Thursday, December 20 – Thursday December 27 2018

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Lois and I drive over to Haslemere, Surrey to spend 8 days with our elder daughter, Alison, plus with Ed (Alison's husband), and their 3 children, Josie (12), Rosalind (10) and Isaac (8). The journey takes about 2 and a half hours, including a 30-minute stop at  the M4 Reading Services.

Rosalind and Isaac have already started their winter holiday - their primary school broke up yesterday. Josie's last day at high school will be tomorrow (28th). Ed hasn't found a new job yet. He worked in Copenhagen for almost 6 years, starting from December 2012, but his company laid him off in late March, and the family moved back to England in the summer.

Ed is looking for a new job, but he does not want to rush into anything that will not be good for his longer-term career - his previous job was at a very high level. And Lois and I suspect he got a generous amount of compensation from his former company - the family doesn't seem to be short of cash, to put it mildly! But at the same time, they are not keen to waste money unnecessarily, I have to say.

Friday, December 21, 2018

We spend the morning in the middle of Haslemere along with Alison, Rosalind and Isaac. We buy some last minute Christmas gifts, and pop into the Barista coffee shop to have a cup of coffee and a piece of cake.

Lois in Alison and Ed's living room

Dinner - and Ed's master class in cutlery use: 

(left to right) Rosalind, Josie, Ed, Isaac and Lois

Alison in the kitchen-dining room - project "giant jigsaw puzzle" has begun:

the 1000-piece "Santa is coming to town" puzzle 

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Lois, Alison and the three children spend the morning baking Christmas cakes and Christmas biscuits, and afterwards Ed, the children, Sika (the family's Danish dog), Lois and I go, all 7 of us, on a short walk in the woods at the Devils Punchbowl beauty spot.

 

Lois, Isaac, Alison and Josie in the kitchen-dining room, starting to

bake Christmas cakes and Christmas biscuits

Ed, Alison and Josie in the kitchen-dining room

Isaac, Rosalind, Ed, Lois near the woods at the Devils Punchbowl 

Lois in the evening

Sunday, December 23, 2018

We spend the day preparing for Christmas, and in the evening we attend a Christmas carol concert at the nearby Three Counties Church.

Josie demonstrates she both has long hair and is good at jumping

good grief, what madness !!!! (Ed's exercise bike in background)

plus Dumbledore the cat doing an attempted photobomb

We attend a Christmas carol concert at the nearby Three Counties Church.

Here we see the choir and the musicians setting up and getting ready to lead the concert.

Josie is sitting waiting in the foreground for the concert to begin

Monday, December 24, 2018

We continue to prepare for Christmas Day. The deadline for completing the jigsaw puzzle moves closer - we have to clear it off the table before dinner, because Ed's parents, Stephen and Felicity, are arriving this afternoon and we will be  9 for dinner - yikes!

Ed sitting and talking at the dining table

It’s 11:50 am and the deadline for completing the puzzle is moving closer:

the hardest part (Santa's jacket and trousers) is not finished yet - yikes!

It’s 1:30 pm and Josie puts the last piece of the puzzle in place - hurrah!

Josie and Lois stand and admire the children's 3 Christmas sacks,

which they have laid on the floor for Santa to fill (hopefully) tonight

Dinner: here we see (left to right) Rosalind, Ed, Stephen (Ed's father), 

Josie, Felicity (Ed's mother) ...

... and here's me in the foreground

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

We attend Christmas Day worship at the nearby St. Stephen's Church, along with Ali, Ed, the children, Stephen (Ed's father) and Felicity (Ed's mother).

Afterwards we talk a little on Skype with Sarah, our younger daughter, who lives in Perth, Australia, and with Francis, Sarah's husband, and their 5 and a half-year-old twins Lily and Jessie. Alison's children open their Christmas presents from Sarah and Francis (3 Australian t-shirts) while the Skype call is in progress.

We talk on Skype with Sarah, our younger daughter, who lives in Perth, Australia:

(from left to right) Francis, Jessie, Lily and Sarah

Alison's children, Josie, Isaac and Rosalind, along with Lois,

open their Christmas gifts from Australia while the Skype call is in progress

after lunch, Josie, Rosalind and Isaac open their remaining Christmas presents

In the evening, an exhausted Ed sorts out the turkey 

and cuts the rest of the meat into slices

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

We visit two of Ed's brothers (David and Charles) and their families, who live in the same county as Ed and Ali. Further Christmas gifts are exchanged, including a double-sized bottle of wine that someone gives Ed, the lucky bugger – good grief, I’ve never seen such a big wine bottle before, I have to admit.

Ed's final Christmas gift: A Double Size Bottle of Wine – Good grief!

What madness !!!!!

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Lois and I drive home to Cheltenham. We are completely exhausted - we live a very quiet and peaceful life in Cheltenham, and we are not used to hearing, and participating in, conversations, jokes, laughter etc from morning to night - I have to say. It always takes me 2-3 days to convert myself from a 1000% introvert to an 80% introvert (20% extrovert- you do the math!), but now I have to convert myself back again – my god, what a crazy world we live in !!!!

Danish translation

Tørsdag, den 20 December 2018

Lois og jeg kører over til Haslemere, Surrey for at tilbringe 8 dage hos vores ældste datter, Alison, Ed (Alisons mand), og deres 3 børn, Josie (12), Rosalind (10) og Isaac (8). Rejsen tager ca 2 og en halv timer, inklusive en 30-minutters stop på M4 motorvejens Reading-rasteplads.

