Friday 29 June 2018

07:00 I get up early and take a little look online. I see that Alison, our elder daughter who has been living in Copenhagen for the last 5 and a half years with husband Ed and their 3 children, has posted an exciting news-item on Facebook. The family is now heading home to England, and they are going to be resuming their former lives in Haslemere, Surrey.

09:30 We drive over to the local Morrisons supermarket to do the shopping. Lois also wants to buy various games and art materials (stickers and the like) that she will be able to give to the children attending tomorrow's get-together, which her church has organized at a hotel in the town of Tewkesbury.

On our way to the supermarket we swing by Mari-Ann's house. Lois wants to give her most of the gooseberries and blackcurrants we picked yesterday from our fruit bushes, at the cost of several scratches to our hands. It is a little selfish to me to object to this typical act of generosity on Lois's part. She is so warm-hearted - if I only I were more like her! And I predicted yesterday that this or something similar would happen.

I'll just say this - Lois' generosity with our home-grown fruit tends to make me less enthusiastic when it comes to spending time picking the fruit in our backyard when it's at the cost of so much time and so many scratches. I'm only human !!!!!

11:30 We come home and relax with a cup of coffee on the couch. I take a little look at my smartphone and I see that Alison's family has now reached Bremen, Germany.

Our daughter Alison with the family dog, Sika, and their 2 cats,

near Bremen, Germany, on their way home to England after 6 years of residence in Denmark.

Alison says that all the family's pets (dog and 2 cats) have so far behaved very well, which must be a great relief, no doubt about that.

Poor pets !!!!!!!

12:30 We have lunch and afterwards I go to bed and take a huge afternoon nap.

15:30 I get up. Lois is in the process of preparing goodie-bags for the little children who have been invited, together with their parents, to tomorrow's get-together at a hotel in Tewkesbury.

Gupshill Manor, Tewkesbury

This event (the get-together) has begun to cast a bit of a shadow over me - I have to take part in it because Lois needs my support. The church has given her the responsibility of preparing art materials, games and goodiebags to entertain the children, and the whole event will be quite long - 4 hours plus - yikes!

For my part I will have to support Lois - it will be strenuous for her. And I will also have to talk to the many other guests. Small talk is not my strong point, no doubt about that - yikes, it's so scary!

The church has invited a lot of people who have had contact with the sect in the past, but for one or other reason have not signed up to the sect. A mixed bag of relatives, partners, friends, former Sunday school students / seminar-participants, etc. But it is only a social event, the organizers say. Nevertheless, I will be very glad when it's over, so I can put my brain back in gear again, no doubt about that !!!!!

18:00 We have dinner and think about our daughter Alison and her family, on their way home to England after 6 years in Denmark. We assume that they have reached the Dutch coast and are getting on board the overnight ferry and relaxing in their cabins - exciting!

20:00 We spend the rest of the evening watching television. A documentary film is on (3rd part of 3) all about the development of the UK canal system in the late 18th century, and early in 19th.

I have to admit that this subject is not entirely to my taste - I find it incredibly tedious, to put it mildly (!!!) - I'm just 5 foot 10 of misery ha ha (!), But Lois is very interested in it because some of her ancestors worked on the canals, or traveled frequently on the canals between the Oxford and Birmingham areas.

And I have to admit that it is very nice to look at the beautiful landscapes, where tonight's canal, which 200 years ago first connected the cities of Bristol and Bath with London, can be seen making its peaceful way through the hills and valleys of southern England.

21:00 We carry on watching a bit of television, an interesting "fly on the wall" documentary (1st part of 4), which is about 6 months in the life of the United States Embassy in London.

Like Trump, Robert Johnson, the new ambassador, was heir to a fortune, but became a very successful businessman, and later found himself in the political world.

It sounds like a good idea to have businessmen in public office - one assumes they will be competent at making decisions and eliminating waste etc. The disadvantage is that they are used to having unlimited authority in their businesses and tend to to become impatient when faced with normal democratic processes. They also do not have the slightest idea, for example, about ethical standards in government and in public life. They have not studied politics or history, and they do not know how democratic societies and political climates can quickly degenerate into disasters if a country's leaders fail to comply with ethical and civilised standards. As businessmen, they do not need to worry about these kinds of issues.

Johnson is far from being as scary as Trump, and at least he is superficially polite and courteous towards his staff and contacts outside the embassy. But Lois and I noticed that he has Trump's impatience - and he tends not to listen to what others are telling him. My god, what a crazy world we live in !!!!!

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

Danish translation

07:00 Jeg star tidligt op og kigger lidt på nettet. Jeg ser, at Alison, vores ældste datter, der i de seneste 5,6 år har boet i København sammen med Ed og deres 3 børn, har lagt en spændende nyhed op på Facebook. Familien er nu på vej hjem til England. De skal genoptage deres liv i Haslemere, Surrey.

09:30 Vi kører over til det lokale Morrisons-supermarked for at købe ind. Lois vil også købe forskellige lege og kunstmaterialer (stickers og lignende), hun vil kunne give til børnene, der deltager i morgendagens sammenkomst, som sin kirke har organiseret på et hotel i byen Tewkesbury.

På vej til supermarkedet smutter vi ind hos Mari-Ann. Lois har lyst til at give hende hovedparten af de stikkelsbær og solbær, vi i går plukkede fra vores frugtbuskene på bekostning af flere rifter på vores hænder. Det er lidt egoistisk af mig at indvende mod denne typiske handling af generositet. Lois er så varmhjertet – hvis bare jeg lignede hende mere!  Og jeg forudså i går dette eller noget lignende.

Kun det følgende vil jeg sige, at Lois’ generositet har tendens til at gøre mig mindre entusiastisk, når det kommer til at bruge tid på at plukke frugt i vores baghave på bekostning af tid og rifter. Men det er fordi jeg er inderst inde lidt af en gnier, selvom jeg ikke kan lide at indrømme det. På den anden side er jeg altid mere end glad for at købe naboerne og kirkemedlemmer poser frugt hos et supermarkedet – jeg er måske derfor trods alt ikke helt ond ha ha.

