Onsdag den 28. september kl 1001 til fredag den 30. september 2016 kl 1629

 Onsdag

10:01 Vi kører over til Kennington, en lille forstad til Oxford, hvor vores venner, Jen og Bill, bor. På vej smutter vi ind i Newlands plejehjem i Witney og snakker lidt med min tante Bobby. Hun er mor til min fætter, John, der bor i Witney med sin kone, Chris, og til min kusine, Susan, der bor i Monument, Colorado USA. En sosu-assistent ledsager os til Bobbys værelse og vi snakker med hende i ca 30 minutter. Hun har det ikke ret godt nu, og hun bruger de fleste dage på at ligge og sove i sengen. Men hun husker os, og vi taler med hende om John og Susan, og vores ferie i Australien mellem april og juni.

11:00 Vi kører videre til Kennington og spiser frokost med Jen og Bill, vores venner, og Jens far, Basil, der i april fylder 100 år gammel – du godeste! Det er en skam, at vi ikke kan mødes med Daniel, Jens og Bills søn, fordi han er på arbejde i Radcliffe Camera, en del af universitetets bibliotek. Daniel har en god humoristisk sans. Han er lidt af en introvert, men han spiller guitar i sine fætres rockband. Bandet giver live shows i de lokale pubber. Han er 42 år gammel og single.

16:00 Vi kører over til Iffley og tjekker ind på Hawkwell House Hotel. Vi spiser aftensmad på hotellets restaurant og bruger resten af aftenen på vores værelse.

Torsdag

08:30 Vi spiser morgenmad på hotellets restaurant og tager bussen ind i byen. Vi leger turister lidt og besøger byens slot, der blev bygget i angel-saksiske tider for over 1000 år siden, og som også indtil for ca. 20 år siden var byens fængsel – uha! Vi spiser frokost på slottets café.

vi leger turister lidt i bymidten

vi besøger byens slot

13:00 Efter frokost går vi hen til Somerville College, hvor Margaret Thatcher i 1950’erne læste kemi og ser os om i kollegiums haver. Vi prøver at finde ud af, hvor det værksted lå, hvor Lois’s forfader arbejdede for 100 år siden, som rebslager, men så mange bygninger er blevet revet ned, at det er svært at være sikker på, nøjagtigt hvor rebslageri var.

vi besøger Somerville College, hvor Margaret Thatcher læste kemi i 1950’erne

vi prøver at finde spor af det rebslageri, hvor Lois’s forfader arbejdede for 100 år siden, 

men uden succes – uha!

15:00 Vi tager bussen tilbage til vores hotel og slapper af med en kop te i vores værelse. Vi spiser aftensmad på hotellets restaurant og bruger resten af aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn.

Fredag

08:30 Vi spiser morgenmad på hotellets restaurant og tjekker ud. Vi kører hjem til Cheltenham. Vi spiser frokost og bagefter går i seng og tager os en gigantisk eftermiddagslur – zzzzzz!!!!

English translation

Wednesday

10:01 We drive over to Kennington, a small suburb of Oxford, where our friends, Jen and Bill, live. On the way we pop into Newlands nursing home in Witney and talk a little with my aunt Bobby. She is the mother to my cousin John, who lives in Witney with his wife, Chris, and mother also to my cousin, Susan, who lives in Monument, Colorado USA. 

A social and health care assistant accompanies us to Bobby's room and we talk with her for about 30 minutes. She is not that well now, and she spends most days lying and sleeping in bed. But she remembers us, and we talk to her about John and Susan, and our vacation in Australia between April and June.

11:00 We drive to Kennington and eat lunch with Jen and Bill, our friends, and Jen's father, Basil, who in April will turn 100 years old - my goodness! It's a shame that we cannot meet with Daniel, Jen and Bill's son because he is at work in the Radcliffe Camera, part of the university library. Daniel has a good sense of humor. He is a bit of an introvert, but he plays guitar in his cousins' rock band. The band provides live shows in the local pubs. He is 42 years old and single.

16:00 We drive over to Iffley and check into Hawkwell House Hotel. We eat dinner at the hotel restaurant and spend the rest of the evening in our room.

Thursday

08:30 We eat breakfast at the hotel restaurant and take the bus into town. We play the tourist a little and visit the town's castle, which was built in Anglo-Saxon times  over 1000 years ago, and which until about 20 years ago was also the city jail - oh dear! We have lunch at the castle café.

we play the tourist in the town center

13:00 After lunch we walk over to Somerville College, where Margaret Thatcher studied chemistry in the 1950s and we look round in the College's gardens. We try to find out where the workshop was where Lois's ancestor worked 100 years ago, as a rope-maker, but so many buildings have been torn down, that it's hard to be sure exactly where the rope-walk was.

