After a very cold April and some snow even into May, spring has finally arrived in my new home town of Ørje. The rain has stopped at least for now. Above is our view from the front terrace towards the lake: Rødenesjøen. Yes, it is another of Michael’s brilliant photos. Below is the view from the other side of our house.

Norway’s National Day 17th of May was celebrated watching the parade in Ørje, and below you see the start of it. I surprised me that included both schools with all their grades and all the kindergartens in the area. Unlike in Oslo were a selection of grades and no kindergartens take part.

Take an extra look at the pedestrian crossing sign as well. It is an illegal, but very popular, sign that makes people do the Monty Pyton Silly Walk. Check out this video: www.youtube.com. It was made by the Swedish art collective Kreativiteket as an art project and delights everyone. You can read more here: This-silly-walk-sign-at-a-crosswalk-in-norway-is-the-future-of-traffic-management.