Norway's Constitution Day

While my relatives celebrated Constitution Day in Norway today, we huddled in the camper. It rained a little bit, but the temperature was low and the wind was high (read cold and blustery). The campground roads were too wet and muddy for much of a walk, so the dogs suffered as well.

So we cocooned ourselves inside our little home away from home, putzing around on our tablets, listening to music and napping. Our little electric fireplace warmed us up and created a cosy glow. The only thing that would have improved our day would have been plates of cookies and cakes to go with our tea. I didn't even have the ingredients to make anything comforting, and Carm didn't think of getting the best buttertarts ever when he dashed to Morrisburg.

We had the 70s music station on the satellite on for much of the day. Song after song played that initiated time travel for either Carm or myself. And if not time travel, a feeling of familiarity that created feelings hard to describe, almost comfort. I haven't heard many of these songs for decades, but they are deep in my memory - often even the words came to the forefront of my mind. Music affects us on such a visceral, almost molecular level.

By 2pm the sun was starting to peek out between the clouds. The campground burst into activity as people emerged from their trailers - bustling about with walks, campfires, horseshoes, fishing, and other activities. We were were not bystanders to this - we quickly harnessed the dogs and put on our shoes. A good hour of walking later we were back at the camper putting out the tablecloth, setting out the plants, and getting Grace's outdoor cage ready for occupation.

Our feathery friend clambered around the cage anxious to go outside, I couldn't open the door fast enough for her. Her outside time lasted about an hour, till the wind picked up making it feel cold again. Grace was ready to go back inside, her feet were cold when I picked her up. Once inside she dug into her food, her appetite spurred from a bit of fresh air.

This morning I lamented that we hadn't purchased a trailer with a king size bed - unlike at home (where we do have one), Spike likes to sleep on the bed with us. He may be cold, or a bit scared - and I'm too much of a softie to send him to the floor. The little bug woke me up at 6am this morning to go outside (Carm didn't even flick an eyelid)... when we got back inside I climbed back into bed and all the dogs followed suit. Every square inch was covered by people and dog - it was cosy... I had made the mistake of turning the fireplace off partway through the  night, so it was cold in the camper - it's no wonder that everyone wanted to cuddle up. Poor Grace though, she was left freezing in the living room by herself.

Do you remember a  while back that we thought we were missing a mouse trap... we found it. Underneath the slide out. Luckily it wasn't lodged somewhere where it would have hacked up our hardwood floor!

Norway’s Constitution Day is celebrated on May 17. It commemorates the date when the nation's constitution was signed at Eidsvoll on May 17, 1814. It is usually referred to as syttende mai (May 17) or Nasjonaldagen (The National Day) in Norwegian. Happy  Constitution day to all my Norwegian relatives and friends!

“The sun,--the bright sun, that brings back, not light alone, but new life, and hope, and freshness to man--burst upon the crowded city in clear and radiant glory. Through costly-coloured glass and paper-mended window, through cathedral dome and rotten crevice, it shed its equal ray.” ― Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist