Spring belongs to Norway

Growing up in Canada, I'm used to 4 separate seasons. You know, summer, fall, winter, spring, sharply divided by various types of weather and the state of nature. In Norway those lines are somewhat blurry. My first year here I learned that fall equals rain. A WHOLE LOT of rain. And the trees aren't even a pretty colour. Then I learned that winter also means rain. More and more rain. Now all you Canadians that are sick to death of snow and shoveling and winter storms may think that that doesn't sound too bad. Well, let's just say that rain is depressing. You can't play in it, go skiing, sledding, snowboarding, make forts, have a snowball fight, make snow angels, and it really, really stinks at Christmas. What's a Canadian to do?

And then came spring. Ahhhh, glorious spring! I am absolutely sure, seeing that Edvard Grieg is Norwegian, that he wrote Morgenstemning (Morning Mood) in the spring. Listen to the music and you'll know how I felt that spring, and subsequently every spring after. 

Not that spring isn't nice in Canada. But after a whole, very looong winter of snow, that all has to melt, we all know what spring equals in Canada. Spring equals mud. Just when you think you can ditch your boots, think again. And it rains. Yuck.

Spring belongs to Norway. They days are long. We're so far north that we're already having long days and short nights. And it's sunny! Bright blue skies reflected in an even brighter blue ocean. Flowers everywhere (I'd wager a bet that Maritimers don't often see flowers in February!) and everyone out in their flower beds and back yards weeding and digging and planting. Everyone outside in general. Norwegians are fiercely proud of the beautiful nature of this country, which they have every right to be. And Norwegians are outdoor people. They have a saying, "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing." Meaning you can be outside in all types of weather as long as you're dressed for it. But in the spring we can finally peel off some layers and really appreciate the warmth of the sun. 

 

And I just can't leave you today without some more Grieg. This just sums it up so perfectly and is a reflection of everything I've tried to say with words! Happy spring everyone!