Here and there, this and that

Blogging has turned out to be so much fun! I have "met" so many wonderful, funny, positive, reflective, creative and amazing people who are quickly becoming friends. Many have become followers of my blogs and I of theirs, and I so appreciate each and every one of you! Over the last week I have not been very active at commenting on all your blogs, and I apologize for this, but my time has largely been spent getting to know ♥Helmer♥, our new grandson. 

After the new little family came home from the hospital, they had a few days together before Jon Helge had to go back to work. He works 24 hours on/24 hours off for 2 weeks, and then he has two weeks completely off. So in agreement with them, we drove our camper van over here, and parked it in their yard so Hilde Marie can have some help when he's at work. This has also been a unique chance for us to get to know Helmer too. We have had the privilege it is to watch him grow, develop and change from day to day. It had truly been a privilege and blessing!

Hilde Marie will turn 26 next month, and it's been that long since I've had close encounters with newborns, and I had totally forgotten how fast they develop and change. I had also forgotten how tiny they are :-) But it all comes back. 

We could have stayed in their house; they have a big house and the extra room, but since we have the camper van, with everything we need for spending nights away from home already in it, it's just so much easier than packing bags and suitcases. It also gives us all some privacy, and we avoid stepping on each other's toes.

Sigve had to drive home Sunday afternoon, along with Geir Espen, who had been visiting for the weekend. Sigve has a hospital check-up on Monday, and a taxi picks him up at home in the morning. So I'm alone in the camper tonight, and I end up blogging most of the night. But that's ok, and I can sleep in late in the morning. 

I just checked, and the temperature has dipped below -12C/10,4F and it's bone chilling cold outside. But I have a full tank of gas + electricity, and it's warm and cosy in here. 

It's not that cold during the day, and on a walk I came over a hillside with huge icickles, and I got some good macro shots. Some of them had beautiful patterns of air bubbles trapped in the ice.

I'm listening to Back Street Boys, the 90's boy band. Surprising choice of music? In 1999 Hilde Marie was 14, and as passionate a BBBs fan as only a 14 year old girl can be. She wanted to go to one of their concerts in Oslo, but we would not let her go on her own. So her fabulous dad suggested that if she could find a concert in London, her mom would go with her in a heartbeat, knowing that I did not need much of an excuse for a trip to London. Of course there was a London concert scheduled for June that year. So I got my two sisters-in-law with their 13 year olds to come along, and the 6 of us ended up spending almost a week in London. I decided up ahead that since I was going to this concert I needed to get to know the music first. It a lot more fun at a concert if you can sing along to the songs. So I played the CDs that Hilde Marie had until I knew the songs by heart, and the music grew on me, so much that I still listen to them from time to time. We all enjoyed the concert so much, and 2 days later our hearing returned. Great memories!

These last couple of days the sun has finally shown it's face again. You can believe my surprise when I saw this amazing sight on the floor. The sun came in through a window, went through the fish tank, and left this perfect rainbow reflection under the dining table.  It was like a thousand good promises.

At last Monday's check-up at Haugesund Hospital, Sigve had the Hickman catheter removed. He was given some shots of local anesthesia, and it only took a small incision at the point where tissue had grown onto the tube to remove it. Two stitches, and that was it. But he had to remain lying down for one hour after, and then stay on at the hospital for another two hours just to be sure there was no bleeding. So I went shopping... :-) 

Sigve commented the other day that it feels strange not to have the tube hanging out of his chest after 6 1/2 months with it. But it's really good not to have it there though, as it was an infection hazard, even if we disinfected the exit hole every day. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, this is what it looked like:

In another post I wrote about Sigve's new DNA. The way it is is actually even more strange than we thought. It turns out that Gerd's DNA is now in Sigve's blood, and will remain there for the rest of his life. BUT, his old DNA is still in all his other tissue! So not only are there two people with the same DNA, but there is one person with two different DNAs. Isn't it amazing? 

And think of the implications if criminals knew about this! 

The moon was also full this week. This is from when it was just emerging from behind the hill opposite the house. The slight halo is caused by ice crystals in the atmosphere.

My gratitude this time is for both Sigve and I 

being able to enjoy and get to know Helmer. 

Life doesn't come with guaranties, 

but six months ago Sigve's prognosis was not that good. 

I bought him a calender for Christmas, with a text that says:

LIVE every day of your life!