GUARDIAN ANGELS

Lending my umbrella to a freezing neighbourhood girl at 2.15 am

Oh yes, I've had a good week.

Having got a couple of frustrations off my chest in my previous blogpost I've realised that my world is full of beautiful caring people and I'm lucky enough to experience their kindness every single day.

Best friend Grete introduced me at last to lovely Lisa from Italy - her daughter-in-law - and we ended up sitting in a café for hours a week ago, chatting, knitting, drinking hot drinks - until we were told to leave. Ooops! We were oblivious to the fact that they'd started placing the chairs on top of the tables and had actually started cleaning the café.

I keep needing to see beauty around me - even more so now that the sun is still totally absent from its spot in the sky. It almost feels like it's disappeared for good, and it creates a very dismal and spooky atmosphere. A bit like a nuclear winter where I imagine everything draped in eerie shades of grey and life is subdued and all sounds are wrapped in cotton wool. The weather forecasters tell me I'm more or less right about the sun, apparently it's been out only two and a half days since Christmas, and for a very short period of time.

What better then in this dreariness than to visit a friend's art exhibition! She's Lise (with an "e") and she's the daughter of close friends Turi and Christian. Her paintings are absolutely breathtaking, and I wish I could wallpaper my house with them! (But I'd have to get rid of my old ones first….)

I visited again today with Grete, and afterwards we strolled around the grounds of the old farm/manor where the exhibition rooms were - Bogstad Gård. Again and again I'm amazed at the numerous fantastic sights and spots of my city - places I've taken for granted because they've surrounded me all my life, but that I now - probably with age - appreciate more and more and seem to be perceiving through "new" eyes.

(When I use that positively loaded and sweet sounding word "strolled" above - hmmm…. well, I need to modify it: Slid, stumbled, froze was more like it - through the sleet that hit us sideways. I nearly fell into the icy lake because Grete wanted to photograph me on the dangerous slippery stones, and you don't say no to her. Then my "Scream" umbrella decided to live its own life and headed towards the lake like a Mary Poppins prop, with me sliding and chasing it down muddy rotten grass banks, waving my arms to find my balance. You should have photographed this, Grete)!

Well, how can I say no to the photographer when she catches me like this? Three years ago, but still….

Twice this week I've been invited to dinner - oh, how I appreciate it! Once to my friend and neighbour Turi's house - yes,  the artist's Mum, and while thinking she would keep it simple (well, she never does - I should have known), she dishes out a fabulous Thai style chicken stuffed with Brie and thyme and tied up with ham, sprinkled with fresh coriander.

On Friday I was invited to my friend Anne-Helene's house on a girls' night - always fun, always lots of laughs, always inspiring. The usual gear this season when venturing out is wellies, raincoat and umbrella, and dressed this way and walking home at about 2 in the morning I even managed to see the beauty in the wet tarmac of my deserted neighbourhood. 

Never have there been as many potholes as this winter

Another lonely night wanderer spotted

And two not so close people - but who are definitely present in my life - have made my day twice this week. A colleague from the days of yore (well, maybe he was a bit more than a colleague…. ) sent me an email that touched me deeply. A friend of my sister's contacted us and asked if we wanted venison minced meat from western Norway, thinking it would tempt my undernourished husband. Of course he said YES!

Thank you - all my guardian angels. You're wonderfully caring and I simply love you all.

Why do I keep wanting to give statues shelter from the rain? Maybe I want to be a guardian angel too….

"Fastelavn" - the Sunday evening before the fasting days begin - 40 days according to religious tradition. Not likely in this house! But the creamy buns are still compulsory on this Sunday before Lent