Soops warm and welcoming kitchen for kindly folk 🎄

Scrooge here.
I always bought the Christmas Radio Times until, a couple of years ago, this year £6:50, I think I will stick to checking on Sky Go to see if anything excites me.
I doubt it actually.

We get a free tv guide with one of our papers- it might be the Mail.

Fingers crossed FGT for himself. I'm sure you will let us know.

Sending love to soop and McSporran as always.

Today is an old school friends birthday - she's older than me by almost a month!

Sadly, a Facebook memory from an Memory Cafe Christmas party reminded me that it was organised by my lovely friend and 'boss' who died really unexpectedly in the summer.

I'm back off to the quiet corner.

Uttb and anyone else not wanting to dish out £6.50 on the Radio Times if you have the PressReader App you can read it there for free along with numerous newspapers and magazines.

Keeping fingers crossed for you both Fgt2 🤞

We've had a power cut and the wind is gusting. I hope you are ok brook. UTBB I only buy the Radio Times at Christmas as a treat. I enjoy sitting down and marking off the programmes. I hope all grans are ok in this storm. I think I might get back up for a cuppa. Take care all

fgt2 Hope everything goes OK for you and himself

I hope all Kitcheners who are in the middle of storm Bram are safe and if you have lost power, I hope it’s restored soon.

It’s very wild and windy outside but so far so good - there’s power cuts nearby but we’re ok for now, thank you grandmabatty and redcar - hope your power stays on tonight
Same here grandmabatty I usually get a highlighter pen and go through the radio times marking anything of interest - it’s an old family tradition that my mum started many years ago and I continue. Both DDs just roll their eyes and sigh. Thank you for the tip though grandmadinosaur
Eventually eldest DGS decided what he’d like for Christmas so that’s now ordered and awaiting delivery. Just one more grandchild to make up their mind and a couple of small things to get for DD2 🤷‍♀️

A busy one today. Grocery delivery, development coffee which was very badly attended partly due to the awful weather but I’m sad to say mostly through apathy. Oh well the important people were there . I felt sorry for ‘management’ as the table was laid beautifully, nice china , coffee in request, tea in tea pots and an array of cakes and biscuits.

We went from there to the computer wizard and came away understanding the best way to spend the children’s inheritance on a replacement for our too poorly for resuscitation iMac.

Then on to a lunch stop at a museum cafe before heading for the big blue warehouse where a miracle occurred, we came out with items from our list and nothing more. A quick shop in the Tesco next door and it was home to order the new machine which the wizard will set up for us. I’m told all I’ll need to do is switch it on. These days that could be a challenge.

You’ve all tempted me to look for a Radio Times tomorrow, although we usually buy a less than half the price lookalike, cheapskates are we.

Hope you’ll feel stronger soon utbb.

🤞 here for your husband fgt and a hug for you.

Life seems to be settling down she says with fingers crossed. Time does allow for a level of adjustment and acceptance.

I’m trying for sleep now. Look after yourselves everyone.

Thanks fgt. 🤞that Himself doesn’t have adverse reactions to chemo again. He had seemed to be improving. Chemo isn’t for sissies, is it?

Hello kitchen people.

Thinking of the Soops and the FGT2S.

I am finally having a sit down after doing some Christmas cookery. I made a large batch of bread sauce, a vat of festive gravy, a batch of rum butter (which only I eat) - everyone else has custard with their Christmas pudding. I also made a dozen Yorkshire puddings. This is the first time I’ve made them for Christmas lunch but my granddaughter loves them. The freezers are bursting at the seams. .

OH was so pleased to sell six jars of honey to one person at the front door today! His best customer so far.

It is the Local History Society meeting tonight. There will be mulled wine and mince pies and a talk on pub signs. I might be going on my own as there may be a Champions League on which OH will want to watch.

Have a good evening everyone.

I am lazing in the sofa after a shopping expedition to Lakeside with DD.

We have both now finished our gift shopping, we even had time for lunch.

Tomorrow I will finish of wrapping, and then it’s just local shops for fresh produce (big Waitrose delivery on 23/12)

Thinking of our dear soop who is much missed from her kitchen.

Hope himself is ok FGT2 😘

Afternoon all.
I am not so good again today as I had been warned may happen.
Apparently this particular cold virus is the gift that keeps on giving.
Fortunately I do pick up as the day goes on but I may still cancel my visit to the large and festive garden centre tomorrow, Bents at Warrington if anyone knows it

I have made a slow cooker full of chicken casserole this afternoon, it doesn’t take nearly as long as beef so I shall be able to switch it off soon.

We have two trees up indoors and a lighted “thingy” which stretches over the mantle shelf.
I think we are calling it a day now.

I couldn’t visit my friend and neighbour today, dreadful as it sounds it is no hardship.
She is negative about anything but her perfect H who has been dead now for 3 years and her very successful family.

