevils, nasty things!
I shall probably be dreaming about them tonight!

Have a good evening everyone.

Hello kitchen people.

What a beautiful day it’s been. We had thought about going to a Roman villa but in the end decided to stay mainly at home. OH relaxed in his hammock and I popped to the jeweller and collected my silver charm bracelet. My mother gave it to me for my 21st. OH gave me three charms for Christmas. It is now full!

I cooked asparagus for dinner with poached eggs and bacon. I often make hollandaise sauce but OH thought maybe at our age, and being overweight, I shouldn’t. It is a heart attack on a plate with all that butter and egg yolks.

Have a good evening, especially those of you with difficulties.

I am exhausted mentally and physically.

All the washing is dried, ironed and put away.

I found the gym really hard this morning, despite averaging around 14,000 steps a day whilst in Spain 🙀

It is good to be back home with DH, we rub along together easily, and I admit to missing him whilst I was away.

Nighty Night folks 🙋‍♀️

‘Evening All’.

Here’s a pic of the Birkenstocks I bought yesterday. They are super comfortable. I’ve had English asparagus again for my tea again while I can (Málaga on Monday) - with trout fillets and button mushrooms. Delicious.

👋 to everyone in the quiet corner tonight.

Hi all, what a worry Yia happened to me once, sodium (mine is always low anyway) I sat about for a while with a saline drip, I do hope you’ve recovered from the shock.
A warm day, 25+, my comfortable temperature, once 30 looms I start to skulk in the shade, but our forecast is 13 next Monday!
Book club today, new book by Rory Stewart, The Marches, looks interesting, better than the last one, Nelson’s Daughter, I gave up.
Productive use of time *Blossoming.
Saw this today FGT thought of you - and me!

Fgt I’ve never tried Birkenstocks, are they any good for arthritic feet?
Your polish is very similar to mine 😂 and by the way thanks for the pm, I’ve just found it. I didn’t realise it was there. Read of people talking about pm’s but wasn’t sure how it worked. Obviously not as tech savvy as I thought.

Hello, just popping in to say I haven’t forgotten you all. I’ve just been so busy lately that I am unable to string together a coherent post by the evening.

Dh now has a date for when chemo will begin - the week after next. It’s a daunting thought but we will plough on as best we can.

We’ve got the glorious weather that it seems the entire UK is experiencing at the moment. It was 26 deg according to my car today. That’s a tad too much for me but dh loves it.

A tale from the GC today. My two middle GC (10 & 8) fell out this morning because there was a crumb on the breakfast table. It was near to my GD so she pushed it towards my GS. He took offence at this invasion of his space, so a big argument developed, culminating in my GS saying he needed a holiday from his sister and stalking off to his room. Arguing over a crumb!! Whatever next?!

I love my tree peony.

Ladyleftfieldlover, your tree peony is beautiful. I have bleached my duster and swept my back garden (with a brush, not a glance), loaded the dishwasher and had a cuppa. Early lunch soon then a trip to the school library for a bit. Enjoy your afternoon Kitcheners. It's very cloudy here

Popping in while I have a signal. Just parked up on the South Beach in Tenby ( car park OBS but with a view down onto the beach and across to my beloved Caldey. We have just walked across the beach to Penally and back....the 'children' have been in and out of the sea and are now crashed out on their beds. The first night was a bit of a nightmare as they were hyper and spent most of it bouncing all over my bed. So come Tuesday we usually exhausted then with walks, swimming, stone/ stick throwing and they all passed out once back at the site. The site is glorious.... Very quiet and we are the only people in the grassed area which is alongside a huge field for dogs to use. Win win. As we both looked like lobsters yesterday we stayed on the site and just enjoyed the peace of the countryside...Today our Annulments go to trial so we are obviously a bit on tenterhooks but in the words of Padre Pio....Hope, pray and Don't worry....is all we can do.

Yia...I hope you are feeling much better now. Life has a funny way of catching out bodies out.... The stress of the last few months have obviously caught up with you and just as you were beginning to 'relax' a little too. I think you said you were off on holiday soon...so hopefully you that will heal you mentally and physically.

Brook....safe journey and all good wishes that the service is a lovely goodbye to your dear sister in law. May she rest in peace.

FGT... I've got lots of Deichmann versions of Birkenstocks in lots of different colours...they are my go to as soon as the weather warms up and like you say soooo comfortable. Today I'm in pale blue ones.

SueD..I would think the waiting is the worst part just now. I'm praying for you all. ♥️

Jax... I'm growing beetroot too....well I hope I am..along with potatoes, sweetcorn, carrots and radishes. The toms and runner beans are gallivanting all over the greenhouse waiting to go out.

LlFL...Supper sounded lush even without the hollandaise sauce. There is a fabulous farm shop close to here with all things local and /or Welsh....my debit card is taking a battering!!!!

It appears that 90 minutes careering across the beach was not enough for the nutters and they want a repeat so off I go. Pictures to follow....

Love to all.