BARN RAISING

This afternoon I've been participating in a mutual effort called "dugnad," a word which is practically impossible to translate into English. In 2004 it was voted the most Norwegian word ever. The nearest you get to it in English is "voluntary work," but it incorporates a lot more than that. One of the definitions I came across when I was googling it was actually "barn raising," but hey! That's limited to a particular event and besides it's very Amish, isn't it?

Friendly neighbours working together

"Dugnad" may be defined this way: "Working voluntarily together with your neighbours towards the same goal, in this case to spring clean the outside areas of your immediate surroundings." In other words, if you try to sneak off somewhere or hide in the basement - as I have done a couple of times during my thirty years in this house - you're left with an EXTREMELY bad conscience. So, since my husband is away and we're moving next year, I wanted to make a good impression on my neighbours and was at it with my newly purchased leaf rake twenty minutes before the kick-off time at six p.m sharp.

Last year's leaves go into containers

Our stream emerging from the ice once again

But before all this friendly mutual multitasking even gets started, we have to clear the shared garage of all rubbish and stored stuff, because the garage will be cleaned with a high pressure washer. In the email sent to all the residents - which lines out our different responsibilities during the two-day work regime - we are threatened in an unsentimental footnote that if personal belongings like bikes, skis, extra tyres, garden furniture, grills, sun beds and prams are NOT removed before the cleaning starts, they will be thrown away with no further ado. I lost my bicycle that way many years ago. Silly me, not believing their threat.

Sophie and I worked very hard this morning to stuff plastic sacks with things to be discarded, then loaded two cars with the rest, only to stack it all back tomorrow! In the process I lost my Carolina Herrera sunglasses, though why I needed them inside that dark garage I honestly do not know. But I always put my sunglasses on, even on my head! So this means going through all plastic sacks tomorrow. I already have a horrible feeling they'll turn up in one of the cars crushed underneath four summer tyres....

You could see the green grass emerging as we cleared away the brown leaves

Big Mama pleased with her "barn raising" efforts!