Written last week. Already behind. I took the batter off a fish at the venue and ate mashed potatoes with the fish. White diet on track,
with the procedure done today, Monday.
Well, back to square one with me now teaching Kosov how to drive. Phyllis is quite competent at driving now and has not banged up my car. Kosov has an Indian driving licence which makes it an easy administrative process. He needs to sit the test, and he's done the theory, so as he has an Indian driving licence, driving a manual car, stick shift as I believe it is called in America, it should be easy.
It isn't. He doesn't know how to drive at all. I would almost say he is worse than Phyllis at the beginning. I had to smack his left leg to get it away from the brake pedal and on to the footrest. One day driving around Albert Park Lake, with quite some improvement the next day, I'm sure he'll get there. Twice I told Phyllis who was in the back seat to shut up at advising Kosov about his driving in their language.
It interests me how they switch from their language to English and back. Oddly sometimes with me around they will talk their own language, but from their bedroom, I hear them talking in English and their own language. Their language sounds quite rapid fire, and they tend to speak English very rapidly, which at times makes it hard for me to understand them. Phyllis' spoken English is better, whereas Kosov's is slower, and at times he struggles for the correct English word.
It's been a busy week, with three medical appointments and dinner out with Bone Doctor and Jo, who called in after spending a couple of days with Bone Doctor's mother in south Gippsland, who is rapidly deteriorating with MS.
They parked here and went out to explore the new Metro Tunnel, before returning for an early dinner with me and then going off to see a new production of Pirates of Penzance at the Palais Theatre. Sister and Bone Doctor bought Jo a car from an elderly couple across the road and Jo's university where she will live in, is a long way from home, and she will return to home each weekend.
Today I went food shopping, and I say that advisedly as I mostly buy tissues and Vim, along with restocking my metaphorical wine cellar. Phyllis and Kosov buy most of the fresh food to cook. It has become a lot harder to find a car parking space where I shop, so I need to leave home before 10.00. This does not suit me, so I am thinking of another way to shop.
Sunday there will be a family celebration for my great niece's 10th birthday. It's over an hour away, in Balnarring, which most people, including me pronounce as Balnairing, but last weekend at the great nephew's first birthday, my niece's husband argued to his wife and children that it is more like the a in apple, and he was quite right. I hate being wrong so I did check.
Sadly I will be on the 'white diet' on Sunday, some of you will know what I mean, and I've looked at the menu and I can have grilled fish and chips, no vegetables or salad.
Can I chuck in a photo? Let me look. Don't we all need a blue Aga?
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Can you get grocery delivery? We get all our groceries delivered. Dave hates going to the shops. We use Ocado but I'm sure there are other providers there.
ReplyDeleteI can Steve, but I like going for my weekly outing in the car to shop.
DeleteI get my groceries delivered here in Montreal. I take public transit and I am grateful that the store delivers my large order, which I do about every two weeks.
ReplyDeleteLinda, if I had winter weather like you have, I expect I would order groceries online.
DeleteI've been getting grocery delivery for five years+. I'm completely spoiled for actually going to shops now! Who does that??
ReplyDeleteI do Boud, and I quite enjoy it, except for the parking issue.
DeleteColes or Woolies online.
ReplyDeleteAnd Aldi, and Dan's, but I don't want to.
DeleteYou are both a dad and a mentor for Phyllis.
ReplyDeleteRoentare, yes and no. I can't tell him what to do in his life. His official status is as a tenant, but he does listen to me and takes on advice.
DeleteWhite fish? You mean grilled fish? I only ever eat grilled fish is the best, you can taste it. and not the greasy batter. I love English Indian accents.or is it Indian English accents? Probably the latter . , my wonderful physio is Indian and she also has the best laugh.
ReplyDeleteYou know the phrase, , drive to the conditions.? Kosov obviously knows how to drive in India. Now he is learning to drive to Melbourne conditions and Uncle Andrew is just the uncle to teach him.!
I guess not salmon or tuna, and yes grilled. Maybe Indian Australian accents? I am trying to maintain the effort I did with Phyllis, but it is hard work.
DeleteA friend of mine laughed and said she was allowed to go back to her childhood - she was having Rice Bubbles and White Chocolate along with White Bread Toast for breakfast
ReplyDeleteCathy, that is one clever and amusing way to look at it. I am not sure if white chocolate was on the 'can have' list.
Deleteyou mean the low residual diet, is that white diet? Kosov probably has to be on the brake constantly in India. I've seen those intersections on TV, so must be true, jammed in traffic and motor bikes and bikes all seeming to go every which direction.
ReplyDeleteStrayer, that sounds like it is the same.
DeleteI'm not really sure, but I think in the area they come from the traffic is not as bad and more rule abiding.
I have no idea about the white diet and whatever procedure you had. Kosov will learn soon enough about not needing to be quick on the brakes.
ReplyDeleteThe rapid-fire English is something I hate when trying to get anything done on the phone and the call is going through an Indian call centre. Even some (delivery) companies here in Australia are run by Indians and I am constantly saying "stop, please stop," and then "speak slowly as I cannot understand you."
Love the blue Aga.
River, I so agree. If the accent is strong, it needs to be spoken more slowly.
DeleteI believe Aldi also does deliveries now.
ReplyDeleteIt does, but as I don't buy fresh food, I don't buy much there.
DeleteAt a place where I worked I overheard two Hispanic guys talking to each. They would switch from Spanish to English (or vice-versa) in MID-SENTENCE. When I good-naturedly pointed this out to one of them, he replied that they were both born to Spanish-speaking parents but raised in America, so both languages had become intertwined with each other. In fact, he told me they're barely conscious that they are going back and forth.
ReplyDeleteKIrk, I think it is exactly the same. They will switch between the two mid conversation, and their parents both speak accented English well enough.
DeleteNever a dull moment these days. Never heard of a white diet. Is it another way of saying nothing fried or fancy just bland.
ReplyDeleteYes, Fun60. Fried is ok, but no condiments. Milk, cottage cheese, white bread, margarine, eggs, plain yoghurt, white fish and chicken are all ok.
DeleteGood luck with the white diet and the next day I presume.
ReplyDeleteNothing like a back seat driver, can't do without them, no matter what language, glad you fixed that.
Margaret, the worst part was the prep. The day went ok, although I felt out of sorts this morning.
DeleteGreat to see the progress with the driving classes! I’ve heard from some non-Indians that we tend to speak English fast. Combined with the accent, I guess, it might be a bit tough to follow at times.
ReplyDeleteYes, maybe a lesson later today Pradeep.
DeleteThe low-fibre white diet? Hopefully, the procedure soon passed and you're back to choosing what you eat.
ReplyDeleteJB, yes, all done and back to normal.
DeleteIt takes a while to get over driving a manual transmission car. It is hard to get them these days. Back seat drivers are no fun, Andrew.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the procedure.
Pat, while Iearnt to drive a manual, my first car was an auto and aside from Ray's VW in the 80s, I've always had autos. Even my sister, an ardent manual car driver has come to the dark side and now has an automatic.
DeleteBeautiful appliance! Good you have family about. My husband's care. Home is of course owned and employees wonderful people born in the Philippines and they speak quite fluently in their language. When I am present daily. They switch back and forth and I have learned a word or too just to be polite. It is interesting the switching or code switching. Makes me feel rather clodish To rely on English with a few polite words and phrases in other languages. I encounter here in Hawaii. Interesting post. Andrew, thank you
ReplyDeleteCloudia, we English speakers are hopeless, but as English is the lingua franca of the world, we don't have to learn many languages to communicate. Many of our call centres are in the Philippines, staffed by Filipinos.
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