GENEROSITY

Today's homemade tomato soup with spring onion and parmesan

One of my modern day heroes is Eyvind Hellstrøm, Norway's uncrowned king of TV-chefs, our own Gordon Ramsey, though much more sympathetic. After having run one of Oslo's Michelin-starred restaurants - Bagatelle - for two and a half decades, he went into television and has hosted programmes like Masterchef and other shows/documentaries where he cooks with celebrities, renews restaurants, and not least - visits people in their homes and gives them advice on healthy and easy cooking. Soups for instance, are nearly as quick to make from scratch as industrial powder packets with the instruction "just add water." Simply mix the ingredients and boil, basically. Can you imagine what's really inside that prefabricated product?

Rack of lamb - very easy and very delicious. Buy it when it's cheap in the autumn and put in freezer

He's the kind of guy that you either love or hate. I love cooking, and I love people with a passion for cooking. Oh, he's got a passion all right! If there's one TV-programme that makes me bawl with sentimentality it's the one where he moves around the country to help people turn their food routines around - and it moves him too! Especially when he can get children who've previously liked nothing to regard food as FUN! A bit like Jamie Oliver - another one of my heroes - who's set his heart on teaching people to cook healthy, tasty and simple food. And - yes, he's made me cry too!

I think it's safe to say that the combination of FOOD and EMOTIONS is my ultimate hang-up.

Duck breast - simple to cook and impresses everyone

Eyvind Hellstrøm engages people - as do most strong personalities - and many are the party conversations that suddenly involve his TV performances. Often my dialogue partners have only zapped through his programmes but still have opinions of him: He's so patronising, he's rude, he's condescending, he's bossy, he's unfeeling... and so on. After discussing this for a while, I usually call across the table to to my husband  - who knew him twenty years ago, and whose views everyone respects - and shout, "What do YOU think of Eyvind Hellstrøm, my dear?" "He's really nice, a great guy!" my husband replies - and everyone goes quiet. The lesson is: Don't have too strong opinions of people you don't know.

Self-invented scampi dish - just throw everything you like together in a shallow saucepan, heat for a while, and there you are

Sometimes it's fun to cook while you're eating - fry everything with a little olive oil on a small table grill and melt cheese on the shelf underneath (Raclette)

The reason I'm writing about my Food Hero today is basically one: I recently watched an interview with him on a net channel where he touches on the subject GENEROSITY. This is maybe THE most important word in my vocabulary and one I always strive to follow.

Generosity incorporates every good quality I believe in: Kindness, largeness, compassion, empathy, inclusion and love. And lack of prejudice not least.

In the interview Mr Hellstrøm recounts the story of how he and a friend arrived as twenty-year olds by car in a French town where they decided they wanted to spend some of their limited funds on a posh restaurant meal. They entered an obviously fully occupied restaurant and were initially turned away, when one of the waiters said, "No, wait - we'll arrange a table for you." Whereupon he and his colleague proceeded to set up in a corner table and chairs, tablecloth, silver candlesticks, crystal and porcelain, fantastic food and wine for the two scruffy young travellers. The genuine unprejudiced welcome they experienced right there and then was to determine Eyvind Hellstrøm's future - both his career and his affinity for France.

I think this story carries in it a strong symbol of generosity.

So - yes, let's be generous. In every way.

My neighbour's Japanese cherry tree this afternoon

Straight from the hairdresser's today - complete with still growing hair and a fringe (bangs for you Americans out there)

CHAMPAGNE AND ROSES!

Tables set on the terrace

Busy days and no time for blogging, which some of you might miss and some of you might appreciate. "Finally she's keeping her mouth shut for a few days!"

I celebrated my birthday on Saturday - again - with a party for family and friends. This tradition goes way back, since I'm one of very few in my family who can boast of a spring birthday, and we can eat outdoors. The others are nearly all born in the darkest period from November to January. But some of them have held birthday parties in spring or summer - well, why not? People hardly ever remember your date of birth anyway!

I decided to cook something I could do in advance, so that I didn't have to spend all Saturday over the saucepans - there is always plenty to do in preparation for a party anyway! So on Friday I made a bowl of Margarita that I put in the freezer, rolled and fried 125 spicy meatballs and peeled 2 kilos of prawns that I marinated in a hot Cajun sauce and cooked in the oven. All I had to do on Saturday was to make salad, tzatziki and hoummous and cut the bread. And lay the tables and tidy the house and vacuum the floors and find glasses for the Frozen Margaritas and yes.... my husband did a few things too. After the guests arrived I left most of the host duties to him.

Whether you like it or not people come bringing gifts to a birthday party - though that's really not my main intention when I arrange it! But I'm always touched at the thoughts my friends and family put into their presents.

