Wednesday, 6 March 2019

Tuesday, March 5 2019


08:30 It's March 5th - Shrove Tuesday (pancake day), also it was exactly 8 years ago sadly my dear mother Hannah died, at the age of 91 years. It is safe to say without boasting that my birth was a great event in my mother's life: she had always believed she would be childless, just because Hannah in the Bible was childless.

the first photo I have of my mother and myself, from May 1946,
when I was only 2 months old. I suppose this was a case of
an unintended double exposure, but the effect is quite artistic,
I think, - my mother looks like she’s in a dream

Lois and I stay in bed and take a relaxing shower. "Magyar" Mike is not coming today to take part in our weekly "Hungarian lesson". He called me yesterday and said he had a lot of back pain after straining himself a few days ago during a mammoth gardening session.

He said he spent most of the weekend in bed, which isn’t like Mike - he is by nature a very restless man, to put it mildly. When Lois and I had a 3-week holiday in Hungary with Mike and Mary in 1998, and again in 2003 (or so), Lois and I used to spend the afternoon  in bed in our hotel room while Mike would wander around the town:  it seemed like Mike never relaxed or rested.

Flashback to March 1994: "Magyar" Mike (right) in happier times,
seen here with our Hungarian friend, the engineer and academic
Dr. Bársony János (1938-2005), in southern Hungary, not very far
from the Croatian border - the civil war was still raging at the time

me with János

Mike and me showcasing our second-hand
"Excellent worker" medals from the Communist era.

Poor Mike !!!!!

10:00 After breakfast, Lois and I resume working on our latest mini-downsize-project. Our younger daughter, Sarah, who in December 2015  moved to Australia with Francis and their young  twins, left a lot of personal belongings under her old double bed and in her wardrobe, and also in her sister Alison's wardrobe. Good god, pure madness!

We resume this morning pulling all these belongings out from under the bed and out of the wardrobes, and sorting them out: what things can we donate to the charity shop, what things should we throw away, and the like.





12:30 We have lunch and afterwards I go to bed and take a gigantic afternoon nap. I get up at 3 pm and hop up on my fitness bike. I ride 6 miles (10 km).

15:45 15:45 Lois and I relax with a cup of tea on the couch and we talk a little.

Lois has read half of next week's Radio Times magazine. She says that British actors sometimes win Oscars despite the fact that the favourites are Americans, because the voters opt for actors who obey certain rules for winning:  that is, to act ugly, to act with an accent, and to act big, so everyone knows you are playing a role. That’s why, according to the American DJ, Paul Gambaccini, for example Olivia Coleman beat the favourite Glenn Close to be named best actress this year.


British actor Christian Bale obeyed these rules too, Gambaccini said, when he played Dick Cheney in "Vice", and in other films last year, also Daniel Day-Lewis, the only star to win the best-actor award three times.

Nevertheless, the American rivals of these British Oscar-winners get the last laugh - while the British ones "bury themselves in their roles" and often become completely unrecognisable, the American actors prefer first and foremost  to make sure they are recognised, and that's why therefore limit the range of roles they choose, a policy that maximises their popularity at the box office while also maximising their paycheck.

My goodness, what a crazy world we live in !!!!

17:30 We have dinner, a little earlier, than usual, because Lois wants to take part in her sect’s weekly Bible seminar, taking place tonight in Brockworth  library.

Today is pancake day, so Lois makes pancakes for both the first and second courses - yum yum!

first course (with tuna and carbonara sauce) ...

... and the dessert (with brown sugar and lemon juice). Yum yum!

18:30 We have to leave. I drive Lois over to Mari-Ann's house. Mandy will pick Lois up and drive her over to Brockworth, along with the seminar leader's projector and student workbooks.

I drop Lois off in front of Mari-Ann and Alf's house and drive home. Mari-Ann and Alf will not be attending tonight’s seminar because of a family crisis involving Alf's brother Billy - doctors have found a tumour sitting in the wall of Billy's trachea and are carrying out a tracheotomy today, poor Billy, at Gloucester Royal Hospital.

