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

Just another little thing ( I know I am full of them) my second youngest GS is 8 today and like all his other birthdays I will not see him. No estrangement, his bi- polar mother and I do not connect. But she doesn't really connect with anyone including most of her own family.

Not my business morethan but I would be very wary of pinning hopes and wasting spending money on alternative therapies.
Complementary therapies certainly - , anything to improve quality of life for your DIL and the whole family, but too many people are raising hopes and getting rich with the likes of coffee enemas and other snake oils.

I am assuming you know about Penny Brohn?
www.pennybrohn.org.uk/

(I do not blame anybody for seeking hope wherever they can find it but do, do beware. False hope can be very destructive)

It's really hot here too, morethan but clouding up now. I did some gardening early - quarter past seven - and have just been out again because I remembered something else that needed doing, but it was a brief foray! DH is still giving me the silent treatment, but I am not bothered - he'll come round when he needs feeding. I was thinking of taking my fishing rod down to the river, but frankly it is so hot at the moment that even the ten minute walk across the fields feels like too much! Maybe after tea.
So glad you are having a better day, Ann ? ?.

morethan2 This is a sad time for you and your family.

annsixty A well deserved afternoon outing with a good friend...that's better than any tonic.

Tizliz and N&G You've made me chuckle.

I shall return. Friend needs me to shop for her tomorrow. Need to compile a list.

It is a glorious day. Warm and sunny. Just the thing for all holidayers, especially the oldgoats Lovely photo, by the way.

I've been bust all morning. A friend came for coffee and we trawled the internet for her choice of mind-bending jigsaws. She has just left. Now...^all I have to do is read umpteen messages^...

Forget the bit about being quiet. The bull in the field next door is expressing his annoyance about all the cows being in a different field ?

Thank you I am feeling brighter today and not as stressed. My lovely cleaners have been this morning so I feel I am on top of things for family coming this weekend. Just one bed to make up now.
The weather forecast is dire for us all I am sorry to say.
Out with a friend this afternoon and we will go to a local cafe which has a nice garden to while away an hour.

Can't believe how nice it is and so quiet, should really be gardening but just enjoying it at the moment

I think he looks very British and charming oldgoat I had lots of chats with people walking their dogs on the beach last week. It was one of the pleasures of dog walking. I hope your having a better day annsixty I'm back home now and went to visit our son's family yesterday. The children ran into our arms. It was lovely. I had a chat with my DiL. She's been so stoic but the cracks are starting to show. They think they can see somthing suspicious on her liver and she has to have a biopsy next week. It looks like she will have chemotherapy. She talked about how upset she is putting her children through somthing so awful. She feels like she's robbing them of their carefree childhood. How I manage to talk to her without weeping I don't know. I think we need to talk to her side of the family about freeing up some money for some alternative treatment just in case we run out of options. Joining in your other conversation I hate driving when my husband is with me. He doesn't shout I just feel as if he's judging me and finding me wanting. Hope your all enjoying the sunshine ☀️ it's super hot here today. I'm still getting very far with organising the house and I've been retired for about 7 weeks.ps I've got my new dyson fan on.

It looks pretty much the same as my stylish headgear! Go, that man! Hope your back is feeling better, oldgoat and that the sun continues to shine for the rest of your day!

Here's a photo of Mr.Oldgoat on the beach with Oscar? What do you think of his stylish headgear?

Thinking about it, isn't it a good job we love them? As a friend once observed, he has a kind heart. I can forgive a lot thinking about that - until we're in an unfamiliar city, I have been persuaded the sat nav won't be helpful and an instruction to turn right across a busy junction actually means turn left. . Oh well, he's doing the ironing at the moment. No tension about that! . I'm off to make him a . .

Morning all and hooray!, the sun is shining brightly today. I was up at the crack of dawn watching the otter fishing and all is well with the world (so far). We are drinking coffee at the Boathouse cafe on Gigha. It's really beautiful here. So sad to be leaving tomorrow.

Driving, oh yes, driving. It wouldn't be so bad hearing 'helpful' instructions from Mr C if he knew right from left. A thought about turning right could equally mean turn left. It gets tense at times. .

Go for it Galen. Better than always wishing you had .

Good morning all !

That cake looks delicious...well worth a trip up ( and to see soop of course) !!

