Danskcolin: Mandag den 15. maj 2017 kl 16:30 tirsdag den 16. maj 2017 kl 16:29

16:30 Gill, min ”lillesøster” har sin 59. fødselsdag i dag. Jeg sender hende en sms, men jeg ringer ikke til hende, fordi hun og Peter kun i går aftes ankom tilbage fra en uges ferie i det sydlige Spanien – første gang for dem begge, at være på et fly: det må have været en udfordrende oplevelse, fordi Peter er meget handicappet. Jeg glæder mig til at høre flere detaljer i weekenden måske. De er begge katolikker, så der vil have været en masse gamle katolske kirker og domskirker, de kunne hav besøgt.

17:15 Gill er født i 1958. Tilfældigvis da jeg hopper op på min kondicykel og tilbagelægger endnu 6 miles (10km) og jeg samtidigt ser på gamle popsange/videoer på YouTube, er det i dag året 1958, jeg er nået tilbage til. Hver gang jeg hopper op på min cykel, stiller jeg året ét år tilbage. Mine forældre, mine 2-3 søskende og jeg boede dengang i Sale, en lille forstad til Manchester. 1958 var det første år, jeg og min 11-årig søster Kathy først interesserede os i popmusik, synes jeg.

Tilbageblik til 1958: Bigbopperen taler på telefon

med sin kæreste foran publikummet:

gud, sikke en stor showmand han var!!!!

udskrift af Bigbopperens historiske opkald (1958)

På samme tid langt væk i Oxford købte Lois, min kommende kone, Bigbopperens kæmpe-hit på en 78rpm plade i en lokal musikbutik.

1958 var et stort år for mine forældre, mine søskende og mig, fordi vi flyttede fra en forstad til London nordpå til Sale i Manchester-området. Min lillesøster Gill blev født på et hospital i Manchester.

Min far var blevet for første gang udpeget til skoleinspektør. Det var en spændende periode i min fars liv – det har jeg ikke nogen tvivl om.

Det var ikke så lykkeligt for os børn, fordi vi endnu engang måtte skifte skole midt i året (januar 1958) – på 11 år min sjette skoleskift. Stakkels mig!!!! To år senere, flyttede vi sydpå igen. Sikke en barndom!!!! (Ingen kan lide et pivehoved, Colin – red.]

tilbageblik til 1958: mig med min

nyfødte søster Gill. Min 5-årige bror, Steve,

kigger over min skulder

Min 10-årige søster Kathy sammen med Steve

18:00 Lois og jeg spiser aftensmad og bruger resten af aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser en interessant dokumentarfilm om ”Dagen dinosaurerne døde”. Programmets to værter er Ben Garrod og Alice Roberts.

Lois og jeg ser en masse tv-dokumentarfilm, så er det altid svært at bedømme i disse slags programmer, hvad er ny viden og en ny opdagelse, og hvad er blevet vidst i årevis. Men det er i hvert fald meget interessant at se den massive bormaskine bore for nylig 1 mile ned i den mexicanske golf, for at undersøge effekterne af den store asteroide (9 miles i diameter), der for 66 millioner år siden ramte jorden derovre, og førte til udryddelsen af dinosaurerne.

asteroiden fløj meget hurtigt

da den ramte jorden – kpow!!!!!!

Vi hører, at det var tidstedeværelsen af sulfater i atmosfæren efter begivenhed, der var den afgørende faktor i udryddelsen af så mange typer (75%) af dyre og planter, fordi det blokerede solen i en lange periode derefter.

For mit vedkommende er det mest interessante punkt, at katastrofens effekter ville have været meget meget mindre, hvis asteroiden har ramte jorden, hvor der var dybt ocean (en meget større sandsynlighed), men faktisk kom asteroiden ned i lavt vand i den mexicanske golf. Og hvis dinosaurerne ikke var uddød, ville pattedyrene ikke være blevet til planetens fremherskende art. Og vi mennesker ville ikke have været her og opdaget så meget om vores planetes forhistoriske fortid.

kom tilbage, store asteroide,

alt er tilgivet ha ha ha

Vi lever i spændende tider – det har jeg ikke nogen tvivl om !!!!

22:00 Vi går i seng. Jeg læser 9 sider af min sengetidbog, ”Digte af Philip Larkin, valgt af Martin Amis”, før jeg glider over i søvnen – zzzzzz!!!!!

04:15 Jeg står tidligt op og laver én af mine rutinemæssige danske ordforrådtest.

08:15 Jeg lunter ud i køkkenet og laver to kopper te. Jeg tager dem med op i soveværelset og hopper op i sengen til Lois. Vi drikker téen og går i bad. Vi står op og spiser morgenmad.

