Some friends of the family

Glyptodon:

Part of Bollan's extended family, a kind of adopted uncle for the kids, rescued from the souvenir shop at the Natural History Museum in Oslo. He doesn't speak much, just the odd grunt. He very much fears there will be a new Ice Age, as he barely survived the last one, but now he has his scarf to keep him warm during the Nordic winters :)

The Elephant:

A housewarming gift from some friends, meant as a mount for The Great Boll. He walks, flaps his ears and blows his trunk. The Boll proved to be a little too round, so she kept rolling off his back when he raised his head, so some kind of harness and a wagon will have to be constructed.

The Fox:

At first he was feared by The Boll because of his sharp teeth, but evetually he convinced her that he wouldn't bite. Now they're the best of friends :)

Cthulhu:

A monster from outer space. The story goes that he sleeps on the bottom of the Pacific, but we know better! He's good friends with Bollan and several other plushie creatures, and now recides happily on our bedroom shelf.

Woodlouse:

Meant as a friend for The Boll, but he's always a little anxious that she'll get hungry and eat him! Poor thing. So far she hasn't touched him, but maybe she just likes to play with her food...

Diego:

A Furby baby, named after a certain (in)famous football player. He mostly sits on a shelf and sleeps the days away. Occasionally he wakes up and sings funny songs for us :)

Home, sweet home

Bollan and the family were looking forward to coming home after the holidays, going back to every day life again. The flight went well, they even got their own seat on the plane, and as always, safety is important!

When they got back to the apartment they discovered that it was almost freezing inside, only 3 degrees Celcius! Poor Glyptodon almost had a heart attack and had to rest on a hot water bottle for a while.

After recovering from that first freezing shock, they were all happy to meet their friends again, and they all snuggled up together to keep warm.

But most important, The Boll could finally relax with a (not so) cold beer :)

The song that named The Boll

Some people might already know this, and I think I've mentioned it briefly before, that Bollan is named after a Norwegian children's song, written by Alf Prøysen. Here is the lyrics for the song, translated into English by my boyfriend.

Bolla the Hedgehog

As the sun rises round and yellow and colors the hilltops,

all the forest animals know that soon they must get up.

And the birds they begin their alarm clock choir,

then it rattles in the ditch where fern leaves grow.

For now Bolla the Hedgehog shall go to school.

The first thing Bolla the Hedgehog does, is collecting water.

She washes her face and paws as best she can,

and mum brushes her spikes that are standing every which way,

and even though mum pulls [the spikes] it doesn’t matter at all,

for now Bolla the Hedgehog shall go to school.

And mum makes her lunch, can you guess what it is?

Eight pieces of bacon and four raspberries,

and then a small drop of milk, which makes Bolla happy,

for father hedgehog has said that none shall touch it,

for it is reserved for Bolla the Hedgehog to have at school.

And now Bolla is all dressed, and now Bolla can leave,

she strolls over the yard, underneath blueberry heather and straw,

along the hedge over by the hill, around a huge pine tree,

she thinks a little about mum, but waddles determined on,

for now Bolla the Hedgehog shall go to school.

In the forest there’s a pine grove with four stumps,

and that’s the animal school, where Bolla the Hedgehog shall go.

School is lots of fun, with lots of children together,

she crawls up on her stump and grunts a cheerful “good day”.

For now Bolla the Hedgehog has arrived at school.

The original lyrics in Norwegian:

 

Bolla Pinnsvin

Tekst: Alf Prøysen

Når sola stiger rund og gul og farger åsens topp,

vet alle dyr i skoge at nå skal de snart stå opp.

Og fuglene de starter med sitt vekkerklokkekor,

da rasler det i grøfta der hvor bregneløvet gror.

For nå skal Bolla Pinnsvin gå til skolen.

Det første Bolla Pinnsvin gjør, det er å hente vann.

Hun vasker fjes og labbene så godt hun bare kan,

og mamma børster piggene som stritter rundt omkring,

og selv om mamma lugger gjør det ingen verdend ting,

for nå skal Bolla Pinnsvin gå til skolen.

Og mamma smører niste, kan du gjette hva det er?

Jo, åtte stykker museflesk og fire bringebær,

og så en liten melkeskvett, og da blir Bolla gla'

for pinnsvinfar har sagt at den får ingen lov å ta,

for den skal Bolla Pinnsvin ha på skolen.

Og så er Bolla ferdigkledd, og så kan Bolla gå,

hun tusler over tunet under blåbærlyng og strå,

langs hekken borti bakken rundt et digert furutre,

hun tenker litt på mamman sin men kjabber trutt avsted,

for nå skal Bolla Pinnsvin gå til skolen.

I skogen er en furulund med fire stubber på,

og det er dyreskolen, dit skal Bolla Pinnsvin gå

På skolen er det moro, der er mange barn i lag,

hun krabber opp på stubben sin og grynter blidt goddag.

Og så er Bolla Pinnsvin nådd til skolen.

Best wishes

Bollan and her family and friends hope that you have all had a happy Christmas, and wish that the new year will bring you many good things and hedgehogs :)