NORWAY IN NOVEMBER

Norway in winter

SMALL WONDERS TO BE FOUND IN THE COUNTRYSIDE
. . .

 

Rows of cut wheat - their lines taking on the shape of the hills.

 

Little red and white cabins.

 

Watching the lake freeze day by day.

 

Mountains. Their steep sides dropping straight down into fjords, the depths of which are only to be guessed at.

 

Walking Bobby in the early morn... Snowy walks through silent, blanketed forests.

 

Turf roofed cottages with red doors.

 

The ritual of fire making.

 

Stopping work for a long lunch.

 

Veggies dug from a layer of snow - leeks and potatoes and kale… Wintery soups.

 

Hot cups of tea.

 

Signs of a passing deer, spelled out in peeling bark.

 

When the sun looks like a disc behind a wall of winter fog.

 

Garlands of apples strung on the ceiling.

 

The twang and pause of somebody learning to play the guitar.

SMALL WONDERS TO BE FOUND IN THE CITY
. . .

 

Old ladies with tiny dogs.
 
Art in the park.
 
Roses in November.
 
Art Nouveau façades. 
 
Bikes everywhere.
 
Beautiful old buildings - minarets and twisted iron balconies.
 
The swoosh of train doors, and the way they close perfectly, their design so precise.
 
Frozen fall leaves.
 
Breath clouds - hanging around you in the air.
 
A gratitude for my shoes, for keeping my toes warm.
 
Boxy steeples.
 
Cats with thick fur.
 
Christmas cookies at every supermarket.
 
The painted roof of an old wooden church - all roses and curlicues and fat singing cherubs.

beautiful mirror lake Norway
snowy path
turf house by lake
bobby the dog
vigeland park gates oslo
blue house Norway
vigeland park gates
strolling
iron snowflake
vigeland park Oslo in winter
vigeland sculpture of woman
oslo in winter
red roses in the snow
pink building Oslo
fallen leaves
small wooden cabin
wooden door
snow on forest path
stables
spiced cookie Norway
stack of wood
treehouse in snow
kongevei path Norway
pine trees
daisies in the snow
roaring fire Christmas
wheat stalks
snow bark and moss
vestre svindal path
firewood
red house hidden by trees
snow covered fields
walking bobby the dog
walking bobby the dog
deer or elk marks on tree
snowy path
snow covered pine tree
norwegian church steeple
hoarfrost
preikestolen in November
Norway in winter
silver hanging lantern
little house in the woods
preikestolen view of the fjord
me, Zoe Eccles
norwegian fjord village
ardal old painted church
painted church ardal
melting snow in mountains
candle light
dried apple garlands
guitar
wicker bicycle basket
oslo Christmas lights
oslo opera house at night
old painted man in the moon
norwegian lake
shop by the fjord
mirror lake
boat and jetty
painted cherub norwegian renaissance
bars in oslo
bars in oslo
afternoon tea oslo
oslo lights at night
graffiti in oslo
tunnels in Norway
preikestolen in november

REFLECTIONS

mirror lake Norway

Looking out over the lake, we three, once strangers, now felt the invisible bonds that tie us.

I thought once again about the strange strings of coincidences that weave my life into the lives of others, and the wider fabric of the world. 

It was tempting to think about the unpleasant discussions of the previous day, but I was making a conscious effort to see past my own grievances and petty hang-ups, and look out into the world as it is: filled with the light of incredible beings. I would not and will not give up my faith in humanity. Period. 

. . . 

 

This faith is fueled by people like Francine - a French lady from Lyon. We met Francine while helping at an organic farm. Some would say she is tough, abrupt, tells it like she sees it. They would be right. But it would be only one part of the picture… Francine could make you laugh till you cry, she makes heavenly crepes, and she has a way with words - always saying certain catchphrases that stick in my mind even now:

 

It’s not possible! For me, it’s not possible!

It’s just amaaa-zsssing!

The dog looks so desesperate. [extra s intended].

 

Francine cares with all her heart, and she is not the only one. In Norway, I was reminded again and again of the kindness of people. Bente - an Airbnb host who, upon overhearing that it was my birthday, presented me with a hand-knitted gift and a hug. We hardly knew each other. Then there was Sanya, the manager of a visitor’s center, who sat with us a long while, telling us all manner of Norwegian folk tales, and giving us spiced cookies. These are just two of the incredible people we have met and connected with so far on our journey - if I were to tell the tales of each one, it might take me till dinner. 

Some people say that they are ‘world-weary,’ cynical and beaten back by reality. Instead I feel the opposite! Each new day on the road gives me a new reason to believe in the goodness, no, the greatness of people!
 

. . . 
 

