Though She Be Crepey, She Is FIERCE!

[QueenQueenie]

Ta Da!

...hope to get more clarity on Monday. Then she and my dad squabbled at length about food for visitors if she's not out by Monday night.

My suggestion of posh bought sauce for pasta won't work as he'd have to cook the pasta and doesn't know how.

Birds Eye now make 'gourmet' frozen pasta with sauce. I kid you not. Buy him that and a bag of washed salad to tip into a bowl, Add a (very) stern look. Sorted!
Or... give him the number of decent take away that delivers / cold meat and salad / ready made pie to heat in oven / lasagne to heat in oven / baked potato etc. etc.
Wishing you much strength MI.

They really can sort their own damn food out. I flatly refuse to get roped into this idiocy, if between them they have preserved this fiction that he can't boil up some sodding pasta.

Oh and 'how to cook pasta' was in the instructions DSis did (starting with 'how to make a sandwich') which he flatly refused to look at.

MI leave him to it.

My dad has really stepped up to the plate cooking wise in the last two years - he gets cookery books and does amazing Italian dishes etched. Mum moans but I think that is twofold - it was her domain and also he does trust the timings rather than his judgement so sometimes food is not as cooked as it should be.
I know dp can cook - he leaves it to me, likewise packing, child care etc (and this is the person who was primary carer for first five yrs of ds's life...).

She instructed him to get Naice Pizzas though they may explore the possibility of what they both call in über-Italian accent Carrrrloooocios.

He also asked what to go with the pizza. I said bag of salad, squeeze over a lemon and two tbsp olive oil. They both looked baffled at the idea that he could manage that. Not joking.

As you skip out of the door, MI, you can say over your shoulder "You're never too old to learn!"

I find it utterly incredible that he can't manage a sandwich or to boil some pasta. And seems proud of the fact? Even my father could do this. And egg and bacon, but that was about it. He also became a dab hand with a jacket potato in the microwave in his later years.

It is utterly weird. He just panics at the very concept of "cooking" and she colludes in it. Am now nearly home. But have taken Auriga's v good advice and said I'll nip up there next weekend.

It's very nice!

Oh yes, Rudy, that's just the thing. As long as the colour doesn't match.

MI - I am seething on your behalf with parental learned helplessness in the kitchen. Whenever people say 'I can't cook' it's just rubbish - it's only following instructions. Like making Lego, or flat pack furniture. Or following directions. No sympathy whatsoever.

Stunner of a dress, Rudy.

MI - leave them to stew (boil, grill or bake) in their own ineptittude.

Honestly, I find it hard to believe that people have lived a long, long life with no wherewithall to feed themselves & thus keep living.

I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but to me it is a basic life skill.

Love the dress and mini jacket Rudy. You'll look amazing.

Just seen The Importance of Being Earnest at the Vaudeville. Predominantly young audience (including DD) who didn't know what was coming, so they joyfully laughed & clapped at every twist and turn, making it all seem brand new

MI, if they're sending out for Carrrrrlucio's they'll be fine

Rudy, that will look great!

Auriga, I did that for O'level Eng Lit!

MI sympathies esp on non - cooking father front. DH is trying to step up this holiday, DS is also quite willing and DD has cooked both risotto and carbonara DH hss also taken over the washing!

So yesterday started off with a walk to Fox Glacier before a long drive along the west coast. We somehow managed to stop off when it wasnt raining and then spent yhe night at a cute eco-lodge place by pancake rocks which had no TV or wifi - managed a few board/card games with DS and some Kindle-ing.

We are now in Nelson in a fab house, high up overlooking the beach, where we have just been for a walk - beautiful! Might try one of the craft - beer places later

Perfect jacket Rudy That's such a gorgeous dress.

Oh MI that's stressful but it seems right that you should leave it to them. I always think it's so much more complicated than "can't cook, won't cook". My DDad probably could have produced soup from a tin and sandwiches at the very least but he was always sat there eating dry bread if DM was late home. It's to do with the dynamics between them. Fortunately these days, there's enough take away and ready mades for no one to starve. I am learning to loose the anger over my parents and their inability to learn new tricks in their eighties. It's wasted energy.

I love that play auriga!

tilly your photos are amazing. We do have wifi although DS got into a bad mood a couple of days ago when we were visiting the monastery as they didn't have it...surprise surprise. We did have a great game of Heads Up last night after dinnner, with much hilarity and laughter although you need Internet for it

I think we're doing the flower market and the Russian Church today. It's too hot for me....roll on pool time

Well, she's back home. Meal saved.

Like the bolero Rudy, and the dress gets a 10 on the style Crepometer as we know.

What jolly hols people are having! Another grey wet shite useless kind of a day here in NI. Have to presume that we've had our traditional one day of summer. Am crawling towards holiday now.

MI sorry to hear of woes with dps. Fwiw my dad can just about boil a potato at 89, and maybe fry himself a bit of bacon.( generational thing) But if he had to live on cheese and crackers I wouldn't worry too much. Afaik they don't eat a lot anyway , so maybe being unable to make whole meals won't be too much of an issue. My dad still doesn't really understand pasta.

Cross posted.

That's good MI.

Auriga - is that the one with David Suchet as Lady Bracknell? I was listening to him being interviewed about it the other day; reminded me how much I love that play.

BTM - what a fab time you are having. I'm always in awe of your amazing holidays. I'm feeling quite the adventurer having booked a long weekend in Centre Parcs.

Shame the weather is grotty in NI, Crem - it's baking here. I even caught the sun yesterday.

We had a bit of a slow start today; we were all up until 2am (DD2 and all), playing.... poker! We are somewhat confined to barracks today because of the cycling, so I'm trying to muster the enthusiasm to Do Something Constructive. Maybe some more eBaying. We have bought some industrial shelving for the loft, but seeing as it's about 100 degrees in there today I'm not particularly motivated to put it up.

Yes, it's David Suchet and he's good; so is everyone else. I always remember the women as being funny but in this one the men are too, especially Algie.