Danskcolin: Monday October 22 2018

10:15 We drive over to the town of Witney, which is approx. 35 miles to the east of here. My cousin John and his wife Chris (Christine) have invited us to lunch with them - and John's sister Susan, my cousin, will also be there for the lunch - she has arrived on a 2 week vacation from her home in Colorado, USA.

On our way to John's house, we swing by the nursing home where John and Susan's 90-year-old mother, my aunty Bobby, lives. We find Susan there too. She is also visiting her mother, and we end up all 4 of us chatting in the nursing home's dining-room. The staff makes us all a cup of tea.

the care home in Witney where my 90-year old Aunty Bobby lives

Bobby is much much better than when Lois and I last visited her 2 years ago when she just lay in the bed and could hardly turn her head to look at us.

John later told us that he suspects that 2 years ago the nursing staff were pumping her with strong painkillers (on doctor's orders) after she fell over and broke her hip. John thinks the staff continued to pump her with the painkillers much longer than was necessary, but that's something we are not entirely sure about.

12:00 We say goodbye to Bobby and continue on to John's house and have lunch there with John, Chris and Susan.

(from left to right) John, me, and Susan

Chris, John, Lois and Susan

Susan, who became a United States citizen many years ago, is visiting from Colorado USA, where she is involved in various causes and movements: she is an environmentalist and a strong supporter of the Democratic Party, which I already know very well from her Facebook page - yikes! She is not Donald Trump's biggest fan, to put it mildly !!!

She talks with a "mid-Atlantic" accent, like my late sister Kathy, who also became an American citizen. Susan, like Kathy, says that Americans all presume she is British, and vice versa.

She tells us about cooking methods when it comes to some of her favourite dishes, and I notice that she still uses the British pronunciation of words such as "herbs", "tomatoes" and "basil", which is different in the US. Interesting to me, because I'm a bit of a language-nerd, I have to admit. I cannot stop myself. I need help basically, painkillers maybe ha ha!

Susan's daughter Magda is now 41 years old and still unmarried. Susan is very keen for Magda to give her grandchildren, but it is becoming increasingly unlikely Susan says. She envies us our 5 grandchildren - that's something she makes clear. Magda has a PhD and her own psychology practice near Portland, Oregon. She also keeps chickens and goats. My god what a crazy world we live in !!!!!

It's interesting to talk to Susan about her life in the United States, and the latest trends in society over there. Lois and I are once more reminded that the two countries are not as different as they often seem superficially - God help us ha ha (again) !!

Lois and I lived in the US for 3 years from 1982 to 1985 and spent a memorable three week vacation at Susan's in 1983 in Denver, Vail and the Rocky Mountains, along with our 2 young daughters Alison (9) and Sarah (7).

flashback to 1983: some very excited passengers on the plane from

Baltimore to Denver: (left to right) Sarah, Alison and Lois

(left to right) Susan, Magda (Susan's daughter), Alison and Sarah

Alison, me, Sarah and Lois

Sarah and me

Alison and Lois (centre)

Alison

Sarah and Alison leaning against the door of our rental car

Sarah, Lois and Alison

Happy days !!!

Flashback to the 1970's - (left to right) my sister Gill (knees only),

my sister Kathy (half off picture), with Susan and John

Flashback to early 1980s: my sister Kathy (left)

Magda with Susan (front, centre)

16:00 Lois and I come home and relax with a cup of tea on the couch.

20:00 We call Alison in Haslemere, Surrey. She, Ed and their 3 children are coming on Wednesday for a 3-day visit with us. And Sharon, Lois' niece in Oxford, will also be coming for a few hours on Thursday so the 5 kids can play a little together. Busy busy busy! Ed is a little gluten intolerant so we have to plan the meals carefully.

20:30 We spend the rest of the evening watching television. Two TV quiz programs are on - "University Challenge", where two 4-person student teams representing two universities compete with each other, and "Only Connect", where two 3-person teams compete to guess the connections between 4 superficially different things.

For me and Lois, "Only Connect", which is on tonight for the first time since the program's summer break, is our favourite, both because of the host Victoria Coren Mitchell's fun introductions, but also because of the chance to confirm that we are not yet suffering from dementia.

We are very successful this evening at finding the connections before the "brains" do it, and in some cases finding connections which all 6 "brains" do not have the slightest idea about, which is very heartwarming.

one of Victoria's fun introductions

Here are a couple of the quiz's fascinating questions where the 6 "brains" are asked to find the connection between 4 superficially different things.

Of course!

Lois found the connection within seconds, but the 6 brains

struck out: the answer is the letter 'v'.

Go Lois !!!!

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

Danish translation

10:15 Vi kører over til byen Witney, der ligger ca. 35 miles mod øst herfra. Min fætter John og hans kone Chris (Christine) har inviteret os til frokost hos dem – og Johns søster Susan, min kusine, vil være med til frokosten – hun er ankom på 2 ugers ferie fra sit hjem i Colorado, USA.

