A snorting elk…
While writing this, we’re looking out of the window and spotting a pair of forgotten fingerless gloves of S. on the picnic table. They are black woolen gloves, but are now covered in a white layer of crispy ice crystals. Winter is arriving. After two bitter cold winters our internal clock was pretty much set to ‘cold’ and ‘snow’ by the end of October. Instead it has been unusually mild, with just a few nights of frost and temperatures between 5 and 10 C. We have actually been able to enjoy the Fall season a little longer than usual, with beautiful coloured leaves dangling from the branches, or spread on the wet forest ground. Glad N has gotten a warm pair of hunting galoshes that withstand the deep puddles of mud in the woods.
Frozen gloves
Due to a lack of white powder, snow secure ski resorts like Trysil, Hemsedal and Beitostølen have not been able to open up at the beginning of this month. They’re losing millions of kroner because of King Winter’s delay. Experts are predicting we will have a mild Winter this year. And the word ‘climate change’ has come across environmentalists lips… Secretly we do hope we’ll have at least one meter of snow and a thick layer of ice. We don’t want to miss out on the skating, cross-country skiing and snowboarding fun.
Just like the years before, Sinterklaas is paying his annual visit to all the Dutch childeren living in Norway. The kids have watched his arrival in Dordrecht on Dutch television and are very excited about what they’ll find in their shoes, or better, what presents they might get on the 5th of December. The oldest one is now part of ‘The Big Secret’. It was a bit of a shock to her; Sinterklaas not really existing? And her (grand)parents buying the presents, writing the poems and filling up her shoe? Amusing how she knew, and didn’t at the same time. After a couple of weeks she had accepted the idea and is now reminding us while whispering in our ears, to please not forget to put candy in the shoes tonight.
Since we live so close to the woods, we experienced a, for us, new phenomona. One night the dog barked and woke us up from our sweet dreams. Right after her bark we heard this disturbing sound. The dog barked again, and the strange sound followed. This went on for a couple of minutes. Not until the next morning did we find out what it was. Just a snorting elk.
Phew…