A huge bouquet of dark pink roses, a magnum bottle of champagne, Italian wine - red and white, beauty products - lotions, creams and soaps, books - and last but not least a gift card for a massage or a beauty treatment. I think my family and friends know me! For me the act of opening presents and reading cards is a mixture of joy and embarrassment - joy because everyone likes to be appreciated, embarrassment because I'm never really sure I deserve the attention.

For some reason the weather is always gorgeous on the day I decide to throw my birthday party. And I have to take a chance because here in Norway you can of course never rely on the weather. Though most of us sat outside the entire Nordic night there definitely weren't southern temperatures. But there were plenty of blankets! The last guest left at three thirty, and one friend spent the night here - she lives out of town.

The sunny weather continued into Sunday, and I spent it basically moving in a triangle between my garden hammock, the dishwasher and food loaded with carbohydrates and calories. I'm usually very disciplined about my low-carb/no sugar diet, but yesterday I seemed to forget all about it. Salty crackers straight from the paper bag dolloped with layers of "foie gras" and black olive tapenade, potato salad with cream and mayonnaise, and finally, to top it all, a couple of Frozen Margaritas - and I had drunk none the previous evening - filled to the brim with sugary stuff.

Then I went to bed and slept for nearly eleven hours.

So - back to the grindstone today, after nearly a week of celebrating me, myself and I!

FIFTY-SOMETHING

A string of public holidays and then my birthday on the 21st have made me a very exhausted, very sleep-deprived Big Mama, and my liver and I definitely needed some rest for a couple of days now. At midnight the 20th we opened a bottle of Cava and started celebrating another one of my 50-something years.... hmmm.... 58 to be quite precise. The "wrong side" of fifty-five once again, and speedily approaching sixty. But someone told me recently that 60 is the new 40, due to the youthfulness of today's "older" population, so well.... there we are. I totally agree. Age depends a lot on the person, I think, and mostly it's only a number in your head anyway. (Your body might have become a bit more rickety - but not necessarily)! I've been to parties where all conversation has centered on age, and I've been to others where the old-timers have been so busy dancing that there's been no conversation at all!

Of all things I wanted to go downtown to the Oslo city centre on my birthday, to have a hamburger! This craving must have been induced by the four previous late nights and lots of wine... We went to a restaurant called Fyret - intimate and cosy and good food. We took the underground/metro back, and I'm so rarely on public transport here in Oslo (I'm not proud of this, but it's much easier to jump in the car), that I was a complete nervous wreck by the time I got home. The doors wouldn't open on the train and I had to dodge my way through a crowd of pony-tailed teenagers in the aisle, literally shoving them aside, to reach an open door. Which was in the process of closing by then!

My daughter Sophie explained to me afterwards that there are some stops whose platforms are not as long as the train, consequently they don't open the doors at the back - otherwise you'd of course step and fall right onto the rails! "But Mum - they announce this over the loudspeakers," she added dryly, "but you're so distracted..." I didn't bother to tell her that I'd heard it but not understood what they meant. And neither had my husband. Amateur public transport passengers the both of us!

I refused to make dinner and was instead served a glass of rosé wine while my daughters cooked a taco meal. My granddaughters were here as well and taco is perfect for them. Despite the cloudy weather it was still warm, so we were able to eat on the terrace. A friend dropped by, then a former neighbour with his daughter - and these kind of unexpected and improvised gatherings are often the best!

But I'm throwing a party on Saturday - as I do every year - and hence I've been following the weather forecast closely to see if I can lay the tables on the terrace. The way it looks now is - SUNSHINE!

Having said that here's a little bit about the weather in Norway at the moment: Floods, floods, floods. It's really terrible, and hundreds of people have lost their homes. This is all due to a late and sudden spring and lots of snow melting with the unexpected warmth last week. Our own little stream has nearly flooded, but it's been helped on its way by continuous assistance from the municipal guys, who keep it free of leaves, branches and mud - otherwise it would easily flood the road that runs beside it:

And if anyone wonders about my birthday gifts, well, here they are:

Woolen sweater from Katrin Uri that I've drooled over in the shop for a long time

AND: 

DAVID BOWIE IS - at the Victoria and Albert Museum!!!!!

London - here I come!

SUMMER EXPLOSION!

The last few days have been fantastic here in the Country Closest To The North Pole. Our temperatures have been higher than in southern Europe, and fruit trees and other flowers have exploded into bloom in the course of one day. I've been busy celebrating our Constitution Day with family and friends, barbecuing, planting flowers, watching the Eurovision Song Contest, sunbathing, having my granddaughters over, going for long walks and generally relaxing during a long weekend, with today off as well - Whitsun Monday.

