Danskcolin: Fredag den 22. december 2017

10:00 Sarah, vores datter i Australien, ringer til os på whatsapp. Hun takker os for buketten blomster vi bestillede til familien på Interflora.co.uk, som gratulation for, at Francis, hendes mand, er blevet erklæret kræftfri af lægerne på det lokale hospital.

buketten blomster, vi bestillede til Sarah og

hendes familie som gratulation for Francis’ succesfuld operation

Francis gennemgik for nylig en operation for at få fjernet sin skjoldbruskkirtel, og han modtog i går patologiresultaterne: det viste sig, at knuderne, som han havde på begge sider af skjoldbruskkirtlen var ikke kræftægtige, så der nu var ingen grund mere til at bekymre sig. De kunne nu nyde deres jul i varmen, de har ”down under”.

Der er af en eller anden grund forholdsvis få forretninger i Australien, der tager imod ordrer på nettet. Lois og jeg prøvede i går at bestille en madkurv med vinflaske, ost osv, men forretningen kunne ikke love leverance før den 27. december. Pokkers!

Det er rart at snakke lidt med Sarah og med parrets 4-årige tvillinger, Lily og Jessie. Børnene er blevet meget begejstrede over, at juledag overhænger os. Vi håber på, at vi kan skype med Sarah på juledag, og også med vores anden datter, Alison, der bor i København sammen med sin familie.

Tilbageblik til juledag 2015: Sarah, Francis, Lily og Jessie

på stranden i Australien, en måned efter de flyttede fra England til Perth

11:00 Lois går i gang med forskellige forberedelser på juledag. Hun rydder op og støver af i stuen. Hun opsætter juletræet, som vi ikke har set i 4 år. I 2014 var vi begge for syge til at fejre jul, og i 2015 og 2016 var vi i København hos Alisons familie.

13:00 Jeg skynder mig ind i køkkenet og laver 2 portioner frokost: ost og agurk sandwich, små tomater og en æble til dessert – nam nam! Bagefter går jeg i seng for at tage mig en gigantisk eftermiddagslur – zzzzzzz!!!!

15:00 Jeg står op og kigger ud af soveværelsesvinduet, og jeg ser vores nabo, den 80-årige Mary, blive hentet af en ambulance og kørte væk til hospitalet. Bill, hendes mand, kører også i vognen: han tager Marys lille taske med.

Han ringede til os tidligere på dagen og fortalte os, at Mary havde haft vejrtrækningsproblemer de seneste få dage. En læge havde undersøgt hende og sagde hun led af lungebetændelser og havde en blodprop på lungen. Stakkels Mary – lige før jul oven i købet.

For mit vedkommende er der altid meget rørende at se en ældre nabo blive hentet af en ambulance, dels fordi jeg ved godt, at en dag bliver det min tur, og naboerne vil stå ved vinduet og kigge på mig – yikes!!!!

Mig tidligt i morges.

Mary bliver hentet af en ambulance i dag.

men jeg ved godt, at en dag bliver det min tur – yikes!!!!!

Både min fars og min mors oplevelser med at blive hentet af ambulancer er ætset i min hukommelse – ingen tvivl om det!!!! Yikes (atter og atter) !!!!!

Sidste gang min mor blev hentet af en ambulance, havde Lois og jeg meget svært ved at overtale hende at træde ind i vognen. Hun var fast besluttet på at blive hjemme. Heldigvis lignede ambulancemanden Aled Jones, den walesiske sanger. Min mor blev overbevist om, at det virkelig var Aled, der var kommet for at hente hende, og endelig aftalte hun at gå i vognen med ham.

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmand og bruger resten af aftenen på at læse aviserne og se lidt fjernsyn. Det er rart at og kunne tænde for lysene på juletræet for første gang i 4 år, og sidde i sofaen som de to gamle krager vi er ha ha ha.

Lois sidder og læser denne uges ”The Week”

Vi smækker benene op foran fjernsynet og svælger i lidt nostalgi. De viser ”TOTP4: Christmas 2017”, et udvalg af julehits fra de seneste 50 år. Vi genkender ikke de millennials sange, men heldigvis er de meste populære julehits optaget for længe siden, som denne BBC-undersøgelse beviser:

alle de mest populære julehits

blev optaget for længe siden.

Det er interessant, at klimakset af den britiske jul er den 25. december (juledag), men i alle andre lande er det den 24. af en eller anden grund. Hvorfor er vi briter altid ud af takt med resten af Europa?

Hvorfor er vi briter altid ud af takt med resten af Europa?

Vi havde glemt, at George Michael faktisk døde juledag 2016, da vi var i København hos Alison og hendes familie. Farvel, George!

George Michael døde juledag sidste år

Vi er to gamle krage, der har boet sammen siden 1972. Det var kun os i starten, indtil jul 1975, da vi for første gang var en familie på 3, og 1977, en familie på4. Nu er det kun os igen, hulk, hulk!!!!

