Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Little bit of this...

I whipped up some potholders for my sister-in-law's birthday yesterday. The pattern is perfect for those batiks. Like 'em! I spent last weekend babysitting my aunt and uncle's new doggies: one big puppy, 11 months, called Odin, and a four months old puppy called Frøya, or Freya in English. The norse main god and goddess:) The breed is Chesapeak Bay Retrievers, and they looooove water. Odin had his first 'hunt' for waves. Frøya, on the other hand, just wanted goodies! And could not quite understand why I would not give her more! Can anything look more sad than a dog?

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

In like lion, out like a lamb

Sometimes spring in the eastern part of Norway waits until May... late May. We have had snow on 17 May, our constitutional day, though not as a norm. No matter how cold or windy, however, when the snow has left us and green life starts bursting out of the ground, this little guy shows up.We call it Hvitveis, though I found the english name to be Anemones. They grow in the forest, covering the ground like a big green and white carpet. As kids we would pick huge boquetes of these to bring home to our mothers. They don't last long inside as they are made for the slightly chilly outside. I can't think of a more wonderful sign of spring - walking through the forest in the evenings as the sun goes down and see how the anemones lifts its head towards the sun to drink in the last drops of daylight. They are almost like sunflowers, following the sun through its journey over the heavens.

Hvitveis and spring reminds me, every year, why I choose to live in Norway, even with the darn winters we have....