Det snør! (It is snowing!)
I had contacted the youth band in this area before we came (it’s not a school class like in the US), and they told us that they were having a “seminar” this weekend and that Anders could join in if he wanted to. He went Saturday and had a warm welcome. He got a new trombone, backpack, stand, and music. When he went into the low brass section room, there was a chorus of “OH MY GOD!” from the girls! Everyone noticed. Everyone is so nice! He stayed and worked with that section from 10am-12pm, there were about 5 kids and the conductor in their group.
Then we took a walk to another library in our old neighborhood to pick up a Harry Potter book for Nora. It was snowing when we set out, but cleared up along the way. It took us about 45 minutes to get there, with a lot of pauses to look at the view or manage something for the kids. Trondheim as a wonderful network of pedestrian/bike/ski routes throughout the city so that you can move from one area to another without 
being on major streets. There are some crossings, and many crossings have overpasses or underpasses that avoid traffic altogether. It’s a wonderful system.
Then we took the bus to visit Trond and Sylvi. I didn’t take any pictures but it was great to see them and the kids! We enjoyed tacos for dinner and their company. Anders and Aksel (age 5) played a silly “do you eat” 
game in Norwegian for a laugh. (Do you eat turtles? Do you eat spiders? Do you eat cats? etc.)
Trond had an extra TV he offered to lend us–it’s big! The rule is that we can only watch Norwegian TV, which Ted quickly rescinded when he realized that Mythbusters is still in syndication. Right back to 12 years ago–Ted is holding the yarn while I wind it, while watching Mythbusters.
On Sunday, Anders happily went back to all-day band practice today. The kids in the band mostly range from age 10 to 12, with a few older kids (maybe to round out the sections). We all went to their small concert this afternoon, while Anders joined in. They are preparing for a competition 
in early February. The band director talked to me after the concert and said that he would also get a uniform in a few weeks. He will go to band practice once per week. I still haven’t heard back on individual lessons, although I don’t mind if the lessons don’t happen. One of the band parents said that it can be hard to get a teacher and his son has gone without or has worked with the people in this band. It’s great that they wanted him to jump right in, and he was cheerfully willing to give it a go!
I planned on going shopping today, but grocery stores nearby are all closed on Sunday. That was typical when we were here before, but there are always a few stores that have limited hours on Sunday. It was also very windy and snowy today, and walking to Anders’ concert just 2 minutes away was a bit of a challenge! The wind was right in our faces! Nora was not pleased.
The kids will have their first day of school tomorrow starting at 8:30 am. Then Ted and I will go downtown and finally open that bank account. Ted will then go to work and I will come home to work and wait for the kids. It will be good to settle into daily life.
