17:00 Efter en dag brugt på at sidde ved computeren, hopper jeg op på min
kondicykel og cykler 7,5 miles. Jeg tænder for min smartphone og ser på 1968s
bedste sange, mens jeg cykler. Hver gang jeg hopper op, stiller jeg året ét år
tilbage.
Det føles som om, jeg er i frit fald ned denne lange kaninhul tilbage til
mine rødder. Mens jeg hører sangene, prøver jeg at mindes 1968 årets rolle i min
livshistorie, i et forsøg på, at udskyde demens ha ha ha.
Jeg var studerende i 1968. Jeg havde ikke fandt sammen med Lois endnu. Min
far takkede af som skoleinspektør i en skole i byen Bristol i sommeren, og
startede et nyt job som skoleinspektør i byen Oxford. Ah ja, jeg husker det
godt – gudskelov ha ha ha!
Mig
i januar 1968 i mine forældres gamle hus i byen Bristol.
Jeg
var den slags irriterende dreng,
altid
positiv og optimistisk, der lavede
nytårs
resolutioner, og holdt mig til dem.
Jeg
besluttede at spise fremover hver dag en proteinrig morgenmad.
Du
godeste, sikken en idiot! Det kan jeg næsten ikke tro nu!!!
På
væggen til højre bemærker jeg den lille bækken-formede vægur,
som
Lois og jeg stadig har på vores væg i dag
(selvom
det desværre ikke virker mere!!!!)
Tilbageblik
til sommer 1968: den store flyttedag i Bristol.
Flyttevognen
står på gaden med bagdør åben, og
mine
forældres møbler i baggården.
Min
lillebror, Steve læser en bog i det halv-tomt værelse
han
og jeg var fælles om. Sammen med Sam, familiens kat.
Vinteren
1968-69: mine to søstre, Kathy (21 år) og Gill (10 år)
foran vores forældres nye hus i byen Oxford.
Det
sner lidt. Ét af mine yndlingsfotoer af Kathy,
der
desværre for 4 år siden døde
Lykkelige dage!!!!!
18:00 Lois og jeg spiser aftensmad og bruger resten af aftenen på at se
lidt fjernsyn. De viser den tredje (og sidste) del af ”Mapp og Lucia”, en morsom serie, der udspiller sig i 1920s og
1930s i en rolig lille engelsk badeby.
Serien handler om 2 kvinder, Mapp og Lucia, fra den øvre middelklasse, der under
overfladen hader hinanden, mens de opretholder en fernis af høflighed til
hinandens ansigt. De to kvinder prøver konstant til at overgå hinanden i
popularitet blandt de lokale indbyggere.
De 3 programmer blev oprindeligt
sendt af BBC-kanalen de tre sidste dage af året 2014, der fulgte Lois’s og mine
første ”ensomme jul” nogensinde. Vores to døtre og deres familier var alle i
København, men Lois og jeg skulle aflyse vores flybilletter på grund af
influenza – pokkers!
2014: vores første ”ensomme jul” nogensinde –
Men
vi prøver at gøre det bedste ud af det. Stakkels os !!!!!!
[Ingen
kan lide et pivehoved, Colin – red.]
Ved slutningen af ”Mapp og Lucia”s sidste
afsnit talte showets hovedfigurer om deres planer om fremtiden, så vi formoder,
at programmagerne dengang overvejede at skyde flere afsnit, men faktisk var
seriens seertal lidt skuffende på trods af gode kritikker, og ingen flere
afsnit blev skudt – sikke en skam!
22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzzzzz!!!!!
05:00 Jeg står tidligt op og laver én af mine rutinemæssige danske
ordforrådtest.
07:30 Jeg trisser ind i køkkenet og laver to kopper te. Jeg tager dem med
op i soveværelset og hopper op i sengen til Lois. Vi drikker teen og går i bad.
Vi står op og spiser morgenmad.
10:00 Min ven, ”Magyar” Mike kommer og vi lærer ungarsk i en time. Mike
fortæller mig de seneste nyheder om sin barnebarn, Stephen, der for tiden er
studerende i Prag. Stephen tilbragte påske i Budapest.
Han rejste med bus fra Prag, men snart efter bussen kørte ind i Ungarn,
blev den involveret i en massiv bilkø –
motorvejen var blevet fuldstændigt blokkeret af en stor ulykke. Bussen ventede
4 timer, før den kunne køre videre. Stephen ankom kl 2 om natten til busstation
i Budapest, og han måtte så finde vejen til fods til sit vandrehjem i en anden del af byen, en by han slet ikke kendte
– du godeste!
Men hvis man er ung, tager man denne slags situationen i stiv arm – ingen tvivl
om det!!!!
11:00 Mike skal af sted. Lois og jeg slapper af med en kop kaffe i sofaen.
