16:30 Lois og jeg snakker lidt om bymidte pop-up shoppen, hendes kirke for
tiden driver. Vi taler om den ”original”, der har for vane at tilbringe
størstedelen af hver dag i shoppen. Jeg har engang imellem spekuleret om,
hvorfor de sociale myndigheder ikke giver ham, eller har stoppet, hans
dagpenge, og jeg formodede, at han havde afvist at påtage sig betalt arbejde.
Lois har fået at vide, at man faktisk ikke er kvalificeret til at få dagpenge,
hvis man ikke har en adresse – manden bor for tiden i et telt bag byens
metodistiske kirke.
Så begynder jeg at spekulere, hvorfor han ikke bor hos sin mor. Lois har
fortalt mig, at han engang imellem besøger hende – kirkemedlemmerne tror, at
hun har tendens til at give ham penge, og de er bange for, at han bruger dem på
alkohol, selvom det er ingen helt sikker på.
Jeg synes, at der er folk, der godt kan lide at være hjemløs på grund af
den frihed, som sådan et liv giver én. Janet og Alan har to gange inviteret ham
til middag hos dem, men begge gange dukkede ”originalen” ikke op – måske han er
på en eller anden måde bange for, at miste denne frihed af at kunne komme og gå
som han har lyst, uden forpligtelse.
17:15 Jeg hopper op på min kondicykel og jeg tilbagelægger 3 miles (5km) i
stedet for mine sædvanlige 6. Vi har blevet væk på ferie, og for nylig har jeg været forkølet - jeg har ikke
hoppet op på cyklen i mere, end 4 uger, så derfor går jeg ganske rolig til
værks.
Mens jeg cykler, hører jeg 1946s bedste 30 sange på YouTube – musikken
viser sig at være 99% snot!!!!
Jeg er født i marts 1946, og de tidligste billeder af mig var på 2 måneder.
Da jeg fyldte 7 måneder oprettede min farfar en opsparingskonto til mig i sit
lokale postkontor i byen Salisbury og satte 10 skillinger ind om måneden på
kontoen i 2 år.
Mig
på 2 måneder, sammen med min mor.
Hun
fortalte mig engang, at min fødsels var hendes livs største øjeblik
Hun
hed Hannah, og hun havde altid troet, hun ville være barnløs,
som
Hannah i bibelen.
i
oktober 1946: han satte 10 skillinger ind om måneden i 2 år.
18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad og bagefter ser lidt fjernsyn. De viser en
interessant dokumentarfilm, der handler om naturparken Margam Country Park i
det sydlige Wales. Programmets vært er den charmerende Iolo Williams.
Jeg har for det meste ikke lyst til at se dette slags program, men det har
fanget min interesse fordi Margam var kilden til en underlig historie (eller
snarere myte), som Lois og jeg ofte hørte om i løbet af de tusindvis af timer
vi tilbragte sammen med min mor før hun døde i 2011, snakkende om hendes liv.
Der var en historie i min mors familie, at området omkring Margam engang
var ejet af min mors familie. Men for mange (c. 120-150?) år siden var
grundejendommen kommet i besiddelse af en mineselskab, selvom familien modtog
ingen penge for den. Min mors bedstemor afviste angiveligt at sværge en ed for
at bekræfte, at familien ejede den (hun var baptist), så mineselskabet
erhvervede den gratis.
Lois og jeg gjorde for mange år siden lidt forskning på nettet om denne
familiehistorie, men vi kunne ikke finde noget spor, der skulle tyde på, at
historien kunne have været sandfærdigt på den måde, min mor beskrev den på. Vi
kom til den konklusion, at historien kunne have stammet fra en eller anden
meget mindre vigtig begivenhed, der blev overdrevet mere og mere, hver gang den
blev gentaget.
Selve programmet handler for det meste om dyrelivet i naturparken – det er
i sær kendt for de mange arter flagermus, der bor derinde. Vi ser Iolo gå ud
sent på aftenen for at kigge på dem, i sær i nærheden af en enorme sø, der
ligger i parken.
