"Sweet Sue"

Sue's birthday

That's Doug and Norman both Swingers! We had a get-together, last night. Listened to Nat and drank wine. Ep had been working all day, and I 'd had a leaving do at 80 Highbury New Park.
This morning, after work, I've been putting off packing (I must get down to it). We were going to get a taxi out to Tottenham Hale, then catch a train. But when I phoned for a taxi, she said the whole trip to Stanstead would be only £30. Since the train is £45 return for the two of us, it seems better doing it both ways by taxi. She assures me that they'll be waiting for us when we arrive.
Garden's looking beautiful! Frogs in the pond are the centre of interest for the cats.
We'll be in Denmark until Easter Saturday. Hope to have lots of photos and stories for you (aren't you lucky!) .

Stefan and Ann-Marie

At Ann-Marie & Stefan's

Wonderful Copenhagen!

Stefan and Ann-Marie put us up. This is outside the house in Lyngby, just outside the city. We stayed there over the weekend. It's a new house, owned by the university where Stefan does research into antibiotics and sulpha drugs. Ann-Marie is a psychotherapist. They come originally from Sweden, but have lived many years in Israel. Ep first met Ann-Marie, when they spent a "glorious year" at the Laban Studio, in Surrey, back in the early seventies.
That was our first experience of a Danish house. It is warm and light, with huge windows facing south-west.
We had left on the Thursday, the very day that the weather, in England, had changed from freezing to balmy. Going to Denmark was like returning to the frozen wastes from which we had just escaped. The day after our arrival, we took the train down town for a stroll along the Stroget; it was freezing, with a biting breeze. I wondered to myself how we'd survive 9 days of sight-seeing, in a city which is small enough to see in one day, what could possibly keep the mind occupied as a diversion from a shivering body?
Our first attempt was the Post Office Museum. For a start, like every other inside space, it was toasty. We could slough off layers and walk around, light and unencumbered. It proved more than a mere diversion, seeding our thoughts with models, gadgets and books of black and white photos. There were postmen on bikes, men up telegraph poles, women in drawing rooms with domestic telephone exchanges. They were mostly in uniform, proud to be at the cutting edge of technological advance. Some of the photos were of that very building. On the way back, as we came out of Lyngby Station, there was an accordianist busker, so we could dance a milonga and warm ourselves up. We discovered "Magasin du Nord" and the famous Lyngby Mall, which we never got round to fully exploring.

is it Hellerup or Hillerod?

Do you know the way to Koje Taastrup?

Trains are frequent and on time in Denmark, they are also warm and clean. However they are expensive and have many inspectors who speak good English and are not impressed with the appeal of ignorance. Danes are law-abiding and respectful of authority; they are like big brothers or sisters.
The people were, as you'd expect, less cosmopolitan than London, but we were surprised at the number of Muslims. Hardly any Africans, the couple we did see were apprehended by a big Olga of and inspector, who wasn't frightened of being non-pc. Curiously, it was an onlooker who spoke up for them, and the rest of the carriage experienced acute embarrassment at the disagreement which seemed to hinge on a very fine point of rules and regs.

Sweets for my Sweet

Sugar and Spice

Danes like fats and carbs. We saw several big sweet shops in the town centre. Bakeries are popular and of course it is the land of the pastry. I'm surprised people weren't fatter. Smoking is also much more common than in London.
On the other hand, half the population seems to travel by bike, everybody, young and old. Bike lanes on both sides of the road made crossing roads difficult, I never knew which way to look. Since the weather is colder, I suppose people burn up more calories.

I like the Java Jive

What a day it was!

We walked out on Saturday to a little village close by with ancient thatched cottages. We came upon a little river running through a valley with a single track railway. Old oak trees, ducks and tall reeds - it was freezing but sunny and very peaceful. After a couple of hours of dawdle we reached an amazing restaurant. We were too late for lunch, which they stopped serving at 3.00, but they offered us coffee and cake. The place had been built as the canteen for workers at the Brede Mill. The mill is now a museum. It seems that the place was run on enlightened, if paternalistic, lines with employees being looked after from cradle to grave.

