MOVING STUFF!!!!

It was so beautiful there:-

Wow we, Erik 84 and me 69 years old, have moved two beds and loads and loads of stuff from Oslo to Telemark, where I have my house. It took a whole day and a half to prepare what was to go there and after fetching a hired van a whole day to load it up, and drive it the 160Km. and then Erik said no more, we unpack it in the morning. I went on unpacking in and out in and out of the house, leaving of course the very heavy beds; then we slept the night before taking out the beds and then we drove back to Oslo to deliver the van. At last all the slides at least 11000 of them, in one place in one room!!! They were heavy and could only be carried in in small amounts of 300. So that was an adventure. Read this if you like:-

....STUFF to sort out before taking it to Flatdal, so many slides in many containers, no wonder we had no room for other things,; what you must have had ever cannot compare to the amount we have with paintings and paper-sculptures, slides, writings and so on, not to mention what Erik has, (his mostly,) in his workshop beside the river that goes through Oslo, and that is mostly of sculptures but much else, computer things and all sorts of creations, phew one gets tired by all of it, but when we have done it and moved it to poor “Fjelly”, the name of my house, then we shall sigh with relief, and be able to keep better order among things. Hopefully at least!!!! That’s the idea anyway!!!!

So when I have finished my rose hip after dinner drink, with the choc. and marzipan then to it once again and this time papers ….OHOHOH so many notes and bits of writing,and if something goes wrong with the computer what then we have no back up, I have it all in hard disk form but who knows I once lost 150 GB on one of those too!!!! I don’t even remember what was in it, but then I DON’t want to either. What’s gone has gone, like all else that’s gone! Isn’t it?

That’s life as we always tend to say and Per said “Er det sä nöye” Is it so particular/important?

We may even have to hire a bigger van when we see the amount!

Wish we knew someone with a van to borrow, perhaps with them driving, but we don’t.

Luckily the weather has been kind this year and not rained on all the costumes, everyone dressed so beautifully and the town was packed, the main road up to the Royal Palace was solid with people it is always quite a sight, the Swedes are jealous of our 17 th May so they have made their own sort of day, but its cannot compare with the whole of Norway celebrating.  I am sure the satellites see all those red white and blue flags flying just like the front of this building which has flags at almost every flat even rows of them and every house that is PROPER has a flag pole and raises the flag, they are a bit lie the Swiss flags everywhere. The British only did it when goaded to and we had to boost the economy by buying BRITISH!! Then there were plastic bags with flags on them. In London I saw very few.

The sun is sending out rays that pick out woods making them greener here and there, although the sky is a series of greys with the clouds trying to look white against them, only a faint gap here and there with the blue, that permanent and constant blue that simmers in its beautiful gown above always, like love.

He, Erik, didn’t say about how well driven that was Ann, as men tend not to praise anything they think they are best at!!

The journey down to Flatdal went well and despite objections to going off the big wide boring main road at one point, I drove off, and wet to our favourite spot by the little sandy bay and the long lake that disappears into the south with seemingly no end. Erik was glad then as he too enjoyed the vision. The lake was a pale blue lake shining and clear and the ripples caused by its eddies at the edge of the bay made smiles of light yellower than the rest of the greener clear water there, at another point they were shell-like shapes as they rocked against the big stones at intervals, it was so very beautiful: so exceptionally peaceful and the canopy of the weeping birch branches hung down almost touching the surface of the water and this all with the bubbling of a warbler, not sure which one, but that atmosphere is one of the finest one can ever experience.

The water wagtail dashing along the sandy beach stopping in fits and starts to wag its tail incessantly. Ah that is a special light nature expresses at exactly that angle and one which I remember from many years ago when I looked longingly towards just this place and wondered, oh how I wondered, what was there in the view from the train, a little bridge holding the two sides of the lake together at just the point, pinned at some magic place.

The first times, several, I mentioned exploration there, they were turned down blankly by Erik who is ever keen to get where he is going as fast as possible. Since the first time I just turned to explore without asking if he wished to, we have made that the place to stop for our flask of tea and have been there for many lights and seasons all of which have that special magic every time.

Then not only that spot but the road high up in the hills to the south of the more main road I drove to see and although it was bumpy there too were the farms as if half way to heaven already, set away back from the one car wide road by meadows ploughed or grassed between, and the wonderful atmosphere of the same kind goes on along this ‘lane’ arched in many places by trees close to and sudden eagle-like glimpses of distant views and patchworks of farms further down as if we were flying in a plane over the rest of the valley. Big sigh too as his lane reminds me of England’s narrow roads and comfortable lost farms, lost in the woods and meadows of old England with no industry in sight and the call of the wild birds and the stamping of the rabbits making the staccato of music around me, while the wild flowers are audience to passing life.

Away from towns out in the wilds where the only sounds are natural and the winds are able to speak to you, the birds too seem to come closer to question us of our existence, not that we can answer but their respect for us awakens a kind of companionship that is worthy of the best of friends and that is what they are, for without all this milling life in nature the trees and flowers would not exist, and neither would we!!!!!

