Friday, July 13, 2018

09:00 Lois and I get up. After breakfast, I get going with painting the shiny new gateposts on our driveway gates, which Bob, our neighbor and an ex-builder, installed a few days ago. The weather girl has said that it is going to rain later in the day, which makes the job all the more pressing. It's quite unusual (allegedly) to see me with a paintbrush in my hand, so Lois decides to take a picture ha ha.

I get going with painting the shiny new gateposts for our driveway gates

12:00 Lunch, and afterwards my giant afternoon nap. I have decided in future to take my daily Danish vocabulary test in bed when I wake up after my nap, instead of in the dining room after I get up in the morning, which makes a refreshing change.

Both windows are wide open in Sarah's old room at the back of the house, where Lois and I have got into the habit of sleeping over the last 3 weeks: it is far cooler and quieter in there, and there is no traffic noise.

I take my daily Danish 100-word vocabulary test on my smartphone, lying in bed. The windows are wide open and the sound of my broken Danish floats through the air above our back yard, but there is no one to hear it, thank god because - what a miracle - it is raining for the first time in 3-4 weeks - hurrah ! Come back, weather girl, all is forgiven ha ha.

16:00 I get up and we relax with a cup of tea and a piece of bread with homemade apricot marmalade - yum yum!

I take a little look online. Our elder daughter Alison, her husband Ed, and their 3 children are currently traveling to Bridgwater, Somerset, where Ed's parents are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend. The family has rented a large house for 2-3 nights.

Cannington Grange, a big house just outside Bridgwater, Somerset,

where Ed's parents, their 4 sons and 1 daughter, and all their

grandchildren are going to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this weekend

While the English football team still had a chance of playing in the World Cup finals on Sunday, there was the possibility of a quarrel between Ed's parents and their 4 sons, about whether or not it would be a good form to sneak away from the party for a couple of hours to watch the match.

It is therefore fortunate that England were eliminated a few days ago - I have no doubts about that. They are instead playing in tomorrow's "third place" match against Belgium, which is less of a big attraction, I suspect, and there will be less chance of a quarrel breaking out. God is indeed merciful!

18:00 Dinner, and afterwards we swing by our neighbor's backyard. Stephen and Francis are currently on holiday in the Czech Republic - they fly back on Tuesday. They have asked us to look after their huge vegetable gardens and flower beds in their absence, which is a bit of an awkward chore in the evenings when we are exhausted after the day's activities.

But tonight we're in luck because it was raining for 2-3 hours earlier in the day, so we only have to water the plants in their greenhouse, thank god.

20:00 We spend the evening watching television. An old edition of Top of the Pops is on, from January 2, 1986, the year's first edition. The program's hosts are the charming John Peel and Janice Long.

It's strange to think that Lois and I were 'only' 39 years old when we first saw this program. We had moved back from the US only 5 months earlier, and we were in the process of buying the house we still live in today: we actually moved in on January 19, 1986.

Flashback: us celebrating 32 years ago, with Lois's relatives.

(left to right) Dennis (Lois's father), Sharon (Lois's niece) 

with her fashionable "big hair", and me

around the table from left to right: Ian (Lois's nephew), Ruth (Lois's mother), 

Dennis (Lois's father), Sarah (our younger daughter), Sharon (Lois's niece), 

me, Lois, Andrew (Lois's brother) and Jenny (Andrew's wife). 

Happy days !!!!

While I watch this old edition of "Top of the Pops", I do some research on my smartphone - it's always fun when watching people celebrating the New Year, to think back and find out what horrors were awaiting them in the coming year ha ha!

I am struck by how many Arab and Palestinian terrorist attacks and hostage incidents there were in 1986, many more than nowadays. Gaddafi was still a great force for evil at that time - he was such a bastard !!! And there were also a number of plane hijackings during the year - I suspect that airports had not yet perfected their annoying but unfortunately necessary security checks - what a crazy world we live in!

20:30 We continue to watch a bit of television. The BBC Proms concert season's first evening is on at Royal Albert Hall in London.

A lovely concert starting with Vaughan Williams' choral masterpiece, "Toward the Unknown Region". The words are taken from the American poet Walt Whitman's work of 1902 or thereabouts.