Brede Spisehuset

Costumes through the Ages

After the cafe, we had a look round the museum of costume, housed in the old Brede Clothing Works. It was divided into two parts - fashions for the rich and regional peasant costumes.
We had the place almost to ourselves. It was well documented, in English - I like those words like "taffeta" and "tulle", and "broderie anglais" that describe costumes. We could hear the river running underneath the workshop where it would have turned the great mill wheels.
Later on, we caught the single-carriage train at the tiny station on the banks of the lake with the little jetty, swans, ducks and cootes. The track ran back down the valley to Lyngby. Places further north, like Denmark have longer dawns and dusks and though it's cold, the sun seems to last for ages.

and Wednesday's child?

tell me a story

at the Frilandsmuseet

Not a bad thatch

sweet dreams are made of this

Louisiana Museum

Exhibit at Louisiana Museum

Ep & me reflecting

Reflection at Louisiana

Reflection on Denmark Railways

Back in Copenhagen

Town Hall

Tango outside H&M

Thorvaldsen's Museum

Slotsholmen

Tango tonight!

Sunday night means the Factory. Our favoured tango venue, it is at the top of a three-storey converted factory, and has clean pine floor surrounded by candle-lit tables. It is Steve's brain-child. He's the man with the "T4NGO" number plate. He teaches a good routine every week. Clare partners Steve, she is the best specifically women's teacher in London, just now she's expecting and she's looking pretty big, maybe six months. Steve chooses good music, it starts at 7.30, with an hour's lesson, followed by the milonga which goes on until 11.00. There's free wine, orange juice and water.
The venue, on Hornsey Lane, just off Holloway Road, is handy for us but difficult to get to for most people, so it is generally not too crowded, maybe 15 to 25 couples. We feel fortunate to have such a place on our doorstep and want to support Steve - it can hardly make much of a profit.
It is where I first remember seeing Ep, she was dancing with Mike, I was a beginner and she looked so good. Sometimes we'd meet at the Welsh Centre on Fridays. I'd dance with many different women in one night; when you are a beginner you feel lucky to have anybody who'll put up with you.
Ep bought a gorgeous low-cut, slinky, red dress, yesterday (was it only yesterday?) in the Fisketorvet Mall in Copenhagen. She's planning to wear it tonight for the "Easter Ball" which Steve's holding at the Factory. (Photograph to follow!)

Ep's off to work!

It's Tuesday morning, after Easter. Joan & Jody are coming down from Blackburn this afternoon. They are going to a show - I think it's "Lion King"; they can only manage two nights in London because Niamh and Grace have only just started their holidays. They may meet up with Al, after the show, he's working only down the road (Shaftesbury Ave that is). I need to phone Roderick to ask him if he minds giving up his big room for the girls.

Yesterday, Lucy and Dave came up from south London and we had the first meal of the year in the garden(I'll try and get a couple of photos tucked in).
Tom's trying to buy a laptop on ebay, he's missed a couple so far but is learning fast. Bruce suggested "lastminutebidder" which will bid for you, all you have to do is put in your highest price.

I hope I've cracked the blogging problem of everything coming in reverse chronological order (i.e. latest in goes on top). What I want is for earliest posts to be first, so I have to cook the time and date.
I'm going to make a "blog-reminder" list, so when I make considerable changes, I can email everybody the might like to have another look.
I think the blog's a good idea because it doesn't force you to download stuff (as email does). Also, I don't know why but it seems much faster to get pictures from a website than download picture attachments in emails. It may be less vulnerable to virus, since you don't have to open anything.
At present I've looked at other blogs and realise that this must rank among the most simple and unimaginative in terms of just following the template. However, the problem with computers is that you can get so wrapped up in the medium, that there is no time for the message. I'm not making that mistake! I think "comments" is something which I will have to stress.

Please, oh Please! just click on that "comment" button and add your bit!