DAY OF HEARTS

Heart gift from granddaughter Mira

1989 - I think?

I've never been particularly romantic - on the contrary I find romanticism slightly soppy, sentimental and tiresome. In fact my husband is marginally more romantic than me, and he has been known to bring me flowers and gifts and invite me to a candlelit dinner or two. But not often! I am impatient with romantic guys - "Get to the point for heavens' sake!" Or something to that effect. I remember my daughter Julie at seventeen, spotting from the window her boyfriend approaching carrying high a long-stemmed red rose. Her spontaneous reaction: "Oh no! I can't believe he's bringing me a rose! Puke!" So the non-romanticism might be hereditary?

Though I might have shed a tear or two over a love story - on film or in the theatre, or a beautiful poem, or most of all music. I often cry a bit at concerts actually, but I think that's because music is incredibly important to me and I find it very emotional and moving. 

And I know for certain I'll cry at my daughter Julie's wedding in July. Oh yes. No doubt. And so will the unromantic bride.

An interior detail from my one of my favourite restaurants in France, - Le Gecko at Camélas

Oooo - made of chocolate! Fill it with champagne, please!

A must-have! A craving! A romantic meal! Tempura salad at neighbourhood restaurant Jonathan Sushi

Here is your favourite blogger posting romantic pictures at length - of hearts and roses, of young couples and aphrodisiac food. Hmmm, well….. only once a year. That's a promise!

One thing which is definitely NOT romantic in this Northernmost Outpost of the Globe at the moment is the weather. I honestly can't believe I'm actually surviving this winter without entering into a psychosis. It goes from rain to snow to hail to slush - and then back again to rain. What helps me through at the moment is the medal gathering that the Norwegian Olympic Team are doing in Sochi. My husband and I are saying to each other: "It's actually good that they don't win EVERYTHING." Oooo - ugly statement!! But we mean it - honestly.

View from my window yesterday

View from outside my swim & gym club this afternoon - usually a breathtaking view of the Oslo Fjord. Fjord? What fjord?

Then I think of my friends in Britain and Ireland and the devastating and destructive storms and floods they're experiencing these days - and endless rain for weeks and weeks - and I think… we're lucky after all.

My lovely granddaughter Jelena broke her knee at a dancing contest a week ago and here she is in her signed and decorated purple cast - from foot to thigh. I feel so incredibly sorry for her. She is such an active girl and seeing her like this breaks my heart. I'm amazed that she's so stoic about it - but if you have no choice you adjust, I suppose. I'm full of admiration. Half term holidays are coming up next week, and our planned trip to the mountain cabin is just not going to become a reality.

Not even once today remembering that it was Valentine's Day, I still happened to buy myself a pink flowering plant, in anticipation of an approaching spring? I noticed that one flower fell off and dropped to the ground as I pulled the plant out of the car. When returning to the car half an hour later to drive to the gym I was so overcome by that pink coloured little beauty on the wet tarmac, next to the parked car, that it almost brought tears to my eyes.

But no….  I'm definitely not romantic. Or sentimental. Only a bit moved out of my orbit sometimes….