09:15 We drive over to
Gloucester's authorised Honda dealership (Blade Honda) to have a modified airbag
inflator installed as part of a huge project involving a lot of Honda models
(2011-2015), including my Honda Jazz. I got a letter from them about the
problem a month ago. It is a little annoying to put it mildly - it takes 30
minutes to drive over there, with a one hour wait while they fix it, and this is not the first time - they asked us to do
something similar almost 2 years ago - damn!
We have a few words with the
receptionist at the counter, give her the car key and sit down in the dealership’s
customer area and have a free cup of coffee or three. I read the next 10 pages of my
bedtime book, Ben Elton's "Two Brothers" (Danish version).
Part of Blade-Honda's customer area: in
the background we see
the receptionist at the counter talking
to a young customer
We sit and drink a cup of coffee or three,
while
our shiny new airbag inflator is being installed
We start chatting to another
customer who has a strange problem with his Honda Civic. The car's computer
flashes confusing and random (and incorrect) messages on to the dashboard's screen, a bit annoying, to put it mildly.
The man says he was driving up
the M1 motorway through Northamptonshire,
Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, etc. when a warning popped up on his screen – “you
have completely flat tyres”! Yikes! He stopped at the first Motorway Services
he came to, but of course, as anticipated, there was no problem at all with his tyres.
My goodness - what a crazy world
we live in !!!! There were no such problems in the good old days, when cars
were cars, and not just computers on wheels - that’s something I know for sure!
a typical misleading message from a car's faulty computer screen
10:45 The work on the car is
finished and the receptionist gives us the car key back and we drive out. We
think Honda has certainly made a success out of optimising their customer service – it’s
great now. The customer only interacts with the receptionist, and the
receptionist interacts with the car mechanics on our behalf, which in my
opinion is the perfect solution - the process is incredibly efficient and
seamless. Hooray!
Unfortunately, however, the
mechanic found a problem today with the car's brakes: uneven wear on rear brake
pads - damn! I need to call them tomorrow and arrange another appointment so
they can fix the problem. I hope this is not just a false joke-message that the
car's computer has flashed up – good grief!
11:00 We drive home. On the way
we swing by the Court Farm farm-shop, to buy plants, as well as vegetables and fruit. A sign in front of the shop’s entrance announces that "the piglets"
have arrived. The sign invites customers to go behind the shop and greet
"Blossom" and her new piglets in the barn. But unfortunately, Lois
and I are a bit short of time, so we have to miss out on this opportunity -
damn (again). Next time perhaps !!!
Unfortunately, we have to miss out on the
opportunity to greet
"Blossom"
and her little piglets - damn!
12:00 We have lunch and
afterwards I go to bed and take a gigantic afternoon nap. I get up at 3 pm and
I find that Lois is doing more genealogical research on my behalf. In addition,
my cousins Martyn in Devon and Richard in Dublin, Ireland, have today written
emails to me on the subject.
My goodness! I gave up my own
research 12 years ago after I had found out everything I wanted to know about
my Welsh mother's ancestors - in a nutshell, my grandmother's family were inn-keepers and hoteliers, and my grandfather's family were printers and
journalists, and suchlike. Although the two families lived in the same town
(Bridgend), it was also interesting to me that my grandmother's family were completely bilingual
(in English and Welsh), while my grandfather's family only spoke English, for some
reason.
I have had no strong desire to
find out any more about these forebears of mine, but now it seems like I am
gradually being sucked into it all over again - it’s a bit like being pulled into a black hole - if you get this message, please send help ha ha ha!
My grandmother's family once
owned a small hotel that was not far from the sea in the small harbour town of
Southerndown in Glamorganshire, South Wales. They bought the hotel in the mid-19th century, and sold it again by auction in 1909. For my mother, this hotel
was a symbol of the family's lost wealth and status, and one of her most treasured
possessions was a pink teapot, with a picture of the hotel on the side - a
teapot that was used in the hotel in the good old days when the family was “well-to-do”
– sob sob!
my mother’s much-prized teapot from the Marine
Hotel, Southerndown -
the establishment that her family owned
in the 19th century
The building continued to operate
as a hotel until the 1950’s, when it was converted into a nursing home for
blind children. My cousin Martyn has today sent me details of a YouTube Pathé
News video showing Princess Margaret opening her nursing home officially, which
is interesting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRqiSuS6urs&fbclid=IwAR25DHzDhZSE9l-Zsm4qMupWSKUHZbz3msjMdLbzirW7uebGjGJ4YL4tObk.
