Lilacs, or “syrin” as we call them in Norway (probably from the botanical name Syringa).

With June, it is officially summer.  In Norway at least, the official summer months are June, July and August. It is already this hot in June, and the remaining dandelions have turned to fluff.  Despite the heat, I took another long walk.  The second day of Pentecost is a day off in Norway, probably not so much for the sake of the Pentecostals as because it is a nice time of the year to have a day off.  Pentecost is not a big holiday in the post-Christian Scandinavia, and even to the older generation it looms not nearly as large as Easter and Christmas.  Consequently, I not only bought some food but even quietly mowed a bit of the lawn.  I see that as exercise rather than work, actually.  But I would probably have taken the walk even without the excuse of going to the shop nearly half an hour’s walk away.  It was a beautiful day, and wind made the heat just bearable. Of course, my body is still accustomed to the chilly spring.  Hopefully it will adapt before the true summer heat sets in.