My love for Blaise Pascal

Since my early youth I have bought several copies of the compressed works of Pascal, a pocket book edition of his "Thoughts".
I've given it as little presents, but rarely got any feed back.
Nevertheless that old genius never fails to impress me, or to give me new and better perspectives on my own life.
In my search for emptiness and chase for wind his thoughts make me reevaluate my motives and actions.

"We don't lust for things, but for the status of things," he says.
Further;
"It is not good to be too free. It is not good to have everything one wants."-- Blaise Pascal

So when I am so focused on my daughter's success, my husband's health, or my friend's possible loss of her home, I may be all wrong.

"Happiness is neither without us nor within us. It is in God, both without us and within us."

I often get tired of trying and failing. At my age it's getting harder to raise from the floor every time I'm down.

"It is good to be tired and wearied by the futile search after the true good,
that we may stretch out our arms to the Redeemer." Blaise Pascal

Good night, friends.

May

We are still in the wonderful month of May. The two definitely most important months in Norway are April and May. Here wonderfully depicted on the Baldishol tapestry. My mother has embroidered this beautiful copi, and given it to me. You can see the word Aprilis and Mavis over the heads of the knights. The tapestry is carbon dated to late 12th century and is a national heirloom.
I do hope you are enjoying this wonderful time when mother nature is awakening to new life with the same enthusiasm as we do.

Bømlo, a ruby and emerald island

It took a long time for the spring defeating king Winter this year.
By end of April/beginning of May our beloved princess finally won.



The hiker girls went to visit one of the members' hut (hytte) on this island Bømlo just north of Haugesund. Elbjørg grew up on this farm here, om a small island with no bridge or road over to the main island.
Back then it was hard work on the farm, going by row boat to school, but also lots of precious memories from that close knit community.

Where the old smith house stood, Ebjørg has created a small park.
She's literally cut stone, made stone walls, freighted mold soil and planted.

Liv is thrilled to be back on this paradise on earth.

The hut was set up in 1963 by Elbjørg's husband. Their youngest son has taken over the farm, not to live there, but to have an open house for family and friends.

Sheep from the vicar's farm are keeping the cultivated landscape free from overgrowth. The old barn are not being used for other than storage of sporting equipments.

The barn isn't even painted on all sides. We are walking into the woods to explore Elbjørg's fairytale land.

This shed was kept to boil water for the cattle and clean milking gears.
The roof panes are old raw cut slate plates. This is an 18th century building.

The old, solid made road are now only used by hikers.

Elbjørg left and Torill are thrilled to show us the secrets of the woods.

A wood land full of yellow, smelling primroses, waiting to be picked by old ladies with little girls in their hearts.



Tilly, who also grew up on a farm, 70 years ago, has got that sweet, girlie luck look on her face.

Torill is challenging nature and forces on the edge of a steep cliff.
She's frame by the laces of the not fully sprung trees.

Elbjørg's elder brothers made these table and benches of stone back in another lifetime. The youth used to gather here in the blond nights.

Four lucky ladies with their primrose bouquets. Here was the glen where they once used to dance, helped by a fiddler or an accordeonist.

Elbjørg still is joining a dance group every Wednesday. If you doubleclick, you'll see the happy faces of she and Liv.

As usual on the coast, the weather was changing all day, from wind and gray sky to sun and blue.
Here's a boathouse/ storehouse fro fish and fishing boats. The lift hanging out from the third floor is still in use.

This is how it looks like while resting on the pier belonging to Elbjørg's hut.

Liv is greeting the small crab fishes.

Finally; dinner at the terrace.Menu hot dogs and mashed potatoes, with strawberries and cream for dessert.
God bye to Børøy. Hope we'll see you again soon.

I'm uploading this post now, cause next Tuesday is May 17th. Lots of work to be done before the celebration of the Norwegian Constitution Day.
See you on the 18th.

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THE GREAT COOK BOOK

I bought the most read cook book in Norway, Henriette Schønberg Erken's Great Cook Book, on a recent fleemarket for a farthing.
The book has a leather binding, gold letters and a remarkable flower decoration on the section side. It's a special edition from 1938.
I've never seen anything like it before. picture # 1 is in sepia. Picture # 2 has natural colors. I wonder, is this decoration made by hand?