10:30 Vi kører over til Bishops Cleeve, en lille landsby, der ligger 3 miles nord for Cheltenham. Vi køber maling og både groft og fint sandpapir, som jeg vil have brug for når jeg begynder at male den nye poststolpe og selve havelågen. Vi smutter ind i Factory Shop (den oprindelige ha ha ha) for at købe en lille hjulet kuffert – som et eksperiment har vi besluttet at tage kun kabinbagage med, når vi flyver til Danmark først i juni. Hvis der er problemer, vil vi droppe idéen næste gang.

Vi smutter ind i det lokale postkontoret og sender to ”Peter Rabbit” magasiner til Lily og Jessica, vores 3-årige børnebørn i Perth Australien. Det hele koster 15£ herunder porto - du godeste! Men vi er begge glade for at kunne gøre dem denne lille tjeneste og holde dem begge lidt i kontakt med ”det gamle land”.

12:30 Vi spiser frokost og bagefter går jeg i seng for at tage mig en gigantisk eftermiddagslur – zzzzzz!!!

15:15 Jeg står op. Jeg ved, jeg kommer til at være lidt nervøs i de næste 2,5 uger, mens vi forbereder os på at flyve til Danmark. Jeg ønsker at se vores datter Alison og hendes familie i Danmark, men inderst inde vil jeg hellere blive hjemme, og have dem til at komme hos os, selvom jeg ved godt, det ikke er en mulighed. Desværre er det en skæbne for mig og Lois at rejse verden rundt, selvom vi nu er i 70’erne – pokkers!

Jeg prøver konstant at finde på nye incitamenter for at opmuntre mig selv til at nyde at rejse. Den seneste idé er at tage kun kabinbaggage med når vi flyver – mindre besvær, så hurra! Men kabinbaggage kan blive måske lidt af et problem for Lois – hun kan godt lide at tage en masse ting med, når hun rejser – du godeste!

Jeg har for det meste kun minimal kontakt med mine følelser, hvilket er heldigt: sædvanligt har jeg ikke den fjerneste anelse om, hvad mine følelser prøver at fortælle mig. Men heldigvis har jeg et latent problem med hofterne (altså ledegigt), og hofterne tøver ikke med at fortælle mig, når jeg er i gang med noget, jeg inderst inde ikke ønsker at gøre ha ha ha! Tak skal du have, hofter!!! Hil jer, hofter, I holdt mig ud af krig!!!

Mine hofter er meget nyttige, med andre ord: de fortæller mig, hvad jeg inderst inde ønsker og ikke ønsker. Men jeg vil ikke have, at de bliver for højrøvede og kollapse pludselig, som min veninde Anne-Maries hofter gjorde, da hun kun var i 40’erne. Slemmer hofter!!!

15:30 Lois og jeg slapper af med en kop te i sofaen. Vi venter på at få en sms fra Mari-Ann, vores veninde. Hun og Alf plejer at køre Lois hver tirsdag aften over til Brockworth, hvor deres kirke holder et ugentligt seminar.

Mari-Ann og Alf var i Bristol i går og gik til en koncert af caribisk musik (Alf stammer fra en oprindeligt britiske caribisk familie). Hvis de i dag kommer sent tilbage fra Bristol, vil det være mit ansvar at køre Lois over til Brockworth, og jeg vil miste værdifuld alenetid – pokkers!

Mari-Ann og Alf lagde nogle billeder og videoer af concerten op på Facebook. Musikken lyder absolut nederen i mine ører, men alle har deres smag – sikke et skør verden vi lever i !!!!!

den caribiske koncert, som Mari-Anne og Alf

gik i i går aftes – musikken lyder

nederen i mine ører – sikke et vanvid!!!!

English translation

16:30 Gill, my "little sister" has her 59th birthday today. I send her a text message, but I do not call her because she and Peter arrived back from a week's vacation in southern Spain only last night - the first time for both of them to be on a plane: it must have been a challenging experience because Peter is very handicapped. I am looking forward to hearing more details this weekend. They are both Catholics, so there would have been a lot of old Catholic churches and cathedrals they could have visited.

17:15 Gill was born in 1958. Coincidentally, as I jump up on my exercise bike and clock up another 6 miles (10km) and at the same time watch old pop songs / videos on YouTube, it is the year 1958 I have reached today. Every time I jump on my bike, I set the year one year back.

My parents, my 2-3 siblings, and I lived in Sale, a small suburb of Manchester. 1958 was the first year I and my 11 year old sister Kathy first got interested in pop music, I think.

Flashback to 1958: The Big Bopper is talking on the phone

with his girlfriend in front of the audience:

God, what a great showman he was !!!!

transcript of the Big Bopper's historic call (1958)

At the same time far away in Oxford, Lois, my future wife, was buying the Big Bopper's monster hit on a 78rpm record in a local music store.

1958 was a big year for my parents, my siblings and me, because we moved from a suburb of London north to Sale in the Manchester area. My little sister Gill was born in a hospital in Manchester.

