I dag er den 2. dag efter Lois’s øjenoperation for grå stær. Jeg lader
hende sove over sig igen, og tager en kop te med kl halv ni op til soveværelse.
Både udseendet af øjen og hendes syn i skarpt lys bliver gradvist bedre og
bedre, gudskelov.
10:00 Jeg går i gang med at designe en fotobog, bestående af fotos, jeg tog
under vores nylige ferie i grevskabet Devon.
Omslag og typiske sider fra min spritnye fotobog
12:30 Vi taler lidt på whatsapp med Sarah, vores datter i Perth,
Australien, og med sine 4-årige tvillinger, Lily og Jessica. Sarah siger, at
hun og Francis, hendes mand, overvejer at forlade deres nuværende hus i
forstaden Leederville og flytter til et andet i City Beach, der er nærmere til
kysten. Det er en pænere nabolag, siger hun, med meget gode skoler. Planen er,
at tvillingerne starte børnehave i februar, som deltidelever – hvilket er
gratis i Australien.
Tvillingerne er så charmerende når de taler med os, og i sær Lily er meget
artikuleret og kan allerede udtrykke sig godt. Lois og jeg glæder til at høre
dem tale med australsk accent, hvilket er noget, som helt sikkert vil ske så
snart de starter børnehave – det har vi ikke nogen tvivl om.
13:00 Jeg skynder mig ind i køkkenet og laver
frokost: ost og hjemmedyrket agurk sandwich med hjemmedyrkede tomater – nam
nam!
For mig er det en ny og ukendt ansvar, denne ansvar
for at lave mad, og det begynder at fylde en hel ny del af min hjerne. I morgen
skal jeg købe lidt ind, vi er for eksempel løbet tør af kartoffler – du
godeste, en pappaledigs arbejde er aldrig gjort ha ha ha.
13:30 Vi spiser frokost og bagefter går jeg i seng
for at tage mig en gigantisk eftermiddagslur. Lois logger ind på sin sekts
hjemmeside, og høre dagens 2. gudstjeneste direkte live fra kirken i byen
Tewkesbury.
15:30 Jeg står op og vi slapper af med en kop te på
terrassen.
endda i strålende solskin
16:00 Vi taler lidt med vores anden datter, Alison,
der bor i København, og med hendes 3 børn: Josie (11), Rosalind (9) og Isaac
(7). Ed, Alisons mand, er for tiden i
England på forreningsrejse.
Lois fortæller dem de seneste nyhed om sin
øjenoperation osv.
de seneste nyheder om sin øjenoperation
Josie viser os sin spritnye fitbit armbåndsur, som
Lois og jeg forærede hende som fødselsdaggave (den 7. september). Lois og jeg
har besluttet at give hinanden fitbit armbåndsure som julegaver – vi har
besluttet os for at prøve at øge antallet af skridt vi hver dag tager.
Rosalind beklager sig over sin nye lærerinde på den
internationale skole, som alle 3 går i. Lærerinden er australier, og ifølge
Rosalind favoriserer hun klassens australske elever fremfor de amerikanske og
britiske og andre nationaliteter – du godeste! Rosalind har ideen, at hun kunne
fortælle sin lærerinde, at hun har 2 kusiner i Perth, men Lois og jeg synes,
dette er ikke den rigtige løsning til problemet. Den lærerinde må først og
fremmest selv lære den sande betydning af internationalisme (også hvordan man opføre sig
som en god lærer) – det ved vi med sikkerhed!!!
Josie har for nylig tilbragt en uge på skolens lejr, hvor de lærte at være
vikinger (uden volden gudskelov). Hun fik det meget sjovt, siger hun. Josie elsker at ride heste. Jeg fortæller
hende, at tv-reklamer er begyndt at blive sendt i England, der publiserer 2017s
kommende ”Horse of the Year Show”.
Josie (med briller) på den internationale skoles "vikingelejr"
Det falder mig ind, at det er lidt af en skam, at vi ikke har også en
”Norse of the Year Show” i England. Jeg siger, jeg ville nominere Gunnlaug,
helten af den islandske saga, som jeg og de andre medlemmer af Scillas U3A
oldnorsk gruppe har været beskædiget med at læse i de seneste få måneder. Lois
synes, Gunnlaug er et dårligt valg – hun spørger, præcis hvad Gunnlaug hidtil i
2017 har udretttet, og jeg er nødt til at svare, ”ikke ret meget”. Faktisk han
har gjort ”ikke ret meget” siden sin død for 1000 år siden, i regeringstiden af
den angelsaksiske kong, Æthelred
II (den Rådvilde). Så fis hjem, Gunnlaug, din taber ha ha ha.
