It isa bread making morning

and I will say "making" rather than "baking" because we have a bread machine. It is, I suppose, a "kitchen gadget".
I own very few such things. Some time after my mother died I went through the kitchen cupboards and quietly removed a good many things that were never used. My father had (and still has) no idea what is in the kitchen cupboards.
The bread machine came to us after my mother's death. A friend has one and uses hers constantly. She found another one for us in a second hand shop. It looked virtually new, as if the previous owners had tried it and found it wanting. It was a $25 investment we have not regretted although it is a little extra work for me.
Put simply, my father likes what he considers to be "real bread". By this he means wholemeal or whole grain, preferably with the addition of something like sunflower seeds, pepitas, walnuts etc. He likes bread with some flavour and texture. I must admit I do as well.
We do not eat a lot of bread, certainly not the amount of bread that many people I know eat. One slice of our home made bread however can be as filling as several slices of shop bought white and ready sliced. It is also costs us less.
Occasionally I have experimented with other breads. I have made bread with tomato juice and olives. The recipe called for a certain type of sun-dried tomatoes which were not available but the olives made a good substitute. I have made a cheese bread - pleasant but not as cheesy as we had hoped. I have made another bread with olives and parsley and dried onion. I do not know what that tasted like. It disappeared before I had a chance to try.
I have made "bun bread" - bread with dried fruit and nuts in it. That needs an entirely differetn sort of flour.
I have also tried adding other flours in varying quantities to the basic mix. Rye is good. Barley produces a denser loaf but I rather liked it. Cornmeal adds a pleasing grainy texture. Oat flour produces another texture again.
And now I have recipes books to try yet more combinations and flavours. There are things I know I will almost certainly never try, such as a basic white loaf. There are other breads which sound good. I am considering making pumpkin bread and a cheese and onion bread.
My father has invited cousins to lunch on Saturday. The forecast is for cold, wet weather. Does freshly made bread and hot homemade soup sound like a good start to the conversation?