Soop's kitchen for friendly folk and precious pets...

For Sam and Tara especially
Ever hopeful?

I buy fresh veg whenever possible but broad beans pods are just so expensive to throw away chuck in the compost, so I use frozen ones. I tried growing my own a few years ago but they didn't do well so didn't try again.

Anyone notice how many large courgettes are in the supermarkets now? It doesn't seem two minutes since we were being told there was a shortage but the last few weeks S****bury's have had masses of big ones that have obviously been growing for some time ...

Baggs next time you have contact with soop please tell her how much we all miss her. I can't imagine being cut off for so long - I tried imagining it, didn't like it, so won't be trying again I had a slow connection a couple of days ago for a few hours and that was bad enough! If I have to take DGS to school or he's coming to me all day in the holidays, I have to get up over an hour earlier than necessary so I can check the news, weather forecast, emails and The Kitchen first

I do enjoy broad beans but understand they aren't everyone's taste. The best recipe I ever found was a Greek one, involved slow cooked pork and broad beans in a casserole. In fact, given our recent and very enjoyable exposure to Greek food, I'll have a go at pork, tomato (onions of course ) and broad beans again. Feeling peckish now.
Oh yes and I do buy frozen these days - all that plucking leaving you with a smaller proportion of beans than you'd get frozen puts me off. I feel guilty but hey ho, the same goes for peas most of the time. If we're only two to eat I may do fresh peas but for a family meal, it's frozen.
What about green beans folks, what do we think about that. Fresh or frozen. I used to grow runner beans but in recent years somehow haven't got around to it. I buy fresh runner beans but always have frozen peas and thin beans available.

Baggs, soop will have a lot of catching up to do but not as much as I thought!

Rory will be enjoying her company as she has not been attached to her computer for so long.

And needless to say, Baggs, it is mutual!

Greetings and love to you all from soop! She is missing GN a lot!

No probs Charley.
Last summer we had fun with 7 yo GS teaching him the "How many beans make five?" joke/tongue twister. (A bean, a bean, a half a bean, a half a bean, a bean, a bean - to be said as quick as you can). A full weekend of (bad) bean jokes followed accompanied by constant muttering of "a bean, a bean..."
He prefers baked beans!

Posh sorry but yuck.

Welcome back N&G and Iam after your holliers.

Re broad beans Grey, there is a lot of bulk for little edible return, so I buy frozen.....except for perhaps once a year when I revert to childhood - (sorry Jalima you might want to cover your ears for this!) when I buy fresh, cook, peel & dip in melted butter. Lovely!
(Pods & skins to compost heap grey food waste bin)
Me being odd again!!

To be honest, I don't like them either, but DH does and, surprisingly, GS will eat them till the cows come home. I usually buy frozen ones, but thought fresh might be nice. The only way I have enjoyed them is lightly steamed, slipped of their skins and tossed with some chopped smoked streaky bacon. Even then, it is touch and go!

I totally agree with Jalima re the beans. They would have to be very heavily disguised for me to eat them.

Galen pleased to note that your feeder had a customer.

N&G Tara also hates going in the car because every trip in her opinion is to the vet. My last cat used to have an epileptic fit in the car because he knew where he was going.

I don't know because I would never buy broad beans Greyduster . DF used to grow them and we children would dread seeing them on the dinner plate.
I do remember having to shell them and the pods are quite big and fleshy.
best place for the whole lot is the compost heap

Question: if you buy a kilo of fresh broad beans at the supermarket and only get eleven ounces of actual beans, does this represent good value for money? Answers on a postcard to Ripoffbeans.com/Greyduster.
We have spent most of the day, having done our duty by GS and seen him off home, looking at bathroom tiles. I am going boss eyed looking at tiles, and bringing samples home that you love in the shop and that then look awful in your bathroom. Added to which, DH doesn't like any of the ones I like and vice versa. Not a good position to make progress from. Hey ho! There are many imponderables surrounding this project at the moment and the plumber is on holiday which doesn't help. Why do we start these things?

Goodness I envy you your energy Iam64!!
I'd have been under the duvet by 8 o clock after a holiday/long flight/election results!! Dogs are good alarm clocks though , a lit like young children, they make few allowances for bags under the eyes!
It sounds as if your dogcare system is an ideal one, the run to the kennels always used to take the shine off going away for me.
I wonder how poor Soop is faring in her wi-if free wilderness, it must be incredibly frustrating. On holiday in the Lake District some years ago when wi-fi was harder to get than hens' teeth, I had to go to Kendal library for my daily "fix" , ohnthe panic as Insaw the minutes running out!

