17:00 Jeg hopper op på min kondicykel og tilbagelægger endnu 6 miles
(10km). Jeg tænder for min smartphone og kigger på 1983s bedste sange på
YouTube.
Jeg kan igen ikke modstå fristelsen til at tilbagekigge på 1983 i min lille
families livshistorie – du godeste! 1983 var vores første fulde år i USA – vi
var flyttet derover i august 1982. Lois og jeg, sammen med vores 2 døtre,
Alison og Sarah (på henholdsvis 8 og 6 år) begyndte at rejse lidt rundt omkring
i landet, først til Williamsburg i Virginia, en by, der er blevet bevaret som
en levn fra kolonitiden. I sommeren fløj vi til Denver i Colorado for at
tilbringe nogle uger hos min kusine, Susan.
Kathy, min afdøde søster, fløj til USA i foråret og hun boede hos os i
flere måneder, og sov i vores gæsteværelse ovenpå stuen. Hun fik et job på den
britiske ambassade. Hun kom med på mange familieudflugter, også på en ferie i
New England. Min afdøde mor besøgte os i efteråret – hun rejste på et fly for
første gang i sit liv (hun var dengang 64 år gammel).
Lykkelige dage! Sikke en tid det var, sikke en tid det var, jeg har et
fotografi. Har du bevaret dine minder? De er alt du har tilbage (copyright Paul
Simon ha ha ha).
Vores
første rejse – til Williamsburg i Virginia.
Mig,
Sarah og Alison delvis i kolonitidskostume – du godeste!
Vi
flyver til Denver i Colorado
Mig
og Sarah i Rockies-bjergekæden
Alison
og Lois i Rockies-bjergekæden
Min
søster, Kathy, boede hos os i flere måneder i 1983
Sarah
og Kathy i vores sofa.
Kathy,
Alison, Sarah og Lois på en familieudflugt
Lois,
Sarah, mig, Alison og Kathy
Sarah,
Alison og Kathy
Vi
var på ferie i New England, og besøgte Boston-havnen
og
smed en masse te ned i vandet – hurra!
Min
mor besøgte os også sidst på året
TVGuide-tidsskriftet
fra oktober 1983, som jeg forleden faldt over
i
vores bogreol – det blev bevaret tilfældigvis. Sikke et vanvid!!!!
Det er nok billeder – siger redaktøren. Du godeste!!!!
17:30 Da jeg er færdig med at cykle, laver jeg lidt mild vægtløftning.
18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad. Lois er meget træt. Hun har brugt eftermiddagen
på at gøre rent i køkkenet – hun har inviteret nogle af sine veninder til
frokost om nogle dage, og hun vil have, at huset er super rent. Lois har et
hjerte af guld – det har jeg ikke nogen tvivl om. Men hun bruger så meget af
sin tid på at hjælpe andre, at hun bliver hyppigt udmattet. Men jeg har svært ved at overtale hende til
at slappe mere af.
Hun beslutter, at hun ikke vil deltage i sin kirkes bibelklasse, der finder
sted i aften i Tewkesbury. Hun ringer til Alf, vores ven, for at fortælle ham,
at han ikke er nødt til at afhente hende. Men i stedet for at slappe helt af,
går hun i gang med at læse de næste 6 sider af den danske kriminovelle, vores
danske gruppe for tiden læser, mens vi sidder og ser på fjernsyn. Men jeg kan
mærke, at hun i virkeligheden er for træt til at takle teksten. Hun kan ikke
huske mange simple danske ord, som jeg er sikker på, hun kender. Uha!
Jeg ser lidt fjernsyn. De viser en interessant dokumentarfilm, der handler
om de første engelske arkæologer, der arbejdede i 1800-tallet og først i det
20. århundrede: en historie af skurke og
helte - skurken (Charles Dawson) og helten (Howard Carter). Programmets vært er
den charmerende Richard Miles.
Skurken: Charles Dawson, en land advokat i grevskabet Sussex, fakede et
”forhistorisk” kranium, Piltdown-manden (tilsyneladende halv mand, halv abe),
som han sagde han udgravede i 1912-13. Sikke et svin!!!