Whitman's poem - a beautiful vision of death, but

the reality is more down to earth, I suspect !!! But we'll see ha ha !!!!

Afterwards, we hear "local boy" Gustav Holst's "Planets". Lois and I can now identify very closely with the piece about Saturn, "the bringer of old age", with its threatening tick-tock of the clock in the background. Lois and I, as two old crows, know very well the tick of the clock, which we sit and listen to in the living room in the evenings, ha ha!

Like every year, there are again a bunch of blondes among the orchestra's female musicians. The cameraman apparently thinks that the 2nd trombonist is the orchestra's hottest babe - we see a lot of her: what madness !!! And one of violinists is very pregnant. Lois and I are afraid in case the baby pops out during the show, but the evening passes without incident as regards births and deaths, thank goodness.

the cameraman thinks that the 2nd trombonist (right)

is the orchestra's hottest babe - what madness !!!!

one of the violinists is very pregnant - Lois and I are a little afraid in case

the baby pops out during the show, but the evening passes without incident, thank God.

From time to time, the cameraman catches a musician who is goofing off and/or not playing. I note that the conductor - the charming Finn Sakari Oramo (crazy name, crazy guy) - does not bawl the slacker out during the performance (which would be bad form). But I expect Sakari will give the man a severe bollocking later in the evening after he has looked at the recordings.

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

Danish translation

09:00 Lois og jeg står op. Efter morgenmad går jeg i gang med at male de spritnye portstolper til vores indkørselslåger, som Bob, vores nabo og eks-byggeherre, installerede for nogle dage siden. Vejrpigen har sagt, at det senere på dagen kommer til at regne, hvilket gør det hele mere pressende. Det er ganske usædvanligt (angiveligt) at se mig med en pensel i hånden, så beslutter Lois at tage et billede ha ha.

jeg går i gang med at male de spritnye portstolper til vores indkørselslåger

12:00 Frokost, og bagefter min gigantisk eftermiddagslur. Jeg har besluttet fremover at tage min daglige danske ordforrådtest i sengen, når jeg vågner op efter min lur, i stedet for i spisestuen efter jeg står op om morgenen, hvilket gør en forfriskende forandring.

Begge vinduer er på vid gab i vores datter Sarahs gamle værelse på husets bagside, hvor Lois og jeg er kommet i vane med at sove de seneste 3 uger: det er langt køligere og stillere derinde, og der er ikke nogen trafiklarm.

Jeg tager min daglige danske 100-ords ordforrådtest på min smartphone, liggende inde i sengen. Vinduerne er på vid gab, og lyden af mit gebrokne dansk svæver gennem luften over vores baghave, men der er ikke nogen til at høre den, gudskelov, fordi – sikke et mirakel – det regner, for første gang i 3-4 uger – hurra! Kom tilbage, vejrpige, alt er tilgivet ha ha.

16:00 Jeg står op og vi slapper af med en kop te og et stykke brød med hjemmelavet abrikosmarmelade – yum yum!

Jeg kigger lidt på nettet. Vores ældste datter Alison, hendes mand Ed, og deres 3 børn er ved at rejse for tiden til Bridgwater, Somerset, hvor Eds forældre i weekenden fejrer deres 50-års bryllupsdag. Familien har lejet et stort hus i 2-3 nætter.

Cannington Grange, et stort hus lidt udenfor Bridgwater, Somerset,

hvor Eds forældre, deres 4 sønner og 1 datter, og alle deres

børnebørn, skal fejre deres 50-års bryllupsdag i weekenden

Mens det engelske fodboldhold havde stadig en chance for, at de kunne spille i VM-finalen på søndag, var der muligheden for et skænderi mellem Eds forældre og deres 4 sønner om, om det ville være god tone at de holder sig borte fra festen i et par timer for at se på kampen, eller ej.

Det er derfor heldigt, at England for et par dage siden blev elimineret – det har jeg ikke nogen tvivl om! De spiller i stedet for i morgendagens bronzekamp mod Belgien, hvilket er mindre af en storattraktion, mistænker jeg, og der vil være mindre chance for skænderier. Gud er barmhjertig!