Hello - we arrived home from Crete at 6.30pm, having started our day at 6 am Greek time. The dogs were waiting for us, as the lovely trainer/boarder had dropped them off half an hour earlier. They came with us to the polling station and we all managed to stay awake till 10 to see the exit polls. They were so different than we'd expected, we both stayed up till 11.30 when I staggered off to bed. Himself stayed up much of the night. Friday saw us tired but happy to be home, long walk with middle daughter and two year old grandson, along with our 2 dogs and youngest daughter's young dog. You can imagine the fun in keeping 3 water loving retrieving duck chasing dogs relatively quiet whilst the 2 year old fed the ducks and did his best to fall in to the reservoir.
Last night we went to the wedding reception of youngest daughter's father in law and his partner. I'm not a great fan of Big Do's, but it was fun. Every age group represented, lots of dancing and a very happy atmosphere.
So, reading about Maw and annsixty's pressures reminded me, again, that counting blessings when things are going ok in our lives is a must. Maw and ann, sending you both love and wish I could do something practical to help. We cared for both my parents and parents in law. We've also had some difficult and challenging caring duties with our oldest and her children. It demands so much of us doesn't it. My mother and mum in law were both fiercely independent and refused to have any help other than someone to mow the lawns. This meant of course, that their sons and daughters did the practical and emotional care. That sounds cold and I don't mean it to. I loved them all and bless them for helping me find strengths I didn't know I had.
There is a lot of focus and talk on the role of 'carers'. Our GP surgery asks if you're a carer so they can register this. As for support or practical help, it's hard to come by even if you can persuade your loved one that its necessary.
There are some good suggestions from others about that x
Right, dogs to walk in the rain and lots of ironing waiting to be done. x

Good Morning all !

No matter how nice a holiday place is - there's nothing like home !

Love the birdfeeder Galen. I sympathise with your comment about the youth and his understanding of political issues. Had a FB exchange with my youngest daughter and her husband last night and realised how diametrically opposed our political views are.

It came as a surprise and in the end I had to stop because I could see how estrangements over those sort of issues come about .

Thanks Maw and Charley . Sm has always been vocal when getting in the car and things like going to the vets but because there was lots of tail wagging etc we assumed it was excitement but its getting worse and he can do it for an entire car trip now. I think we had ignored it because mostly we only do short trips but nearly 6 hours in the car with high pitching squeaking nearly finished us all off !!

Surprisingly Maw Holly is the only dog that Sam doesn't spend the entire time drooling about. He is not a bold chap and lots of things make him look anxious but as the children don't cause it and he is fine at home we have been bad dog owners and ignored it.

But I think for his sake we now have to address it.

I think Swannys idea of help disguised as friends is an excellent idea Ann . I wish we lived closer as I had mentioned your challenges to DH and he was happy to spend a couple of hours a weeks watching sport and chatting about not much in particular with another chap, so there must be more people like him .

You definitely need to celebrate your upcoming big birthday even if that's spoiling yourself . Is there something you have always wanted to do?

Hope soop gets back online soon.

I am off to do the laundry and make a birthday card for a very brave young man undergoing extensive chemo. His Mum mentioned his plight on a crafting group I belong to and we have been sending him a postcard a week for about 6 months now just to cheer him up. So this card needs to be a bit special !!

Happy Saturday all !

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201706/medium-238599-imag0037.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201706/medium-616950-imag0106.jpg

By the way photo from my bird feeder

Grrrrr! I know this a politics free thread, BUT!
Talking today at a tribunal to a youth who was on a work experience assignment, was convinced that all would be solved by a 5% tax rise on the top 5% of earners.
This would mean that he would go to university free with a full grant!
Oh to be so young and idealistic!
He also assumed that that I had gone to posh private school!
Grammar school followed by Wolverhampton tech to take my A levels!

maw

ann your H's refusal to accept help is probably due to fear of the unknown. In his own way he could be avoiding acceptance of the need for help and not being in control of his own way of life. Dementia supporters will be well aware of this and could start coming to your house as friends of yours, building up a relationship with H so that he feels safe in their company and thereby enabling you to have some 'down' time. Have you been in touch with Admiral Nurses at all? They are dementia specialists and could help you both. I would love for you to be able to celebrate your forthcoming birthday knowing that H is being cared for too and you both have a good day

Looking back although Grace tolerated Basil very well and he respected her space, she did tend to disappear off to her bed and whimper/grumble sometimes in the evening.

Poor Sam, I wonder if it was just the presence of another dog for a whole week (unsure of his place in the pecking order?) , or perhaps he picked up on any tensions you might felt?

N&G an early night beckons and then you will both be able to face another day.

I am sorry to hear that Sam is showing problems of anxiety- I do hope that you can get that sorted.

Talking of early nights- that is where I am going- Tara beat me to it a couple of hours ago.

Welcome home, N&G! Feet up and a could be the order of the day!