Prints by Leonard Cohen (1934-2016)

Did you know that Leonard Cohen in addition to making beautiful

 music also made art?

I did not.

So I was surprised when an exhibition was held  near Moss this last autumn.

It turns out the Norwegian artist Tone Dietrichson

 painted to the inspiration of  Leonard Cohen's songs, 

so this exhibition was a combination of their work.

The exhibition was held at Soli Brug, a place worth visiting on its own.

Here are some of the photos I took during my visit.

For more of Leonard Cohen's prints

http://www.leonardcohen.com/prints

About Soli Brug, though only in Norwegian

http://www.soli-brug.no/om.html

Book: Roots by Alexander Haley

In my twenties I spent perhaps a week in hospital.
I have no memory for the reason for that hospital stay, but I remember I felt good enough to read the whole thick book of "Roots".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roots:_The_Saga_of_an_American_Family


At the time I probably saw it more as a fictional story.

Forty years later I realise I have been doing a lot of searches like Alex Haley did to find his roots in Africa.
My searches have been for others and their roots have been in Europe.
Some of the roots I have still not found.

In my head, it is like an onion where my job is to unpeel layer after layer.

What would happen to the chocolate box ?

My Norwegian grandmother, born 1883, would now and then
get a box of chocolate from friends and family.
These boxes were kept in a secret place.
When she served chocolate from these boxes, she would always
use the oldest box.
On one occasion my father gave his mother a box of chocolate,
with an enclosed poem, in Norwegian.
(At that time, Vesle-Kari was my father's teenage cousin.)

"Jeg håper at du ei
vil vandre
inn i ditt kammers
og gjemme den der
blant de andre,
for da kan det hende
at jeg er så innmari
og gir bort esken til
Vesle-Kari."

Rough literal  translation:
"I hope you will not
wander
into your bedroom
and hide it there
among the others,
because then it may happen
that I become so evil/sly
and I give the box
to Vesle-Kari."

The island in Vansjoe / Vansjø

In the beginning of June a few years aback I was lucky to
join a guided tour of Vansjoe / Vansjø - the lake next to Moss.

The trip itself was very interesting, but what stays with me

in particular, is the visit to an island where we had our

lunch break.

The tranquility.

The mysterious forest.

Walking into that forest.