Danskcolin: Søndag den 16. juli 2017 kl 16:30 indtil mandag den 17. juli 2017 kl 16:29

17:15 Før aftensmaden hopper jeg igen op på min kondicykel – jeg har haft en meget stillesiddende dag, enten foran computeren eller bag rettet, så jeg trænger til at bevæge mig lidt, og det regner udenfor.

Jeg tilbagelægger endnu 6 miles (10km). Jeg tænder for min smartphone og høre topsange fra 1950 på YouTube, mens jeg cykler.

Jeg fyldte 4 i 1950, og jeg tror ikke, jeg i den alder brugte en masse tid på at høre sange på radio, så derfor kan jeg ikke huske mange af disse sange, selvom min afdøde mor engang fortalte mig, at jeg godt kunne lide at synge ”Musik Musik Musik” (Teresa Brewer). Men der er også nogle overraskelser – jeg vidste ikke, at Elvis Presleys ”Er du ensom i nat”, var ikke den oprindelige – Al Jolson sang det i 1950, viser det sig.

Verden var anderledes i 1950, og det er svært at sende sig tilbage i tid og forestille den. Den mest tænkevækkende tekst i året 1950s hitsange er efter min mening Guy Lombardos ”Mor dig godt, det er senere, end du tror!” Kloge ord – og jeg kan ikke bestride dem, er jeg helt sikker på, nu hvor jeg er fyldt 71 !!! Hil dig, Guy - du holdt os ud af krigen!!!

Hil dig, Guy – du holdt os ud af krigen!!!

Guy vidste selv i 1950, at det var senere, end man tror. Men ”Mor dig godt” er et tidløst tema. Den pragtfulde danske sangerinde og bloggerinde, Anne Gadegaard udsendte en sang med samme titel for et par år siden

Anne Gadegaard, sangerinde og bloggerinde

Desværre har det taget mig 71 år til at blive klar, over hvor sande disse kloge ord er – ak ak!!!

1950 – mig på 4 år, sammen med min mor og min lillesøster Kathy (på 2 år)

foran vores hus i Dover i 1950.

21:00 Lois vil gerne se en ”moderne” westernfilm i aften, ”The Lone Ranger”, der stjerner Johnny Depp som Tonto.

Vi putter os ind til hinanden i sofaen for at se filmen, men efter en stund begynder jeg at føle mig lidt rastløs. Det er bestemt ikke min slags film eller min slags humor.

Vi ser en bande lovløse kapre en tog i Texas, og de begynder at fyre på en gruppe presbyteriske kvinder i én af togets personvogner. Lois nyder meget denne scene, hvilket overrasker mig, indtil jeg mindes, at Lois hører til en anderledes sekt og der er mange meningsforskelle mellem de to kirker – du godeste, den engelsktalende protestantiske verden er revet af mange bitre splittelser, det har jeg ikke nogen tvivl om !!!!

LR0 Vi ser en bande lovløse kapre et tog og

fyre på en gruppe prestbyteriske kvinder –

ikke min slags film, og ikke min slags humor, ak ak!

21:00 Jeg smutter ud af stuen og sætter mig foran computeren i spisestuen. Vores veninde, Scilla, der er medlem af vores U3A danske gruppe, vil genoptage sin egen U3A oldnorske gruppe om 3 ugers tid, og gruppen vil genoptage læsningen af den spændende oldnorske saga om Gunnlaug, den islandske skjald, og sin dejlige kæreste, Helga. Scilla vil have at hendes gruppes medlemmer vil læse den 11. kapitel sammen på gruppens næste møde, den 2. august.

Gunnlaugs saga har langt mere sex og vold, end The Lone Ranger – det ved jeg med sikkerhed! Men jeg har glemt historien, så jeg blader igennem den 10. kapitel for at komme op på mærkerne.

Gunnlaug, vores helt, har sejlet fra sit hjem i Island for at rejse lidt og se verden. Han har forladt Helga, sin dejlige kæreste, i Island, hvilket var lidt dumt, fordi hun er Islands smukkeste pige, og mændene står i kø og venter på en chance for at score hende.

