Roy Blohm - colors that faded?

Growing up with this work by Roy Blohm, it was an

important part of my visual environment.

Now, when I look at it, I feel the colors have faded.

In particular , I remember the little girl's dress as being

a vibrant red.

Does my memory serve me right?

Roy Blohm 1922 - 2008

Roy Blohm 1922-2008

This painting was done during World War Two.

My aunt once explained that at that time,

the slopes from Gruenerloekka towards Akerselven

were used for growing potatoes.

When summer comes, I should probably go for a walk

along that river and see if I can find this place.

For me, this painting is my grandmother, in her hat,

walking at Olav Ryes Plass at Gruenerloekka in Oslo,

close to her home.

For Roy Blohm it included three themes you find in

many of his painting: old people, children and dogs.

Children and dogs.

Snow on the veranda

The architect who designed the house where my mother

lives, must have forgotten to plan for this amount of snow.

Standing in her living room, most of the view is

blocked by a wall of snow.

It is the result of the flat roof of the building she lives in,

the amount of snow and the winds.

My nephew made a rough calculation that one

cubic meter of snow should at least weigh 350 kg.

Which means a few tons of snow on that veranda.

Let spring come soon.....

I am a Stranger Here Myself

I have NOT read this book.

Though I probably would like it.

I might buy it.

Bill Bryson's experiences coming back to the USA

in 1995 after living twenty years in Britain, must have

given him many moments of reflecting how what he

had grown up with, had evolved during his absence.

Finding his website, it was interesting to discover

that in 2003 he moved back to the UK with his family.

I also found he has written a lot of other interesting

and humorous books.

You walk into a room, and there are other doors

that can be opened to lead you into new rooms.

Here you can read a little about the book

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/billbryson/bb_title/display.pperl?isbn=9780767903820

Then click on Excerpt to read "Mail Call" to get a taste

of his style.

I liked it!

Roy Blohm

How many years has this dog followed me?

I think it was originally printed for an exhibition

of Roy Blohm's paintings.

Roy Blohm, or Uncle Roy, as we called him, was

a friend of my father. Both grew up in Steenstrupsgate

at Gruenerloekka in Oslo. For me, his paintings

became a visual memory of Gruenerloekka, of visits

to my grandmother, of stories my father told from his

childhood, but with the special connection that it was

Uncle Roy who had painted them.

I own one original oil painting by Roy Blohm.

Not one of his more typical themes of old people, dogs

and children, but an oil painting from around 1945,

showing the backyard, the inner court, of the houses

in Steenstrupsgate. Like I remember seeing it from my

grandmother's apartment.

My memories of Uncle Roy are from my childhood.

What I remember was that he looked more like a clerk

working in an office than an artist in a studio.

No beard or long hair. Neatly dressed.

Short hair. Quiet. Pleasant.

I know my father liked him very much.

An exhibition I want to see

Yesterday, just by chance I found this:

Exhibition by the artist Roy Blohm (1922 -2008)

at Christiania City Auksjonsforretning,

Thomas Heftyesgate 48-50, Oslo

from Monday March 8th to Monday March 15th

between 12.00 and 17.00.

Most of the exhibition comes from the artist's estate.

http://www.chr-auksjon.no/

Living with snow

This is my fourth winter since moving back to Norway.
I am not too big a fan of this season, so I am lucky
to live in Moss. Moss is usually a lite version of
Winter-Norway.

But this winter is different. Much more snow.
Snowing for days on end. The city authorities
making great efforts (and using much money)
for clearing the streets.

All this snow reminds me of my childhood up in the
mountains. Snow would often come in the end of
September and the last patches melt in the beginning
of June.

As a child growing up with that kind of weather, it was
normal.
It was normal that everything was covered with snow.
It was normal to play outside in the snow.
It was normal to use skis every day.
To skate in the skate rink.

The cold temperatures were normal.
All those winter clothes were normal.

Days with snow and sun.
Days with a lot of new snow falling.
Like today, here in Moss.

