Saturday, August 25 2018

06:00 I feel very tired, but I get up early to design and print out my anniversary card to Lois. We got married exactly 46 years ago in the town of Wheatley in the county of Oxfordshire.

I base the theme of the card on yesterday evening's BBC Prom concert, which was all about Hungarian music and Hungarian-inspired music, gypsy violins, etc. I like to give Lois cards with some topical reference. Sometimes it's quite hard to find something original, but I do my best, as always.

The front of my specially designed wedding anniversary card for Lois

On the back of this musical-themed card, I include a picture of myself playing John Ruskin's piano at Brantwood House on Coniston lakeside, 3 days after our youngest daughter Sarah's wedding day in 2010. I was originally "hired" (for free) to play background piano music during Sarah and Francis's wedding reception, and I prepared a 30-plus long playlist of songs, but it did not come to anything because the reception had to be turned into an outdoor "do". Damn!

Flashback to June 2010: I play John Ruskin's piano in Brantwood House

3 days after our daughter Sarah's wedding

08:00 I hop back into bed with Lois. We drink our morning tea and exchange anniversary cards. We get up and go in the shower. I have reserved a table for two at the Buckland Manor Hotel's restaurant today at 12 o'clock.

10:00 I take a little look online. I see an interesting web article about dinosaurs and birds.

Researchers at the University of Kent say their work is revealing the genetic secret behind why dinosaurs came in so many shapes and sizes.

This variation helped them develop rapidly in response to a changing environment - and helped them dominate the earth for 180 million years.

Of course, there was a final challenge that the dinosaurs could not overcome - a massive asteroid impact 66 million years ago, which wiped out all the dinosaurs except for the flying ones that developed into birds.

Prof Darren Griffin's team have been using mathematical techniques to identify the possible genetic characteristics of the very earliest dinosaurs. They did that by working backwards from their closest living relatives - birds and turtles.

Their results indicate that dinosaur DNA was probably organised into surprisingly large numbers of  chromosomes. Birds usually have about 80 chromosomes - about three times the number that humans have.

It is noteworthy that birds are amongst the most diverse animal groups on earth. If, as Prof Griffin thinks, dinosaurs also had a large number of chromosomes, it could explain why they also came in so many shapes and sizes.

"We think it all creates variation. With a large number of chromosomes, dinosaurs could switch their genes around much more easily than other types of animals could. This switching meant that dinosaurs could develop faster and this then helped them survive so many climate changes, etc." said Prof Griffin.

Dr. Rebecca O'Connor of the University of Kent said: "The fossil evidence, and now our evidence, reinforce the idea that instead of birds and dinosaurs being distant relatives, they were actually one and the same. The birds around us today are actually dinosaurs."

How fascinating! I had never thought about how surprising it is that there are so many types of birds. Now at last it all makes sense - good grief! I never thought that chromosomes might be the source of this phenomenon. How stupid I have been. But at least now I'm finally up to speed on this, thank goodness.

11:30 We head over to Buckland Manor, which was built in the 17th century, and have our anniversary lunch. We start with drinks in the lounge - I order a strong gin and tonic, with a lavender-flavored gin from the (almost) local "Cotswold Distillery".

For the main course, Lois chooses the hake, and I choose the beef, with chocolate mousse for dessert. The whole affair is very delicious as always. We have visited this restaurant several times since my late sister Kathy and her husband, Steve, first introduced us to the restaurant many years ago.

We start with drinks in the lounge

Lois in the restaurant's dining room

14:30 We drive home and go to bed for a couple of hours. We are getting old, no doubt about that.

17:00 We get up to watch a couple of wrestling matches on television.

An enjoyable program again, with the final of the women's championship as the main attraction.

Unfortunately, the bouts are again hit by a series of accidents and injuries, and again we see wrestlers being carried away on stretchers, which is always a bit of a shame.

18:00 I take a little look at my smartphone. Our elder daughter Alison is currently spending a few days in Copenhagen, together with Ed, her husband, and their 3 children, Josie (11), Rosalind (10) and Isaac (8).

Last Thursday they flew to Copenhagen to spend a few days with some of the friends they got to know during their 6-year stay in Denmark. The family finally moved back to England about 6 weeks ago, but the whole family still very much misses their Danish friends and expat friends in the Danish capital.