11:30 Vi kommer hjem og slapper af med en kop kaffe i sofaen. Jeg kigger lidt på min smartphone og jeg ser, at Alisons familie er nu i nærheden af Bremen, i Tyskland.

vores datter Alison sammen med familiens hund, Sika, og deres to katte,

i nærheden af Bremen, Tyskland, på vej hjem til England efter 6 års ophold i Danmark.

Alison siger, at alle familiens kæledyr (hund og 2 katte) hidtil har opført sig meget godt,  hvilket må være en stor lettelse, ingen tvivl om det. Stakkels kæledyr !!!!!!!

12:30 Vi spiser frokost og bagefter går jeg i seng og tager en gigantisk eftermiddagslur.

15:30 Jeg står op. Lois er i gange med at forberede goodiebags til de små børn, der er blevet inviteret, sammen med deres forældre, til morgendagens sammenkomst, som hendes kirke har organiseret på et hotel i byen Tewkesbury.

Gupshill Manor, Tewkesbury

Denne event (sammenkomsten) er begyndt at kaste lidt af en skygge over mig – jeg bliver nødt til at deltage i den, fordi Lois har brug for min støtte. Kirken har givet hende ansvaret at forberede kunstmateriale og goodiebags for at underholde børnene, og sammenkomsten vil være ganske lang– 4 timer plus – yikes!

Og for mit vedkommende bliver jeg nødt til at støtte Lois – det vil være anstrengende for hende.  Jeg bliver også nødt til at snakke med de mange andre gæster. Småsnak er ikke min force, ingen tvivl om det – yikes, skræmmende!

Kirken har inviteret en masse mennesker, der har haft kontakt med sekten i fortiden, men som af en eller anden grund ikke har tilsluttet sig sekten. En blandet landhandling af slægtninge, partnere, venner, tidligere søndagsskoleeleveer / seminardeltagere osv. Men det er imidlertid kun en social begivenhed, siger arrangørerne. Jeg vil imidlertid være meget glad, når det er forbi, så jeg kan få min hjerne klar til brug igen, ingen tvivl om det!!!!!

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad og tænker lidt på vores datter Alison og hendes familie, på vej hjem til England efter 6 år i Danmark. Vi formoder, at de har nået den hollandske kyst, og er i gang med at gå ombord på overnatningsfærgen og at slappe af i deres kabiner – spændende!

20:00 Vi bruger resten af aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser en dokumentarfilm (3. del af 3), der handler om udviklingen af Storbritanniens kanalsystem sidst i det 18. århundrede, og først i det 19.

Jeg må indrømme, at dette emne ikke helt er til min smag – jeg finder det utrolig kedeligt, for at sige mildt (!!!) – jeg er bare en lange, sure spektakel ha ha (!),  men Lois interesserer sig meget for det på grund af nogle af hendes forfædre arbejdede på kanalerne, eller rejsede hyppigt med kanal mellem Oxford og Birmingham-område.

Og jeg må indrømme, at det er meget rart at se på det smukke landskab, hvor aftenens kanal, der for 200 år siden først forbandt  byerne Bristol og Bath med London, fører stille og roligt gennem bakkerne og dalerne af det sydlige England.

21:00 Vi fortsætter at se lidt fjernsyn, en interessant ”flue på væggen” dokumentarfilm (1. del af 4), der handler om et halvt år i livet af den amerikanske ambassade i London.

Ligesom Trump var Robert Johnson, den nye ambassadør, en arving til en formue, men han blev først en meget succesfuld forretningsmand, og senere befandt sig i den politiske verden.

Det lyder som en god idé at have forretningsmænd i offentlig embede – man formoder, at de vil være dygtige til at træffe beslutninger og eliminere spild osv. Ulempen er, at de er vant til at have ubegrænset autoritet indenfor deres forretninger og der har tendens til at blive utålmodige overfor normale demokratiske processer. De har heller ikke den fjerneste anelse om, for eksempel, etiske standarder i regering og i det offentlige liv. De har ikke studeret politik eller historie, og de ved ikke noget om, hvordan politiske klimaer hurtigt kan degenere til katastrofer, hvis et lands ledere ikke overholder etiske og civiliserede standarder. Som forretningsmænd har de ikke brug for at bekymre sig over de slags spørgsmål.

Johnson er langtfra at være så skræmmende som Trump, og han viser sig, i det mindste overfladisk talt, høflig og rimelig overfor sit personale og sine kontakter udenfor ambassaden. Men Lois og jeg bemærker, at han har Trumps utålmodighed – og han har tendens til ikke at lytte til, hvad andre fortæller ham. Du godeste, sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!!!!

22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!

Thursday 28 June 2018

05:00 I get up early and take a little look online. I see that Alison, our daughter in Copenhagen, has posted a charming picture on Facebook. The picture shows her, with Ed (her husband), and another couple, two of their bestest friends, at a Michelin star restaurant that's within walking distance of their house in Gentofte, a small suburb of Copenhagen.

Ali and Ed (right) at their local Michelin-starred

restaurant in Gentofte, Copenhagen

Alison and Ed are so busy at the moment - they are preparing to leave Denmark tomorrow after almost 6 years over there, and last night they celebrated with their best friends. 

Ed was in England on Monday and Tuesday, monitoring the delivery of the family furniture and belongings to the family's old house in Haslemere, Surrey. He must have driven his English car back to Denmark on Tuesday via the overnight ferry and arrived back in Copenhagen some time on Wednesday. Good grief, busy busy busy - poor Ed! But he does not look in the least tired in the picture - I have to admit. It must be pure adrenaline.

I do not envy Ali and Ed having tomorrow to pack themselves, their belongings, 3 children, one dog and three cats into their Volvo estate car and start driving back to England, again via the overnight ferry (from Hook of Holland to Harwich, Lois and I believe, but we are not completely sure).

We assume that tomorrow they will be leaving early. As in many continental countries, school holidays begin on the same day all over the country, which leads to massive traffic jams on the roads the following day. It must have been Napoleon's fault! What madness !!!! In England, contrary-wise, school holidays depend on which county you live in.

