Danskcolin: Fredag den 20. oktober 2017

05:00 Jeg står tidligt op og kigger lidt på nettet. Kl 8:30 hopper jeg tilbage op i sengen til Lois og vi drikker vores morgenté. Vi kommer i tøjet og spiser morgenmad.

10:00 Jeg rydder op og støvsuger overalt i huset, fordi vores U3A danske gruppe holder dens næste møde i eftermiddag kl 14:30 hos os.

11:00 Lois og jeg sætter os ved spisebordet, og skifter at oplæse de næste få sider af kriminovellen ”Forbandet”, og oversætte dem til engelsk. ”Forbandet” er gruppens nuværende projekt, og vi har nu læst ca 60% af teksten.

Jeg har også udfærdiget en danske ordforrådtest, som jeg vil have gruppens medlemmer til at lave. Jeg tjekker test, rette fejlene og printer den ud.

12:00 Vi spiser frokost og bagefter går jeg i seng for at tage mig en gigantisk eftermiddagslur. Jeg står op kl 13:30 og forbereder mig på at led vores danske gruppes møde.

14:30 Gruppens medlemmer ankommer og vi lærer dansk i en og en halv time. Vi læser endnu 8 sider (87-94) af kriminovellen ”Forbandet” af Gittemie Eriksen, der er gruppens nuværende projekt.

Lois og jeg advarer gruppen at vi har en noget grafisk sex-scene forude på side 108, og at scenen involverer novellens helt, Per Janson. Janson er landsbetjent i en normalt stille og rolig dansk landsby. Han er i gang med at undersøge en stribe (ca 12?) drab i landsbyen.

Medlemmerne antager umiddlebart, at Jansons sex-scene vil vise ham i sengen med den verdensberømte sexede filmstjerne, Ria Raben, der åbenlyst flirtede med ham, da hun inviterede ham og hans kone, Vivi, til middag i sin stortslåede palads, lige udenfor landsbyen.

Da vi fortæller dem, at sex-scenen faktisk bare er mellem Janson og hans kone, er de måske lidt skuffede, fornemmer vi, men da vi forsikrer dem, at scenen vil være ganske erotisk, bliver de opmuntret lidt, synes vi.

Vi er også faktisk alle lidt overraskede over, at landbetjentens kone, Vivi, der hidtil kan kategoriseres som en kvinde, der er lidt snobbet og gnaven, og derudover konstant kritisk over for sin ægtemand, bliver pludselig til hans lidenskabelig lille vulkan i dynerne. Men det springer vi over.

Lois og jeg har besluttet os for, at diskutere med dem senere, om vi skulle oplæse scenen og oversætte den til engelsk på vores normale måde, eller at udelade den, bortset fra at kommentere de litterære og grammatiske interessepunkter ha ha ha.

Jeg føler, det ville være sikrere at undgå at oplæse scenen – jeg har ikke lyst til at blive kendt som Cheltenham U3As Harvey Weinstein ved at sætte (i sær) kvindelige medlemmer i en situation, hvor de skulle oplæse detaljerne af et pars sexvaner, endda når det bare drejer sig om en politimand og hans kone – men det er vores 2-persons jury (Lois og mig) stadig ude om. Du godeste, sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!!

16:00 Gruppens medlemmer skal af sted. Lois og jeg slapper af med en kop te og et stykke kage i sofaen. Vi lytter lidt til radio og hører et interessant program, der handler om, ”Hvordan man får sig en bedre hjerne”. Dette afsnit fokuserer specielt på god ernæring og dens bidrag til at forbedre hjernen. Programmets vært er den charmerende Sian Williams.

Lidt skuffende, fordi Lois og jeg allerede har en sund kost, synes vi. Den tidligere hype omkring programmet foreslog, at Sian skal tale om de gode effekter af at spise chokolade, men faktisk taler ingen af forskerne i programmet om chokolade. Pokkers! Tilbage til tegnebrættet. Heldigvis havde Lois og jeg ikke tid i morges til at gå hen til landsbyen for at købe chokolade og genopbygge vores forsyninger.

Sian Williams

Sian og hendes forskere understreger i sær de gode effekter af at spise avokadoer (A), blåbær (B), at drikke kaffe (C på engelsk), også nødder og frø. Her er der plads til forbedring i Lois’s og min kost, ingen tvivl om det. Men for de meste overholder vi allerede de fleste af Sians regler for at spise sundt og fremme god ernæring. Ros til os! Kudos ha ha ha.

18:00 Vi er meget trætte, som altid efter en ”dansk” dag, da vi ryddede op i morges, og styrede vores gruppes regelmæssige møde i eftermiddags. Vi spiser aftensmad og bruger resten af aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn.

De viser et gamle afsnit af ”Top of the Pops” fra Oktober 1984.

Lois og jeg så ikke dette afsnit, da det først blev sendt af BBC-kanalen, fordi vi mellem 1982 og 1985 boede i USA. I oktober 1984 holdt vi en kort ferie sammen med vores 2 unge døtre, Alison og Sarah, i Blue Ridge Mountains i delstaten Virginia for at nyde efterårets farver. Det var vores sidste chance, fordi vi vidste, vi skulle flytte tilbage til England den følgende sommer.

tilbageblik til oktober 1984, når vi 4 var centret af universet:

vi holder en kort ferie i Blue Ridge Mountains i delstaten Virginia

for at nyde efterårets farver. Vores 2 døtre Alison (9), der nu bor i Danmark,

og Sarah (7), der nu bor i Australien – hulk hulk !!!!

vores store amerikanske stationcar

Lykkelige tider!!!!

