I always make a point of keeping up with the Danish news. Don't you? And particularly so in my case, because our daughter Alison and her family spent 7 years living over there in the Copenhagen suburb of Gentofte 2012-2018, and Lois and I flew over there several times to see them all.
And I can tell from the local Gentofte news that a modest level of excitement is mounting there ahead of Sunday's what-the-Danes-call, in their matter-of-fact way, the "change of throne", i.e. literally the "throne-shift" (Danish: tron-skifte), as the current Crown Prince becomes King Frederik, following his mother's abdication a few weeks ago.
It's all so very low-key, though, isn't it, compared to all the kerfuffle there is in the UK - no processions through the streets, people including Americans, Australians, Canadians etc spending the previous night in sleeping-bags on the pavements to get a good view in the morning, no crowning ceremony in a great cavernous abbey, rituals some of which go back to King Solomon in the Old Testament and all that sort of malarkey, ending with RAF Red Arrows Squadron flying in close formation and thundering over the palace with their red, white and blue jet-trails coming behind them over the cheering crowds.
I think that in Copenhagen on Sunday there's just going to be an appearance on the palace balcony, and that's about it.
And in this low-key notice (above) on page 96 of the online Gentofte News, readers are advised not to go into Copenhagen to see the event because of the cold weather, and advertising the fact that they can see the brief balcony appearance in the warmth of their sitting-rooms on their own TVs, or on the big screen at the local cinema, Moviehouse Hellerup, starting at 1pm local time (12 noon GMT).
As an extra attraction, the local Conservative Party mayor, Michael Fenger has promised to give a speech at the movie-house - but I should have thought that that would be just the thing to keep the punters away, wouldn't you? But maybe that was the idea. Perhaps we should be told.
But what madness !!!!
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11:00 Lois and I suddenly remember that our daughter Sarah and her 10-year-old twins are coming to stay the weekend tomorrow morning, so we dash out to Warner's Supermarket at Upton-on-Severn, or Upton-under-Severn as I call it, stock up with Cheerios and milk and a bunch of other things.
The supermarket has recently re-opened after the latest floods kept it shut for a whole week. This morning the "checkout chick", as they call them in Australia, is complaining to us about the lost wages, and we sympathise.
What a crazy planet we live on !!!!
14:30 The monthly meeting of our local U3A Making of English group takes place on zoom, which is nice.
Unfortunately, under the facade of learned discussions about the history of the English language from its earliest beginnings 6,000 years ago on the Russian Steppes, right up to the time of Shakespeare, there's an unspoken "game of chess" going on during these group zoom sessions, as members all try to avoid volunteering to become the group's new leader, following Lynda's shock resignation from the post last year.
So we'll see. Watch this space - i.e. the space left by Lynda haha!
So far members have all been trying to look helpful by volunteering to do some of the minor tasks of group leader. I, for example, have volunteered to be the person who announces, at 4pm, that it's time to end the meeting, so we can all go away, "put the kettle on" and enjoy a relaxing cup of Earl Grey Tea, or "do whatever it is that turns you on", as I tactfully put it. Or "Go and see a man about a dog!" - that's another one, isn't it!
It's a relatively light function on the list of group-leader's duties, many of which are quite onerous, so I think I'll be fairly safe with that. And what's more, I feel very satisfied to have "bagged" this particular job before anybody else has had the chance to.
Nice one!!!!
21:00 Tired after our labours of getting ready today for Sarah and the twins' arrival early tomorrow, Lois and I collapse on the couch and watch tonight's edition of "QI", the comedy quiz show, hosted by the UK's favourite "tame Dane", Sandi Toksvig.
Poor Victoria!!!!
Who knew that "Dundee United" or sometimes simply "Dundee" was Nigerian slang for "an idiot". Not Lois and me, that's for sure! It's been around as an expression there for about 30 years, after
Apparently the Scottish soccer team of that name did a tour of West Africa in 1972, playing local teams, and it was a complete disaster, Nabil says. In Nigeria, they lost 4-1 to a team called Stationery Stores Football Club.
Poor Dundee United !!!!! [That's enough insincere sympathy! - Ed]
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