Torsdag den 21. september 2017

Jeg begynder Lois’s dag ved at hjælpe hende med sine regelmæssige øjendråber – denne første uge efter operationen skal hun tage dem 4 gange om dagen. Jeg bidrager med min ydelser som ”spejl-wallah” til processen – jeg er alt hjerte ha ha ha.

Jeg arbejder deltid som Lois’s ”spejl-wallah” for tiden

09:30 Vi kører over til landsbyen Bishops Cleeve for at handler brød, ost og tærter ind hos delikatessen og kartofler, æbler og nogle grøntsager ind hos den lokale grønthandler. Lois smutter ind i den lokale skoreparationsforretning for at få et par sko repareret. Vi kommer hjem og slapper af med en kop kaffe i sofaen.

11:45 Jeg hopper op på min kondicykel og tilbagelægger endnu 6 miles (10km), mens jeg gentager mit nye mantra: ommmmmmmmm - det er vigtigere at være rask, end at være tynd – ommmmmmmm (og gentag i en uendelighed ha ha ha).

Jeg har for nylig fremskyndet et par gange min ”kondicykeltur” fra kl 17 til kl 12, fordi jeg ofte laver aftensmad startende ved 17-tiden, nu hvor Lois er i gang med at klare eftervirkningerne af sin øjenoperation.

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 1937s 30 bedste sange. Nøjagtig 19 af sangene i denne amerikanske hitliste har jeg desværre aldrig hørt før.

Jeg graver mine forældres fotoalbummer frem og kigger på 1938s fotos. Der er et sjældent billede, der viser både min far og min mor (8 år før de giftede sig), og en flok andre unge mennesker. Billedet blev toget under en bibelkampagne i byen Willenhall i grevskabet Warwickshire.

Min mor og min far var begge to medlemmer af en sekt, der ikke tillod dens unge medlemmer at gå i biografen, gå til baller osv. De plejede derfor at møde deres kommende partnere ved at deltage i bibelkampagner om sommeren: en gruppe unge kirkemedlemmer rejste til en by, hvor sekten ikke var repræsenteret af en kirke, for at publisere sekten ved at holde offentlige møder og uddele pjecer osv.

Min mor og min far deltog begge to i denne bibelkampagne i Willenhall. Det er muligt, at det var her, de mødte for første gang, men det er jeg ikke helt sikker på.

min mor og min far deltog begge to

i august i en bibelkampagne i Willenhall. Måske var det dengang

de mødtes for første gang, men det er jeg ikke helt sikker på.

Min mor (på 17 år, nr 2 fra venstre) og min far (på 23 år, nr 5 fra venstre).
Men udbruddet af krigen var kun 2 år i fremtiden  - yikes!

Så vidt jeg kan gætte, set ud fra sektens tidsskrift, resulterede kampagnen ikke i at grundlægge en kirke i byen. Men det kan være, at den (mange år senere) resulterede i mig og mine 3 søskende: Kathy, Steve og Gill – hvem ved?

uddrag fra sektens tidsskrift: udfaldet af kampagnen var 

faktisk ikke ret vellykket og det mislykkedes sekten 

at grundlage en kirke i byen – uha!

12:30 Lois beslutter at lave frokost i dag, så jeg kunne  tage en kort pause fra madlavning. Efter frokost går jeg i seng for at tage mig en gigantisk eftermiddagslur.

15:30 Jeg står op og vi går en kort tur i nabolaget. Vores rute: Borgergade, Søgade og tilbage igen. På vej hjem startede det at regne kraftigt – bare vores held!!!! Men det giver Lois lidt motion. Hun er meget begrænset for tiden, hvad angår aktiviteter, på grund af sin nylige øjenoperation

17:00 Jeg skynder mig ind i køkkenet og laver aftensmad: pølser, kartoffelmos og ærter – nam nam!

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad og ser lidt fjernsyn. De viser et gamle afsnit af Top of the  Pops fra juli 1984.

  

Lois og jeg så ikke dette afsnit, fordi vi boede i Columbia Maryland, USA i nærheden af byen Baltimore  mellem 1982 og 1985. Sidst i juli 1984 holdt vi en ferie i byen Quebec, Canada. Vi rejste med tog fra Baltimore og boede 3-4 nætter i byen Quebec. Derefter lejede vi en bil og rejste langs floden St Lawrence til halvøen Gaspé.

