Saturday, November 28, 2015

A beautiful song by Highasakite

I heard this song, Lover, Where Do You Live? the other night on one or another music awards show. The Norwegian group, Highasakite, performed it live, and hearing it sung that way sent chills down my spine. This is the YouTube version and it's pretty awesome. It's an intriguing song, one that grows on you more and more each time you hear it. I'm including the lyrics as well.




Lover, where do you live?
In the skies, in the clouds, in the ocean?

I learned a lesson 'bout bad ideas,
We're really out in the middle of it now,

And if I ever see you again my love
All I'm ever gonna do
is send shivers down that spine of yours

It would be nice to come home, I guess..
To a couch, and a stove, and a backyard..

Lover, where do you live?
In the skies, in the clouds, in the ocean?

And if I ever see you again my love
All I'm ever gonna do is send shivers down
that spine of yours

And if I ever see you again my love
All I'm ever gonna do is send shivers down
that spine of yours

All I'm ever gonna do is send shivers down
that spine of yours

If I ever see you again my love
If I ever see you again my love
If I ever see you again my love

Lover, where do you live?
In the skies, in the clouds, in the ocean?

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Thanksgiving quotes

Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.
--Theodore Roosevelt

Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.
--Aesop

All that we behold is full of blessings.
--William Wordsworth

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.
--William Arthur Ward

If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.
--W. Clement Stone

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.
--Oprah Winfrey

I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.
--Henry David Thoreau

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dear Lord; we beg but one boon more:
Peace in the hearts of all men living,
Peace in the whole world this Thanksgiving.
--Joseph Auslander

God has two dwellings; one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart.
--Izaak Walton

Forever on Thanksgiving Day
The heart will find the pathway home.
--Wilbur D. Nesbit

Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
--Native American Saying


Sunday, November 22, 2015

Waxwings chatting and taking a break in their travels



My last post was a photo of what I believe are Bohemian waxwings (sidensvanser in Norwegian) sitting together happily in the tree across the street from where we live. After listening to them 'chatting' together, I am pretty sure that they are Bohemian waxwings because they have a high trill sirrr as mentioned on the link in my previous post. You can hear that in this short video. They are migratory birds, so I wonder where they came from and where they were off to. In any case, they decided to take a short break from their trip in this tree, and it was just so enjoyable to listen to them.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Birds having a pow-wow

























A gray day today, and rather chilly, but that didn't stop the birds from having a pow-wow in the tree that you can see from our kitchen window. I used my telephoto lens to get a close-up view of this important meeting. If you look carefully at the topmost branch on the left, you'll see a bird leaning down toward the other birds, almost as though he had something to say or as though he was listening to the others. As I've said so many times before, birds rule. I have no idea why they do what they do, just that I enjoy watching them do what it is they want to do. Why they were all gathered in this one tree is a mystery; perhaps they were planning their migratory activities, if indeed these are migratory birds. I'm not sure what kind of birds they are either. What I do know was that they were chirping and singing and having a great time.

After a few days of searching the web for what kind of birds they might be, I think these are Bohemian waxwings (sidensvanser in Norwegian). You can check out this link for more information on them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_waxwing   They are migratory birds. 

Saturday, November 7, 2015

A carpet of leaves

Autumn is upon us; one might expect it to be chilly here in Oslo, but it's not. The temperatures have been fairly mild for the past few weeks. Today's temperature approached 60 degrees Fahrenheit during mid-afternoon; I can't remember when it's been so warm in November. Last year around this time we were dealing with icy rain and near-freezing temperatures. A cold winter is predicted for Norway, but we'll have to wait and see. Meanwhile, the tree outside our bedroom window has not shed its leaves, although many other trees have. I went for a walk in St. Hanshaugen Park this afternoon, and the paths were covered with leaves, as were the lawns and hillsides. Very pretty--the carpets of leaves.

































a view of the Oslo fjord from the top of the hill in St. Hanshaugen Park

Thursday, November 5, 2015

An amazing voice




It's impossible not to be moved by this song. She has an amazing voice and she sings with so much emotion.

The surreal world we live in

Holy Week for Christians starts on Palm Sunday (one week before Easter Sunday) and ends on Holy Saturday; it includes Holy Thursday and Good...