Inactive

Well... I think we can all agree that there's not much going on here. I refuse to take this blog offline though. I keep planning to write stuff and I have documents full of half-formed ideas, it just never really happens. I am going to keep the blog, and if I ever post I'll link to it on Facebook or something I guess. My dad keeps telling me I can't have a blog if I'm not going to update it regularly. To that I say: Oh yeah? Watch me.

The man in my neighbourhood

There's a fascinating man in my neighbourhood.

It is, of course, entirely possible that there are several fascinating men in my neighbourhood, but I don't know about them. I know about this one. He walks very slowly. It doesn't look like it's caused by a handicap of any sort. He just... saunters. Slowly. And he observes things, or it looks like he does. Possibly his mind is just very preoccupied. He often stops at the most random places (to me, anyway). and he just stands there, apparently doing nothing at all and apparently giving a fiddler's fart what other people think about that. And enjoying it. I think.

It's rather calming, really. I wonder if he is calm. He looks calm. He looks completely and utterly serene.

And I wonder if he's all there. Isn't it strange how his behaviour should make me think he is senile or somehow mentally challenged? Isn't that rather sad? He doesn't bother anyone. In fact, he makes me smile when I see him (he doesn't seem to see me). He is clean and shaven and well-dressed and all sorts of proper to the outward eye, and sometimes I have wanted to talk to him, but I never do. He doesn't strike me as the small-talking type. Even if he was, I don't know if I want to talk to him. I don't want to disturb him. I just like seeing him around.

I never saw him this winter, and I was afraid something might have happened to him - he's rather old. I realised that I missed him, even though I've never spoken to him. I don't know whether that is pathetic or kind of nice. I think I'm gonna go with the last alternative. He's back now, though; I've seen him every day lately. Maybe he just likes spring and summer better, like I do. I smiled at him the other day, but he didn't see me; he was looking at a tree. I hope he's happy.

Belated bragging

I ROCK as a daughter! Look what I did for my mother's birthday in May (yes, I blog way too seldom. Sue me).

These are the presents from my sister, her boyfriend and me. I wrapped them up and decorated them with pretty little ribbons in cute colours that I thought my mom would appreciate. She did.

She wanted a medium-sized suitcase, and I thought this apple (or is it olive?) green color fit her well. It's supposed to be a good one anyway. And it has a five year warranty, which can always come in handy, I guess.

She also needed a frying pan. I came over this amazingly cute pink one with red dots, and I couldn't help myself.

Wow. I'm not usually one to blog about these kinds of things. My cousin does, and many others with her. They're home-makers, and clever ones, too. I'm not, and I never will be. I've never been "housewife material" - I never wanted to be. On principle, I think. I refused to even try for things like that; the things that have traditionally been considered feminine, or at least in the female domain. I have always hated it when I felt like I could fit into a stereotype. But I'm growing up.

I brought her coffee in bed at 5:50 in the morning! I never get up at 5:50 in the morning. I never get up in the morning at all, really. More often it's closer to noon by the time I hit the shower.

I made lasagna with salad and garlic bread, and I set and decorated the table. Like THIS:


Isn't it pretty?! Isn't it?! YES IT IS (Sometimes it's better to answer your own questions, so you're sure you get the right answer). My grandmother came over together with my brother and his family. It was a nice day, I think.

And here's the dessert!

She deserves it though, my mother does. She should have parties thrown for her more often, because she's one of the greatest women alive, I'm pretty sure.

She wanted to go abroad with the whole family for her birthday, but we were all busy in May, so the trip was postponed until June. We went to Spain together, and it was fantastic. My mother gave us all the tickets for Christmas - another reason she should be celebrated way more often; she is (sometimes too) generous. I should put some pics out here from that trip, so I can show everyone just how fantastic it was.

All dressed up

Yesterday was Norway's National Day, our Constitution Day. I thought I looked real pretty in my bunad*, so I thought I'd show you. And my grandmother's flowers all look so happy and hopeful! The view behind me is Jæren (the rural area where I grew up) on a spring day. Yay for Norway! And yay for spring!!

* This specific apparell that I'm wearing has not been approved as an official 'bunad' as it was created in more recent years, but it is based on the bunad-principle, imitating the folk costume based on old-time garments. Also, it's still just as expensive... Its embroideries and patterns are meant to symbolise Jæren. I'm betting it will be qualified for bunad-status in not too long. ;)

Footsteps in sand in fog

It kinda looks like I edited and removed the colours. I didn't.

Fog

See if you can spot the sun. It is there.

Ølberg Sunset

Ølberg beach, April 2011

Brave lillies

The first flowers I spotted on my street. There was still snow on the sidewalk outside this unkempt "garden."

Just to keep things going...

I think I'm going to keep posting pictures instead of words for a while. Because nowadays I seem to have more of them. I guess if it's true that a picture says more than a thousand words, that must count for something. At least I won't forget I have a blog. I like Blogger.com's terms of service better than Facebook's for pictures, so I might as well put them here. I also like the ocean better than a lot of other things, so many of the pictures will be sliiightly influenced by that.

So here's one to begin with. Taken at Reve beach, August 2010:

A blog in the dressing room

Because of my reduced eyesight I often use audiobooks. During spring and summer I often go for walks while I "read." Lately, however, this has not been tempting, not only because of the cold, but because of the icy roads making it difficult to move around. So lately while listening to my books (of course after finishing all the useful things such as dishes, dusting and laundry... heheh) I have started messing around with color combinations and some very simple graphics. I've never had any instruction and I'm not good at it, but it's fun. So if the layout on this blog randomly changes, that's just me experimenting while I read. There's little activity here otherwise, though. Maybe if I finally think I have a really pretty blog, I'll become inspired and actually start writing stuff in it.