Rosalind og Isaac er allerede begyndt deres vinterferie – deres folkeskoles sluttede af i går. Josies sidste skoledag på gymnasiet bliver i morgen (den 28.). Ed har ikke fået et nyt job endnu. Han arbejdede i København i næsten 6 år, startende fra december 2012, men hans firma afskedigede ham i slutningen af marts, og familien flyttede tilbage til England om sommeren.

Ed søger et nyt job, men han vil ikke kaste sig ud i noget, der ikke vil være godt for hans karriere – hans tidligere job var på et ganske højt niveau. Og Lois og jeg mistænker, han fik en generøs erstatningsbeløb fra sin tidligere firma – familien synes ikke at være i bekneb for skillinger, for at sige mildt! Men de er samtidig ikke ivrige efter at spilde penge, det må jeg nok sige.

Fredag den 21 december 2018

Vi tilbringer formiddagen i midten af Haslemere sammen med Alison, Rosalind og Isaac. Vi køber nogle last minute julegaver, og smutter ind i Barista-kaffebaren for at drikke en kop kaffe og spise et stykke kage.

Lois i Alison og Eds stue

Aftensmad – og Eds mesterklasse i bestikbrug

(venstre til højre) Rosalind, Josie, Ed, Isaac og Lois

Alison i køkken-spisestuen - projekt-kæmpe puslespil er begyndt:

det 1000-brikker ”Santa is coming to town” puslespil

Lørdag den 22. December 2018

Lois, Alison og de tre børn tilbringer formiddagen på at bage julekager og julekiks, og bagefter går Ed, børnene, Sika (familiens danske hund), Lois og jeg alle 7 en kort tur i Devils Punchbowl-skovene.

Lois, Isaac, Alison og Josie i køkken-spisestuen, i gang med at

bage julekager og julekiks

Ed, Alison og Josie i køkken-spisestuen

Isaac, Rosalind, Ed, Lois i nærheden af Devils Punchbowl-skovene

Lois om aftenen

Søndag den 23. december 2018

Vi bruger dagen på at forberede os på jul, og om aftenen deltager vi i en julesangkoncert på den nærliggende Three Counties-kirke.

Josie beviser, hun har langt hår og er god til at springe

du godeste, sikke et vanvid !!!!

Vi deltager i en julesangkoncert på den nærliggende Three Counties-kirke.

Her ser vi koret og musikerne forberede sig på at lede koncerten

Josie sidder og venter i forgrunden på at koncerten begynder

Mandag den 24. december 2018

Vi fortsætter med at forberede os på juledag. Fristen for at fuldende puslespillet rykker nærmere – vi må rydde det fra spisebordet før aftensmad, fordi Eds forældre, Stephen og Felicity, ankommer i eftermiddag og vi bliver 9 til aftensmad – yikes!

Ed sidder og snakker ved spisebordet

Kl er 11:50 og fristen for at fuldende puslespillet rykker næmere:

den sværste del (Julemandens jakke og bukser) er ikke færdig endnu – yikes!

Kl er 13:30 og Josie lægger puslespillets sidste brik på plads – hurra!

Josie og Lois står og beundrer børnenes 3 julesække,

som de har lagt på gulvet for at Julemanden kan fylde dem (forhåbentlig) i nat

Aftensmad: Rosalind, Ed, Stephen (Eds far), Josie, Felicity (Eds mor)…

… og mig i forgrunden

Tirsdag den 25. december 2018

Vi deltager i juledag-gudstjenesten på den nærliggende Sankt-Stephens kirke, sammen med Ali, Ed, børnene, Stephen (Eds far) og Felicity (Eds mor).

Bagefter taler vi lidt på Skype med Sarah, vores yngste datter, der bor i Perth, Australien, og med Francis, Sarahs mand, og deres 5,5-årige tvillinger Lily og Jessie. Alisons børn åbner deres julegaver fra Sarah og Francis (3 australske t-shirts), mens Skype-opkaldet er i gang.

Vi taler på Skype med Sarah, vores yngste datter, der bor i Perth, Australien:

(fra venstre til højre) Francis, Jessie, Lily og Sarah

Alisons børn, Josie, Isaac og Rosalind, sammen med Lois,

åbner deres julegaver fra Australien mens Skype-opkaldet er i gang

efter frokost, åbner Josie, Rosalind og Isaac deres resterende julegaver

om aftenen ordner Ed kalkunen og skærer resten af kødet i skiver

Onsdag den 26. december 2018

Vi besøger to af Eds brødre (David og Charles) og deres familier, der bor i samme grevskabet som Ed og Ali. Flere julegaver bliver udvekslet, herunder en dobbelt størrelse flaske vin, som nogen forærer Ed, den heldige kartoffel – du godeste, jeg har ikke set sikke en stor vinflaske før – det må jeg indrømme.

Eds sidste julegave: en dobbelt størrelse flaske vin – du godeste!

Sikke et vanvid !!!!!

Torsdag den 27. december 2018

Lois og jeg kører hjem til Cheltenham. Vi er helt udmattede – vi lever et meget stille og roligt liv i Cheltenham, og vi er ikke vant til at høre, og deltage i, samtaler, vittigheder, latter osv fra morgen til nat - det må jeg nok sige. Det tager mig altid 2-3 dage for at konvertere mig fra en 1000% introvert til en 80% introvert, og 20% ekstrovert, men nu må jeg konvertere mig tilbage igen – du godeste, sikke et vanvid!!!!