Thursday 25 January 2018

09:00 I take a little look online and I see that Sarah, our daughter in Perth, Australia, has found the family's next house. They have to move out of their current house in the suburb of Leederville at the end of January. Their new house is located just north of the city in the Ocean Reef area, and is not that far from the coast.

The house our daughter Sarah and her family will move into

at the end of January.

Lois and I do some research on the web and Google Maps, etc. We want a vague idea of where the buses run in the area so we can travel about on our own if necessary the next time we stay with them. We are looking forward to seeing Sarah and her family again, but at our age we are a little afraid of the super-long flight - yikes! I feel particular sorry for Lois, who has always been afraid of flying - it's just her luck that both of our daughters have chosen to live abroad, with their lovely families including our 5 grandchildren. Damn!

10:00 I get started with clearing up and vacuuming throughout the house because our U3A Danish group is holding its next meeting here this afternoon.

12:00 We listen a little to the radio, an interesting series about mazes, puzzles, crosswords, etc. through the ages. Today they are airing part 4 of 5, all about developments in the 19th century.

In the 19th century there was for the first time a leisured class who wanted to spend some of their free time on interesting puzzles and there were a lot of new magazines trying to satisfy this urge.

Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) was the author who wrote Alice in Wonderland, but he was also a math professor at Oxford University and he liked to include math puzzles in his magazine stories, etc.

In Carroll's famous "the Hunting of the Snark" poem in "Alice in Wonderland", a butcher tries to convince a beaver that two plus one is equal to three. The proof is actually not very complicated, but the butcher needs to understand such a concept in his business, whereas it is less crucial to the beaver. Also, the beaver is starting from a very low departure point, i.e. a very low level when it comes to mathematics, Lois and I suspect. We also think that the beaver has a problem with concentrating sufficiently, for some reason we don't understand.

It is thought that it was Dodgson who wrote the following poem, which can be read either horizontally (ie in the normal way) or vertically.

I often wondered when I cursed,

Often feared where I would be -

Wondered where she'd yield her love,

When I yield, she will.

I would her be be pitied!

Cursed be love! She pitied me ...

A very clever concept, but not a high quality poem, I think. But everyone to their own taste.

It's nice to hear Robin Wilson's voice during the program. I was at an Open University Mathematical Summer School in 1981 with my friend, Vida, the week when Charles and Di got married. Robin Wilson, who was then teaching math at the university, sat on our table during the lunch break and chatted with us a little. His father was Harold Wilson, Britain's prime minister in the 1960s.

Another connection: Robin was a pupil at the University College School in Hampstead, where I went for 3 months (September to December 1957) when I was 11 and he was 14, so I was in 1st year while he was in 4th year. Happy days !!!!

Flashback to August 1957: my father (43) and me (aged 11)

Already the little book-worm: no beach cricket for me!

(left to right) my sister Kathy (9), my brother Steve (5), and me

12:00 We have lunch and afterwards I go to bed to take a huge afternoon nap.

14:00 I get up and prepare for our Danish group meeting.

14:30 The group members arrive, plus Ann, member of U3A's local committee. Lois and I have been feeling a little nervous about her visit. We feel we do not want her tell us we are guilty of running our meetings in the wrong way or something similar, or that we are breaking the U3A rules in one way or another. We have been afraid that Ann will object to the fact that Jeanette, our Danish friend who helps us to pronounce the language, is not a member of the U3A, or that she will object to the fact that the group is currently reading a Danish crime scene with explicit sex scenes. Yikes - a lot of bad vibes there !!!

It turns out that Ann is a very sweet woman. She reproaches me because I do not check member's membership cards every time we hold a meeting - my god, what madness! But she says she will not mention to the committee about Jeanette's participation in the meetings. Ann acknowledges that Jeanette has a rare specialist knowledge and comes just to help out. 

And best of all, it turns out that Ann has to scoot before before we start work on an embarrassing string of further explicit sex scenes ha ha ha. Phew! A controversial "U3Aexit" shock-horror is probably off the table now, thank goodness!

