Had To Share

cookessentials, Jun 25, 11:53am
I mentioned one of my customers in another thread the other day, who comes in to see me and he is ninety. We have a bit of a chat and he loves cooking and brings me in various recipes to try and i give him some of mine to try. He used to be the steward on the Queen's flight around New Zealand in 1954!
Anyway, he came in yesterday and had written me a poem which I thought I would share.
"Life itself is full, not only of charm and warmth and comfort but of sorrow and tears, but whether we are happy or sad, we must be fed. Both happy and sad people can be cheered up by a nice meal"

He lives on his own and is quite lonely, so the poem itself meant alot and i thought it was a lovely one to share, thank you Alf.
tipsy_bl0nde, Jun 25, 11:55am
Wow that is so charming thanks for sharing that
eastie3, Jun 25, 12:16pm
Didn't you say he was in his 80's, or was it 90's ?

The problem with living to such a great age is that you outlive your friends, or at least those of a similar age.

We had a very elderly neighbour once, she loved my children who were then preschoolers and would often come over for a cup of tea. I sometimes wondered how she could put up with their company when they were squealing and being naughty and noisy. Now I look back and realise that she was more lonely than anything else. Her own family were a mystery as she didn't really talk about them. She also shared recipes and tactfully guided my baking away from the many flops I experienced to being passable. I saw her as a kindly old granny-type, and thought nothing of giving her a lift to the dr or supermarket, but I look back on it now and am glad that she was a part of our lives.
indy95, Jun 25, 12:23pm
How very true that is, cookessentials. Your ninety year old gentleman sounds like quite a charmer.

I can remember an elderly gentleman I met several years ago whose wife had recently passed away and who decided at the age of around eighty or so that he had better learn to cook. He enrolled in a cooking course without telling any of his family and in due course stunned them when they came to visit him by producing a homecooked meal for the first time in his life. He told me that the expressions on the faces of his middle aged children were worth seeing and his pleasure at being able to do this was immeasurable.

You are never too old to learn !
cookessentials, Jun 25, 12:34pm
He will be ninety in december and he is such a fascinating man to talk to. He even bought in photos of him meeting the Queen AND the original menu of hers from the trip which everyone had signed. He was talking about Rick Stein the other day and mentioned his upcoming show in Wellington and when I said "oh, we will be in Melbourne then" he seemed disappointed, I think he was keen to go along but had no way of getting there. He has two daughters, but has seen neither of them for years which I think is terribly sad. He loves cooking and enjoys trading the recipes. He was saying that he was riding a bike up until about three years ago!
juliewn, Jun 25, 6:05pm
How lovely Pam. . :-). . I'd guess it made your day. .
griffo4, Jun 25, 6:13pm
He sounds really lovely they are such great people to talk to as they have seen so much and are a wealth of information and great stories
glendeb, Jun 25, 6:50pm
Oh thats lovely. Sounds like the two of you share a fantastic relationship. Sad that his children don't have much/anything to do with him.

I do like his poem though :)
cookessentials, Jun 25, 7:10pm
He is such a lovely chap and as bright as a button and his eyesight is better than mine! He popped in while I was out and he spoke with my husband who thought he was such a great chap. He has a set number of recipes that he "rotates" every few weeks, so I have given him my beef and bean casserole recipe because he likes to do it all in one pan. Had we been here when Rick Stein was in Wellington, we would have certainly asked if he would like to join us and go to the show.
alebix, Jun 25, 7:40pm
Its really nice that you look out for him too, . He sounds like a real treasure.
winnie231, Jun 25, 9:45pm
What a lovely chap Pam! It seems a shame he will miss the show because you are away ... is there any way you could play fairy godmother & get him to the ball with someone else? An aquaintance through your shop or even a plug on your local radio station?
cookessentials, Sep 7, 4:10am
He has some friends who are from Cornwall and he reckons that to them, seeing Rick Stein is like going to see the Queen, so I am hoping that he may go with them. He did say he would have a chat to them about going. I have told himm to get a wiggle on though as I think tickets will go pretty quickly.