Visitor fatigue
Sep 22nd 2016, 8:53 pm
#47
Magnificently Withering
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: Oakville, ON
Posts: 6,891
Re: Visitor fatigue
Nobody cooks supper. We eat decent cheese, olives, assorted cured meats, interesting crackers, and drink wine. Sometimes we remember to feed the children...
Sep 22nd 2016, 9:09 pm
#48
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2010
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 170
Re: Visitor fatigue
Nobody cooks supper. We eat decent cheese, olives, assorted cured meats, interesting crackers, and drink wine. Sometimes we remember to feed the children...
that is great for a weekend - three weeks necessitates cooking.
that is great for a weekend - three weeks necessitates cooking.
Sep 22nd 2016, 9:52 pm
#49
Banned
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: SW Ontario
Posts: 19,879
Re: Visitor fatigue
As for visitors, I've only had one - my sister - 10 years ago.
Sep 22nd 2016, 10:34 pm
#50
Oscar nominated
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Moncton, NB, CANADA
Posts: 50,851
Re: Visitor fatigue
I paid for my mum to come over for the first summer in our new house and the first winter. 2005.
She and my wife really didn't get on. By the time my wife was ready to bite her tongue/let bygones etc there was no spare money to bring her over and she couldn't afford it either.
I totally get the "have to be here long enough for it to be worth it" but while it's a great place to live, there's not enough in Moncton to keep someone entertained after such a trip.
Even when me and a mate visited his dad in Saint John in 75, the time was spent touring PEI and NS with a week in Montreal/Toronto/Niagara in the middle. Most of the rest of the time we were out on his dad's boat Tich.
I've invited (more hinted) brothers to come over and help with snow clearing.
Sep 22nd 2016, 10:46 pm
#51
She'll be right
Joined: Sep 2012
Location: Near the beach, NZ
Posts: 1,498
Re: Visitor fatigue
I still have the horrible memories etched on my brain after having to organize dinner for my parents when my step dad is a the worlds most fussiest eater! Doesn't like garlic, no pasta or rice, only roast potatoes/chips (not boiled, mashed etc), barely any veggies, no fish. Essentially mine and my partners whole diet he would not eat! Three weeks of that (I think the local liquor store were loving the amount of wine I had to buy to drown it all out 
)
)
Sep 22nd 2016, 10:50 pm
#52
She'll be right
Joined: Sep 2012
Location: Near the beach, NZ
Posts: 1,498
Sep 22nd 2016, 11:36 pm
#53
.
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 20,185
Re: Visitor fatigue
Most of you lot are really miserable bastards. 
Sep 23rd 2016, 12:16 am
#54
Listen to the Music
Joined: Mar 2013
Location: Fraser Valley BC
Posts: 4,723
Sep 23rd 2016, 1:11 am
#55
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 3,363
Re: Visitor fatigue
Reading this thread and the thread about people's recollections of their parents I can see a lot of correlation. I get the sense that many of the parents/siblings still in the UK felt obligated to visit their relatives now in Canada, did it once and then didn't feel obliged to do it again.
Sep 23rd 2016, 1:18 am
#56
.
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 20,185
Re: Visitor fatigue
Reading this thread and the thread about people's recollections of their parents I can see a lot of correlation. I get the sense that many of the parents/siblings still in the UK felt obligated to visit their relatives now in Canada, did it once and then didn't feel obliged to do it again.
Not surprised with their attitudes towards guests.
I don't get many people visiting here but when I lived on the east coast I had lots. It was great, I really appreciated them taking the time and making the effort to come. Plus, it was fun as I got to do things I wouldn't necessarily do in the city on my own, visit tourist places, go to nice restaurants and generally use their visit as an excuse to misbehave for a couple of weeks.
Sep 23rd 2016, 1:41 am
#57
Oscar nominated
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Moncton, NB, CANADA
Posts: 50,851
Re: Visitor fatigue
In the other direction...
Back in the 70s I had a series of penfriends in the USA (the reason for my Seattle and NYC trip)
One of the others already had a trip to the UK planned but had been let down by someone they (she and her sister) were planning to stay with for part of their visit.