This semester's seminars are all about "The Gospel in Isaiah", and tonight’s subject is "the world as it is, 2. Isaiah 9, the Messiah, Isaiah's message to you".


an excerpt from this semester's schedule

a scene from a typical recent seminar

19:30 I have some alone time and watch a little television. the sixth episode of the Danish drama series, "Ride upon the Storm", starring the famous Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen, as Johannes, a provost with problems - to put it mildly, first and foremost, an alcohol dependency.


John is a leading "provost" in Denmark's Lutheran national church, in other words a leading priest who, on behalf of the bishop, supervises the priests in a “provosty”, ie a group of parishes forming part of a diocese.

The series revolves around Johannes's personality, as a very dominant figure, both within the churches he is responsible for, and within his own family. He dominates everything, and he tends to have a fit of rage when he doesn't get his way.

He loves his wife (Elisabeth) and their 2 sons (Christian and August), but at the same time as loving  them, he dominates and crushes them all. Elisabeth, Christian and August are afraid of him, love him and hate him all at the same time – good grief, what madness!

I can relate this to a certain extent - my father was a very dominant figure when my siblings and I were growing up. But we didn't see much of him on weekdays: he was obsessed with his job as a school teacher and later as a school headmaster, and he often worked late in the evenings. He tended to have fits of rage from time to time. Saturday mornings were the worst, when he felt frustrated, and took it out on us all.

Flashback to the summer of 1946: me (at 5 months) sitting on my mother's lap
next to my father, on the beach at Bournemouth.

November 1946

But sorry, that was a bit of a digression! Back to the plot !!!

Johannes is married to Elisabeth, but he also has a mistress, Ursula, who is one of the parish grave-diggers. In the first episode of the series we saw Johannes and Ursula having sex in Ursula's shed in the churchyard, where she keeps her spades and other equipment. We hear scary background music on the soundtrack while the couple are going at it, as if Johannes is being possessed by the devil - yikes!

Johannes having sex with one of the grave-diggers inside the shed in the churchyard
where she stores her spades and other equipment

In the fourth episode, Elisabeth discovers that Johannes and Ursula are having regular sex. She confronts Johannes with the issue and insists that John gets Ursula moved to another parish, also insisting that John sleeps in his study in future - she will never sleep with him again, she says.

Meanwhile, Elisabeth has invited her Norwegian friend, Liv, a young violinist, to stay with the family over Christmas and New Year. The violinist believes in a lot of "alternative" medicines and ancient, naturalistic drugs - and the two women get into the habit of squatting in the backyard to pee together and fertilise the soil.

In the fifth episode, Elisabeth threatens to leave Johannes if he does not fire Ursula, his mistress, within the next 7 days. Meanwhile, Elisabeth herself becomes more and more friendly with her Norwegian friend, Liv, the violinist. They both become drunk after an orchestra rehearsal, and they end up kissing.


Tonight, in this sixth episode, it's Good Friday, and Elisabeth finally has sex with Liv upstairs in the bedroom on hers, and John's, marital bed, while John is downstairs, overseeing an evening party he has organised for his staff in the parish office  "to improve morale". John's assistant, Svend, has complained that there is a bad atmosphere in the office because of Johannes's behaviour.

This is the point in the drama, where I start to get a little confused because of the sometimes sharp differences between British and Danish societies.

I can't imagine an Anglican archdeacon overseeing  a party for his staff on Good Friday in his house, where his staff have  too much to drink, start stripping off and frolicking in the garden, riding around naked on the ride-on lawnmower, accidentally setting fire to a large bush, etc.

And the weirdest thing is that Johannes just stands and stares at it all, as if he's in a trance.

But then, this is Denmark! I realise that the Danes think nothing of stripping off - Lois I have many times seen Danes bathing naked in the sea and in lakes, as we sat and watched them on beaches over there.

But exactly what is happening here in this drama? I am confused to put it mildly.




Johannes’s party at his house on Good Friday for his staff in the parish office.
The staff have too much to drink and strip off while Johannes just stands and watches.
My goodness, what a crazy world we live in !!!!

Also, during the evening, Johannes happens to walk up the bedroom while trying to catch an annoying wasp, and he sees his wife, Elisabeth, and her friend, Life, lying asleep naked face down opposite way up on the matrimonial bed. And again, Johannes just stands at the door of the bedroom and stares, as if he is in a trance – my god, what madness !!!!