Dette afsnit af Top of the Pops er interessant, fordi den fremviser Kim Wildes debut på programmet, med en sang, vi aldrig har hørt før, ”Anden gang”. Lois og jeg spekulerer lidt om, om sangen handler om det, vi tror det handler om. Eller har vi nu bare en sjofel tankegang, efter at have set så mange danske krimifilm og læst så mange danske kriminoveller? Men dette er vores 2-persons jury stadig ude om – du godeste, sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!!

Kim Wildes "Den anden gang" / "Gå bare efter det!":
Handler denne sang om, hvad vi tror det handler om????!!!!

22:00 Vi går i seng - zzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!

English translation

05:00 I get up early and take a little look online. At 8:30 I hop back into bed with Lois and we drink our morning tea. We get dressed and have breakfast.

10:00 I clear up and vacuum throughout the house because our U3A Danish group is holding its next meeting here this afternoon at 2.30pm.

11:00 Lois and I sit at the dining table and take turns reading out the next few pages of the crime novella "Accursed" and translating them into English. The "Accursed" is the group's current project, and we have now read about 60% of the text.

I have also devised a Danish vocabulary test, which I want the members of the group to do. I check the test, correct the errors and print it out.

12:00 We have lunch and afterwards I go to bed and take a gigantic afternoon nap. I get up at 1:30pm and get ready to lead our Danish group's meeting.

14:30 The group members arrive and we learn Danish for one and a half hours. We read another 8 pages (87-94) of the crime novella "Accursed" by Gittemie Eriksen, which is the group's current project.

Lois and I warn the group that we have a somewhat graphic six scene ahead on page 108 and that the scene involves the novel's hero, Per Janson. Janson is the local constable in a normally quiet and peaceful Danish village. He is currently investigating a string of killings (about 12?) in the village.

The members immediately assume that Janson's sex scene will show him in bed with the world-famous sexy movie star, Ria Raben, who was blatantly flirting with him when she invited him and his wife, Vivi, to dinner in her magnificent mansion just outside the village.

When we tell them that the sex scene is actually just between Janson and his wife, they are perhaps a little disappointed, we feel, but when we assure them that the scene will be quite erotic, they are encouraged a little, we think.

All of us are in fact also a bit surprised that the policeman’s wife, Vivi, who could so far be categorized as a snobbish and grumpy woman, constantly critical of her husband, suddenly turns into his passionate little volcano between the sheets. But we are going to let that one slide.

Lois and I have decided to discuss with them later whether we should read the scene out and translate it into English in our normal way or whether to omit it, apart from commenting on the literary and grammatical points of interest ha ha ha.

I feel it would be safer to avoid reading the scene out - I do not want to become known as the Harvey Weinstein of Cheltenham U3A by putting (in particular) female members in a situation where they have to read out the details of a couple's sex habits, even when it's just a policeman and his wife - but our 2-person jury (Lois and me) is still out on that one. My god, what a crazy world we live in !!!

16:00 The members of the group have to leave. Lois and I relax with a cup of tea and a piece of cake on the couch. We listen a bit to the radio and hear an interesting program all about "How to get a better brain". This episode focuses on good nutrition and its contribution to improving the brain. The program's presenter is the charming Sian Williams.

A little disappointing, because Lois and I already have a healthy diet, we think. The earlier hype about the program suggested that Sian was going to talk about the good effects of eating chocolate, but in fact, none of the researchers in the program talk about chocolate. Damn! Back to the drawing board. Fortunately, Lois and I did not have time this morning to go along to the village to buy chocolate and replenish our supplies.

Sian Williams

Sian and her researchers particularly emphasize the good effects of eating avocados (A), blueberries (B), drinking coffee (C), also nuts and seeds. Here there is room for improvement in Lois's and my diet, no doubt about that. But for the most part, we are already complying with most of Sian's rules for eating healthily and promoting good nutrition. Hats off to us – kudos ha ha ha!!!

18:00 We are very tired, as always after a "Danish" day when we cleared up this morning and steered our group's regular meeting this afternoon. We have dinner and spend the rest of the evening watching television.

An old episode of "Top of the Pops" is on, from October 1984.

Lois and I did not see this episode when it was first broadcast by the BBC channel because we were living in the USA between 1982 and 1985. In October 1984, we had a short break with our 2 young daughters, Alison and Sarah, in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the state of Virginia to enjoy the colors of autumn. It was our last chance because we knew we would have to move back to England the following summer.

flashback to October 1984 when we four were the center of the universe:

we take a short vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the state of Virginia

to enjoy the colors of autumn. Our 2 daughters Alison (9), now living in Denmark,

and Sarah (7), now living in Australia - sob sob !!!!

our big American station wagon.

Happy times !!!!

This episode of Top of the Pops is interesting because it shows Kim Wilde's debut on the program, with a song we've never heard before, "Second time". Lois and I speculate about whether the song is about what we think it's about. Or have we just got dirty minds now after seeing so many Danish crime films and reading so many Danish crime novellas? This is something our 2-person jury is still out on - my god, what a crazy world we live in !!!