They hadn't budgeted for unexpected accommodation costs so phoned me and asked if they could come to Bristol for a couple of days before picking up their plans again.
I'm 19 and a couple of American girls ask if they can stay at my flat for a couple of days. Well, let me think....
Their first evening we were in a local park and my well meaning flat mate grabs a sister by the hand and runs off with her so I could have some "alone time"
Of course he ran off with the penfriend leaving me with the wrong sister.
Back in the 70s I had a series of penfriends in the USA (the reason for my Seattle and NYC trip)
One of the others already had a trip to the UK planned but had been let down by someone they (she and her sister) were planning to stay with for part of their visit.
They hadn't budgeted for unexpected accommodation costs so phoned me and asked if they could come to Bristol for a couple of days before picking up their plans again.
I'm 19 and a couple of American girls ask if they can stay at my flat for a couple of days. Well, let me think....
Their first evening we were in a local park and my well meaning flat mate grabs a sister by the hand and runs off with her so I could have some "alone time"
Of course he ran off with the penfriend leaving me with the wrong sister.
Sep 23rd 2016, 4:37 am
#58
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: BC, Canada
Posts: 3,874
Re: Visitor fatigue
One advantage of growing old is that one's friends are also groring older, and much less likely to want to make the trip over here, especially now that air travel can be so darn uncomfortable. We're all of the age where we remember the fantastic travel by plane that existed in the late 1960s and 1970s, when we all moved out of the UK to different countries around the world, or regularly travelled overseas on sabbaticals, etc.
Those that do come, and the younger members of the family have to take us as they find us ........... and help out!
Having said that, we've had more than our fair share of visitors over the years! One year we had 8 visitors and the 3 of us sleeping in this 2 bedroom and basement house ........... 2 famil rooms were plenty for some of the kids to sleep on the floor!
My father only visited once before he died, he spent 3 weeks with us in a 1 bedroom apartment.
In-laws made a habit of trying to come every 2 years fro 3 weeks at a time until they retired, then it became 4 weeks. M-i-l even came for 6 weeks once after f-i-l died. Our saving grace with them was that after 1970, her daughter was married and living in small town 800 kms north of here, so they would divide the time equally between the two families, but ours was also split into half as they arrived and left from Vancouver!
The first visit by them was the funniest .............. by that time we had begun to cook as the Americans and Canadians did, ie, veggies crisp, meat medium to rare, etc. In-laws still cooked a la English 1940s/50s.
Result was all their friends and relations being told on their return "Poor xxxxx, his wife cannot cook at all"!!!!!!
Their second visit was about 18 months later, at Christmas time, for their daughter's marriage on Dec 22. As we were eating Christmas dinner at our house, m-i-l looked at OH eating sprouts, and commented "You must really like them like that! You never ate sprouts at home" :rflol:
By the time we next visited them, m-i-l had also changed the way she cooked
Our son-i-l is the only really picky eater we've had ....... he has to leave on his plate what he doesn't like or doesn't eat
Those that do come, and the younger members of the family have to take us as they find us ........... and help out!
Having said that, we've had more than our fair share of visitors over the years! One year we had 8 visitors and the 3 of us sleeping in this 2 bedroom and basement house ........... 2 famil rooms were plenty for some of the kids to sleep on the floor!
My father only visited once before he died, he spent 3 weeks with us in a 1 bedroom apartment.
In-laws made a habit of trying to come every 2 years fro 3 weeks at a time until they retired, then it became 4 weeks. M-i-l even came for 6 weeks once after f-i-l died. Our saving grace with them was that after 1970, her daughter was married and living in small town 800 kms north of here, so they would divide the time equally between the two families, but ours was also split into half as they arrived and left from Vancouver!
The first visit by them was the funniest .............. by that time we had begun to cook as the Americans and Canadians did, ie, veggies crisp, meat medium to rare, etc. In-laws still cooked a la English 1940s/50s.
Result was all their friends and relations being told on their return "Poor xxxxx, his wife cannot cook at all"!!!!!!