I see now that Isaac, the youngest child, has unfortunately broken an arm today while playing on a trampoline over there. Poor Isaac - It's the kind of accident you do not want to happen when you're on a short vacation abroad - no doubt about that. And he'll have to have a little operation tomorrow morning.

Poor Isaac earlier today

Rosalind with 2 of her Denmark-based bosom buddies

18:30 I continue to look online - I see an amusing picture which Sylvia, Lois' cousin in Melbourne Australia, has posted on Facebook. Sylvia and her new partner Rod plan to visit us in 2-3 weeks time.

Sylvia with her new partner, Rod

18:50 We spend the evening watching television. BBC Proms Extra is on, with Katie Derham as the program's charming presenter.

Lois and I again are very critical of Katie's attire - an unfortunate choice, we think. It all makes her look a little anorexic, no doubt about that. What madness!

Katie Derham, the program’s presenter - she needs a little more meat on her

before sailors would want to look twice at her, we think! Poor Katie !!!!

19:30 We continue to watch a bit of television. The evening's BBC Prom concert is on, featuring Bernstein's "On the Town".

A beautiful performance, and more operatic than the famous movie starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra.

The plot is all about 3 sailors, in New York City on one day's leave from their ship (it's wartime, 1944). Their leave starts in the morning at 6am and ends at 6am the next day. They have 24 hours to see New York, their first visit there.

They succeed in finding 3 local girls, but they arrange to start their dates only at 11pm, which seems a bit of a shame, even though I realize it's a city that never sleeps. Why not start the dates at 8pm for example? What madness !!!

All 3 sailors succeed in finding local girls for their 24-hour leave

but they make the mistake of only starting their dates at 11pm, instead of

at 8pm for example, which seems to be a bit of a shame - what madness!

The following day at 6 am the sailors have to kiss their dates farewell, and suddenly we see, high up above the orchestra, 3 more sailors, who are just starting their own 24 hours leave.

one period of 24 hours leave ends, while another begins:

a wonderful example of the "circle of life".

A touching scene that in fact ends the musical and reminds us of the "circle of life". There was an interesting report recently in The Onion, the influential American news source, dealing with a young 9-year-old schoolboy, Harrison Jacobs. Tragically Harrison hit the headlines yesterday when he came to appreciate his own mortality after seeing this autumn's "back to school" advertisements.

"Every fall, the same advertisements - oh, God, the grim reaper's steps echo in the unforgettable turning of the seasons, and it will come to me as it will come to all of us," said the 9-year-old boy who found himself transfixed by the same childhood actors, who, he is dimly aware, are going to be modelling inexpensive backpacks and raincoats year after year, digitally trapped like insects in amber: they shall never age, impervious to the cruel progress of the passing years, like the rain on stone, which will slowly destroy Jacob's precious youth, before inevitably - but not gently - no, never gently, claiming his being and giving it back to the universe as it must with all who live.

Food for thought there, as we hop into bed.

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

Danish translation

06:00 Jeg føler mig meget træt, men jeg står tidligt op for at designe og printer ud min bryllupsdagskort til Lois. Vi giftede os for nøjagtigt 46 år siden på byen Wheatley i grevskabet Oxfordshire.

Jeg baserer kortets tema på i går aftens BBC Proms koncert, der kredsedes om ungarsk musik og ungarsk-inspireret musik, sigøjnervioliner osv. Jeg kan godt lide at give Lois kort med en eller anden topisk reference. Nogle gange er det ganske svært med at finde på noget oprindeligt, men jeg gør mit bedste, som altid.

Forsiden af min specielt-designet bryllupsdagskort til Lois

På dette musikalsk-temaede  kortets bagside inkluderer jeg et billede af mig selv spillende John Ruskins klaver på Brantwood House på Coniston-søside, dagen efter vores yngste datter Sarahs bryllupsdag i 2010. Jeg var oprindeligt ”hyret” (gratis) til at spille baggrundsklavermusik under Sarahs og Francis’ bryllupsreception, og jeg udarbejdede en 30 plus lang spilleliste, men det hele blev ikke til noget, da receptionen skulle skiftes til en udendørs-gilde. Pokkers!