Margaret Berger, who came 4th in the Eurovision Song Contest

The most wonderful thing has been the heat - and with it the possibility of practically living on the terrace way into the night. This is not something you can do very often in Norway!

I'm throwing a small party on Saturday, and I'm hoping that the weather will stay this way - which I don't think it will - because my guests are going to have to eat on the terrace. My house is absolutely untidy at the moment so I can't possibly lay the table anywhere inside!

My friend Grete and I went for a three-hour walk yesterday, and before we set out we decided we wanted to be near water (not a strange wish in 27 plus), but we decided against the seaside, which would've been overcrowded yesterday. So we walked around a lake in the woods - Sognsvann - which was probably no less crowded. As we approached the lake we could both smell and see the smoke from hundreds of small grills, and there were people everywhere on the grassy banks. And some swimming too!

Same pier, but in autumn - what a contrast!

The peace and quiet of this photo tell a lie - just outside the photo on both sides there was shouting, laughing and splashing from the crowds, ecstatic at finally seeing the sun and feeling the heat

Tomorrow is my birthday, and I'm being allowed to choose how to spend it - so I'm pondering this at the moment. A walk downtown maybe - lunch - preferably outdoors - then dinner with the family in the evening. Which I'm definitely not going to cook!

I love asparagus - they are the only vegetable that tells you where they want to be cut!

THE RED HORDES

Fortunately - I must admit - I'm finished with the crazy tradition called "Russefeiring." All my children have been there, done it. Somehow I have a feeling that this celebration is unique for Norway, though of course every nation has its own end-of-school rituals. The above photos depict my daughter Sophie's dead and rotting one-piece jumpsuit after nearly three weeks of celebrating, and the photo below shows her - thank heavens - still alive and well, with her plastic bracelets intact (entrance tickets to all the various gigs and parties these crazy, hoarse, immune-impaired teenagers go to). This was in 2010.

The "Russ Celebration" marks the end of thirteen years of school, when you finish the equivalent of A-levels, or High School, or the Bac. It goes back a long way, and all us grown-ups believe it gets worse and worse, but I don't really know. I suppose we were pretty prone to partying too. Below a few photos from May 1974:

The hats resemble the proper student hats you wear for immatriculation to the University 

The only time of year you're allowed to sit on the roof of a van - in the Parade

We used to have painted red vans - today's "Russ" have enormous buses with huge sound systems that blast you from here to eternity. Fortunately the police did not allow these rolling discos in the streets, so the Red Hordes have to go to designated areas to show them off. I remember waking up in the night all through the first half of May with what I thought was a heart attack when a bus drove past our house. (Old, old Big Mama).

Your nickname painted on the brim - why I was called Cash I can't remember.... oh yes, I can.... 

For many years now the celebration has started on May 1st and ended on our Constitution Day May 17th. Then exams follow! What a letdown! Most of the students are sick, tired and very unmotivated for exams - which are probably some of the most important exams of their lives! When I was young - and up until 1979 - the exams were done before May 17th, and the celebrations started on that day and went on for about a week, the exact opposite of today's ritual. A big discussion here now to return to this system!

Grete

"Okay - enough now - of everything"

My granddaughters are eager to see the "Russ Parade" tomorrow - where they'll ask for cards from every red-clothed teenager they spot. Each "Russ" has his and her own card with a slogan. My granddaughters ask me every May - "What was your slogan, Mimmi?" I tell them I don't remember. Between you and me it was: "Why be tall when you get more drunk as small?" Oh no. Oh no.

HOLIDAY LAND

Norway is often considered the country in the world with most public holidays.... though I'm not so sure after having spent a lot of time in France, where there are plenty of chances for a time-out on a Saint's Birthday or a World War I or II Memorial Day.

But I'll give Norway one thing - May really has an abundance of public holidays - one after the other! There's Labour Day May 1st, then there's Ascension Day, which falls on the 39th day after Easter Sunday, always on a Thursday, and this year it was the 9th May. Then follows May 17th - Norway's Constitution Day (but of course sometimes this day falls before Ascension Day. Finally there's Whitsun, with one holiday - Whitsun Monday, which is on May 20th this year. BUT after Whitsun, there's nothing, no holiday, no fun, no day off, just emptiness and dreary workloads.... until Christmas Day. (Oh, I forgot about the summer holidays...).

In between all these holidays - and especially this year - there are squeezed-in days that simply beg you to take some more time off, so that you keep getting oval weekends that last for nearly a week! This takes a lot of planning! And not only that - the Saturday between the 17th May (holiday) and Whitsun Sunday - the 18th - is called Whitsun Saturday and is practically a holiday too - the shops are open for a few hours, and if you want to buy alcohol this day there's only beer to be had. And the sale of beer in the shops stops at 4 pm.