11:15 Solen skinner og vi går ud i baghaven. Jeg luger lidt mellem
frugtbuskene, mens Lois planter gulerødsfrø – hurra!
Lois går i gang med at plante
gulerodfrø
– hurra!
13:00 Vi kommer ind i huset igen og spiser frokost. Lois har pludseligt
indset, at hun har forlagt nogle af frøposer vi for 1-2 uger siden købte, så vi
kører ud til Blooms-havecentret for at købe flere. Vi kører hjem igen. Jeg går
i seng for at tage mig en eftermiddagslur.
15:00 Jeg står op og kigger lidt på nettet. To interessanter nyheder.
For det første læser jeg, at CERNs generaldirektør, Fabiola Gianotti har
beklaget, efter forskere tilfældigvis ødelagte 5 parallelle universer i et
eksperiment, der for nylig gik galt.
Gianotti:
”CERN ødelagde tilfældigvis 5 parallelle universer”
Meget nostalgisk for mit vedkommende, og jeg gik en kort tur ned af memory
lane, da jeg læste denne nyhed! Jeg ødelagde også et par universer, før jeg gik
på pension i 2006, da ét af de gamle Fortran computerprogrammer, jeg skrev i
1970’erne, sad fast i en uendelig ”do-løkke”. Heldigvis var min chef sygemeldt
for tiden, og jeg nåede at mørkelægge hele hændelsen! Nu kan jeg grine af det, men på det
tidspunkt var det lidt pinligt, for at sige mildt!!!! (Oplysningen fra The
Onion, bortset fra min egne oplevelse, som jeg her for første gang udelukkende
afslører!).
jeg tog dette souvenirbillede i 2006,
lige
før jeg gik på pension.
Ét
af universerne jeg ødelagte er nummer 2 fra venstre.
Den anden nyhed handler om hvor ofte man skal gå i bad. Svaret er kun en
eller to gange om ugen, hvis de udelukkende handler om at holde kroppen fri for
bakterier og smitsomme sygdomme, ifølge Dr Elaine Larson, der er ekspert i
infektionssygdomme. Alt for mange brusebade vil faktisk forhøje vores risiko
for nogle sundhedsproblemer, fordi tør, revnet hud øger risikoen for
infektioner og badet vil yderligere fjerne hudens naturlige barriere af olie.
Ikke undre, at Tiny Tim, den amerikanske sanger, døde så ung i alderen af
64 år, i betragtning af, at han plejede at gå i bad 10 gange om dagen! Stakkels
Tim !!!!
Stakkels Tim og Miss Vicki plejede at gå i bad
10 gange om dagen – dårlig
idé !!!!!
Badet vil fjerne lugt og sved, men når det handler om at beskytte sig selv
mod sygdomme, så er det nok at vaske hænder regelmæssigt, siger hun. Dr Larsons
forskning viser i øvrigt også, at antibakterielle sæber ikke har større effekt
end almindelig sæbe.
De fleste mennesker overbader faktisk, siger hun. Du godeste! Lois og jeg
går tre gange om ugen i bad, hvilket er lidt skræmmende (Oplysningen fra Metro Express
– bortset fra Lois’s og mine personlige badevaner, som jeg her for første gang udelukkende
afslører!).
Hun foreslå, at man nøjes med at bruge sæbe de steder på kroppen, der har
en tendens til at udskille ildelugtende sekret, som fx armhule og fødder. Sikke
et vanvid!!!!
16:00 Lois og jeg slapper af med en kop te i sofaen.
English translation
17:00 After a day spent sitting
at the computer, I jump up on my exercise bike and cycle 7.5 miles. I turn on
my smartphone and look at 1968's best songs while cycling. Every time I jump
up, I put the year back a year.
It feels like I'm in free fall
down this long rabbit hole back to my roots. While I hear the songs, I try to
remember the part played by the year 1968 in my life story, in an attempt to
postpone dementia ha ha ha.
I was a student in 1968. I had
not got together with Lois yet. My father resigned as headmaster of a school in
the city of Bristol in the summer, and started a new job as head teacher in the
city of Oxford. Ah yes, I remember it well - thank God ha ha ha!
Me in January 1968 in my parents' old house
in the city of Bristol.
I was the kind of annoying boy,
always positive and optimistic, who made
New Year's resolutions, and stuck to them.
I decided to eat a protein-rich breakfast every day in future .
My God, what an idiot! I can hardly believe
it now !!!
On the wall to the right, I notice the small
bedpan-shaped wall clock,
which Lois and I still have on our wall
today
(Though it unfortunately does not work any
more !!!!)
Flashback to summer 1968: the big moving day
in Bristol.
The moving van stands on the street with the
back door open, and
my parents' furniture in the backyard.
My younger brother, Steve is reading a book
in the half-empty bedroom
he and I shared. Along with Sam, the
family's cat.
Winter 1968-69: my two sisters, Kathy (21)
and Gill (10)
in front of our parents' new house in the
city of Oxford.