I take a little look at the Danish media , and I see that the traffic jams tend to begin at the end of the day on the first Friday of the school holidays when motorists driving south towards the Mediterranean get mixed up with the evening's rush hour - yikes! But it is the following day (Saturday) when the worst traffic jams seem to occur.

the Danish traffic jams that follow the start of the school holidays

It must be a weird feeling for Ali and Ed to give up their lives in Denmark after almost 6 years, leaving the city, the restaurants, the parks, the beaches, etc. that they have come to know so well, not to mention their many close friends. The whole experience - living over there for 6 years - will be forever a massive part of their life stories and their memories, no doubt about it.

It is completely different, visiting a country as tourists compared to actually living there and leading the ordinary life: everyday routines, everyday situations - food shopping, schooling, etc. That's something Lois and I know for certain.

It was the same for Lois and me when we left the United States in 1985 after 3 years' residence over there. We moved back to a country (England) that had grown a bit like a foreign land: the roads seemed so narrow, the houses seemed so small etc etc .... And we remember many more details about our 3 year stay in the United States than any other 3 year periods in our lives. Sensibilities become more intense, I think when you are living abroad and experiencing so many interesting sights and events.

Flashback to August 1985: Lois and me with Alison (10) and Sarah (8)

leaving the US after 3 years residence over there

07:30 I hop back into bed with Lois and we drink our morning tea.

08:30 We go in the shower and get up. After breakfast we go out into the backyard and crawl between the fruit bushes to pick most of this year's gooseberries and blackcurrants.

There are some more fun things I'd rather spend the morning on, but I'm going to let that slide. My hands quickly come all over scratches. Ouch !!!!!!

I wouldn’t mind so much if I were not completely certain that Lois intends to give a lot of our gooseberries and blackcurrants away to neighbors or church members. These berries have been harvested with my blood! I'd rather buy these people a bag of blackcurrants at the supermarket, and keep all our home grown ones!

But Lois is so kind-hearted - if only I could be more like her !

11:00 We relax with a cold drink on the terrace.

12:30 We have lunch and afterwards I go to bed and take a huge afternoon nap. I get up at 3 o'clock and we drive over to the former art college to post some letters in the postbox outside. We come back home and relax with a Magnum ice cream and a cup of tea.

18:00 We have dinner and spend the evening watching television. A documentary film is on, first part of 3, all about Napoleon. The host of the program is the historian Andrew Roberts.

We have been looking forward to seeing this program, but we are very disappointed when we see it. We recall that Roberts first presented this analysis 3 years ago when he had just published a new book on the subject in connection with the 200th anniversary of the battle of Waterloo.

Everyone knows that one cannot sell a new popular history book without challenging the orthodox interpretation of the subject. Everyone knows that Napoleon was actually a merciless tyrant and war criminal who created a huge French empire on the continent, looting artistic treasures, etc., while pretending to liberate the people. What madness !!!!

But Roberts in his new book, and in this program, claims that Napoleon was in fact a nice, shy man. Not good enough, Andrew !!!

Pass the sickbag, Alice !!!!!

It is true that Napoleon was a brilliant general and strategist, although his skills in this direction also slowed towards the end of his career. His campaign in Egypt was a bit of a failure, and his Russian campaign was a total disaster, no doubt about that!

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

Danish translation

05:00 Jeg står tidligt op og kigger lidt på nettet. Jeg ser, at Alison, vores datter i København, har lagt et charmerende billede op på Facebook. Billedet viser hende, Ed (hendes mand), og et andet par, to af deres perlevenner, på en Michelin-stjernet restaurant, der ligger en spytklat fra deres hus i Gentofte, en lille forstad til København.

Ali og Ed (til højre) på deres lokale Michelin-stjernede

restaurant i Gentofte, Københavnalieddinner

Alison og Ed har så travlt for tiden – de forbereder sig på at forlade Danmark i morgen efter næsten 6 år derovre, og i går aftes fejrede de sig for sidste gang med deres perlevenner. Ed var i England i mandags og tirsdag, i gang med at overvåge leverancen af familiens møbler og ejendele til familiens gamle hus i Haslemere, Surrey. Han må i tirsdags have kørt sin engelske bil tilbage til Danmark med overnatningsfærgen og var ankom til København i løbet af onsdagen. Du godeste, travlt travlt travt – stakkels Ed! Men han ser ikke i det mindste træt i billedet – det må jeg indrømme. Det må være det rene adrenalin.

Jeg misunder Ali og Ed ikke, at de skal i morgen pakke sig selv, deres ejendele, 3 børn, en hund og tre katte ind i deres Volvo stationcar og begynde at køre tilbage til England, igen med overnatningsfærgen (fra Hoek van Holland til Harwich, tror Lois og jeg, men det er vi ikke helt sikre på).

Vi formoder, at de i morgen vil tage tidligt til af sted. Som i mange kontinentale lande begynder skoleferierne på samme dag over hele landet, hvilket den følgende dag fører til massive trafikpropper på vejene. Det må have været Napoleons skyld!  Sikke et vanvid!!!! I England tværtimod afhænger skoleferiers timing af, hvilket grevskab du bor i.

Jeg kigger lidt på de danske medier, og jeg ser, at trafikpropperne har tendens til at begynde sidst på dagen, den første fredag i skoleferierne, når bilister der kører sydpå mod  Middelhavet blander sig med aftenens myldretid – yikes! Men det er den følgende dag (lørdagen), når der forekommer de værste trafikpropper tilsyneladende.

Det må være en underlig følelse at opgive deres liv i Danmark efter næsten 6 år, og forlade byen, restauranterne, parkerne, strandene osv, de har lært så godt at kende, for ikke at nævne deres mange tætte venner. Hele oplevelsen – det, at bo derovre i 6 år – vil blive i evig tid en massiv del af deres livshistorier og deres minder, ingen tvivl om det.

Det er helt anderledes at besøge et land som turister, end at opholde sig der og leve det almindelige liv: hverdagens rutiner, hverdagssituationer – madindkøb, skolegang osv. Det ved Lois og jeg med sikkerhed.

