Danskcolin: Lørdag den 10. september kl 1630 til søndag den 11. september 2016 kl 1629

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad og derefter bruger vi aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser ”Pointless”, en populær tv-quiz. I aftens show er lidt anderledes end det sædvanlige, fordi alle deltagerne er berømtheder. Lois og jeg ser ikke ret ofte disse shows, der har ”berømtheder” som deltagere, fordi vi for det meste ikke længere genkender de fleste af nutidens ”berømtheder” – vi ser ikke tv-sæbeoperaer, film, eller popmusikvideoer.

I aftens show indeholder nogle berømtheder, der var berømte sangere i 1980’erne: Toyah Willcox, Nick Heyward, Heather Small, Barbara Dickson og ”Fish”. Nick Heyward så vi i aftes i Top of the Pops fra April 1982. Det er underligt, men han nu ser endnu yngre ud – du godeste!

Nick i 1982

Nick i 2016: Du godeste - han ser endnu yngre ud!

Og hans øjne er blevet unaturlig store – uha!

En anden deltager er Heather Small, der var medlem af popgruppen M People. I slutningen af showet synger hun én af gruppens hitsange, ”(I’m) Moving On Up (You’re moving on out)”. Jeg er meget glad for, at høre denne sang, fordi jeg synger den hver dag, og jeg vidste ikke, hvor sangen kom fra. Jeg har for vane at synge denne sang, når Minx, Alisons kat, sidder på mit skød og jeg vil stå op og bevæge mig. Minx kender godt denne sang, og hun kan ikke lide den, fordi hun ved, at den er et signal jeg giver, når hun må smutte ned af mit skød – stakkels Minx!

Minx, Alisons kat, kender godt denne sang og hader den!

20:00 Vi forsætter med at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser en interessant dokumentarfilm: ”Clydebuilt: the Ships That Made the Commonwealth” (anden del af fire).

Programmet handler om et skib, CS Mackay-Bennett, der spillede en vigtig rolle i det 19. århundrede ved at lægge telegrafkabler på bunden af det atlantiske ocean, og derefter vedligeholde dem, når de kom i stykker – du godeste! Sikke et mareridt! Oceanet er meget dybt – det ved jeg med sikkerhed!

CS Mackay-Bennett, ét af de skibe, der lagde de tidligste atlantiske telegrafkabler

Senere, i 1912, havde dette skib et grusomt job, efter RMS Titanic sank, da det blev sendt ud for at hente så mange lig som muligt – uha! Skibets besætninger var skrappe mænd, men de fandt dette arbejde meget grusomt. De faldt over også en ung (2 årig) barns lig, der ikke kunne blive identificeret. Mændene betalte for en gravsten til barnet, der stadigvæk kan ses derovre i Halifax, Nova Scotia – du godeste! Nu endelig, takket være DNA studie, er barnets identitet blevet etableret, og hans slægtninge i England er blevet kontaktet.

Programmets vært, David Hayman, siger, at udviklingen af interkontinentale telegrafkabler var ”det 19. århundredes internet”. Men i en tidligere serie i BBC4 har vi hørt, at udviklingen af jernbaner faktisk var det århundredes internet. Det kan de ikke begge har ret i – det har jeg ikke nogen tvivl om!

22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzz!!!!!

05:30 Jeg står tidligt op og laver én af mine rutinemæssige danske ordforrådtester. Jeg laver to kopper te og bringer dem op på vores soveværelse. Vi ligger inde i sengen og drikker teen. Vi står op, går i bad, og så spiser vi morgenmad.

I dag er den 11. september. Det er svært at tro, men 15 år er gået siden de store terroristangreb i New York.

Jeg kan tydeligt huske den der dag, fordi vi havde besluttet at besøge Coventry sammen med min afdøde mor, min afdøde søster Kathy, og Steve, Kathys amerikanske mand. Det er underligt at vi ville gerne se resultaterne af angreb fra en tidligere krig (den anden verdenskrig), især byens gamle domkirke, der blev stort set ødelagt. Vi hørte om angrebene i New York senere på dagen, da vi kom tilbage til Cheltenham.

Min mor og Kathy. Vi tager et hurtigt smut ind på en lille café

på vej til Coventrys domkirke

Min mor, Kathy og Steve foran byens ødelagte domkirke

Kathy og Steve ser sig om i den ødelagte domkirke

10:00 Vi taler lidt på Skype med vores yngste datter, Sarah, der bor i Perth, sammen med Francis, sin mand, og deres 3-årige tvillinger, Lily og Jessica. Midt i opkaldet vågner tvillingerne op efter deres eftermiddagslur, og vi snakker lidt med dem også.

Vi snakker lidt på Skype med Sarah, vores datter, og Jessica, vores 3-årige barnebarn

På torsdag skal Sarah for første gang flyve til Sydney på forretningsrejse. Hun kommer på fredag tilbage til Perth.

Francis’s mor, Anne, der er i 80’erne, har det nu ikke så godt. Hun har forladt sin lejlighed i Exmouth og er flyttet ind midlertidigt hos Francis’s søster, men familien skal finde et plejehjem, hvor Anne kan bo i det længere løb. Francis planlægger at flyve til England i løbet af de kommende måneder for at besøge sin mor.

10:45 Vi skal af sted. Der er to gudstjenester, der i dag finder sted i Tewkesbury, som Lois vil deltage i. Jeg skal køre hende derover, fordi hun for tiden har rygproblemer.

11:30 Jeg kommer hjem igen. Jeg spiser frokost og derefter går jeg i seng for at tage mig en gigantisk eftermiddagslur - zzzzzz!!!!!

