Tock

sleep eludes
the clock echos
through the walls
reminds me its passing
that it is long past time to go
to have

thoughts race
music plays in my head
things to do accumulate to say
questions boggle answers multiply
wind whistles on the corner of my room
chasing

open eyes
can they see
how to proceed
will slumber overtake
when will we go, how long the wait
tick

Sesame Seeds

shook the bread out of the tin
first there suddenly spread
across the counter
in the carpet
under the sink lip
on the tiles
grinning at me

tried something new
now know what not to do
must add seed
when bread maker goes beep
and not later.

One small step forwards

A 'D-nummer' is the Norwegian equivalent of a National Insurance number and you need one before you can open a bank account. In late August we each filled in a form to apply for a D-nummer at a bank in Oslo. Recently we got an email from the bank informing us that they had received our numbers from the Tax Office.

One small step forwards.

A quiet Sunday morning

The air is still,

the sun shining through an orange clad tree.

A family gather, re-arrange themselves and then leave: one car in two cars out.

A young father with dog and child pass the windows of this house

followed by

two joggers brightly clothed,

just warming up.

I wonder,

Will I ever miss this place with the longing of unrequited love?

Or

Will I just remember the orange clad tree lit from behind?

A quiet Sunday morning.

Clarified

I am qualified
and thus dignified
I have been verified
and now am classified
I am a little electrified
and maybe a little stupefied
but I am
certified

Patience is a virtue they say.

I'm not convinced that patience is a virtue, more a necessity. Life is full of things that don't go right the first time or as quickly as you would hope. I am sure that learning to live with and enjoy boredom should be taught at school.

So what are the things taxing our patience at the moment? Well the job in Trondheim is not mine and the house has so far not been viewed by anyone. The nights are drawing in and it looks like we're just going to have to wait until they get longer again before we can move to Norway.

Time to batten down the hatches and do all those little jobs that we could do with doing before we leave.

Patience is a virtue they say, though I am not sure why.

Milestones

I've passed for my Masters in Education; Graduation in September. I have finished what I started. My mother would like to come from Canada as well as other family in Holland and some of my favourite colleagues. The congratulations already received have been heartwarming. Besides being delighted to be finished, I am also free to move to Norway now.

The Masters is also a milestone. I've four Bachelors and two Masters all together now. We seem to like milestones. We take pictures of the ones on our cycle tours, we've been together for eleven years, we've discovered Holland together and the next milestone will be moving to Norway. It's time to move on and collect stones from another beach.

This country hop will be different from the last for both of us. We skip knowing the language, being familiar with the culture and holding each others' hands.