Apple Crumble anyone?

[Tufty]

Today has not been a good day.

My Dad (Mum's Carer) and suffering from chronic pain was in real agony earlier this evening - in bed now with "bearable" pain in his words.

Mum (early stage Alzheimer's) not really taking it in, kept offering him cups of tea, and then, after Dad had gone to bed, obsessively going through her diary and asking me questions - why did this entry change?, who are we due to see tomorrow?, what do you mean we might have to change plans tomorrow?, what time do we need to have breakfast tomorrow? over and over. Mum in bed too now.

I have to scream, but let me make it on a topic which at least has a funny side.

My parents have an apple tree in their garden, and apples from two neighbouring properties also drop into their garden. They have always collected the apples and bottled or frozen them - in reasonable quantities. Bottling now too difficult, so it's just freezing the purée.

Earlier today I de-iced their two freezers and one fridge/freezer. I counted up the 500gm pots of frozen apple purée. 50. Yes, fifty of them. Takes almost half the available freezer space. This for an elderly couple who are finally talking seriously about moving into sheltered accommodation later this year.

What makes it funny/screaming is that my Mum won't stop. She insists on carrying on and preparing/freezing more. The fact that we've run out of the plastic tubs doesn't matter. The fact that they need the remaining freezer space for their regular supplies doesn't matter.

Oh well, at least I'm learning. I've stopped arguing. Tomorrow or Wednesday, depending upon emergency appointments for my Dad, I'll help her peel and prepare several more kilos of apples. Thursday is compost bin day - I'll just add some apple purée to the bin when her back is turned.

Unless anyone fancies an apple crumble?

 

[pippop1]

Cider Glider?

I don't know if it helps (maybe for next year) but we have our apples picked for FREE by London Cider Glider http://www.londonglider.com/.

This small company, based in Woodford Green in East London/Essex, turns all the apples and pears that it picks into yummy cider and has won quite a few awards for it. When it's ready you get a couple of bottles for free!

The advantage, for us, is that we don't have to pick the apples off our very large tree. One year they picked 128kgs off our tree, but this year much less.

Maybe your parents would be interested? Once they are picked that's it for the year!

 

[malomm]

Today has not been a good day.

My Dad (Mum's Carer) and suffering from chronic pain was in real agony earlier this evening - in bed now with "bearable" pain in his words.

Mum (early stage Alzheimer's) not really taking it in, kept offering him cups of tea, and then, after Dad had gone to bed, obsessively going through her diary and asking me questions - why did this entry change?, who are we due to see tomorrow?, what do you mean we might have to change plans tomorrow?, what time do we need to have breakfast tomorrow? over and over. Mum in bed too now.

I have to scream, but let me make it on a topic which at least has a funny side.

My parents have an apple tree in their garden, and apples from two neighbouring properties also drop into their garden. They have always collected the apples and bottled or frozen them - in reasonable quantities. Bottling now too difficult, so it's just freezing the purée.

Earlier today I de-iced their two freezers and one fridge/freezer. I counted up the 500gm pots of frozen apple purée. 50. Yes, fifty of them. Takes almost half the available freezer space. This for an elderly couple who are finally talking seriously about moving into sheltered accommodation later this year.

What makes it funny/screaming is that my Mum won't stop. She insists on carrying on and preparing/freezing more. The fact that we've run out of the plastic tubs doesn't matter. The fact that they need the remaining freezer space for their regular supplies doesn't matter.

Oh well, at least I'm learning. I've stopped arguing. Tomorrow or Wednesday, depending upon emergency appointments for my Dad, I'll help her peel and prepare several more kilos of apples. Thursday is compost bin day - I'll just add some apple purée to the bin when her back is turned.

Unless anyone fancies an apple crumble?

Hi Tufty, good stuff. I can see the funny side of this strategy. I have to adopt it on a daily basis to get rid of kitchen waste, or unwanted items. My wife has an obsession with hoarding useless stuff. Any yoghourt pots, small wicker baskets, or plastic food trays, or anything like that, are religiously washed to clutter up the kitchen annexe. No food leftovers can be thrown away. Anything surplus from the garden has to be processed to clutter up the freezer. All commendable stuff, but not when it becomes an obsession. So late evening, when the recycled rubbish goes out, I have to smuggle out a bit at a time. All good clean fun and part of our caring routine eh? I would love some apple crumble by the way.
keep smiling,
malomm
malomm

 

[Rageddy Anne]

Nice with pork!

