Soops Kitchen, a place of refuge, reflection and revelry.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Only on a smartphone corner.

It works on my Android tablet.
I think that you need the keyboard you use to be swipe enabled.

Pittcity, thank you. I’ve found the ‘slide to type’ in settings. Now to try it 🤣

Hi kitchen pals hope everyone is doing ok
Lovely picture corner I hope you enjoyed your cruise. We did a similar trip earlier this year and loved Norway so much we booked again for next year

Thank you for your kind wishes everyone, I'm at Luton airport just now, flight at 5.30 and looking like all on time. The airport is very busy as usual, it's not my favourite place but needs must! DH will pick me up later

Good that you hung out the washing Jax but like Charley said I wasn't aware you'd not done that since hipgate!

It was our third time there brook. We just love it. We’ve been in the snow, with the sun shining on flowers and now with moody cloud. All equally beautiful. Will we go again? Possibly, depends how health stuff works out We would soon be able to take someone with us for the price of insurance!

Hope the flight was trouble free. Understand there have been air traffic control issues, again, today. 🤞 for you.

Aww thank you corner ❤️ Yes I did wake up to a flight update from EasyJet warning me of potential delays so I've been a bit on tenterhooks all day!
But I'm now queuing at the gate and I can see the plane so hoping all will be fine - fingers crossed

Safe travels brook hope you took off on time.
A busy day on the voluntary phone, 9 cams with a lot of back and forth ringing drivers and clients, a few drivers are on holiday, so not 100% requests fulfilled.
It’s been a glorious day after a chilly start, so I’ve been in and out of the garden when I can, MrJ has made a chicken curry for dinner.
It’s funny, he rarely cooked before hipgate, then had to take over, that has continued, even though I can do it, he likes it, fancy that!
Have a good evening all.

Safe journey home Brook. Jaxjacky such simple pleasures, being able to hang out washing. I'm glad you are more able.
I had a little trip to tesco after I dropped off the boys at school, and bought more than I intended! However I needed new vases because ds borrowed mine. And I had to buy a pumpkin shaped light and pumpkin tea lights and crusty bread... you know how it goes.😂
I emptied and loaded the dishwasher and dried clothes. Then hoovered and put up a couple of autumn paintings. Then went back to school and tidied up the library to my satisfaction. The boys were good and had a good day. They behaved really well after school too. Dd has just picked up dgs2 and I'm lying down before making dinner. A quiet, content sort of day. Enjoy your evening kitchen folk

DH is out, so I have found a chicken casserole and about to put it in the oven with loads of veggies.

The gym was hard today I think I will ache tomorrow.

DH has renamed GravyGrange to Grandmas B & B. This week we have the 11yr old sleeping over tomorrow, the nearly 17 yr old and girlfriend sleeping here on Wednesday and The Imp on Thursday. Just washing towels etc., since my sister, B-I-L and their girls here for the weekend.

I think I need another holiday…

I hope you’re nearly home now brook after an uneventful journey.

grannygravy what a busy week for you at Gravygrange! I hope you don’t ache too much tomorrow after your exertions at the gym today. You will definitely need another holiday soon.

It’s been a lovely summery day here today so I did some gentle gardening after my walk. I put some Michaelmas daisy plants in the front garden, then planted some bulbs in pots. I managed to dig up a small bay tree that was growing too close to a rose bush and put it in a tall flower pot. I have no idea how it came to be in the garden, one of the DDs may have planted it. Then I watered it all with a watering can. Luckily one of the water butts is full after last week’s rain.

I need an early night tonight, I had a disturbed night last night and am feeling tired now.

Enjoy the rest of the evening everyone.

