Little Trekkers Ambassadors Ambassador Blog Europe Scandinavian Snakes, ‘Sheeps’, Skaters, Sunscreen and the Secret Lake!
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Scandinavian Snakes, ‘Sheeps’, Skaters, Sunscreen and the Secret Lake!
Thanks to the very generous parental leave we receive in Norway dad has every Thurs and Friday off, during summer, to hang out with Tiarnan. So with the sun beating down at 0600 on Thursday morning Tiarnan and I were stoked. With so many options open for the day we agreed upon a plan over breakfast.
We would take a wee bike ride before morning nap and then a hike to the secret lake in the afternoon.
The trip to the secret lake is a family favourite. Only about 150m above the house lies a serene little lake that is very rarely visited except by those that live there. Let's think about who is living up there. For starters there is the king of the forest - the marauding moose, keeping an eye on everything from upon high are Mr & Mrs golden eagle, of course there are gaggles of grouse, loads of lemmings and flocks of frogs. The "sheeps" visit in summer; there are a smattering of snakes and infinitesimal numbers of insects. Not to forget reasonable numbers of roguish little roe deer, a wayward wolverine or two, hurried hares, furry foxes, stoic stoats and busy buzzards.
Hymmm, when you come to think of all those lot flocking, flying, flapping, feeding, flirting, frolicking and fleeing around up there it doesn't seem so secret after all. It's still a very peaceful place however and you'll never meet another human!
A slithery, slippery Hoggorm
Well back to the day in question. After a trip in the bike trailer, a great morning snooze, a good feed, a fresh nappy and slobbering of sun screen Tiarnan was ready for his second outing of the day. Taking control of dad from the command centre in the back pack we set off from the house and up through the sheep paddocks. While Tiarnan was busy trying to scare the ‘sheeps’ and lambs what do we spy as we hop over a small rivulet? A healthy 50cm Hoggorm (known as the European Viper or adder in the UK). Although she is quite a shy little thing, that hibernates 9 months a year here in Norway, she can deliver a nasty bite, especially to wee ones. Keeping our distance we just managed to snap a hasty pic as her head was slithering off down into a swampy hole in the grass.
Continuing on up we stopped to the see our house and the wee settlement where we live. Funny how your big world with so many things happening and all those things that need attending to always seems so small and insignificant from above. It is always very refreshing to take the eagles perspective on your world. Getting near the top Tiarnan was happy to stop a while at a wee water fall and dad managed to catch a small frog which brought giggles of amusement as he hopped about.
Finally reaching the lake we chilled in the sun, soaked up the peaceful atmosphere and watched the skating insects practicing their dance moves on the lake. What a wonderful afternoon. With Tiarnan reminding us that more naps and snacks would be needed soon we started to head back. After such a great outing we knew that the laundry, shopping, cooking and household maintenance would be a breeze and anything that didn't get done is never really all that important.
Thanks for a great day Tiarnan looking forward to what tomorrow might bring.
Comments (1)
Tiarnan
You make me very jealous of your hikes in the hills in Norway and I remember just about a year ago we took a short stroll together on these hills and looked down at your house ( as in this picture).
You were in a pram then, but still so keenly interested in the world around you. I can't wait to soon walk these hills with you again some day, now that you are a little trekker on your own two feet.
In the meantime, I will see you soon in Ireland where we can climb the hills there and look at the house Dadddy grew up in from Paddy's Hill. You can see the school he went to from there too. Who knows in our adventures across the wheat fields to the sea we may even see a rainbow and may even spot a leprechaun. Maybe we will even catch one together and you can put him in your pocket and bring him back to Norway with you. Think of the fun he would have playing tricks on the Trolls!
Hey Tiarnan, I can't wait to see you in just over a week. It is a long way to travel from America to meet up with you in Dublin, but you are well worth it. I'll bring you to the beach in Portmarnock, where your Daddy and Uncle Cathal found a stray and the best dog in the world. He loved the Sea so much he hated to leave the beach. We would have to drag him home on the lead and he would plant his feet in the sand in protest. He would leave big drag makes on the sand as we pulled him home with us . He would dive off the pier to retrieve rocks we threw for him. We named him Ross, which is Irish for pier and he was a very faithful play mate for all of us. He would even put his head under the salty sea water to find the exact rock we threw for him. When we go to the beach together Tiarnan I'll tell you and your Mom more about Ross and your Dad and we can even throw a rock together into the Irish Sea for good luck. We will even write your name in the sand.
Just think Tiarnan soon you fall asleep to the sounds of the sea for the first time. I can't wait to go to sleep to that sound too. I miss it all the time.
See you soon in Dublin Mr. T and rest up for all your adventures and stories about your Dad from your Auntie Aisling