Tilbageblik til juni 2010: jeg spiller John Ruskins klaver i Brantwood House

dagen efter vores datter Sarahs bryllup

08:00 Jeg hopper tilbage op i sengen til Lois. Vi drikker vores morgenté og udveksler bryllupsdagskort. Vi står op og går i bad. Jeg har bestillet et bord til to på Buckland Manor-hotellets restaurant i dag kl 12.

10:00 Jeg kigger lidt på nettet. Jeg ser en interessant webartikel om dinosaurer og fugle.

Forskere ved University of Kent siger, at deres arbejde afslører den genetiske hemmelighed bag hvorfor dinosaurer kom i så mange former og størrelser.

Denne variation hjalp dem med at udvikle sig hurtigt som reaktion på et skiftende miljø – og hjalp dem med at dominere jorden i 180 millioner år.

Selvfølgelig var der en endelige udfordring, som dinosaurerne ikke kunne overvinde - et massivt asteroidenedslag for 66 millioner år siden, der udslettede alle dinosauregrupper undtagen de flyvende, der udviklede sig til fugle.

For nylig anvendte prof Darren Griffin's team matematiske teknikker til at identificere de allerførste dinosaurs mulige genetiske egenskaber. Det gjorde de ved at arbejde baglæns fra deres nærmeste nutidige slægtninge - fugle og skildpadder.

Deres resultater tyder på, at dinosaur-DNA sandsynligvis blev organiseret i mange stykker - kaldet kromosomer. Fugle har normalt omkring 80 kromosomer - cirka tre gange dem, som mennesker har.

Det er bemærkelsesværdigt, at fugle er blandt de mest varierede dyregrupper på jorden. Hvis, som Prof Griffin mener, havde dinosaurer også et stort antal kromosomer, kunne det forklare, hvorfor de også kom i så mange former og størrelser.

"Vi tror, at det hele skaber variation. Med mange kromosomer kunne dinosaurer blande deres gener rundt meget mere end andre typer dyr. Denne skiftning betyder, at dinosaurer kan udvikle sig hurtigere, og så hjalp dem med at overleve så mange klimaforandringer osv," sagde Prof Griffin.

Dr. Rebecca O'Connor fra University of Kent sagde: "De fossile beviser og nu vores bevis styrker ideen om, at i stedet for, at fugle og dinosaurer var fjerne slægtninge, var de faktisk det selve samme. Fuglene omkring os i dag er dinosaurer. "

Hvor fascinerende! Jeg havde aldrig før tænkt på, hvor overraskende det er, at der er så mange typer fugle. Nu giver det hele mening – du godeste! Jeg tænkte aldrig på, at kromosomer måske kunne være kilden på dette fænomen. Hvor dum jeg har været. Men i det mindste nu endelig er jeg informeret og orienteret, gudskelov.

11:30 Vi kører over til Buckland Manor, bygget i det 17. århundrede, og spiser vores bryllupsdagsfrokost. Vi starter med drinks i loungen – jeg bestiller en stærk gin og tonic, med en lavendel-smagende gin fra den (næsten) lokale Cotswold Distillery.

Til hovedretten vælger Lois kulmulen, og jeg oksekødet, med chokolademousse til desserten, det hele meget lækre som altid. Vi har besøgt dette restaurant mange gange, siden min afdøde søster Kathy og hendes mand, Steve, tog os med til restauranten for mange år siden.

Vi starter med drinks i loungen

Restaurantens spisestue

14:30 Vi kører hjem og går i seng i et par timer. Vi bliver gamle, ingen tvivl om det.

17:00 Vi står op og kigger på et par brydekampe i fjernsyn.

Et nydeligt program igen, med finalen af kvindernes mesterskab som hovedattraktion.

Men brydekampene bliver desværre igen ramt af en række ulykker og igen ser vi brydere blive ført væk på bårer, hvilket er lidt af en skam.