Det var det samme for Lois og mig, da vi forlod USA i 1985 efter 3 års ophold derovre. Vi flyttede tilbage til et land (England), der var blevet lidt som et fremmed land: vejene virkede så smalle, husene virkede så små osv osv.... Og vi husker meget flere detaljer om vores 3 års ophold i USA, end nogle andre 3 års perioder i vores liv. Ens følsomheder bliver mere intense, synes jeg, når man bor i udlandet og oplever så mange interessante syn og begivenheder.

Tilbageblik til august 1985: Lois og jeg med Alison (10) og Sarah (8)

forlader USA efter 3 års ophold derovre

07:30 Jeg hopper tilbage op i sengen til Lois og vi drikker vores morgenté.

08:30 Vi går I bad og står op. Efter morgenmad går vi ud ind i baghaven, og kravler ind mellem frugtbuskene for at plukke størstedelen af årets  stikkelsbær og solbær.

Der er sjovere ting,  jeg hellere ville bruge formiddagen på, men det springer jeg over. Mine hænder får hurtigt en masse rifter. Av !!!!!! Dette ville ikke irritere mig, hvis jeg ikke var helt sikre på, at Lois har til hensigt at give en del af vores stikkelsbær og solbær bort til naboer eller kirkemedlemmer. Disse bær er blevet høstet med mit blod! Jeg vil hellere købe disse folk en pose solbær hos supermarkedet, og opbevare alle vores hjemmedyrkede !

Men Lois er så varmhjertet - hvis bare jeg lignede hende mere!

11:00 Vi slapper af med en kold drik på terrassen.

12:30 Vi spiser frokost og bagefter går jeg i seng og tager en gigantisk eftermiddagslur. Jeg står op kl 15 og vi kører over til den tidligere kunstakademi for at lægge nogle breve i postkassen ved siden af. Vi kommer hjem igen og slapper af med en Magnum is og en kop te.

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad og bruger aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser en dokumentarfilm, 1. del af 3, der handler om Napoleon. Programmets vært er historikeren Andrew Roberts.

Vi har glædet os til at se dette program, men vi bliver meget skuffet, når vi ser det. Vi mindes om, at Roberts først fremlagde dette analyse for 3 år siden, da han lige havde udgivet en ny bog om emnet i forbindelse med 200. årsdagen for slaget ved Waterloo.

Alle ved, at man ikke kan sælge en populær historisk bog uden at man udfordrer de ortodoksiske fortolkning af emnet. Alle ved, at Napoleon var en ubarmhjertig tyran og krigkriminel, der skabte et enormt fransk imperium på kontinentet, plyndrende kunstneristiske skatte osv, mens han lod som om at han befriede folkene. Sikke et vanvid!!!!

Roberts i sin ny bog, og i dette program, påstår, at Napoleon i virkeligheden var en pæn, lidt genert, mand. Ikke godt nok, Andrew!!!

Ræk mig lige opkastningspose, Alice !!!!!

Det er sandt, at Napoleon var en brilliant general og strateg, selvom hans evner i denne retning også aftog mod slutningen af hans karriere. Hans felttog i Egypten var lidt af en fiasko, og hans russiske felttog var en total katastrofe, ingen tvivl om det!!!!

22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzzzz!!!

Wednesday 27 June 2018

08:00 We get up and tidy up the house. I vacuum everywhere, because our U3A Danish group is holding its regular meeting here this afternoon at 2:30 pm . Busy, busy, busy!

11:00 We take a short break and relax with a cup of coffee on the couch.

12:00 We have lunch and afterwards I go to bed and take a short afternoon nap. I get up at 1:45pm and prepare for our Danish group's meeting.

14:30 Members ring at the door and we all study Danish for one and a half hours. At the end of the meeting we have finished reading our current Danish crime novella, "Line": it won a short story competition organized by the Danish crime website, krimifan.dk. The novella is about a suspicious suicide that occurred just outside the famous abandoned church which stands just outside Skagen, on the North Jutland coast. But was it actually murder rather than suicide?

Before today's meeting, I had kept back the last 2 pages of the novella to create a suspenseful atmosphere. Would the novella's hero, Jacob, the deceased man's son, escape the clutches of the church's creepy janitor who has already killed his father?

Towards the end of the meeting, I hand out the last 2 pages of the novel to the members, and we read out, and translate into English, the novella's climax.

Clearly the members have enjoyed the story, though they are perhaps a little disappointed by the ending: evil triumphs unfortunately - the creepy church janitor follows up his murder of Jacob's father (not to mention the killing of dozens of young girls) with the murder of Jacob himself - yikes! What a crazy world we live in !!!!

There is a small handful of careers and professions that seem to attract creepy people, where one is almost sure that the person concerned will turn out to be the murderer. Butlers are the most obvious example, especially in England, but creepy church janitors have to take a respectable second place in the competition, I think.

The abandoned church at Skagen, where a creepy church janitor runs amok.

15:45 Just before the end of the meeting, I tell the members that I have already chosen the group's next project: "Stories of the night" by Peter Høeg. For the first time, we are going to be reading a novella written by a "proper" author, not an amateur, or a contest winner, or an author who self-publishes his works online, etc.

Nobody says they do not want to continue as a group member, which is a bit of a relief - I have to admit.

Even though our daughter Alison is moving back to England after nearly 6 years of residence in Denmark, I have decided to continue studying the Danish language. I'm too old, at age 72, to start learning a new language. Also Danish is a very interesting language because it had a major influence on English - thousands of Danish immigrants settled in eastern England during the Viking Age, and it was the dialect of the East Midlands which developed into standard English (because the East Midlands area included London) - that's why English is sometimes classified as a Scandinavian language.

dialect map: the medieval dialects of the English language.

16:00 The meeting ends, but members stay sitting and talking to us and to each other for another half hour, which is very encouraging - it shows they feel at home here, which is nice.

18:00 We have dinner and afterwards Lois has to leave. She wants to attend her sect's monthly business meeting taking place tonight in Tewkesbury library.

I have a little alone time and go out into the backyard to water the flower beds and vegetable garden.

