Recover the past

No don’t tell me something I already know 

that’s funny that my +76 year old dad

have a more modern mobile phone than I have

my Nokia 6110i have follow me nearly 10 years

and this couple of photos

they are catch by help of my dad’s m’phone

when I last visited my parants at home

They live on the little danish island Samsø

far far away from civilisation (joke)

One of the island’s distinctive buildings are just now being transformed back to the original look – the building was erected in 1900 after designs by renowned architect, Anton Rosen (1859-1928) as the island’s technical school – until 1962 it served as the island’s highest education – but the population base meant that there were no students enough for the kind of school on the island – so the school was closed in the middle of the 1960s - in 1970 there was a large municipal reform in Denmark – where the management was merged – so on the island they went from a lot of small “parish councils” to a large local authority control – it should have its own place – the choice fell on the former technical school - in fact they started i 1967 to prepare the new order - however, quickly proved to be too small – so therefor was built to the building – at that time have things to be very rational   

they were indifferent to how it looked – just it meet the needs 

 so the new extension was terribly ugly

and extension has never been called anything but “Madkassen” (the food container)

it has now been removed again

the municipal office is now relocated at the old nursing home,

there’s built a new one to old people on the island, who can not live at home

Almost next to the building, there was a tree that had grown up – so it bosom warmly hid the building from one side – the tree is now significantly cut back – it looks very funny – that the way it always be - on the other side of the road the old tree facing a new small tree

 Wondering about if the old tree says to the young tree – that it must be careful – because now it can been seen what happens – if it sticks its nose too far – but maybe the trees is like human that young people do not hear according what the old folks told them.

 

King of the road – dansk sjæl XI

A kind of “roadrunners” 

vagrants, ”entertainer”, roughnecks, subsistence’loose, spritter, the rushing journeymen, country strings -  it’s said that “dear child has many names” - these folks, they have indeed many names in public – but there were as many types as there were vagabonds

During my childhood in the 60s, I met many of them, because the big farm in southern Jutland (Denmark) near the danish-german borderline, where we lived (my old man managed it administratively – next to his work at the nearby military barracks) close to one of the major roads and the mega big barn attracted their attention as a shelter for the night - they knocked on the door in the evening and always got permission to climb into the grain straw or hay in the barn after handle over their lighters or matches - often they were gone in the morning, some did have just breakfast before they trotted on – it fit with my breakfast before school - they could always or allmost some “good” tough stories – stories about why they were in the situation they were in – but they never complained – they were not wimps – but totally honest in their own way.

often there was tragicstories behind the choice of the roadlife.

Many of these outsiders faithful companion was the bottle and a large number of them drank methylated spirits, which held over 90% alcohol and were intended to be used as fuel in drinking appliances for cooking, therefore, was added substances to prevent such use, yielding stomach problems to them – but my mothers strong coffee kicked life into them in a good way – so they were prepared for a new day on the road

But their abuse was not as clear at that time as now there is a large number of city vagrants and homeless in all major cities, often do they not come outside the city limits and most have a bench lay hangout – the times are different – perhaps humans also.

One of the guests was the legendary Henry “Solskin” (sunshine) – maybe the king of the road knights or “stodderkonge” (beggar king) – a title that wih more style or dignity than it sounds – a very intelligent and wise man – these 2 thing doesn’t always hang together but it did in this case – it’s Henry with the tall black hat – his life wasn’t easy
but I remember him with joy.

Mostly he was seen on the roads between the island Fyn (southern Denmark) and  the town Skagen (in the northern Jutland) with his dog Perle (pearl).

Also as a grown young man I have met Henry “Solskin” - for example at road rest areas because in my consulting job came around a lot on the Danish roads and sometimes held onto the rest stops to fix papier and so - this was before mobile phones and pc’s era. 

