Erik Bruhn

The last youtube video is from a documentary about Erik Bruhn that I find quite extraordinary. I remember seeing it and feeling it changed my direction. He talked about always returning to the way of Zen. I got curious.

Oslo Graffiti 9

This little beauty was a present from a friend of my mother's in the hospital. Way too much gratitude for a little help. The patients have no one to help them doing little chores, like their shopping. I took her shopping for an hour. She had not been out for more than six weeks! We are starved when it comes to humanity. There should be a volunteer system. Or maybe families should help their elderly more? I have no answer, but not outdoors for six weeks! How is that for regaining one's health?

The Squiggle

G's father was a composer, a very good composer that was, but he had an interesting streak in his personality. He liked to be heard, but he also wanted to keep to himself. That's difficult when you work in the arts and one of the reasons I decided to go to med school. I like to play, but on my own terms. I also like to take pictures, but not of myself. It is good to be seen, but also to hide. This picture has a very common and rather boring effect, I must work on a more interesting approach.
Underneath is some music by G's wonderful father. The piece is called Welcome With Honor

Oslo Graffiti 8

Slightly Posh On A Saturday

I can't really contain myself, taking pictures of flowers however bad the outcome. On my way to one of Oslo's most posh florists by the way. Kuturnatt/Culture Night in OMLF needs the best possible flowers

Culture Night In Oslo 2011 - Kulturnatt i Oslo Musikklærerforening

My friend N and I are arranging one of the venues in Culture Night in Oslo this year. Culture Night is an all Oslo happening where different organizations show what they do and the public get in free of charge. There are arrangements all over Oslo on September 16TH. N and I arrange the one in Oslo Music Teacher's Association (venue on facebook).

N and I have been "courting" Liv Glaser for two years now, and this year we got her. She is usually busy this time of year touring. She is doing this venue pro bono for us! Liv Glaser is one of the most acclaimed Norwegian pianists and she will even bring her own fortepiano. At 6.30PM she will play Mozart and Schumann together with a soprano, Helene Wold.

Later Arild Holth will exhibit his photographs, there will be a break in the music between 8PM and 9.30PM for the exhibit. The last program, (9.30PM) is a poetry reading by Jan Bodin. Jan will bring a guitarist, Dan Heide. We are lucky to get these interesting artists.

Copyright Arild Holth

 Welcome to Kulturnatt in Oslo Musikklærerforening (link) on September 16TH if you are in Oslo! Address: Josefinesgate 15, 0351 Oslo, entrance from Underhaugsveien.

A Room With A View?

This is the view from my mother's hospital room. Today I helped her with her hand. It is more or less useless still. The cast was taken off two days ago. We are trying to clean it up. The poor arm likes being in water. It will take time to get back in good health, but she makes good progress.

Oslo Photo Marathon 2011 - 12

Cynisism

Awesome

Maybe the word is used too much in English, especially by teenagers? I used to know a very sweet girl of fourteen, the daughter of an acquaintance. She thought everything was awesome, and she was just incredibly winsome. Maybe winsome is older folk's awesome?

By the way, I think I like the word groovy more.

This one's for you, sweet Scarlett! I hope life is good. (picture)

Oslo Photo Marathon 2011 - 11

Egoism

Oslo Photo Marathon 2011 - 10

Cowardice

Jeremy

Oslo Photo Marathon 2011 - 9

Cleverness - which is not a nasty trait, of course

Oslo Photo Marathon 2011 - 8

Vanity

Oslo Photo Marathon 2011 - 7

Laziness

Oslo Photo Marathon 2011 - 6

Anger

Oslo Photo Marathon 2011 - 5

Gluttony

Oslo Photo Marathon 2011 - 4

Envy

Oslo Photo Marathon 2011 - 3

Lust

Oslo Photo Marathon 2011 - 2

Greed

Oslo Photo Marathon 2011 - 1

This year's theme was the seven deadly sins - and a few other nasty possibilities. This is an attempt on Pride

Petra Olsen's Garden

This is Petra Olsen's old tree, hollow and sweet. Petra used to own the old house where the tree is part of a cute and wild little garden. I found a paper in the house with her salary at one point, NOK 5, about a dollar. It was not that long ago. Things were not grand, but Petra was kind. It is a blessed place.

