Torgunrud Time

We must have been tired because once again we slept in (seems to be a recurring theme, time to think of going home). When we got up we had a nice breakfast with Kari, Magne and Roar; then it was time for Roar to leave - he was committed to providing some musical entertainment at the Senior’s Home where his mother now lives.
We lingered over coffee a little longer, then also headed over to the Senior’s Home. It was fun to hear Roar play the piano and sing along to (I believe) some old Norwegian folk tunes. Then he sang a song in English in our honour. I also very much enjoyed meeting Kari and Roar’s mother, Karin. She is over 90 years old but has so much spirit, there’s an unquenchable twinkle in her eye. I hope I have even half that much enthusiasm for life as I reach her age. When my parents and grandfather were in Norway in 1976, they stayed with her at her house. She had a very unique relationship with my Mom - they managed to communicate without words (probably because Mom is good with talking with her hands). I could see why she holds a special place in Mom’s heart.

Karin also has many artistic abilities. At breakfast that morning we had used a set of dishes that she had hand-painted. The plates were decorated with poppies which had included an amazing amount of detail. The incredible thing to me is that she didn’t take up painting until she was over 70. Then she started weaving when she was close to 80. We ended up bringing home a table runner that she had woven. I will certainly treasure it and it will bring back memories of our time here.

Friday proved to be Torgunrud family day. After entertaining at the Senior’s Home, Roar packed up his bus to head to Sweden to watch his grandson race cars. Cindre is 16 and this is something they like to do together.

We were not without company though. A cousin, Asbjorn, showed up in time for lunch. He is retired now but as a side-line is involved with some development in his hometown of Lena. He brought along some plans for a proposal he and other investors are working on for commercial development in the centre of town. He also had a book that he and another cousin had put together showing some of the town history, specifically pertaining to an old building that had been converted into office space.

The evening before at the restaurant, Dennis had expressed an interest in trying a “Toten” burger (Toten being the region where Kolbu is located). He had eaten a chicken dish instead so, low and behold, Toten burgers showed up on the lunch menu and they were very tasty. For dessert Kari had made something called “World’s Greatest Cake” and I had to agree with the name - it was a confection made of cake, meringue, custard cream and served with strawberries - most yummy.

While we were enjoying the coolness of the shade, Magne brought a pair of binoculars out of the house and indicated that we should look in the field across the road. I saw three cranes - a pair of adults with a young one. I’ve never seen a young crane before so this was a real thrill for me. One more unforgettable event to store up. I still wish I could have seen a moose (or Elg) while we were in Norway, but we were out of luck. Maybe next time.