Princess Margaret
officially opens the nursing home in the 1950’s
Flashback to the
early 1890’s - my grandmother's grandmother, Jane Howells
(née Jane Jenkins) 1814-1893, second
from the right, dressed in black,
standing in front of the Marine Hotel,
Southerndown, which she owned.
Jane's son-in-law, Richard Davies, the
hotel manager, is standing at the entrance
Flashback to 1853: a picture of the
hotel, when it was newly built,
from an issue of the "The
Builder" magazine dating back to
when the construction was almost
finished (artist's impression(.
Meanwhile, Lois is sitting at the
computer trying to find out more about a certain Hannah Evans (1873-1902, or so)
who had the same name as my mother.
It's hard to believe, but my
mother, who was born in 1919, was, as a child, always very embarrassed about her
first name "Hannah", which apparently became very uncommon in the
1920’s - it had gone out of fashion and my mother was teased about it in elementary
school, which is a bit of a shame to put it mildly.
My mother used to tell me that
the knowledge that there was once this other "Hannah Evans" gave her
the courage to face down the schoolyard bullies.
This "earlier" Hannah
Evans was one of her father's close friends in his teenage years, and was the reason
my grandfather gave my mother the first name Hannah. This "earlier"
Hannah died young at age 29 after a mysterious brief illness - Lois will try to
get hold of her death certificate.
This Hannah was featured in the 1901 Census,
a few months before her death: her job was listed as a "housekeeper"
and her place of residence given as Neath, Glamorganshire.
the "original" or "earlier" Hannah Evans in the 1901 census
How fascinating !!!!
18:00 Lois and I have dinner and
spend the rest of the evening watching a bit of television, a fun episode of
the sitcom "Not Going Out".
An interesting episode where Lee
(Lee Mack) and his wife Lucy (Sally Britton) spend the entire 30 minutes on the
sofa in front of the television in their living room. The couple's conversation
reflects many of the conversations that Lois and I have on the couch, in which
we speculate about whether we are already suffering from early-onset dementia,
and where we are constantly trying to recall the name of some actor, TV host or
celebrity.
In the sitcom, Lee also begins to
wonder if he is suffering from early-onset dementia, and his wife Lucy tries to reassure
him. But Lee refuses to be reassured and accuses Lucy of just humouring him. He
says that for all he knows she could be his granddaughter, masquerading as his
wife, until she reminds him about what they were doing last night.
Interestingly, the sitcom is
based around two married couples, Lee and Lucy, and their friends, Toby and
Anna. Lee and Lucy are constantly at loggerheads and yelling at each other, and
it’s the same with the other couple, Toby and Anna. The humour of the show
revolves around both couples' constant bickering and snide comments to each other.
Lois always says that although
the show is funny, it features so much constant marital fighting, screaming, yelling
and general marital conflict of one kind or another, that she finds it impossible to
imagine either Lee and Lucy or Toby and Anna having sex. And I have to give her
that - she has a point there.
She says the problem didn’t arise
with Basil and Sybil in Fawlty Towers, because it was obvious the couple “didn’t
go there”.
I comment that you never see
sitcoms with the opposite problem – a couple who are not interested in having
sex, but who don’t fight either. I speculate that there could be a gap in the
market there, but Lois thinks it might be too bland, so the jury’s still out on
that one.
Damn! Back to the drawing board ha ha!
22:00 We go to bed - zzzzzzz !!!!
Danish translation
09:15 Vi kører over til byen Gloucesters autoriserede Honda-forhandler (Blade Honda), så de kan
installere et modificeret airbag inflator (opblæsningsapparat), som en del af
et enormt projekt involverende en masse Honda-modeller (2011-2015), inklusive
min Honda Jazz. Jeg modtog et brev om problemet for en måned siden. Det er lidt
irriterende, for at sige mildt – det tager 30 minutter at køre derudover, og
dette er ikke den første gang – de bad os om at gøre noget lignende for næsten
2 år siden – pokkers!
et
uddrag fra Hondas brev
Vi taler et
par ord til receptionisten på skranken, giver hende bilnøglen og sætter os i
forhandlerens kunde-område og drikker en
kop kaffe. Jeg læser de næste 10 sider af min sengetidbog, Ben Eltons ”To
brødre” (danske version).