When I was drive around on the Danish roads in terms of visiting customers, I serval times encountered Henry ”Solskin” during such breaks at rest areas, etc., have then got a chat with a man who despite a life on the road far away from the perception of real life possessed many good qualities and a knowledge and understanding of many things which makes me think of the proverb “an academician is a person who has read into know what others already know.”

 ;-)

Fornemmelser

Fornemmelser (feelings)

Kroppens fornemmelser tvinger,

med forårets voldsomme brusen,

den spirende glød som springer

rask frem bag slusen

så grønt og skønt ser alting ud

foldes ud af de hemmeligste lommer

i solen står glæden brud

før vi ved det – så er det sommer

(Le Drake Noir)

The baby field manager

White asparagus sticking on the little danish island Samsø in the early 1960s

it was previously considered a delicacy,

but is perhaps now faded a bit among all the ingredients for cooking

The small danish island named Samso has for many years been known for their agriculture – for many years was the small island a giant in Denmark when we talked about growing asparagus and dairies producing cheese – later the island was famous worldwide especially in Denmark - because of their potato cultivation especially of early potatoes – now it’s still potatoes but also raspberries, blackberries, currants grown in their farms – also there’s been a few vineyards now, but still to a lesser extent.

 The cultivation of asparagus declined due to competition from south american asparagus from Chile – but they are now cultivated again, but on a smaller scale.

My mother’s parents, my grandparents had a farm including 15 acres  asparagus – it was much under Danish conditions – because there was much work connected with the cultivation – every early morning there was a job to do in the season – sticking the aparragus – they tolerate not much sunlight after they have broken up, they become discolored.- early in the morning my mother took down and helped her parents.

I was in my ”child’buggy” where I could keep an eye on the others worked hard – my mother would after this work proceed to her nurse training - so I was looked after by my grandmother – the woman on the neighboring farm had always so busy with everything and was disgusted that my mom took me to the asparagus’work – she thought it was only bad mothers who did it – but her husband was a wonderful old man, who loved children – so he came by with candy to the little baby the fine ‘vehicle’ almost every day 

on saturdays he had often a cream puff with – when I had eaten it - there was as much cream puff smeared all over my ‘vehicle’ (though the hood was hit)

as in my stomach

and my fine ‘vehicle’ had to be washed.

 

 

 

 

Kiss the frog

The frogs “Raja” and “Rani” was married to each other in India

the distinctive wedding was to please the rain’god,

because the monsoon was about 2-3 weeks late..

…..

The symbolism of the often used phrase “to kiss the frog” is to dare to search for anything you want from something which on the surface does not resemble what you want

 just one kiss will change it til the desired …

Maybe you have to do a lot of kissing…

…..

Here in the modern and imaginative world you go the other way

 lots of ‘princesses’ looking for the right gentleman perhaps on the white horse 

so they kiss a whole lot of princes 

which immediately transformed into frogs.

 

Café a la 1962

From the time cafe’life was something you did at home

3 girlfriends meet for coffee and conversation

the photo is from April 1962

and the lady in the middle was my dear grandmother

their aim was conversation

not to be viewed

…

it was also the time the mobile phone wasn’t born

at that time, it wasn’t the surroundings
were forced to listen in on loud phone conversation
but the ladies at the manuel phone centers
who slipped to listen to the conversations on the phone lines

Young romance and dating

My first date, a dark’haired babe named Marianne

all the girls were crazy at me, at that time

a lot of sweet girls were knocking at the door

asking me for dating them

but dad and specially mum

mostly said no

this one was allowed by mum

because it was her best friend

she was from Aalborg

she was only 18, but sweet

I was almost a quarter-year old

and I was crazy about her

she made me smile and laugh

…

both her mother and father were dentists

but it didn’t scare me

I hadn’t any teeth yet

it ain’t easy to date a girl nearly 18

it isn’t allowed to go dancing in the night

they were talking about ‘not old enough’

but she was nearly 18

so what’s the problem

so mostly we visit the baker Poulsen’s shop

…

but the age between us did grow above our heads

and she found a man on her own age