"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