  

we visit Somerville College, where Margaret Thatcher studied chemistry in the 1950s

we try to find traces of the rope-walk, where Lois's ancestor worked 100 years ago, 

but without success - oh dear!

15:00 We take the bus back to our hotel and relax with a cup of tea in our room. We eat dinner at the hotel restaurant and spend the rest of the evening watching TV.

Friday

08:30 We eat breakfast at the hotel's restaurant and check out. We drive home to Cheltenham. We eat lunch and then go to bed and take a giant nap - zzzzzz !!!!

Tirsdag den 27. september kl 1630 til onsdag den 28. september 2016 kl 1000

17:30 Vi spiser tidligt aftensmad og bagefter skal vi af sted. Lois vil gerne deltage i et bibelseminar i Brockworth. Hun må for tiden ikke køre en bil om aftenen/natten på grund af grå stær, så jeg skal køre hende derover. Vi lægger seminarets te-udstyr og kopper osv i bilens bagagerum, og så kører vi af sted. Jeg sætter hende af ved byens medborgerhus og kører hjem.

19:30 Jeg har lidt alenetid i aften, så tænder jeg for fjernsynet. Der er ikke noget interessant i de hovedsaglige kanaler, så jeg beslutter at se endnu et andet gammelt afsnit af ”Grand Designs” i den More4 kanal .

Channel Four har vist denne serie over næsten 20 år, men jeg opdagede den kun for nylig. Jeg interesserede mig aldrig for den indtil for nogle måneder siden.

Jeg er ikke ret meget interesseret i husdesign, arkitektur osv, men jeg interesserer mig meget for mennesker, der er helt anderledes end mig selv. Jeg vil gerne først og fremmest forstå, hvad deres motivationer er, hvad driver dem til at få bygget disse enorme huser med enorme stuer og enorme vinduer, som føles så gigantiske og forholdsvis tomme og uhyggelige, ligesom en offentlig bygning, et hotel måske.

Min konklusion er at disse mennesker vil gerne først og fremmest imponere deres venner, og de bekymrer sig ikke ret meget over at irritere deres naboer. De er meget ekstroverte og har få rigtige hobbyer, og har ikke brug for at koncentrere sig og have ro omkring sig i fem minutter. De kan godt lide at holde store middagsselskaber, for at imponere deres venner. De bekymrer sig ikke over om deres naboer kan se dem gennem de enorme vinduer, og de sender dem et signal, at de har en bedre livstil, end naboerne.

I aftens par har fået bygget et enormt hus i en forstad til London. Jeg må indrømme, at bygningen ser meget smuk ud, især når man kigger på den udefra, med sin stor kurvede mur. Men det minder mig om et smart hotel. Køkkenet ligner en hotelbar. På anden sal findes børnenes enorme soveværelse, og har ingen indvendige vægge – du godeste! Sikke et mareridt!!!!

Udenfra ser huset meget smukt ud med sin enorme kurvede mur,

men det ligner mere et smart lille hotel, end et hjem!!!

Børnene skal sove i ét stort soveværelse på anden sal – sikke et mareridt!!!!

22:00 Lois kommer hjem igen. Ken, hendes ven, sætter hende af foran huset. Vi går i seng – zzzzzz!!!!

04:30 Jeg står tidligt op og laver én af mine rutinemæssige danske ordforrådtester. Bagefter laver jeg to kopper te og bringer dem op på vores soveværelse.

07:00 Vi står op og går i gang med at pakke vores ting i bilens bagagerum. Planen er som følger. Vi skal køre til Oxford i dag, og spise frokost med vores venner, Jen og Bill, i Kennington, en lille forstad til byen. På vej vil vi smutte ind i et plejehjem i Witney, og snakke lidt med min tante Bobbie, mor til min fætter John og mine kusine Susan, der bor i Monument, Colorado, USA. Vi vil bo to nætter i et hotel i Oxford og leger turister. Vi kører hjem på fredag, en lille eventyr for os, vores første siden vi fløj til Australien i marts for at se vores yngste datter, Sarah, og hendes familie i Perth.

10:00 Vi kører af sted.

English translation

17:30 We eat early dinner and afterwards we have to go off. Lois would like to participate in a Bible seminar in Brockworth. She cannot currently drive a car in the evening / night because of cataracts, so I have to run her over. We put the seminar tea equipment and cups etc. in the car trunk, and then we drive off. I drop her off by the town's community center and drive home.

19:30 I have a little time alone tonight, so I turn on the television. There is nothing interesting on the main channels, so I decide to see yet another old episode of "Grand Designs" on the More4 channel.

Channel Four has shown this series over nearly 20 years, but I discovered it only recently. I was never interested in it until a few months ago.

I am not much interested in housing design, architecture, etc., but I'm very interested in people who are completely different from myself. I would like to first of all understand what their motivations are, what drives them to build these huge houses with huge rooms and huge windows that feel so gigantic and relatively empty and eerie, like a public building, a hotel perhaps.