Gunnlaugs største rival, Hrafn, har også været på rejse i udlandet, hvilket er lidt af en lettelse for Gunnlaug. Men desværre er Hrafns rejser forbi. Han har nu kommet tilbage til Island og han har bedt Helgas far om at droppe Gunnlaug og lade ham (Hrafn) gifte sig med Helga i stedet.

Helga er Islands smukkeste kvinde, og mændene

står i kø og venter på en chance at score hende i Gunnlaugs fravær – uha!!!

I mellemtiden er Gunnlaug desværre stadig i England efter at have besøgt Norge, Sverige, Irland og Orkneyøerne. Det er interessant, at England i de dage var betragt som en del af den skandinaviske verden. Gunnlaug er islænding men han er mere end villig til at hjælpe den engelske konge, Ethelred, med at forsvare landet mod danskerne, der konstant truer at invadere.

Jeg begynder at læse den 11. kapitel. Hrafn ankommer tilbage i Island og gifter sig med Helga, efter Helgas far giver ham tilladelse til det. Buh! Men det lader til, at Helga, der faktisk er dybt forelsket i Gunnlaug, Hrafns rival, hævner sig på sin ægtemand ved at give ham sex kun sjældent. Og efter Gunnlaug selv ankommer tilbager til Island, stopper Helga fuldstændigt med sex. Stakkels Hrafn!!!!

Jeg læser videre, og jeg ser, at Gunnlaug og Hrafn til sidst begynder at udkæmpe en duel, for at beslutte, hvem får Helga. Gunnlaug bliver såret mildt, men dommeren stopper duellen i den anden omgang, der var helt rigtigt ifølge islandske regler. Men de to mænd er stadig på at dræbe hinanden, så de overvejer at rejse til Norge for at gøre duellen færdigt – norske regler var meget mindre skrappe, og det var ”alle kneb galder”. Du godeste, sikke et vanvid!!! Jeg må undgå Norge, hvis jeg nogensinde bliver involveret i dueller – det har jeg ikke nogen tvivl om !!!!

22:00 Lois’s film er sluttet, og vi går i seng – zzzzzz!!!!

05:00 Jeg står tidligt op og laver én af mine rutinemæssige danske ordforrådtest.

08:45 Jeg hopper tilbage op i sengen til Lois og vi drikker vores morgenté. Vi er blevet pludselig klar over, at vi for en gangs skyld ikke har noget at lave i formiddag, så vi beslutter at tilbringe den i sengen.

Vi starter at slappe af. Vi er ved at grave vores sengetidbøger frem, da dørklokken ringer. Vi har glemt, at vinduespudseren i går aftes ringede til os, og sagde, at han gerne vil komme kl 9 – pokkers! Vi må hurtigt se at stå op og klæde os på, før hans ansigt viser sig i vinduet – yikes!!! Og jeg må gå udenfor og lukke havelågen op ved siden af huset, så han kan få adgang til husets bagside – pokkers (igen)!!!!

Vi tjekker vores henholdsvisse personlige dagsordener de næste 7 dage, og vores næste lejlighed er torsdag. Vi sætter kryds i kalenderen og står op. Vi klæder os på og spiser morgenmad.

10:15 Jeg går ud i baghaven og gå i gang med projekt hækkeklipning: fase 3 – hækken mellem havegangen og vores ”hemmelige” have, hvor ingen har udsigt over os.

12:00 Solen skinner og vi spiser frokost på terrassen. Min portion har nogle skiver rødbede, som vores nabo, Bob, dyrkede i sin grøntsagshave – nam nam! Lois bryder sig ikke ret meget om rødbeder.

vi spiser frokost på terrassen.

Jeg smager på vores nabo, Bobs rødbeder – nam nam!

12:30 Vi skal ud. Jeg kører Lois over til Tewkesbury. Hun har indvilliget i at hjælpe med at bemande sin kirkens pop-up shop midt i byen. Jeg kører hjem og går i seng for at tage mig en gigantisk eftermiddagslur – zzzzzz!!!!

