Hvor er du?

'Hvor er du?'

 



Den gamle kvinnen forlater bildet

glir inn i bakgrunnen

men blir ikke borte

hun trer bare inn i skyggene

hvor minnet om henne blir værende

som et etterbilde

på netthinnen

 

Den unge kvinnen lener seg ut av bildet

vil ut i livet som hun ennå

ikke kan se klart

og ennå ser hun ikke 

den hvite båten

som rolig venter

mellom dem.

 

(Nina Irene Olsen - min gode hjertevenninne)

 

'Tre generasjoner'

Norpus - My Little Angel

 

A little wild kitten walked into my house in Hardanger, Norway, in 2008 -

There is a long story behind, and so....

I shut the door and decided to try to find him a home.

There was none to be found - so I ended up keeping him.

I called him Norpus.

('Nor' is 'little' and 'Nord' is north)

He came with me on a long journey, from the fjord of Hardanger, Norway, to Wallonia in Belgium,

where he became my constant companion and special friend,

and the Prince and Guardian of a most beautiful garden.

 

At only 2 he became critically ill - the vets all said there was no cure....

leukemia..?

But he survived....and lived on....for another 2 years....

 climbing the trees, running and playing -  always inspecting and guarding the garden

- and inspiring me....

 

2 days ago he passed on -

 

This little cat had one of the biggest hearts and spirits I have ever experienced -

and he inspired several paintings - some of them:

 

'This is not the last piece of the Puzzle'

 

'A Room With a View'

'12 Crows'

I cannot explain how he inspired this - but he did.

And this painting made me remember the crow 'RaSpirit' who came to me, and made me a 'Crow Mama' during the spring, summer and autumn of 2006 -

 

'Blue Bird Visiting'

This painting and the one below arrived at the same time - at the beginning of this winter.

I didn't know what to make of either one of them....

Now I know:

A 'Messenger' and the 'Message':

 

'Blue Moon Dancing'

 

 

The evening of April 4th - my dear husband and I danced.....into the night.....

slowly.....and tenderly --- there was so much love -

and Norpus watched....

my heart was aching for him - so weak -

it was such a peaceful evening....

 

- Then it was time to go to bed....my husband went upstairs - and I was preparing to carry Norpus upstairs, to sleep on his bed next to ours.

Norpus looked at me - and I knew.....

 

This wonderful being put his head in my hand.......

And he sighed three times......clutching my hand.

 

I am so thankful, but I cannot keep from crying.....

 

LIFE..... 

The End of the Line

During Autumn and Winter...

Every morning I arrived in the barn, 

to feed the animals;

A donkey and three goats.

 - And the cat was also always there -

I cleaned up – and then I would remain for a while

– listening to the peaceful sounds of their chewing.

Then I would walk through the garden,

and every morning I would pass through the little forest –

and stay a while…

 -  Always thinking of my mother;

Trying to grasp that she was no longer at the end of the telephone line –

Never more would I hear her voice

Never more see her face,

And  her eyes glowing with life

And her hands would never more reach out for mine.

Days becoming weeks…. becoming months….

One day I suddenly had the idea that I wanted to make a loom

-             In the forest

-             And I started cutting threads…

For every thread that I unwound,

I thought about my mother

-             No longer walking

       on this planet earth.

No longer there

At the end of the line

And so I cut the thread

And then I started again

Another line of thought

About my mother

-             No longer here

No longer there

At the end of the line

And so I thought  agian - 

and cut it

And I tied it up

Along with all the other threads

all the other thoughts - 

On a branch between two trees

And to each thread

-             Each line of thought –

I fastened a stone

Down there

On the ground

I thought of my mother laughing

And I thought of her crying, too

I tied every thought to the branch

And another stone

-             As I thought how she loved this life

And I thought of how small she’d appeared

As she lay there that day

In a coffin

-             Where is she now?

Then one day

The loom appeared

All the threads

And the thoughts

were there

And every day I returned

To my atelier

and I would make one more face

-             And another –

As I’d seen her

In that coffin that day

And every time

I closed her eyes

As I held my attempt to remember her face in my hands…

'Nothing'

(Oil on canvas, 60 x 50 cm)

 

Tankevev

 

 

Stråene husker ennå

det som skjedde ifjor

helt til nye spirer gror.

 

Da flyr minnet

bort i vinden

og det er bare jeg

som står igjen

og ligner på et strå.

 

 

 

SPINNE, SPINNE

 

Tankene spinner -

men hva skal jeg gjøre

med alle disse trådene?

 

Jeg vil ikke strikke

og jeg vil ikke sy

jeg vil ikke hekle heller

 

Jeg vil bare spinne og spinne

rundt og rundt

Trekke ut en tråd

og klippe den av

og  lage en knute

og så trekke ut en ny

 

Hver tråd er en tanke

Jeg klipper den av

Og så tenker jeg den på ny

Og på ny

 

Jeg snur meg i ring

og henger dem opp

på en grein

i en skog

Og et tankespinn

blir til en vev

 

Mellom trådene

trer et bilde frem

som langsomt

forandrer seg

dag etter dag

 

Blader som levde

ligger på bakken

og svinner hen

og bare tråder

blir igjen

 

Så kommer vinden

og blåser på dem

og så er trådene borte

Men tankeveven henger

ennå en stund

 

Der bladene

en gang falt

kommer nye grønne

farger frem

i bildet mellom trådene

 

Akkurat lenge nok

henger trådene der

 

 

 

Tråder

 

 

Tråder spiller

lydløst

i vinden

 

og mitt blikk

danser

Jeg gikk i skogen igjen idag

Jeg gikk i skogen igjen

idag
Jeg så at tråder hadde løsnet

 - Der skal nok et lite ansikt ligge,

tenker jeg,
der en tråd henger
– i tomme luften –

Den tomme luften blir snart fylt av vind

og rusk
og rask
og gamle døde blader
og tråden henger seg opp
et sted der den ikke var tenkt.

 Men når det først er sånn,

så kan jeg jeg jo ikke flytte den,
for sånn er det jo bare
blitt.

 

 

 

A very special gift

Today I received a very special gift!

 

This is absolutely priceless!
Thank you Nicky!