Friday 8 June 2018

10:30 We drive over to Leckhampton, park the car in the Norwood Arms parking lot and drop into "Roots and Fruits", the local greengrocer. We buy some sweet potatoes, even though I read later that the jury is still out on whether they are healthier than normal potatoes - damn!

Afterwards we look in CookShop, located next door: we drink a cup of coffee in the shop's café and buy some low fat ready meals. We drive home and have lunch.

"Roots and Fruits", with CookShop right next door

14:00 I go to bed and take a gigantic afternoon nap. I get up at 15:45 and we relax with a cup of tea on the couch.

Lois has spent the afternoon doing more genealogical research. Yesterday she came across 3 articles in local newspapers which concerned her grandfather's brother, Leonard Gillett, and gave details of his death in 1917 when he was serving as a soldier in the local regiment.

This afternoon, she tries to repeat yesterday's success, this time searching for details of Leonard's brother, Ernest, who she believes might also have been killed in the war. But so far unfortunately, without success: this sort of research is always a little bit hit and miss, she says.

part of Lois's family tree

18:00 We eat dinner, including the sweet potatoes that we bought so enthusiastically this morning - yum yum! But web articles about them cast a bit of a shadow over the experience - damn!

18:00 We have dinner, including the sweet potatoes that we bought so enthusiastically this morning - yum yum! But web articles about them cast a bit of a shadow over the experience - damn!

19:00 Lois sits down in front of the computer in the dining room (which doubles as our office) and continues with her genealogical research. I wash up in the kitchen and settle down on the sofa in the living room.

I listen to a little radio, an interesting program called "In Our Time". The program's presenter is the charming Melvyn Bragg.

"In Our Time" is one of the few radio programs that are not suitable for very stupid people - it's always a pleasure to listen to it. Each week, Bragg brings together three academics to inform us about, and discuss, some serious topic - which could be something historical, cultural, scientific.

Recent topics have included: Henrik Ibsen (May 31st), Margaret of Anjou, 1430-82, Queen of England (May 24th), the emancipation of the Russian serfs (May 17th), Mabinogion - the Welsh epic poem (May 10), the proton (May 3). What a joy!

The BBC channels unfortunately have a tendency to appoint crazy bosses who long to attract a bigger, younger audience by dumbing down the corporation’s programs.

David Hepworth, a music journalist who writes a personal column in the BBC's "Radio Times" weekly, recently said he expects the BBC sooner or later to appoint a crazy panjandrum who will announce that it is high time to "refresh" Bragg's program. He will dismiss Bragg and install some new host - and she will say how excited she is finally to be able to tackle topics such as "The Godfather", the novels of JK Rowland, and the battle between Blur and Oasis during Britpop’s heyday.

Hepworth writes in the Radio Times that this would be the sign that the BBC has finally lost its marbles. When this happens, he invites us all to join him when he marches on the BBC’s headquarters, but he adds that flaming torches will be optional. Good grief - what madness !!!!

21:00 Lois stops surfing the internet, and we snuggle up on the couch. She has not managed tonight to find details of Ernest Gillett's death, but tomorrow is another day. We go to bed - zzzzzzzzz !!!!

Danish translation

10:30 Vi kører over til Leckhampton, parkerer bilen i pubben Norwood Arms’ parkeringsplads og smutter ind til ”Roots and Fruits”, den lokale grønthandler. Vi køber blandt andet nogle søde kartofler, selvom jeg læser senere, at juryen er stadig ude om, om de er sundere, end normale kartofler – pokkers!

Bagefter kigger vi ind i CookShop, der ligger lige ved siden af: vi drikker en kop kaffe i butikkens café og køber nogle fedtfattige færdigretter. Vi kører hjem og spiser frokost.

”Roots and Fruits”, med CookShop lige ved siden af

14:00 Jeg går i seng og tager en gigantisk eftermiddagslur. Jeg står op kl 15:45 og vi slapper af med en kop te i sofaen.

Lois har brugt eftermiddagen på at gøre mere genealogisk forskning. I går faldt hun over 3 artikler i lokale aviser, der handlede om hendes farfars bror, Leonard Gillett, og som gav nogle detaljer om hans død i 1917, da han tjente som soldat i det lokale regiment.

I eftermiddag prøver hun at gentage gårsdagens succes, denne gang søgende detaljer om Leonards bror, Ernest, som hun tror, også kan været dræbt i krigen. Men hidtil desværre uden succes: denne slags forskning er altid lidt hit and miss, siger hun.

en del af Lois' familietræ

18:00 Vi spiser aftensmad, inklusive de søde kartofler, som vi i morges købte så entusiastisk – yum yum! Men webartikler om dem kaster lidt af en skygge over oplevelsen – pokkers!

19:00 Lois sætter sig foran computeren i spisestuen (der fordobles som vores kontor) og fortsætter med sine genealogiske forskninger. Jeg vasker op i køkkenet og sætter mig til rette i sofaen i dagligstuen.

Jeg lytter lidt til radio, et interessant program kaldet ”In Our Time”. Programmets vært er den charmerende Melvyn Bragg.

”In Our Time” er et af de få radioprogrammer, der ikke er egnede til meget dumme mennesker – det er altid en fornøjelse at lytte til. Hver uge samler Bragg tre akademiker for at informere os om, og at diskutere, et eller andet alvorligt emne – som kunne være noget historisk, kulturelt, videnskabeligt.

Nylige emner har indeholdt:  Henrik Ibsen (den 31. maj), Margaret af Anjou, 1430-82, dronning af England (den 24. maj), frigørelsen af de russiske livegne (den 17. maj), Mabinogion – den walisiske episke digt (den 10. maj), protonen (den 3. maj). Sikke en fornøjelse!

BBC-kanalerne har desværre tendens til at udpege skøre bosser, der længes efter at tiltrække flere yngre  tilhørere ved at dumme virksomhedens programmer ned.

David Hepworth, en musikjournalist, der skriver en personlig kolonne i BBCs ”Radio Times” ugeskrift, sagde for nylig, at han forventer, at BBC før eller senere vil udpege en vanvittig ”matador”, der annoncerer, at det er på høje tid at ”forfriske” Braggs program. Han vil afskedige Bragg og installere en eller anden ny vært – og hun vil sige, hvor begejstret hun er over endelig at kunne takle emner som for eksempel, ”The Godfather”, romanerne af JK Rowland, og kampen mellem Blur og Oasis under Britpops storhedstid.

Hepworth skriver i Radio Times, at dette vil været tegn på, at BBC endelig ikke er ved sine fulde fem. Når dette sker, inviterer han os alle at komme med, når han marcherer mod BBCs hovedkvarter, men han tilføjer, at brændende fakler vil være valgfri. Du godeste – sikke et vanvid!!!!

21:00 Lois stopper med at surfe internettet, og vi putter os ind til hinanden i sofaen. Det har ikke lykkes hende i aften at finde detaljer af Ernest Gilletts død, men i morgen er en anden dag. Vi går i seng – zzzzzzzzz!!!!