Johannes stands and stares at his wife, Elisabeth, and her friend, Liv,
lying asleep naked on top of the matrimonial bed – my god, what madness!

By the way, it's very nice to see Johannes's two sons, Christian and August, singing one of my favourite songs, Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years".




21:00 Lois calls me. I drive over to Mari-Ann's house and pick her up. We come home - I go to bed, but Lois needs to relax and wind down before she goes to bed - the evening's seminar was very stimulating, it seems. She stays up and sees a little television. She doesn't wake me up when she hops into bed at 11 o'clock. Zzzzzzzzzzz !!!!

Danish translation

08:30 Den 5. marts – hvide tirsdag (pandekagedag), også var det for nøjagtig 8 år siden døde desværre min kære mor, på 91 år. Det er sikkert at sige, uden at prale af det, at min fødsel var en stor begivenhed i min mors liv: hun havde altid troet, at hun ville være barnløs, bare på grund af, at Hannah i bibelen var barnløs.


det første foto jeg har af min mor og mig selv, fra maj 1946,
da jeg kun var 2 mdr gammel. Jeg formoder, at dette var et tilfælde af
en utilsigtet dobbelteksponering, men effekten er ganske kunstnerisk,
synes jeg, som om min mor var ligesom i en drøm

Lois og jeg bliver liggende I sengen og tager et afslappet brusebad. ”Maygar” Mike kommer ikke i dag for at deltage i vores ugentlige ”ungarsktime”. Han ringede til mig i går og sagde, han havde meget ondt i ryggen, efter at han for nogle dage siden anstrengte sig lidt for meget under en omgang havearbejde.

Han sagde, han tilbragte størstedelen af weekenden i sengen, hvilket ikke ligner Mike – han er af natur en meget rasteløs mand, for at  sige mildt. Da Lois og jeg holdte en 3-ugers ferie i Ungarn sammen med Mike og Mary i 1998 og igen i 2003 (eller deromkring), plejede Lois og jeg at tilbringe efermiddagen i sengen på vores hotelværelse, mens Mike vandrede rundt i byerne: det så ud til, at Mike aldrig slappede af eller hvilede sig.


Tilbageblik til marts 1994: ”Magyar” Mike i lykkeligere tider,
sammen med vores ungarske ven, ingeniøren og akademikeren
dr. Bársony János (1938-2005), i det sydlige Ungar, ikke ret langt
fra den kroatiske grænse – den borgerlige krig hærgede stadig dengang


mig med János


Mike og jeg i gang med at fremvise vores brugte
”udmærket arbejder”-medaljer fra den kommunistiske æra.

Stakkels Mike!!!!!

10:00 Efter morgenmad går Lois og jeg i gang med at arbejde på vores seneste mini-downsize-projekt. Vores yngste datter, Sarah, der i december 2015 flyttede til Australien, med Francis og deres ynge tvillinger, efterlod en masse personlige ejendele under sin gamle dobbeltseng og i sin garderobe, og i sin søster Alisons garderobe. Du godeste, rent vanvid!

Vi går i gang i formiddag med at trække alle disse ejendele ud fra under seng og ud af garderoberne, og sortere dem: hvilke ting kan vi donere til velgørenhedsbutik, hvilke ting skal vi smide væk, og lignende.





12:30 Vi spiser frokost og bagefter går jeg i seng for at tage en gigantisk eftermiddagslur. Jeg står op kl 15 og hopper op på min kondicykel. Jeg cykler 6 miles (10 km).

15:45 15:45 Lois og jeg slapper af med en kop te i sofaen, og vi snakker lidt.

Lois har læst halvdelen af næste uges Radio Times-tidsskrift. Hun siger at britiske skuespillere nogle gange vinder oscarpriser på trods af, at favoritterne er amerikanere, fordi vælgerne opter for skuespillere, der adlyder visse regler for at vinde: dvs, at spille grimt, at spille med en accent, og at spille stort, så alle ved, at du spiller en rolle. Derfor, ifølge den amerikanske dj, Paul Gambaccini,  overgik Olivia Coleman favoritten Glenn Close , som årets bedste skuespillerinde.