Men hvad var Dawsons motivation for svindelen? Det lader til, at han først
og fremmest søgte personlig berømthed, og han ville også bevise, at England var
fødestedet af moderne mænd. Forhistoriske mænd var blevet udgravet for nylig i
Frankrig og Tyskland, og Dawson var lidt irriteret, at England var ved at blive
et arkæologisk dødvande – du godeste, sikke et vanvid!!!!!
Men ligesom Jimmy Savile, den vanærede dj, døde Dawson, før hans svindelen
blev opdaget. Pokkers!!!
Helten: Howard Carter, der i 1922 fandt Tutankhamons grav i Egypten. Der er fascinerende at se
Carters dagbog for den store dag. Han har kun tid til at skrive hastigt en halv
sætning, ”Fandt første trin af graven”.
Programmets charmerende vært, Richard Miles, viser os også
Tutankhamon-museet i Dorchester i England, som Lois og jeg for mange år siden
besøgte sammen med vores døtre, Alison og Sarah (dengang henholdsvis 13 og 11 år gamle).
Dorchester:
Tutankhamon-museet, som vi besøgte i 1988
Sarahs
navn i hieroglyffer – vi købte det i museets butik.
Billedet
hænger stadig i Sarahs gamle værelse, selvom
Sarah
selv er langt væk i Australien – uha!
22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzz!!!!
04:15 Jeg står tidligt op og kigger lidt på nettet.
08:00 Jeg skynder mig ind i køkkenet og laver to kopper te. Jeg tager dem
med op i soveværelset og kryber tilbage i sengen til Lois. Vi drikker teen og
står op. Vi spiser morgenmad.
09:30 Vi går hen ind i landsbyen og smutter ind i Waghornes, den lokale
slagterforretning, for at købe brød og kød. Vi kommer hjem igen og slapper af
med en kop kaffe i sofaen.
10:30 Jeg går i gang med at læse det uddrag af ”Kong Horn”, en
middelengelsk chevaleresk romantik, der går tilbage til midten af det trettende
århundrede. Lyndas U3A ”Making of
English” gruppe skal diskutere uddraget på gruppens næste møde (den 3. marts).
I går læste jeg linjerne 693-724, som Lynda har bedt mig om at læse højt i
morgen (med en ægte middelengelsk accent), oversætte dem til moderne engelsk og
at kommentere interessepunkterne, for eksempel interessante ord, ordenes
oprindelse, grammatik, poetiske opfindelser osv.
Jeg var overrasket i går, at jeg faldt over en række engelske ord, der er
forsvundet i det moderne engelske sprog, men som stadig eksisterer i det
moderne danske sprog, i grove træk i samme form: ”barm”, der betyder ”breasts”,
og ”flitte/flytte”, der betyder ”to move”. Du godeste - sikke en skør verden vi
lever i !!!
I formiddag, læser jeg de linjer, som gruppens andre medlemmer skal
kommentere, så jeg kan få en klarere billede af historien.
Joys linjer: prinsessen Rymenhild har arrangeret, at Horn, hendes kæreste,
bliver slået til ridder af kong Aylmar, Rymenhilds far. Hun vil have, at Horn
bliver ridder, fordi hun ønsker at udveksle løfter med ham, så de kan går i
seng sammen. Nu, hvor Horn er ridder, er han tilladt at slå alle sine venner
til ridder også – du godeste, sikke en redelighed!!!! Bagefter holder alle de
nye riddere en gigantisk fest, mens den ensomme Rymenhild sidder alene i sit
soveværelse og venter på, at Horn kommer i seng med hende. Der er en meget
rørende linje, som nogen fandt på for mindst 750 år siden, hvor der står, at
Horns fravær ser ud som syv år – stakkels Rymenhild !!!