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SPRING

Spring has exploded on us. Sun up at 5.30 and down at 10. This ruby dawn is taken at 5 a.m. through the library window, while the new sprung birch leaves were dancing sun rise polka in the storm.

My garden is a colorful wild mix of weed , seed and bulbs.
Pollen of all kinds are making the air think with dust and all Gunnar's 30 allergies are blossoming too.

I know our garden needs some water, but like my mother, I am superstitious about watering.
It's a cry for rain, that's only too soon answered. My rhododendrons don't agree.

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T.S. Elliot Cats

One of our five black and gray kittens given away last Thursday.

The Song of the Jellicles

Jellicle Cats come out to-night
Jellicle Cats come one come all:
The Jellicle Moon is shining bright -
Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball.

Jellicle Cats are black and white,
Jellicle Cats are rather small;
Jellicle Cats are merry and bright,
And pleasant to hear when they caterwaul.
Jellicle Cats have cheerful faces,
Jellicle Cats have bright black eyes;
They like to practise their airs and graces
And wait for the Jellicle Moon to rise.

Jellicle Cats develop slowly,
Jellicle Cats are not too big;
Jellicle Cats are roly-poly,
They know how to dance a gavotte and a jig.
Until the Jellicle Moon appears
They make their toilette and take their repose:
Jellicle Cats wash behind their ears,
Jellicle dry between their toes.

Jellicle Cats are white and black,
Jellicle Cats are of moderate size;
Jellicle Cats jump like a jumping-jack,
Jellicle Cats have moonlit eyes.
They're quitet enough in the morning hours,
They're quitet enough in the afternoon,
Reserving their terpsichorean powers
To dance by the light of the Jellicle Moon.

Jellicle Cats are black and white,
Jellicle Cats (as I said) are small;
If it happends to be a stormy night
They will practise a caper or two in the hall.
If it happens the sun is shining bright
You would say they had nothing to do at all:
They are resting and saving themselves to be right
For the Jellicle Moon and the Jellicle Ball.

T. S. Elliot

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Shabby Chic

My mother doesn't care about trends or fashion anymore. She's just taking care of, or rather let live things she's fond of.
Like this young ceramic guy with a face from her childhood.
Once he throned on her mantlepiece all brown without scars, moss or other signs of a lived life.
Then he fell to the floor and went to pieces, but his charming face was still intact.
My mother placed him on the chimney of our home made (hers and mine) fireplace in the secret garden. Every spring he's got more "freckles", but his enigmatic smile and the mocking glimpse in his eyes becomes more and more apparent year by year.
Boy out of time, but in our hearts.

Mother's Ruby Spring

After her brain stroke 3 years ago, my mother has gone a long and lonely way to regain her strength and life.
Come springtime her strength are tripled and her will to fight defeat and illness are admirable.
Her red shoes made her perfect for Ruby Tuesday, as we visited her yesterday, May first.
Gunnar is a great support both to my mom and me. He drove the long way to Sauda to deliver a garden bench we bought for my Mom at a flee market. Monten shall NOT wait to have a resting place when she's out doing what she likes the most; digging, weeding , planting and fertilizing.

Monten dislike using a crouch, the old broom is a great support.

Two years ago Monten finally got her and mine beloved White Anemone to grow in her secret garden.
As you will see, she has lots of land to cultivate, about 2 acres of land.

The "new" old blue bench is perfect for outdoor life, providing a snug resting place behind the old hen house. and because it's solid old wood, it will also withstand rain and snow of harsh Nordic climate.



My Mom and I sung this psalm about the revival of nature.
I'll add the Norwegian text. Those of you who are interested can try to get it translated.

No livnar det i lundar.

Av Elias Blix

No livnar det i lundar, no lauvast det i lid,
den heile skapning stundar no fram til sumars tid.

Det er vel fagre stunder når våren kjem her nord,
og atter som eit under nytt liv av daude gror.

Guds kyrkja lysa skulde som høgt på berg ein stad,
med sumar utan kulde og utan solarglad.

Guds ord vel alltid lyser, den sol gjeng aldri ned:
det hus som Anden hyser, ligg stødt i ljos og fred.