As I rounded the top of the hill to the north of the flat valley and suddenly caught sight of the top of Skorve totally white, with the mottled rocks and snowy patches further down, my heart always makes a big gasp of joy, and then slowly, passing the Llama’s grazing the heights, one sees way down into the applique apron of the different coloured meadows below and the little group of the few farms that make up the heart of the old conserved village, and then the realisation that in this valley, on the eastern side lies my own house.
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The hills bristling with fir trees, the many birches were dressed in new leafed dresses and seemed to shimmer as if they were shaking of the Winter’s cold and shining with joy at the hot sunshine basking in happiness. Yes all nature was blooming all of a sudden, after that very very long Winter that had so much snow that we wondered if we should ever see Spring again! The feeling was exhilarating and special. Ah it felt good to be alive.

Then came the task of emptying the car, Erik declared himself too exhausted to help and said lets do it in the morning, but I started and never stopped until all but the two big beds was out. backwards and forwards with the interminable boxes of slides each holding 300, weighing, because of the glass frames, back wards and forwards until all were in the corner of the living room together for the first time in years!!!!!

The house, and that corner had to be prepared to receive the many bags of things, that too took time and energy to move what was already there to accommodate the new things coming in and now one or two rooms look like storage rooms and when we go there in the Summer they will have to be sorted and yet again the work will begin!!! It does make one think of Sister Mary- of more correctly Mother Superior Mary as she was, owning four things in the world!!!!

As we approached the deep dark valley of Hjartdal ( Heart dale= hart= deer) there at the edge and quite a wide band of it, were wood anemones and sudden creamy milk-like gatherings in the meadows, and the banks on the roadsides were white with them under the trees; than there were brilliant yellow aprons on the cow’s meadows , or on a bank here and there so many dandelions, in other places wild mustard sunny patches among the bright greens so lovely so lovely
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I have really worked HARD these two days wow, I didn’t know I could, 
driving the 160 Km. along the twisting two-lane roads and a big van 
compared with ours, gears as well, but I managed well and on the way 
back to be rid of the work I drove like Geehew through the land reaching 
120 km. p h which I have never done consistently so much before. 

The power in the van got my adrenalin going and I thoroughly enjoyed it all,
more but that’s beside the point!!!) So he too was glad when we arrived 
home here in Oslo I think. I was myself impressed with my driving and 
hardly ever used the brakes using the gears to slow down, and not jogging 
us at all.

It was so wonderful to be able to drive uphill and gain speed, our car dies 
on us, this one pumped in the power, it was diesel and 4WD so got us up 
the hill at Flatdal well, I had to turn at the top where my heart is in my mouth 
as the whole car perches sideways on the slope seems to be near tipping 
over sideways. 

Perhaps that’s why this morning in my dream I was in a huge complicated liner 
at sea and it slowly turned over and there we were upside down; I dashed around 
the corridors and stairs, met people who had only paid N Kr. 500.- to get all the 
way to USA on the liner, their beds under the 
staircase where they were almost standing upright to sleep, oh wow!!! 

I often find myself in huge hotel-like complexes trying to find my way to another 
part and getting lost, seeing all sorts of surprises on the way. This liner had 
one floor which consisted entirely of German’s!!!!!

No one had stolen anything from the house all was well, no leaks from the roof, 

Love to you John thank you for passing by and calling in! Ann.

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Sorry to take so long to return this letter. but wow. its so amazing what travel’s and adventure a move could be, and the story narrated, with such poise and descriptive power, it was a roller coaster of bliss and joy, and excitement at each turn, it was so intense some times in the letter I would pause in a sweat in a place of lost dreams the way it sound, it was just a magical read that warmed my heart, showing the strength and command of mind and words and a balance, that just bowled me over. if your
at all wondering. I loved it. Such a thoughtful and well bred person such as yourself, would include me in such a grand story,of
events in your lives. very kind indeed. and I am very grateful to have received this writing. I wish I cold comment on every aspect of this
letter. because it deserves a lot more than I can return. Your friend sounds just as wonderful as you are. so good evening two you Both, and
soon it will all be a dream Love John.

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Oh what do I say in return for your letter, you were with me then, as I drove like geehew on the twisty Norwegian roads and it WAS like that; and as if in a bed, all the while cushioned greens of the billowing trees, the billowing white clouds in blue ‘picture-postcard’ landscaped skies and billowing hair in the breeze through the wide open windows because the sun was so warm; and it was truly exhilarating and memorable, and as I drove finally up my own steep-hilled drive under the umbrella’d trees, there all along the sides and on the backbone of the lane were the white anemones to welcome me with the bells of their perfumes.

AND John, the snow on the mt Skorve, white and shining through the trees, but from the house unreal and glowing bare to the sky. Don’t you wonder at my awe of nature it is all so beautiful here in all lights and weathers I just love it all. But wow how that snow against the sharp acid greens of Spring vegetation and the cerulean sky and the tawny river full f water for once undulating and even creating little waves over the rocks, or making gramophone records of circles of foam the needle being a twig balanced and going up and down just like the old fashioned 78’s!!

Its not always one gets a LETTER in return for a letter, these days people haven’t time to read other peoples writings, in the Norwegian poet’s ring I sent some poems and he said can’t you send shorter ones nobody reads the long ones !!!!!!! I ask you, as if I decided before I write a poem how long or short it is going to be!

My love to you and ours and I hope you have a wonderful Summer time coming and can enjoy it as much as you seem to enjoy my trip.

Love to you from your friend Ann.

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I wrote this before the poem of mine"Throwing oneself into the air naked" as the grreen of the trees were similar here too. 

Well now I have done as you requested John, not sure what to think o f myself, but here it is....... Love Ann.