Margarets linjer: Rymenhild tilkalder Horn – men Horn tager sin ven,
Athulf, med op i hendes soveværelset. Hun fortæller Horn, at det er på høje
tid, at de udveksler løfter og går i seng sammen. Men Horn afslår, og insisterer
på, at han først må bevise sit værd som en ny ridder, og går i gang med én
eller anden farlig eventyr. Han lover Rymenhild, at hvis han kommer tilbage i
live, vil de så udveksle løfter og gå i seng med hinanden. Det er interessant,
at det er prinsessen, der tager initiativet, når det kommer til deres sexliv.
Joes linjer: Rymenhild accepterer Horns plan og giver ham en ring, som han
skal bære på fingeren. Hvis han er i fare, skal han kigge på ringen og tænke på
hende, og ingen skade vil overgå ham – hurra! Horn kysser hende farvel, tager
ringen og skrider ud af prinsessens værelse for at sadle sin hest.
Veras linjer: Horn rider til havnen og finder et skib fyldt til
bristepunktet med saracenere (mindst 100 mænd – skræmmende!). Heldigvis dræber
han dem alle – hurra! Rymenhilds ring hjælper helt sikkert – han husker at
kigge på den indimellem, mens han slagter saracenerne – det er heldigt! Han
hugger hovedet af saracenernes leder, og tager det med på spidsen af sit sværd tilbage
til paladset.
Barbs linjer: Horn viser saracenens hoved til kong Aylmar og Aylmar er
meget glad for det. Kongen rider så af sted på jagt. Jeg synes, det er kongens
yndlingshobby - ingen tvivl om det!!! Horn
går op i Rymenhilds soveværelse, og ser, at hun græder. Han spørger hende,
hvorfor hun græder så meget.
Anthonys linjer: Rymenhild svarer, at hun har haft en dårlig drøm. I
drømmen kastede hun sit fiskenet i havet, men det blev revet i stykker. En stor fisk gennembrød nettet, og hun var
bange for, at fisken skulle undslippe. Du godeste! Sikke en skør drøm for en smuk
prinsesse!!! Horn forstår ikke drømmens
betydning, man han vil opmuntre hende. Han aftaler endelig at udveksle løfter
og går i seng med hende – hurra!!
Mine linjer: én af de andre damer i kongens hof, Fikenhild, er jaloux på
Rymenhild og melde til kongen, at Horn og Rymenhild er i seng sammen. Hun siger
også, at Horn planlægger at dræbe kongen. Da han hører dette, er kongen meget
vred og bryder ind i soveværelset. Han finder parret i seng sammen og beordrer
Horn at forlade landet – uha! Horn vælter ud af Rymenhilds seng og skynder sig
ud af værelset, for at sadle sin hest.
Lyndas linjer: Før Horn tager af sted, smutter han ind i Rymenhilds værelse
i et øjeblik, og fortæller hende, at hendes drøm er gået i opfyldelse. Fisken,
der rev hendes fiskenet i stykker, sender ham nu ud af landet for at søge nye
eventyr. Han lover at komme tilbage efter 7 år. Hvis han ikke kommer tilbage,
må hun gifter sig med nogen anden. Han beder Athulf, sin bedste ven, at passe
på Rymenhild, indtil han kan kommer tilbage – stor fejl, mistænker jeg!!!!
13:00 Lois og jeg spiser frokost og bagefter går jeg i seng for at tage mig
en gigantisk eftermiddagslur.
16:00 Jeg står op og vi slapper af med en kop te i sofaen.
English translation
17:00 I jump up on my exercise bike and clock up another 6 miles
(10km). I turn on my smartphone and look at 1983's best songs on YouTube.
I again cannot resist the
temptation to look back at 1983 in my family's life story - my god! 1983 was
our first full year in the US - we had moved over there in August 1982. Lois
and I, along with our two daughters, Alison and Sarah (8 and 6 years old
respectively) began to travel a little around the country, first to
Williamsburg in Virginia, a city that has been preserved as a relic of the
colonial era. In the summer we flew to Denver, Colorado to spend a few weeks
with my cousin, Susan.