14:30 Jeg står op og sætter mig på vores computer. Jeg designer en foto-kalender, der består af nogle af de bedste (efter min mening) fotos, vi tog i løbet af vores ferie i Australien mellem april og juni, herunder dette charmerende foto af Lois og vores kære datter, Sarah.

Sarah (til venstre) og Lois i Australien

15:00 Jeg får en email fra min fætter, John, der bor i Witney. Lois og jeg skal besøge ham og hans kone Chris i morgen. Han har inviteret os til frokost. Hans søster, Susan, vil også være med til måltiden. Hun bor i Denver USA, men hun fløj for en uge siden til England for at besøge sin bror. Lois og jeg besøgte Susan i Colorado og Rocky Mountains-bjergkæden i 1983.

I Rocky Mountains-bjergkæden sammen med (fra venstre til højre)

Susan, min kusine; Magda (Susans datter); og vores døtre Alison og Sarah (1983)

16:00 Lois kommer hjem igen. Hendes veninde, Fran, kørte ham. Vi slapper af med en kop te på sofaen.

English translation

18:00 We have dinner and then we use the evening to watch TV. They show "Pointless", a popular TV quiz. Tonight's show is a little different than usual, because all participants are celebrities. Lois and I do not very often see these shows that have "celebrities" as participants because we mostly no longer recognize most of today's "celebrities" - we do not see television soap operas, movies, or pop music videos.

Tonight's show includes some celebrities who were famous singers in the 1980s: Toyah Willcox, Nick Heyward, Heather Small, Barbara Dickson and "Fish". Nick Heyward we saw last night in the Top of the Pops from April 1982. It's weird, but he looks even younger - my goodness!

Nick in 1982

Nick in 2016: My goodness - he looks even younger!

And his eyes have become unnaturally large - oh dear!

Another contestant is Heather Small, who was a member of the pop group M People. At the end of the show, she sings one of the group's hit songs, "(I'm) Moving On Up (You're moving on out)." I am very glad to hear this song, because I sing it every day, and I did not know where the song came from. I have a habit of singing this song when Minx, Alison's cat, is sitting on my lap and I'd like to get up and move. Minx knows this song well and she does not like it because she knows that it is a signal I give when she must pop down off my lap - poor Minx!

Minx, Alison's cat, knows this song well and hates it!

20:00 We continue to watch TV. They show an interesting documentary: "Clyde Built: the Ships That Made the Commonwealth" (second part of four).

The program is about a ship CS Mackay-Bennett, which played an important role in the 19th century by laying telegraph cables on the bottom of the Atlantic ocean, and then maintain them when they fell to pieces - my goodness! What a nightmare! The ocean is very deep - that I know for sure!

CS Mackay-Bennett, one of the ships that crossed the earliest Atlantic telegraph cables

Later, in 1912, this ship had a cruel job after RMS Titanic sank when it was sent out to pick up as many bodies as possible - oh dear! The ship's crew were tough men, but they found this work very gruesome. They came across a young (2 year old) child's corpse, which could not be identified. The men paid for a headstone for the child which can still seen over there in Halifax, Nova Scotia - my goodness! Now finally, thanks to DNA studies, the child's identity has been established, and his relatives in England have been contacted. They must feel very relieved.

The program's host, David Hayman, says that the development of intercontinental telegraph cables was "the 19th century's internet." But in an earlier series on BBC4, we have heard that actually the development of railways was the century's Internet. They cannot both be right about that - I have no doubt of that!

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

05:30 I get up early and do one of my routine Danish vocabulary tests. I make two cups of tea and bring them up to our bedroom. We lie in bed and drink the tea. We get up, take a shower, and then eat breakfast.

Today is September 11th. It's hard to believe, but 15 years have passed since the major terrorist attacks in New York.

I clearly remember that day because we had decided to visit Coventry with my late mother, my late sister Kathy, and Steve, Kathy’s American husband. It's strange that we wanted to see the results of an attack from an earlier war (World War II), especially the city's old cathedral, which was largely destroyed. We found out about the attacks in New York later in the day, when we came back again to Cheltenham.

My mother and Kathy. We make a quick stop at a little cafe

on the way to Coventry Cathedral

My mother, Kathy and Steve in front of the destroyed cathedral

Kathy and Steve look around the ruined cathedral

10:00 We speak a little on Skype with our youngest daughter, Sarah, who lives in Perth, along with Francis, her husband and their 3-year-old twins, Lily and Jessica. In the middle of the call the twins wake up after their afternoon nap, and we talk a little with them too.

We talk a little on Skype with Sarah, our daughter, and Jessica, our 3 year old granddaughter

On Thursday Sarah has to fly to Sydney for the first time on business. She comes back to Perth on Friday.

Francis's mother, Anne, who is in her 80s, is now not so good. She has left her apartment in Exmouth and moved in temporarily with Francis's sister, but the family must find a nursing home where Anne can stay in the longer run. Francis plans to fly to England over the coming months to visit his mother.

10:45 We have to be off. There are two services that are taking place today in Tewkesbury that Lois wants to participate in. I'll drive her over there because she currently has back problems.

11:30 I come home again. I eat lunch and then I go to bed to take a long afternoon nap - zzzzzz !!!!!

14:30 I get up and sit at our computer. I design a photo calendar that consists of some of the best (in my opinion) photos we took during our holiday in Australia between April and June, including this charming photo of Lois and our dear daughter, Sarah.

Sarah (left) and Lois in Australia

15:00 I get an email from my cousin John, who lives in Witney. Lois and I will visit him and his wife Chris tomorrow. He has invited us to lunch. His sister, Susan, will also be there for the meal. She lives in Denver USA, but a week ago she flew to England to visit her brother.

Lois and I visited Susan in Colorado and the Rocky Mountains in 1983.