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

I love the idea of the message to the Queen but must confess that itinerary made me feel very tired.
I have had " the black dog" on me all today.
I am sure you all understand. I hope to wake in a better frame of mind tomorrow. Bank holiday weekend would have filled me with joy at one time but the reverse now.

Such happy messages from you lot. You've made me smile.

We've been to book a tour of the Springbank and it's sister distillery in September. Our granddaughter's Dutch in-laws will be touring Scotland and plan to visit us in Kintyre. When we walked into the outlet, we were alone. By the time we left, the place was jam packed with folk of many nationalities, who had finished an earlier tour. We've also booked a Scottish platter lunch...served in a cosy restaurant much like a large sitting room with sofas and such.

A pal is calling by very shortly. He'll breeze in and keep us well-amused for the rest of the afternoon. Rory, being a snooty feline, will take his leave. I'm away to make sure that he hasn't deposited cat fur on the best chair.

Jackson and Cooper are to me, at a delightful age with vivid imaginations and the pair of them are so innocent, enjoying a superb day out with their parents. The weather is perfect for them also.

I do hope that Sam is back on his rightful spot the sofa, now that the two armchairs have been returned. I cannot have a dog lying on the floor. Hattie has pride of place and deserves it as does Sam.

I have only had two Magnums today- I think that is the end of them.

I have passed on that invaluable info about crisps Grey.

Jackson face timed me to say the Queen was in but her soldiers are marching up and down and because she's an old lady she couldn't get past !!

But all is not lost , Cooper brought a note which was handed to a very kind armed policeman to hand to the Queen inviting her to visit for ' macaroonies' ( Jacksons beloved macaroons!!) .

Jackson has also seen a McLaren and a Bentley . So the trip has been a huge success so far !! Apparently, no heads were on the bridge as the Queen doesn't do that any more - she just gets the corgis to bite bad men!

Well that's alright ladies - * Charley* you can sleep safe in your bed at night, the small boys are on the case !!

Your sanity parcel made me smile n&g, Mr. C said don't forget he prefers red wine . I do think we're potty, it's three days with the bigger two and one day with Littlest. I just didn't realise the days followed each other. No hope. . We have the weekend off then another day with Littlest. Anyone got a nice, quiet bed available?

That London day sounds wonderful - for those a least 30 years younger. . Good news about the fridge, if the forecasters aren't speaking with forked tongue then a warm weekend is on the cards.

I'm feeling both elated and relieved today. A dear friend has been told her test results show no malignancy, she seemed far less excited at the news than I was. I'm still grinning like a fool.

Take care all, furniture moving and some clearing away of glass things for me now as Mr C has decided tomorrow is the day to re-emulsion the hall. I'm not arguing, it's not huge and should (notice the should!) only take 2-3 hours. I plan to go missing, safer than making 'helpful' comments .

Well it looks like the on again off again house move is on again (at least, they are loading up a van to go somewhere) so by the time I come back from fishing this evening, we will have new neighbours. I hope they are nice. I hate change.
N&G tell Jackson and Cooper that the Queen likes the crusts cut off her sandwiches! And she only eats cheese and onion crisps ?! I hope they have a really lovely day. Lots to see. GS and his folks went to London a week or so ago for the last day of the athletics and a day at the Tower of London. He thought the Crown Jewels were 'really cool', and King Henry's armour, and the ravens. He wondered if he could have a raven. Dad said they might manage a crow if they could catch one in the garden!
Charley if they ever have a "dressed like a tramp" convention, I will meet you there!
Hope to look in later if I don't fall in the water!

N&G I have decided that I must be old- I live in London but reading the day planned for Jackson and Cooper made me think it was good to be sitting down. They are all going to be exhausted, hopefully happy and will sleep well.

I am surprised that Price George and his sister have not been invited to the picnic. At least the weather is beautiful but unfortunately they will be unable to move because of the crowds. I do hope that they enjoy themselves and the parents are not too exhausted.

I have not taken the covering off my latest ironing board- it has been wrapped up for months. Admittedly I no longer have shirts to iron. I get by dressed like a tramp.

I keep a well known world wide firm based in Scotland running all by myself. Their Prime membership pays for itself for me anyway. I am waiting in for a parcel. I have never worked out what needs to be signed for and what can be put through the letterbox or cat flap. Any ideas?