20:00 I watch a bit of TV. An interesting documentary is on in the "World's Most Extraordinary Homes" series. The program's hosts are the charming Piers Taylor and Caroline Quentin. This episode is about unusual houses in Israel.

This kind of program is guaranteed to make Lois and me laugh. The houses have the same relationship to real life as so-called "gastroporn" has to everyday cooking.

The architecture of the houses is very beautiful and original, but the houses themselves are mostly not "homes" in our opinion. Huge rooms, where the walls and owners' elegant furniture all tend to be pure white.

When the program's hosts, Caroline and Piers, look around the houses, the owners are always out of the house - it's never explained why. Apart from the fact that there is furniture in the houses, there are no other signs that anybody lives there. 

And it's almost impossible to imagine the houses with people living in them - it's a shame that the program does not show us the houses in everyday situations: people, children, mess, kitchens with dirty plates and pots on worktops, living rooms littered with clothes, toys, books, etc.

It's almost impossible to imagine these homes in everyday situations

with people, children, mess, dirty dishes and pots, clothes, toys, books ....

And I would also like to see the houses when cleaning is going on: huge rooms, high ceilings (sometimes 3 floors high in the hallway for example). They must need an army of cleaners, no doubt about that.

Good god, I am such a philistine (expression particularly appropriate, considering that tonight we are in Israel, ha ha ha).

22:00 Lois comes home from her church's business meeting. We chat a little - the meeting was mostly about a get-together to take place on Saturday afternoon. The sect's members have organized the get-together at a hotel in Tewkesbury, and have invited about 40 non-members (friends, relatives, partners, former Sunday school students or seminar participants who haven't signed up, etc.).

Gupshill Manor, Tewkesbury

I have already started feeling nervous about Saturday. The get-together will last about 5 hours in total, although there is no compulsion for guests to stay there for the whole 5 hours. Unfortunately, Lois is one of the organizers - she has to stay for 5 hours, and so I will also have to stay for 5 hours to support her and drive her home afterwards. Yikes! A bit of a nightmare for me, the whole thing.

Initially, the hotel will serve appetizers, or something similar, and later there will be afternoon tea, cakes, etc. (or something similar). And no alcohol of course.

Five hours is a long time and means a lot of chit-chat and I will have to talk to a lot of people I do not want to talk to - no doubt about that. Yikes (again) !!!

Not at all my bag, the whole thing. I remember Sheldon's immortal words in the Big Bang Theory when he was invited to his close friends Howard and Bernadette's wedding, "I'm going to say no - it doesn't sound like the kind of thing I would enjoy." But of course he was not allowed to turn down the invitation - poor Sheldon !!!! And poor me !!!!!!

But Lois clearly needs my support, poor Lois, and I’ll do my best. I won’t let her down.

22:15 We go to bed - zzzzzz !!!!

Danish translation

08:00 Vi står op og rydder lidt op i huset. Jeg støvsuger overalt, fordi vores U3A danske gruppe holder sin regelmæssige møde i eftermiddag kl 14:30 hos os. Travlt, travlt, travlt!

11:00 Vi tager en kort pause og slapper af med en kop kaffe i sofaen.

12:00 Vi spiser frokost og bagefter går jeg i seng og tager en kort eftermiddagslur. Jeg står op kl 13:45 og forbereder mig på vores danske gruppes møde.

14:30 Medlemmer ringer på døren og vi studerer dansk i en og en halv time. Ved slutningen af mødet bliver vi færdige med at læse vores danske kriminovelle, ”Line”, der vandt en novelleskrivnings-konkurrence organiseret af det danske krimi-websted, krimifan.dk . Novellen handler om et mistænksomt selvmord, der skete udenfor den berømte tilsandede kirke, der står lidt udenfor Skagen, på Nordjyllands kyst. Men var det faktisk mord snarere, end selvmord?

Før dagens møde havde jeg tilbageholdt novellens 2 sidste sider for at skabe en suspensefuld stemning.  Ville novellens helt, Jakob, den afdødes søn, slippe ud af kløerne på den kirkes uhyggelige kirkepasser, der har allerede dræbt faren?

Mod mødets slutning uddeler jeg novellens sidste 2 sider til medlemmerne, og vi læser op, og oversætte til engelsk, novellens klimaks.

Det er klart, at medlemmerne har nydt novellen, selvom de måske bliver lidt skuffet af slutningen: det onde triumfer desværre – den uhyggelige kirkepasser følger op sit mord af Jakobs far (for ikke at nævne dræbet af hundredvis af unge piger) med mordet af selve Jakob – yikes! Sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!!!

Der er en lille håndfuld af karrierer og professioiner, som virker at tiltrække uhyggelige mennesker, hvor man er næsten sikker på, at den pågældende person vil vise sig at være gerningsmanden. Hushovmestre er det mest oplagte eksempel, især i England, men uhyggelige kirkepassere må tage en respektabel andenplads i konkurrencen, synes jeg.

den tilsandede kirke, Skagen, hvor en uhyggelig kirkepasser går amok.

15:45 Lige inden slutningen af mødet fortæller jeg medlemmerne, at jeg allerede har valgt gruppens næste projekt: ”Fortælliger om natten” af Peter Høeg. For første gang vil vi læse en novelle skrevet af en ”ordentlig” forfatter, ikke en amatør, eller en konkurrencevinder, eller en selvstændig forfatter, der udgiver sine værker på nettet osv.

Ingen siger, de ikke har lyst til at fortsætte som gruppemedlem, hvilket er lidt af en lettelse – det må jeg indrømme!

Selvom vores datter Alison er ved at flytte tilbage til England efter næsten 6 års ophold i Danmark, har jeg besluttet mig for at fortsætte med at studere det danske sprog. Jeg er for gammel, på 72 år, til at begynde at lære et nyt sprog. Også dansk er et meget interessant sprog, fordi det havde sikke en stor indflydelse på det engelske sprog – tusindvis af danske indvandrer bosatte sig i det østlige England under vikingetiden, og det var det østlige Englands dialekt, der udviklede sig til standardengelsk (området indeholdt London) – derfor bliver engelsk somme tider klassificeret som et skandinavsk sprog.

de midalderlige dialekter af det engelske sprog.

