We've just returned from our October half term trip and we are officially 2 years old (Gratulerer med dagen to us!). I can't believe it was 2 years ago that Maisie and I travelled to Norway, did the worlds largest shop in Ikea, Bilteema and Clas Ohslon and then tried occupying a house which hadn't been lived in for 30 years before the second wave of Ned and Kath joined us a few days later. On that initial visit there were 2 pieces of good fortune.....the first was that we hadn't been conned by some swindling major money scandal and we had actually bought a house and the key to it was really in the jar in the woodshed and secondly it didn't snow!
The first is that within 2 years, we now have running water (including hot water) thanks to our neighbour Kjetil, electricity thanks to Jan, the house now stands up straight again (thanks to Jon and his team (and some help from Mr B) and we now have some new triple glazed windows, an insulated roof, some bedrooms (thanks to Magnus and his crew), our neighbours and new friends in Ålen and Trondheim (you know who you are ;) ) for making us feel welcome and providing wood so we don't freeze to death and more importantly a home thanks to my crazy family.
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| The crazies.... |
When we actually get to call it home will be for discussion (and the subject of some later posts i'm sure) but for now, at least, it is our little retreat from the UK and the hustle an bustle of city life.....oh hang on.... we live in rural north Devon....well retreat from the all the tourists.........oh hang.....its now winter and we are back to normal again!
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| In perfect harmony |
The second is that when we got the house for the first time, Maisie and I actually had lunch outside on the verandah.....well this time it was snowing! and for an English family from the south it felt like it was proper snowing! I do think however that for our neighbours it was just a shower and a probably just an inconvenience.....but whatever it was snowing!
The upshot of this was beautiful snowy mountains (until it melted on the lower slopes), our little beach and lake was frozen, and the edges of the higher mountain lakes were just starting to freeze over and as usual it feels a million miles from 'normal' life , whatever 'normal' life is!
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| Hessjøen just freezing at the edges |
So we often get asked "where is your house / or where do you live (Hvor bor du?) so in true style, and with the aid of modern CGI techniques here's Kath explaining to grandpa roughly where things are. Speak soon - Vi Snakkes
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| FFS it's over there.......!! |
