Tirsdag den 9. maj 2017 kl 16:30 onsdag den 10. maj 2017 kl 16:29

17:15 Lois og jeg spiser aftensmad lidt tidligere, end normalt. Bagefter skal vi af sted. Lois ønsker at deltage i et bibelseminar, der finder sted i aften i Brockworth, men hun er ikke tilladt at køre bil for tiden på grund af grå stær. Jeg kører hende over til Hatherley og smutter ind i Mari-Annes hus for at se deres nye tilbygning og istandsat køkken.

Jeg siger farvel til Lois – Mari-Ann skal køre hende over til Brockworth. Jeg kommer hjem igen.

19:00 Jeg har lidt alenetid og bruger aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser en interessant program (5. og 6. del af 6), der handler om Victoria Wood, den afdøde stand-up komiker.

Det er meget rart at mindes om den afdøde Victoria Woods brilliant karriere som stand-up komiker, men det er også desværre tankevækkende at huske, at Victoria, som mange tv-stjerner, kom til at tro, at hun også kunne finde succes som både dramatiker og skuespiller.

Succes i det ene felt fører ikke altid til succes i et andet felt, som fx Victorias katastrofale forsøg på at have succes i sæbeopera verden, med ”Acorn Antiques”, en elendig serie, der kredsede om en antikvitetsforretning i Manchester-området.

I aften, i dokumentarseriens 5. og 6. (sidste) del, kigger vi tilbage over de vigtigste scener i ”Acorn Antiques” – forretningens (og hovedfigurernes) største kriser (financielle og personelle) i butikkens lange historie.

Det er lidt uheldigt, at disse kritiske scener, som showets fans husker så godt, udviser samtidigt nogle af showets værste aspekter, når det kom til den elendige iscenesættelse. Det er nærmest et studie om, hvordan man bedst bruger tv-kameraer, og (for det meste) hvordan man ikke gør det (!)  – dette show var desværre nogle gange simpelthen for pinligt til at se på.

her ser vi kun ryggen af Miss Babs’s hoved,

og ikke de to figurer, der er i dialog

her er hr Cliffords hoved usynligt,

mens han er i dialog med fru Overall

Der var mange eksempler, hvor vi fangede et tilfældigt glimt af tekniske udstyr eller personale under scener.

tv-seerne fangede desværre alt for ofte et tilfældigt glimt

af tekniske udstyr og personale under programmet

Mange af showets fans kan huske afsnittet, hvor hr Clifford ramte hovedet mod en meget synlig boom mikrofon, og blev alvorligt skadet øven i købet – du godeste! Meget pinligt for både tv-seerne og de pågældene skuespillere!!!! Det var heldigt, at nogle af showets hovedfigurer var spillet af meget professionelle tv-stjerner, og optagelserne sjældent blev afbrudt.

hr Clifford rammer hovedet mod

en af showets meget synlige boom-mikrofoner – heldigvis var

optagelsen ikke afbrudt.

Showet blev faktisk kendt for dets hyppige ulykker, som for eksempel, hændlinger, hvor skuespillerne væltede møbler eller lamper på gulvet.

der var mange ulykker under optagelser

men handlingen blev sjældent afbrudt,

takket være nogle af skuespillernes

 beundringsværdige professionalisme.

22:00 Lois kommer tilbage hjem igen – Mari-Anne sætter hende af foran huset. Jeg er træt og går i seng, men Lois trænger til at slappe af og geare ned lidt efter aftenens stimulerende bibelseminar – stakkels Lois! Hun beslutter at blive oppe og se lidt fjernsyn.

23:00 Jeg vågner ikke, da Lois kryber under dynen til mig. Zzzzzzzz!!!!

04:00 Jeg har igen ikke godt sovet i nat, men jeg står tidligt op som sædvanligt, og laver én af mine rutinemæssige danske ordforrådtest.

08:00 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 står op.

10:00 Jeg går i gang med at blade igennem de 8. ot 9.  kapitler af Gunnlaugs saga. Scyllas U3A oldnorske gruppe holder sit næste møde i eftermiddag kl 14 på byens bibliotek midt i byen.

To unge islandske skjalder, Gunnlaug og Hrafn, kappes om at vinde Helga, Islands smukkeste kvinde, men det er ikke Helga, men de to mænds fædre, der er i gang med at beslutte spørgsmålet. Ved slutningen af den 9. kapitel begynder jeg at mærke, at Helga ikke er ret glad for, at hendes krop er blevet gjort til et objekt, som Gunnlaug og Hrafn kan kappes om at få kontrol over. Stakkels Helga – men hun er måske Islands første sandelig moderne kvinde!!!!

Helga og Gunnlaug

12:00 Jeg skynder mig ud i køkkenet og laver frokost til mig selv og Lois. Bagefter går jeg i seng for at tage mig en kort eftermiddagslur.

13:15 Jeg står op og kører ind i byen. Jeg parkerer bilen i den parkeringsplads, der ligger bag biblioteket, og jeg mødes kl 14 med Scilla og Kath i bibliotekets ”afslappede” læsningsområde. Vi når med besvær at læse den 8. kapitel af Gunnlaugs saga, og en del af den 9. kapitel.