I am sitting having a rest to ease my aching back and thinking back over the years, it is 26 years this week since I got my cancer diagnosis, apart from a couple of blips and two more surgeries with side effects/minor complications, I was one of the very lucky ones which makes me so much more aware of all our friends going on that journey.
My kindest thoughts go with them.

Hi all, drama here with not one, but two gas leaks, it’s a pain, but best caught now, hopefully fixed tomorrow, we have no hob, good excuse for f&c tonight.
Other than that, I bought more wrapping paper and a beef rib my son asked me to collect, checked my sweet pea sowing, no signs yet.
We’re waiting on a delivery GG13 then done for presents, then wrapping next week
Hope Yia has managed to a book a table for the day and that the FGT’s are well.

Jaxjacky drama indeed! I hope it all gets fixed tomorrow. Utbb take it easy.
After a particularly painful night, I decided to rest today and that's what I have done. The house is tidy( apart from the dining room which is Christmas present central) and I have some cards to write. I hope you all have a pleasant evening

Goodness Jax hoping the gas leaks are both sorted ok and everything back back working again tomorrow - what a hassle but like you say better now than in a couple of weeks time. We don’t have any gas at our house, it’s too far away from the main gas supply network so ourselves and our neighbours all have oil boilers for the central heating and hot water and electric for everything else. It’s a bit of a pain remembering to keep the oil tank topped up especially in the winter but it works fine.
I’ve been at the gym for a while today, all good fun and laughter. DH met me afterwards and we went into the newly opened refurbished Inverness castle, we didn’t have time to do the whole exhibition but checked out the new cafe - quite nice with waitress service and very big cakes that we just about managed to resist.
Sorry to hear you had a painful night grandmabatty but so good you’ve rested today, hope it helps
Well done with finishing everything GG, I’ve still quite a bit to do, and well done with all your cooking prep Llfl
Thinking of everyone in the quiet corner, special thoughts with soop and fgt, take care all x

Another pretty quiet kitchen. After the WI lunch, I have baked this afternoon ready for our cafe tomorrow morning. Tomorrow afternoon is shopping. Again. And a visit to the bottle bank. Again. 😬
The football isn’t holding my attention so I think it’s bedtime.
Love to all.

Good afternoon kitchen folks. Today I had an early chiropodist appointment which went well. I then headed to the school library for a quick tidy and to organise a book review display. Then to Tesco to buy some Christmas presents and a Radio Times. Home to load the dishwasher and run it and then a lie down to rest my bloomin leg. Up for lunch and to peruse the Radio Times. I can't say it has me excited 😊. I then wrote all the Christmas cards and found most of the addresses and postcodes. Dinner will be a steak casserole later. I think I've done enough for today! Have a good evening all

Hello everyone. A dry day here and sunny this morning. I went for my usual walk but only saw one dog walking friend to talk to. Went on to the post box on the main road to post a few more cards, I think I’d missed the collection for today but they’ll go tomorrow.
I had to ask for the Christmas radio times in the paper shop, they were locked in a cupboard!
My back felt fairly comfortable this morning, so I bit the bullet and took the car for a drive! First time for about 11 weeks and it felt very odd to begin with but I soon got used to it. I only did 6 miles, enough to begin with and I’ll do more another day. My back feels tired now.
I wrote a few more cards, just two more to do and they need a letter in them.
Dinner will be a “Cook” frozen lasagne, since my DH died, I’ve found it too much of a faff to cook one from scratch just for one.
jaxjacky I hope your gas leaks were fixed today and you can cook again.
utbb I hope you’ll soon be feeling better and grandmabatty I hope your poorly leg improves with rest.

Have a pleasant evening everyone.

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Isn’t this one of the saddest little pictures?
GD at 3.45 this morning in Birmingham Children’s A&E after dislocating her kneecap yesterday at Gymnastics.
I could have wept for her! ?

She had had such a good day and we were all so proud of her. She loves sewing and had made Christmas Scrunchies to sell at school for £1 each to raise money for a Christmas Day lunch for people alone, the elderly, people with no-one at Christmas.
She has raised over £110 so far.Then this

I am so proud of her and sorry her end of term will be blighted as she is in a lot of pain.

rosieandhermaw that’s such a sad little photo, poor little girl. I hope her pain eases soon and that she can enjoy some of the end of term treats and of course, Christmas! Those scrunchies look really good, well done to her for raising so much money.

Oh poor wee lass. I hope her pain can be dealt with soon.

Oh your poor DGD Rosie what a shame for her, I hope she’s not in too much pain. What a lovely kind little girl she sounds though and a very well done to her for her fundraising

Oh Maw I’m so sorry. Poor little girl. She sounds such a caring little one. I do hope the pain eases and she can enjoy some of her Christmas festivities.

I think that little girl is a true Christmas ⭐ Maw.
I can imagine how very proud you all are of her. I hope she mends soon, poor little sausage.

Oh Maw poor little sausage