Den britiske skuespiller Christian Bale adlød disse regler, siger Gambaccini, da han spillede Dick Cheney i ”Vice”, og i andre film i forrige år, også Daniel Day-Lewis, den eneste stjerne der har vundet bedste-skuespiller-prisen 3 gange.

Ikke desto mindre får disse britiske vinderes amerikanske rivaler latteren på deres side – mens briterne ”begraver sig selv i rollerne” og bliver ofte helt uigenkendelige, foretrækker de amerikanere  først og fremmest at blive genkendt, så derfor begrænser de viften af rollerne, de vælger, hvilket maksimerer deres popularitet ved billetkontoret, og samtidig maksmisere deres lønseddel.

Du godeste, sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!!!

17:30 Vi spiser aftensmad, lidt tidligere, end normalt, fordi Lois ønsker at deltage i sin sekts ugentlige bibelseminar, der finder sted i aften i byen Brockworths bibliotek.

I dag er pandekagedag, så derfor laver Lois pandekager, både til første og anden ret  - yum yum!

første ret (med thon og carbonara-sauce)...


...og desserten (med brun sukker og citromsaft). Yum yum !

18:30 Vi skal ud. Jeg kører Lois over til Mari-Anns hus. Mandy vil afhente Lois og kører hende over til Brockworth, sammen med seminarlederens projektor og de studerendes arbejdsbøger. Jeg sætter Lois af foran Mari-Ann og Alfs hus og kører hjem. Mari-Ann og Alf deltager ikke i aftenens seminar på grund af en familiekrise involverende Alfs bror Billy – lægerne har fundet en svulst, der sidder i væggen af Billys luftrør, og gennemfører en trakeotomi i dag, stakkels Billy, på Gloucester Royal Hospital.

Denne semesters seminarer handler om ”Evangelium i Esajas’ bog”, og aftenens emne er ”verden som den er, 2.Esajas 9, Messias, Esajas’ budskab til dig”.


et uddrag fra denne semesters skema

en scene fra et typisk nyligt seminar

19:30 Jeg har lidt alenetid og ser lidt fjernsyn. den 6. afsnit af af den danske dramaserie, ”Ride upon the Storm”, stjernespækket den berømte danske skuespiller Lars Mikkelsen, som Johannes, en provst med problemer – for at sige mildt. Først og fremmest en alkoholafhængighed.


Johannes er en førende ”provst” i Danmarks  lutheranske folkekirke, med andre ord en overordnet præst der på vegne af biskoppen fører tilsyn med præsterne i et provsti, dvs en gruppe sogne, der udgør del af et bispedømme .

Serien kredser om Johannes personlighed, som en meget dominerende figur, både i de kirker, han er ansvarlig for, og i sin egen familie. Han dominerer alting, og han har tendens til at have et raserianfald, når han ikke får sin vilje.

Han elsker sin kone (Elisabeth) og sine 2 sønner (Christian og August), men samtidig med, at han elsker dem, dominerer han og kvaser dem alle. Elisabeth, Christian og August er bange for ham, elsker ham og hader ham alt på samme tid – du godeste, sikke et vanvid!

Det kan jeg relatere til i vis grad – min far var en meget dominerende figur, da mine søskende og jeg voksede op. Men vi så ikke ret meget til ham på hverdage: han var besat af sit job som skolelærer og senere som skoleinspektør, og ofte arbejdede han længe. Han havde tendens til at have et raserianfladet fra tid til anden. Lørdag morgener var de værste, når han følte sig frusteret, og lod det gå ud over os alle.


Tilbageblik til sommeren 1946: jeg (på 5 mdr) sidder på min mors skød
ved siden af min far, på stranden i Bournemouth.


november 1946

Men undskyld, det var lidt af en sidespring! Tilbage til plottet!!!

Johannes  er giftet med Elisabeth, men han har også en elskerinde, Ursula, der er en af provstiets gravere. I seriens første afsnit så vi Johannes og Ursula have sex i Ursulas skur i kirkegården, hvor hun opbevarer sine spader og andet udstyr. Vi hører samtidigt uhyggelig baggrundmusik, mens parret går til den, som om Johannes er blevet besat af dvævelen – yikes!