Tara allowed me to sleep like a baby and did not waken me early this am. Maybe she is learning the error of her ways.

Morning all !

I'm sure you're right Maw about getting to Spain. Its just that now I need my mobility scooter , so its not the flight but the car hire at the other end. We are spoilt now as I have a hoist in the car for it , but we can break it all down and load by hand but its getting harder .

I expect if I want to see her that badly I will do it

soop I have to say its the best hoover I have ever had for ease of use, and the young lady certainly would love it
( just not for her birthday )

Oh Grannie haven't we all been there-- I got casserole dishes one year !! I've kept a frozen leg of lamb handy ever since !

I feel for your neighbours grey as our house sale limps on like a lame duck. I wish I had some news...any news... but either the buyer or their solicitor are rubbish and I have resorted to downloading a little voodoo doll app and sticking pins in it !!!

Corner I am of a mind to send you a sanity parcel for next week - contents include ear plugs, baby wipes ( oh what did we do without them? , chocolate , wine, painkillers and several extra pairs of hands !!!! YOU are a brave, brave woman!!!

Dinner sounded deliciousCharley . Dinner here is all about portion control etc so no where near as nice !

Callgirl that is exactly the sort of thing that made me council the young man. He can thank me when he reaches his 25th wedding anniversary!!

MY daughters fridge has arrived so their Cornwall holiday is now perfect ! I am awaiting pictures but they have terrible phone signal.

My other daughter and her husband have taken Jackson and Cooper on a big London adventure today. They have gone on the train which is a huge treat ( makes me chuckle as because my parents didn't drive, trains were a common thing for me ) then onto the Thames Clipper for a ride up the Thames and under London bridge where Jackson is hoping to see some heads on sticks ( he has been reading Horrible Histories !!).

Then to the Aquarium to look at what goes in a fish finger according to Cooper !!

Then they are off to see if the Queen is home , and have a picnic( she is invited I believe ), before trying not to let them fall in the fountains at Trafalgar Square.

Sounds like an interesting old day.

I am going to tackle the ironing mountain which---I kid you not--- stands nearly as tall as me and tells me quite clearly Grampy and I have too many clothes because I haven't had to resort to digging through to find something to wear!!

Happy Day all !!

Talking of inappropriate presents, when we`d only been married for 7 years, my husband announced that he was going on a day trip to Blackpool with his workmates. I got a bit upset about it, so he promised to ring me at the phone box on the corner that night. When he did, he said that he`d got me a nice present............it turned out to be a shopping bag!
Nice to hear good news of Paw again.

I have cooked a dinner for a tenner from Waitrose and the duck was perfect. I also had two glasses or so of wine so should have a good night's sleep.

Babysitting 4 days on the trot cornergran is so tiring. It is a long time since I have done it and they were nephews by marriage. I was never so glad to take them home in my entire life. It reminded me 50 million times why I never wanted children, once I realised that they stayed with me for many years.

Phew. Busy day in the kitchen. Your medical travels make me very grateful that our requirements can mostly be managed close at hand soop. Wishing macs well.

Weight loss is a funny old thing n&g, sometimes weight goes when we least expect it. Your daughter looks so pleased, good for her. Don't despair, your turn will come. The diabetes book will make all the difference. Sounds as if there may be holiday potential when your sister is settled, a nice warm holiday too . Very good advice about the Dyson, wonderful pieces of equipment that they are they do not make birthday gifts, ranks alongside the microwave I was once offered .

That sounds a useful conversation, maw, hope you thoroughly enjoyed a well deserved afternoon off. Lovely photos, been looking through some old ones of my parents today with two grandchildren, they were fascinated.

Oh, greyd, you made me remember we foolishly agreed to child mind for four days next week, why oh why?? It will be fun , but at a sixth of my age they do more than run rings. We do love them, though and cherish the time, but four days? There lies insanity and aching bones .

Apologies to those I have missed out. Life is currently running faster than I can so it's an early night for me.

Take care all

gq I hope mine is "fake fat" too - but I'll bet it isn't. It is the nuisance type that stays around when it is not wanted!

