A rather hasty catch-up

This has been an odd winter. The reason I say it like that (and not something like "it had been") is because it's been snowing this week. Let me just let that sink in a little bit. Snow. At the end of April! This is officially the weather gone mad! And for everyone that's going, oh but you live in Norway, that still means we're well into spring this close to May!

And to think we were so close to having a proper spring! The sun was shining for a week or so, the grass in my garden had finally emerged from under all the white and leaves had started showing themselves on the hedgerows all over the neighbourhood. And then it all sort of stopped and had a re-think. Reset the clock to early March, let's have some more wet snow, why don't we!

Yes, much head-shaking has been in evidence. Most people (myself included) have even switched to summer tyres. And while the snow doesn't last long enough to cause any real concerns, it's still rather disconcerting!

One thing I'm hoping for is that the snow is an aberration and it all goes back to normal spring/early summer service by next weekend, as that's the annual Holmenkollstafetten relay race! And I've signed up again! In fact this is the first time in 3 years that we've actually got a 'fun' team, so it would be really nice to have good weather for the run!

I've been reading a bit more lately. After struggling through two-thirds of A Casual Vacancy, I was rather relieved to sink into the windswept world of The Coffin Road set in the Isle of Skye in Scotland. And then followed that up with the swift and mostly interesting follow up to Stieg Larsson's Salander trilogy The Girl in the Spider's Web. And finally a very entertainingly different State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. 

The last book in particular was quite the intriguing one! The style of writing was one that was particularly mesmerizing in its manner of doling out detail. Lots of it for a while, and then barely anything for a bit. Switching between the world within the protagonist's mind and that outside in a particularly bewitching sort of way. I should really find some more books by the author :).

Having made a few forays out on the bike, I've decided that it's still way too cold for such things. And through a combination of things I managed to get myself rather Norway bound this last month and thus lost out on an awesome opportunity to visit the Philippines for a week.I guess the upside is that I'm now officially a permanent Norwegian resident :). Not entirely sure what that means yet...

Right, so there we are then, a rather quick and haphazard summary of the last month or more. I should really be taking more photos!!!

Currently: sleepy :)
Listening to: Jack Johnson - Breakdown

The allure of turning thoughts into words

A friend recently returned from a six month trip to Central and South America. While on the trip she kept us posted on her amazing experiences through her blog. One that, might I add, I helped convince her to start :D. There is a special sort of enjoyment, I find, in following others' experiences through their own words. Not just snapshot images, or short lines of text. Now that she's back home though, the posts have stopped. Not surprisingly, it was a travel blog.

I go through bouts of guilt when I see the date tag on the latest post that greets me on the blog these days. And when it gets too bothersome I post a bit of what surfaces from the last month or more that had no mention. I don't give much thought to why I like (and consequently miss) blogging. Writing, really.

But today for some reason I find myself taking a closer look. There is something to writing. Not just creative writing, any writing that's a translation of wisps and tendrils of thought churning deep within into something more tangible. There are moments of greater or lesser clarity. Some where the translation from thought to word seems clear and sharp, others when it's all a bit foggy. Still, every time, there's a thrill in some ways.

I suppose when I read I imagine some of the same going on. Although mostly I just read the stories.

Then there's the thrill of spilling thoughts and feelings and such into the light of the world outside. The potential for harsh dissection exists. But rarely does the reality of life live up the fantastic projections of a fearful mind :). And over time the knowledge of this makes one bolder.

There seemed to have been more. Thoughts lurking on the edge of consciousness that have been spooked by the light. That have since retreated to the darker corners beyond knowing. No matter. There are clearly reasons enough to keep going. If only to re-discover the thrill of writing every now and again :).

More on the snow that is slowly melting away another time...

Currently: hopeful
Listening to: Dirty South & Thomas Gold - Alive

Of memories, old and new

Generally speaking, I'm definitely one for blue skies, sunshine and the more full fat bright and cheeriness. But I do sometimes miss the more subdued but varied palette of sunrises and sunsets :). There's something altogether more ethereal and therefore magical in the blink and you miss it sort of beauty. And now that the days are getting a bit longer again it's nice to notice the departure and onset of twilight at more reasonable sort of times. As against in the middle of the day :).

I was reminded of a rather old post the other day, from almost ten years ago now, about an afternoon spent on a beach in Singapore. It's funny how one thing reminds you of another, then that leads you on to something else, and before you know it, you're right in the middle of a long and intricate net of criss-crossing memories.

It is nice sometimes, to just take some time out, create a bit of space for yourself. Wait till the noise dies down a little, life slows. And then find out a little about what's been going on underneath. What's been collecting, growing, maybe festering.... 

A gift of How the Marquis Got His Coat Back (which is a very quick and entertaining read, by the way) led me back to Neverwhere. Looking back I found that the last time I'd read it was on the flight over to Norway when I moved here :). So I've been enjoying reading a slightly different version of it the last few days. I've been enjoying finding out once again how Gaiman can layer darkness between light and colour. Reality between curtains of fantasy. I've been enjoying tickling my imagination, immensely :).

Currently: bored
Listening to: The Avener - Lonely boy

Of snow, sunshine, slopes and tracks

What qualifies as a good start to a year?