My conclusion is that these people would like first of all to impress their friends, and they do not care much about annoying their neighbors. They are very extroverted and have few real hobbies, and do not need to concentrate and have some quiet time for five minutes. They like to hold large dinner parties, to impress their friends. They do not care that their neighbors can see them through the huge windows, and they are sending them a signal that they have a better lifestyle than their neighbors do.

Tonight's couple have had built a huge house in a suburb of London. I must admit that the building looks very beautiful, especially when you look at it from the outside, with its large curved wall. But it reminds me of a smart hotel. The kitchen looks like a hotel bar. On the second floor is the children's huge bedroom, and has no interior walls - my goodness! What a nightmare !!!!

from outside the house looks very beautiful with its huge curved wall

but it looks more like a smart small hotel than a home !!!

the children have to sleep in one large bedroom on the second floor - what a nightmare !!!!

22:00 Lois comes home again. Ken, her friend drops her off in front of the house. We go to bed - zzzzzz !!!!

4:30 I get up early and do one of my routine Danish vocabulary tests. Afterwards, I make two cups of tea and bring them up to our bedroom.

07:00 We get up and begin to pack our stuff in the car trunk. The plan is as follows. We are to travel to Oxford today, and have lunch with our friends, Jen and Bill, in Kennington, a small suburb of the city. On the way we will pop into a nursing home in Witney, and talk a little with my Aunt Bobbie, the mother of my cousin John and my cousin Susan, who lives in Monument, Colorado, USA. We will stay two nights in a hotel in Oxford and play the tourist. We drive home on Friday, a little adventure for us, our first since we flew to Australia in March to see our youngest daughter, Sarah, and her family in Perth.

10:00 We drive off.

Mandag den 26. september kl 1630 til tirsdag den 27. september 2016 kl 1629

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad og derefter bruger vi aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser ”University Challenge” og ”Only Connect”, to af de få tv-programmer, der ikke er egnede til meget dumme mennesker ha ha ha!

Som vanligt, når vi ser ”University Challenge”, prøver vi at svare på spørgsmålene før de unge studerende (med deres skarpe unge hjerner) gør det. Undertiden gør vi det flere gange i løbet af programmet og vi føler os ”episke”, ”fantastiske” dermed, og i aften er sådan en aften – hurra! Vi lider endnu ikke af demens, gudskelov, men det er ikke klogt at prale af det og friste skæbnen – uha! Hvem ved, hvad ligger lige om hjørnet !!!!

21:00 Vi fortsætter med at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser ”Kew’s Forgotten Queen”, en interessant dokumentarfilm, der handler om Marianne North (1830-1890), én af verdens mest produktive botaniske kunstnere.

I midten af det 19. århundrede, da de fleste engelske middelklassekvinder brugte hoveddelen af deres dage i deres stuer, rejste North, som middelaldrende, alene i fjerne lande, som for eksempel Borneo, Japan, Brazil, Sydafrika, Australien, Indien osv, gennem tætte jungler osv, i søgen efter eksotiske planter og blomster (inklusive insektædende) for at male dem. Hun opdagede også mange, hidtil ukendte planter, der blev nævnet for hende.

Programmets vært er den charmerende Emilia Fox, én af mine yndlingsskuespillerinder, der i løbet af programmet rejser ”i hælene” på North gennem Borneos jungler.

Programmets vært er den charmerende skuespillerinde, Emilia Fox

Det er interessant at sammenligne Norths komplicerede påklædning plus hendes store viktorianske kjoler, underskørter osv med Fox’s simple påklædning (jeans og top). North var en slank kvinde indenunder, men hun måtte tage en masse tøj på. Fox er endnu slankere – du godeste! Det er meget nemmere for Fox at rejse gennem tætte jungler – ingen tvivl om det!!!

Fox er endnu slankere end North og hendes påklædning er meget lettere – ingen tvivl om det!!!!

North, som botanisk kunstner/maler, invaderede et helt mandligt felt. Hun kunne kun have succes ved at være meget meget determineret, som alle kvinder der i det 19. århundrede (og efter???) blev succesfulde. Det snakker Lois og jeg lidt om. Lois siger, at disse succesfulde kvinder for det meste blev glemt efter de døde, mens de succesfulde mænd kan blive for evig berømt. Alle har hørt om Joseph Banks for eksempel, der rejste til Australien sammen med James Cook, men hvem har hørt om Marianne North? 

22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzz!!!!!

04:30 Jeg står tidligt op og laver én af mine rutinemæssige danske ordforrådtester. Bagefter laver jeg to kopper te og bringer dem op på vores soveværelse. Vi går i bad og bagefter spiser vi morgenmad.