Men stundom kom då kulde på Herrens kyrkjemark:
det var som Gud seg dulde, og burte var Guds ark.

Det var dei myrke dagar, Guds ord var fåhøyrd segn;
og hjarta frys og klagar, det saknar sol og regn.

So sende Gud sin Ande som dogg på turre jord;
då vakna liv i lande, då grøddest vent Guds ord.

Då er det sæle tider for Kristi kyrkjegrunn;
då lauvast det i lider, då livnar det i lund.

Då ljosnar det i landet frå fjell og ned til fjord;
då losnar tungebandet, då kved Guds folk i kor.

Då skin det yver strender som sol ein sumarkveld:
då gløder kring i grender ein heilag altar-eld.

Du vår med ljose dagar, med lengting, liv og song!
Du spår at Gud oss lagar ein betre vår ein gong,

då me med vigsla tunga, med kjærleik heil og klår,
alt utan brest og sprunga skal lova Herren vår.
Elias Blix

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Hectic April Life

All these days coming and going. Little did I realize they were life itself.
I didn't get to see excepts from the English Royal Wedding till 12 hours after it was all over.
My mother, being an if not royalist, so at least Dianalist, gave me a thorough summary at about 8 this afternoon.
She also told me she had been finishing the fertilizing in her garden, so I had hurry out, trying not to fall to far behind. She is my rolemodel and inspirer.

This morning I had my weekly appointment with the physiotherapist. She is a genius and I always return renewed home from an hour of exercises.
Meanwhile Gunnar had to bring our precious cat, Amidala, (named by Serina) to the vet. Being busy mothering 5 kittens, she still managed to get a new vower , ran off a couple of times and had to be spayed in a hurry.
She's been doing fine afterwards. Eating penicillin and even doing a few walks in the garden with her abdomen all bandaged.
She is some queen to us.

In three days we have given away all the kittens, now eight weeks, to three wonderful families. I prayed for this from the day they were born. We have gotten used to meeting with six cats each morning, and it's been a busy time, especially for Gunnar. He has managed to get them house trained and eating food and behaving like..well kittens all day long.
They were used to sleeping close to each other, and we therefore were extremely happy that two of the families chose to take to kittens each. They were all experienced "cat people". The fifth came to a country home with a horse, a dog and yet another cat. I thank He who cares for the sparrows that He helped the kitten's leaving go so smoothly.
Besides we have delivered rather complicated tax returns and hope for some "pay back" in June.
Did I tell I had an appointment with the family doc and got more antibiotics?

Tomorrow is an early rise. We've got a flee-market to catch.
Have a blessed week end and entrance to the wonderful month of May.

Norwegian Easter

There are three times I need to be in the the home where I grew up, and where my mother still lives; summer, Christmas and Easter.
Since I left my birth-home to study I have always striven to get home for these celebrations. This year we had 6 cats in our care, and therefor had to split the vacation.
We somehow got to share moments together, the core family; my mother, my brother, our daughter, husband G and myself.

Tommasi white wine, feathers and a huge egg, all symbols of Easter.

My painting of a knitting woman always reminds me of my mother.

My mother with some of her new year production. She has already given three pairs of socks away.

As usual we played Chinese Checkers, and as always my mother beat me.
No mercy when it comes to games in the Ljung family.

Breakfast table. My mother has painted the porcelain Easter breakfast set.


Pagan Sauda. We are standing on the Hovland (Hoofland) farm looking up on the Hoofland peak. I was there once with my Dad, so it's kind of my special mountain. Hov or Hoof is the place where offerings to the pagan gods took place.
Eating eggs are also related to easter morning. Pagan fertility rite, as is the color yellow, the Easter color.

Indoor roses with throbs, a reference to Christ.


We celebrated Easter night (Saturday) in Haugesund, making a bonfire on the terrace.
The blond nights are already here. We sat outside till 3 a.m.

Easter Morning in our garden both tulips and narcissus sprung during the warm Easter week. Paske is Norwegian for Easter, from Hebrew and not pagan at all.
Last hint of ruby on our red shrub. It was once a big tree, withered and is now grow up from a root.

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