Fredag den 22. september 2017

Lois og jeg går hen ind i landsbyen for at afsende en pakke, bestående af 3 børnemagasiner, til vores børnebørn i København. Det er meget dyrt, når man tænker både på prisen på magasiner og på portoet, men det giver os utroligt meget glæde at gøre dem denne lille tjeneste, der hjælper med at minde dem lidt om deres fødeland – hulk hulk!

Vi går en kort tur i nabolaget. Vores rute: Højgade, Møllegade og tilbage igen via Borgergade. Det gør Lois godt at få lidt motion. Hun er for tiden lidt begrænset på grund af sin nylige øjenoperation, der fandt sted for nøjagtig en uge siden.

vi går en kort tur i nabolaget. Solen skinner,

og vi kan se toppen af Cleeve-bakken i det fjerne

12:00 I går aftes så vi et skræmmende tv-program, der handlede om begrebet om ”kropsalder”.  Dokumentarfilmen fulgte 3 personer i alderen 45-55 år, der ifølge programmets værter havde en ”kropsalder”, der var meget større, end deres officielle alder.

Ens teoretiske ”kropsalder” er baseret på, hvor meget ilt ens krop kan bruge ved at ånde ind og ånde ud under motion (på kondicykel for eksempel). Større kropsalder medfører større risiko for at pådrage sig hjertesygdom, kræft, type 2 diabetes. Yikes!!!!

Ved slutningen af programmet blev Lois og jeg pludselig klar over, at vi ikke gør nok for at ældes langsommere.

I formiddag, inspireret af programmet, hopper jeg op på min kondicykel og jeg tilbagelægger endnu 6 miles (10km), men jeg griber fat i cyklens spændingkontrol og  skruer den op for modstand (fra ”1” til ”2” – du godeste!). Jeg har ikke været klar over, at spændingkontrollen har været på minimum, nogensinde siden jeg købte cyklen, dvs for 8 år siden – pokkers! Det kan ikke undre sig at jeg fandt det så nemt at cykle 6 miles ha ha ha!

Nu med spædingkontrol på ”2”, føles det lidt som om jeg cykler op ad en lidt skrå hældning, hvilket må være lidt bedre for min sundhed. Da jeg er færdig med at cykle, dyrker meg lidt mildt vægtløftning. Programmets værter understregede at muskeltræning er vigtig, hvis man ønsker at ældes langsommere. Livet er hårdt – ingen tvivl om det!!!!

At cykle er meget kedeligt, så derfor tænder jeg for min smartphone og hører gamle sange på YouTube, mens jeg cykler. Hver gang jeg cykler, stiller jeg året ét eller to år tilbage, og i formiddag hører jeg 1936s bedste hitsange.

I 1936 var krigen stadig 3 år væk, men tegnene på den var allerede der. Den spanske borgerkrig startede i juli, siger Wikipedia.

Jeg graver mine forældres fotoalbummer frem og kigger på 1936s fotos. Min mor var 16 år og der er billeder af to af de lokale drenge, hun var venner med, i gang med at klatre et træ og fjolle rundt. En af dem, Norman, var min mor lun på, fortalte hun mig en gang. Men han droppede hende, og forholdet blev desværre ikke til noget.

tilbageblik til 1936: to drenge klatre et træ.

Min mor var lun på en af dem (Norman), men han droppede hende,

og forholdet blev desværre ikke til noget – uha!

Jeg har et foto af min mor sammen med en stor gruppe damer i hatte. Det ville være rart at vide, hvad var anledningen. Hun boede i byen Oxford, og jeg formoder, at bygningen i baggrunden var en af universitets kollegier, men det er jeg ikke helt sikker på.

tilbageblik tl 1936: min mor, på 16 år,

sidder på hug til venstre. På hendes venstre hånd ser vi 3 af hendes 7 søstre,

herunder tvillingerne, Babs og Joan (14 år)

Jeg har et foto af min far, og jeg mistænker, at det daterer fra 1936 eller deromkring. I 1936 var han en ung skolelærer på 22 år, og boede i byen Salisbury.

min far i 1936 eller deromkring. På græsplanen

 kan man se skyggen af den, der tog fotoet, og også en del af hans hånd 

i hjørnet af billedet - nybegyndefejl ha ha ha!

12:30 Jeg skynder mig ind i køkkenet og laver frokost: ost sandwich med hjemmedyrkede tomater, agurk og salat – nam nam!  Efter frokost går jeg i seng for at tage mig en gigantisk eftermiddagslur.

15:30 Jeg står op og vi slapper af med en kop te i sofaen.

