Short Oslo visit

My dear Dad drove me to the trainstation at Kjelsås today. I was going to go back to Kristiansand with the 11.11 train from Oslo S, so he thought it convenient to take the train down to the city. It turned out to be a bit nerve wrecking...
Yesterday I had a morning date with Wendy, a percussionist (former student of the dad!), at 08.30.
We took the bus to Kristiansand Airport together. We were both going to Oslo with the 10.30 flight. I was going there for a funeral and to visit the cello doctor, Wendy for the written exam for her lisence.
I had my fridge with me, so I had included some negotiation time on the airport. Luckily I didn't need any, except for checking in. My booking number wasn't valid. Hooray.
Wendy and I split up at Gardermoen, and when I came to Oslo S, I realized that I had some spare time before I had the short rehearsal with the organ-player at 13. I rang my sister, and she had 30 min. break, so I jumped on a bus and visited her at school. My first time to Elvebakken VGS. It was great to see where she's spending so much time!
Then I headed off to Helsfyr.
No problem.
Looked for the krematorium (it's just a chapelle now, but it used to be a krematorium until august).
No problem.
Asked for a place to warm up.
N problem.
Where were the organ player? And when to play? Where?
some problems.
When he finally came, we had 3 min. of tempo setting, and then he was off.
Problem!
The place was a maze, we had very little time left, and we had not even been through the Swan. Well, it all went well. Luckily. Despite that the Swan was more like an old one, struggling to breathe and absolutely not ready for takeoff. But it pleased the family, so I should not complain.
Afterwords, I met Mum for a coffee at the central station. We met Guro on our way too, so she joined us.
It was a very pleasant coffee date, I could have one every day!
At 16 I was on my way to Urs, the magic sound doctor for my cello. I spent around 1.5 hours in his workshop, and now it's almost as nice as it was in May. The dryness of autumn makes strange things with my wooden soundbox, but we're experimenting with millimetres and it works.
Then I could catch my bus to Dads house and see Pauline and Helene. My sister is having Desucon this weekend so we were bleaching her hair, sewing a belt and being very creative. And then watching True Blood. Finally.
And this morning I got to see my Dad too, before he drove me to the trainstation. He got very nervous on my behalf because the train didn't show up. It turned out to be 15 min. late, and then I would miss my second train. Next train would be too late for me; I wouldn't be there for the premiere of La Boheme. ooops.
But 11.11 I was well seated in my train, and now I'm on my way out the door to play some beautiful music in a way too small pit.

For Knerten!

Wish to be home with you now, roam the city and stuff our bellies with cake, popcorn and tea. And some afterparty with Spyro..
Misa loves you!!

and happy Jewish new year!

Location: In my house
Mood: post-concert, homesick
Eating: breakfast....
Drinking: espresso with warm soymilk
Listening to: Handel's Agrippina (in my inner ear)

Family dinner

Since Helene came home from Japan, her schedule has been packed with reunions. This time it was Lille Sau. She had invited Ann with family and us for dinner. I don't see any of them very often either, so it was a great opportunity for me to meet them all too! Thank you, Lille Sau!

Look!

And then we met Islam who taught mea how to put on this scarf. Don't I look kind of cute? Wonder if I should turn muslim.. Well, maybe not.

Shopping

With my incredibly pink sister. Did I say pink?

Knerten special!

Thought this might be a good alternative for your Japanese sugar pop game!

SUPLISE!

Iiiihhh!

I have gotten my two 3rd round weeks in SSO. It'll be week 39 and 40, and it's great repertoire!!
Bizet's symphony in C, plus some musicals (week 39) and Wagner's "Wesendonk lieder" and "The Ring, and orchestral adventure" (week 40)

Knert, I'm sure you'd love the concert in week 39. Can't you skip school for a day and come?? I'll help you out with some homework ;)

For you, Knert!

Some nature, with you inside!!!
Show this to the Japanese ones :)

Ahh!!!!

Reading my sisters blog, drinking more coffee (I'm having a real sunday again after long time. And coffee combined with auditions are not a real hit, so NOW!) and eating french Mikado's with chocolate flavor. Can it get any better?

Sunday!

This sunday was a little different from other ones. I became "gressenke" (grass-widow. I'll bow to whoever who gets the origin of that Norwegian saying!) - seeing my Robi off to Stavanger again. Quite melancholic!
The house was still full of people though, because Eivind was home for the weekend after a schooltrip to Paris. And then, of course, we ended up going for a walk. We decided to walk around Semsvannet.



