Sunrise over Skagerrak

The photos here are from Wednesday morning last week, view from my parents house in Norwegian Bible Belt Town. The sun rose around 8.30 only to hide behind clouds all day (lower photo). The winter sunrise over Skagerrak is one of the things I miss the most about home.

The Goose and I went on a very unscientific mission. Several reasons; 1) I was in the neighbourhood (Scandinavia) anyway (not entirely true since I went to Switzerland for a week in between). 2) The Goose had holiday from school. 3) My parents are away on holiday. Normally, the third point would make me not go since I really enjoy my parents company. We had another goal with the trip than seeing my parents who are on a bus tour around the Black Sea together with other middle-aged Scandinavians with similar interests. They're currently in Georgia, just spent a night in Tblisi, but that's a different story.

We went to take care of, or rather assist, my grandmother. After turning 91 a year ago, my granddad's health deteriorated both physically and unfortunately also mentally very quickly. Normally my parents visit them at least twice a week and my grandma would have troubles managing on her own for the more than three weeks they are away. Many people would maybe send him to a home. I think he's much better off at home, lots of loving care and familiar environment, but the pressure on my granma is enormous. Not that she cannot handle it, but she's 85 herself and deserves some rest too. But as she says "Wat else would I do if I didn't have anyone to care for?"

Thus, the Goose and I spent the week with them, shopping, taking them for a drive in nice weather and being general company to my grandma who seems to be very lonely after her husband of 62 years sleeps most of the day. Always being very social and fond of people, she has a hard time being so alone. It must be awful seeing someone you've known for 70 years and someone that has always been very intelligent and also very handy turn into a total klutz. Despite his comment "Getting old is not as bad as people think!" after spending a couple of painful minutes getting out of the car one day, he's not much use to anyone except being alive and very much loved.

I asked myself several times if I should really spend a week taking care of relatives when I have so much work to do. Looking back, I have always allocated time to be with my close family and relatives since they mean a lot to me. Travelling so much and living abroad for the last nearly ten years, I don't see them as often as I like, but much more than the most successful scientists I know. The older I get, the more I fear that the current goodbye may be the last. The sacrifice to spend less time with my loved ones is one that I reluctantly make. This is reflected in my publication list that should be at least 50 % longer than it is at the moment. Does that mean that I won't "make it" in science? Only time will tell.