09:00 Terry, vores venlige lokale altmuligmand ankommer, og han går i gang med at reparere  vores havelåger. Efter 90 minutter er arbejdet færdigt og han skal af sted.

11:15 Gillian ankommer for at tune vores klaver. Hun kommer 45 minutter sent, men det forventer vi, når Gillian kommer. Hun kommer altid sent, selvom, som i dag, vi er hendes dagens første job – uha! Nogle mennesker dukker altid sent op, andre dukker altid tidligt op – det drejer sig om temperament, synes jeg. Mens Gillian er her, hører vi lidt om hendes liv, som er så kaotisk som nogensinde!

14:30 Til sidst er Gillian færdig med arbejdet, og hun skal af sted. Jeg sætter mig foran vores computer og skriver anvisninger og kontaktdetaljer, som vi vil give vores naboer, Frances og Stephen, der skal passe på vores huset og på Minx, Alisons kat, mens vi i de næste tre dage bor i Oxford. Alison er vores ældste datter, der bor i København, sammen med Ed, sin mand, og deres tre børn. Familien forlod deres kat hos os, da de for 4 år siden flyttede til Danmark.

15:00 Jeg går i seng og tager mig en kort, meget forsinket eftermiddagslur – zzzzzz!!!! Jeg sover i vores yngste datter Sarahs gamle værelse, så Lois kan pakke i vores soveværelse uden at forstyrre mig – hurra! Hun vil ikke have tid til at pakke i aften, fordi hun vil deltage i et bibelseminar i Brockworth.

16:00 Jeg står op og vi slapper af med en kop te på sofaen.

English translation

18:00 We have dinner and then we spend the evening watching TV. They show "University Challenge" and "Only Connect", two of the few television programs that are not suitable for very stupid people ha ha ha!

As usual, when we see "University Challenge", we try to answer the questions before the young students (with their sharp young minds) do it. Sometimes we do it several times during the program and we feel "epic", "fantastic" with it, and tonight is such an evening - hurrah! We don't suffer yet from dementia, thank God, but it is not wise to boast of it and tempt fate - oh dear! Who knows what is around the corner !!!!

21:00 We continue to watch TV. They show "Kew's Forgotten Queen", an interesting documentary about Marianne North (1830-1890), one of the world's most productive botanical artists.

In the mid-19th century, when most English middle class women spent the main part of their days in their living rooms, North traveled, in middle age, alone in distant countries such as Borneo, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, India, etc., through dense jungles, etc., in search of exotic plants and flowers (including insectivorous ones) to paint them. She also discovered many previously unknown plants that were named for her.

The program's host is the charming Emilia Fox, one of my favorite actresses, who during the program travels "on the heels" of North through Borneo's jungles.

The program's host is the charming actress Emilia Fox

It is interesting to compare North's complicated dress plus her big Victorian gowns, petticoats, etc. with Fox's simple attire (jeans and top). North was a slim woman underneath, but she had to put on a lot of clothes. Fox is even slimmer - my goodness! It is much easier for Fox to travel through dense jungles - no doubt about it !!!

Fox is even slimmer than North and her attire is much lighter - no doubt about it !!!!

North, as a botanical artist / painter, invaded a totally male field. She could only be successful by being very very determined like all women who were successful in the 19th century (and afterwards?). Lois and I chat a little about that. Lois says that these successful women were mostly forgotten after they died while successful men could be famous for ever. Everyone has heard of Joseph Banks, for example, who traveled to Australia with James Cook, but who has heard of Marianne North?

22:00 We go to bed - zzzzz !!!!!

4:30 I get up early and do one of my routine Danish vocabulary tests. Afterwards, I make two cups of tea and bring them up to our bedroom. We take a shower and afterwards we eat breakfast.

09:00 Terry, our friendly local handyman arrives and he begins to repair our garden gates. After 90 minutes, the work is finished and he leaves.

11:15 Gillian arrives to tune our piano. She comes 45 minutes late, but we expect that when Gillian comes. She always comes late, even though, like today, we are her day's first job - oh dear! Some people always turn up late, others always up turn up early - it comes down to temperament, I think. While Gillian is here we hear a little about her life, which is as chaotic as ever!

14:30 Finally, Gillian finishes work, and she leaves. I sit in front of our computer and write instructions and contact details that we will give our neighbors, Frances and Stephen, who are to take care of our house and of Minx, Alison's cat, while we stay in Oxford the next 3 days. Alison is our oldest daughter who lives in Copenhagen, along with Ed, her husband and their three children. The family left their cat with us when they moved to Denmark 4 years ago.

15:00 I go to bed and take a short, much delayed, afternoon nap - zzzzzz !!!! I sleep in our youngest daughter Sarah's old room, so Lois can pack in our bedroom without disturbing me - hurrah! She will not have time to pack tonight, because she would like to attend a Bible seminar in Brockworth.

