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Doggone it! Groom's passport eaten by pup just days ahead of international wedding

A couple's dream wedding abroad has been put in jeopardy after their cheeky golden retriever destroyed the groom-to-be's passport just weeks before their big day. Donato Frattaroli and his fiancée Magda, from Boston in the US, have planned their dream nuptials in Italy, with their big day coming up on August 31st. The couple went to city hall to fill out the intention of marriage forms a week before they were set to fly out, when Donato realised their dog, a golden retriever named Chickie, has destroyed his passport. The dog had chewed through several pages of the passport, rendering it completely useless. Donato said that Chickie, short for chicken cutlet, knew the damage she had caused. "She kinda knew what she did and all of a sudden, she got really cuddly, you know, head on the lap kind of thing," he told <a href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/dog-eats-groom-bes-passport-weeks-international-wedding-102418832" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Good Morning America</a>. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Dog ate my ... passport?! A Boston couple’s golden retriever chewed through multiple pages of groom Donatto Frattaroli’s passport just days before they were set to fly to Italy for their wedding. <a href="https://t.co/LN7fhOtOr7">pic.twitter.com/LN7fhOtOr7</a> — Good Morning America (@GMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/GMA/status/1693596934467191192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2023</a></blockquote> Donato has now contacted state officials to help them get to the altar in Italy in time. "I'm just a little stressed," Frattaroli said. "Luckily, Congressman (Stephen) Lynch's office and Senator (Ed) Markey's office have been super responsive. They've been in touch, at least with me and the State Department, to try to expedite things and get a new passport." "Keep my fingers crossed and, hopefully, everything will work itself out." Donato attended a passport appointment on Monday to get the important document, and is crossing his fingers it arrives before their flight departs on Friday. The couple told local Boston news outlet WCVB that if Frattaroli's passport replacement doesn't come in time, Magda and their wedding guests will travel to Italy without Frattaroli and he'll welcome them all home when they return to the US. Image credits: Good Morning America / WCVB TV

Travel Trouble

Homemade snack eaten by the Queen every day for over nine decades

A former royal chef has revealed that Queen Elizabeth II has been eating one particular snack ever since she was first served it as a child in the royal nursery. Darren McGrady worked for the royal family for almost two decades according to The Sun, and has since revealed some of the Queen’s favourite dishes and frequent requests, including one known as Jam Pennies. McGrady described Jam Pennies as a simple sandwich of “bread and jam with a little butter - usually strawberry jam”, and said the Queen has been eating them every day for 91 years. “We’d make the jam at Balmoral Castle with the gorgeous Scottish strawberries from the gardens,” he said. Meanwhile, another former royal chef has said the Queen is partial to a tuna and mayonnaise sandwich, a popular combination among Brits, but with her own twist. Owen Hodgson told the Telegraph that the monarch prefers hers well-buttered with cucumbers and pepper. Aside from sandwiches, McGrady has shared more insights into Her Majesty’s dining habits, including her insistence on having afternoon tea no matter where in the world she happens to be. The chef recalled one particular instance when he flew to Australia and settled aboard a royal yacht at 5am local time, which was five in the afternoon for the Queen - meaning his first task was to make scones. “In terms of scones - one day plain and one day with raisins folded through,” he said of the Queen’s usual afternoon tea spread. “Also, tiny pastries like raspberry tartlets and a cut cake, honey and cream sponge, fruit cake, banana bread, or her favourite chocolate biscuit cake. “It would all be washed down with a delightful steaming hot cup of Earl Grey tea.” Image: Getty Images