16:00 Mødet slutter, men medlemmer bliver siddende og snakkende med os og med hinanden i en halv time, hvilket er meget opmuntrende – det viser, de føler sig hjemme her, hvilket er rart.

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad og bagefter skal Lois af sted. Hun ønsker at deltage i sin sekts forretningsmøde, der finder sted i aften i byen Tewkesburys bibliotek.

Jeg har lidt alenetid og går ud i baghaven for at vande blomsterbedene og grøntsagshaven.

20:00 Jeg ser lidt fjernsyn. De viser en interessant dokumentarfilm i serien ”Verdens mest ekstraordinære hjem”. Programmets værter er de charmerende Piers Taylor og Caroline Quentin. Dette afsnit handler om usædvanlige huse i Israel.

Dette slags program er garanteret at få Lois og mig til at grine. Husene har det samme forhold til det virkelige liv, som den såkaldte ”gastroporno” har til hverdagens normale madlavning.

Husenes arkitektur er meget smuk og oprindelig, men selve husene er for det meste ikke ”hjem” efter vores mening. Enorme rummer, hvor væggene og ejernes elegante møbler har tendens til at være rent hvide.

Når programmets værter, Caroline og Piers, kigger rundt omkring i husene uder programmet, er beboerne altid ude af huset – det bliver aldrig forklaret hvorfor. Bortset fra, at der er møbler i husene, er der ingen andre tegn  på, at nogen bor derinde.  Og det er næsten umuligt at forestille sig husene med mennesker boende derinde – det er lidt af en skam, at programmet ikke viser os huset i hverdagssituationer:  mennesker, børn, rod, køkkener med beskidte tallerkener og gryder på bordplader, stuer, der flyder med tøj, legetøj, bøger osv.

det er næsten umuligt at forestille sig disse hjem i hverdagssituationer

med mennesker, børn, rod, beskidte tallerkener og gryder, tøj, legetøj, bøger....

Og jeg vil gerne se husene, når rengøring er i gang: enorme rummer, høj lofter (nogle gange 3 etager høje i entreen for eksempel. De må have brug for en hær af rengøringsassistenter, ingen tvivl om det.

Du godeste, jeg er sikke en filister (udtryk i sær passende, i betragtningen af, at vi i aften er i Israel ha ha ha).

22:00 Lois kommer hjem fra sin sekts forretningsmøde. Vi snakker lidt – aftenens møde handlede for det meste om en sammenkomst, der skal finde plads på lørdag eftermiddag. Sektens medlemmer har organiseret sammenkomsten på et hotel i byen Tewkesbury, og de har inviteret ca 40 mennesker, der ikke er medlemmer (venner, slægtninge, partnere, eks-søndagsskkoleelever, seminardeltagere osv).

Gupshill Manor, Tewkesbury

Jeg er allerede begyndt at føle mig lidt nervøs over lørdag. Sammenkomsten vil vare ca. 5 timer i alt, selvom der ikke er tvang for gæsterne til at blive der hele 5  timer. Desværre er Lois en af sammenkomstens organisatorer – hun skal blive hele 5 timer, og dermed skal jeg også blive hele 5 timer for at støtte hende og køre hende hjem efter. Yikes! Lidt af et mareridt for mig, det hele.

I begyndelsen vil hotellet servere appetitvækkere, eller noget lignende, og senere vil der være eftermiddagste, kager osv (eller noget lignende).  Og ingen alkohol selvfølgelig.

Fem timer er lang tid og betyder en masse snik-snak, og jeg bliver nødt til at snakke med en masse folk, jeg ikke har lyst til at snakke med – ingen tvivl om det. Yikes (igen) !!!

Overhovedet ikke mit nummer, det hele. Jeg mindes Sheldons udødelige ord i Big Bang Theory, da han blev inviteret til sine tætte venner Howard og Bernadettes bryllup, ”jeg skal sige nej – det lyder ikke som den slags ting, jeg ville nyde”. Selvfølgelig han blev ikke tilladt at afvise invitationen  - stakkels Sheldon!!!! Og stakkels mig !!!!!!

Men Lois har klart og tydeligt brug for min støtte, staklen, og vil gøre mit bedste og ikke svigte hende!!!!

22:15 Vi går i seng – zzzzzz!!!!

Tuesday 26 June 2018

08:00 Lois and I get up and go in the shower. After breakfast, I am just on the point of getting ready for my friend "Magyar" Mike's weekly visit to study Hungarian with me, when the phone rings: Mike has lost his car keys. He has searched his house without success. He will later have to pop into his local service station to ask for help with getting a new set. Poor Mike !!!!

We are all getting on in years, no doubt about that !!!!

Unexpectedly, I have some extra free time. I take a little online and I book a double room for two nights in July in the county of Surrey so we can spend some time with our daughter Alison and her family after they move into their old house in Haslemere, after almost 6 years' residence in Denmark.

We do not want to stay in the house itself because we are quite sure that total confusion will be reigning there, only a week after their furniture and belongings have been delivered. But it will be so nice to be able to spend time with them without having to board an airplane for once - hurrah!

The hotel, which is called the Devil's Punchbowl Hotel, is near the top of what looks like a giant crater, the Devil's Punchbowl, which actually resulted from soil erosion over many millennia.

The cosy Devil's Punchbowl Hotel, 

where Lois and I have booked a double room

11:00 I take a little look online. I see that Alison has posted a charming picture up on "Insta", showing the family's two cats sitting looking out of the window. They have been "banned" from leaving the house for the time being - they are now worried the whole time at the moment because of the "mysterious" lack of furniture and belongings in the house, and Alison is afraid that if they go out they might never come home again - yikes! Poor cats !!!!

Alison's cats have been "forbidden" to leave the house for the time being.

Poor cats!!!

We are very curious about exactly what is happening, both in the family's house in Copenhagen, where Alison is getting ready for the imminent end of their 6-year stay in Denmark, and also exactly what is happening in Haslemere, England, where Ed, Alison's husband , is monitoring the delivery of family's furniture and belongings. At this point Lois and I would love to be flies on the wall, no doubt about that! But they are of course too busy to keep us informed, and rightly so.

