Monday, 10 April 2017

Søndag den 9. april 2017 kl 16:30 mandag den 10. april 2017 kl 16:29

17:00 Jeg drikker to gin-og-tonics i træk – du godeste! Det ligner mig ikke, men jeg føler mig lidt slået ud igen. Tingene  gik i eftermiddags ellers, end jeg havde planlagt . Jeg havde lige taget mit havearbejdstøj på, da Lois fortalte mig, at hun var bange for, at køre bil, på grund af de usædvanligt strålende solskin og sine grå stær, så jeg måtte opgive håbet om at arbejde i haven og køre hende og Maggie over til deres kirke i Tewkesbury i stedet. Det var lidt stressende at læse 4 sider af Gunnlaugs saga i bilen i parkeringspladsen og jonglere alle mine papirer og skriver noter samtidig. Det var ganske varmt, og jeg havde ondt i hovedet – du godeste, sikke et mareridt!!!!

18:00 Lois og jeg spiser aftensmad  og bruger aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser en interessant dokumentarfilm (2. del af 2), der handler om de britiske og amerikanske regeringers forsøg på at udspionere Edward, prins af Wales, fra 1935 til 1941.


En interessant program om en interessant 7-års periode, selvom programmagerne overdriver det ”chokerende” aspekt af sagen. Programmets voiceover lyder lidt uhyggelig, hvilket øger den dramatiske effekt, men faktisk var der ikke noget ulovligt eller overraskende i regeringens aktiviteter.

Forskellige ledere, for eksempel, de britiske premierministrer Chamberlain og  (senere) Churchill, Edwards bror Kong Georg 6., Roosevelt, Hoover osv var alle enige i, at Edward var en alvorlig sikkerhedsrisiko. Han flirtede med Hitler og var stadig meget populær blandt almindelige folk i Storbritannien og mange andre lande. Og han led lidt af hvad jeg kalder ”Princesse Diana-syndrom”, og havde fantasier om at være en helt speciel person, der kunne blive elsket af Gud og hver mand, blive venner med Hitler og bringer fred til verden – du godeste, sikke et vanvid!!!!

 Edward var stadig meget populær
blandt "almindelige" folk

Edward og Wallace besøgte Hitler i 1937 og drak te med ham
-  du godeste, sikke et vanvid!!!!

Edward og hans kone var først og fremmest åbenbart motiveret af vrede mod den britiske regering og Edwards bror, Kong Georg, og med alt, hvad de bad ham om at gøre, besluttede han at gøre det modsatte – uha!!!

Da Edward blev guvernør i Bahamas i 1940, bønfaldt Churchill ham om ikke at gøre noget, der ville fremme isolationismen i USA – men selvfølgelig gjorde han det modsatte. Det er en skam, at Churchill ikke var meget god til omvendt psykologi hahaha. Edward sagde faktisk til mange indflydelsesrige amerikanere, som han kendte, at det allerede var ”for sent” for USA at hjælpe til og de hellere måtte holde sig ud af det hele!!!! Sådan en sjuft!!!!!!!

22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzzz!!!!!! 

04:30 Jeg står tidligt op og laver én af mine rutinemæssige danske ordforrådtester.


08:00 Jeg dasker ind i køkkenet og laver to kopper te. Jeg tager dem med op i soveværelse og kryber tilbage under dynen til Lois. Vi drikker teen og står op. Vi spiser morgenmad.

09:00 Vi kører over til det lokale Sainsburys-supermarked for at købe ind. Vi kører hjem og slapper af med en kop kaffe i sofaen.

11:00 Lois går ud i baghaven for at luge lidt mellem frugtbuskene. Hun beder mig om, at grave 4 korte grøfter i grøntsaghaven, så hun kan plante sine læggekartofler, men jeg afslår (høfligt). Jeg har lidt ondt  i ledene i formiddag, så derfor udskyder jeg denne opgave til efter min eftermiddagslur. Alderdom er ikke for slapsvanse – det ved jeg med sikkerhed!!!!

12:30 Vi spiser frokost og bagefter tager jeg mig min sædvanlige eftermiddagslur.

14:30 Jeg går ud i baghaven – jeg kan ikke udskyde det længere. Jeg graver de 4 korte grøfter. Bob, vores nabo, der for 2 år siden blev enke, kommer ud for at hænge vasketøj ud på tøjsnoren. Jeg er bange for, han vil fortæller mig, at jeg gør det hele forkert – det har han desværre en dårlig vane med at gøre. Uha! Men i dag holder han sine tanke for sig selv – hurra!!! Sikke en lettelse!!!!! For engangs skyld er jeg ikke ydmyget på grund af min uvidenhed og manglende evne!!!!!

jeg graver 4 korte grøfter,
så Lois kan plante sine læggekartofler

15:30 Jeg kommer ind i huset igen og vi slapper af med en kop te i sofaen. Spændingen og forventningen stiger i huset – University Challenge, vores yndlingsquiz, holder sin finale i aften mellem Balliol College, Oxford og Wolfson College, Cambridge, og der er en masse hype i aviserne og på medierne.