17:00 Jeg skynder mig ind i køkkenet igen og laver aftensmad: pølser, spejlæg, kartoffelmos og baked beans – nam nam!

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad og derefter bruger aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser et gamle afsnit af Top of the Pops fra august 1984.

Lois og jeg så ikke dette afsnit, da BBC-kanalen første sendte det, fordi vi mellem 1982 og 1985 boede i USA. Afsnittet synliggør Black Laces virkelig horribel sommerferie-diskotek-hitsang ”Agadoo” – sangen var populær også i Australien, New Zealand osv, men heldigvis ikke i USA, så Lois og jeg i 1984 gik glip af den, gudskelov.

Den er den slags sang involverende fysiske gestus, den slags sang, man danser til på bryllupper, ligesom The Chicken Song, der faktisk blev inspireret af sangen Agadoo, men bare for at satirisere den.

Big Bang Theory: hvem kunne glemme brylluppet,

hvor Amy og Leon dansede til The Chicken Song?

Heldigvis lytter Lois og jeg forsigtigt til sangen Agadoos tekst (og vi beslutter ikke at abe gestussene) – og det bliver til god nytte senere på aften ha ha ha.

"Agadoo": teksten af sangen kommer til god nytte

senere på aftenen, gudskelov

20:30 Vi fortsætter med at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser tv-quizzen Only Connect, et af de få tv-programmer, der ikke er egnede til dumme mennesker ha ha ha.

Programmets vært er den charmerende og morsomme Victoria Coren Mitchell, professionelle poker-spiller og eks-pornokritiker, der har sagt, at hun plejer at blive oppe til kl 6, røgende, drikkende og spillende hasard; men hun er også til havearbejde og madlavning, hvilket gør hende til en blanding af teenagedreng og gammel dame. Sikke et vanvid!!! Men vi kan godt lide hende.

Heldigvis er der i aften et spørgsmål, hvor Lois og jeg kan bruge vores viden af popkultur. De to hold bliver bedt om at gætte det sidste objekt i en sekvens af 4:

Vi mindes pludselig om teksten af Black Laces Agadoo: delen af sangen, der er ledsagt at de mest irriterende gestus: ”Ag-a-doo-doo-doo, push pineapple, shake the tree, Aga-doo-doo-doo, push pineapple, grind coffee.”

For Lois og mig er det et stykke held, og noget at gå i seng på. Sådan et sammenfald kommer kun en gang om tusinder af år, det ved vi med sikkerhed!!! Du godeste, sikke et skør verden vi lever i !!!!!!

21:00 Desværre bliver vi oppe for en stund og ser Goggle Box, hvor forskellige tv-seerne ser på nogle af ugens programmer og kommenterer dem i deres sofaer og lænestole osv.

Vi ser uddrag fra et afsnit af Dr. Foster, en drama, hvor Dr Gemma Foster inviterer sin eks-mand, Simon, til middag og derefter forfører ham på køkkenbordet, efter han forblev hos hende for at hjælpe med at rydde op. Hun filmer ham, så hun kan sende videoen til hans nye kone.

Du godeste, sikke et vanvid!!! Det er heldigt, at Lois og jeg for det meste ser ikke nogle tv-dramaer, hvis de er sådanne. Heldigvis leder tv-seernes morsomme kommentarer os tilbage til virkeligheden ha ha ha.

English translation

Lois and I walk into the village to send a parcel of 3 children's magazines to our grandchildren in Copenhagen. It's very expensive when you consider both the price of magazines and the postage, but it gives us an incredible amount of pleasure to do them this little service that helps remind them a little of their country of birth - sob sob!

We then go for a short walk in the neighbourhood. Our route: Højgade, Møllegade and back again via Borgergade. It does Lois good to get a bit of exercise. She is currently limited because of her recent eye surgery of just one week ago.

We go for a short walk in the neighbourhood. The sun is shining,

and we can see the top of Cleeve Hill in the distance

12:00 Last night, we saw a scary TV show about the concept of "body age". The documentary followed 3 people aged 45-55 who, according to the programme's presenters, had a "body age" that was much greater than their official age.

One's theoretical "body age" is based on how much oxygen one's body can use by breathing in and breathing out during exercise (for example, on fitness cycles). Greater body ages lead to greater risk of developing heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes. Yikes !!!!

By the end of the programme, Lois and I suddenly realised that we were not doing enough to age more slowly.

This morning, inspired by the programme, I jump on my exercise bike and clock up another 6 miles (10km), but I grab the bike's tension control and screw up the resistance (from "1" to "2" - good grief!). I have been unaware that the tension control has been on minimum ever since I bought the bike, ie 8 years ago - damn! It's no wonder that I found it so easy to bike 6 miles ha ha ha!

