Danskcolin: Wednesday December 8th 2021

I sit on the couch with Lois at 4 pm and we drink our TeaPig Extra-Strong Earl Grey tea and think back over the day so far.

What have we achieved? Well, we had our twice-weekly shower, postponed from Monday, and after we tumbled out of that, I was hoping for a quiet day, but Lois, bless her heart, asked if we can visit poor Ursula, an elderly member of her sect, who's pretty much confined to her chair all day. At least from her chair she has a good view of the massive TV screen that her late husband Michael originally installed to watch soccer matches - this TV is more or less switched on all day, unsurprisingly.

the scene in Ursula's living-room this morning

Ursula has an East European carer who comes in four times a day to heat up her meals and help her on to her commode, that kind of thing. And Ursula also has a "befriender", Janice, a local volunteer, who comes in most mornings and does other helpful things around the house. Ursula also has a son and a daughter, but they're working and can only visit at weekends.

Not surprisingly Ursula hasn't got much up-to-date news to report to us. It's a bit like our conversations with our own children - they ask us what we've been doing, and we say "Not much!", but at least we've always got a little bit of news for them, because unlike poor Ursula we aren't confined to a chair. But it's just a question of degree, really, between us and Ursula. Oh dear!

We don't really get out that much, to be honest.

a typical monthly entry in our Google travel report -

Google likes to keep tabs on us, because we're one of their best customers haha!

(It's a Tale of Two Cities, or more accurately a tale of one town and one village

- Cheltenham and Churchdown)

It's typically generous-spirited of Lois, however, to think of Ursula and to make sure that we pop over to see her now and again - the journey is about 10 miles and takes just over half an hour, so not too bad.

our route to Ursula's house: we take the more southerly 33 minute 9.8 mile option

in case you're interested haha - it's the least annoying of the 3 routes showcased

Makes sense to me !!!!!

Lois is pretty much the only sect member who visits Ursula these days. Lois thinks that the other local members of the sect have tended to forget about Ursula recently. They used to be reminded about Ursula's existence every Sunday during the height of the lockdowns, because Ursula was helped by her son and daughter to take part in the Sunday meetings, which were on zoom, and so Ursula's face often appeared in a square on the zoom display, or at least they heard her voice occasionally.

Now, however, most sect members are meeting in person for the two Sunday meetings at the Ashchurch Village Hall near Tewkesbury, and, since then, Ursula has dropped a little bit "beneath the radar", which is a pity.

flashback to October: Lois showcases the Ashchurch Village Hall,

where her sect holds its Sunday meetings

12:00 We beat a hasty retreat when Ursula's East European carer arrives - the carer's first job is to help Ursula onto her commode, and understandably Ursula doesn't want a couple of additional spectators for that ritual - my god, I don't blame her. I wouldn't want that either if it was me, that's for sure !!!!

20:00 After an afternoon wasted in bed followed by a nice dinner, I settle down on the couch, while Lois disappears into the dining-room to take part in her sect's weekly Bible Class on zoom.

I decide to watch a retrospective on the life and career of comic actor Kenneth Williams, on the Sky Arts channel. It's getting more and more difficult for me to find programmes that Lois wouldn't like, that I can watch while she's busy - damn! We're getting too alike, that's for sure!

Kenneth is perhaps best known today for his roles in the "Carry On.." series of comedy movies.

Kenneth Williams, as Julius Caesar, delivering his iconic line

"Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in-for-me!"

Who knew that Kenneth was sometimes a bit political, and occasionally took part in demos in the 1970's? I certainly didn't know. And tonight we see a picture of him at an anti-apartheid march, which is unexpected.

Comic actor Kenneth Williams (second from right)

at an anti-apartheid demo

And who knew that Ken was into DIY before he became really famous? The programme speculates, however, that, as a young gay man in a working-class family, he was mainly trying to impress his father that he wasn't just a "ponce"? But we shall never know!

The interest in DIY work are evident from Ken's diaries dating from the time before he became a big star, in the early 1950's. I scan the diaries as best I can - he wrote his diary up every day, just like I do with my blog. Perhaps there are things I can learn from his style? Well, we'll see!

Ken saw "Halls of Montezuma"...and painted his dad's sign...

...he varnished chairs, moved his parents' bedroom up to 2nd floor,

moved his own to 1st floor...

...he fixed on new door-handles, and put a lock on his wardrobe...

...he decorated a bedroom for his mum, and laid down 25 yards

of new stair carpet...

... his friend, comedian Stanley Baxter came round,

and Kenny did his hair for him (that day was a bit 'poncy' admittedly haha!!!)

21:00 Lois emerges from her zoom session and we settle down together to watch the second programme in the new series of "Amazing Hotels: Life beyond the Lobby", presented by chef Monica Galetti and food critic Giles Coren. Tonight they're at the Reid's Palace Hotel on the island of Madeira.

the Hotel Reid's Palace on approach from the sea

Presenters Giles and Monica take a turn at trying to do the work that the staff do, as always.

They prepare a "romantic" picnic on the grass for two men,

staff prepare a "romantic" picnic for these two men,

all laid out on the grass by the hotel....

And later, staff take a honeymoon couple up to the tops of the mountains to see the sun rise. The clouds, at 1500 feet, were below the couple, who were at 1800 feet, so they were able to see the sun emerge from what looked like a sea of clouds. After that, staff serve the couple a luxury breakfast high up in the middle of nowhere. Nice !

The only thing Lois and I thought was, isn't it more romantic, or impressive, or memorable, to organise these things for yourselves, rather than have hotel staff drive you around and wait on you? We don't know, but we think we should be told.

The only time I ever got up to see the sun rise was during my student year in Japan, in 1971. Four of us were staying in one room at a traditional Japanese inn on Mt Mitsutoge, the mountain next to Mt Fuji: there was me, an American called Kathy, and two Japanese. The Japanese pair didn't want to get up - they'd seen it all before, but Kathy and I got out of bed at 5 am, and walked through the woods to see the sun rise over Mt. Fuji. It was our only chance, so we thought we'd go for it.