Margam Country Park er kendt for de mange arter flagermus
der
bor derinde (11 ud af Storbritanniens 18 arter)
Iolo taler lidt om flagermusdetektorer. Jeg mindes, at mange af skurkerne,
der optrådte i den berømte Batman TV-serie i 1960’erne havde disse maskiner,
hvilket var lidt af en skam for Batmans og Robins vedkommende.
tilbageblik til 1960’erne og Batman tv-serien:
(fra
venstre til højre) Batwoman (Yvonne Craig), Robin (Burt Ward) og
Batman
(Adam West)
Jokeren (Cesar Romero) planlægger at bruge
sin flagermusdetektor med dødelig effekt
21:00 Vi fortsætter med at se fjernsyn. Lois ønsker at se en film, ”Damen i
varevognen” af Alan Bennett, den berømte engelske forfatter.
Jeg er faktisk ikke ret frisk på at se denne film. Lois og jeg så den, da
vi i april 2016 fløj fra London til Dubai – den første del af vores rejse til
Austraien for at se vores datter Sarah og hendes familie i Perth.
Også er jeg lidt træt af Maggie Smiths ”persona”, som vi har set mange
gange – for eksempel i Downton Abbey osv.
Jeg beslutter at se filmens første 30 minutter og bagefter gå tidligt i
seng.
Jeg kan relatere til mange aspekter af Bennetts personlighed, på trods af,
at han er sikke en frygtelig venstreorienteret ha ha ha! Han skriver hver dag –
og det har han gjort hele livet. Han skriver ud af glæden ved at skrive. Og mere
end alt andet skriver han sin dagbog – til dels som muligt materiale for sine kommende
teaterstykker. Han forestiller sig selv som to forskellige personer – den, der
lever, og den, der skriver om det.
Alan Bennett forestiller sig selv som to forskellige personer –
den,
der lever, og den, der skriver om det.
Jeg besluttede for længe siden ikke at omdanne min blog til et
teaterstykke. Jeg tror ikke, at mange folk ville komme for at se det - det er både
sikkert og vist!!!
21:30 Jeg går tidligt i seng, mens Lois forbliver oppe for at se filmen
færdigt.
23:00 Jeg vågner op, da Lois hopper op i sengen til mig. Vi deler seng i
nat for første gang efter en pause af ca.10 dage på grund af vores forkølelse. Jeg
læser 7 sider af min sengetidbog om hertugen af Monmouth, før jeg glider over i
søvnen – zzzzzz!!!!
04:00 Jeg står tidligt op og laver en af mine rutinemæssige danske
ordforrådtest.
08:00 Jeg hopper tilbage op i sengen til Lois og vi drikker vores
morgenté. Vi står op og spiser
morgenmad.
10:00 Vi taler lidt på whatsapp med Sarah, vores datter i Perth, Australien,
og med Francis, hendes mand, og deres 4-årige tvillinger, Lily og Jessie. De er
på nuværende tidspunkt på udflugt i bakkerne, der ligger lidt vest for byen,
hvor man har udsigt over byen og havet. Nabolaget hedder Roleystone. De besøgte i dag den berømte Canning-dæmning.
I maj 2016, da Lois og jeg besøgte dem, så vi denne imponerende dæmning.
tilbageblik til maj 2016:
Lois
og vores datter Sarah foran Canning-dæmningen,
der
ligger lidt vest for Perth, Australien.
De overvejer for tiden at købe eller leje et hus i bakkerne på grund af
priserne, som er meget lavere, end i byen, hvilket er lidt overraskende. Lois
og jeg kan ikke forstå, hvorfor Sarah og Francis tager beslutningerne de tager
– det er svært at have alvorlige samtaler med dem, deres børn er for livlige!!!
Desværre ville Sarah have en meget længere befordring mellem hjem og arbejde,
hvis familien flyttede derover på bakkerne.
11:00 Vi skal ud. Lois ønsker at deltage i to gudstjenester, der finder
sted i dag i byen Tewkesbury, og hun er ikke tilladt at køre bil for tiden på
grund af grå stær. Jeg kører hende over til byen og sætter hende af overfor
byens bibliotek. Jeg kører hjem igen.
