Friday 19 May 2017

Torsdag den 18. maj 2017 kl 16:30 fredag den 19. maj 2017 kl 16:29

17:00 Lois har fået blærebetændelse igen (siden i går aftes), men lægen har givet hende en recept på antibiotika. Hun går hen til det lokale apotek og henter medicinen. Stakkels Lois !!!

18:00 Vi er meget trætte, som sædvanligt efter en ”dansk” dag, hvor vi ryddede op og gjorde rent i huset i morges, og ledte vores danske gruppes møde i eftermiddags. Vi spiser aftensmad og bagefter smækker vi benene op foran fjernsynet.

19:30 De viser et gamle afsnit af Toppen af Poppen fra december 1983. Jeg finder disse gamle afsnit meget interessante for tiden, fordi Lois og jeg mellem 1982 og 1985 boede i USA, og vi ikke så dem, da BBC-kanalen først sendte dem.


I de fleste afsnit er musikken noget skrammel og bare underholdende af nostalgiske grunde, men jeg nyder virkelig i aften dette afsnit, hvilket er en forfriskende forandring.

Vi ser en meget underholdende video til Billy Joels ”Fortæl hende om det”. Videoen udspiller sig i 1950’erne: teenagere går amok når de ser deres yndlingssanger (Joel) i fjernsynet, mens moren spiser aftensmad på bakker foran fjernsynet, faren læser avisen og ser sig gal på det, da han finder ud af, at en russer har bevæget sig i en bane omkring jorden. Teenagere går ud i byen på dates, en gruppe veninder i lingeri deltager i en pudekamp,  Lykkelige dage!!!!

Teenagerne sidder på gulvet foran fjernsynet,
da de viser deres yndlingssanger (Joel), mens forældrene sidder i sofaen.
I vores hus er det sædvanligt mig, der sidder på gulvet foran fjernsyn,
mens Lois læser avisen i sofaen. Det lader til, at jeg har aldrig fuldstændnigt vokset op – uha!


Teenagere gå ud i byen på dates, udveksler
kærlighedsbreve, og blæser kys på telefonen


Veninder i lingeri deltager i en pudekampe – lykkelige dage!!!!

Den russiske astronaut deltager i sangen også,
hvilket er en sjov idé. Jeg måtte lære russisk på mit arbejde.
Så vidt jeg ved, er dette en korrekt oversattelse af ”Fortæl hende om det”
- de må have konsulteret en ekspert, det har jeg ikke nogen tvivl om det!!!!!

Flying Pickets, en underlig a capella vokalgruppe, var dengang lige skudt til tops på hitlisten med deres underlige a capella sang, ”Only You”. Denne sang blev derefter klassificeret som en ”julesang”, og de gentager videoen hver jul, selvom teksten ikke har noget at gøre med jul.

Gruppens medlemmer var tilsyneladende kendt for deres venstreorienterede meninger, så må det have været lidt irriterende for dem, da Maggie Thatcher sagde, denne sang var hendes yndlingssang. Kom så Maggie! Kom tilbage, alt er tilgivet ha ha ha.

Flying Pickets var lige skudt til tops i hitlisten
med Maggie Thatchers yndlingssang.

20:00 Vi fortsætter med at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser den sidste (24.) afsnit i Big Bang Theorys 10. sæson.



Lois og jeg synes, at serien har forbedret i sæsonens seneste afsnit, efter humoren var lidt på vågeblus i midten af sæsonen. Vi synes, at forfatterne måske har holdt nok liv i serien til en 11. sæson.

Big Bang Theory - Lois og jeg synes, at der måske stadig er
nok liv i serien til en 11. sæson

Vi beundrer hvor meget showets forfattere så ofte har brugt den ”lange” trappe i etageejendommen (og liften, der altid er ude af funktion) for komisk effekt. I aften viser de endnu en morsom scene på trappen.



Sheldons venner er bange for, at Sheldons seksuelt grådige kollega, Ramona,  planlægger at kysse Sheldon (eller mere), når parret forlader lejligheden (på 4. sal) for at sige farvel nede ved hendes bil. Så derfor ledsager de alle sammen parret ned ad trappen, og manøvrerer de gradvist, så de skiller Sheldon og Ramona fra hinanden på vejen ned til bilen.



heldons venner når gradvist
at skille Sheldon og Ramona fra hinanden
på vej ned ad trappen

Store grupper venner, der bevæger sig sammen,  er altid morsomme, synes jeg. Der er en meget morsom scene i en fransk roman, jeg for længe siden læste, Zolas ”L’assommoir”, hvor en stor gruppe bryllupsgæster farer vild i Louvre-museet, og ender med at vandre desperate i timevis fra sal til sal, prøvende at finde udgangen.