Isaac vokser hurtigt. Han viser os sine ankler – hans bukser er blevet til
en pedal bukser stil. Jeg spørger ham, om han har haft for vane at spise
magiske bønner. Min humor bliver nu lidt desperat – jeg skulle have taget en
længere eftermiddagslur.
17:00 Jeg skynder mig ind i køkkenet og laver aftensmad: beefburger med
kartoffelmos, og hjemmedyrkede gulerødder og grønne bønner – nam nam!
18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad og bagefter lytter lidt til radio, et interessant
program, der handler Vivian Stanshall, forsanger af den surrealistiske
pop-gruppe, Bonzo Dog Doo-dah Band.
Et morsomt program, der kredser om reflektioner og erindringer af Neil
Innes, en anden medlem af Bonzo Dog gruppen, og Vivians 2. kone, amerikaneren
Ki Longfellow.
Programmets problem er, hvordan man kan sammenfatte i løbet at 30 minutter
livet af sådan en unik og produktiv komiker, musiker og kunstner – Stanshalls
wikipedia-artikel består af en utroligt lang stribe af surrealistiske musikale
og kunstneriske projekter. Det er også svært at sammenfatte på 30 minutter hans
komplicerede personlighed - herunder
hans surrealistiske sans for humor, alkoholisme, lampefeber, afhængighed af
valium osv.
Ligesom mange kendisser, betragtede han sig selv som en fiasko, men Lois og
jeg har stadig mange løbende jokes og udtryk, som vi gentager til hinanden, der
stammer fra de to Bonzo Dog albummer , vi købte i 1970’erne: Urban Spaceman og
Doughnut in Granny’s Greenhouse.
Et af disse udtryk er ”it’s just
the name of the shop”. En mand
kommer ind i et renseri for at få renset en skjorte, og ekspeditricen siger, at
skjorten er færdig om 7 dage. Manden protesterer, at renseri hedder ”59 Minute
Clean”, men ekspeditricen forklarer, at dette bare er forretningens navn.
Denne samtale stammer fra et spor på albummet Doughnut in Granny’s
Greenhouse, hvor Stanshall, iført bare et kaninhoved og underbukser interviewede medlemmer af offentligheden i
Willesden High Road. På albumsporet "We Are Normal" kan vi høre en
interviewperson bemærke, "Han har hovedet på ham som en kanin ”.
21:00 Vi går i seng, lidt tidligere end normalt. Vi deler senge i nat efter
to nætter i adskilte senge på grund af Lois’s øjenskjold, som hun for nogle
timer bar efter sin øjenoperation. Livet vender langsomt men sikkert tilbage
til det normale, med andre ord.
English translation
Today is the 2nd day after Lois's
eye surgery for cataracts. I let her sleep in again and take a cup of tea up to
the bedroom at half past eight. Both the appearance of the eye and her vision
in sharp light is gradually becoming better and better, thank goodness.
10:00 I get going on designing a
photo book, made up of photos I took during our recent vacation in the county
of Devon.
Cover and typical pages from my shiny new photo-book
12:30 We talk a little on
whatsapp with Sarah, our daughter in Perth, Australia, and with her 4-year-old
twins, Lily and Jessica. Sarah says she and Francis, her husband, are
considering leaving their current house in the suburb of Leederville and moving
to another one in City Beach, closer to the coast. It's a nicer neighbourhood,
she says, with very good schools. The plan is for the twins to start
kindergarten in February as part-timers - which is free in Australia.
The twins are so charming when
they talk to us, and in particular Lily is very articulate and can already
express herself well. Lois and I are looking forward to hearing them speak with
Australian accents, which is definitely going to happen as soon as they start
kindergarten - that's something we have no doubts about.
13:00 I hurry into the kitchen
and make lunch: cheese and homegrown cucumber sandwiches with home grown
tomatoes - yum yum!
For me, it is a new and unfamiliar
responsibility, this responsibility for cooking, and it is starting to fill a
whole new part of my brain. Tomorrow I have to do a bit of shopping, for
example, we have run out of potatoes - good grief, a pappaledig's work is never
done ha ha ha.