As we age, we are becoming more and more mere spectators in our children and grandchildren's lives – that’s something we know for sure!

12:30 Lunch and afterwards we take a giant afternoon nap in our daughter Sarah's old bed. It is very hot again and the temperature could reach 80F (27C or so). But in Sarah's old room we can open the windows wide: the room overlooks the backyard and there is no traffic noise, which is a refreshing change, no doubt about that.

16:00 We get up and relax with a cup of tea on the couch.

17:00 My friend, "Magyar" Mike, sends me an email. He says that after searching the house, his wife, "Magyar" Mary, found Mike's missing car keys in one of his shoes. Mystery solved.

17:30 We have dinner a bit earlier than usual, because Lois wants to attend her sect's weekly bible seminar, taking place in Brockworth's town library.

18:15 Lois has to leave. She drives over to Mari-Ann and Alf's house. Alf will drive her over to Brockworth, where both of them will attend their sects' bible seminar. Mari-Ann has to stay home to look after Alf's brother Billy, currently staying with them, who is a little handicapped.

Lois is afraid that not many members will show up and attend the seminar tonight due to the warm weather.

19:00 I have a little alone time. I go out into the back yard and water the flower beds and vegetable garden. One of our 3 water butts is empty now, so I fill it to the brim again using our long garden hose, from the tap under the kitchen window.

I push our waste bins and recycle bins out onto the sidewalk because tomorrow is the council's collection day, and it's quite unpredictable when the trucks will show up. It varies from week to week, which is a bit annoying to put it mildly - damn it!

20:00 I watch television, the latest episode of an interesting Anglo-American documentary series, about abandoned disused installations and facilities - former research facilities, military facilities, etc., which have never been demolished, still just sitting there in the countryside, on mountains, in deserts, in the sea, etc.

Each hourly episode covers 4 former installations. It sounds a bit boring, but Lois and I find it really fascinating.

One of tonight's installations is a mysterious flyover/overpass, the so-called Petrobras Viaduct, located in the midst of the Brazilian jungle, a massive concrete structure built on a mountainside, that is unconnected to any known roads, and which leads nowhere.

the mysterious flyover/overpass in the midst of the Brazilian jungle,

the so-called Petrobras viaduct, that leads nowhere.

Good grief, what madness !!!!

In the 1950s, the Brazilian government began to construct a new 3,000 mile long highway along the coast, the BR101 highway, which was to lead south from Rio. Unfortunately, there was a gap in the planned route near Sao Paolo - a mountainous region where the government judged it would be too expensive to construct a new road.

the mysterious gap on the route of the shiny new highway - yikes how peculiar!

In the 1970s, the then Brazilian military government invested a lot of money in new infrastructure projects, and it was decided to eliminate this gap by building a new section through (and on top of) the jungle.

In the midst of the economic boom, known as the Brazilian miracle, the authorities planned the most direct route possible, using tunnels and viaducts, etc. The project was urgent because they had also decided to build the Angra dos Rels thermonuclear plant just outside Rio, and they needed a reliable escape route south in the event of some nuclear accident or other - yikes!

They decided to build the most complex, difficult and expensive section first, so they started building the Petrobras viaduct, which was 1000 ft long and 130 ft high, far away from big cities in the middle of the jungle in a mountainous region - yikes again!.

But unfortunately in the 1980s, when the construction of the Angra dos Rel thermonuclear plant encountered problems and became seriously delayed, the Brazilian economy began to experience problems, partly because of the global gasoline crisis.

The government decided to scrap the new section of the road through the jungle, and Petrobras viaduct remains today unused and isolated. It's too expensive to tear it down - it's often more expensive to tear down such structures than to build them.

Good grief, what madness !!!!!

22:00 Lois returns home - Mari-Ann drops her off in front of the house. I go to bed, but Lois needs to relax and wind down after the evening's stimulating Bible seminar, and she watches a bit of television.

23:00 She hops up into bed with me. I read 12 pages of my bedside book, JD Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye", before I drift off to sleep - zzzzzzz !!!

Danish translation

08:00 Lois og jeg står op og går i bad. Efter morgenmad skal jeg lige til at forberede mig på min ven ”Magyar” Mikes ugentlige besøg for at studere ungarsk sammen med mig, da telefonen ringer: Mike har mistet sine bilnøgler. Han har ransaget sit hus uden succés. Han vil senere på dagen smutte ind i sin lokale servicestation for at bede om deres hjælp til at få et nyt sæt. Stakkels Mike!!!!

Vi bliver alle godt oppe i årene, ingen tvivl om det!!!!

Uforventet har jeg lidt ekstra fritid. Jeg kigger lidt på nettet, og jeg booker et dobbelt hotelværelse i to nætter i juli i grevskabet Surrey, så vi kan tilbringe nogen tid hos vores datter Alison og hendes familie, efter de flytter ind til deres gamle hus i Haslemere efter næsten 6 års ophold i Danmark.

Vi har ikke lyst til at bo i selve huset, fordi vi er helt sikre på, at total forvirring vil herske derovre, kun en uge efter deres møbler og ejendele er blevet leveret. Men det vil være så rart at kunne tilbringe tid med dem uden at skulle gå ombord på et fly for engangs skyld – hurra!

Hotellet, der hedder Devil’s Punchbowl Hotel, ligger nær toppen af, hvad der ser ud som en gigantisk krater, Devil’s Punchbowl, som faktisk blev resultatet af erosion over mange årtusinder.

det hyggelige Devil’s Punchbowl Hotel, 

hvor Lois og jeg har booket et dobbeltværelse

11:00 Jeg kigger lidt på nettet. Jeg ser, at Alison har lagt et charmerende billede op på ”Insta”, der viser familiens to katte, der sidder og kigger ud af vinduet. De er blevet ”forbudt” at gå ud af huset for tiden – de er hele tiden lidt bekymrede for tiden på grund af den ”mystiske” mangel på møbler og ejendele i huset, og Alison er bange for, at hvis de går ud, kan det være, at de ikke vil komme hjem igen – yikes! Stakkels katte!!!!