Kathy, my late sister, flew to
the United States in the spring and she lived with us for several months, and
slept in our guest room upstairs over the living room. She got a job at the
British Embassy. She came with us on many family outings, including on a
vacation to New England. My late mother visited us in the fall - she got on a
plane for the first time in her life (she was then 64 years old).
Happy days! What a time it was,
and what a time it was, I have a photograph. Preserve your memories. They're
all that's left you (copyright Paul Simon ha ha ha).
Our first trip - to Williamsburg in
Virginia.
Me, Sarah and Alison partly in colonial
costume - my god!
We fly to Denver in Colorado
Me and Sarah in the Rockies
Alison and Lois in the Rockies
My sister, Kathy, lived with us for several
months in 1983
Sarah and Kathy on our sofa.
Kathy, Alison, Sarah and Lois on a family
outing
Lois, Sarah, me, Alison and Kathy
Sarah, Alison and Kathy
We were on vacation in New England,
visited Boston Harbour and threw a lot of
tea into the water - hurrah!
My mother visited us late in the year
The TVGuide-magazine of October 1983,
which I came across the other day in our
bookcase –
it was preserved by chance. What madness
!!!!
That's enough photos - Ed. My
God!!!!
17:30 When I finish cycling, I do
a little mild weightlifting.
18:00 We eat dinner. Lois is very
tired. She spent the afternoon cleaning the kitchen - she has invited some of
her friends for lunch in a few days' time, and she wants the house to be super clean.
Lois has a heart of gold - I have no doubts about that. But she spends so much
of her time helping others that she is often exhausted. But I find it hard to
persuade her to relax more.
She decides that she will not
attend her church's Bible Class taking place tonight in Tewkesbury. She calls
Alf, our friend, to tell him that he does not have to pick her up. But instead
of completely relaxing, she starts to read the next 6 pages of the Danish crime
novel our Danish group currently reading, while we sit and watch television.
But I can tell that she is really too tired to tackle the text. She cannot
remember many simple Danish words that I'm sure she knows. Oh dear!
I see a little television. They
show an interesting documentary about the first English archaeologists who
worked in the 1800s and early 20th century: a story of heroes and villains -
the villain (Charles Dawson) and the hero (Howard Carter). The program's host
is the charming Richard Miles.
The villain: Charles Dawson, a
country lawyer in the county of Sussex, faked a "prehistoric" skull,
Piltdown Man (apparently half-man, half-ape), which he said he excavated in
1912-13. What a swine !!!
But what was Dawson's motivation
for the fraud? It seems that primarily he sought personal celebrity, and he
also wanted to prove that England was the birthplace of modern humans.
Prehistoric humans had been excavated recently in France and Germany, and
Dawson was a little annoyed that England was becoming an archaeological
backwater - my god, what madness !!!!!
But like Jimmy Savile, the
disgraced DJ, Dawson died before his fraud was discovered. Damn !!!
The hero: Howard Carter, who
found Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt in 1922. It is fascinating to see Carter's
diary for the big day. He only has time to write quickly half a sentence,
"Found the first steps of the tomb."
The program's charming host,
Richard Miles, also shows us the Tutankhamun Museum in Dorchester England,
which Lois and I visited many years ago with our daughters, Alison and Sarah
(then 13 and 11 years old).
Dorchester: Tutankhamun Museum, which we
visited in 1988
Sarah's name in hieroglyphs - we bought it
in the museum shop.
The picture still hangs in Sarah's old room,
though
Sarah herself is far away in Australia - oh
dear!
22:00 We go to bed - zzzzz !!!!
04:15 I get up early and take a
look at the web.
08:00 I hurry into the kitchen
and make two cups of tea. I take them up to the bedroom and crawl back in bed
with Lois. We drink the tea and get up. We eat breakfast.
09:30 We go into the village and
pop into Waghornes, the local butcher's shop to buy bread and meat. We come
back home and relax with a cup of coffee on the sofa.
10:30 I begin to read the excerpt
from "King Horn," a Middle English chivalric romance, dating back to
the middle of the thirteenth century. Lynda's U3A "Making of English"
group is to discuss the excerpt at the group's next meeting (March 3).