Another Swedish greatgreatgrandmother

Isn't it incredible that I have photos of ancestors born

in the 1830's?

This greatgreatgrandmother was born in 1834 as Hedda

Sofia Lindberg.

She died in 1913.

My grandmother Ruth and my son

Carl August and Anna Charlotta Ohlen had many children.

One of them was Ruth, my grandmother, born in 1900.

She was living in an old age home when we drove by car

from Norway to show her her first greatgrandchild, my son.

She sat on her bed, holding the little boy, two months old.

Judging from her smile, she seems to have enjoyed the

moment.

But I also remembered she was very tired, and the visit

soon ended.

She died a few years later.

My Swedish greatgrandparents

The old lady on the photo on my last blogentry

was Sofia Christina Larsdotter.

On this photo you see her son Carl August and his wife

Anna Charlotta and their son Elis born 1893.

We think the photo was taken when Elis was baptised.

Handsome couple.

Carl August was the one who took Ohlen as his

family name.

My greatgreatgrandmother Sofia Christina Larsdotter

This is my Swedish greatgreatgrandmother Sofia.

Sofia was born in 1832 in the county (socken) of Runtuna,

north of Nykoeping. She married my greatgreatgrandfather

and moved to his farm Haegnan.

After she became a widow, she decided to attend Sunday

services in her childhood church in Runtuna.

This meant that she walked at least 20 km in each direction.

She could only have done that during the summer.

How old was she when she started to do this?

For how many years did she walk?

Was the main reason for walking that far that she wanted

to meet her relatives and friends?

Runtuna Church

Source : http://sab.hopcroft.name/2008/04/runtuna_kyrka.html

Sofia died in 1922 at the age of 90 and was buried next to her

husband in Bjoernlunda.

Bjoernlunda church

My mother says the black gravestone of her and her husband

is close to the church building.

Snowflakes from Illinois. Snow from Moss.

Tall is not always so good

It was only after I saw Kate next to this statue,

I decided to check who that tall man had been.

His name was Robert Wadlow, and he reached

the height of two meters and seventy two centimeters.

2.72!

He died when he was only 22. Sad.

You can read a little more about him here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wadlow

Selfesteem and selfconfidence

Selfesteem and selfconfidence,

what exactly is the difference?

Perhaps you can show selfconfidence without having

selfsteem?

Perhaps the best combination is selfesteem AND

selfconfidence?

Selfesteem and books that influence us

Realizing lately that I have - over the years - acquired

quite a number of self-improvement books, I had to

look into myself and accept the fact that my selfesteem is

and hasn't been the best. Probably never.

Though I am pretty good at hiding it.....

Today Jerry sent me a qoute I felt also fitted my situation:

"I suggest that the only books that influence us are those

for which we are ready, and which have gone a little further

down our particular path than we have gone ourselves."

---e.m. forster

My doll Lena

I am probably around two and a half.

It is spring and I am clasping my beloved

doll Lena.

Two friends, with their dolls, are there too.

"Huggærn" is dizzy

Somebody sent me a quizz to check your

knowledge of slang from Oestfold, this part of Norway,

east of the Oslofjord.

I then realized that one of the words I have used

for dizzy in Norwegian was a slang word from my early

childhood in Moss.

"Jeg er helt huggærn!"

I am soooo dizzy!

I can hear myself saying that many times as a child.

Bergensbanen, minute by minute - once more

I have just discovered you can download

the TV documentary "Bergensbanen minutt for minutt"

for free from

http://nrkbeta.no/2009/12/18/bergensbanen-eng/

This version does NOT include music, video,

side camera, interviews that we saw and heard in the

original TV program.

You can also get a seven minutes taste

of this film on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql2qXpNVTjw

Some Kate medicine

So who is that pink little figure on the sledge?

Kate, of course!

Having a great time, obiously.

PS. I have been home with backpain for a week or so.

Stand? Walk? Sit? Lie down?

A little bit of each.

These photos of Kate are very good medicine for her

grandma.