Wow! I looked in this morning and there was no-one around! Now I have to catch up with everyone.
Maw that is a lovely tranquil photo of your MiL. What a shame she didn't make it to her century.
I visited my niece today and we were talking about the fact that is 26 years today since her mother - my oldest sister - died. It sounds like an age and feels like five minutes. But we had a good gossip and didn't get maudlin. It has been a gossipy sort of day, as my hairdresser was on very good form today also, and we had a good laugh, talking about our respective daughters, who went to school together.
Glad you enjoyed "Footloose" N&G - Grampy's remark is exactly what I would have expected DH to say, but he has no soul! Don't be despondent about the slimming thing. You will get it on track and surprise yourself. Well done to your DD! I ate practically nothing yesterday (oddly enough, when DH is here I don't seem to find time to feed myself!) and was more active than usual but still managed to put a pound on!!
I took a bottle of good wine and a card round to my neighbours about an hour ago as they are moving tomorrow - or that was the plan! Their daughter said it may not be happening if their solicitor can't sort out a hitch that has suddenly occurred at the top of the chain. The very same thing happened to us, so I do feel for them, but I am hoping they get it sorted. I said if they don't use the wine to toast their move, they can use it to drown their sorrows!!

Twenty minutes fairly sprightly pedalling on the exercise bike has made me feel almost holy. Not that I want to be considered thus. Let's say, I feel that I've made up for gorging myself on fish and chips and crumble and cream. Ha! Although we shall be returning to Oban hospital again on Monday, we've decided to lunch at the Kitchen Garden. Not because we prefer a toasted cheese sandwich but because our spending money and my waistline require a sensible compromise.

A grey day. Damp and midgey. Rory has enjoyed himself in the simplest of ways...eat, wash and sleep.

Until we return from our Campbeltown visit tomorrow, my best wishes to you all.

I quite agree N&G if he had bought it for her birthday, he may have found it bent around his ears.

At least your weight is on the downward spiral- I feel really sorry for Sam. I do not like digestive biscuits, prefer chocolate, but I would buy them especially for him as that poor maligned fellow deserves a treat.

Your daughter looks ecstatic and hopefully the weight loss will continue.

N&G I wish my old boy had been advised by someone like you that year he bought me a frying pan from the children for Mother's Day!
How to make a beleaguered young mum feel good....not
It very nearly ended up being used lin the same way as one of those legs of lamb we have knocking about in this kitchen!

N&G Brilliant! Such sensible advice. You've saved that young man from a fate worse than death. By the way, I wouldn't be at all offended should MacSporran buy one for my next birthday. The two reconditioned (cheapo) models that I have, are about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. Talk about chocolate - is there any going begging.

I have done my good deed for the day.

We have had 2 chairs returned today that have had the cushion re padded ( fat bottoms caused sinkage ) !!

The young man doing the heavy lifting admired my Dyson cordless and explained that his girlfriend wanted one .

I told him 41 years of marriage meant I could give him one piece of advice. DONT buy it for her birthday !!!

He and his fellow chair mover thought it was hysterical - it was exactly what he was thinking of doing!!

I'm thinking of becoming an agony aunt!!

That's one young lady who should be thanking me lol

Greyduster What is it that puts me on edge the moment when someone starts to whistle. The only time that MacSporran has whistled (a grand total of twice in the years we've been married) it was because we had had a minor "falling out".

It's so good to be home again. A morning of non-stop ironing takes it's toll on my lumbar spine.

Maw That is a beautiful portrait of your late mother-in-law. She has a gentle face and a sunny smile.
Pleased that you were able to have a proper chat with one of Paw's medical team. You certainly do not wish him to be discharged before his latest bout of sickness has been dealt with and cured.

N&G I gained a pound in one lunch time yesterday. When I arrived home, I slipped into my baggy pyjama bottoms. Bliss! Well done to your daughter. She certainly looks well and truly chuffed.

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Spain is probably no harder to get to than Peterhead N&G and warmer for holidays, although Sam might not as pleased ✈️
Just wanted to say today would have been my lovely MIL's 100th birthday (she died in 2000) and to post a particularly lovely pic we have of her. We think it might have been to mark her engagement to FIL as the one of him dates from the same time and studio.

That is very good news Maw that Paw will not be waiting at the entrance for pick up on maybe 6pm on Saturday- an ideal day!