En
del af Blade-Hondas kunde-område: i baggrunden ser vi
receptionisten ved skranken
tale med en ung kunde
Vi
sidder og drikker en kop kaffe mens vores spritnye airbag inflator bliver
installeret
Vi falder i
snak med en anden kunde, der har et mærkeligt problem med sin Honda Civic.
Bilens computer flasher forvirrende og tilfældige (og ukorrekte) beskeder op på skærmen, hvilket
var irriterende for at sige mildt.
Han siger, han
var ude at køre langs M1-motorvejen gennem grevskaber Northamptonshire,
Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire osv, da en advarsel poppede op på skærmen – du
har et 100% fladt dæk! Yikes! Han stoppede i den første rasteplads, han kom
til, men selvfølgelig, som forventet, var der ikke noget problem med hans dæk.
Du godeste –
sikke en skør verden vi lever i !!!! Der var ikke sådanne problemer i de gode
gamle dage – det ved jeg med sikkerhed.
en typisk falsk besked fra din bils computer
09:00 Arbejdet
på bilen er færdig og receptionisten giver os bilnøglen tilbage, og vi kører
ud. Vi synes, at det er lykkedes Honda at optimisere deres kundeservice - det er udmærket. Kunden interagerer kun med
receptionisten, og receptionisten interagerer med bilmekanikerne på vores
vegne, hvilket efter min mening er den perfekte løsning – processen er utroligt
effektiv og sømløs. Hurra!
Men desværre
har mekanikeren også fundet et problem med bilens bremser: ujævnt slid på
bagbremseklodser - pokkers! Jeg behøver at ringe dem i morgen og arrangerer
endnu en tid, så de kan fikse problemet.
Jeg håber på, at dette ikke er endnu et falsk besked, som bilens
computer har flashet op – du godeste!
11:00 Vi kører hjem. På vej
smutter vi ind i Court Farm-gårdbutik, for at købe planter, samt grøntsager,
frugt. Et skilt foran butikkens indgang offentliggør, at ”de små griser” er
ankommet. Skiltet indbyder kunder til at gå bag butikken og hilse ”Blossom” og
hendes ”børn”. Men desværre er Lois og jeg ved at løbe lidt tør for tid, så
denne mulighed må vi desværre gå glip af – pokkers (igen) !!!
Desværre må vi gå glip af muligheden for
at hilse
”Blossom” og hendes små griser – pokkers!
12:00 Vi spiser frokost og
bagefter går jeg i seng for at tage en gigantisk eftermiddagslur. Jeg står op
kl 15, og jeg opdager at Lois er i gang med at gøre endnu mere genealogisk
forskning på min vegne. Derudover har mine fætre Martyn i Devon og Richard i
Dublin, Irland, i dag skrevet emails til mig om emnet.
Du godeste! Jeg opgav min
egen forskning for 12 år siden, efter jeg havde fundet ud af alt, hvad jeg
ønskede at vide om min walesiske mors forfædre – i en nødderskal var min
mormors familie kroværter og min farmors familie trykkere og journalister, og
den slags. Selvom de to familier boede i samme byen (Bridgend) var det også
interessant for mit vedkommende, at min mormors familie var tosproget (engelsk
og walesisk), mens min farmors familie talte kun engelsk, af en eller anden
grund.
Jeg har haft ikke lyst til
at finde mere ud af om disse forfædre, men nu ser det ud som om, jeg efterhånden
bliver suget ned i det hele igen, hvilket føles som at blive suget ned i et
sort hul – hvis du modtager denne besked, send venligst hjælp ha ha ha!
Min mormors
familie ejede engang en lille hotel, der stod ikke ret langt fra havet i den
lille havneby Southerndown. De købte hotellet midt i 1800-tallene, og solgte
det igen på auktion i 1909. For min mors vedkommende var dette hotel et symbol
af familiens forsvunde rigdom og status, og en af hendes mest værdsatte ejendele var en lyserød tekanne, med et
billede af hotellet på siden – en tekanne, der blev brugt i hotellet i de gode
gamle dage, da familien var velhavende – hulk hulk!
