Omg such anality from pil. Come and share your anal behaviour stories (lighthearted)

I used to live next door to my parents. If I hung my washing on the line using non-matching clothes pegs, she would come over and re-hang it. In the end I started doing it to wind her up. :)

smornin I've been known to alphabetise my books by author. Surely that's normal?

And I did take slippers to someone's house once but she has laminate flooring everywhere and it was COLD

Fab thread...has kept me entertained during a week long stint at PILs', where I have constantly been updated on the state of the washing on the line, on the weather and how it compares to the previous day. MIL is a bit obsessive about the temp in the house also and will ask at least once an hour if we are warm enough, then point out the radiator and how to turn it up if we want. I am very grateful that they have two reception rooms... However frustrating I find visiting them it is way worse if they come to us - hovering over whatever I do, nagging for jobs to do and rearranging things...I never realised how territorial I am until they came to stay!

DF also cannot abide his hearing aids as they make everything too loud - I find it impossible to have a conversation in the same room if he is watching the TV...he is also very good at finding something Important to discuss as you are trying to leave, having been in the house for two hours, during which time he said barely a word...he is a pretty good cook but he gets so stressed if cooking for anyone other than himself and DM it's amazing - much safer to keep out of the way. You must remember to compliment him greatly on what he has produced otherwise you will have to listen to DM make 'mmmmmm' noises all the way through the meal to make sure his ego is sufficiently stoked.

I have to admit though that I do have a dishwasher loading protocol and don't put it on if it isn't pretty full...and my books and CDs are in alphabetical order, but surely that's just sensible so you can find the one you want?! (We have lots). I also meal plan but quite vaguely - certainly not to the point where I would only buy two potatoes per person!

I, too, am laughing my arse off at the username MaureenShit... :)

Slightly tangential but still on a fogeyish tip: oes anyone else's MIL converse with the television/provide a running commentary/tell Jon Snow off for wearing the wrong tie/laugh long and loud at tragic news reports because of what the reporter's wearing? It makes me dig holes in the sofa with my fingers; I often pretend to have a sneezing fit just to distract her.

My DF gave me a bollocking for driving his car like a wild thing... he had checked in the boot and something in there had travelled FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER whilst I had borrowed it! And everything must be switched off in the car before you turn ignition off - lights off, radio off, indicators off, heating off. In case the battery goes flat next time you turn the ignition on...

Ha! teabags? My ILs only drink QT Instant White Tea! And assume nobody can tell the difference (my folks once visited them and my mum claims she v deftly tipped both their cups in the sink right under their noses without them noticing.
Seriously though I do suspect DFIL is autistic and simply cannot handle making more than one cup of tea so MIL has trained herself to drink QT and brainwashed herself for his sake (and so she gets made a drink occasionally.)

I just want to say that Maureen Shit is the best username ever.

Reusing fabric napkins is not unusual. Hence napkin rings

My Mother has what I consider a neat trick for warming plates, should you be eating the kind of dinner where cold plates are Not Good. She doesn't faff about putting them in the oven (which you are already using for food, surely?) but fills an empty, clean washing up bowl with boiling water (for hygiene), adds a little cold (so she doesn't burn her hands) and leaves them to soak for a minute.

The fact I am telling you about this as a top tip, not a sign of incipient dementia, means I am turning into one of these people the thread is all about, doesn't it?

My DM is obsessed by many things, one most pertinent is wasting food. Last wk she came to babysit and we had been eating fajitas. She stared intently at some left over chopped salad on the board and tomatoes 2 pancakes and started to put it in a Tupperware, she said " what have you been making" she is so utterly unadventurous with food I proceeded to give her a blow by blow description of a fajita and its making process.
She then said that she would never, ever eat that but she will take them anyway as she hates waste. But what on earth would she do with some left over limp lettuce and a soggy tomato
DP put water into wine to make it last longer. They keep gifts given to them pristine for 20 years and give to others as presents. They are v well
Off. DM literally rations out food to DDad. He also gets a set of instructions of things to do today from her. One of them recently was to clean the grass the builders had stood on and put some tools on.

I could fill a thread with their bonkers ways.

Just thought of another - Grandma-in-law is obsessed with the price of things. If something doesn't cost the same as it did pre-decimalisation she sucks air in through her teeth.

Family took her to Bettys for tea once. She looked at the price of a pot of tea on the menu, had a funny turn and had to go outside for some fresh air.

I keep my food waste bin next to the tea-making facilities. Ergonomic and time-saving.

Don't people get burnt mouths all the time with the hot plates, and 3 hours in the oven chicken and bubbling hot gravy?

My DM refuses to drink the water in France. It's probably poisonous don't you know. I also once took her to Yo Sushi just to see her face Cue much pursing of lips and refusal to eat ANYTHING. Even the little pancakes.

Euphemia you re-use teabags? Is your tea not all watery and weak?

Love the image of the microwaved gravy bubbling on the table like one of those sizzler dishes you get at tgi Fridays.

Yes the flipping newspaper cuttings '100 health benefits of vinegar'. 'town hall frontage to receive 10 yearly cleaning' any old shit that mentions our town name. Also 'poims' as mil does love a poim so we receive a lot of glurge about the footsteps of children etc

Yes that's true but my mum lives alone still

I have one too - in my defence it came free with a box of teabags and I don't use it for teabag squishing.

It's very useful for turning over hot bacon halfway through cooking, so it has become the "bacon turner".

The more I read this thread, the more worried I am getting. I am definitely showing signs.

drjohnsons - logical if you're only making one cup. If you're doing 4 that's a lot of trips across the kitchen with tea.

DF has one of those teabag squishers.

I carry my cup to the bin, lift the lid and deposit the tea bag therein. No mess no fuss no china tea bag spoon

When my mum comes to my house, because she doesn't have access to the china tea bag spoon, she squishes the tea bag dry-ish and leaves it on the draining board

EverythingsNotRosie I remember there was a poster on MN who did that, both she and her DH washed their underwear every day when they were showering and she was shocked to find out that not everybody does the same. Apparently it's gross to put underwear in the washing machine with the rest of the laundry.

My MIL is elderly and has difficulties walking, not to mention anything requiring any flexibility. At Xmas time, she insisted that she needs to pick up all pine needles and crumbs she could see on the floor. One by one, by hand. We do have a vacuum, but oh, no don't get it out, too much trouble..so had to watch her huffing and puffing when bending down for half an hour. Painful.

Yes, PILs come over with their own slippers, facecloth, soap and toothpaste. Because sure, you can use the guest room, but oh no, not our toothpaste!

Oh I can explain about the teabags. If you carry them across the kitchen to the bin they drip everywhere. If you collect them in a ramekin you can then bin (or compost) them later when they are cool and not-drippy.

(I use ramekins for this purpose).

My mum does the articles clipped from the paper thing. One Christmas a few years back she saved them all up for a year, stuck them in an album and presented it to me as one of my gifts!