Men det er rart at høre til disse gamle julehits og mindes om juledagene i vores ægteskabs fortid og mindes om vores to døtres barndom, ingen tvivl om det.

Slade og Wizard i 1973

Abba i 1976

Jul 1981 - Vores to døtre, Alison(6) og Sarah (4)

Og igen i 1990: det er rart at kunne mindes om juledage

i de tidlige år af vores lange ægteskab

Lykkelige dage! Sikke en tid det var, sikke en tid det var, jeg har et fotografi. Har du bevaret dine minder? Nu er de alt du har tilbage (copyright Paul Simon ha ha ha).

22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzzzzz!!!!!!

English translation

10:00 Sarah, our daughter in Australia, calls us on whatsapp. She thanked us for the bouquet of flowers we ordered for the family at Interflora.co.uk, as congratulations for her husband Francis being declared cancer-free by the doctors at the local hospital.

the bouquet of flowers we ordered for Sarah and

her family as congratulations on Francis' successful operation

Francis recently underwent an operation to remove his thyroid gland, and he received the pathology results yesterday: it was found that the nodes he had on both sides of the thyroid gland were not cancerous so there was now no more need to worry . They could now enjoy their Christmas in that heat that they have "down under".

For some reason, there are relatively few stores in Australia that accept orders online. Lois and I tried yesterday to order the family a food hamper with bottle of wine, cheese etc, but the business could not promise delivery before December 27th. Damn!

It's nice to talk a little with Sarah and with the couple's 4-year-old twins, Lily and Jessie. The children have become very excited about Christmas Day, now imminent. We hope that we can skype with Sarah on Christmas Day, and also with our second daughter, Alison, who lives in Copenhagen with her family.

Flashback to Christmas Day 2015: Sarah, Francis, Lily and Jessie

on the beach in Australia, one month after they moved from England to Perth

11:00 Lois gets started on various Christmas preparations. She cleans up and dusts in the living room. She puts up the Christmas tree, which we have not seen for 4 years. In 2014, we were both too sick to celebrate Christmas, and in 2015 and 2016 we were in Copenhagen with Alison's family.

13:00 I hurry into the kitchen and make 2 servings of lunch: cheese and cucumber sandwiches, cherry tomatoes and an apple for dessert - yummy! Afterwards I go to bed and take a gigantic afternoon nap - zzzzzzz !!!!

15:00 I get up and look out of the bedroom window and I see our neighbor, 80-year-old Mary, getting picked up by an ambulance and driven off to the hospital. Bill, her husband, also rides with her in the wagon: he takes Mary's little bag along.

He called us earlier in the day and told us that Mary had had breathing problems for the last few days. A doctor had examined her and said she suffered from pneumonia and had a blood clot on her lung. Poor Mary - just before Christmas on top of everything.

For my part, it is always very touching to see an elderly neighbor being picked up by an ambulance, partly because I know that one day it will be my turn and the neighbors will be standing at the window and looking at me - yikes !!!!

Me early this morning.

Our neighbour Mary gets picked up by an ambulance today.

but I know one day it will be my turn - yikes !!!!!

Both my father's and my mother's experiences with getting picked up by ambulances are etched in my memory - no doubt about that !!!! Yikes (again and again) !!!!!

The last time my mother was picked up by an ambulance, Lois and I had a hard time persuading her to step into the wagon. She was determined to stay at home. Fortunately, the ambulance man looked like Aled Jones, the Welsh singer. My mother was convinced that it really was Aled that had come to pick her up, and finally she agreed to get in the wagon with him.

18:00 We have dinner and spend the rest of the evening reading the newspapers and watching some television. It's nice to turn on the lights on the Christmas tree for the first time in 4 years and sit on the couch like the two old crows that we are ha ha ha.

Lois sits and reads this week's "The Week"

We stick our feet up in front of the television and wallow in a little nostalgia. "TOTP4: Christmas 2017" is on, a selection of Christmas hits from the last 50 years. We do not recognize the millennial songs, but fortunately the most popular Christmas hits were recorded long ago, as this BBC survey proves:

The most popular Christmas hits

were recorded a long time ago.

It is interesting that the climax of the British Christmas is December 25th (Christmas Day), but in all other countries in Europe it is the 24th for some reason. Why are we British always out of line with the rest of Europe?

Why are we British always out of line with the rest of Europe?

We had forgotten that George Michael actually died Christmas Day 2016 when we were in Copenhagen with Alison and her family. Goodbye, George!

George Michael died Christmas Day last year

We are two old crows who have lived together since 1972. It was only us in the beginning until Christmas 1975 when for the first time we were a family of 3, and 1977, a family of 4. Now it's just us again, sob, sob !!!!

But it's nice to hear these old Christmas hits and remember the Christmas Days from our marriage's past and recall our two daughters' childhood.