Ann actually originates from Zimbabwe, but she studied law at a university in South Africa, and she had to learn Afrikaans. She tells us that the legal system in the English-speaking countries is largely based on the same elementary principles. She says she considered joining our Danish group because the two languages, Afrikaans and Danish, are quite similar, but she finally decided that she lacked the time to master the grammar, vocabulary, etc.

16:00 The meeting ends, but the members stay sitting in the living room chatting about this and hint. Lois and I are happy that they feel at home with us, but we are exhausted, as usual after a "Danish day". We breathe a sigh of relief when they finally skedaddle - not till 4:45pm - oh dear!

18:00 We have dinner and watch television. "Only Connect", a TV quiz, is on: one of the few TV shows that are not suitable for very stupid people. The host of the program is the charming Victoria Coren-Mitchell.

We enjoy Victoria's introductory and closing monologues as usual. She opens the show with: "

It was the great Irish singer-songwriter, Ronan Keating, who said, ‘You say it best when you say nothing at all’. A very romantic thing to say to a woman, but a terrible quiz-strategy. When Ronan came on the show he scored zero.”

Victoria starts her closing monologue

She concludes the show with, 

"That is the end of the show. We are all off to the bar, where this faux ambience of bonhomie that we maintain for the cameras will give way to an icy atmosphere of base, naked vindictiveness.”

Hail to thee, Victoria! You stop us from getting a bit desperate at times ha ha ha.

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

Danish translation

09:00 Jeg kigger lidt på nettet, og jeg ser, at Sarah, vores datter i Perth, Australien, har fundet familiens næste hus. De er nødt til at flytte ud af deres nuværende hus i forstaden Leederville ved slutningen af januar. Deres ny hus ligger lidt nord for byen i Ocean Reef-område, og er ikke ret langt fra kysten.

Huset, vores datter Sarah og hendes familie flytter ind i

ved slutningen af januar.

Lois og jeg gør lidt forskning på nettet og Google Maps osv.  Vi vil gerne have en vag idé om hvor busserne kører i området, så vi kan færdes alene, hvis nødvendigt, den næste gang, vi bor hos dem. Vi glæder os til at se Sarah og hendes familie igen, men i vores alder er vi lidt bange for den superlange flyvetur – yikes! Jeg har i sær ondt af Lois, der altid har været bange for at flyve - det er bare hendes held, at begge vores døtre har valgt at bo i udlandet, sammen med deres dejlige familier, herunder vores børnebørn. Pokkers!

10:00 Jeg går i gang med at rydde op og støvsuge overalt i huset, fordi vores U3A danske gruppe holder sit næste møde i eftermiddag hos os.

12:00 Vi lytter lidt til radio, en interessant serie, der handler om labyrinter, gåder, krydsogtværser osv gennem alderne. I dag sender de en 4. del af 5, der handler om udviklinger i det 19. århundrede.

I det 19. århundrede var der for første gang en besiddende klasse, der trængte til at bruge deres fritid på interessante puslespil, og der var en masse nye magasiner, der prøvede at tilfredsstille denne trang.

Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) var forfatteren, der skrev Alice i Eventyrland, men han var også matematikprofessor på Oxford University, der kunne lide at inkludere matematikpuslespil i sin magasinserier osv.

I Carrolls berømte “Jagten på snarken” digt i ”Alice i Eventyrland”, en slagter prøver at overbevise en bæver, at 2 plus 1 er lige med 3. Beviset er faktisk ikke særlig kompliceret, men slagteren har brug for at forstå sådan et koncept i sin forretning – det er mindre afgørende for bæveren. Også bæveren starter fra et meget lavt udgangspunkt, et meget lavt niveau, når det kommer til kendskab til matematik, mistænker Lois og jeg. Vi synes også, at bæveren har et problem med at koncentrere sig tilstrækkeligt, af en eller anden grund.

Man tror, at det var Dodgson, der skrev det følgende digt, som man kan læse enten horisontalt (dvs på den normale måde) eller vertikalt.

I often wondered when I cursed,
Often feared where I would be —
Wondered where she’d yield her love,
When I yield, so will she.
I would her will be pitied!
Cursed be love! She pitied me…

Et meget klogt koncept, men ikke et digt af høj kvalitet, synes jeg. Men alle har deres smag.

