Always is when I go away for the weekend with my family...
You can guarantee when I come back he's "been ill". EVERY TIME. So I phoned him - first sentence "I've been ill". Like its my fault because I went away!
STILL not taking all his medication that the GP gave him so I offer ZERO sympathy. Basically, wants me to tell him how he can feel better - "Take the meds the GP has given you Dad, if that fails then go an see you're GP but I'm not a doctor."
His words - "I desperately need you to visit the weekend." "I've got no food in the house" (Brother lives literally 5 mins drive from him - I live 35-40 mins. Brother is probably laying low). Anyway, he knows my car is in the garage so I'm struggling for transport and he knows my wife works weekends so may need our other car. So I tell him I can't promise. Anyone would have thought I'd told him I'd murdered the family next door.
Apparently, I'm "letting him down" and "need to arrange something", and "wife needs to understand". Of course the standby offer of home delivery groceries is not good enough - he doesn't want to spend the £30 minimum - they have to be hand delivered by me!
I've tried setting boundaries, I've said no can do, I've tried ignoring, I've tried just not doing. Give him his due he's relentless in his quest to get me to do what he wants!
We are Gloucester supporters actually but they are not doing well at the moment.
We are? Why did I get such a grumpy text from Daughter 2, then - who did we beat? Sorry, busy working, missed the match.
Paul I couldn't give a monkey's what anyone thinks about class distinctions either way round full stop. I grew out of it when my Dad nearly burst a blood vessel not laughing at my expression as I was introduced to my Shropshire-native second cousin, who had been married to a London bus driver for forty years and whose accent was the worst of both. My blood relation, and she sounded like a cross between Wurzel Gummidge and Alf Garnett.
I was putting your dad's point of view, one reason why he's so aggressive (i.e. defensive) when you spend money on anything that isn't carbolic soap.
Yeh Wales are poor at the moment though.
Half the Glos team is welsh aren't they? I used to say that - even the rugby team has got to ship the welsh over the border to help them ;-)
My best ever two weeks in work were the Rugby world cup. Wales beat England then England lost to Australia to get knocked out the weekend after. Two good mondays....
I'm an expert on cheap (and scruffy) hotels in Gloucester. Used to stay over sometimes. (and I was paying so nothing fancy!) Don't go to The Station hotel ever!
Given some of the quotes attributed to him, I should think he would suggest sleeping in the car rather than pay...
Very funny! Yeah, that’s about right for Paul’s dad.
I know that you are being facetious but you did make me giggle. Thanks for the laugh.
Or a very cheap tip! I have a friend who does that and the rest of us cover the tip.
It’s embarrassing that she’s so cheap, so we end up tipping extra.
The waitstaff deserve to be paid. That’s their salary.
disgusted too--Farthings and shillings basically disappeared from the system on February 15, 1971, known as "Decimal Day" although the shilling coins were still used as 5 "new" pence coins. The farthing actually disappeared (demonetized) much earlier because its purchasing power was so low as to render it essentially useless. Now the new pence (without the word "new" anymore) and pounds are the only units in circulation, with 100 pence = 1 pound. Among too many other things, I collect British coins and enjoy talking about them (although I live in the US), and particularly like the pre-decimal system (of farthings, half-pennies, pennies, threepence, groats, sixpence, shillings, florins, half-crowns and crowns and a few odd denominations, with 20 shillings or 240 pence to a pound sterling). After all, a shilling was also called a "bob"!
Despite me telling him I'll visit anyway hes still justifying it by getting me to get groceries for him at the same time. Last week I had to get 5 items for him.
As I've said before, hes got a massive chest freezer, fridge. He keeps it empty- its just crazy. There is no reason to do this. Bear in mind my brother visits to get things like milk etc.
I'm working in the day, sometimes I'm feding the kids waiting for wife to come home, then I've got to trek to the supermarket, sometimes queue to get in, for 5 items. Most of which are not perishable. Add as hour on to my "visit".
I tried to tell him - I WILL STILL VISIT. His next "thing" - yes but I don't like spending a lot of money in one go, I like to keep it in my bank account. Are you kidding me? (Bear in mind hes got £40K in there)
He just cannot see how much hassle it is....