18:00 Jeg kigger lidt på min smartphone.  Vores ældste datter Alison tilbringer for tiden nogle dage i København, sammen med Ed, hendes mand, og deres 3 børn, Josie (11), Rosalind (10) og Isaac (8). De fløj for et par dage siden til København for at tilbringe nogle dage hos nogle af vennerne, de lærte at kende under deres 6-års ophold i Danmark. Familien flyttede tilbage til England for ca. 6 uger siden, men hele familien savner meget deres danske venner og expat-venner i den danske hovedstad.

Jeg ser nu, at Isaac, det yngste barn, har i dag desværre brækket en arm, mens han legede på en trampolin. Stakkels Isaac – det er den slags ulykke, man ikke vil have at ske, når man er på en kort ferie i udlandet – ingen tvivl om det. Og han skal have en lille operation i morgen formiddag.

Stakkels Isaac tidligere på dagen

Rosalind sammen med 2 af sine Danmark-baserede perlevenner

18:30 Jeg fortsætter med at kigge på nettet, et morsomt billede, som Lois’ kusine i Melbourne Australien, Sylvia, har lagt op på Facebook. Sylvia og sin nye partner Rod planlægger at besøge os om 2-3 ugers tid.

 

Sylvia sammen med sin nye partner, Rod

18:50 Vi bruger aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser BBC Proms Extra, med Katie Derham som programmets charmerende værtinde.

Lois og jeg er igen meget kritisk over Katies påklædning – et uheldigt valg, synes vi. Det hele gør hende til at ser lidt anoretisk ud, ingen tvivl om det. Sikke et vanvid!

Katie Derham – hun har brug for lidt mere kød på sig,

før sømænd skal ville kigge to gange på hende, synes vi !

19:30 Vi fortsætter med at se lidt fjernsyn. De viser aftenens BBC Proms koncert, der fremviser Bernsteins ”On the Town”.

En nydelig forestilling, og mere operatisk, end den berømte film stjernespækket Gene Kelly og Frank Sinatra.

Plottet, handler om 3 sømænd, i New York på et døgns orlov fra deres skib (det er krigstid, 1944). Orloven starter om morgenen kl 6 og ender kl 6 næste dag. De har 24 timer til at se New York, deres første besøg dertil. Det lykkes dem at finde 3 lokale piger, men de aftaler bare at starte deres dates kl 23, hvilket synes lidt af en skam, selvom jeg indser, at den er en by der ”aldrig sover”. Hvorfor ikke starte datene kl 20 for eksempel? Sikke et vanvid !!!

det lykkes alle de 3 sømænd at finde lokale piger for deres 24-timers orlov

men de tager fejl ved bare at starte deres dates kl 23, i stedet for

kl 20 for eksempel, hvilket synes at være lidt af en skam – sikke et vanvid!

Den følgende dag kl 6, må sømændene kysse deres dates farvel, og pludselig ser vi, højt oppe over orkestret endnu 3 sømænd ved at begynde på deres egne 24-timers orlov.

den ene periode af 24 timers orlov ender, mens en anden begynder:

et vidunderligt eksempel på ”livets cirkel”.

En rørende scene, der faktisk ender musicalen, og mindes os om ”livets cirkel”. Der var en interessant rapport for nylig i The Onion, den indflydelsesrige amerikanske nyhedskilde, der handlede om en ung 9-årig skoledreng, Harrison Jacobs. Harrison ramte tragisk overskrifterne i går, da han anerkendte sin egen dødelighed efter at have set efterårets ”tilbage til skolen” reklamer.

"Hvert efterår, de samme reklamer - oh, Gud, manden med leens trin ekkoer i årtidernes uforglemmelige skiften, og det kommer til mig som det kommer for os alle", sagde den 9-årig dreng, der fandt sig selv lamslået af de samme børneskuespillere, som han er dårligt vidende om, skal modellere billige rygsække og regnfrakker år ud år ind, fanget digitalt i tiden som insekter i rav: de skal ældes aldrig, uigennemtrængeligt for det grusomme fremskridt af de gående år, der, ligesom regn på sten, langsomt vil ødelægge Jacobs dyrebare ungdom før uundgåeligt - men ikke forsigtigt nej - aldrig forsigtigt kræve hans  væsen og give den tilbage til universet, som det må med alle, der lever.

Stof til eftertanke der, ingen tvivl om det!

22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzzzz!!!!