Now I have a sister , an elder sister who when we meet people insists on introducing herself as my younger sister . I know my caring role has aged me but ..... well no matter .She has taken it upon herself to come and assist me when she can which is not easy as she lives in London and I live ,as you know , in Devon .
She is an artist and has lead a very bohemian life which I will save for you for another day . I have to admit that despite having a slightly spiky relationship with my wife over the years , she always thought we married too young and was positively disapproving - we are still married 49 years later and she is divorced and has had more relationships than I have had hot dinners , she is very good , caring and sympathetic with V . HOWEVER I despair when she gets in my kitchen . I don't think it is unusual to arrange one's yoghurts in the fridge in order of use by date and I usually have three or four lined up . After my sister has been every pot has been opened and sampled . Likewise she opens all the milk cartons simultaneously and uses a bit out of each one . My heart sinks when she says "you sit still I will do the washing up " after a meal . She hides things claiming to have tidied up . Will I be able to find my favourite peeling knife - most unlikely . The cutlery drawer which I assume is like most people's cutlery drawer . spoons in one compartment . knives in another etc will be filled with a random selection all mixed in together . Pots and pans disappear or have simply been ignored and left congealing on the hob . I don't know how she does it and she is completely oblivious to the trail of destruction she leaves behind . At present I have five halves of lemons reposing in my fridge after her last visit .
Still I love her dearly and she means well and perhaps I am catching the obsessive compulsive disorder which has plagued V since she got PSP .Maybe I should make allowances for the fact she lives alone and has never really got to grips with routines and normal living .But I really would like to know where she has put my kitchen knife - out to the dustbin and sort through the rubbish once again I suppose .
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Georgepa
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Oh the hours I wasted looking for utensils and cooking aids after C's kind carers emptied the dishwasher twice a week. They wanted to do something for me to help and keep them occupied when I was out. The other day I sorted my clothes drawer but still haven't totally sorted my kitchen, apart from putting away the liquidiser, potato ricer and all the other gadgets I only used for C. I now have space on my working surface.
I do hope you find your kitchen knife. I bought another one, and another potato peeler similar to my favourites and put them in a different drawer. When my favourites went missing, most weeks, I'd use the new ones and wash them as soon as I'd used them, putting them back. When the favourites turned up, several days later and in time to be lost by the next carer, I'd use them again.
Make the most of the time your sister comes, especially as she is good with V, and accept things won't be the same for a while,
Looking forward to the spring and reading more of your amazing descriptions.
I try to think of it as a game, like a treasure hunt. I have a house cleaner who comes twice a month and two aides in turn while I am at work, all quite creative in finding new homes for the utensils I use most. You'd think the knife rack would be an obvious place to put a knife....and one is relentless in chipping my cups and plates and bowls. I hate looking at the damage, but also hate buying new just to see them dinged in turn. Ah well, small stuff!
Your sister seems to take it to a much higher level, and I admire your restraint, George. I'm not sure an artist's temperament quite explains sampling all the yogurt!
As peterjones often says, these things are sent to try us, and they do.
Hi oh dear how annoying and frustrating for you sounds just like one of the carers that comes here to supposedly help, he is asked to hang the washing on the airer (as we live in a flat) when I get back from shopping the wet washing is certainly on the airer on top of the dry washing!! What can you say some people just dont have a clue!
Georgepa it's so good to hear from you. And once again you make me giggle even if it is not funny to you and most certainly would not be a funny experience to me....I must however identify somewhat with your sister. My mother was a bohemian, she coined our nickname as"Gerie and the Gypsies" She picked up and moved us hither and yon when she got a fancy....she was funny and had many friends and quite often they were characters who did not understand the ways of a family...but knew how to party....lol Our kitchen knives were always safe however as she rarely was in the kitchen.....I say all this with a voice of levity what!
Well it sounds like you need a kitchen safe....not sure what good it will do you but when she comes along put away the good stuff (utensils and cookware) and only buy enough to open one of....that does mean more frequent stops to the store....but either throw it away or buy it anew eh? I spose at this late stage in mindset , asking her not to open everything is a bit pointless. Maybe only 3 cups of yogurt and one lemon in the fridge will stop her in her tracks just as easily...
