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

Glad you had a good break, maw, and hope your stress levels have simmered down at least for a while. Just knowing that someone else knows first hand what you're dealing with daily may help. I hope it does and I hope you can find ways to ask for help, and get it, when you need it

Four trains for me today to get to where I'm at. All straightforward and DD1 met me off train 3 and supplied muffin and tea as I hadn't had lunch. Back at her house I've made a zillion jigsaws with the boys and played a squillion board games. They are already great talkers (at seven and four) in a conversational way, which is lovely. They are also normal boys! Story time was sweet and they're now in bed and quiet. Phew!

1812 Tchaikovsky with the canons and bells of St Petersburg is what I have in mind!
Might follow it withe Rde of the Valkyries'
Da da da daa da da de de daa da etc

Best of all Galen would be a live performance of the 1812 overture with real cannon

Glad you got there safely Baggs. I get very nervous on trains by myself.
MawB, I hope all goes to plan tomorrow.
Galen, you really must try harder to make yourself into the neighbour from hell!

You could make it the neighbour fom heaven instead - non-stop hymns and organ recitals. Incense instead of the barbecue. Theological debate instead of musical analysis. If they object say you are reporting them for religious persecution.

Ooh really I wish could organise that!
Guide me h thou great redeemer
Eternal father strong to save
Maccabaeus
Onward Christian soldiers

Any other suggestions?

Carmen Buranda

The song that would have ready to be locked up is that one of a South American choir singing something that goes "Yamma, yamma, yaa, yaa. Yamma, yamma, yaa, yaa. Yamma, yamma yaa, yaa. Yamma, yamma, yaa, yaa" over and over again.

Plenty of CDs of hymns and organ music to choose from. Vidor Toccata?
Plainsong would be good - insistent and repetitive, enough of it would send them stark staring bonkers.

Put the speakers out in the garden. Warn the other neighbours first (or invite them all round and have good old revivalist meetings)

Fight the good fight?

Or might they take that as encouragement?

We send to play the Ride of the Valkyries and Rheingold through the wall at our noisy neighbours a long time ago.
Hard to know what would be most irritating - one man's cacophony is another's music from the celestial spheres.
Maybe better to keep up guerilla action on litter/dumping/outside annoyances.
You could report suspicious freshly dug earth in their garden.....

So glad you enjoyed your break, Maw, you certainly deserved it more than anyone I can think of.

Galen, that is most unwelcome news re your hellish neighbours. So sorry.

I'm in Chester at present, my old home town. Very glad to be here as they are having a very hot time of it in Malta. I love heat but there's a limit!

I'm staying with my pal of 50 years standing. We started secondary school together and have been friends from day one. Sadly, she has brain cancer so it is upsetting to see her deteriorating, but she is very upbeat and we are enjoying each other's company. The weather has been a bit damp, but we got out for a walk yesterday, my pal in the wheelchair which blew the cobwebs away and did us both good.

DGD is now in the US with her daddy until September so it is going to be hard not having her around when I go home.

Hope everyone has a good day

Oh downsized you have another cross to bear!
I have come to the sad conclusion that there are very few people who, by the time they reach our time of life, do not have a plethora of sadnesses to cope with. (Apart from some jammy bu**ers who don't always appreciate how "lucky" they may have been. )
If they are nice, I don't begrudge them it, but occasionally an awareness of the fragility of life and health might be helpful
I realised that my self confidence hadvtaken a knock over the last few years, my horizons having shrunk through being "tied" to home. While I do have outside interests I think I need to be a bit more adventurous(!)
TBH flying to Sweden on my own was outside my comfort zone in the first place, but now I have done that and sis-in-law has indicated she is happy to help out I may try to visit a few friends over the coming months if only for a day or two.
soop does your sister really live in/near Milton Keynes??? Are you likely to come and visit her?

How lovely to be able to spend time with your friend, downsized but also it must be a strain as well. So sorry there is more sadness. I think you are right mawb there is more than enough sadness to go around, we are finding some of it comes from the direction you least expect.

I'm with you about confidence dropping away, is it age, being out of the workplace or simply that the world moves away from us? I don't know. I do realise, though, that things I took in my stride are mountains these days - and I am by no means ancient!. Good for you for planning to make more visits, I am sure it will do you the world of good and pawb too, sometimes space is more than helpful.

Can't think of any appropriate music for your neighbours Galen other than 'we shall overcome' on repeat. I do so hope you do overcome, they sound a right royal pain in the rear.

Back to the admin I should be doing, then the food shop. Exciting times here.

I'm sorry to hear you are having more sadness to bear downsized.

Go for it Maw!

I could bring my daughters round and sing the whole of Bat Out Of Hell and a selection from West Side Story and Seven Brides! That'll see 'em off, Galen

Greetings all......quick pop-in.

It's National Cream Tea Day! Get your tea-sets out (the mugs in the Kitchen are good, but I think we need something special)....I have a Royal Standard "Enchantment" set, plain scones, strawberry jam, but no cream yet....will pick some up while I'm out.
See you later.