12:00 Jeg går ud i baghaven og rydder op grenene, som jeg i dag afskår fra
en af havens mest overgroede buske. Vores brune haveaffaldsspand er desværre fyldt
til bristepunktet, så jeg putter grenene midlertidligt i en af de gamle grønne
sække, som kommunen uddelte til boligejere for 10 år siden. Jeg vil gerne putte
hele busken derind, hvis jeg kunne – det er baghavens mest overgroede busk, det
har jeg ikke nogen tvivl om.
hovedparten af baghavens mest overgroede busk
er
nu blevet ”begravet” i en gammel grøn sæk – hurra!
Resultat!
Bolden er i nettet!!! Colin 1, uidentificeret busk 0 !!!!
13:00 Jeg kommer tilbage ind i huset og spiser frokost. Bagefter går jeg i
seng for at tage en gigantisk eftermiddagslur.
13:30 Lois ringer til mig. Hun siger, at efter den anden gudstjeneste, der
ender kl 14:45, vil Mari-Ann køre hende over til et nærliggende villakvarter,
hvor en gruppe kirkemedlemmer vil gå fra dør til dør og skubber 1000 af kirkens
reklamepjecerne ind ad brevsprækker, for at ”sprede ordet”. Du godeste, sikke
et vanvid!!! Jeg ved godt, at Lois for tiden er meget træt. Jeg håber på, hun
ikke overanstrenger sig, ingen tvivl om det.
15:30 Jeg står op og slapper af med en kop te i sofaen.
16:25 Bloggen er ved at gå i trykket, og Lois er ikke dukket op endnu.
English translation
16:30 Lois and I chat a bit about
the town centre pop-up shop that her church is currently running. We talk about the
"weirdo" who has a habit of spending most of the day in the shop. I
have sometimes wondered why the social services either are not giving him, or
have stopped, his unemployment benefits, and I have presumed he had refused to
take on paid work. Lois has now been told that you are not actually qualified
to receive unemployment benefits if you do not have an address - the man is
currently living in a tent behind the town's methodist church.
Then I begin to wonder why he
does not live with his mother. Lois has told me that he sometimes visits her -
the church members think she tends to give him money and they are afraid he
spends it on alcohol, though that's something nobody is entirely sure about.
I think there are people who like
to be homeless because of the freedom that such a life gives one. Janet and
Alan have twice invited him to dinner with them, but both times the
"weirdo" did not show up - maybe he is in some way afraid to lose
this freedom to come and go as he wishes without obligation.
17:15 I hop up on my exercise
bike and clock up 3 miles (5km) instead of my usual 6. We've been away on
vacation and recently I've had a cold - I have not jumped up on the bike for
more than 4 weeks, so I am going to it gently. While cycling, I listen to
1946's best 30 songs on YouTube - the music turns out to be 99% snot !!!!
I was born in March 1946, and the
earliest pictures of me were at 2 months. When I was 7 months old, my
grandfather set up a savings account for me at his local post office in
Salisbury and put 10 shillings into the account every month for 2 years.
Me at 2 months, with my mother.
She once told me that my birth was the
greatest moment of her life.
Her name was Hannah, and she had always
thought she would be childless,
like Hannah in the Bible.
in October 1946: he put 10 shillings in it
every month for 2 years.
18:00 We have dinner and
afterwards watch some television. An interesting documentary is on, all about
the Margam Country Park in South Wales. The host of the programme is the
charming Iolo Williams.
I do not usually like seeing this
kind of program but it has caught my interest because Margam was the source of
a strange story (or rather myth) that Lois and I often heard about during the
thousands of hours we spent in company with my mother, talking about her life,
before she died in 2011.
There was a story in my mother's
family that the area around Margam was once owned by my mother's family. But
many (c. 120-150?) years ago, the land had come into the possession of a mining
company, although the family received no money for it. My mother's grandmother
allegedly refused to swear an oath to confirm that the family owned it (she was
a Baptist), so the mining company acquired it for free.
Lois and I did a lot of research
online about this family story many years ago, but we could not find any clues
that would indicate that the story could have been true in the way my mother
described it. We came to the conclusion that the story might have come from
some less important event or other, that got exaggerated more and more every
time it was repeated.
The programme itself is mostly
about wildlife in the park - it is especially known for the many species of
bats that live there. We see Iolo go out late at night to look at them, in
particular near a huge lake located in the park.