13:30 We have lunch and
afterwards I go to bed to take a gigantic afternoon nap. Lois logs in on her
sect's website, and hears today's 2nd service live and direct from the church
in Tewkesbury.
15:30 I get up and we relax with
a cup of tea on the terrace.
even in brilliant sunshine
16:00 We talk a little with our
other daughter, Alison, who lives in Copenhagen, and with her 3 children: Josie
(11), Rosalind (9) and Isaac (7). Ed, Alison's husband, is in England on a
business trip at the moment.
Lois tells them the latest news
about her eye surgery, etc.
the latest news about her eye surgery
Josie shows us her brand new
fitbit wrist watch, which Lois and I gave her as a birthday present (September
7th). Lois and I have decided to give each other fitbit wrist watches as
Christmas presents - we have decided to try to increase the number of steps we
take every day.
Rosalind complains about her new
teacher at the international school, where all 3 children go. The teacher is
Australian, and according to Rosalind she shows favouritism to the class's
Australian pupils over the American and British ones and other nationalities -
my god! Rosalind has the idea that she could tell her teacher that she has 2
cousins in Perth, but Lois and I think this is not the right solution to the
problem. The teacher must first of all learn the true meaning of
internationalism (also how to behave like a good teacher) - that's something we
know for sure !!!
Josie has recently spent a week
at the school's camp where they learned to be Vikings (without the violence
thank god). She had a lot of fun, she says. Josie loves to ride horses. I tell
her that television commercials have begun to be broadcast in England
publicising 2017's upcoming "Horse of the Year Show".
Josie (in glasses) at the international school's "viking camp"
It occurs to me that it's a shame
that we do not have a Norse of the Year Show in England. I say I would nominate
Gunnlaug, the hero of the Icelandic saga which I and the other members of
Scilla's U3A Old Norse group have been reading over the last few months. Lois
thinks Gunnlaug is a bad choice - she asks exactly what Gunnlaug has done so
far in 2017, and I have to answer, "not that much". In fact, he has
done "not that much" since his death 1000 years ago, during the reign
of the Anglo-Saxon king, Æthelred II (the Unready). So rack off home, Gunnlaug,
you loser ha ha ha.
Isaac is growing fast. He shows
us his ankles - his trousers have become pedal pusher style. I ask him if he
has taken up eating magic beans. My humour is now becoming a little desperate -
I should have taken a longer afternoon nap.
17:00 I hurry into the kitchen and
make dinner: beefburgers with mashed potatoes, and home grown carrots and green
beans - yum yum!
18:00 We have dinner and
afterwards listen to the radio, an interesting program all about Vivian
Stanshall, the leader of the surrealist pop group Bonzo Dog Doo-dah Band.
A fun program that revolves
around reflections and memories of Neil Innes, another member of the Bonzo Dog
group, and Vivian's 2nd wife, American Ki Longfellow.
The programme's problem is how to
summarise in 30 minutes the life of such a unique and productive comedian,
musician and artist - Stanshall's Wikipedia article consists of an incredibly
long string of surrealistic musical and artistic projects. It's also hard to
summarise in 30 minutes his complicated personality - including his
surrealistic sense of humour, alcoholism, stage fright, addiction to valium,
etc.
Like many celebrities, he
considered himself a failure, but Lois and I still have many ongoing jokes and
expressions that we repeat to each other, which originate from the two Bonzo
Dog albums we bought in the 1970s: Urban Spaceman and Doughnut in Granny's
Greenhouse.
One of these expressions is
"it's just the name of the shop". A man comes into a dry cleaner's to
get a shirt cleaned, and the assistant says the shirt will be ready in 7 days'
time. The man protests that the dry cleaner's is called "59 Minute
Clean", but the assistant explains that this is just the name of the shop.
This conversation stems from a
track on the Doughnut in Granny's Greenhouse album, where Stanshall, wearing
only a rabbit-head and underpants interviewed members of the public on
Willesden High Road in London. On the album "We Are Normal" we can hear an
interviewee remarking, "He has his head on him like a rabbit."
21:00 We go to bed, a little
earlier than usual. We are sharing beds tonight after two nights in separate
beds because of Lois's eye shield, which she had on for some hours after her
eye surgery. Life is returning slowly but surely back to normal, in other
words.
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