Turning Norwegian

When I go on holiday, this little boy needs sitting.

So for my recent trip to Sussex I welcomed Norway 🇳🇴 into my home. 

This lovely couple took good amazing care of Bertie, despite the challenges he threw at them!

They sent me reassuring daily pictures and videos of my boy whilst I was away.

But it wasn't plain sailing.  Bertie had plans of his own and his reoccurring cystitis flared up on the day of my departure.  So I didn’t depart.  I waited until vet, TLC and time had done their jobs. 

Meantime, I soon slipped easily into Norwegian life.   Scandinavian style breakfasts with my guests. 

Beautiful home-baked bread each morning.

Watching my guests quickly settle in, here spying a cat climb up the olive tree.

Conversation slipped seamlessly between Norwegian/Danish and English, sometimes mid-sentence.  It was a fantastic opportunity for me to indulge in my passion for Scandinavian languages and a great refresher.

And so the breakfasts continued.  Cheeses, smoked trout, fruit.

Each day the breakfast plates were decorated with whatever freshness was to hand ... basil, chives, a little fruit, tomatoes.

 

J's bread really was something else and I’ll post on that shortly.  You WILL want to read that post!

R 's  Breakfast included a Gammel Dansk (Old Danish) each day.  It's a sort of fortified spirit.  I remembered it being a traditional tipple to start the day off when I lived in Denmark and the Danes swore a daily shot kept them fit and healthy.  It's nice to see the tradition lives on.  

Skaal!

My guest tells me he always packs a bottle or two when travelling and he's never suffered from any tummy upsets, despite sometimes travelling to pretty dodgy areas of the globe that are known to be tummy-challenging.  Maybe there is something in this Old Danish tradition, after all ...

So I took my trip three days later than planned, and returned back home three days earlier than planned.  There's a certain symmetry in that eh?

Yes, Bertie had further episodes whilst I was away and after the second episode I decided I'd better get back to my boy, despite Son and catsitters handling each event perfectly.  It felt unfair to impose on "the crisis team" any longer

So I decided to turn this pig's ear into a silk purse.

Turn a crisis into a pleasant experience.

I drove the Norwegians to various spots around my pretty island, some being places they wouldn't have otherwise visited.

I had more Scandi breakfasts.

I took them out for fish and chips.

We took time out to watch a slug crawl up a wall on a rainy day.

And I learned how to make tasty bread in a totally revolutionary way!  You REALLY DO need to pop back to read that post!

But mostly I decided to view these unexpected home days as a gift, an opportunity to get to know these special people that little bit better.  And we had a blast!

My Norwegian guests friends have had an impact on me during my unexpected time spent with them.  It's like I've been reminded of my "roots" - yup, more on that in another post too!

 I think I may be giving my life a few welcoming tweaks ...

Life, you're welcome!

Do you find yourself turning a crisis into something pleasant?

Turning a negative experience into something positive?  

Finding that silver lining in the grey cloud hovering overhead?

A la perchoine,

Mary x.

Coming up: bread baking that will blow your mind!