Byens bibliotek på Clarencegade

Det er lidt skuffende, at gruppen er nu reduceret til kun tre mennesker - Scilla og to medlemmer - men jeg er ikke ret overrasket – det må jeg nok sige!!!! Det tager en masse tid og arbejde til at få det fulde værdet ud af at fordybe sig i disse gamle fortællinger.

16:00 Uret slår 16, og vi er ikke færdige endnu med den 9. kapitel. Scilla spørger, hvis Kath og jeg skal smutte eller ej. Men jeg har fået nok efter 2 timer, så jeg fortæller hende, at jeg desværre må skynde mig – du godeste!

16:15 Jeg kommer hjem igen og Lois og jeg slapper af med en kop te. Sikke en dag!!!!

English translation

17:15 Lois and I eat dinner a bit earlier than usual. Afterwards we have to go out. Lois wants to attend a Bible seminar taking place this evening in Brockworth, but she is not allowed to drive a car at the moment due to cataracts. I drive her over to Hatherley and we pop into Mari-Anne's house to see their new extension and refurbished kitchen.

I say goodbye to Lois - Mari-Ann is to drive her over to Brockworth. I come back home.

19:00 I have a little alone time and spend the evening watching television. They show an interesting programme (parts 5 and 6 of 6) all about Victoria Wood, the late stand-up comedian.

It is very nice to recall the late Victoria Wood's brilliant career as a stand-up comedian, but unfortunately it is sobering to remember that, like many television stars, Victoria came to believe she could also find success as both dramatist and actress.

Success in one field does not always lead to success in another field, like for example Victoria's catastrophic attempt to succeed in the soap opera world with "Acorn Antiques", an awful series that revolved around an antique shop in Manchester.

Tonight, in the 5th and 6th final part of the documentary series, we look back on the most important scenes in the Acorn Antiques - the biggest crises (financial and personal) for both the business and the main characters, in the store's long history.

It's a bit unfortunate that these critical scenes, which the fans of the show remember so well, also display at the same time some of the worst aspects of the show when it came to the miserable staging. It's almost a study in how best to use tv cameras and (mainly) how not to do it (!) - the show was unfortunately sometimes just too embarrassing to look at.

Here we just see the back of Miss Babs's head,

and not the two characters who are in dialogue

Here Mr. Clifford's head is invisible,

while he is in dialogue with Mrs. Overall

There were many examples where we caught a random glimpse of technical equipment or staff during scenes.

Unfortunately tv-viewers all too often used to catch a random glimpse

of technical equipment and staff during the program

Many of the fans of the show can remember the episode in which Mr. Clifford hit his head against a very visible boom microphone, and was seriously injured into the bargain - my god! Very embarrassing for both viewers and actors!!!! It was fortunate that some of the show's main characters were played by highly professional tv-stars, and recordings were rarely interrupted.

Mr. Clifford hits his head against

one of the show's highly visible boom microphones - luckily

recording was not interrupted.

The show actually became known for its frequent accidents, such as incidents where the actors overturned furniture or lamps on to the floor.

There were many accidents during recordings

but the action was rarely interrupted,

thanks to the admirable professionalism of the some of the cast.

22:00 Lois arrives back home again - Mari-Anne drops her off in front of the house. I'm tired and go to bed, but Lois needs to relax and wind down a bit after the evening's stimulating Bible seminar - poor Lois! She decides to stay up and watch some television.

23:00 I do not wake up when Lois crawls under the covers with me. Zzzzzzzz !!!!

04:00 I have again not slept well, but I get up early as usual, and do one of my routine Danish vocabulary tests.

08:00 I amble out 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 get up.

10:00 I begin to leaf through the 8th and 9th chapters of Gunnlaug's saga. Scyllas U3A Old Norse Group is holding its next meeting this afternoon at 2 o'clock in the town's library in the town centre.

Two young Icelandic bards, Gunnlaug and Hrafn, are competing to win the hand of Helga, Iceland's most beautiful woman, however it is not Helga, but Helga's and Gunnlaug's fathers who are in the process of deciding the question.

At the end of the 9th chapter, I begin to notice that Helga is not happy that her body has been made into an object that Gunnlaug and Hrafn can compete with each other to get control over. Poor Helga – she is perhaps Iceland’s first truly “modern” woman!!!!

Helga and Gunnlaug

12:00 I hurry into the kitchen and make lunch for myself and Lois. Afterwards I go to bed and take a short afternoon nap.

13:15 I get up and drive into town. I park the car in the parking lot behind the library, and I meet up at 2pm with Scilla and Kath in the library's "relaxed" reading area. With difficulty we manage to read the 8th chapter of Gunnlaugs saga, and part of the 9th chapter.

The town's library on Clarencegade

It's a little disappointing that the group is now reduced to only three people - Scilla and two members - but I'm not that surprised - I must say that !!!! It takes a lot of time and work to get the full value of immersing oneself in these old tales.

16:00 The clock strikes 4pm, and we are not finished yet with the 9th chapter. Scilla asks if Kath and I have to dash off or not. But I've had enough after 2 hours so I tell her that unfortunately I have to rush off - good grief!

16:15 I come home again, and Lois and I relax with a cup of tea. What a day!!!!