18:00 Aftensmad, og bagefter smutter vi ind hos vores naboers baghave. Stephen og Francis er for tiden på ferie i Tjekkiet – de flyver tilbage på tirsdag. De har bedt os om at passe på deres enorme grøntsagshaver og blomsterbede i deres fravær, hvilken er lidt af en besværlig opgave om aftenen, når vi er udmattet efter dagens aktiviteter.

Men i aften har vi held med os, fordi det tidligere på dagen regnede i 2-3 timer, så vi kun skal vande planterne i deres drivhus, gudskelov.  

20:00 Vi bruger aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser et gamle afsnit af Top of the Pops fra den 2. januar 1986, årets første. Programmets værter er de charmerende John Peel og Janice Long.

Det er mærkeligt at tænke på, at Lois og jeg kun var 39 år gamle, da vi først så dette program. Vi var flyttet tilbage fra USA kun 5 måneder tidligere, og vi var ved at købe det hus, vi stadig bor i i dag: vi flyttede faktisk ind den 19. januar 1986.

Tilbageblik: vi fejrer for 32 år siden, sammen med Lois’ slægtninge.

(fra venstre til højre) Dennis (Lois’ far), 

Sharon (Lois’ niece) med sit moderigtige ”store hår”, og mig

rundt om bordet fra venstre til højre: Ian (Lois’ nevø), Ruth (Lois’ mor), 

Dennis (Lois’ far), Sarah (vores yngste datter), Sharon (Lois’ niece), mig, Lois,

Andrew (Lois’ bror) og Jenny (Andrews kone). 

Lykkelige dage!!!!

Mens jeg ser på dette gamle afsnit af ”Top of the Pops”, gør jeg lidt forskning på min smartphone – det er altid sjovt, når man ser på folk fejre nytåret, at tænke tilbage, og finde ud af, hvilke rædsler ventede dem i det kommende år ha ha!

Jeg er slået af, hvor mange arabiske og pælestinensiske terrorangreb og hændelser involverende gisler, der var i løbet af 1986, meget flere, end nutildags. Gadhafi var dengang stadig en stor kraft for det onde – han var sådan en sjuft!!! Og der var også en stribe flykapringer under året – jeg mistænker, at lufthavnene ikke endnu havde perfektioneret deres irriterende men desværre nødvendige sikkerhedskontroller – sikke et skør verden vi lever i !  

20:30 Vi fortsætter med at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser BBC Proms koncertsæsons først aften på Royal Albert Hall i London.

En dejlig koncert, der starter med Vaughan Williams’ koriske mesterværk, ”Toward the Unknown Region”. Ordene er taget fra den amerikanske digter Walt Whitmans digt af 1902 eller deromkring.

Whitmans digt – en smuk vision af døden, men

virkeligheden er mere jordnær, mistænker jeg!!! 

Men vi får se ha ha!!!!

Bagefter hører vi den ”lokale dreng” Gustav Holsts ”Planeter”. Lois og jeg kan nu identificere os meget med stykket om Saturn/Saturnus, ”der bringer alderdom”, med dets truende tik-tak af uret i baggrunden. Lois og jeg, som to gamle krager, kender godt urets tik-tak, som vi sidder og lytte til i stuen om aftenen ha ha!

Som hvert år, er der igen en flok blondiner blandt orkestrets kvindelige musikere. Kameramanden synes åbenbart, at den 2. trombonist er orkestrets hotteste babe – vi ser meget til hende:  sikke et vanvid!!! Og en af violinister er meget gravid. Lois og jeg er bange for, at babyen kan poppe ud under forestillingen, men aftenen går roligt, hvad angår fødsler og dødsfald, gudskelov.

kameramanden synes, at den 2. trombonist (til højre)

er orkestrets hotteste babe – sikke et vanvid!!!!

en af violinisterne er meget gravid – Lois og jeg er lidt bange for,

at babyen popper ud under forestillingen, men alt går godt faktisk, gudskelov.

Fra tid til anden fanger kameramanden en musiker, der slapper af og ikke spiller. Jeg bemærker, at dirigenten [den charmerende finn Sakari Oramo (skørt navn, skør fyr) ] ikke skælder skulkeren ud (hvilket ville være god tone, mistænker jeg) – men jeg forventer, Sakari vil give ham en streng irettesættelse senere på aftenen, efter han har kigget på optagelserne.

22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzzzzzz!!!!!