16:00 I get up and we relax with a cup of tea on the sofa.

Søndag den 25. september kl 1630 til mandag den 26. september 2016 kl 1629

17:00 Jeg hopper op på min kondicykel og cykler 6 miles (10 km). Hurra – nu ved jeg med sikkerhed, jeg kan bliver rask igen!

                          

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad, og derefter bruger vi aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser ”Victoria”,  der handler om den unge dronning i hendes tidlige år på tronen.

I aftens afsnit (sjette del af otte) skildrer det unge pars psykiske og fysiske lidenskab for hinanden, men også Alberts utilfredstillelse, fordi han kun er kendt som ”dronningens ægtemand”, i stedet for at være respekteret for sine egne bedrifter osv. Han beslutter at blive involveret i kampagnen mod slaveri verden over, og vi ser ham tale med en flygtet amerikanske slave, Jonas Barrett, også med Sir Robert Peel, leder af Tory-partiet, der også er en stor tilhænger af den anti-slaveri bevægelse.

Det er interessant, at dette er det første afsnit, hvor vi en gang ikke ser Lord Melbourne, premierminister og leder af Whig-partiet. Victoria og Albert har hidtil nydt en meget bedre relation til Whig-partiets lederskab end Tory-partiets lederskab (repræsenteret af Peel og hertugen af Wellington). I aften ser det kongelige pars forhold til Tory-partiet mere venligt ud – hurra! Wellington var måske lidt gnaven, men Peel var helt sikkert en oprigtig og hæderlig mand, synes jeg.

22:00 Vi går i seng. Jeg læser 9 sider af min ”godnatbog”: ”1812: Napoleon’s Fatal March on Moscow”, og Lois læser 10 sider af sin ”godnatbog” (jeg har glemt bogens titel – du godeste, jeg bliver gammel!)  og så glider vi over i søvnen og drømmen om dengang (det 19. århundrede!!!) – zzzzz!!!!

05:00 Jeg står tidligt op og laver én af mine rutinemæssige danske ordforrådtester. Jeg kigger lidt på internettet og jeg ser, at Caroline Wozniacki, den danske tennis-darling, fortsætter sit come-back som på verdensrangliste i tennis. Hun er efter sin sejr i WTA-turneringen Pan Pacific Open i Tokyo nummer 22 i verden.

                                                     

Du godeste – sikke en overraskelse! Hun begyndte den nuværende sæson så dårligt, at jeg troede, hun var helt færdig og slået ud som den officielle danske tennis-darling – med andre ord var det ude med hende! I januar tabte hun i første runde i Australian Open til Yulia Putintseva, og i Wimbledon blev det også til et nederlag i første runde til Svetlana Kuznetsova – uha! I denne sæson har hun været på en rutsjetur, ingen tvivl om det !!!!

Det er underligt, at hendes karriere svarer i succes/fiasko på en ejendommelig måde til karrieren af hendes eks-kæreste, den britiske golfspiller, Rory McIlroy, der for et par år siden droppede hende, efter deres bryllupsinvitationer allerede var sendt ud – av, det må have gjort ondt, er jeg sikker på!!!

 

”Caro” og McIlroy i lykkeligere tider

McIlroy har ikke været så succesfuld for nylig, men i dag læser jeg på internettet, at han lige har vundet Fedex Cup-mesterskabet i Atlanta. Gevinsten er $10 millioner – du godeste! Jeg ville være meget glad for, at få sådan en gevinst – det ved jeg med sikkerhed!!!

08:00 Jeg laver to kopper te og bringer dem op på vores soveværelse. Vi står op og spiser morgenmad.

11:30 Vi har begge to en tid hos vores nye tandlæge, Josh – vi skal gennemgøre vores rutinemæssige halvårlige tjek-op. Josh ser så ung ud – måske 12 år gammel ???  Jeg vil vædde på, at han lige er blevet kvalificeret!

Jeg ved ikke, men jeg føler mig lidt nervøs i dag, og jeg ved ikke hvorfor. Nogle tider føler jeg,at jeg ikke længere have styr på mit liv og jeg er ved at blive bortført af en kraftig strøm og jeg er hjælpeløs.

Endnu en ny tandlæge. Vi havde samme tandlæge, hr Williams, i 40 år, men efter han for 4 år siden blev pensionist, har vi haft 3 andre tandlæger, der én efter én forlod klinikken – vi ved ikke hvorfor. Og selve klinikken ser så anderledes ud nu. Der er kun 1 receptionist og alting er gjort gennem computere – uha!

Jeg føler mig nervøs med rette. Josh har fundet et nyt problem – jeg må have mistet en plombe, uden at, jeg bemærkede det – uha uha! Og det er muligt, at nogen rodbehandling vil være nødvendigt for det tilfælde, at det første gang virker ikke. Hjælp! Jeg skal komme igen om en måned – uha!!!!

