A Beginning

Everything has a beginning.

For a long time I've wanted to create a log where I could put images and memories representing my life. This is the beginning of that project.

This where I was born, in Lillestrøm, a small town situated in the municipality of Skedsmo, a few miles outside Oslo. When you arrive at Oslo Airport, this is the only stop the train makes on its 20 minutes journey between the airport, Gardermoen, and Oslo Central Station, called Oslo S.

The greeen area you see in the middle of the picture of the city centre to the right, is a rather astonishing feature in Lillestrøm called the Town Garden. It's rather beautiful but not open to the public as it's part of a luxury apartment complex.

I spent only one night Lillestrøm, ever. The whole purpose of this one day visit was to be born, to incarnate. The name of the midwife who helped my mother and me on the msot significant occasion was Engeline, which translates as Angeline for the English speaking. But I guess you already may have guessed that.

Here is another shot of Lillestrøm, taken on a misty October day. I have no memories of this place. It looks quite pretty and very friendly leaning upon that gentle hillside, don't you think?

The day after I was born, my dad came to pick up my mother and me. He took us back to Blaker where we lived for the next 6 months. My dad was an amazing musician, but had been brought up in a tradition of getting a "proper" job. The arts did not constitute what was meant by "a proper job", so like his father, he began working for the Norwegian Railways. My grandfather was station master at Blaker, a small hamlet in the municipality of Sørum, a part of Akershus County Council. Blaker is not very far from neither Lillestrøm, nor Oslo. This is where we returned to, and we lived in this tiny little yellow station house with my grandparents.

The journey of my extraordinary life had begun.