It turned out to be very exiting, just look at these ones:
(the first one is mainly for Robi, but also for Helene in case she gets too homesick)

New favorite bakery! ...and seeing friends from Stavanger

I've found my favorite bakery in Oslo! (I think)
United Bakeries, located at Karl Johan. I just love their bread, and the muffins are yummi :)



The same day we met up with a very tired couple from Stavanger. (Well, they are not exactly from Stavanger, more American I'd say, but for me, I connect them with SSO!) They had taken the night train, but since they tried the chairs instead of getting a bed, they were exhausted from the journey. We met them at Aker Brygge (Audun was very immobile, and it was short way to their ferry) for a nice cup of tea. I recognised that I miss them a lot!


Naho and James, fresh from the train... Vivian and Audun

Curious incidents at work...

Lately I feel very privileged to be a part of the first opera production in the new opera house in Oslo. It's Verdi's "Don Carlo" and we have a great Italian conductor. The singers are fabulous, costumes incredible and the stage breathtaking. But - (there's always a but, especially in a new, hightech house...) things happens all the time.
First of all, it's very hard to get around in the house without feeling you get lost. I have a great idea for them: why not just give out a map together with the substitute-access card?
We have been waiting for the technique to be ready for the rehearsals and run-throughs a lot. I have no idea for how long we've been waiting. The scenes change have been problematic, they don't have enough surcuits for the lights, the whole setup for the performance dissappeared the other day and half of the pit lost their lights on the music stands. Poor technichians! I feel so sorry for them - they're struggling with the technich who seems to be sabotaging everything they do, and then all the artists are complaining too.
From big trouble like this, we (in the cellosection at least) have the minor problems with our music. Mum and I (we actually share desk!) have music which has been written in way too much - not only with ordinary pencil, but with both blue and red as well. It's not funny! Lots of crossed-out parts (which we do play) and it's hard to see what we've written among all the other "kråketær" (scribblings). A plus is that they smell kind of nice. Gunpowder!
-Oooh, almost forgot that we were missing the conductor too... (for a while) I was wondering if he had been lost in the building somewhere.

Totto with a very describing t-shirt! (Vi beklager teknisk feil, meaning "we're sorry. Technical problem)


Lene: Thank you for such a great time with you - even it was short! Pictures will come soon!



Helene: HAPPY 18!!! Love you lots and lots! Banki is sending you all his love (but I guess you already know that he is all yours...)

A completely ordinary saturday

...in Norway means that you go for a walk. Preferably a long walk. We had a shorter one because mum had to go to work around 17, and also visited Grandpa at the hospital (he's just living there for the moment while we're waiting for my Grandma to get her eye operations done) first.
I managed to get Rob with us, even though he didn't actually want to go out. The weather was not really good (it was cloudy with some showers now and then) so I don't blame him. I think he was happy afterwords when he saw that we were going to walk on asphalt (not very Norwegian, but..) and that we intended to go to a place with incredibly nice cakes! Gupu. They're known for having a delicious chocolate cake - and it is very yummi! Still, I prefer the carrot cake, I think.
On our way back down to the car, we found lots, and lots of mushrooms. We didn't have any basket to put them in, so mum's hood had to do. And look at all we found!


Two very happy mushroom-lovers!

Rob made us a fantastic dinner of beef with mushroom sauce and baked potatoes. We had picked up Alexia just after mum left for work, so she had a plate too. ("I'm not especially hungry" she said, but ate a huge portion nevertheless.)
And since we had the house to our selves, we got a film (bought a film for 45,- instead of renting it for 55,- Good deal, don't you think?) and snack, put some wood in the oven and made the living room really cozy. Even Banki joined us! He misses Helene so much that we thought Sweeney Todd would be a good choice. Two of her favorite actors, and Tim Burton - it had to be a success. And it was! Just see how happy he was to get chocolate bananas and see a Helene-movie:



...but I think it'll take a while before I eat meat pies again.

Location: The Kitchen
Drinking: Jasmine Tea
Listening to: Robs computer who tells him "no, I won't do that"
Mood: content, glad I'm indoors! (The weather is very autumny)

The two I miss!

My sister went to Japan.
I really admire her for actually going there! (Dad says he's not too happy about it, but I bet he actually feels very proud!) We can all follow her journey through her blog, and I feel I'm part of it even though I'm not there. Helene, now you can see what I do too!
She has a little friend that she cares for more than any of us can ever understand. Banki. She is so anxious about him that she made me promise to babysit him - and give him a lot of cuddles. He has already found my little Bass, and they are having an afternoon snack - apples and sugar peas from our garden :)


Aren't they adorable?

Anyway, Nee-chan is off and I'll long for more pictures like these:



And the other one I miss is Robert. He's still in Slovakia but will drive home (!) during the week. I'll have him here for only a short time I'm afraid, because he'll go back to Stavanger and his old job. Changing jobs every 1/2 year is not very stabilizing... I'm really glad we had a great and long summer together (although separated a few weeks because of Ingvilds wedding and me going to Dads cabin while Rob had his apartment-project.)


In Spain, the two of us..

*Stay! COME Stay! COME*
And don't forget to phone home!!!
Love you <3