13:00 Vi kører hjem og spiser frokost. Bagefter går jeg i seng og tager mig en gigantisk eftermiddagslur – zzzzz!!!!

15:30 Jeg står op og vi slapper af med en kop te på sofaen.

English translation

17:00 I jump up on my exercise bike and bicycle 6 miles (10 km). Hoorah - now I know for sure I can get well again!

18:00 We have dinner, and then we spend the evening watching TV. They show "Victoria", which is about the young queen in her early years on the throne.

Tonight's episode (Part Six of eight) portrays the young couple's mental and physical passion for each other, but also Albert's dissatisfaction for being known as "the Queen's husband," instead of being respected for his own achievements and so on. He decides to get involved in the campaign against slavery around the world, and we see him talking with an escaped American slave, Jonas Barrett, and also with Sir Robert Peel, leader of the Tory party, which is also a big supporter of the anti-slavery movement.

It is interesting that this is the first episode where we do not once see Lord Melbourne, Prime Minister and leader of the Whigs. Victoria and Albert have so far enjoyed a much better relationship with the Whig Party leadership than with the Tory Party leadership (represented by Peel and the Duke of Wellington). Tonight the royal couple's relationship with the Tory party looks more friendly - hurrah! Wellington was perhaps a little grumpy, but Peel was certainly a sincere and honest man, I think.

22:00 We go to bed. I read nine pages of my "goodnight-book": "1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow" and Lois reads 10 pages of her "goodnight-book" (I have forgotten the title of the book - my goodness, I am getting old!) And then we drift off to sleep and to dreams about way back then (19th century !!!) - zzzzz !!!!

5:00 I get up early and do one of my routine Danish vocabulary tests. I look a little on the internet and I see that Caroline Wozniacki, the Danish tennis-darling, continues her comeback on the world ranking list in tennis. After her victory in the WTA tournament Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo she is number 22 in the world.

My goodness - what a surprise! She began the current season so badly that I thought she was completely finished and washed up as the official Danish tennis darling. In other words she had had it! In January she lost in the first round of the Australian Open to Yulia Putintseva, and at Wimbledon, it was also a defeat in the first round, to Svetlana Kuznetsova - oh dear! This season, she has been on a rollercoaster ride, no doubt about it !!

It's strange that her career is similar in success / failure in a peculiar way to the career of her ex-boyfriend, the British golfer Rory McIlroy, who dropped her a few years ago after their wedding invitations had already been sent out - oh dear, that must have been painful, I'm sure !!!

"Caro" and McIlroy in happier times

McIlroy has not been so successful recently, but today I read on the internet that he has just won the FedEx Cup Championship in Atlanta. The prize is $ 10 million - my god! I would be very happy to get such a win - I know that for sure !!!

8:00 I make two cups of tea and bring them up to our bedroom. We get up and eat breakfast.

11:30 We both have an appointment with our new dentist, Josh - we must go through our routine semi-annual check-up. Josh looks so young, 12 perhaps? I bet he’s just become qualified!

I do not know, but I feel a little nervous today, and I do not know why. Sometimes I feel that I no longer have control of my life and I'm about to be carried away by a strong current and I'm helpless.

Another new dentist. We had the same dentist, Mr. Williams, for 40 years, but after he retired 4 years ago, we have had 3 other dentists who one by one left the clinic - we do not know why. And the clinic looks so different now. There is only 1 receptionist and everything is done through computers – oh dear!

I feel nervous and rightly so. Josh has found a new problem - I must have lost a filling without noticing it - oh dear oh dear! And it is possible that root canal treatment will become necessary in the event that it does not work the first time. Help! I have to come back in a month - oh dear oh dear oh dear!!!!

13:00 We go home and eat lunch. Afterwards I go to bed and take a gigantic afternoon nap - zzzzz !!!!

15:30 I get up and we relax with a cup of tea on the sofa.

Lørdag den 24. september kl 1630 til søndag den 25. september 2016 kl 1629

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad. Jeg kigger på min smartphone og jeg ser et nyt foto fra Alison, vores ældste datter, der bor i København, sammen med Ed, sin mand, og deres tre børn, Josie (10), Rosalind (8), og Isaac (6 år). Billedet viser Ali og Ed i skoleuniform. De har ikke lagt nogen forklaring op, men jeg antager, at de er blevet inviteret til en kostumefest – du godeste!

Ali og Ed skal i byen!

Francis, vores svigersøn i Perth, har sendt os 3 søde fotos af vores 3-årige børnebørn, Lily og Jessica. Der er tilsyneladende i gang med at lave en chokoladekage – nam-nam!

  

vores børnebørn i Australien i gang med at lave en chokoladekage – nam-nam!

