Tea Time Memory

Given last week’s post about preparing tea this Facebook memory seems appropriate.

31 January 2016 at 11:13 ·

A friend’s post on Facebook just reminded me ....

In the 1980s Phil and I had a few holidays on the Isle of Skye (prompted by him and friends playing at the Isle of Skye Folk Festival).
He loved seafood and was delighted to buy some fresh Queen Scallops, which he lovingly prepared for our tea. I politely commented that they were nice.
"Yes" he said proudly "and they were only a pound a pound"
"A pound!" says I horrified (remember this was in the 80s when money was worth more) "a pound!! For goodness sake Philip, I'd have been as happy with fish-fingers."

Yes I am a philistine and it was a case of pearls before swine.

And I Quote

Given last week’s posts this one liner from Facebook Archives seems particularly apposite ...

30 January 2013 at 11:26

"It's my fault therefor it doesn't matter" 

Fester, BSc MSc PhD FRES.

Ties

 

From Facebook archives

29 January 2018 at 19:19 ·

We've had an interesting little time.  

Thunderthighs has been told to take his CV into college tomorrow and to wear smart clothes.

The CV we dealt with yesterday afternoon, with mother explaining to him what one was and giving him a list of headings.  

He decided on the short sleeved check shirt his auntie gave him for Christmas (snug but ok).  The jacket and trousers he wore for our wedding and Dad's funeral no longer fit.  He's found, goodness knows where, a pair of formal trousers that also fit and he's wearing his dad's wedding jacket (I think).  

The real fun started with the tie.  He thought a bow tie would chafe (and look strange on checks).  So we were left with: my school tie which now lives on my old teddy; the tie Phil kept in the library in case a councillor called; a tie which I nicked off my Dad during my Annie Hall phase (1976?); and Fester's Balfour-Browne water beetler club tie, brown bearing a yellow diving beetle.  That last was the longest so we went for that one.
Then of course I had to tie it for him.
And I've no doubt that I'll have to tie it for him tomorrow morning too.
Anyone know where we can buy a really long tie?

I hope you’ve now got your breath back after being told Fester actually owns a tie.

Two For Tea

Fester does the cooking, by which I mean he makes tea and insists on making different meals for him and me and the boys.  

He gets very passionate about the whole thing.

I get sick of being asked what I want days in advance as, mostly, I see food as fuel or comfort.

And the histrionics when people don’t appear immediately when he calls them to the kitchen; especially as one then has to hang around whilst he takes forever plating up.

He also has an anathema to putting plates on the worktop next to the hob, instead swinging from the pan to the counter behind him with the food on a whatever implement is to hand: which is frequently too small and drips stuff on the floor.   

And why hold a bowl in your hand to ladle broth into it, when there is a perfectly good bench to stand it on whilst serving without the risk of tipping, spillages or scalding?

All I want is something plain and simple prepared and served with as little fuss as possible.

If he is unwell, and I take over, teatimes are quite different.

From Facebook archives

27 January 2018 at 10:57

Dr Fester seems a lot better this morning (although I've had to put the bed-linen in the wash)
Last night's tea for the boys was: 5 fried fish fingers each, a shared tin of microwaved baked beans and 2 slices of bread&spread each.   

Quick, simple and no kitchen operatics.   

Believe me the usual rushing about and bellowing makes Tosca look calm.

28 January 2018 at 12:52

Dr Fester is up and dressed (in his fashion), has made it down to the kitchen and attempted kippers for brunch, so is apparently on the road to recovery. 

The question is: who is going to be in charge of preparing tea this afternoon?

Drummerman  Kippers For Brunch - is this a remake of of the Brotherhood Of Man "Classic"?

Bentonbag  As in 'Save all your kippers for me'

Drummerman  "Save All Your Kippers For Tea"

 

All Before Breakfast

From Facebook archives…

27 January 2016 at 10:55

This morning I got up and:-

• Rewound a toilet roll that had been unwound and left in a pile by Ferretfingers's bed.  You'd be amazed at how big a pile an unrolled toilet roll makes.  But the middle had vanished so I had to use my hands.

• Downstairs discovered the curtain rail end had vanished and most of one of the curtains hanging off.  So had to take all four curtains off, replace some of the hooks, slide them back on again and put elastic bands at the ends of the rail because they work so much better than the fiddly screw on things than come with the curtains.

• Sorted Ferretfingers out.  He's having the most dramatic cold in the nose, clutching his throat at every cough and wheezing "I'm choking".

• Made my breakfast – pausing to answer the door to let Ferretfingers out - and started eating it.

Then the master of the house arose.

 

Alarm Clock

 From Facebook archives

26 January 2012 at 18:31

Trying to work out which of the batteries decorating the living room were flat I sent Ferretfingers upstairs to get 'my little clock off the dressing table.'

"Was that the one that went off at 8 this morning?" growled Fester.

"I dunno.  I never heard it."

"Starts off quite discreetly then gets louder…"

"I still don't know."

"I shouted for you but nothing happened!  I had to get up and turn the bugger off myself!!"

Seeing as I was up at 7 to get his children ready for the day, and he'd had Radio 3 on so Ferretfingers had firmly shut the bedroom door, I was neither surprised nor sympathetic. 

Especially as the bugger didn't get himself up until well after 9.