15:00 Jeg står op. Postbudet har leveret to forretningsbreve, det ene adresseret til Alison, vores datter i København, og det andet til Sarah, vores datter i Perth, Australien. Som sædvanligt scanner jeg dem ind og sender dem til Alison og Sarah via email. Det generer mig ikke at lave denne opgave for dem – de finder det begge to meget nyttigt at have en adresse i Storbritannien, som de kan opgive til de britiske firmaer, de handler med.

Jeg kigger lidt på nettet. Jeg er meget glad for, at se en underholdende og informativ video på theonion.com, den indflydelsesrige amerikanske nyhedswebsted: 5 ting, at være på udkig efter i Game of Thrones’s nye (7.) sæson. Og jeg er glad for, at se, at Store Kenny, den berømte country and western sanger, kommer tilbage i serien. Som før, spiller han sig selv, hvilket er lidt af en lettelse. Jeg hader hvornår hovedfigurer komme tilbage og bliver spillet af nogen anden.

Store Kenny: kommer tilbage i serien Game of Thrones

Jeg siger, ”Velkommen tilbage, store Kenny, vi har savnet dig!!!” Men ton det ned med sangene ha ha ha – de er elendige!”

16:15 Lois er ikke dukket op endnu. Jeg slapper af med en kop te på terrassen.

English translation

17:15 Before the evening meal, I hop up on my fitness bike again - I have had a very sedentary day, either in front of the computer or behind the wheel, so I need to exercise a little and it's raining outside.

I clock up another 6 miles (10km). I turn on my smartphone and listen to some top songs from 1950 on YouTube while I'm cycling.

I turned 4 in 1950 and I do not think I used to spend a lot of time listening to songs on the radio so I cannot remember many of these songs even though my late mother once told me I liked to sing "Music Music Music" (by Teresa Brewer). But there are also some surprises - I did not know that Elvis Presley's "Are you lonesome tonight," was not the original - Al Jolson sang it in 1950, it turns out.

The world was different in 1950, and it is difficult to go back in time and imagine it. The most thought-provoking lyric in the 1950s hitsongs is, in my opinion, Guy Lambardo's "Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think!" Wise words - and I cannot dispute them, I'm quite sure of that, now that I'm turned 71 !!! Hail to thee, Guy - you kept us out of the war !!!

Guy: Hail to thee, Guy - you kept us out of war !!!

Guy himself knew in 1950 that it was later than you think. But "Enjoy yourself " is a timeless theme. The gorgeous Danish singer and blogger Anne Gadegaard released a song with the same title a couple of years ago.

Anne Gadegaard, songstress and blogger-ess

Unfortunately, it took me 71 years to realise, how true these wise words are - alas !!!

1950 - me aged 4, with my mother and my little sister Kathy (2 years)

in front of our house in Dover in 1950.

21:00 Lois wants to see a "modern" western movie this evening, "The Lone Ranger", starring Johnny Depp as Tonto.

We snuggle up on the couch to watch the movie, but after a while I start to feel a little restless. It's definitely not my kind of movie or my kind of humour.We see a gang of outlaws hijacking a train in Texas, and they start firing on a group of presbyterian women in one of the train's carriages. Lois enjoys this scene a lot, which surprises me until I recall that Lois belongs to a different sect and there are many differences of opinion between the two churches - good grief, the English-speaking Protestant world is torn by many bitter divisions, I do not have any doubts about that !!!!

We see a gang of outlaws hijack a train and fire on a group of

presbyterian women -not my kind of movie, and not my kind of humour, alas!

21:00 I slip out of the living room and sit down in front of the computer in the dining room. Our friend, Scilla, who is a member of our U3A Danish group, is going to resume her own U3A Old Norse group in 3 weeks' time, and the group is going to resume reading the exciting Old Norse saga about Gunnlaug, the Icelandic bard, and his lovely girlfriend, Helga. Scilla wants her group members to read the 11th chapter at the next meeting of the group, on 2 August.