Food & Wine

The one meal Victoria Beckham has eaten every day for 25 years

David Beckham has exposed his wife Victoria Beckham’s eating habits, revealing she eats the same meal every day for the last 25 years.The famous footballer recalled one of his “favourite evenings” when Victoria deviated from her strict diet, eating something off his plate when she was pregnant with their fourth child.David spoke on the River Cafe Table 4 podcast about the food his family eats, telling the host: “I get quite emotional about food and wine. When I’m eating something great I want everyone to try it.“Unfortunately I’m married to someone that has eaten the same thing for the last 25 years,” he went on to say.“Since I met her she only eats grilled fish, steamed vegetables, she will very rarely deviate from that,” he said.David looked back fondly on one particular evening when his wife ate something off his plate, back when she was pregnant with their youngest child Harper, now 10 years old.“The only time she’s probably ever shared something that’s been on my plate was actually when she was pregnant with Harper and it was the most amazing thing.“It was one of my favourite evenings. I can’t remember what it was but I know she’s not eaten it since,” David said.Victoria has previously admitted that she won’t eat any food cooked in oil, butter, or sauces, and she doesn’t eat red meat or dairy.The former Spice Girls singer also shared that her comfort food is a piece of wholegrain toast with salt on it and on her birthday she celebrates with a cake made from fruit.David told the podcast that when he has the house to himself he loves cooking whatever he fancies.Pretty recently I was in isolation for five days because I’d just been to Italy so I came back and on one of the last days Victoria’s parents had a party and I couldn’t actually go to it, so everyone was out of the house and I secretly loved it."“I literally had two most amazing cuts of meat. One was a T-bone and I had some English wagyu."“I poured one glass of the most amazing red wine that I treated myself to because I was on my own looking forward to watching the football in the afternoon on my own. So I set the barbecue up,” David told the podcast host.David shows off his love of cooking on his Instagram, sharing a video of himself preparing a meal in Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen.He captioned the clip: “Learnt a new dish to celebrate Lunar New Year… Sweet and sour Mandarin Fish.“Must say I’m quite proud of how it turned out. Thanks for letting me use your kitchen @gordongram #LunarNewYear,” David wrote.Image: Getty

Food & Wine

The weirdest things dogs have eaten according to pet insurance claims

Why would a dog to burrow into the rubbish bin, find a disposable razor blade head and eat it? We'll never know, but that's exactly what a trendy retrodoodle (golden retriever crossed with miniature poodle) did before expensive surgery fixed the problem. The latest list of head-scratching behaviour behind claims received by Southern Cross Pet Insurance reveals many modern dogs are struggling to work out what is food and what isn't. Southern Cross Pet Insurance head Anthony McPhail says another recent case saw a German shepherd eat a duvet cover and the inner stuffing, which unsurprisingly caused an intestinal blockage. Other odd meals included a latex rubber glove, also retrieved from the rubbish, eaten by a fox terrier, and a Labrador that feasted on 100 cotton buds and their plastic packaging, before eating a pair of undies for dessert. A miniature poodle also fancied clothing and downed a pair of knee-high pantyhose stockings. It gets odder. There's the border collie that ate the metal teeth of a hairbrush and regretted it. Also full of regret was a great Dane which chewed on a Ventolin inhaler. This exploded in its mouth, causing a rapid heart rate and mouth bruising. A bottle dummy teat "incident" shows how expensive strange meals can be. The cavoodle (cavalier King Charles spaniel and poodle) needed surgery and cutting open to get the teat out of its stomach. This cost $2900. While it's much rarer for cats to be caught out eating crazy things, a few did join the dogs. A ragdoll cat dined out on nail painting toe separators, while a domestic short-haired cat was taken to the vet who removed a Whiskas soft food sachet and human hair from her stomach. Written by Ewan Sargent. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>.

Family & Pets

Just how much food is eaten on a cruise?

One of the best parts of being on a cruise is the food, and having all your meals taken care off while you’re enjoying life out on the open ocean certainly is a luxury. But, as you can imagine, Feeding 4,000 people at sea isn’t a piece of cake! Royal Caribbean has provided an insightful infographic that reveals just how much food gets eaten on a cruise. To see the full infographic, scroll down. <img width="500" height="729" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/27134/cruise-infographic_500x729.jpg" alt="Cruise -infographic" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/> How interesting! Did you have any idea so much work went into your cruise meal? Let us know in the comments! Image credit: Royal Caribbean Related links: <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/08/woman-survives-38-hours-at-sea-after-falling-off-cruise/">Woman survives 38 hours at sea after falling off cruise</a> <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/07/royal-caribbeans-ovation-of-the-seas-in-numbers/">Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas in numbers</a> <a href="/travel/cruising/2016/07/new-royal-caribbean-cruise-ship-announced/">World’s largest cruise ship to get a sister</a>

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