Det var lidt af et chok to se byen Quebec efter 2 år i Maryland på grund af byens europæiske udseende: de smalle gader og gamle huse i bymidten, mindte os lidt om England på en underlig måde. Før vi betog os til Canada, havde jeg læst en bog, der handlede om den britiske general Wolfe og hans felttog mod franskmændene i Quebec og hans erobring af byen og provinsen i 1759.

Hvis jeg husker godt, havde franskmændene, før Wolfes sejr, været lidt af en ulejlighed længere sydpå i de 13 britiske kolonier, ved at ophidse og væbne de lokale indianere. Sikke et vanvid!!!

Tilbageblik til juli 1984

Mig og vores 7-årige datter, Sarah. Første ting vi gjorde i byen Quebec

var at tage en skøn tur med kapervogn omkring byens seværdigheder

(fra venstre til højre) Sarah (7), Lois (38) og Alison (8)

Det var lidt af et chok at se byen Quebecs smalle gader,

det mindede os lidt om England på en underlig måde.

Lois (i blå shorts) og vores to døtre udforsker bymidten.

Lykkelige dage!!!! Men tilbage til virkeligheden....

Aftenens afsnit af Top of the Pops fremviser tilfædigvis ”Divine”, der kom fra Baltimore,  hvor vi dengang boede. Vi hører hans sang ”Du tror du er en mand”. Divine var en dragdronning, der var født i 1945 i Baltimore (forstaden Towson for at være præcis) som Harris Glen Milstead og kom fra en velhaver familie i byen. Han døde i 1988.

"Divine", en dragdronning fra Baltimore

”Divine” som ung mand

21:00 Vi fortsætter med at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser en interessant dokumentarfilm  (2. del af 3) som jeg finder lidt irriterende. Den handler om, hvordan man kan ældre langsommere (uden at blive nødt til at rejse i rummet ha ha ha).

Dokumentarfilmen følger endnu 3 personer, der har en ”kropsalder”, der er 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!!!!

Vi så denne series første del i går aftes, og vi var meget imponeret. Men i aften begynder jeg at betvivle programmets begreb om ”kropsalder”. Værterne fortæller en 51-årig ”overvægtig” kok, at hans kropsalder faktisk er 90 (det samme som hans mor). Han ser faktisk ikke så overvægtig ud, synes jeg, men det springer jeg over.

Jeg kan imidlertid selv næsten ikke tro, at en mand på "90" år virkelig kunne klare dette slags tralvt og stressende job. Bliver vi her snydt af pseudo-statistik?  - det undrer jeg mig over.

Programmets værter fortæller en 51-årig kok, at hans ”kropsalder”

er 90. Bliver vi her snydt af pseudo-statistik?

Jeg må ikke desto mindre indrømme, at ”kropsalder” er et nyttigt redskab, hvis man prøver at forskrække folk til at adoptere en sundere livsstil. Det er et meget skræmmende koncept – man begynder at se på sig selv som en person i 90’erne (for eksempel), med måske et par år tilbage at leve i – du godeste, sikke et vanvid!!!!

Hele programmet er faktisk ganske skræmmende. Lois og jeg tror, at vi har en ganske sund livstil, men dokumentarfilmens værter brister alle vores illusioner. ”Må gøre det bedre” står det i vores ”vidnesbyrd” – pokkers! Alle ønsker at ødelægge vores sjov – ingen tvivl om det! Pokkers (igen)!

22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzzzz!!!!!

English translation

I begin Lois's day by helping her with her regular eye drops - this first week after surgery she has to take them 4 times a day. I contribute my services to the process in my role as "mirror wallah" - I'm all heart ha ha ha.

I currently work part-time as Lois's "mirror-wallah"

09:30 We drive over to the village of Bishops Cleeve to shop for bread, cheese and pies at the deli and for potatoes, apples and some vegetables at the local greengrocer's. Lois pops into the local shoe shop to get a pair of shoes repaired. We come home and relax with a cup of coffee on the couch.

11:45 I jump up on my static bike and notch up another 6 miles (10km) while repeating my new mantra: ommmmmmmmm - it's more important to be fit than to be thin - ommmmmmmm (and repeat ad infinitum ha ha ha) .

I have recently a couple of times brought forward my "static bike ride" from 5pm to around 12 noon, because I am often cooking dinner from about 5pm, now that Lois is having to cope with the aftermath of her eye surgery.

Cycling is very boring, so I turn on my smartphone and listen to old songs on YouTube while cycling. Every time I cycle, I turn the year back one or two years, and this morning I hear 1937's 30 best songs. Unfortunately, 19 of the songs in this American hit list I have never heard before.

