When my mother was in a nursing home family members would visit with large bunches of flowers, grab the nearest vase and just shove them in. It used to infuriate me because I would then be the one stripping the lower leaves, trimming the stems and changing the water. If I didn't take the trouble, the water would soon be green and smelly and the flowers wouldn't last.
When I plucked up the courage to mention this to my sis-in-law she said, 'Oh but we want to spend our time talking to her and in any case we know how much you love flower arranging and you're so much better at it!'