Yesterday I read the lines 693-724, which Lynda has asked me to read aloud
tomorrow (with a genuine Middle English accent), translate them into modern
English and comment on the points of interest, for example, interesting words,
origin of words, grammar, poetic inventions and so on.
I was surprised yesterday that I
came across a number of English words that have disappeared in the modern
English language, but that still exist in the modern Danish language, roughly in
the same form: "barm", meaning "breasts" and "flitte /
flytte" meaning "to move". My god - what a crazy world we live
in !!!
This morning, I read the lines
that the group's other members have to comment on, so I can get a clearer
picture of the story.
Joy's lines: princess Rymenhild
has arranged for Horn, her boyfriend, to be knighted by King Aylmar,
Rymenhild's father. She wants Horn to become a knight because she wants to
exchange vows with him so they can go to bed together. Now that Horn is a
knight, he is allowed to knight all his friends too - my god, such goings-on !!!!
Afterwards, all the new knights hold a gigantic party while the lonely
Rymenhild sits alone in his bedroom, waiting for the Horn to come to bed with
her. There is a very moving line, which somebody thought of at least 750 years
ago, where it says that Horn's absence seems like seven years - poor Rymenhild
!!!
Margaret's lines: Rymenhild
summons Horn - but Horn takes his friend, Athulf, up with him to her bedroom.
She tells Horn that it is high time that they exchange vows and go to bed
together. But Horn refuses and insists that he must first prove his worth as a
new knight, and embark on some dangerous adventures. He promises Rymenhild that
if he comes back alive, they will exchange vows and go to bed. It is
interesting that it is the princess who takes the initiative when it comes to
their sex life.
Joe's lines: Rymenhild accepts Horn's plan and gives him a ring, which he has to wear on his finger. If he is
in danger, he has to look at the ring and think about her, and no harm will
befall him - hurrah! Horn kisses her goodbye, takes the ring and slips out of
her room to saddle his horse.
Vera's lines: Horn rides to the
harbour and find a ship filled to the brim with Saracens (at least 100 men -
scary!). Fortunately, he kills them all - hurrah! Rymenhild's ring certainly
helps - he remembers to look at it sometimes while he is slaughtering Saracens
- that's fortunate! He chops the head off the Saracens' leader, and takes it on
the tip of his sword back to the palace.
Barb's lines: Horn shows the
Saracen's head to King Aylmar and Aylmar is very happy about that. The King
then goes riding off to hunt. I think it is the king's favorite hobby - no
doubt about it !!! Horn goes up to Rymenhild's bedroom, and sees that she is
crying. He asks her why she is crying so much.
Anthony's lines: Rymenhild
replies that she has had a bad dream. In the dream she cast her net into the
sea, but the net was torn to pieces. A large fish broke through the net, and
she was afraid that the fish would escape. My God! What a crazy dream for a
beautiful princess !!! Horn does not understand the dream's meaning, but he
wants to cheer her up. He agrees finally to exchange vows and go to bed with
her - hurrah !!
My lines: one of the other ladies
in the king's court, Fikenhild, is jealous of Rymenhild and reports to the king
that Horn and Rymenhild are in bed together. She also says that Horn plans to
kill the king. When he hears this, the king is very angry and bursts into the
bedroom. He finds the couple in bed together and orders Horn to leave the
country - oh dear! Horn tumbles out of Rymenhild's bed and rushes out of the
room to saddle up his horse.
Lynda's lines: Before Horn
leaves, he pops into Rymenhild's room for a moment, and tells her that her
dream has come true. The fish that tore her fishing nets in pieces is now
sending him out of the country in search of new adventures. He promises to come
back after 7 years. If he does not come back, she must marry someone else. He
asks Athulf, his best friend, to look after Rymenhild until he can get back -
big mistake, I suspect !!!!
13:00 Lois and I eat lunch and
then I go to bed and take a gigantic afternoon nap.
16:00 I get up and we relax with
a cup of tea on the sofa.
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