I dig my parents' photo albums out and look at 1938's photos. There is a rare picture showing both my father and my mother (8 years before they got married) and a bunch of other young people. The picture was taken during a Bible campaign in the town of Willenhall in the county of Warwickshire.

My mother and my father were both members of a sect that did not allow its young members to go to the movies, go to dances, etc. They used to meet their future partners by participating in Bible campaigns in the summer: a group of young church members used to travel to a town where the sect was not represented by a church, in order to publicise the sect by holding public meetings and distributing leaflets, etc.

My mother and my father both participated in this Bible Campaign in Willenhall. It is possible that this was where they met for the first time, but I'm not entirely sure about that.

My mother and my father both took part

in August in a Bible campaign in Willenhall. Perhaps that was when

they met for the first time, but that's something I'm not completely sure about.

My mother (aged 17, second from left) and my father (aged 23, fifth from left).
But the outbreak of war just 2 years in the future - yikes!!!!

As far as I can guess from the sect's magazine, the campaign did not result in the founding of a church in the town.  But it may be that (many years later) it led to the existence of me and my 3 siblings: Kathy, Steve and Gill - who knows?

excerpt from the sect's journal: the outcome of the campaign 

was actually not that successful,

and the sect failed to establish a church in the town – oh dear!

17:00 I hurry into the kitchen and cook dinner: sausages, mashed potatoes and peas - yum yum!

18:00 We have dinner and watch television. An old episode of Top of the Pops is on, from July 1984.

Lois and I did not see this episode because we lived in Columbia Maryland, USA near the city of Baltimore between 1982 and 1985. In late July 1984 we had a vacation in Quebec City, Canada. We travelled by train from Baltimore and stayed 3-4 nights in Quebec City. Then we rented a car and travelled along the St Lawrence River to the Gaspé peninsula.

It was a bit of a shock to see Quebec City after 2 years in Maryland because of the city's European appearance: the narrow streets and old houses in the city centre reminded us a little of England in a strange way. Before we came to Canada, I had read a book about the British general Wolfe and his campaign against the French in Quebec and his conquest of the city and province in 1759.

If I remember rightly, before Wolfe's victory the French had been a bit of an nuisance further south in the 13 British colonies, by stirring up and arming the local Indians. What madness !!!

Flashback to July 1984 - Me and our 7 year old daughter, Sarah. 

The first thing we did in Quebec City

was to take a nice trip by carriage around the city's sights

(left to right) Sarah (7), Lois (38) and Alison (8)

It was a bit of a shock to see the city of Quebec's narrow streets,

It reminded us a little of England in a strange way.

Lois (in blue shorts) and our two daughters explore the city centre.

Happy days !!!! But back to reality ....

This evening's Top of the Pops by coincidence showcases "Divine" who came from Baltimore, where we were living at that time. We hear his song "You think you're a man". Divine was a drag queen who was born in 1945 in Baltimore (suburb of Towson to be exact) as Harris Glenn Milstead and came from a wealthy family in the city. He died in 1988.

Divine, a drag queen from Baltimore

"Divine" as a young man

21:00 We carry on watching a bit of television. An interesting documentary is on (2nd part of 3) that I find a little annoying. It's about how to age more slowly (without having to travel in space ha ha ha).

The documentary follows another 3 people who have a "body age" that is 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 age leads to greater risk of developing heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes. Yikes !!!!

We saw the first part of this series last night and we were very impressed. But tonight I start to doubt the programme's concept of "body age". The presenters tell a 51-year-old "overweight" chef that his body age is actually 90 (the same as his mother). He actually does not look that overweight, I think, but I'll let that one slide.

However, I find it hard to believe that a '90'-year-old man could really cope with this kind of busy and stressful job (chef). Are we being deceived by pseudo-statistics?, I wonder.

The programme's presenters tell a 51-year-old  chef that his "body age"

is 90. Are we being deceived here by pseudo statistics?

Nevertheless, I must admit that "body age" is a useful tool if you are trying to frighten people into adopting a healthier lifestyle. It's a very scary concept - you start looking at yourself as a person in your 90's (for example), with maybe a couple more years left to live - good grief, what madness !!!!

The whole programme is actually quite scary. Lois and I think we have a fairly healthy life style, but the documentary's presenters destroy all our illusions. "Must do better" it says on our "report card" - damn! Everyone wants to ruin our fun - no doubt about that! Damn (again)!

22:00 We go to bed - zzzzzzz !!!!!