University Challenge, den populære tv-quiz, holder sin finale i aften.
Hvor spændende!!!  Forventningen stiger i vores hus.

Lois har fortalt mig, at Wolfsons kanadiske kaptajn, Eric Monkman, er blevet en usandsynlig sex-symbol blandt showets kvindelige seere. Aviserne taler om såkaldte ”Monkmania”. Du godeste – sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!! Wolfson-holdet har faktisk to kanadiere (inklusive Justin Yang), og Balliol-holdet en australier (Benjamin Pope).

Denne quiz kommer til at ligne Kaproning på Themsen, den årlige rokonkurrence mellem Oxford Universitys roklub og Cambridge Universitys roklub, hvor størstedelen af deltagere kommer fra de tidligere ”kolonier”, med andre ord USA, Australien osv – sikke et vanvid!!!


English translation

17:00 I drink two gin-and-tonics in a row - my goodness! That's not like me, but I feel a little knocked out again. Things this afternoon went otherwise than I had planned. I had just put my gardening clothes on when Lois told me that she was afraid to drive, because of the exceptionally brilliant sunshine and her cataracts, so I had to give up hope of working in the garden and drive her and Maggie over to their church in Tewkesbury instead. It was a little stressful to try and read 4 pages of Gunnlaugs saga in the car in the parking lot and juggle all my papers and write notes simultaneously. It was quite hot and I had a headache - my goodness, what a nightmare !!!!

18:00 Lois and I have dinner and spend the evening watching a little television. An interesting documentary is on (part 2 of 2), which deals with the British and American governments' attempts to spy on Edward, Prince of Wales, 1935-1941.


An interesting program about an interesting seven-year period, although the programme-makers overplay the "shocking" aspect of the case. The program's voiceover sounds a little creepy, which increases the dramatic effect, but actually there was nothing illegal or surprising in the two governments' activities.

Various leaders, for example, the British prime ministers Chamberlain and (later) Churchill, Edward's brother King George VI, Roosevelt, and also Hoover, etc were all agreed that Edward was a serious security risk. He flirted with Hitler and was still very popular among ordinary people in Britain and many other countries. And he suffered a bit from what I call "Princess Diana syndrome" and had fantasies of being a very special person who could be loved by all and sundry, make friends with Hitler and bring peace to the world - good grief, what madness !!!!

Edward was still very popular
among "ordinary" people

Edward and Wallace visited Hitler in 1937 and drank tea with him
- good grief, what madness !!!!

Edward and his wife were obviously primarily motivated by anger against the British government and against Edward's brother, King George, and, with everything they asked him to do, he decided to do the opposite - oh dear!!!

When Edward became governor of the Bahamas in 1940, Churchill pleaded with him not to do anything that would promote isolationism in the US - but of course he did the opposite. It is a shame that Churchill was not very good at reverse psychology hahaha. Edward actually told many influential Americans of his acquaintance that it was already "too late" for the US to help, and that they would do better to keep out of it !!!! What a bastard!!!!

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

04:30 I get up early and do one of my routine Danish vocabulary tests.


08:00 I shuffle into the kitchen and make two cups of tea. I take them up to the bedroom and crawl back under the covers with Lois. We drink the tea and get up. We eat breakfast.

09:00 We drive over to the local Sainsbury's supermarket to do the shopping. We drive home and relax with a cup of coffee on the sofa.

11:00 Lois goes out in the backyard to weed a bit among the fruit bushes. She asks me to dig four short trenches in the vegetable garden, so she can plant her seed-potatoes, but I decline (politely). I have a little pain in the joints this morning, so I postpone this assignment till after my afternoon nap. Old age is not for wimps - I know that for sure !!!!

12:30 We have lunch and afterwards I take my usual afternoon nap.

14:30 I go out in the backyard - I cannot put it off any longer. I dig the 4 short trenches. Bob, our neighbour, who became a widow two years ago, comes out to hang laundry out on his washing line. I am afraid he is going to tell me that I'm doing it all wrong - that's something he unfortunately has a bad habit of doing. Ugh! But today he keeps his thoughts to himself - hurrah !!! What a relief!!!!! For once, I'm not humiliated for my ignorance and lack of ability !!!!!

I dig four short trenches,
so Lois can plant her seed potatoes

15:30 I come in the house again and we relax with a cup of tea on the sofa. Excitement and anticipation is rising here - University Challenge, our favorite quiz, is holding its final tonight between Balliol College, Oxford, and Wolfson College, Cambridge, and there is a lot of hype in the newspapers and the media.

University Challenge, the popular television quiz, is holding its final tonight.
How exciting!!! Anticipation is rising in our house.

Lois has told me that Wolfson's Canadian captain, Eric Monkman, has become an unlikely sex symbol among the show's female viewers. The newspapers are talking about so-called "Monkmania". My goodness - what a crazy world we live in !!! The Wolfson team actually has two Canadians (including Justin Yang), and the Balliol team an Australian (Benjamin Pope).

This quiz is coming to resemble the Boat Race on the Thames, the annual rowing event between Oxford University’s rowing club and Cambridge University’s rowing club, where the majority of participants come from the former "colonies", in other words, the US, Australia, etc. - what madness !!!


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