Love is the answer and you know that for sure

John Lennon

Succisa Pratensis - Snapshot Of My Favorite Flower

Tvedestrand Graffiti

On the back of a bus seat. Mø means moo

Boat Under Consideration

My partner wants one of these:)

Stavanger Again

This guy flew around for hours - Obrestad Lighthouse

Enchanted Mini Break - if it is green, I'm all yours

My old friend N from the conservatory days, lives ninety minutes by train from Oslo. I go there if I need good conversation and a couple of days rest.

Last night N wanted to see her boyfriend. As compensation, I got to borrow her bike and see parts of town I never knew existed - and best of all; plenty of greenery. In my book, it can't get green enough. Here are some pictures from the bike ride taken with the camera on my phone. 

The cute bike

In Norwegian I would call this "stripa"- a place to see and be seen

From the old town

And there are fields of Brussels sprouts almost in town!

This morning I went to the hardware store, one of the old fashioned ones, the kind you almost never see anymore or have to know about to find. Ten minutes by bike and good morning exercise. In Oslo it would be an hours travel. The people here seem incredibly fit and tanned, like they are off to the beach every day to frolic in the waves. Even the elderly ladies seem like they just jumped ashore and live on raw vegetables and sun. This is a vacation town and August is beautiful. Norwegian summer is a period of grace.

Later in the day we visited Åsgårdastrand, where Munch painted several of his paintings, having coffee.

This is not the Munch Cafe (there are only two). It has very good coffee, open all year.

Oslo Graffiti 7

Somehow an important part of my home. All colours need to have a touch of cream.

Oslo Graffiti 6 - one of those blue nights

And who knows where the event hall really is ...?

Oslo Graffiti 5

Snapshot from the sea of flowers and teddy bears in front of Domkirken

It took some time mustering up the energy to go there. There are flowers all over town and apparently import tax on roses is lifted.

The government high rise seen from Youngstorget

Oslo Graffiti 3

I'm waking up very slowly, it feels like my mind could be returning. Maybe it is the mineral supplement :-D? My diet has been very poor lately. Will try to steam some green, orange and yellow stuff today, possibly make an orange soup -- and move a little, possibly jog. Maybe imagine the scary creature in the picture coming after me :)? Should make me move faster?

Seeing what people write in part of the blog sphere, makes me conclude that there is a lot of kindness, imagination and beauty in the world. Thank you very much for the  kind and encouraging comments.

Oslo Graffiti 2

Things have been tough here, but looking up now.

Barbar?

Oslo Graffiti

It is quiet here, both in town and in the house. People look serious. Not strange of course, after the attacks.

My mother is in the hospital with multiple, serious fractures after fainting from a heart murmur. She will get a pacemaker on Monday and hopefully get back home in a few weeks, but she has to learn to walk in stairs again, the house is full of stairs. I hope she is up up it, and I'm not sure how worried I should be about the heart murmur. It is the problem of knowing too much and too little at the same time. Today some friends are coming over to help me clean the house and sort out the garden. Take the carpet off the stairs among other things.

I'm worried about my mother, I'm not ready to let her go yet. I don't think I ever will be.

Graffiti from a passage way close to the hospital. I like it, but everything feels irrelevant now.

Beili Liu At Hå Gamle Prestegård

Snapshot From Stavanger

Snapshots From Stavanger

I've Been Doing The Mad Girl Thing

And so the madness begun; two pairs of jeans, three blouses, three pairs of earrings, a new scarf - the first one I'd really liked ever. Maybe I'm growing up, finally? I mean, a real scarf ... Then - wellies and the most fun shoes so far, or rather the most fun stilts, the heels are high, but fairly stable. Will be good if I bring a bike, then I don't have to walk in them. Does that count as common sense? A lot of it on sale, but I've gone girlie - mad, clothes mad and I don't know what. The strange part is that the clothes are all quite stylish and even a little interesting. It is quite the improvement from my grandfather's old under shirts.

These are the shoes (link)

Not Moving The Lawn Has Its Moments

Daisies

Oslo in summer is good. Most people are gone and the rest of us are left to move our lawns and sit yawning in coffee shops. Next Saturday some friends will come over, just before the big holiday project begins.

For me, it is enough that the trees are green, if it's rainy or sunny... We sit on the porch just talking, like old sailors from Southern Norway. And, I had my little flutter, ordering lots of cute earrings from ETSY. Life feels wonderful.

Daisies from way back then in Oz. Picture taken by my father

Graffiti

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting 

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

from Dream Work by Mary Oliver