We woke up in the darkness despite it being 7am. By the time we had eaten breakfast there was enough light in the sky to appreciate the beautiful view from the living room window. First trip for the day, Ian and I went with Silje to Edward and Maddie’s school to watch the dress rehearsal of Edward’s school Christmas concert. We didn’t understand a word that was being sung but it was a very enjoyable concert, the kids all sang beautifully and with great enthusiasm. There were some good solos – all from boys which seemed unusual, but they all sang very well.
We returned home for a cuppa and to collect Lauren and Brianna before heading out for a drive to some of the local sights. First stop was a local Voss brewery where we had a private tour and got to taste some of the brews. We filled up a couple of Silje’s growlers – one of which has come all the way from Colonial Brewery in Margaret River. From the brewery we took a drive to a huge waterfall – not much water flowing over the edge though as it was mainly snow and ice. We tramped around at the bottom of the waterfall – in summer we would have been getting covered in spray from the waterfall but today we just got very cold feet from the -10 degree temperature. Once again though, it was a beautiful, clear day and the scenery was beautiful – much better, we decided, for it to be freezing cold and snowy than grey and pouring with rain, which it often is at this time of year. We jumped back into the car to thaw out and took a drive through Voss and around the river – again more picturesque scenery. Saw the farm where Silje’s grandparents and mother used to live and which is now owned by one of her cousins. Came back home for a late lunch and a lazy afternoon catching up on photos and playing cards.
In the evening we headed out for dinner at a local sushi restaurant and then to church to watch Maddie and Edward perform with the combined schools band in their Christmas concert – Edward on drums and Maddie playing sax. The music was excellent, especially from the senior band which Maddie plays in. The conductor was obviously very amusing but we couldn’t understand a word he was saying so just clapped where appropriate! After the concert it was home for a relaxing glass of red wine and a chat while the 4 girls played cards. Mark finally made it home from work in Bergen at 10pm and we ended up sitting up chatting with him and Silje – and drinking more red wine – until nearly 1am!! I think we have finally broken the jet lag!