Gunnlaug's story has far more sex and violence than The Lone Ranger - I'm sure of that! But I've forgotten the story, so I skim through the previous (10th) chapter to get up to speed.

Gunnlaug, our hero, has sailed from his home in Iceland to travel a little and see the world. He has left Helga, her lovely girlfriend, in Iceland, which was a bit stupid because she is Iceland's most beautiful girl and the men are standing in line waiting for a chance to score with her.

Gunnlaug's biggest rival, Hrafn, has also been travelling abroad, which is a bit of a relief for Gunnlaug. But unfortunately, Hrafn's travels are now over. He has returned to Iceland and he has asked Helga's father to drop Gunnlaug and let him (Hrafn) marry Helga instead.

Helga is Iceland's most beautiful woman, and the men

are standing in line waiting for a chance to score with her in Gunnlaug's absence - oh dear!!!

Meanwhile, Gunnlaug is still in England after visiting Norway, Sweden, Ireland and the Orkney Islands. It is interesting that England in those days was considered as part of the Scandinavian world. Gunnlaug is an Icelander but he is more than willing to help the English king, Ethelred, defend the country against the Danes, who are constantly threatening to invade.

I start to read the 11th chapter. Hrafn arrives back in Iceland and marries Helga, after Helga's father gives him permission. Boo! But it seems that Helga, who is actually deeply in love with Gunnlaug, Hrafn's rival, takes revenges on her husband by only rarely giving him sex . And after Gunnlaug himself arrives back in Iceland, Helga stops completely with the sex. Poor Hrafn!!!!

I read on, and I see that Gunnlaug and Hrafn eventually begin to fight a duel to decide who gets Helga. Gunnlaug gets slightly injured , but the referee stops the duel in the second half, which was absolutely correct according to Icelandic rules. But the two men are still keen to kill each other so they consider travelling to Norway to finish the duel off - Norwegian rules were much less strict, and it was "no holds barred" over there. Good grief, what madness !!! I must avoid Norway if I ever become involved in duels - I have no doubts about that !!!!

22:00 Lois's movie has ended, and we go to bed - zzzzzz !!!!

08:45 I jump back bed with Lois and we drink our morning tea. We have suddenly realised that for once we do not have anything to do this morning so we decide to spend it in bed.

We start to relax. We are just about to dig out our bedtime reading when the doorbell rings. We have forgotten that the window cleaner called us last night and said he would like to come at 9 o'clock! We must quickly get up and get dressed before his face appears in the window - yikes !!! And I have to go outside and unlock the garden gate by the side of the house so that he can access the back of the house - damn (again) !!!!

We check our respective personal agendas for the next 7 days, and our next opportunity is Thursday. We put a cross on the calendar and get up. We get dressed and have breakfast.

10:15 I go out into the backyard and get started with Project Hedge-clipping: phase 3 - the hedge between the garden path and our "secret" garden where nobody overlooks us.

12:00 The sun is shining and we have lunch on the terrace. My portion has some slices of the beetroot which our neighbour, Bob, grew in his vegetable garden - yum yum! Lois doesn't care for beetroot.

We have lunch on the terrace.

I taste our neighbour Bob's beetroot - yum yum!

12:30 We have to go out. I drive Lois over to Tewkesbury. She has agreed to help with manning her church's pop-up shop in the middle of the town this afternoon. I drive home, go to bed and take a gigantic afternoon nap - zzzzzz !!!!

15:00 I get up. The postman has delivered two business letters, one addressed to Alison, our daughter in Copenhagen, and the other to Sarah, our daughter in Perth, Australia. As usual, I scan them in and send them to Alison and Sarah via email. It does not bother me to do this job for them - they both find it very useful to have an address in the UK that they can give to the British companies they deal with.

I take a little look online. I am very pleased to see an entertaining and informative video on theonion.com, the influential US news site: 5 things to be watch out for in Game of Thrones's new (7th) season. And I'm pleased to see that Big Kenny, the famous country and western singer, is coming back into the series. As before, he plays himself, which is a bit of a relief. I hate it when leading characters come back and I find they are being played by someone else.