Mummy cow?

I do recognize that many of my posts of late has been about cows, but what else is there to write about when you work at a farm? Not much, not in my life anyway.

Today, as I was standing outside talking to some co-workers, I suddenly noticed a cow and a calf being somewhere they absolutely did not belong - behind a small thicket, far outside of their designated pen. Apprently the cow had exited the pen somehow, the electrical fence might've been faulty, or she could've just stormed through it anyways, and she had given birth right there, in the snow. The cow was easily lured along with a bucket of grain, but the calf stayed behind, knee-deep in snow, looking rather lost. "Oh, great, how the heck do I move this small, but-yet-not-so-small animal along?" Funnily enough, it allowed me to come right up to it to pet it gently on the head, and to my surprise it actually started to follow me around like some obedient dog, padding along quietly right behind me, tracing my every step. And here's my question: Should I take it personally when a newborn baby calf willingy follows me around like I was its birth mother? Do I look or smell like a cow? Either way, I felt kind of proud that this new creature put it's trust in me so readily.

I could've been a good farmer. I drive a tractor rather well, and animals like me (admittedly, I don't like all of them. Oink.). But if anyone of you so much as thinks about mooing at me, I'll chop your privates off and feed it to the pigs.

On trial.

Yesterday I went through something I thought I never ever would have to - I was a witness in a murder trial. Not going to write much about the trial itself, it doesn't concern most people anyway, and the outcome isn't very uncertain - he's going to jail no matter what, seeing as he has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. The trial is held mainly to judge wether he commited what can be seen as manslaughter or 1st degree murder, how long is sentence will be and how much he will have to pay in compensations.

But I will say this: It doesn't matter wether you're the one being on trial or not, or wether you know something that can make or break a case; being in a court room is still damn bloody scary. I know the trial process in Norway is rather "casual" in comparison to British ones, our judges don't have to wear silly hats or hold trials in 200 year old halls, allthough they do have to wear a robe. When you're a tiny girl of 156 cm, and you're sitting in the dead center of a room, surrounded by judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers, the defendant and mother of a dead 21 year old boy, you feel like an ant being studied under a microscope. And I know my experience only comes to a "mild discomfort", I can't imagine being the mother, or the boy who is on trial for stabbing another boy to death. My heart goes out to both of them, in separate ways - it's not up to me to judge, that's up to the legal system, and everyone else who absolutely has to judge other people. But two lives are being destroyed here, if not even more, and you could say the dead boy might have been the lucky one, he's escaped it all.

Yup, it's definitely Friday...

You can generally be sure it's Friday when you originally plan to call it a day early, but then everything just goes wrong. That's why I got a creeping bad feeling when I witnessed my boss sail through the electric cow fence with his tractor and hanger. Under a thin layer of powder snow there evidently was a perfectly usable ice skating rink, and all though you would think a big tractor could manage most surfaces, enormous big rubber tires really doesn't do you any favours on pure ice (if you don't have chains on them). "At least it wasn't me," I thought smugly and snapped a few photos. But when I later managed to fall over, twice, in quick succession, I could say without a doubt that it had to be Friday. Hence I wasn't even surprised when I tried to lift a wooden crate with the tractor, and I managed to break it. Apparently it had frozen solid to the ground, and when I hadn't been able to lift it on the first attempt, I'd moved the forks, managed to jam them further up and torn off a few boards. Angrily I told my co-workers to shut the hell up, I went off to fetch a hammer and fix the damn thing, and gave the job of moving the not-broken crate to the right to someone more capable. Or so I thought. This crate was of course even more stubbornly frozen to the ground than the first one, but Christian didn't give up that easily. He tried to jiggle and lift it a few times, but it didn't move an inch, until it suddenly leapt up like it was being catapulted, and did a spectacular backflip. I never thought a crate could move that fast. When my long, painful fit of hysterical laughter had seized, we generally decided that all crates could go to hell, announced that the weekend had begun, and went home. Wisest move of the day.

Changed me mind again...

Yup, so I'm back here again. Older posts can be read here, but will try and backtrack as many as I can be bothered to into this new (or rather, old) blogsite.

Flowers and footballtops-

Saturday I got a letter I thought I'd never ever get; I've been summoned as a witness in a murder trial. In September 2008 I was present at a pub when a 20 year old boy got stabbed to death by my former neighbour, a young boy of 22. I wrote about it when it happened - and I had to, seeing as I was dealing with not sleeping for 60 hours, horrible flashbacks to blood and oozing wounds followed me for days after that. Ever since that night I've managed all right, after I went to the boys funeral I sort of pushed it out of my mind - the investigation was going on, I'd delivered a statement to the police and I reckoned that would be the end of it. But not so - I am expected to turn up in court on January 20th as a witness during the main proceeding. Not particularily looking forward to that tuesday...