Zolas bryllupgæster – senere farer de vild i Louvre museet
og vandrer rundt i timevis, mens de søger udgangen.

21:00 Vi går tidligere end normalt i seng igen – zzzzzzz!!!!!

04:00 Jeg står tidligt op og laver én af mine rutinemæssige danske ordforrådtest.


Jeg kigger lidt på nettet. Jeg ser, at Francis, vores svigersøn i Australien har lagt et charmerende billede af Sarah, vores datter, og deres 3,5-årige tvillinger, Lily og Jessica, op på Facebook.


(fra venstre til højre) Francis’s skygge, Lily, Sarah og Jessica
på en strand i Western Australia

Jeg kan godt lide billeder taget sent på dagen, når solen kaster lange skygger. Som sædvanligt er strande i nærheden af byen Perth helt øde – du godeste!

Francis har også lagt en interessant artikel op, som han fandt i den lokale avis. I artiklen står det, at britiske babys græder mere, end de fleste babyer i andre lande. Tværtimod græder danske babyer mindre, end babyer i andre lande. Det kan være at dette er sandt, men jeg er altid mistænksom over denne slags artikel. Ofte er forskelle på forskellige landes resultater ikke statistisk signifikante, men de danner en interessant overskrift, så derfor udgiver avisen dem i hvert fald.


08:15 Jeg lunter ind 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. Vi spiser morgenmad.

09:15 Vi kører over til det lokale Waitrose-supermarked for at købe ind. Vi kører hjem igen og slapper af med en kop kaffe i sofaen.

12:00 Vi spiser frokost og lytter samtidigt til en BBC radio-podcast, der handler om problemerne af bedsteforældre, der bruger tid på at passe på deres meget unge børnebørn og føler sig meget tætte på dem, men som senere finder at børnebørnene bor i den anden ende af verden, ligesom vores datter Sarah og hendes 3-årige tvillinger. Vi lytter med tårer i øjenene, da vi hører fra bedsteforældre med lignende oplevelser – du godeste, vi er så blødhjertede!!!!


Grandkids: vi lytter til dette podcast med tårer i øjnene
 – du godeste, vi er så blødhjertede!!!!

Programmet har ikke nogle løsninger, men det er rart at høre fra andre med samme følelserne. Jeg synes, at denne slags situation foregår mere og mere i den moderne verden.

13:30 Jeg går i seng for at tage mig en gigantisk eftermiddagslur – zzzzzzzz!!!!

13:45 Lois skal hen til det lokale bibliotek for at hjælpe bibliotekets personale med at organisere og lede den ugentlige ”Baby Bounce and Rhyme” session for unge mødre og deres små børn. Aktiviterne består af barnesange for babys og forældre (og bedsteforældre). Da vores anden datter, Sarah, stadigvæk boede og arbejdede i England (indtil december 2015), plejede Lois og jeg at tage Sarahs tvillinger med til sessioner – lykkelige dage!

15:30 Lois kommer hjem og vi smækker benene op i sofaen igen – hurra!


English translation

17:00 Lois has got cystitis again (since last night), but the doctor has given her a prescription for antibiotics. She goes along to the local pharmacy and picks up the medication. Poor Lois !!!

18:00 We are very tired, as usual after a "Danish" day, where we cleared up and cleaned the house this morning and led our Danish group meeting this afternoon. We eat dinner and afterwards we stick our feet up in front of the television.

19:30 They show an old episode of Top of the Pops from December 1983. I find these old episodes very interesting at the moment because Lois and I lived in the United States between 1982 and 1985 and we did not see them when the BBC channel first aired them.


In most episodes, the music is a bunch of crap and only entertaining for nostalgic reasons, but I really enjoy this episode this evening, which is a refreshing change.

We watching a very entertaining video for Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It". The video is set in the 1950s: teenagers go crazy when they see their favourite singer (Joel) on television, while mother is eating dinner on trays in front of the television, father is reading the newspaper and looks mad when he finds out that a Russian has orbited the earth. Teenagers go out into town on dates, a group of girlfriends in lingerie have a pillow fight - Happy Days !!!!

The teenagers are sitting on the floor in front of the television,
when their favourite singer (Joel) is on, while the parents are sitting on the couch.
In our house it's usual me sitting on the floor in front of television,
while Lois is reading the newspaper on the couch.
It seems I have never completely grown up - oh dear!


Teenagers go out into town on dates, exchange
love letters and blow kisses down the phone


Girlfriends in lingerie have pillow fights - happy days !!!!

The Russian astronaut takes part in the song too,
which is a fun idea. I had to learn Russian in my work.
To the best of my knowledge, this is a correct translation of "Tell her about it"
- they must have consulted an expert, I have no doubts about that !!!!!

The Flying Pickets, a weird a capella vocal group, had then just shot to the top of the charts with their weird a capella song, "Only You". This song was thereafter classified as a Christmas song, and they repeat the video every Christmas, even though the lyrics have nothing to do with Christmas.

The members of the group were apparently known for their left-wing opinions, so it must have been a little annoying for them when Maggie Thatcher said this song was her favourite song. Go girl! Come back, Maggie, all is forgiven ha ha ha.

Flying Pickets had just shot to the top of the charts
with Maggie Thatcher's favourite song.

20:00 We continue watching television. The last (24th) episode of the 10th season of the Big Bang Theory.



Lois and I think that the series has improved in the season's later episodes, after the humour went a bit dormant in the middle of the season. We think the authors may have kept enough life in the series for an 11th season.

Big Bang Theory - Lois and I think there may still be
enough life in the series for an 11th season

We admire how much the writers of the show have so often used the "long" staircase (and the broken lift) in the apartment building for comic effect. Tonight there's another fun scene on the stairs.



Sheldon's friends are afraid that Sheldon's sexually voracious colleague, Ramona, plans to kiss Sheldon (or more) when the couple leave the apartment (on the 4th floor) to say goodbye down at her car. So they all accompany the couple down the stairs, manoeuvering gradually so as to split Sheldon and Ramona up on their way down to the car.



Sheldon's friends gradually manage
to separate Sheldon and Ramona from each other
on the way down the stairs

Large groups of friends moving about together are always funny, I think. There is a very funny scene in a French novel I read a long time ago, Zola's "L'assommoir", where a large group of wedding guests get lost in the Louvre Museum and end up desperately wandering from room to room trying to find the exit.

Zola's wedding guests - later they get lost in the Louvre Museum
and wander around for hours looking for the exit.

21:00 We go to bed earlier than usual again - zzzzzzz !!!!!

04:00 I get up early and do one of my routine Danish vocabulary tests.


I take a little look online. I see that Francis, our son-in-law in Australia, has posted a charming picture of Sarah, our daughter, and their 3 and a half-year-old twins, Lily and Jessica, on to Facebook.

(from left to right) Francis's shadow, Lily, Sarah and Jessica
on a beach in western Australia

I like pictures taken late in the day when the sun casts long shadows. As usual, beaches near the city of Perth are completely deserted - my goodness!

Francis has also posted an interesting article, which he found in the local newspaper. The article says that British babies cry more than most babies in other countries. On the other hand, Danish babies cry less than babies in other countries. It may be that this is true, but I am always suspicious of this kind of article. Often, differences in the results from different countries are not statistically significant, but they make an interesting headline, so the newspaper publishes them anyway.


08:15 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. We eat breakfast.

09:15 We drive over to the local Waitrose supermarket to do the shopping. We drive back home and relax with a cup of coffee on the couch.

12:00 We eat lunch and listen at the same time to a BBC radio podcast that deals with the issues of grandparents who spend time looking after their very young grandchildren feeling very close to them, but who later find that their grandchildren are living on the other side of the world, like our daughter Sarah and her 3 year old twins. We listen with tears in our eyes as we hear from grandparents with similar experiences - good grief, we are so softhearted !!!!

We listen to this podcast with tears in our eyes –
good grief, we are so softhearted !!!!

The program does not have any solutions, but it is nice to hear from others with the same feelings. I think this kind of situation is going to happen more and more in the modern world.

13:30 I go to bed and take a gigantic afternoon nap - zzzzzzzz !!!!

13:45 Lois heads off to the local library to help library staff organise and run the weekly Baby Bounce and Rhyme session for young mothers and their young children. The activities consist of children's songs for babies and parents (and grandparents). When our second daughter, Sarah, still lived and worked in England (until December 2015), Lois and I used to take Sarah's twins along to the sessions - happy days!


15:30 Lois comes home and we stick our feet back up on the couch again - hurrah!

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