My father had just got his first appointment as school headteacher. It was an exciting period in my father's life - I have no doubts about that.

It was not so happy for us children because we had to change school again in the middle of the year (January 1958) - at 11 years old my sixth change of school. Poor me!!!! Two years later, we moved south again. What a childhood !!!! [Nobody likes a whinger, Colin - Ed.]

Flashback to 1958: Me with my

newborn sister Gill. My 5 year old brother, Steve,

is looking over my shoulder

My 10 year old sister Kathy with Steve

18:00 Lois and I have dinner and spend the rest of the evening watching television. An interesting documentary is on, all about "The Day the Dinosaurs Died". The program's two hosts are Ben Garrod and Alice Roberts.

Lois and I see a lot of TV documentaries, so it's always hard to judge in these kinds of programs what's new knowledge and a new discovery, and what has been known for years. But at least it's very interesting to see the massive drill that was boring recently 1 mile down in the Gulf of Mexico to investigate the effects of the big asteroid (9 miles in diameter) that hit the earth 66 million years ago and led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

the asteroid was flying very quickly

when it hit the earth - kpow !!!!!!

We hear that it was the presence of sulphates in the atmosphere after the event, which was the deciding factor in the eradication of so many types (75%) of animals and plants because it blocked out the sun for a long period of time thereafter.

For me, the most interesting point is that the effects of the disaster would have been much less if the asteroid had hit the earth where there was deep ocean (a much greater probability), but actually the asteroid fell into shallow water in the Mexican Gulf. And if the dinosaurs had not died out, the mammals would not have become the dominant species on the planet. And we humans would not have been here and discovered so much about our planet's prehistoric past.

Come back, big asteroid,

all is forgiven ha ha ha

We live in exciting times - I have no doubts about that !!!!

22:00 We go to bed. I read 9 pages of my bedtime book, "Poems by Philip Larkin, chosen by Martin Amis" before I drift off to sleep - zzzzzz !!!!!

04:15 I get up early and do one of my routine Danish vocabulary tests.

08:15 I amble out into the kitchen and make two cups of tea. I take them up into the bedroom and jump into bed with Lois. We drink the tea and go in the shower. We get up and have breakfast.

10:30 We drive over to Bishops Cleeve, a small village located 3 miles north of Cheltenham. We buy paint, and both coarse and fine sandpaper, which I will need when I start painting the new gate-post and the garden gate itself. We pop into the Factory Shop (the original one ha ha ha) to buy a small wheeled suitcase - as an experiment we have decided to take only cabin baggage when we fly to Denmark early in June. If there are any problems, we will drop the idea next time.

We pop into the local post office and send two "Peter Rabbit" magazines to Lily and Jessica, our 3 year old grandchildren in Perth Australia. The whole thing costs £15 including postage - good grief! But we are both happy to do them this little service and keep them both in touch with "the old country".

12:30 We eat lunch and afterwards I go to bed and take a gigantic afternoon nap - zzzzzz !!!

15:15 I get up. I know I'm going to be a little nervous for the next 2 and a half weeks while we are preparing to fly to Denmark. I want to see our daughter Alison and her family in Denmark, but deep inside I'd rather stay home and have them come to us, although I know that's not an option. Unfortunately, it's destiny for me and Lois to travel around the world, even though we're in our 70s - damn!

I am constantly trying to find new incentives to encourage myself to enjoy travelling. The latest idea is to take only cabin baggage when we fly - less hassle, so hurrah! But cabin baggage may be a bit of a problem for Lois - she likes to take a lot of things with her when she travels - good grief!

I usually only have minimal contact with my feelings, which is lucky: usually I do not have the slightest idea of what my feelings are trying to tell me. But fortunately, I also have a latent problem with my hips (ie arthritis) and my hips do not hesitate to tell me when I'm doing something that deep inside I do not want to do ha ha ha! Thank you, hips !!! Hail to you, hips, you kept me out of war !!!

My hips are very useful, in other words: they tell me what I really want and do not want. But I do not want them to become too complacent and collapse suddenly, like my friend Anne-Marie's hips did when she was only in her 40's. Bad hips !!!

15:30 Lois and I relax with a cup of tea on the couch. We are waiting for a text from Mari-Ann, our friend. She and Alf usually drive Lois every Tuesday evening to Brockworth, where their church holds a weekly seminar.

Mari-Ann and Alf were in Bristol yesterday and went to a concert of Caribbean music (Alf comes from an originally British Caribbean family). If they come back late from Bristol today, it will become my responsibility to drive Lois over to Brockworth, and I will lose valuable alone time - damn!

Mari-Ann and Alf posted some photos and videos of the concert on Facebook. The music sounds the absolute pits to my ears, but everyone to their own taste - what a crazy world we live in !!!!!