Yes, a bit of an odd question maybe, and more of a 'popped into my head just this minute' sort of thing rather than a 'I've been pondering this for a while' kind. Maybe because I thought back to the long New Year weekend spent in rather spectacular fashion up in a cabin surrounded by valleys and woods increasingly enveloped by fresh snow. And suddenly it felt like that was a very long time ago :). 

January's almost gone! And suddenly I'm wondering when it is that one might consider a year to be well and truly under way, rather than having just begun? Yeah, I'm full of these questions today, ones without answers. :) So maybe we'll go back to the more usual 'this is what I've been up to the last few weeks' format. And speaking of weeks, I think I've more or less settled in on the more sporadic posting. I'm blaming it on the luxury of being able to leave the laptop at work in the evenings and the lack of a properly usable PC at home. Not a bad problem to have, to be perfectly honest. :)

Right, that weekend up in the hills then! I have to say that has to be one of the more memorable ways to usher in the new year for me in the recent past! Sipping champagne in a heated outdoor jacuzzi in the midst of falling snowflakes and bursts of fireworks from across the valley. :) Not to mention the sheer volumes of snow that descended on us for the three or so days! A few walks in the snow and one trip out on cross-country skis punctuated an otherwise leisurely time spent relaxing by the wood fire, playing board games, enjoying lovely food or the aforementioned jacuzzi. :D

Since then there's even been some proper snow in Asker! So much so that we managed a fair number of cross country skiing trips right here! And I have to say I'm beginning to get the hang of moving my feet independently while sliding on snow. :) It's not so bad really, just very very different from snowboarding downhill!

Speaking of which, We managed to kick off the season's snowboarding rather properly as well, with one trip to Kongsberg and another to Tryvann. These being the more close-by locations where I learned to snowboard to start with. Somehow though, in the last couple of years I've spent hardly any time on those slopes, so it was nice to have the chance to compare. There's something of a world of difference now compared to my first attempts from back in 2008. Some of the formerly formidable, almost death defying slopes now seem positively mild! :)

It's been rather properly cold too! The last few weeks were hitting -12/15 degrees quite regularly, but now the mercury's headed north. Sadly that probably means much of this lovely snow's going to disappear. Might call for some cautious driving too. :) One hopes normal winter service will resume shortly.

I'm generally rather averse to New Year's resolutions. Never quite saw the point of them. But there are things I'd like to do this year. Maybe read a little more. Since moving back to a more settled sort of life (read: travelling a lot less), I've rather stopped giving much time to the Kindle. But then there aren't quite so many opportunities to meander around airport book shops either. :)

At least new and entertaining music continues to appear!

Currently: thinking I should take the car for a wash :)
Listening to: The Avener - Fade out lines

Sparkle, not fade

I've been looking forward to this :).

Another year, another recap. Another story of some things that went well, and others that went superbly :). I suppose at the end of the year if you can look back and smile, that in itself is a fantastic thing. But I have proof :D.

After a year of restricting my international travel rather zealously, I let go of that phobia a little. The trips to Barcelona, London and Hyderabad were brief and mostly rather hurriedly planned (or not really planned at all, beyond trusting in others to point me in the right direction). And such sights they provided! Such colour, architecture, life, and a chance to catch up with many many old friends.

But there was also the trip back to Kolkata in the summer. Mangoes and rain. And conversations with the parents. Connecting, reconnecting, sharing life. Letting people into one's life is a choice. Sometimes it's easy to forget that.

There was also the rather fantastic trip to Iceland. The land of ice and fire. Maybe one day I will write more about that than short superlative outbursts. Generally speaking when it comes to trips it's easy to remember the extreme bits. As such I remember quite a lot of Iceland quite vividly! The extremes kept on coming thick and fast :). And all that from having spent a whole week in effectively a tiny fraction of the southern valleys. Who knows what a broader exploration might reveal!

Finally there was the most recent trip to the south of England over the last few weeks. A more extensive trip. Getting to know people and places. A lot of new faces around a few familiar ones :). It was a mix of overcast skies, rolling hills and frequent blustery rain, but every now and then the clouds would part and then suddenly, sunshine! Beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Drives along twisting fantastic B roads. And barely less twisty but somewhat wider A roads. And a judicious avoidance of M roads altogether :). To say nothing of the cats!

(Digression: It was fun to drive right handed again. But the car manufactures have decided to keep the European positions for the wiper and light switches, which is rather annoying. As is driving diesel. For the foreseeable future, therefore, I shall stick to petrol, thankyouverymuch. And don't even get me started on digital speedometers! End of digression.)

I suppose I was a little lazier this year, preferring long lazy afternoons/evenings in the sunshine over long cycle rides or swims in lakes or fjords. But it was such a nice way to spend the hours of sunshine :). A bit more time to talk things over. Or just to enjoy fantastic shapes in the clouds :). I suppose we did a bit less of Norway itself, with just the one summer road trip, but one hopes there will be time for more exploration.

Life at work changed for the better. Although such things are best seen in the context of life in general, but no, no complains. A little more time and breathing space at a time when it is really helpful, what more could I ask for.

It has been a week of reflection in some ways, through circumstance I ended up working these last three days of the year. A time when the office is ridiculously, if understandably, sparsely occupied. It kinda lends itself to introspection. Anyway, enough of looking back.

It's time to look forward to what new things come my way in the new year. Who knows what further surprises, twists and turns might be in store :).

Happy New Year!

Currently: grateful and hopeful
Listening to: Kygo - Here for you (ft. Ella Henderson)