Bygningen
fortsatte med at blive drevet som et hotel helt op indtil 1950’erne, da det
blev omdannet til et plejehjem til blinde børn. Min fætter Martyn har i dag
sendt mig detaljer om en YouTube Pathé News video, der viser prinsesse Margaret
i gang med at åbne plejehjem officielt, hvilket er interessant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRqiSuS6urs&fbclid=IwAR25DHzDhZSE9l-Zsm4qMupWSKUHZbz3msjMdLbzirW7uebGjGJ4YL4tObk.
Prinsesse Margaret åbner plejehjemmet officielt i 1950’erne
Tilbageblik til først i
1890’erne – min mormors farmor,
Jane Howells
(født Jane
Jenkins) 1814-1893, nr 2 fra højre, klædt i sort,
foran Marine
Hotel, Southerndown, som hun ejede.
Janes svigersøn, Richard Davies, hotellets
manager, står ved indgangen
Tilbageblik til 1853: hotellet, da det var
nybygget, fra en udgave af ”The Builder”-tidsskriftet,
der daterer til dengang konstruktionen var ved at
blive fuldført .
I mellemtiden
sidder Lois med computeren i gang med at finde mere ud af om en vis Hannah
Evans (1873-1902 eller deromkring), der havde samme navn som min mor. Det er
svært at tro, men min mor, der var født i 1919, var som barn altid meget pinlig
over sit fornavn ”Hannah”, som tilsyneladende var blevet meget usædvanligt i
1920’erne – det var gået ud af mode, og min mor blev drillet i folkeskole over
det, hvilket er lidt af en skam for at sige mildt.
Min mor plejede at fortælle
mig, at den viden, at der engang levede denne anden ”Hannah Evans”, gav hende
mod til at se de skolegårdbøller i øjnene. Den her ”oprindelige” Hannah Evans
var en af hendes fars ven i hans teenage-år, og var grunden af, at min morfar
gav min mor fornavnet Hannah. Den ”oprindelige” Hannah døde ung på 29 år
efter en kort mysteriøs sygdom – Lois vil prøve at få fat på hendes dødsattest.
Denne Hannah blev omtalt i
1901-folketællingen, nogle måneder før sin død, og hendes arbejde var listet
som ”husholderske” og sit bosted listet som Neath, Glamorganshire.
den ”oprindelige” Hannah Evans i
1901-folketællingen
Fascinerende!!!!
18:00 Lois og jeg spiser aftensmad og bruger resten af aftenen på at se
lidt fjernsyn, et morsomt afsnit af sitcommen ”Not Going Out”.
Et interessant afsnit, hvor Lee (Lee Mack) og hans kone Lucy (Sally
Britton) tilbringer hele 30-minutterne i sofaen foran fjernsynet i deres stue.
Parrets samtale genspejler mange af de samtaler, Lois og jeg har i sofaen, hvor
vi spekulerer på, om vi allerede lider af tidlig begyndende demens, og hvor vi
prøver at mindes om navnet af en eller anden skuespiller, tv-vært eller kendis.
I sitcommen begynder Lee at spekulere på, om han allerede lider af
tidlig begyndende demens og Lucy prøver at berolige ham. Men Lee nægter at
blive beroliget, og beskylder Lucy for at prøve at trøste ham bare. Han
spekulerer på, om hun i virkeligheden er hans datterdatter, der lader som om
hun er hans kone, og hun minder ham om dét, de i går nat gjorde sammen.
Det lader til, at parret i går nat blev ”kærlige”. Det er interessant,
at sitcommen er baseret omkring to ægtepar, Lee og Lucy, og deres venner, Toby
og Anna. Lee er konstant i totterne på hinanden, og det er det samme med det
andet par, Toby og Anna. Showets humor kredser om begge pars konstant skænderier.
Lois siger altid, at der er så meget konstant ægteskabeligt skænderi,
råben og konflikt af en eller anden type, at hun finder det umuligt at
forestille sig enten Lee og Lucy eller Toby og Anna i gang med at have sex. Og
det giver jeg hende ret i - hun har en punkt der uden tvivl.
22:00 Vi går i seng – zzzzzzz!!!!
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