Now with tension control on "2", it feels a bit like cycling up a gentle slope, which may be a bit better for my health. When I finish cycling, I do a little mild weightlifting. The programme's presenters emphasised that muscle training is important if you want to age more slowly. Life is hard - no doubt about that !!!!

Cycling is very boring, so I turn on my smartphone and listen to old songs on YouTube while cycling. Every time I cycle, I set the year one or two years back, and this morning I listen to 1936's best hit songs.

In 1936 the war was still 3 years away, but the signs of it were already there. The Spanish Civil War started in July, Wikipedia says.

I dig out my parents' photo albums and look at 1936's photos. My mother was 16 years old and there are pictures of two of the local boys she was friends with, climbing a tree and fooling around. One of them, Norman, my mother was sweet on, she told me once. But he dropped her, and the relationship unfortunately came to nothing.

flashback to 1936: two boys climbing a tree.

My mother was sweet on one of them (Norman), but he dropped her,

and the relationship unfortunately did not come to anything - oh dear!

I have a photo of my mother with a large group of ladies in hats. It would be nice to know what the occasion was. She lived in Oxford, and I suspect the building in the background was one of the university colleges, but I'm not entirely sure about that.

flashback to1936: my mother, 16 years old,

is crouching down on the left. On her left hand we see 3 of her 7 sisters,

including the twins, Babs and Joan (14 yrs)

I have a photo of my father and I suspect it dates from 1936 or thereabouts. In 1936 he was a young school teacher aged 22, living in the city of Salisbury.

My father in 1936 or thereabouts. On the lawn

you can see the shadow of the person who took the photo -

also a part of his hand in the corner of the picture -

rookie error ha ha ha!

12:30 I hurry into the kitchen and make lunch: cheese sandwich with homemade tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce - yum yum! After lunch I go to bed and take a gigantic afternoon nap.

15:30 I get up and we relax with a cup of tea on the couch.

17:00 I hurry into the kitchen again and make supper: sausages, fried egg, mashed potatoes and baked beans - yum yum (again) !

18:00 We have dinner and then spend the evening watching television. An old episode of Top of the Pops is on from August 1984.

Lois and I did not see this episode when the BBC channel first aired it because we were living in the United States between 1982 and 1985. The episode showcases Black Lace's truly horrible summer holiday discotheque hit song "Agadoo" - the song was popular also in Australia, New Zealand, etc., but fortunately not in the United States, so Lois and I in 1984 missed out on it, thank God.

It's that kind of song involving physical actions, the kind of song you dance to at weddings, like The Chicken Song, which was actually originally inspired by the song Agadoo, but just with the intention of satirising it.

Big Bang Theory: Who could forget the wedding

where Amy and Leon danced to The Chicken Song?

Luckily, Lois and I listen carefully to the Agadoo song lyrics (but we decide not to mimic the actions) - and it comes in useful later in the evening ha ha ha.

The lyrics of the song come in useful

later in the evening, thank goodness

20:30 We carry on watching a bit of television. The "Only Connect" tv quiz is on, one of the few television programmes that are not suitable for stupid people ha ha ha.

The host of the program is the charming and amusing Victoria Coren Mitchell, professional poker player and ex-porn critic who has said that she usually stays up till 6am, smoking, drinking and gambling; but she also likes gardening and cooking, making her a mixture of teenage boy and old lady. What madness !!! But we like her.

Fortunately, tonight there is a question where Lois and I can use our knowledge of pop culture. The two teams are asked to guess the last object in a sequence of 4:

We suddenly recall the text of Black Lace's Agadoo: the part of the song that's accompanied by the most annoying gestures: "Ag-a-doo-doo-doo, push pineapple, shake the tree, Aga-doo-doo-doo, push pineapple, grind coffee. "

For Lois and me it's a piece of luck and something to go to bed on. Such a coincidence comes only once in thousands of years, we know that for sure !!! What a crazy world we live in !!!!!!

21:00 Unfortunately, we stay up for a while and see Goggle Box, where various TV viewers watch some of the week's programs and comment on them from their sofas and armchairs, etc.

We see extracts from an episode of Dr. Foster, a drama in which Dr. Gemma Foster invites her ex-husband, Simon, for dinner and then seduces him on the kitchen table after he stays on to help her clear up. She films him so she can send the video to his new wife.

Good grief, what madness !!! It's fortunate that Lois and I mostly do not see any TV dramas if they are like this. Fortunately, the TV-viewers' amusing comments bring us back to reality ha ha ha.