soop's friendly kitchen for like-minded folk and pampered pets.

callgirl1 You will need a tandem stair lift. A wee extra seat for that Mia joined to yours. Cats are the most infuriating selective of creatures. I took Rory's carpet out of the cat cave and gave it a thorough cleaning. Rory was not amused. He stood looking off into the distance when he approached his den. He was extremely put out. A little like my son when I'd "serviced" his bedroom back in the olden days. He would shuffle in and look agog. He'd then call out...who's tidied my room. Like anyone other than his mum would consider the task a pleasure.

Charleyg Will sharing the thing that has been bothering you help? If so, us lot are here for you.

Nelliem You have my respect. Like others you are having to cope with an on going stressful situation.

Galen You never fail to make me .

Maw I hope you filled that claim form in properly! It's a mine field.
IF you get turned down, you know who to contact!

I'm recovering from an alien visit from my noisy charming dgc!

callgirl she really is a minx and is trying to tell you that is her bed and you could find another way to get to yours! She is not giving up easily!

I have not had a lie in until 10am for a long long time and I think Tara thought that if she could not persuade me to get up before 7am she may as well join me which she did.

I have had something praying on my mind for many months and hopefully it will all be sorted soon.

Tara refused to go out of the cat flap- she wanted the house servant who was in the kitchen to open the door which she duly did. I am not sure why she wanted to go into the garden because she had to leap over a fence whereas at the front she does not have to exert herself. That will be her gone until at least 8pm as the weather here is glorious.

She already knows.............she is!

Callgirl That has made me laugh. It is very naughty of Mia you will have to show her who's boss.

Maw and Annsixty I can understand the stress that may cause you. Rant away. Bottling up how you feel does not help.
It is a fear of mine that my OH may end up as a really difficult person to deal with if he was in need of support.

His Aspergers, with many of the oddities in behaviour that can bring and the effects of surgery for a benign brain tumour, have taken it's toll on our relationship.

Ann and Maw, RESPECT! I`m not very good with words, but I do so echo what everyone on here has been saying.
Soop, we only had sandwiches and cake at Kilmartin, but they were very nice, and such a pretty village.
Me and Mia nearly came to blows last night. When I decided to go up to bed, I found Mia fast asleep on the stairlift seat. After waking her and" persuading" her to shift her carcass, she sat on the stairs in front of me, so I went up in fits and starts, giving her a push on each step! I got up at 3.30am for a wee, guess what? Then again at 5.30am, same again, but this time I came out of the bathroom to go back upstairs, and she`d come downstairs to curl up on it AGAIN! Then when I got up this morning, there she was again. I wish she`d find a new "favourite " place, it`s getting a bit wearing, she was there again this afternoon when I wanted to go up to sort dirty washing!
Maw, your Hattie is GORGEOUS!

Glad you knew about it ann. As I said, lots of Carers don't know about it.

kitty Thank you for that. I do not want to sound like a goody goody but I decided not to apply for the reduction.
We can afford to pay it and the resources are strained enough .
If our income had gone down it would have been a different story but I felt the people who really needed it should benefit.

Magnums! I cannot recall when I last had one. Maybe this weekend. Dark choc is my favourite.

We've decided that as it's bank holiday Monday when we next go to Oban hospital, we'll not have lunch in the Kitchen Garden. The town will be packed with visitors and there's bound to be a long queue for a table. Instead, we're to stop off during the journey to have lunch at Kilmartin heritage site. We visited it long ago, and remember that the menu was very appetising.

Baggs Are you still being bothered by midges? I've been cutting down dead stuff in the garden. Within moments of starting, I became midge fodder. Red bumps all over the exposed bits of my body, especially my face.

I hope that you all enjoy a pleasant Saturday evening. Thirty minutes to G&T time.

Ann, I keep forgetting to mention this - but do you know about the reduction in Council Tax that is available to people living with dementia? So long as they have an 'official' diagnosis, they should be exempt from paying any CT.

Councils are very bad about offering it!

That gorgeous lady is actually awake! It is Hattie I am talking about. I thought that she opened her eyes and moved her body only when called to eat her food. She had a hard life before, she is entitled to every minute resting her eyes and generally relaxing.

I am so sorry I do not live closer to her or she and I could go for very short walks- I could not cope with anything other than very short distances and she would soon get used to me. I only hope that her beauty is appreciated in that household.

Do you know, I haven't had a single Magnum this year. Shocking! I will have to remedy this very soon.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201708/medium-289101-img-1588.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201708/medium-650913-img-1589.jpg

Some people think Hattie spends her time like this

But it's not true.

Sometimes she lies like this

Have just been out and bought a pack of Magnums - very necessary

Good afternoon dear kitcheners.

granniequeenie Thank you for your lovely post. It says what I want to say...only a lot better. Beautiful flower photos.

NanaandGrampa When I heard the news about the knife carrying individual arrested outside Her Maj's home, I did wonder how you would have reacted. As it happens, the boys thoroughly enjoyed their treats. Smiles all round.

Maw Hattie is picture-book gorgeous. I love the latest pose. I also like her rug. It would look good on our sofa.

Bags The latest visitors are doing their best to reduce your workload. They will crop the grass and add fertiliser. Can't grumble!

Was thinking Hattie must have some badger blood if she catches hedgehogs! But at least she doesn't eat them. Badgers do.

Well, putting a lighter colour over a darker colour seems to need two coats - who would have thought it?? I've hidden myself with the computer, just provided coffee and chocolate biscuits (for me too, hang the need to lose weight thing) and just might sit and do some admin rather than natter on GN Or on the other hand I might not

Definitely best not articulated cornergran!
This picture ( identical to the others taken yesterday, the day before etc) is especially for auntie charleygirl to show that Grace did not have a monopoly on resting her eyes!
Maybe life chez the Broons is just so boring tiring?

Definitely not or you may be handed the paint brush and told what to do with it. Which of course would be , if you can do it faster, do it yourself!!?

It seems the decorating firmly predicted to take 2-3 hours is likely to take all day today and tomorrow morning. Is it a good idea to say that I knew that anyway? No, maybe not.

ann am I correct in thinking that your H will not go to eg a day centre even once a week "because there is nothing wrong with him"?

Perhaps it has been suggested before but maybe AGE UK could send in somebody who would be a visitor, slowly get to know him, gain his confidence and allow you to pop out for a couple of hours.

You cannot continue as you are, something will give. It sounds also as though you will need another knee replacement, sooner rather than later. It is so difficult to find a solution for everything.

N&G those were two of the happiest boys in London yesterday and I am sure it brought a smile to the armed policeman's face being given a piece of paper to hand to the queen to invite her for maccaroonies. Those seconds make up for the trauma that can hit at any time.

I have posted twice on Gransnet this morning and both posts have disappeared. The one on here was a longish one (probably just as well then!). I really don't have the mental energy to do it again. ? Maybe later.

Sheep in the garden wouldn't half give Hattie something (else) to bark at. She is still the evil hunter on our bedtime walks, death or at least terror to all hedgehogs and I scan the paths with a torch to check they are well clear. She has twice caught one and seems undeterred by prickles. Drops it immediately (unharmed I hope) but her enthusiasm is undimmed.
Loved the pics of the boys in London too, what an evil world surrounds us but we cannot, must not, batten down the hatches and retreat to our caves although when it concerns the DHCs maybe I tend that way!
Wishing you all a pleasant Saturday, indeed BH weekend (they just fail to register with me now I am retired, apart from registering the traffic on the M ways and the fact that Euston station will close altogether! Maybe obliging us to adopt my cave strategy after all ?)

Never worry about being tactless maw, please just say it as it is. With love.