Walking in a winter wonderland
The snow finally arrived. There is something magical about watching snow fall; it's like watching a crackling fire or waves or a thunderstorm roll in. I can't help but think words to the song 'Indescribable' by Chris Tomlin,"Creation's revealing your Majesty." When I told the kids that no two snowflakes are the same, Mikayla's response was, "God must have had lots of fun last night hey Mom?"

Our memories of this time will differ. Josh will probably remember the perfect snow ball that he threw that hit me in the face or pushing me on the sled as fast as he could until I squealed.  Keren may remember what the snow tasted like (she sampled it quite a bit).Mikayla loved feeling the snow falling on her face, perhaps she'll remember building the snow man. Brett may remember the skiing or the crunch underfoot as he walked through the forest to work each morning. I will remember our beautiful night time walk through the forest winter wonderland. I will remember the feeling of being utterly blessed to be married to this man with whom I get to share these adventures. I will remember the delight I felt that my heart is full because I have the privilege of being a mom to three amazing children who also give me an excuse to roll in the snow and have snow ball fights and the license to stick my tongue out to catch snowflakes.

Oslo, alive with possiblities

We walked on the roof,
Strolled, while men and women of steel and stone danced.
We lived in a castle and
sat at the feet of Nobel Prize winners.
We ran circles around a T-Rex
 but a seal, an owl and a bear followed us home.
We travelled the world with Munch,
then sailed home on a Viking ship.


How much of this trip will the kids remember? I don't know.
Is it worth spending money taking them to museums and forts and art galleries? Absolutely!
There is so much I thought to write about the value of an experience like the one we're having. In the end, anything you choose to do together as a family whether it is hiking, swimming, building puzzles or riding, take the time to enjoy the moments. Don't wait until...well, whatever it is that we wait for. The kids to be older or for them to truely appreciate everything or a gap in busy schedules to open up. This is it, make the moments count. "I am not a teacher but an awakener" Robert Frost. I pray that I am both for my children.

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness." Eleanor Roosevelt

The first ice has arrived. Mikayla says that the trees look like they are dusted in icing sugar and decorated with diamonds. Joshua and Mikayla don't seem to feel the cold and were outside playing when the temperatures dropped to -11º. According to Joshua, that is because he is a Viking...well how can you argue with that. Keren is still getting used to wearing gloves and dressing like the Oros man every time we step out.

We have afternoon all day here. The sun does not rise too far above the horizon and by 4pm our daylight is dissapearing. African sunsets are bold and dramatic. Red, burnt orange and every shade of yellow. They are an overture by Tchaikovsky or something from the Soweto Gospel choir. Norwegian sunsets paint the sky in peach, apricot, lilac and pinks. The sunsets are "The Orinoco flow" by Enja.
And then, the most beautiful thing happens here; the candles come out. Everyone puts candles in windows and outside their houses. Even shops have lanterns outside. So the light doesn't really leave.
We hope to see some lights of a different kind in January when we travel north into the Arctic circle to Tromso. For now we are enjoying the sunsets the ever increasing twinkle of Christmas lights, candles and the glow from the fireplace.

I love teaching. It is what God has placed in my hand to do in this season of my life. Along with teaching comes the mindset of the need to produce something, anything at the end of the day. At school it is an assessment, test or mark, at home it is a picture or craft. Yesterday I was confronted with my need to tick things off my To-do list. You see,I had this grand plan of all these things I would do with the kids while we're here. Projects and crafts and learning a few Norwegian words...endless possibilities. I had the day planned and activities lined up for a productive day together but everything I tried to initiate with the kids fell flat. It left me fraustrated and them confused. So we went for our daily walk, partly to give them space away from me and a chance for me to deal with my dissapointment. On the way Josh was pushing Keren in the pram when he said, "It's hard pushing a little person Mommy, sometimes you get stuck." And that was it in a nutshell. I was pushing! Pushing too hard and I was stuck.Don't get me wrong, being a parent is all about pushing. Pushing in, pushing through, pushing past,not being a push over. But yesterday was not one of those days I had to let go of my agenda for the day and enjoy the day with my kids. We walked home and picked apples and they played outside until it got too cold and then we had tea and biscuits. They had a lovely day and so did I once I got over myself. Today, as I write this I have my To-do list ready but it is not as long and there are also lots of open spaces for the kids to fill.

A taste of Norway

We are three weeks into our stay in Norway. The days are getting shorter, darker and colder. The temperatures range from -4 to 8º and we have started with our vitamin D supplements. Latest sightseeing ventures include Drobak and Oslo and Ski but those are stories for another day.
It is very different planning a day of sightseeing when you have three little people but they have been great. As long as the backpack has snacks and lunch they are happy little tourists. Prices at restaurants are exorbitant; a steak in a pretty average restaurant is NOK 360 which is close to R600! An average large pizza is NOK240. So it is in fact cheaper for us to buy salmon for the whole family than it is for us to get take away pizza, which is not a bad problem to have. Picnic lunches always take us to interesting and beautiful places and any place outside = a play area for our kids.
These are a few of our favourite things: salmon, bolle ( a Norwegian sweet bun), pepperkakor (ginger biscuit), breads (whole grain and seeded) berries and tacos. I know the last one doesn't seem to fit because it's Mexican but it has become a tradition for many Norwegians have tacos on a Friday evening. So,when Rome...

• Norwegian phrase for the week: Takk for maten

                                                                 Thank you for the food

The whole daylight saving thing took us a little by surprise this weekend. Suddenly we have an hour more to our day which feels strange for me because I still catch myself working out the 'real' time. But we are losing daylight fast here, so we'll take every extra hour we can get. Sunrise is close to 8am and sunset around 4:30pm. The kids and I are spend as much time outside as possible.
Today our walk took us out via forests and beautiful farm lands in search of treasure! Our loot: rocks,leaves, bark, moss and a beetle!The kids ran ahead to roll down some hills and when I caught up Joshua said, "Mom, the field looked really nice from far away but once we got here it wasn't nice at all." The grass was definately greener but what we couldn't see were all the stones and rocks.
It is not a new analogy, but being in a different country and reading some of the rather sad posts people put on Facebook about South Africa, Josh's comment got me thinking. It is so easy to complain about everything that is wrong in a country when you are living there, and even more so when you have left. Every country, no matter how green the grass seems, has its stones. Norway is an amazing country, but South Africa is home.

We have the opportunity to step out of life as we know it, for three months, and go on an adventure together as a family. Brett is on a research sabbatical and the kids and I get to tag along! We are in As a little town about 25km south of Oslo, hence the address for this blog Hurleys at 61ºNorth.
We are one week into our adventure and perhaps we should call this post ' Surprises, exploration and autumn skies'. It is beautiful here.The house borders the forest and we are having such fun exploring the area. The Norwegian people we have met have been friendly and so accommodating when they realise that we don't speak Norwegian.Fortunately for us, many Norwegians speak English as a second language.
Buying food is an adventure in itself. I am not sure if I was buying lean mince, extra lean mince or pet mince! We have had pleasant food surprises, like lomper and flat bread and some unexpected surprises like finding the tuna set in some jellylike stuff. Whatever the outcome, we are trying everything!
 Apparently they are having an unusually mild autumn.We are taking full advantage of the good weather and spending most of the day outside before the cold sets in...until then it is long walks,yellow leaves, autumn mists and 8am sunrises."Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness"
Norwegian word for the day: As (it should have a little circle thing  above the a) pronounced like 'horse'...without the 'h'. Will post some pictures soon.