The long goodbye

When Ruff Red comes home for holiday it sparks both chaos and fond memories.

- PAT MCDERMOTT 

We'd been getting ready for several weeks. Ruff Red and new bride Rebecca were on their way from New York to Sydney for a holiday and to recover from the hectic business of getting married. It was time for sun, sand and sea.

"There goes the car," grumbled the MOTH (Man of the House). But I knew he'd already filled the petrol tank and checked the insurance. He left to stock up on wine and beer while I put out fresh towels, made up the spare room bed and reassured Ruff Red the living room sofa was quite comfortable provided he avoided rolling to the right where a testy spring poked through the cushions.

What we'd forgotten in our excitement was that Ruff Red is a foodie. He likes to dine out and he loves to dine in. Most of all he loves to cook for other people whether they want him to or not. He can turn a tidy kitchen into a sticky, cluttered mess in the time it takes to boil an egg.