Still, knowing that it is temporary does not limit the peacefulness I feel when the ground is covered with a white layer. Anne Grete Preus, a Norwegian singer/songwriter put it this way: “Det snør himmelsk korrekturlakk over feilstavet sommer” [It’s snowing heavenly correction fluid over misspelled summer]. The snow really covers up any blemishes and makes the world look a little prettier. There are few things that make me happier than snow when it first appears in the winter.
After a while, though, the snow starts to wear on me. Usually I am fairly okay with it on this side of Christmas. I can’t imagine anything but a White Christmas (the few times I’ve experiences snow-less Christmas, it has often been cold enough for frost to make it look like there is snow after all). But as soon as we pass New Years Eve, snow isn’t as wonderful anymore. I tolerate it in January. I am getting tired of it, but still realize that it is supposed to be there in February. Come March and I am fed up. If we still have snow in April (or worse, if it’s all gone, and then comes back), I am ready to emigrate. Because, no matter how pretty it looks, snow is impractical. It is also true as Preus continues: “Alt går litt langsommere her på jorden når hele himmelen faller ned” [Everything is slower on Earth when the entire sky falls down]. I don’t understand why Oslo, a city that gets snow EVERY year, still is completely paralyzed with heavy snow falls. It will happen again, the same way it always does. You’d think they’d learned by now.
Instead of dreading the long months ahead with all the problems snow and limited daylight will guarantee, though, tonight I refuse to be anything but happy about it. It looks very pretty with the flakes falling, gliding, dancing towards the ground.
*Keep in mind that Norway is a long and narrow country. There are considerable climatic differences between 71° and 56°, which are the two latitudes between which Norway’s continental territory spans. My idea of November as early for snow might not be shared by people living up north. And they certainly have even less daylight than what we do in the Oslo-area. The benefit of having the Midnight Sun in summer, also means they have almost two months without any sun at all in winter time.
Currently listening to: Anne Grete Preus – “Når himmelen faller ned” and DumDum Boys – ”Stjernesludd”
Currently reading: my own sorry NaNo(Poo)In Progress, even though I know I shouldn’t… Ability to write, what happened to you? Did I kill you?
2 comments:
Anne Grete Preus sounds like someone I should be listening to. Should I? Where can I hear this talented lyricist?
I love the Norwegian samples. It's such a delicious treat for my ears to hear these words. (That is, when I read them out in my strongest Norwegian).
Word ver: emate [perfect link into Tart's blog]
I want to learn Norwegian on this blog. I propose your next 49 posts are grammar tutorials. I'd PAY for that.
I might hold you to that, Mark (cash flow not being max at the moment, after my US spending spree...) Actually, I'm pretty generous when it comes to spreading the joy of Norwegian grammar, so no payment is required. The idea might not be at all bad, though, considering I'm running short on blog ideas and -time ever since I got back home. And now I remember how to speak Norwegian again. Which helps.
Anne Grete Preus is a talented lyricist, though I doubt her music reaches far beyond Scandinavia, considering the relative limited knowledge of Norwegian abroad (this is subject to change after my 49 tutorials, naturally). As is the case with DumDum Boys, which also have brilliant lyrics, by the way. All in all, I sugggest learning Norwegian first, then emigrate and you'll have the pleasure of experiencing their music as it was intened - in Norway. If this sounds like a drag, there is always YouTube.
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