Provsten Johannes har sex med en af provstiets gravere
inde i skuret i kirkegården, hvor hun opbevarer sine spader og andet udstyr

I det 4. afsnit opdager Elisabeth, at Johannes og Ursula har regelmæssig sex – Ursula har foræret Johannes en lille gave, med ordet ”kys” på emballagen og en lille seddel derinde, ”glæder mig til torsdag”.  Elisabeth opdager pakken i en af Johannes jakkelommer.  Hun konfrontere Johannes med pakken og insisterer på, at Johannes får Ursula flyttet til et andet provsti, og at Johannes fremover sover i sin studerekammer – hun vil aldrig sove med ham igen, siger hun.

I mellemtiden har Elisabeth inviteret sin norske veninde, Liv, en ung violinist, til at bo hos familien julen og nytåret over. Violinisten tror på en masse ”alternative” mediciner og ældgamle, naturalistiske lægemidler – og de to kvinder kommer i vane med at sidde på hug i baghaven for at tisse sammen og gøde jorden.

I det 5. afsnit truer Elisabeth med at forlade Johannes, hvis han ikke fyrer Ursula, sin elskerinde, indenfor de næste 7 dage. I mellemtiden bliver selve Elisabeth mere og mere venlig overfor sin norske veninde, Liv, violisten. De bliver begge to fulde efter en orkesterøvelse, og de ender med at kysse med hinanden.


I aften, i dette 6. afsnit, er det Langfredag, og omsider har Elisabeth sex med Liv oppe på soveværelset i sin og Johannes’ ægteskabelige seng, mens Johannes er nedenunder, i gang med at overvåge en aftenfest, han har organiseret til fordel for provstiets personale ”for at forhøjne moralen blandt dem”. Johannes’ assistent, Svend, har brokket sig, over at der er en dårlig stemning i kontoret på grund af Johannes’ opførsel.

Dette er punktet i dramaet, hvor jeg begynder at blive lidt forvirret på grund af de nogle gange skarpe forskeller mellem de britiske og de danske samfunder.

Jeg kan ikke forstille mig en anglikansk ærkediakon, der overvåger en aftenfest på Langfredag i sit hus, hvor hans personale får for meget at drikke, starte at smide tøjet og boltrer sig i haven, ridende rundt nøgne på ærkediakons ride-on græsslåmaskine, og ved en fejltagelse sætter ild til en stor buske osv.

Og det underligste er, at Johannes bare står og kigger på det, som om han er i en trance.

Jeg forstår, at danskerne ikke regner for at smide tøjet – Lois har jeg har mange gange set dem svømme nøgne i vandet, når vi har siddet og kigget på strande derovre.

Men præcis hvad sker der her i dramaet?  Jeg er forvirret, for at sige mildt.





Johannes’ aftenfest på Langfredag til fordele for sine personaler i sognets kontor.
Personalet får for meget at drikke og smider tøjet, mens han står og stirrrer.
Du godeste, sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!!!

Også i løbet af aftenen kommer Johannes til at gå et smut op på soveværelset på jagt efter en irriterende hveps, og han ser sin kone, Elisabeth, og hendes veninde, Liv, ligge og sove nøgne på maven side om side ovenpå den ægteskabelige seng. Og igen står Johannes og stirrer bare, ved døren til soveværelset, som om han er i en trance  – du godeste, sikke et vanvid!!!!


Johannes står og stirrer på sin kone, Elisabeth, og hendes veninde, Liv,
der ligger og sover nøgne ovenpå den ægteskabelige seng – du godeste, sikke et vanvid!

Det er for øvrigt meget rart at se Johannes’ to sønner, Christian og August, singe en af mine yndlingssange, Paul Simons ”Still Crazy After All These Years”.




21:00 Lois ringer til mig. Jeg kører over til Mari-Anns hus og afhenter hende. Vi kommer hjem – jeg går i seng, men Lois trænger til at slappe af og geare ned før hun går i seng – aftenens seminar var meget stimulerende, lader det til. Hun bliver oppe og ser lidt fjernsyn. Hun vækker mig ikke, da hun kl 23 hopper op i sengen til mig. Zzzzzzzzzzz!!!!


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