Thank you all I’m safely home now, the flight actually landed a bit early and we were quick to disembark. I’m going to have something simple to eat, probably beans on toast and then an early night, travelling always makes me tired. It’s definitely a lot colder here, I’ve not needed a jacket all weekend but I do here
It does sound like a B&B GG so lovely though to have a full house! I think I’ll be feeling it at the gym tomorrow too
You’ve been busy grandmabatty pleased that you’ve had such a good day with the boys
At least something good has come out of hipgate Jax!
Hope you have a better nights sleep tonight redcar, take care all

Quick whizz in to wish charley a happy birthday and to hope there’s been something good in the day. Cake too 🎂🎂

Happy birthday Charleygirl. I hope it's been good.
Today the boys were very good and well behaved. I headed to the optician who put anaesthetic in my eye and had a very good look. Everything was fine, thank goodness. Then to the school to pick up the boys. They came to my house for an hour and a half before I took them home. I've had chicken and chips and in a while I will have a bakewell tartlet. The house needs tidying but my feet are sore, so that's a job for tomorrow. I hope you have a good evening kitchen folk.

I have had a really pleasant day with friends and the few members of family I have emailing me.

The gas engineer was here for nearly 3 hours this am. I have had no hot water for almost a week. It didn't bother me too much having an electric shower, dishwasher and washing machine. He serviced the heating system and a couple of other jobs.

My cleaner came, so the house is spotless. Ocado/M&S delivered so I will have a decent supper tonight and Amazon has also delivered, even ringing the doorbell.

A pity every day didn't run like clockwork.

Still no rain here. I have almost forgotten what green grass looks like being used to this shrivelled up apology.

Hi all, a very Happy Birthday Charleygirl hope your day has been and still is special 🥂🎂🥳🌻.
Another glorious day, lots of bees on the verbena and asters, they survived the summer heat, not many wasps this year.
MrJ scraped out the last of the small weeds on the patio then swept it, I need some more garden work done, my lady helper should be here next week.

Good news on your eyes Grandmabatty 👍

Happy birthday Charleygirl even though it's nearly over.
It has been really lovely here today,25 degrees this afternoon.
I went out to lunch with a friend, fish and chips. It was nice but a bit warm for it really.
I had a cardigan on and I was roasting.
We called at a garden centre on the way back as my friend had two free coffees on her loyalty card.
When I got in I went straight up and got changed into pyjamas, forgetting Sainsbury's was delivering between 4:30 and 5:30.
I didn't bother to get changed, I looked decent so just smiled and took delivery.
He may not come again.
Waiting now for the second part of 70 up.
I was underwhelmed by last week and have since read that some participants are not too happy but strange most of them.took part all.this time.
Have a good night everyone.

So pleased your eyes are OK Grandmabatty.
My own are poor now. Very little sight in my left eye and now diagnosed with dry AMD in the right one but the last eye test showed it remains the same after a year so hopefully it will stay that way.

A late happy birthday Charleygirl5 🎂🥂

The 11yr old has commandeered the largest guest bedroom complete with the full Virgin streaming TV for his sleepover tonight. His reasoning, when his cousins started senior school they didn’t sleep in the children’s room 🤷‍♀️

Yes I know I am a total pushover 🥰

Good news about your eyes Grandmabatty

Fingers crossed your eyes stay the same year on year Usedtobeblonde

Nightie night folks 🙋‍♀️

Hope you’ve enjoyed your day Charleygirl - good that all events chimed well for you today. A birthday bonus.

I’m sad tonight for my sister as her husband died at home during the night. He had several co-morbidities and had major life changing surgery 5 months ago. I keep thinking of her tonight, getting ready for bed without him.

And I feel anxious about the tests my GP has organised for me. I wish I wasn’t such a worrier about health issues. One minute I’m almost sanguine about it all then the next minute I’m on high doh.

I just have to be a patient patient. Some of you are great at this. I wish I could be.

So sorry to hear about your brother in law fgt sending condolences 💐
Good to hear all was ok at the optician grandmabatty and hoping your eyes stay stable too uttb
A very late Happy Birthday charley, pleased you had a good day
We’re looking after DD2s puppy for a couple of days whilst she’s away in Edinburgh on a works event. The DGC are staying with their dad so we’re only needed for the dog these days 😂 She’s been as good as gold though, just a few wild moments running around the garden but she’s generally settled down well. Hope I’ve not spoken too soon ….
Hope the sleepover goes well GG 👍

A very late Happy Birthday charleygirl. I hope you’ve had a good day. I agree about the brown grass, not sure mine will ever recover.

fgt I hope that you receive appointments for the tests soon, and that the results are through quickly and don’t show any problems. It’s hard not to worry though. I hope your sister is ok.