Hattie no doubt will be sleeping for both of you- I have rarely seen that dog awake. She is enjoying her life with you and it is well deserved. She will probably feel more relaxed when the three of you are at home and life is more normal.

queenie you will be enjoying the rest now that your friends have left. Good food and wine never did anybody any harm! You can put the feet up now and rest.

Afternoon all.

Had an early start today as I had a half day diabetic course to attend. I passed with flying colours so am now officially diabetic !! Hurrah!!! PS My life is officially over :-(

I only lost a 1lb at class last night which was disheartening but it now turns out I didn't get the special diabetic book so whilst I've been fixing my weight I've been failing my diabetes !!

So shall pick up the right book tonight and hopefully see an improvement in my weight loss next week.

My daughter won the slimmer of the week basket...and was suitably excited ( see picture !!)

Fingers crossed all goes well for your daughter ann !

Good news about Paw Maw. Enjoy your book club.

I have thus far managed to avoid chocolate GrannieQueenie , a miracle for me. In the interval yesterday I was to be found with a slimming world snack instead of a Hagen Daz ice-cream !! Even I was shocked.

Footloose was fabulous, great music , one of the Nolan sisters( I forget which one) had a part, the singing was top notch and the sheer enthusiasm contagious. Great early pressie !

Grampy said when asked how he enjoyed it ,' it was very loud' !

There will be NO whistling in this house Grey . My dad used to whistle and it drove me mad !!

I am VERY excited. My sister and her husband are moving to Spain next week . I am a little sad because they lived in Peterhead so we didn't see them as often as we'd like and with their retirement we thought we would see them more. But this is their dream so good luck to them.

However , as they make the long drive down to Portsmouth for the ferry they will be stopping Saturday and Sunday night with us. We are eating in on Saturday but taking them to a very lovely steak house for Sunday and we shall gossip, and chat and put the world to rights over the weekend. So I can't wait.

I hope everyone has something happy to think about today ( if not I shall share various happy thoughts as I get more and more excited before the weekend !!)

PS Sam is distraught- there will be no more digestives in the biscuit tin ( in fact the biscuit tin is no more) !! Sam is a digestive connoisseur and can spot a 'fake digestive' at 50 paces !! Who knew plain biscuits like digestives were bad for you ??

Popped in to see paw this morning as the Palliative consultant had emailed me to say she would pop in. She is a friend of a friend of DD1 (who seems to have contacts everywhere) and is also a consultant at our local hospice -not that we are looking that way at present but they also offer "outreach" support which may be appropriate.
Anyway apart from the diarrhoea he seemed in good sorts today (always makes an effort for a pretty young woman!) and she was able to reassure me that they need to know what is going on in his insides and we will be under no pressure regarding his discharge until they know that this infection is being dealt with.
This is a relief to me as I could feel the hospital discharge steamroller warming up and a premature discharge especially over a BH weekend was giving me a sleepless night.
So, allowed out to play i.e. off to meet Book Club friends at a local garden centre this afternoon ! Nice change

Just popping by to check out the new kitchen which looks very homely indeed. I haven't spotted any news of that chocolate of n&g' s does this mean no weight was lost and you've scoffed the lot? We've had lovely friends staying this week which of course has involved me cooking extra nice food, making and of course eating cake not to mention a glass or 4 and their treat a scrummy p meal out. They're less energetic than we are so there wasn't a whole lot of walking involved so I've put on a pound or 2, I'm hoping it's what one of my daughter's calls "fake fat" i.e. the sort you lose as fast as you gain. I live in hope, very faint hope!
Goodness soop you've lots of travelling for medical bits and pieces these days, the downside of living where you do I guess, but a price worth paying to be where you are both happy. Hope all goes well with it all, now Rory is on the mend he needs you both to be fit and well so he can continue to enjoy the life of luxury he has become accustomed to!
Whistling gd is an acquired taste, in my view. I live with an inveterate whistler, I have been known to complain about it! He says I'm only jealous as I can't whistle at all, me may have a point there. Bet your gs is very pleased with himself though!
downsized those heels are making feel dizzy!
Hoping all's well with paw
Well I must away, washing needs to be hung out before I go walking, possibly too little too late but a girl's got to try!