Good luck and good to hear from you....hope you found your knife
I know, it drives you bonkers when your utensils etc aren't in the right place, my family did the same at Christmas time and am still looking for the odd thing or two. Never mind though it's good to have company and someone you can have a conversation with, it's good that she takes the time to visit and probably V thinks so too.
George you make me laugh, my sister would just sit and wait for me to do things, hope you find your lost knife, I bet you missed you sister when she went home xxxx
Oh, George, I have two sisters, one is just like yours, the other is very meticulous [ I'm in the middle ]. It drives me mad but its worth it for the laughs we have.
Tasting the yoghurts is not on, though !!!
I really don't like people putting things away for me. So much time is wasted trying to think where they would think was a good place. Why is it that some knives just feel right ?
I agree with all the posts. Just be grateful that you have some one to take a bit of pressure off you. A knife is a knife, if its precious, put it away. I can't find a thing in my kitchen, what with the carers before and recently having the house full of caring people. Smile George, you had company for however long, V had some else to care for her for a bit. Whats the cost of that, a few yoghurts and a lost knife? Much higher in my book!!!
I would put it away if I could find what she has done with it and there are knives and knives- some feel right and some don't - its a major catastrophe and I doubt if I will recover from the trauma !( at least until tomorrow )
Georgepa do you have a compost bin? My favourite kitchen knife once turned up when C emptied compost bin many months after I'd lost it. Luckily it didn't rot!
Our sink strainer went missing a while back. I went to great trouble to find a replacement. About two years later I was fishing compost out of the bin to put on the garden and there it was in perfect nick. Now we have two.
Hi everyone I can top what you all said about losing things. On don't lose I acquire them. My husband has been talking about buying a larger tv for the lounge. I thought that I had dissuaded him from buying it. He fell down the stairs on Friday the 6th of this month....just over a week ago and has 4 broken ribs. On the way to the hospital in the ambulance, he told me to expect a delivery on the following Monday of a 50inch tv. What could I say but "ok darling"!!!!!. On the Monday morning one of my daughters went to visit him on the ward and he kept reminding me about the tv. At midday my daughter and I arrived home only to have the door bell ring five minutes later. We both stared with open mouths at what was being delivered. It was what could only be described as a cinema screen. Wow!! It was a 60inch tv. We just sat on the settee and laughed, still unable to believe our eyes. My daughter is very good at these things so we unpacked it and set it up. We had to prop it up against one wall and switched it on. We were in stitches again. The screen is so big that the people on the tv seemed to as big as we were. The best bit was my husband's face when he saw it"oh my goodness it is huge"!!! I am thinking of getting some collapsible chairs and popcorn for when the grandchildren come to visit. It's like being at the cinema. At least A is happy, and guess what!!it is growing on me. At the moment we are waiting for a friend to fix it on the wall for us. With broken ribs and pain I thought that I may have to tie him down. He wanted to attempt to do it himself. I told him in no uncertain terms(not ladylike)😕 that he was not to touch it. I still smile whenever I switch it on. Hope this makes you smile. With this PSP there is never a dull moment in our house. Love to all. Teeker
Hi Georgepa, I feel your frustration, I'm still looking for my favourite kitchen scissors. If you know when your sister is coming, have less in the fridge for her to sabotage, haha. As you say she is good with V so use this, tell her you will clear up after dinner while she keeps V company. I love your stories Georgepa, you create wonderful pictures with words. Take care. Lots of love Nanny857xx
You will all be hugely relieved to hear ,it has turned up ,it was in the bathroom .Of course it was ,why didn't I look there first I just can't think .
She sounds like a free spirit, maybe she is the one that is compulsive??? Never using the rest of a lemon after it has been cut? Or only eating 1 spoon of yogurt and leaving the rest?
My suggestion? Take a load off, eat the remaining yoghurt once she has sampled it, squeeze the half lemons and make lemonaide, enjoy the time with her and eventually your pairing knife will resurface but the times lost trying to find everything will not.
I have a friend like that, when she comes over I used to cringe. But she is fun and makes me remember not to worry about the little things.
If it gets really bad, add some rum to the lemonade!!!
She just doesn't look to see what has already been started and as for the lemons when she needs one she just starts a fresh one completely forgetting to look in the fridge and find all the discarded halves .
Georgepa your post made me chuckle thank you so much. I guess relatives all come with a challenge at least yours is entertaining all of us and V too bit of a winning combination e felt for the loss of knives of course!!! Take care xxxxxx
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