Det er rart, at høre Robin Wilsons stemme i løbet af programmet. Jeg var på en Open University matematisk sommerskole i 1981 med min ven, Vida, den uge, da Charles og Di giftede sig. Robin Wilson, der dengang underviste matematik på universitetet, satte sig på vores bord under frokostpausen og snakkede med os lidt. 

Hans far var Harold Wilson, Storbritanniens premierminister i 1960’erne. En anden forbindelse: han var elev på University College School i Hampstead, hvor jeg gik i 3 måneder (september til december 1957), da jeg var 11 og han var 14, så jeg gik i 1. klasse, mens han gik i 4. klasse. Lykkelige dage!!!!

Tilbageblik til august 1957: min far (43) og mig (11 år)

(left to right) my sister Kathy (9), my brother Steve (5), and me (11)

12:00 Vi spiser frokost og bagefter går jeg i seng for at tage en gigantisk eftermiddagslur.

14:00 Jeg står op og forbereder mig på vores danske gruppes møde.

14:30 Gruppens medlemmer ankommer, plus Ann, der er medlem at U3As lokale udvalg. Lois og jeg har følt os lidt nervøse for hendes besøg. Vi føler, vi ikke ikke have hende til at fortælle os, vi styrer vores møder på den forkerte måde, eller noget lignende, eller at vi bryder U3A-reglerne på en eller anden måde. Vi har været bange for, at Ann indvender mod, at Jeanette, vores danske ven, der hjælper os med at udtale sproget, ikke er medlem af U3A, eller indvender mod, at gruppen er i gang med at læse en dansk kriminovelle med eksplicitte sexscener. Yikes – en masse dårlige anelser der!!!

Det viser sig, at Ann er en meget sød kvinde. Hun irettesætter mig, fordi jeg ikke tjekker medlemmers medlemskort hver gang vi holder en møde – du godeste, sikke et vanvid! Men hun siger, hun ikke vil nævne til udvalget om Jeanettes deltagelse i møderne – Ann erkender, at Jeanette har et sjældent specialistisk kendskab, og kommer bare for at hjælpe til. Og bedste af alt, Ann smutter, før vi begynder at arbejde på en pinlig stribe af flere eksplicitte sexscener ha ha ha. Puha! En kontroversiel ”U3Aexit” chok-rædsel er formentlig udelukket, gudskelov!

Ann kommer faktisk oprindeligt fra Zimbabwe, men hun læste jura på et universitet i Syd-Afrika, og hun blev nødt til at lære Afrikaans. Det juridiske system i alle de engelsktalende lande er stort set baseret på de samme grundlæggende principper, fortæller hun os. Hun siger, at hun overvejede at melde sig ind i vores danske gruppe, på grund af, at de to sprog, afrikaans og dansk, er ganske lignende, men hun besluttede endelig, at hun manglede tiden til at mestre gramatikken, ordforrådet osv.

16:00 Mødet slutter, men medlemmerne bliver siddende i stuen og snakker om dette og hint. Lois og jeg er glade for, at de føler sig hjemme hos os, men vi er udmattede, som sædvanligt efter en ”danske dag”. Vi ånder lettet op, når de endelig smutter – kl er 16:45 – uha!

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad og ser lidt fjernsyn. De viser ”Only Connect”, en tv-quiz: et af de få tv-programmer, der ikke er egnede til meget dumme mennesker. Programmets vært er den charmerende Victoria Coren-Mitchell.

Vi nyder i sær Victorias indledende og slutende monologer som sædvanligt. Hun åbner showet med: ”Det var den store irske sanger-sangskriver, Ronan Keating, der sagde: ’Du siger det bedst, når du slet ikke siger noget’. En meget romantisk ting at sige til en kvinde, men en forfærdelig quiz-strategi. Da Ronan kom på showet, scorede han nul.”

Victorias sluttende monolog begynder

Hun afslutter showet med, ”Dette er slutningen af showet. Nu skynder vi os alle 7 i baren, hvor denne forloren stemning af gemytlighed, som vi opretholder for kameraerne, vil give plads til en iskold stemning af lav, nøgen hævngerrighed.”

Hyl dig, Victoria! Du forhindrer os i at blive lidt desperate til tider ha ha ha.

22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzzzzzz!!!!!!