På vej til Johns hus smutter vi ind i plejehjemmet, hvor Johns 90-årige mor, min tante Bobby, bor. Vi finder Susan der også. Hun er i gang med at besøge sin mor, og vi ender med at snakke alle 4 i plejehjemmets spisekammer. Personalet laver os alle en kop té.

Det plejehjem, hvor min 90-årige tante Bobby bor

Bobby har det meget meget bedre, end dengang Lois og jeg for sidste gang besøgte hende for 2 år siden, da hun bare blev liggende i sengen og kunne bare med besvære vende hovedet for at kigge på os.

John fortalte os senere, at han mistænker, at plejehjemmets personale for 2 år siden plejede at pumpe hende med stærke smertestillende midler (på lægeordre), efter hun faldt over og brækkede hoften. John mener, personalet fortsatte at pumpe hende med smertestillende midler meget længere, end var nødvendigt, men det er vi ikke helt sikre på.

12:00 Vi siger farvel til Bobby og kører videre til Johns hus og spiser frokost der sammen med John, Chris og Susan.

(fra venstre til højre) John, mig, og Susan

Chris, John, Lois og Susan

Susan, der for mange år siden blev amerikansk borger, er på besøg fra Colorado USA, hvor hun er involveret med forskellige sager og bevægelser: hun er miljøaktivist og en stærk tilhænger af det demokratiske parti, hvilket jeg ved godt set ud fra sin Facebook-side – yikes! Hun er ikke Donald Trumps største fan, for at sige mildt!!!

Susans datter Magda er nu 41 år gammel og stadig ugift. Susan er meget frisk på, at Magda giver hende børnebørn, men det bliver mere og mere usandsynligt ifølge Susan. Hun misunder os vores 5 børnebørn – det har vi ikke nogen tvivl om. Magda har sit eget psykologfirma i nærheden af Portland, Oregon. Hun holder også hønse og geder. Du godeste, sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!!!!

Hun taler med en ”midatlantisk” accent, ligesom min afdøde søster Kathy, der også blev amerikansk borger. Susan, ligesom Kathy, siger, at amerikanerne formoder, at hun er englænder, og omvendt. Hun fortæller os om madlavningsmetoder, når det kommer til nogle af hendes yndlingsretter, og jeg bemærker, at hun stadig bruger den britiske udtale af ord såsom ”herbs”, ”tomatoes” og ”basil”, som er anderledes i USA. Interessant for mig, fordi jeg er lidt af en sprog-nørd – det må jeg indrømme. Det kan jeg ikke stoppe mig selv i. Jeg trænger til hjælp, smertestillende midler måske ha ha!

Det er interessant at snakke med Susan om hendes liv i USA, og de seneste trender i samfundet derovre. Lois og jeg bliver mindet engang til, at de to lande ikke er så anderledes, som de ofte virker overfladisk talt – gud hjælper os ha ha (igen) !!

Lois og jeg boede i 3 år i USA fra 1982 til 1985 og vi tilbragte en mindeværdige tre ugers ferie hos Susan i 1983 i Denver, Vail og Rocky Mountains, sammen med vores 2 unge døtre Alison (9) og Sarah (7).

tilbageblik til 1983: nogle meget begejstrede passagere på flyet

fra Baltimore til Denver: (fra venstre til højre) Sarah, Alison og Lois

(fra venstre til højre) Susan, Magda (Susans datter), Alison og Sarah

Alison, mig, Sarah og Lois

Sarah og mig

Alison og Lois

Alison

Sarah og Alison læner sig imod ad døren af vores lejebil

Sarah, Lois og Alison

Lykkelige dage!!!

Tilbageblik til 1970'erne: min s8ster Gill (bare knæene),
min søster Kathy (halvt), Susan og John

min søster Kathy (til venstre)
Magda og Susan (siddende, til venstre )

16:00 Lois og jeg kommer hjem og slapper af med en kop te i sofaen.

20:00 Vi ringer til Alison i Haslemere, Surrey. Hun, Ed og deres 3 børn skal komme på onsdag på 3 dages besøg hos os. Og Sharon, Lois’ niece i Oxford, skal også komme i nogle timer på torsdag, så de 5 børn kan lege lidt sammen. Travlt travlt travlt! Ed er lidt glutenintolerans, så vi må planlægge måltiderne forsigtigt.

20:30 Vi brugere resten af aftenen på at se lidt fjernsyn. To tv-quiz-programmer – ”University Challenge”, hvor 2 4-personers studente-hold, der repræsenterer 2 universiteter, dyster mod hinanden, og ”Only Connect”, hvor 2 3-personers hold dyster mod hinanden for at gætte forbindelserne mellem 4 overfladisk anderledes ting.

For mit og Lois’ vedkommende er ”Only Connect”, som de viser i aften for første gang siden programmets sommerpause, er vores favorit, både på grund af værten Victoria Coren Mitchells morsomme indledninger, men også på grund af chancen for at bekræfte, at vi ikke endnu lider af demens. Vi er i aften ganske succesfuld til at finde forbindelserne før ”hjernerne” gør det, og i nogle tilfælde at finde forbindelser, som alle 6 ”hjernerne” ikke har den fjerneste anelse om, hvilket er meget hjertevarmende.