20:00 Vi bruger aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser en interessant dokumentarfilm, der handler om en meteorit, der 1,2 milliard år siden ramte jorden i en national park i det nordvestlige Skotland.

Programmets vært er Dr Tori Herridge, en ung palæontolog. Eksperter har identificeret, hvor meteoritten faldt, men desværre er krateret blevet begravet under dybe, og (måske overraskende) endnu ældre, klippelag. At yngre klipper ligger under ældre klipper, er resultatet af en stor geologiske begivenhed,  kendt som ”Moine Thrust”, der skete for 400 millioner år siden. Du godeste, sikke en skuffelse!

Programmets vært, Dr Tori Herridge (til højre)

sammen med sin veninde, parkens geo-arkæolog Dr Laura Hamlet

På forskellige punkter langs kysten, er nogle lag af ”ejecta” synlige, i form af en kile, bredere mod øst og smallere (1 inch eller 2 cm) mod vest. Ordet ”ejecta” refererer til det materiale, der blev tvunget ud af meteoritten – uha! Sikke et mareridt!!!

Forskere har fundet ”kiler” af materiale, der blev tunget ud af meteoritten – øv!

Retningen af al disse ”kiler” viser hvor meteoritten må være faldet. Du godeste! Det er heldigt, at der dengang i Skotland eksisterede ingen mennesker – det har jeg ikke nogen tvivl om!

Retningerne af ”kilerne” viser kraterets sandsynlige position

Geofysiske forskninger i kraterets sandsynlige område, viser, at de lokale klipper er meget mere kompakt, end de omkringliggende områder. Eksperter kan dermed nu vurdere meteorittens størrelse (3 km), og kraterets størrelse (27 miles). Du godeste, jeg er glad for, at jeg ikke levede i de der tider, er jeg sikker på!  Krateret er blandt de 15 største, der nogensinde er blevet fundet .

Geofysiske forskning viser kraterets størrelse – 27 miles. Uha – sikke et mareridt!

22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzzz!!!!

05:00 Jeg står tidligt op og laver én af mine rutinemæssige danske ordforrådtester. Udenfor kan jeg hører kommunens personale i gang med at lukke vejen foran vores hus. I dag finder der sted byens halv-maratonløb – uha! Det kommer til at volde en masse forstyrrelse – ingen tvivl om det!!!!

07:45 Jeg laver to kopper te og bringer dem op på vores soveværelse. Vi går i bad, og bagefter spiser vi morgenmad.

09:45 Vi ser de første halvmaratondeltagere løber forbi huset. De er de mest professionelle løbere – ingen tvivl om det! Løbet startede kl 9 midt i byen, og slutter på hestevæddeløbsbanen.

10:00 Vi taler lidt med Sarah, vores yngste datter, der bor i Perth, Australien, sammen med Francis, sin mand, og deres 3-årige tvillinger Lily og Jessica.

Vi taler på Skype med Sarah og Lily...

... og med Jessica og Sarah

Situationen på Sarahs arbejdsplads er stadig kompliceret og usikker. Hun vil snart begynde at søge et nyt job – stakkels Sarah! Men hendes nuværende kontrakt varer til den 25. november – hurra!

Francis arbejder på tiden på et projekt for én af sin tidligere kunder i Storbritannien. Når han er færdig med dette projekt, planlægger han at besøge sin mor i Devon. Hun er begyndt at lide af en slags demens, og han vil gerne mødes med hende, mens hun stadigvæk husker ham. For tiden bor hun hos Barbara, én af hendes to døtre.

10:45 Lois skal af sted. Der er to gudstjenester, der i dag finder sted i Tewkesbury, som hun vil gerne deltage i. Hun går først til fods til Borgergade, hvor hun i går parkede bilen, fordi vores vej er lukket – uha! På vej snakker hun lidt med Bob, vores nabo, og ser på de seneste halvmaratonløbere. Disse er ikke så hastig, som de tidligere – det har jeg ikke nogen tvivl om !!!!  

Lois (i rød) snakker med Bob, vores nabo, mens de mindre dygtige

halvmaratondeltagere løbe forbi !

12:00 Kommunen genåbner vejen foran vores hus – hurra! Livet vender tilbage til det normale. Jeg går i gang med at stryge mine skjorter, natskjorter og undertøj.

13:00 Jeg spiser frokost og derefter går jeg i seng for at tage mig en gigantisk eftermiddagslur – zzzzzzz!!!!!

15:00 Jeg står op og går i gang med at skrive 100 engelske sætninger jeg vil have vores U3A danske gruppes medlemmer til at oversætte til dansk, når gruppen samles for sin næste møde den 6. oktober.  Jeg er så krævende ha ha ha.

15:30 Lois kommer hjem igen, og vi slapper af med en kop te på sofaen.

