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!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment