Last night
Kjelltur (KT) mentioned that Tom, a friend of his and a huge fan, had suffered a
stroke a few weeks ago and was disappointed that he couldn’t come to the
Dubliner for a show. So we took the show to him!!
Petter, Magne and I met KT in Porsgrun, a
town close to Skien and from there we went to the hospital where Tom was
undergoing tests and therapy. He had lost the use of his right side from the
shoulder down but was otherwise okay and the doctors and nurses said the
prognosis was good in his case. He was in a positive mood which I am sure will
be good for his recovery. I don’t know how surprised he was to see me but he
certainly seemed happy and we chatted for a while, as I was signing things for
the nurses (who were quite a crazy bunch by the way!) and eventually I played a
little music on the ward piano, a Yung Chang upright which was actually in
tune!!
By the time I had to leave everyone was in
quite high spirits (No… not because I was leaving!!) and I was thankful that we
had made the trip. The nurses promised to bring Tom to the show tonight and they
kept their promise.
It’s amazing how almost everyone I have met
in Norway speaks at least passable English. From the gas station cashier to the
hospital receptionist, all seemed to have a solid basic grasp of the language. I
am told this is mainly because they learn it in school and attach a lot of
priority to the fact that it is the international language of business, not to
mention the fact that no-one outside Norway speaks Norwegian!!
It certainly helps with the solo shows as
they rely so much on dialogue and interaction!
After we left the hospital we went back to
Skien in search of some little things and some lunch.
I needed some Optrex but they don’t sell
things like that over the counter. Apart from the most basic medications
(Aspirin etc.) almost everything is sold by prescription in Norway.
Geir joined us for lunch and coffee and we
continued bopping around town until it was time for a siesta.
I changed the format of the show today and it
seems to have been successful. The show went much more smoothly, the audience
was much more “involved” and I felt much more relaxed, all of which resulted in
a great night. We did film it and I will look at the footage next week to see if
we can include it in the DVD.
We
celebrated until quite late and everyone seemed to be feeling very good which
was rewarding.
