October 11th

Dear Heidi,

I am sorry to hear that one of the sailing crew has a leg infection and needs medical attention. I hope that the person is able to continue with the trip afterwards. So you will be visiting the north shore of Mallorca too!

Everyone here is well, although it is rain rain raining again! How quickly the sunny days flew by and how easy to take them for granted. At least I got some laundry done and dried outside. Each time I peg things out I think this must be for the last time this year, so each added time is a wonderful bonus.

Pappa is still up at the hunting cabin. So far the team have shot five moose, and they hope to get the full quota with another four, but Pappa says they are not as easy to locate as they used to be, because of the wolves. Around here, (Aurskog Høland) newspapers report that there are so many wolves that it isn’t safe to hunt moose with loose dogs anymore, and people are starting to put bullet proof vests on the dogs to prevent injury from the wolf bites! Perhaps they should think more about taking the Barnehage children out into the forest too!

I am kept very busy trying to help everyone that finally decided to come to W’s confirmation in Wells. The rooms I have booked at the hotel are now all full, and I still have people wanting space! Others want help arranging train or car journeys, and I am trying not to get them all in a tangle and put four people into one room....or have people arriving in Wales and looking for the Cathedral!

D is working most days now, a big property that he has been to several days already, and will finish up tomorrow. Then he will join Pappa for the weekend. I am having a day out tomorrow, off with my friend E, and we might do a loppemarked at the weekend! W has obviously been doing something right, because I had a note today from his housemaster to say he has earned 22 house points so far this half term.

Otherwise back home, I have put out just a few things to decorate for Halloween 🎃 and the fire and candles are lit every evening. Today D helped me to sort through the hats, gloves and scarves, and tidy away the summer shoes. I even got around to doing a little mending with my sewing machine!
We had a delicious lamb navarin for supper, followed by what was left of the pumpkin pie (a certain young cat who’s name begins with a D was the culprit there!)

I am still looking for the Petit Prince book you asked me to find...I think I need to venture over to the  stabbur one of these days! I have started to listen to a BBC production of Hamlet on the radio. It is well done, and I hope the one I sent to you is as good. I don’t recall if it was a BBC one.

Good luck with writing your English notes on the City of Thieves and with your Mandarin test. I am so proud you did so well in your maths test!
Lots of love, always,
Mamma.