Route des vins near Thuir, France

I was reminded today of the totally diametric opposites of Norway and France when it comes to the sale of alcohol. In Norway all alcohol containing a percentage above 4.7 is sold through the state-owned regulated chain Vinmonopolet (directly translated "Wine Monopoly") open 9 am - 6 pm weekdays and 9 am - 3 pm Saturdays. And of course they have closing rules at other times - like Whitsun Saturday. A string of holidays like this week's means that you have to remember to buy your wine on May 16th before 6 pm at the latest, because you certainly won't get hold of any again until 9 am on Tuesday the 21st. People always forget about these opening hours connected to public holidays - even if they've known about them forever - so there's a lot of borrowing going on! Those who do remember the opening hours will most certainly buy too much anyway, because it's hard to calculate what you need with all the socialising going on over the holiday.

Checking my Facebook page later this afternoon I noticed I was invited to the annual event picnic in the vineyards in my French district of Roussillon at the weekend (Bring your picnic basket, you'll be served the wine for free!), and asked my husband "Do you think the French would accept going from Thursday evening to Tuesday morning without being able to buy a bottle of wine?" He answered with one word: "No."

After stocking up on wine it was time to throw myself into the crazy traffic again to look for my granddaughter Jelena's birthday present(s). Here she is - very proud of her new bike! Her birthday is not until June 13th, but she needed her gift now, because she's doing her school bicycle test right after Whitsun and has to practise over the holidays.

She quickly picked out the bike she wanted, and when I went to pay for it the girl in the shop said, "But you want a kickstand for your bike, don't you? It only costs blah-blah." Okay, a kickstand. "And you need mudguards for the wheels, of course..." Of course, mudguards. "And a lock." Yeah, yeah, lock and helmet. "And you must have a light..." "Later!" I put my foot down. "It won't get dark until September!" Honestly! The bikes they sell nowadays are only raw material! Wasn't most of this stuff included before?

Constitution Day May 17th two years ago - wearing national dresses - some of us anyway

NO. 100

Today is my blog post number one hundred since I started sometime in the middle of January. The feeling I have today reminds me a bit of the way I felt when I'd finished my hundredth poem in my friend Grete's Poetry Challenge which lasted for three months from September till December. After my last poem I felt satisfied, accomplished and not least - a tiny bit empty. I can definitely say now that this daily challenge opened up something in me and spurred me on to more creativity. The obvious next step was to start a blog.

My last poem in Grete's poetry challenge

I simply can't keep quiet! It's the story of my life - I've always had opinions, views and thoughts that I must express and share. But I do think I'm a good listener too. (Hmmm.... you'd have to ask others about that though). An interesting side to this is that I also have the gift of sociable smalltalk, always making sure I include others in party conversations.

Photographing AND challenging Norway's former Prime Minister Per Borten with my feminist views, Kuwait 1974. Party conversation? 

My daughters have this very funny analysis of me - here in the words of Julie: "You can say ANYTHING to our Mum, and I mean ANYTHING - you can swear at her, show her obscene gestures and call her all kinds of names, but she's totally resistant to every foul word and expression - except one: SHUT UP. If you say that to her she loses it completely."

This is true. I simply can't bear to be told to shut up. It's the most degrading thing anyone can say to me. My friend Grete's conclusion to this is interesting: "Being told to shut up is probably your ultimate letdown. It's probably a figure of speech for the person who tells you that, but you take it literally - which you don't do with other verbal abuse. You have an overhanging need to express yourself and to be HEARD."

I want to be heard. YES, I do. But my blog is definitely for myself as well. I love you all for reading it, but I can't really even contemplate that - the mind boggles at the very thought of the way I expose myself to everyone, to people I already know and to many that I don't.

This is a deeply moving book - read it if you haven't already! It documents American writer Daniel Mendelsohn's search for six of his family members who disappeared during World War II. I saw him interviewed about it here in Oslo some years ago, with his brother - and the story of his search is not only the Holocaust one, but also one of his own life and sibling relationships. BUT - and this is my point here and now - he conveys vividly what story-telling is all about. He sat at his grandfather Abraham's feet and listened attentively to the tales of his family all through his childhood years, and this is what led him to the most important search of his life - which was to transform him forever.

Story-telling, he says, is not the actual story in itself  - it's the detours, the digressions, the sidetracks, the associations, the details, the embroidering. This is what makes a story interesting! If there's a point to it - well, it will emerge in the end. The road there is what compels the listeners, what nails them, what draws them to the story. Some have this talent - some don't. But I know that of any entertainment available to me, most of all I love listening to people's stories.

So thank you, all of you, for listening to one hundred of mine.

One hundred more coming up!

Even I can enjoy a quiet time in the woods...