It was snowing a bit. One of my favorite
photos of Kathy,
who sadly died 4 years ago.
Happy days !!!!!
18:00 Lois and I eat dinner and
spend the rest of the evening watching TV. They show the third (and last) part
of "Mapp and Lucia", a hilarious series set in the 1920s and 1930s in
a quiet little English seaside resort.
The series is about two upper
middle class women, Mapp and Lucia, who under the surface hate each other,
while maintaining a veneer of politeness to each other's faces. The two women
are constantly trying to outdo each other in popularity with the local
inhabitants.
The three programs were
originally broadcast by the BBC channel on the last three days of 2014, following Lois's and my first ever "Lonely Christmas". Our two
daughters and their families were all in Copenhagen, but Lois and I had to
cancel our flights because of the flu - damn!
2014: our first "Lonely
Christmas" ever –
But we try to make the best of it. Poor us
!!!!!!
[No one likes a whinger, Colin - Ed.]
At the end of "Mapp and
Lucia" s last episode the show's main characters spoke about their plans
for the future, so we suspect that the programme-makers were then considering
shooting further episodes, but actually the show's viewing figures were a little
disappointing despite good reviews, and no more episodes were filmed - what a
shame!
22:00 We go to bed - zzzzzzzz
!!!!!
05:00 I get up early and do one
of my routine Danish vocabulary tests.
07:30 I toddle into the kitchen
and make two cups of tea. I take them up to the bedroom and jump into bed with
Lois. We drink the tea and take a shower. We get up and eat breakfast.
10:00 My friend, "Magyar"
Mike comes and we learn Hungarian for an hour. Mike tells me the latest news
about his grandson, Stephen, who is currently a student in Prague. Stephen
spent Easter in Budapest.
He travelled by bus from Prague,
but soon after the bus drove into Hungary, it was involved in a massive traffic
jam - the highway was completely blocked by a large accident. The bus waited
four hours before it could continue.
Stephen arrived in the bus
station in Budapest at 2 am, and he then had to find his way on foot to his hostel
in another part of town, in a city he did not know at all - my goodness!
But if you are young, you take
this kind of situation in your stride - no doubt about it !!!!
11:00 Mike has to go. Lois and I
relax with a cup of coffee on the sofa.
11:15 The sun is shining and we
go out in the backyard. I do a bit of weeding between the fruit bushes, while
Lois plants carrot seeds - hurrah!
Lois begins to plant carrot
seeds - hurrah!
13:00 We come in the house again
and eat lunch. Lois has suddenly realised that she has misplaced a few of the seed
packets we bought 1-2 weeks ago, so we drive out to the Blooms garden centre to
buy more. We drive back home. I go to bed and take an afternoon nap.
15:00 I get up and take a look at
the web. Two interesting news items.
First I read that CERN's director
general, Fabiola Gianotti has apologised after researchers accidentally
destroyed five parallel universes in an experiment that went wrong recently .
Gianotti: CERN "accidentally destroyed
five parallel universes"
Very nostalgic for me, and I took a short walk down memory lane when I read this news! I also destroyed a
couple of universes before I retired in 2006, when one of the old Fortran
computer programs that I wrote in the 1970s got stuck in an infinite
"do-loop". Luckily my boss was off sick at the time and I managed to
organise a news black-out on the whole incident! Now I can laugh about it, but at
the time it was a little embarrassing, to say the least !!!! (information from
The Onion, apart from my own experience, which I am revealing here exclusively
for the first time!).
I took this souvenir picture in
2006,
just before I retired.
One of the universes I destroyed is number
two from the left.
The other news is about how often
you should take a shower. The answer is only one or two times a week, if it is
all about keeping the body free from germs and infectious diseases, according
to Dr Elaine Larson, an expert in infectious diseases. Too many showers will
actually increase our risk for some health problems, because dry, cracked skin
increases the risk of infections and bathing will further reduce the skin's
natural barrier oil.
No wonder that Tiny Tim, the
American singer, died so young at the age of 64 , given the fact that he used
to shower 10 times a day! Poor Tim !!!!
Poor Tim and Miss Vicki used to
shower 10 times a day -
bad idea !!!!!
Bathing will remove odour and
sweat, but when it comes to protecting ourselves against diseases, it is enough
to wash the hands regularly, she says. Dr. Larson's research also shows that
antibacterial soaps do not have any more power than ordinary soap.
Most people over-bathe in fact,
she says. My Goodness! Lois and I go in the shower three times a week, which is
a little scary (Information from Metro Express - apart from Lois's and my
personal bathing habits which I am exclusively revealing here for the first
time!).
She suggests that you only need
to use soap on places on the body that tend to excrete foul-smelling
secretions, such as armpits and feet. What madness !!!!
16:00 Lois and I relax with a cup
of tea on the sofa.
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