I was at my dementia friends this afternoon, watching loads of bees on the ivy in her garden. The ivy is flowering at the moment and the bees love it. I had loads of bees on my salvia ‘hot lips’ today, including a huge bumble bee.

* utbb* I hope your eyes don’t deteriorate any more.

brook I hope the dog behaves tonight.

Night night everyone, it feels warm out still.

Sad news from your sister fgt, I seem to recall she’s not in the uk so hard to be with her in person. Hope those tests come quickly, waiting is always hard.

Did the puppy sleep brook? It’s many a year since we had care of one, I miss dogs of all ages and would re-home a rescue in a heartbeat. The voice of reason, aka Mr C, is right though, we do still flit about and doggy care is hard to find without local family.

Totally understand sight worries utbb. My eye condition still doesn’t have a name - I’m told I’m unusual, Mr C has stronger words 🤣 - the injections tried as a bit of an experiment work though which has reduced worry to an itch from an ever present weight. Hope your sight remains stable. Good news from your optician grandmab. A relief.

We’ve got bees buzzing around our garden too redcar. They seem to head for the verbena then buzz around the late roses. They give me hope the mild weather will last a while longer.

I like the style of your 11 year old grannyg. That lad will go far.

We need to brave the totally unreliable local bus to go and collect our car. It’s been in the car beauty parlour having all sorts of bodywork protection added to what I thought was a totally adequate finish. The men in my life disagreed. Outnumbered I gave in, less than gracefully it has to be said. It’s raining at the moment, according to AccuWeather it will stop in an hour. If so off we’ll go then. It’s a horrid walk the other end along a busy road, much better in the dry.

Finally waded through the holiday laundry. How two people made so many clothes dirty in a week is one of life’s mysteries. If it was an Olympic sport we’d have no trouble winning gold.

Have the best day you can everyone. Be careful out there.

Thank you everybody for the birthday wishes. To face the winter I will now have hot water and heating. My electric shower is deciding whether to have a permanent rest, so I must ask a Triton engineer to visit. There is always something.

corner if I lived closer I would happily look after your dog. I cared for 2 dogs for 2 weeks when I was newly married and one didn't want to return home as she loved life with me. It was so embarrassing, with my friend in tears.

Please be happy you are still allowed to drive because without my car, it is no picnic.

I would love several heavy downpours. Rain appears to bypass London.
Please look after yourselves, winter is coming.

Hi all, another warm day, I forgot, yesterday the Orange engineer can and updated our meters.
‘Where’s your live display?’
‘In a box hiding’
Laughing he said ‘you’ll need to plug it in for 48 hours’…t’is done, I'm ignoring it.
Anyway, Tesco list updated for delivery tomorrow, hasn’t food gone up in price, I doubt it will come down again.
I was thinking about Yiayia today, I hope she and her OH are keeping well.
Rain bypasses us too Charliegirl not good.
Dentist moved my dreaded appointment next week a day ahead, I’ll be glad when it’s done.
Enjoy your evening all.

Good evening everyone. A flying visit to let you know my brother is doing really well after his lung cancer surgery and is hoping to be home by the weekend.
TOYA xx

That’s really good news blossoming.

We don’t get much rain here either jaxjacky and charleygirl I’m still watering newly planted plants., with a watering can. Fortunately the rain last week filled a water butt, so I’m using that and hoping for more rain next week.

A warm day again today, but not as sunny as yesterday,

Yoga was challenging as usual this morning, after that I got the mower out and cut some of the bits of the lawn where the grass is actually growing. Then I dug some weeds and grass out of an overgrown flowerbed, just a few feet. I’m now sitting with my feet up and a hot wheat pack on my back!

Both DDs rang this evening, the 11 year old DGD apparently has lots of homework now she’s at High school and is finding it hard to adjust.

My 3 year old DGD spent several hours at A&E yesterday with a high temperature and pain in her legs. She seems better today, I expect the temperature is some bug she’s picked up at pre school and the painful legs could be due to the fact that she has hypermobility, like her mum, aunt, cousins and granny!

* cornergran* I hope that your unreliable bus service arrived and you have been able to collect your car.

Enjoy what’s left of the evening everyone.