Monday August 2nd 2021

09:00 Today starts badly for Lois and me. As usual on a Monday, just because we haven't got any appointments we spend far too long in the shower. What madness!!!! Before we know it half the morning has gone - oh dear!

While we're in the shower, I suddenly remember that Lynda's U3A Middle English group is holding its monthly meeting this coming Friday, and that I haven't done any preparation for it yet. Damn!

We're going to be reading the 15th century "Book of Margery Kempe".

One bright spot - it says at the start of the text that it's a "short and comfortable treatise for sinful wretches" - I like the "short" aspect, in particular, so hopefully I'll somehow have time this week to look at it. But what madness  - some people seem to think us retired folks have all the time in the world!!!! [Why did you spend so long in the shower then? - Ed]

11:00 Lois wants to visit her friend and fellow sect-member Ursula, who's in the local hospital. Most days Ursula gets visit from her daughter or son, but Lois is one of the world's kindest souls and she wants to give the daughter and son a day off, by visiting Ursula herself today. 

We've sort of started being more adventurous lately so I suppose it's going to be all right, despite the pandemic. I'd have preferred that she didn't do it, but I recognise Lois's unquenchable desire to help out, which I benefit myself from personally quite a lot I have to say! 

Lois wants to show Ursula some pictures, including this picture below of her sect's members meeting for Sunday worship in the flesh for the first time for over a year. These are the bold ones, including, I believe, some who are anti-vaxxers, who, needless to say are the boldest of all. Oh dear (again)! How can the anti-vaxxers sleep at night, that's what I want to know!

Lois's cousin Iris lives in a care home up north. COVID got into the home because three of the home's young care-workers who hadn't bothered to get vaccinated, two weeks ago spent Friday evening in a night-club, and it wasn't for 2 or 3 days that they were tested and found to be infected. Three or four of the elderly residents died as a result!

the bolder sect-members, who are now meeting in the flesh, socially distanced and sitting each with their nominated "buddy" - the less bold ones are taking part online using zoom

I make an attempt to print out the pictures that Lois wants to give to Ursula, but unfortunately both our cartridges (colour and black-and-white) are more or less empty. I ordered some new ones a couple of days ago, but I don't think they're coming till tomorrow, which is a pity.

14:45 We venture out in the car and park in the Lido Car Park. I'm feeling bold so I actually touch the parking ticket machine with my bare hands - I've got some hand gel in the car, and for once the credit card option on the machine works without any problems. I buy an hour's parking for £2, and Lois goes into the hospital to find Ursula's ward, while I go looking for the hand gel.

I sit in the car while Lois goes into the hospital to talk to Ursula.

Behind me, the ticket machine is visible with 2 women waiting to use it.

it's nice to see happy families, including grandparents, with excited younger children 

going in and out of the lido (left) - it's almost like normal life is returning at last!

at last Lois emerges from the hospital and we drive home

I use the time productively while I'm waiting in the car. I sort out the car's clock, which has been on GMT since winter 2019/2020. I work out how to put it onto British Summer Time, which is nice!

I work out how to use the car radio and CD player, which I haven't used for months. We lost the pin number, but when we took the car in to the Honda dealership a week or so ago, I got them to look it up and set it up for me. 

Also this afternoon I experiment and I find the only station we can pick up in Cheltenham that plays music for old codgers, the so-called "Smooth Radio" - hurrah!

It's a good job I'm so capable, technologically speaking haha!

What a day!

19:30 Lois disappears into the dining-room to take part in her sect's weekly Bible Seminar. I settle down on the couch and watch Episode 7 of the 10-part third season of the Danish crime series "The Killing", which Lois doesn't like.

Where are we now with this 3rd season of "The Killing"? I try and remember what happened last time and keep it in my mind, despite all the dark scenes (literally haha!) where you can't see a thing - my god!

Emilie, the young daughter of shipping magnate Robert Zeuthen has been kidnapped by a man with a grudge against Zeuthen and/or his company. However it becomes clear tonight that the kidnapper is specifically angry about an earlier case involving his own daughter, Louise, who was murdered but the prosecution brought in a verdict of suicide because of political pressure of some sort. Simples haha!!!!

So we know that one or other politician involved in the current election has got a guilty past, but who? 

The usual political horse-trading is going on as the election campaigns hots up. Prime Minister Kristian Kamper and Centre Party Leader Rosa Lebech continue their canoodling and their sparring -  if things are going all right for them in bed, their parties are "in alliance". But when they start fighting, the so-called "alliance" gets dropped. That's coalition politics for you, and the Danes do it so well !!!!

In Danish elections no single party ever has a majority on its own - they always have to combine with other parties to form a government.

Late one evening Rosa visits Kristian in his office and makes a plea to revive the alliance between their two parties.

Then she takes her top off for him and suddenly they're at it on top of his desk, and "The Alliance" between their two parties is in business again.

That's how you do "coalition politics", and the Danes have had more practice in that than anyone haha!

21:00 Lois emerges from her seminar and we watch one of our favourite TV quizzes, "Only Connect", which tests lateral thinking.

Oh dear, Lois and I don't do very well tonight as regards getting answers that the teams don't get. In our defence I would say that one of the two teams, the Golfers, performs absolutely brilliantly, and we wouldn't be surprised if they go on to win the entire competition.

[How many more times do you think you're going to be able to make that excuse? - Ed]

This was an interesting question - finding the connection between these four seemingly unconnected clues.

It turns out that these were the dates that some or all women in those countries were first allowed to vote. For New Zealand it was all adult women, in the USA it was white women only, and for the UK it was women aged 30 or above who met certain property qualifications - my god! 

The Hawaiian case was a bit of a blip - when their constitution was brought in in 1840, the Hawaiians didn't notice to start with, that they hadn't banned women from voting. They finally recognised this "omission" and some years later they removed women's right to vote - so that was all right then haha!

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