from the Confirmation, so we could stay there overnight instead of in Marianne and Kjetil’s place, which had about 12 people staying there at least.

We travelled up on Friday , stopping off at Sandvatn first so we could pick up Theresa’s moped and 1 bed and extra mattress with the big trailer.

The countryside between Flekkefjord and Sandnes, especially coming up to Egersund, is very beautiful. It is very different from Setesdal, being much more wide open with impressive rock-formations scattered about.

It was great fun to be in Theresa’s and Steven’s house for the first time. Compared to Sandvatn they have much more room, so it is a lot easier to keep clean. There is a cosy garden around the house and the stables with the horses, one of which Theresa rides just around the corner. I get the feeling the cats like it too. 

On Saturday we went shopping in Sandnes with Theresa and Steven and later went to Sola Strand with them, where Hallvard took pictures of Eider Ducks and seagulls among other things, which you can see with this blog. Afterwards they took us to their magic circle, a restored circle of old stones, maybe used to communicate with the nature-spirits. It’s a fascinating design. Maybe it was used as a seasonal calendar to plan planting of crops. The atmosphere is very restful.

Saturday evening we all drove off to Marianne and Kjetil’s, where we had tacos. Theresa spent a lot of time with Joachim, playing on-line. Steven also disappeared regularly into the computer-room.

The next day we drove off early to the Confirmation in the local church where 34 people got confirmed. Most of Joachim’s family were dressed in the Setesdal Bunad as can be seen from the pictures. In the afternoon we all drove off to a hotel outside Stavanger to a yummy meal of roast beef with delicious sauces and vegetables, preceded by a cauliflower soup and followed by ice-cream and fruit sauce. The side-table was groaning with different delicious cakes. There were two families represented, Joachim’s mother’s and his father’s family so there were 38 guests.

So to sum up, we spent 3 nights with Steven and Theresa and travelled back Monday morning over Tonstad, along a road I had never been before.

Many thanks to Theresa and Steven for their hospitality and to Steven for his good cooking.