And so we come to it: the crux of this story, and the gnarled little walnut at the center of my ponderings: namely, my uneasy interactions with people who tick me off. Sometimes I think that I am meant to like all people, and surely they should all like me. Then it becomes difficult, because there are some people who just don’t vibe with me. Take, for instance, our Help-X hosts in Norway. Nice people, good hosts, generous and kindly (most of the time). And yet, our personalities did not match even for a second. It was hard going, those three weeks - trying not to get annoyed, and trying not to take things personally felt like a mission to mars. At first I was determined to make it work. Then I gave up and got pissed off. I entertained the notion that ‘maybe these people are crazy!’ and began to count up every crazy thing they did. 

Then, finally, the magic happened… I realized that these people did not have to like me, nor I them, but I could still choose to see their humanity. I could choose to see that they were, in fact, JUST LIKE ME! There they were: living, breathing, suffering and searching for happiness just as I am. All their annoying quirks could be mine too - I will admit that I, too, do not listen properly on occasion, and I, too, have been known to act erratically or get emotional. In fact, all those things I was so annoyed about were things I knew I was capable of. In the past I would also hoard enormous amounts of stuff and let it sit collecting dust. I am sometimes a bit of a recluse, wishing to spend time alone each day. I get people’s names wrong, or forget them altogether.

When I saw this I laughed. It seemed that my impressions were coming from a place of judgement, and judgements are often made when a person is made uncomfortable by their own reflection. Someone may judge a girl for wearing a tight dress. Does this mean the girl in the tight dress is immoral? Or does it mean the person judging wishes to dissociate themselves from the perceived immorality, whether it be because they were judged similarly in the past, or they fear their own natural feelings of attraction? 

A difficult concept to wrap your head around, maybe, but once learned it becomes quite simple to apply. When I am bothered by someone or something, I try ask myself this simple question:

‘Why?’

Sometimes the answer is easy - as in: I personally think it is wrong to treat animals cruelly. But oftentimes, I am met with my own reflection - my own fears, my own issues. Look past these, and you can find compassion for almost anyone you come across.

My first weeks in Norway were tough, yes. But out of the mud rises the lotus flower, and out of this difficult situation I grew to find the light again.

 

No, I will never give up my faith in humanity.


Norwegian farm by fjord

THE HIDDEN FOLK

dimmuborgir

"You've heard the stories of the trolls, I am sure!" 

"No." I said, "please tell me one." 

"Well they are here, minding their business and all that, but when they see you coming, they quickly turn to stone."

He was a jolly and fat American on holiday with his wife. Together, they were first place shoo-ins for a Mr. and Mrs. Claus look-alike competition. They had stopped us for directions through the maze of stone pinnacles and pathways that was Dimmuborgir.

He was only joking, but the idea stuck - trolls, I thought. Trolls indeed. Much like the ones Bilbo encounters. I logged the thought into memory, along with my own stories - those few precious encounters I have shared with the Hidden Folk of this world. 


. . .

When I was thirteen, I had the gift of clear-seeing. I knew there were fairies in the wind that swept over the paddocks outside my house. I could talk with them, without pretension or apprehension. Nobody had told me otherwise. 

When I was fourteen, I undertook to write a song to the Good Folk. Imperfect and heartfelt, I sang this song at times when I felt the presence of the Hidden Folk.

It was this song that I remembered and drew out of the dusty corners of my mind when we visited Iceland. I felt so drawn to discover the sacred spaces of the Huldufólk: the Elves and Dwarves and Trolls and Lovelings, so I wandered here and there, listening always with both ears. 

. . .

 

From Álfaborg I heard her soft voice
Saw the sun in her spun gold hair
The Queen under the (tiny) mountain.
And a few of her entourage
Living in the hollows
among the purple heather flowers

 

mushrooms enchanted iceland
heather flowers
dimmuborgir hidden folk house
lichen

MY SONG TO THE FAERIES

sung in a tune
not unlike the old carol
We Three Kings


Strange music floats
Within the glade
From reedy pipes
That Pan has made

Long long ago we lived with the Fae
Harmony and peace ruled in that day

Man became strong
Took over the land
The faeries left
Not seen by man

Gone out of sight
Into the Earth
Gone with them is
Their joy
And their mirth

Now if you’re quiet
Patient and strong
You may hear
The tree dryad’s song
Cross the threshold of time
A ring
And hear the Fae laugh
Dance proudly and sing

As the wind whispers
Hear the laughs of the sylph
And look through the waters
Where mermaids still live
They are not gone
The Fae are still here
Just out of sight
To untrained minds

Now listen quietly
As Pan plays his pipes
And the Fae laugh
and dance through this still night
dimmuborgir church
alfaborg iceland
alfaborg
fairies in stone
autumn fairies
elf house iceland
alfaborg rock
elf rocks
elf rock iceland
moss and lichen
autumn iceland
beauty in nature
alfaborg
icelandic fairy plants
yellow garland
painted fairy house
alfaborg
heather
perfect fairy house iceland