Oh dear Grey I empathise over the whole driving thing. I have had my licence over 43 years, never had an accident and for most of my life drove in excess of 1000 miles a week for work. Grampy drove 10 mins to work for the last 35 years. I drive decisively but if we approach an issue he starts giving me directions and if I turn one way he will inevitably say ' I would have gone the other way' .

The last time this happened I told him quite kindly I thought- that he made me dangerous because I dithered when he started giving me orders. He sulked all the way to Somerset and wouldn't talk to me at all. I retaliated by turning up y music( which he is not fond of ) really loudly and singing all the way. (You have to hear me sing to know what punishment that was !!)

And you're right, generally I can hold my own but I wish people would sometimes remember 'words wound' . They brandish them on GN like swords sometimes

Go for it Galen ! If it will put the icing on your lovely cruise - why not ?

I understand what you're saying about not being worth the hassle ann . Would it maybe be better if your granddaughter came and stayed with you and just helped shoulder the burden rather than it making more effort for you? ( Ah great minds *Corner)

Not light hearted enough? Pshawwww ! As Dickens might say !! Or in the words of my daughter - tell them- up yours big drawers ! They need to walk a mile in your shoes first ann !!

Well, Grampy is doing something in the loft .... I'm waiting for a foot to come through the ceiling !! So I am off to do some more crafting for the baby shower !!

Whatever was in your brownies Tizliz?

All of you taking co-codamol should have had some of my chocolate brownie - all gone now, but it would have helped ?

Lovely day here but yesterday I nearly put the heating back on.

Job for today is weeding the gravel drive - it rained after three weeks of dry weather and boom, no weed killer allowed due to dog always eating grass

None of us are obliged to entertain others ann. Walk a mile in your shoes and feel the pinch would be a suitable retort. Your granddaughter is offering some respite. It's sad you don't feel it would help. What about having her stay while you are at home? Would the company help? Maybe reduce the day to day workload a bit? As mawb says you know what works for you. That glass of sitting quietly in the garden sounds a good plan.

annSixty Then may I suggest the o clock in the garden (more relaxing than indoors) during this fine spell?
Echoing what you say about the action/reaction, but sometimes an undisturbed night can also recharge the batteries.
However only you will know what works for you.

Oh naughty ann for not being the life and soul of the forum! Seriously how about the couple of nights away? It would give you much needed respite. A neighbour of mine used to do this and employ a carer who would stay for a couple of days. She was a professional carer and was able to look after the elderly mother's needs. I don't know how this could be arranged but it might be worth looking into?

Up with the lark and can be in bed by 8:30pm.Maw
My lovely GD suggested that I have a couple of nights away when she was here yesterday. She could see just how stressed I was,but as you say there is a price to pay and it isn't worth it.
I have just been taken to task on another thread for not being lighthearted enough.
Will I ever learn?

Here is some for Kintyre, we can spare it!
I have many times been surprised at how the weather on the west coast of Scotland and especially the isles, can be the opposite of the rest of the country. And not just raining when it is dry further south, but just as often scorching while the rest of the country shivers under grey clouds.
The perils of cocodamol have meant I tried it only once. Constipation to me is like flu, truly to be feared.
annsixty I do feel for you and realise there is no quick fix (or even slow fix) let alone a solution. For every "escape" there is a "reckoning" and IMHO sometimes an offload or rant is the best one can hope for.
Is your DH up and about in the early morning? Or evening?
A or down the other end of the garden depending on the time of day can be restorative.

This is the first chance I`ve had to get on here today, kept finding things that HAD to be done, so I`ve skim read, not like me usually, apologies if I don`t mention anyone I should.
Oldgoat, I hope your back soon responds to the painkillers. When do you leave Muasdale? We always had the same pitch, the one that is now the first of the hard standings. They`re a nice lot of people at Muasdale surgery, aren`t they? Last time we were up there, I had stitches in my knee after a fall, and had to go there for them taking out. I WANT THAT CAKE!!!
Soop, I hope that Rory`s eye is getting better, I`d have been surprised if McSporran HAD got him into the pet carrier. By the way, Rena has just been told by their vet that Harry is blind in one eye, he has what the vet called "one hell of a cataract", but he advises against operating, as he says Harry will manage very well with one good eye.
When I was on c-codamol, I practically lived on EX-Lax and Dulcolax!
Hopefully, I`ll get down to reading properly tomorrow.

You need extra water to drink with the extra roughage , how do I KNOW ??????????