16:00 Jeg sætter mig foran vores computer og booker vores flybilletter: vi besøger Alison og hendes familie i København ved juletid. Vi ankommer den 18. december og flyve tilbage den 27. Vi vil bo på et hotel tæt på Birmingham lufthavn den 17. december – hurra!

English translation

18:00 We eat dinner. I'm looking at my smartphone and I see a new photo from Alison, our oldest daughter who lives in Copenhagen, along with Ed, her husband and their three children, Josie (10), Rosalind (8) and Isaac (6 years ). The picture shows Ali and Ed in school uniform. They have not posted any explanation up, but I assume that they have been invited to a costume party - my goodness!

Ali and Ed go to town!

Francis, our son-in-law in Perth, has sent us 3 cute photos of our 3-year-old grandchildren, Lily and Jessica. There are apparently starting to make a chocolate cake - yum-yum! 

our grandchildren in Australia making a chocolate cake - yum yum!

20:00 We spend the evening watching a little television. They show an interesting documentary that is about a meteorite, that hit the ground 1.2 billion years ago in a national park in northwestern Scotland.

The program's host is Dr Tori Herridge, a young palaeontologist. Experts have identified where the meteorite fell, but unfortunately the crater got buried under deep, and (perhaps surprisingly) even older, rock layers. The younger rocks below the older rocks are the result of a major geological event, known as "Moine Thrust" that happened 400 million years ago. My goodness, what a disappointment!

The program's host, Dr Tori Herridge (right)

along with her friend, the park's geo-archaeologist Dr Laura Hamlet

At various points along the coast, some layers of "ejecta" are visible in the form of a wedge wider to the east and narrower (1 inch or 2 cm) to the west. The word "ejecta" refers to the material that was forced out by the meteorite – oh dear! What a nightmare !!!

Researchers have found "wedges" of material that was forced out by the meteorite - ugh!

The direction of all these "wedges" shows where the meteorite must have fallen. My Goodness! It is fortunate that at that time no people existed in Scotland - I have no doubt about THAT!

directions of the "wedges" shows the crater's probable position

Geophysical researches in the crater’s likely area shows that the local rocks are much more compact than the surrounding areas. Experts can therefore now evaluate the meteorite's size (3 km), and the crater’s size (27 miles). My goodness, I'm glad that I did not live in those times, to be sure! The crater is among the 15 biggest that have ever been found.

Geophysical research shows the crater’s size - 27 miles. Phew - what a nightmare!

22:00 We go to bed - zzzzzz !!!!

05:00 I get up early and do one of my routine Danish vocabulary tests. Outside, I hear the council's staff starting to close the road in front of our house. Today, the town's half-marathon is taking place - oh dear! It's going to cause a lot of disturbance - no doubt about it !!!!

07:45 I make two cups of tea and bring them up to our bedroom. We take a shower and afterwards we eat breakfast.

09:45 We see the first Half Marathon participants run past the house. They are the most professional runners - no doubt about it! The race started at 9 am in the middle of the town, and ends at the racecourse.

10:00 We talk a bit with Sarah, our youngest daughter, who lives in Perth, Australia, along with Francis, her husband and their 3-year-old twins Lily and Jessica.

We talk on Skype with Sarah and Lily....

... and with Jessica and Sarah

The situation at Sarah's workplace is still complicated and uncertain. She will soon begin to seek a new job - poor Sarah! But her current contract lasts till 25 November - hurrah!

Francis is at the moment working on a project for one of his former clients in the UK. When he is done with this project, he plans to visit his mother in Devon. She is starting to suffer from some kind of dementia, and he wants to meet with her while she still remembers him. Currently she lives with Barbara, one of her two daughters.

10:45 Lois has to be off. There are two services that are taking place in Tewkesbury today, which she would like to participate in. She goes first on foot to Borgergade where she parked the car yesteday, because our road is closed - oh dear! On the way she talks a bit with Bob, our neighbor, and watches the latest half marathon runners. These are not as fast as the previous ones - I have no doubt about that!!!!

Lois (in red) talking with Bob, our neighbor, while the less talented

Half Marathon participants run past!

12:00 The council reopens the road in front of our house - hurrah! Life returns to normal. I begin to iron my shirts, nightshirts and underwear.

13:00 I eat lunch and then I go to bed to take a gigantic afternoon nap - zzzzzzz !!!!!

15:00 I get up and begin to write 100 English sentences that I want our U3A Danish group members to translate into Danish when the group assembles for its next meeting on 6 October. I am so demanding ha ha ha.

15:30 Lois comes home again, and we relax with a cup of tea on the sofa.

16:00 I sit down in front of our computer and book our flights: we are visiting Alison and her family in Copenhagen at Christmas. We arrive on December 18th and fly back on the 27th. We will stay at a hotel near Birmingham airport on 17 December – hurrah!