Margam Country Park is known for the
many species of bats
living there (11 out of Britain's 18
species)
Iolo speaks a little about bat
detectors. I recall that many of the villains who appeared in the famous Batman
TV series in the 1960s had these machines, which was a bit of a shame for
Batman and Robin.
Flashback to the 1960s and the
Batman TV series:
(From left to right) Batwoman (Yvonne
Craig), Robin (Burt Ward) and
Batman (Adam West)
The Joker (Cesar Romero) is planning to use
his bat-detector with deadly effect
21:00 We carry on watching tv. Lois
wants to see a movie, "The Lady in the Van" by Alan Bennett, the
famous English writer.
I'm actually not very keen to
watch this movie. Lois and I saw it when we flew from London to Dubai in April
2016 - the first part of our trip to Austraia to see our daughter Sarah and her
family in Perth.
Also, I'm a bit tired of Maggie
Smith's "persona", which we've seen many times - for example, in
Downton Abbey, etc.
I decide to watch the first 30
minutes of the movie and then go to bed early.
I can relate to many aspects of
Bennett's personality, despite the fact that he’s a terrible lefty ha ha ha. He
writes every day - and has done so all his life. He writes for the joy of
writing. And more than anything else he writes his diary - partly as possible
material for his future theatrical dramas. He imagines himself as two different
people - the one who lives and the one who writes about it.
Alan Bennett imagines himself as two
different people -
the one who lives and the one who writes
about it.
I decided long ago not to convert
my blog into a theatrical drama. I do not think many people would come to see
it - that's a dead certainty !!!
21:30 I go to bed early, while
Lois stays up to see the movie through.
23:00 I wake up when Lois hops
into bed with me. We are sharing a bed tonight for the first time after a break
of about 10 days due to our colds. I read 7 pages of my bedtime book about the
Duke of Monmouth before I drift off to sleep - zzzzzz !!!!
04:00 I get up early and do one
of my routine Danish vocabulary tests.
08:00 I hop back into bed with
Lois and we drink our morning tea. We get up and have breakfast.
10:00 We talk a little on
whatsapp with Sarah, our daughter in Perth, Australia, and with Francis, her
husband, and their 4 year old twins, Lily and Jessie. They are currently on an
excursion in the hills a little west of the city, where there are views over
the city and the sea. The neighborhood is called Roleystone. They visited the
famous Canning Dam today. In May 2016, when Lois and I visited them, we saw
this impressive dam.
Flashback to May 2016:
Lois and our daughter Sarah in front of the
Canning Dam,
which is located a little west of Perth,
Australia.
They are currently considering
buying or renting a house in the hills because of the prices, which are much
lower than in the city, a bit surprisingly. Lois and I can never understand why
Sarah and Francis take the decisions they take - it's hard to have serious
conversations with them, because their children are too lively !!!
Unfortunately, Sarah would have a much longer commute between home and work if
the family moved over there into the hills.
11:00 We have to go out. Lois
wants to attend two church services taking place today in the town of
Tewkesbury, and she is not allowed to drive a car at the moment due to
cataracts. I drive her over to the town and drop her off opposite the town's
library. I drive home again.
12:00 I go out into the back
garden and clear away the branches I cut off yesterday from one of the most
overgrown shrubs in the garden. Unfortunately, our brown garden refuse bin has
been filled to the bursting point, so I temporarily put the branches in one of
the old green bags that the council handed out to homeowners 10 years ago. I
would like to put the whole shrub in there if I could - it's the garden's most
overgrown shrub, no doubt about that.
the bulk of the back garden's most
overgrown shrub
has now been "buried" in an old
green sack - hurrah!
Result! Back of the net !!! Colin 1,
unidentified shrub 0 !!!!
13:00 I come back into the house
and have lunch. Afterwards I go to bed to take a gigantic afternoon nap.
13:30 Lois rings me. She says
that after the second service, which ends at 2:45pm, Mari-Ann will drive her
over to a nearby residential neighborhood where a group of church members will
go from door to door pushing 1000 of the church's advertisements into letterboxes
to "spread the word". Good grief, what madness !!! I know Lois is
currently very tired. I hope she does not overtax herself.
15:30 I get up and relax with a
cup of tea on the couch.
16:25 It's shortly going to be
press time for the blog, and Lois has not yet shown up.
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