Throwback to the time maybe a decade ago that I surprised my mum & dad with a trip to Norway to see where his ancestors came from. With thanks to a distant cousin who provided our family tree back to the 1600’s, I tracked down the original village (see pic) and original farmhouse (see pic) and took him there on his birthday. If I’m honest, Høyland translates to 'hay' + 'land' and it’s a bit like finding a Springfield in the USA, they’re everywhere! Also, we had a rather comical interaction with a local elderly farming couple (who invited us in for a cup of tea) who only spoke Norwegian (we didn’t) and they pointed at an old barn and house, after a game of charades we came to the conclusion that was it, so dad got a photo in front of it, but it could’ve been any of those homes, they all look the same. Anyway, the point is, it was special, regardless of whether or not we were at the right house, right region or even the correct country.
We hiked this beautiful fjord, Preikestolen (see pic) I was so afraid of falling off, that even looking at the photo now I still get butterflies in my stomach.
The next month dad surprised me by taking me to the World Ploughing Championships outside of Kilkenny in Ireland. An absolute dream come true... for dad, he could’ve died happy that day (see pic). I was and am still so afraid of falling off tractors, I also could’ve died that day… of boredom watching competing farmers plough a field. But it made dad happy and that made me happy.
I’ve not given my parents grandchildren (like my other brothers have), I’ve probably (definitely) given them a few ulcers over the years, but I did take dad to Norway. None of my brothers did that! Even if I am still paying it off, it was worth every Krone! Happy Father’s Day Gezza