Went for an eye test yesterday. Good news is that there is so little change in my eyesight over the past 5 years that I don't need new glasses.
The bad news is that I have very early cataracts. She said they won't need doing for many years yet,but, in view of the state of the NHS, I wonder if I should put my name on the waiting list now for about 10 years time?

Elegran The two musical pieces that you recommend are in our top twenty list. MacS would move his chair closer to the fence in order to enjoy them played at full blast.

Maw That is one lovely photo. It seems only recently that Flynn made his entrance into the clan. He's no longer a wee babe. He's a proper little boy.
I'm pleased to hear that your trip turned out well. I would have felt uneasy had I needed to negotiate a strange airport without assistance.

Charleyg* Rory has been to the vet. More of that later. She said that he was a fine specimen that has been in a few dust-ups...

downsized Make the most of time spent with your good friend. Your company will lift her spirits.

Baggs Have yourself a very merry family gathering. Take care. No falls allowed.

kitty Meatloaf's rendition of Bat Out Of Hell is a winner. I love it. My son played his version to Torben not so long ago. Torben was dancing around like a whirling dervish.

Rory hasn't been too good for a few days. Ten minutes before we were about to set off for the care home, we made a monumental decision to take him to the vet. I cannot tell you what a kafuffle ensued when he saw the cat carrier. As for getting him into it...best left to the imagination. 24 miles in the car with a howling banshee was not to our liking. The vet made time to see him right away. The consulting room was in fact closed until this afternoon. The lady vet said that he was a big cat. She said that he'd been in a few argie-bargies throughout his life. Seems that he has recently sustained an injury to his rear leg. She discovered a bite mark. Could he have met with another cat, on his patch? Possibly! He also has conjunctivitis. She put drops in his eyes and he had two injections. There was no time for the care home visit. No time for the treat in the Harbourside Grill. It was home again with the weekly shopping. Ever since he rushed out of the carrier, he's been very vocal. Making a huge fuss of both of us...MacS in particular. He's had two lunches. He is resting, and we are thankful that all is well.

Poshgran I've put out the Royal Aynsley 'Cottage Garden' tea set. If it was good enough for the late Queen Mother, it's good enough for us lot.

maw My sister did live in MK for some years. She now lives in Ecton Brook, Northampton. The closest we get to Northampton is Oakham in Rutland. It's where all our family gatherings take place.

Soop, I`m pleased that Rory is good for more time with you, but sorry you missed your haddock and chips at the Harbourside Grill, lovely place. By the way, have you ever partaken of the lovely grub cooked by Frances at Muneroy tearooms, Southend? Her mince and tatties are to die for!
I`ve just received a photo of my great grandson, almost 18 months old. I`ve never met him, he lives in Porthcawl, and this is the first photo I`ve had of him. Folk on here seem to like cheeky little chaps, so thought you`d like to see this. His name is Jaylan.

callgirl1 Jaylan* has the cheeky smile that us lot enjoy. He is a darling.
Rory mews thank you. We said hello to David. We don't have haddock and chips in the Harbourside Grill. Usually coffee and scones with cream and jam. We do have fish and chips when we visit Oban. Yes, we've visited the Muneroy tearooms. As you say, lovely home baked food.

soop hopefully you have caught the problems in time taking Rory to the vet today. If he has been bitten that wound would probably have become infected costing more money in the long run. I did not think that he strayed far enough away from his sofa or garden to come in such close contact with a "foreigner". I sympathise, I only have 2 miles to endure the caterwhawling (sp). I do hope that he is looking better again now that he has recovered from that horrendous journey.

Oh dear callgirl1 I thought that Jaylan was a cheeky young madam!

With one thing and another I haven't popped into the kitchen for a while. but it looks like I've chosen a good time with cream teas on offer. Glad to see cake and good humour still prevail here. But what's going on with so many poorly pets about the place?
So glad you had a good break away, maw, sounds like a good plan to do it more often. I hope paw had his procedure today as planned.
I'm currently away from home and in charge of 2 granddaughters while their parents are away. The 9 year old has 2 badly bruised fingers due to a mishap on an electric scooter, a speedy adult size gadget that I think she shouldn't be allowed to use But I say nothing after what do I know, I've only had 5 myself They are both lovely girls, it's been good to spend a bit of extra time with them and a 14 year old who will still snuggle with her granny on the sofa is a delight indeed. It's saddens me so much to know that her older cousin, my oldest grandchild, is such an unhappy girl these days and finds it near to impossible to communicate with anyone.
You're a good friend * downsized*, it must have been bittersweet for you seeing your old friend as she is now and knowing there's a hard road ahead for her too.
I share your disappointment about neighbours who don't move on as hoped galen , I've recently been similarly disappointed. Would a Bach fugue, played at top volume on an organ work? Personally I'm resorting to encouraging not stopping visiting grand dogs barking at their many cats. Oops apologies to all cat lovers in the kitchen but yours aren't the ones who repeatedly poop on my grass!

grannyqueenie my cat Tara does not lift her tail outdoors- that madam comes home to use her litter tray!

It sounds to me as though your oldest grandchild is desperately in need of help.

I agree re the scooter, it does not appear to be the right safe "toy" for that age group. Yes, what do you know- you are only jealous that you did not have one at her age or even now!!!