 

[Tin]

Oh god, I've got 1,2,3,4,5,6 apple trees, huge, mature and full of fruit! Going to try and get in touch with local pig farmer who approached me last year, he said he will take all including windfalls.

 

[Jessbow]

at least they are costing you very little. My mother insisted on buying meat - especially if it was reduced. and it all went in the freezer, never got cooked - she didn't have the ability and dad really couldn't manage a full roast dinner, other than occasionally.

4 whole legs of lamb, chickens, beef joints.... nightmare!
Cost a flippin fortune.

 

[only daughter]

Thankfully no apple trees in my parents garden, but Dad has an obsession about kitchen roll. He rips pieces off and then makes smaller pieces and leaves them all over the place its starting to get on my Mums nerves as she is the one that has to pick it up.

Apple crumble sounds good unfortunately I think you may live too far away.

 

[Tufty]

Cider Glider - well I never

I don't know if it helps (maybe for next year) but we have our apples picked for FREE by London Cider Glider http://www.londonglider.com/.

This small company, based in Woodford Green in East London/Essex, turns all the apples and pears that it picks into yummy cider and has won quite a few awards for it. When it's ready you get a couple of bottles for free!

The advantage, for us, is that we don't have to pick the apples off our very large tree. One year they picked 128kgs off our tree, but this year much less.

Maybe your parents would be interested? Once they are picked that's it for the year!

Of course for my Mum this would be far too sensible and rational, and that would have been the same before Alzheimer's set in! 'Scuse my sarcasm.

Mentioned to my Dad and he found it an interesting story. They actually live in NE London, so not far away from Cider Glider.

However, by next year I really hope we've got them moved into some form of supported housing where they can get appropriate support. Big push on that starts in October when Dad has had an operation on his back, and we have a better idea of what his needs are for the next few years.

 

[Tufty]

Thanks All

This board helps me keep my problems in perspective. Plenty of humour, and stories that make me realise how much worse others' problems are.

Thanks all!

 

[Chase my tail]

Hi my Mam does this with rhubarb from the garden when I defrosted her freezer pots and pots of rhubarb sneaked some in the bin and covered with household rubbish , so she couldn't see what I had done . Then I said I loved Rhubard so got some off her regularly to make crumble for them and me .Lots of other stuff that she saves I take home with me expressing an interest in old newspapers , margarine tubs , dossette boxes and the like . I am becoming quite good at quickly coming up with a use and reason why I need such things .
Mam probably says to Dad when I go that I am getting to be a hoarder.
I sometimes move something that I think is never used and is either not working , worn out etc after a couple of weeks get rid of it without mam knowing which I do feel a bit guilty about but it's the only way I can try to keep stuff from piling up .

 

[Rageddy Anne]

Hi, Chase my tail, please can you think of a good reason for me to remove( throw away) about a hundred gradually biodegrading plastic compost bags from my husband's shed?

 

[ASH74]

Hi, Chase my tail, please can you think of a good reason for me to remove( throw away) about a hundred gradually biodegrading plastic compost bags from my husband's shed?

I removed several thousand neatly folded plastic bags from my MIL's ..... FIL encouraged us (the house is full to bursting) ......said I could use them at school ....send stuff home etc etc.....(going to recycling!) .....anyway phone call within hours bring them back....she needs them! So they are still there!


Sent from my iPad using Talking Point

 

[Chase my tail]

Hi Raggedy Anne
What about need them for a litter picking day where they would appreciate some bags ,to put the rubbish in also keeping costs down ! that's if your husband would believe that.
We have been to Mams today to prune ( well bit more drastic than pruning ! ) probably going to need 100 bags . Trying to get on top of the garden for them .
It's sad because the garden has always been lovely but they don't manage it haven't for a while . However the front which is easy to maintain is always lovely