In keeping with my music obsession of late I am going to mention yet another band I am playing constantly these days - Glasvegas. Scottish, melancholic, shoegazing, retro-inspired loveliness! It reminds me of The Stone Roses for some reason, and even the Cure some times. Go listen to "It's my own cheating heart that makes me cry" - it's epic. The song I'm stuck on today, however, is "Flowers and Footballtops". The title stumped me for a while until I read that "genrally in Glasgow when a young male dies (especialy murdered) people as a tribute leave Flowers and Football tops". The song is simply about a parent who loses his or her son, and it makes me think of the parents of the boy I tried to save in September, and about that damn trial.

Flowers and Footballtops - Glasvegas

Baby
Why you not home yet
Baby its getting late
I wish you would be home by now.
Door bell rings
Who could it be at this time
Police on my left and right
My son's not coming home tonight

Baby, they don't need to show
Its over, I know
Baby, they don't need to show
Flowers and football tops, I know
Baby why you?

No sweeping exits
No hollywood endings
Flowers and football tops
Don't mean a thing.

My baby is six feet under
Just another number
My daughter without her brother

Baby, they don't need to show
Its over, I know, I know
Baby, they don't need to show
Flowers and football tops, I know

My baby is gone...

You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are grey
I hope you noticed
How much I loved you
How could they take my sunshine away 

Holy sweet mother of all that is awesome!

I just figured out that Depeche Mode is coming to both Arvikafestivalen, Sweden and Bergen, Norway this summer. I am now finished with my spontaneous, exstatic and tantric happy-joy-dance around the living room, and in the process of deciding which concert to see. And, more importantly, who to take. Anyone?

(Still weird seeing "my" tattoo on another person. Mine's red too, though!)

In love again!

Still only with a band, though, I'm using music as a substitute these days, lacking the real thing (ie. a boyfriend). This time it's with Kings of Leon and their album "Only by night". The first time I heard the song "Use Somebody" on the radio I thought it was some old classic I'd never heard before - and that's just what Kings of Leon is to me - instant classics. The vocalist is just epic, and they're just melancholic enough for me to love. Listen to "Use Somebody", "Sex on Fire", "Be somebody" and "I Want You". And if you're feeling down, go listen to "Cold Desert".

Kings of Leon - Use Somebody
I've been roaming around
Always looking down at all I see
Painted faces, fill the places I cant reach

You know that I could use somebody

Someone like you, And all you know, And how you speak
Countless lovers under cover of the street

Off in the night, while you live it up, I'm off to sleep
Waging wars to shape the poet and the beat
I hope it's gonna make you notice

Someone like me
Someone like me, somebody

You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you

Wait...? What?... Well, where did that go?

That's generally my take on just about everything these days. What on earth happened to 2008? Or Christmas? And the money I got during said hasty christmas? Or the 12th season of Top Gear?

Oddly enoguh it's the Top Gear ending rather abruptly that's made the most impact - had I paid the slightest bit attention to their web site or similar I would've known the special was the last one for this season, but honestly - when a whole year can pass me by without me noticing, you can't expect me to pick that up. Oh well, they'll be back, and so will Christmas time. That's not true of 2008 or my money, though... *ponder*

If anyone wonders if I actually take any pictures with my new, shiny camera; ye gods, yes I do! If you want to see the fruits of my labour: go to my Flickr page!

Presenting my new love!

Lately I've been rather tired of everything I've used to listen to, and when I do I get these fits of musical restlessness where I desperately search for new music. Quite often I end up bugging people I haven't been talking to for a while, asking them for tips. And for once it paid off. "Bloc Party." The tip itself wasn't exactly a revelation, I have heard of them before, but it was a damn good one. So good, in fact, I am slightly in love these days.Speaking of love; this is how it should be

We deserve to let off some steam
Let all the drugs creep in
When we need to rage through this life
There might be ones who are smarter than you
That have the right answers, that wear better shoes
Forget about those melting ice caps
We're doing the best with what we've got

When I'm with you, I am calm
A pearl in your oyster
Head on my chest, a silent smile
A private kind of happiness
You see giant proclamations are all very well
But our love is louder than words

Lots of hugs and love for Laurie for tipping me ^^ Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend...