Friday 11 May 2007

Pic of the day: Proof of spring.

May days

April was much milder than the year before, which admittedly doesn't say much. May however is rather chilly. I certainly don't mind. It is rarely so cold that I need to heat the house (more than with my computers), and on the coldest of days I either burn milk cartons or stay in the home office.

Outside, spring unfolds, just slightly more slowly. Buds become leaves and flowers, and they unfold, slowly and gradually so I barely notice. But I do notice sometimes. As I walked along the road, to one side was the forest, in many shades of green and with some flowers as well. On the other side was the road, and beyond that the railroad. I was so happy to live in a time where I have them both: Nature and culture, wilderness and civilization, at the same time. I guess I could feel that way any other time of the year as well, but spring seems to make this place more beautiful than ever.

And of course, May is a time of days off from work. This year again it is one less than it could have been. Next Thursday is Ascension Day, which for some reason is still a day off from work even if most Norwegians now don't believe in the Ascension, or God for that matter. But the 17th of May is also our national day. Interestingly, it is not our Independence Day, but Constitution Day. While later than the USA, Norway was still one of the first countries in the world to get a constitution. It had to be hastily amended because, despite the best laid plans, Norway didn't become independent in 1814 when the constitution was drawn up. Rather our cold and rocky country entered into a union with Sweden instead of Denmark. This lasted till 1905. By then, the tradition of celebrating the Constitution was so firmly entrenched that it could not easily be switched to some other day. And it is still celebrated much the same way as it was in those times: With loud marching music, flags and citizens walking peacefully and cheerfully through the streets (or along the winding roads, if in the countryside). And not least the children.

Occasionally at this time of the year I hear the music, the horns and the drums, from marching bands training for the great day. It is a music I enjoy live, although I don't much listen to it in electronic form. This is largely because I'd need to play it really loudly with huge loudspeakers to get the sheer physical sensation that the live sound makes. I am not sure it would be the same even then. It is music I listen to more with my body than with my ears. Infrasound. It also moves my soul pretty strongly. Unsurprisingly, I don't listen to it except by accident. And then mostly in May.