Alisons katte er blevet ”forbudt” at gå ud af huset for tiden.

Stakkels katte !!!!

Vi er meget nysgerrige over, præcis hvad der sker, både i familiens hus i København, hvor Alison forbereder sig på den overhængende slutning af deres 6-års ophold i Danmark, og præcis hvad der sker i Haslemere, England, hvor Ed, Alisons mand, er i gang med at overvåge leverancen af familiens møbler og ejendele. På dette tidspunkt ville Lois og jeg meget gerne være fluer på væggen, ingen tvivl om det! Men de har alt for travlt til at holde os informeret, og med rette.

Mens vi ældes, bliver vi mere og mere bare tilskuere i vores børn og børnebørns liv – det ved vi med sikkerhed!

12:30 Frokost og bagefter tager vi en gigantisk eftermiddagslur i vores datter Sarahs gamle seng. Det er meget varmt igen og temperaturen kan nå 80F (27C eller deromkring). Men i Sarahs gamle værelse kan vi åbne vinduerne på vid gab: værelset har udsigt over baghaven og der er ikke noget trafiklarm, hvilket er en forfriskende forandring, ingen tvivl om det.

16:00 Vi står op og slapper af med en kop te i sofaen.

17:00 Min ven, ”Magyar” Mike, sender mig en email. Han siger, at efter at have ransaget huset, har hendes kone, ”Magyar” Mary,  fundet Mikes manglende bilnøgler i en af hans sko. Mysteriet løst.

17:30 Vi spiser aftensmad lidt tidligere, end normalt, fordi Lois ønsker at deltage i sin sekts ugentlige bibelseminar, der finder sted i aften på byen Brockworths bibliotek.

18:15 Lois skal ud. Hun kører over til Mari-Ann og Alfs hus. Alf skal køre hende over til Brockworth, hvor de begge to vil deltage I deres sekts bibelseminar. Mari-Ann skal blive hjemme for at passe på Alfs bror Billy, der for tiden bor hos dem og er lidt handicappet.

Lois er bange for, at ikke mange i aften vil dukke op og deltage i seminaret på grund af det varme vejr.

19:00 Jeg har lidt alenetid. Jeg går ud i baghaven og vander blomsterbedene og grøntsagshaven. En af vores 3 vandstønder er nu tom, så jeg fylder den til randen igen ved hjælp af vores lange havslange  fra vandhanen under køkkenvinduet.

Jeg skubber vores affaldspande og genbrugaffaldspande ud på fortovet, fordi i morgen er kommunens indsamlingsdag, og det er helt uforudsigeligt, præcis hvornår lastbilerne dukker op. Det varierer fra uge til uge, hvilket er lidt irriterende for at sige mildt   – pokkers!  

20:00 Jeg ser lidt fjernsyn, det seneste afsnit i en interessant anglo-amerikansk dokumentarserie, der handler om opgivede, forladte anlæg og faciliteter – tidligere forskningsfaciliteter, militær faciliteter osv, der aldrig er blevet revet ned, som bare sidder ude på landet, på bjerge, i ørkner, i havet osv.

Hvert timelangt afsnit dækker 4 tidligere anlæg. Det lyder lidt kedeligt, men Lois og jeg finder det faktisk helt fascinerende.

En af aftenens anlæg handler om en mystisk overføring, den såkaldte Petrobras-viadukt, der står midt i den brasilianske jungel, en massiv betonstruktur bygget på en bjergside, der er uforbindet med nogle kendte veje, og som fører ingen steder.

den mystiske overføring midt i den brasilianske jungel,

den såkaldte Petrobras-viadukt, der fører ingen steder.

Du godeste, sikke et vanvid !!!!

I 1950’erne begyndte den brasianske regering at konstruere en ny 3.000 miles lang landevej langs kysten, den BR101 Landevej, der skulle føre sydpå fra Rio. Desværre var der en kløft i den planlagte rute i nærheden af Sao Paolo – en bjergrig region, hvor regeringen bedømte det ville være for svært for dyrt til at konstruere en ny vej.

den mystiske kløft i den spritnye landvejs rute – yikes, hvor underligt!

I 1970’erne investerede den daværende brasilianske militære regering en masse penge i nye infrastrukturprojekter, og det blev besluttet at eliminere denne kløft ved at bygge en ny sektion gennem (og på toppen af) junglen.

Midt i den økonomiske boom, der blev kendt som den brasilianske mirakel, planlagte myndighederne den mest direkte rute muligt, ved hjælp af tunneler og viadukter osv. Projektet blev presserende, fordi de havde besluttet at bygge det Angra dos Rels termonuklear anlæg lige udenfor Rio, og de havde brug for en pålidelig flygtvej sydpå i det tilfælde, de skulle være en eller anden nuklear ulykke – yikes!

De besluttede at bygge den mest komplekse, svære og dyre sektion først, og derfor startede de ved at bygge den Petrobras-viadukt, der var 1000 fods lang og 130 fods høj, langt væk fra storbyer midt i junglen i en bjergrig region – yikes (igen!).

Men desværre i 1980’erne, da konstruktionen af det Angra dos Rels termonukler anlæg mødte problemer og blev alvorligt forsinket, begyndte den brasilianske økonomi at oplever problemer, delsvis på grund af den globale benzinkrise.

Regeringen besluttede at skrotte landevejens nye sektion gennem junglen, og Petrobras-viadukt henstår ubrugt og isoleret. Det er for dyrt at rive den ned – ofte er det dyrere at rive sådanne strukturer ned, end at bygge dem.

Du godeste, sikke et vanvid!!!!!

22:00 Lois kommer hjem igen – Mari-Ann sætter hende af foran huset. Jeg går i seng, men Lois trænger til at slappe af og geare ned efter aftenens stimulerende bibelseminar, og hun ser lidt fjernsyn.

23:00 Hun hopper op i sengen til mig. Jeg læser 12 sider af min sengetidbog, JD Salingers ”Forbandede Ungdom”, før jeg glider over i søvnen – zzzzzzz!!!