Their second visit was about 18 months later, at Christmas time, for their daughter's marriage on Dec 22. As we were eating Christmas dinner at our house, m-i-l looked at OH eating sprouts, and commented "You must really like them like that! You never ate sprouts at home" :rflol:
By the time we next visited them, m-i-l had also changed the way she cooked
Our son-i-l is the only really picky eater we've had ....... he has to leave on his plate what he doesn't like or doesn't eat
Sep 23rd 2016, 5:00 am
#59
She'll be right
Joined: Sep 2012
Location: Near the beach, NZ
Posts: 1,498
Sep 23rd 2016, 5:04 am
#60
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: Visitor fatigue
One advantage of growing old is that one's friends are also groring older, and much less likely to want to make the trip over here, especially now that air travel can be so darn uncomfortable. We're all of the age where we remember the fantastic travel by plane that existed in the late 1960s and 1970s, when we all moved out of the UK to different countries around the world, or regularly travelled overseas on sabbaticals, etc.
Those that do come, and the younger members of the family have to take us as they find us ........... and help out!
Having said that, we've had more than our fair share of visitors over the years! One year we had 8 visitors and the 3 of us sleeping in this 2 bedroom and basement house ........... 2 famil rooms were plenty for some of the kids to sleep on the floor!
My father only visited once before he died, he spent 3 weeks with us in a 1 bedroom apartment.
In-laws made a habit of trying to come every 2 years fro 3 weeks at a time until they retired, then it became 4 weeks. M-i-l even came for 6 weeks once after f-i-l died. Our saving grace with them was that after 1970, her daughter was married and living in small town 800 kms north of here, so they would divide the time equally between the two families, but ours was also split into half as they arrived and left from Vancouver!
The first visit by them was the funniest .............. by that time we had begun to cook as the Americans and Canadians did, ie, veggies crisp, meat medium to rare, etc. In-laws still cooked a la English 1940s/50s.
Result was all their friends and relations being told on their return "Poor xxxxx, his wife cannot cook at all"!!!!!!
Their second visit was about 18 months later, at Christmas time, for their daughter's marriage on Dec 22. As we were eating Christmas dinner at our house, m-i-l looked at OH eating sprouts, and commented "You must really like them like that! You never ate sprouts at home" :rflol:
By the time we next visited them, m-i-l had also changed the way she cooked
Our son-i-l is the only really picky eater we've had ....... he has to leave on his plate what he doesn't like or doesn't eat
Those that do come, and the younger members of the family have to take us as they find us ........... and help out!
Having said that, we've had more than our fair share of visitors over the years! One year we had 8 visitors and the 3 of us sleeping in this 2 bedroom and basement house ........... 2 famil rooms were plenty for some of the kids to sleep on the floor!
My father only visited once before he died, he spent 3 weeks with us in a 1 bedroom apartment.
In-laws made a habit of trying to come every 2 years fro 3 weeks at a time until they retired, then it became 4 weeks. M-i-l even came for 6 weeks once after f-i-l died. Our saving grace with them was that after 1970, her daughter was married and living in small town 800 kms north of here, so they would divide the time equally between the two families, but ours was also split into half as they arrived and left from Vancouver!
The first visit by them was the funniest .............. by that time we had begun to cook as the Americans and Canadians did, ie, veggies crisp, meat medium to rare, etc. In-laws still cooked a la English 1940s/50s.
Result was all their friends and relations being told on their return "Poor xxxxx, his wife cannot cook at all"!!!!!!
Their second visit was about 18 months later, at Christmas time, for their daughter's marriage on Dec 22. As we were eating Christmas dinner at our house, m-i-l looked at OH eating sprouts, and commented "You must really like them like that! You never ate sprouts at home" :rflol:
By the time we next visited them, m-i-l had also changed the way she cooked
Our son-i-l is the only really picky eater we've had ....... he has to leave on his plate what he doesn't like or doesn't eat
This is the biggest issue I have when visiting anyone, I am a very picky and selective eater, so I try and avoid eating at others homes unless they know me and make something I will eat.