Deep down I'm sure he likes making me do it because hes got power then. Hes got me doing something for him. Its weird but I think its true....
Yeh, I love working all day, rushing around to get out the house, seeing my kids for a short time before youngest goes to bed, getting 5 things in the supermarket, driving 25 miles each way, listening to him going on about how ill he is, then finally getting home for my evening meal at 9pm. Its like a lovely little midweek holiday :-(
This was pre-TIA being DX. The small changes I noticed (shopping, housework, bathing) may well have been due to vascular changes already present.
Working memory is required to plan meals, longer grocery lists & for banking. Smaller amounts easier. Hmmmm??
My DH did a very small grocery shop last week & my hoarder pile of books is growing... Oh dear!
My Mother is about control too - BIG time. But not Paul's Dad's attention-seeking control style. Hers is more environment: leave that-I don't need it-it will do-don't ever wash anything.
My parents never had a computer. My father didn't want one while my mother was only mildly interested and never pursued it. I guess I'm "behind the times" too. because I don't use a smart phone, and barely use a flip phone--my life simply isn't so complicated that I need all this! I bought a new car a year ago, and have never used anything on the screen except the back-up camera images.
I do feel sorry for her at the moment. Its a tough time with no visitors too.
If she pulls through who knows what will happen if shes got the bag. Shes useless at looking after herself as it is. I guess its going to come up where shes going to live etc.
Alas, a lot of this is due to her not looking after herself. Smoked heavily for 30 years, hardly eats at home, and drinks way too much alcohol than is good for her....
So sorry that your mother in law is going through a rough time.
Hoping that she will receive the best care possible.
My daughters would say that you are out of the loop!
I like simplicity too. I do love a smart phone for photos. Does anyone use a camera anymore? LOL
I love the backup camera in my car! I would love a self driving car. A chauffeur would be even better! 😊
My mother never used ‘cruise’ control in her car! She said that SHE wanted to be in control of her car!
Mom didn’t like when daddy used the ‘cruise’ control. He told her to “Get with it!” He also told her to stop being a backseat driver. Hahaha 🤣
Mom was always a backseat driver when she rode with me. I told her that she had two choices.
1. Allow me to drive without her backseat driving.
OR
2. She could walk, call someone else or a cab.
No more backseat driving from mom! 😊
If she pulls through, her life most likely will be spent in a nursing home somewhere. A sad existence. If I were in her current state of health and current prognosis, having lived 80 some years (right?), I probably would want a swift and painless transition to the next realm. A slow decline into oblivion is like crawling through h3ll.
I have cruise control which I sometimes use on trips, but I find I generally get better gas mileage without it because it can't "anticipate" hills. Otherwise, I like to do the driving myself without a lot of bells and whistles.
Chriscat83--Yes, I've seen some of these informational videos on YouTube, so I should have surmised they would have been on TV. I tried looking at eBay to see if any of these pamphlets were available, but didn't find any. The US used to have pamphlets named "Know Your Money" published by the Secret Service, so of course they had instructions regarding the detection of counterfeit money, and I have a couple versions of these. BTW, I recall reading that the first generation of 1 pound coins was subject to rather extensive counterfeiting, necessitating the use of the new bimetallic ones.
You tickle me, actually crack me up at times! Hahaha
I get it! My husband amazed my children when he broke out ‘slides’ of his trip to Germany that he took right after his high school graduation.
It was a summer program for students offered by Georgetown University for future engineering students.
The following fall he attended Tulane university here in New Orleans.
My kids knew nothing about a projector and slides!
Oh, those old fashioned home movies too that people had. Hahaha
Oh wait, my husband had a reel to reel that he had his music collection on. I had the ordinary turntable.
So many things have changed, huh? We didn’t have computers or cell phones in our youth.
Millennials have been very hi tech since they were toddlers!
Everything from our generation is totally outdated, gone forever now. I am always amazed at the advances in medicine.
My friend’s son just told her that he was selling his sports car that has a standard shift because when he has to park it in a public parking lot, the attendants don’t know how to drive a car that isn’t an automatic!