Thank You Trouble :)

Hey there all you people that are up in the middle of the night.

I've "just" come back from a lovely and wonderful gig at a brilliant venue in London - and I just wanted to tell you a bit about one of the artists that played there tonight :)

So if you sit/lay back and relax, I'll let you into my secret world for a moment - and introduce you to an artist you should know about. I guarantee you your life will be richer for having heard his music.

His name is Ryan Keen - and he is a percussive guitarplayer and smooth singer. He works the acoustic scene, and has recently been given the honour of travelling around supporting star phenomenon Ed Sheeran. When seeing Keen live, you kinda understand why Ed would want him opening for him. Apart from being am awesome guitarplayer and wonderful songwriter/singer - he has a stage presence that captures the audience and keeps them engaged. Sometimes you see him putting on a full on concentration face for parts of some songs, and then at other times his face just lights up in a wonderful grin and you can see and feel how much he loves doing what he does. It's captivating, and although this is the first time I see him play proper live (apart from webcasted gigs and one time in the back of a van...) - I still feel such pride for the quality artist he is (I knoooow - I'm such a softie! lol).

I'm also very proud to say that he's coming out to Norway to play a few gigs in December, including Dreamcatcher (I'd be mad not to book such talent!), and for some reason, that just adds to the pride I felt when he put on a great performance tonight. Dreamcatcher-artists are kinda "my" artists - and once booked, I'd do anything to help them out.

I have a feeling we're gonna hear a lot from Ryan Keen - and hopefully it won't be long before a lot more people than me start blogging about him ;)

Here's a couple of pictures from tonight:

Now I bet you're all wondering what this guy sounds like! Here's a couple of YouTube-links for you - just for your pleasure ;)

And one of my favourites:

The Last Puzzle Pieces

I'm spending the weekend at my mums house. It's the house I grew up in, and it's always incredibly lovely to return to it. The house is on the gorgeous island of Senja, in a tiny Northern-Norwegian village named Skatvika. The amazing thing about this place is how quiet it is, and how much you feel in sync with nature when you're here. You just feel compelled to stand still and draw your breath at times - and feel yourself being filled with cleansing air and energy. It truly is rejuvenating!

I went for a walk late last night. The only sound I could hear was that of the oceans waves caressing the shoreline. Not even a bird uttered a warning that I had come too close to its nightly habitat. The birds are quiet at night. But when you wake in the morning they readily greet you with their songs and cheeky rants. It's one of the things I miss when living in the city. Where I live now, a seagulls voice is synonimous to "watch out or it's gonna steal your food", whilst when I grew up, it was a sign that the weather is good and it's about time to go out and enjoy a new day.

Last night, I walked by a neighbouring house. I stopped to draw a peaceful breath, and the smell of a log fire filled my nostrils. The next breath I drew was salty air from the sea. That's one of the magical things about this place. One of the things I love and that makes me sharpen my senses everytime I visit. All the surprises that nature has in store if only I allow myself to be open to them.

I don't think I can ever stop returning home. When I'm tired and feel incomplete - the last pieces of the puzzle can always be found here.

Skatvika. Photo by: Christina Finjord

One of those

Today has been one of those days... One of those days that you're not supposed to blog about because it shatters the illusion that your life is perfect and that you can do just about anything in the world. And I might even regret having posted it. But my blog is called "Honestly", and honesty is what you should get when getting to know me. Either it is virtually or face to face.

I've been feeling ill today. They say that there are a lot of flues, colds and stomachflues going around, but I don't think that's it. I have a feeling it's one of those weird "me"-sicknesses that show up when something is bothering me, and that usually comes at bad times. I was supposed to accompany a friend of mine to a nerve wrecking doctors appointment today, but had to stand her up because I was ill :( I feel really bad about that. I really wanted to be there for her, but I couldn't. I've taken my meds, but still I'm just trembling and aching and feel like sh*t. If only I could figure out the cause of these illnesses... Then maybe I could prevent them from taking me by surprise the way they do - and screwing things up for me.

I've been planning to go to the supermarket too today. I've now given up on those plans. I'm not brave enough to venture outside on a day like this... If you feel like stopping by and making me laugh, please do. I'd love for something to break my transe and heal me. For now... Until I'm caught by surprise again... :(