Letter
2 Pages
Transcription: Turid Hagelsteen
Translation: Francesca Nichols
Transcription
Sandalstrand
Kjære frù Höst! 15/5–1917
Har nettop modtaget Kr. 200 fra distriktslæge
Smitt Nestùn pr. Bergen – tak for at De
fremdeles, trods alt, vil sælge for mig fremdeles;
har tænkt saa meget paa Deres sidste brev – og
paa min dùmhed med at plage Höst med den
historien til Kùlberg – (nù har jeg faaet et nyt
krav fra ham, at jeg skylder ham yderligere 106,00 Kr.
– jeg har betalt af hvert aar; men har aldrig faaet
kvitering saa jeg er aldeles i hans vold), – jeg vil nù
fordre opgivet alt, hvad jeg skylder ham og betale
ud, saa jeg kan være fri ham og forlange kvitering for
at alt til denne tid er betalt. Bed Höst ùndskyl-
de mig, at jeg plagede ham med dette; – hvis han
ikke har talt med Kullberg, skal han ikke uleilige
sig dermed, jeg klarer forhaabentlig nù, takket være
Deres salg for mig, at ùdbetale Kùllberg alt; –
jeg har desværre ikke fört noget regnskab med,
hvad jeg har betalt af paa, og hvad ikke – engang ifjor
fik jeg regning paa noget gjærdenet (130 kr.) og betalte
det; – fik saa et brevkort med kvitering for, at jeg
havde betalt en vaskemaskine – denne vaskemaski-
ne var imidlertid betalt i for-fjor (aaret forùd). –
Her er et sùrt veir – mörkeskodde og regn – vaaren
er endelig begyndt at komme saa smaat – men isen
ligger endnù hel ùden hùl eller revner – den er tyk
men mör – den blir gjerne liggende 14 dage end-
nù, og förend den gaar, blir der ingen varme i
bygden, – sneen har nù paa et par dage trukket sig
halvveis op i lierne kùn nogle issvuller ligger igjen –
vi har været næsten ùden forbindelse med ùdenverdenen,
der gik næsten en hel ùge uden post; dette skrev sig dog
ikke bare fra ùföret men ogsaa fra feilsendinger paa for-
delingscentrerne; – paa grùnd af kùlvanskelighederne
gaar her bare en rùtebaad paa Söndfjord om ùgen.
Her er megen tæle i jorden endnù, saa det er kun saa-
vidt, man faar begynde jordarbeidet, – det blir neppe
noget aar for jord-brùget, – alt blir forsænket – men vaaren
er nù endelig kommen – det grönkes paa mine "torvgarer"
som folk her kalder mine jordopbygninger – linærlen
og de andre vaarfugle er komne, "sùsvorta" og maaltrost
spiller omkap i bjerkekronerne nedenfor hùsene vore, og
sjærene har nù bygget sit tredie rede paa gaarden, jeg tog
fat paa naboens gùtter og gav dem en ordentlig lexion, fordi
de havde været oppe i det ene sjærerede og kastede ùd æggene.
Jeg plages af mine kvælnings anfald – dog i mindre grad end för
ellers er vi alle friske. Haaber I ogsaa alle er friske og
lever vel. Med de beste hilsener fra Engel og mig.
Deres hengivne N. Astrup
Translation
Sandalstrand
Dear Mrs. Höst! 15/5–1917
Have just received Kr. 200 from district health physician
Smitt Nestùn via Bergen – I appreciate that You
continue, despite everything, to still sell for me;
have thought a lot about Your last letter – and
about my stupidity in bothering Höst with that
story of Kùlberg’s – (I have now received a new
claim from him, that I owe him an additional 106,00 Kr.
– I have paid instalments every year; but have never received
a receipt so I am completely at his mercy), – I will now
require specifications of everything, that I owe him and pay
up, so that I can be free of him and demand a receipt stating
that everything to this date is paid. Ask Höst to par-
don me, for bothering him with this; – if he
has not spoken to Kullberg, he should not bother
about it, I can hopefully manage now, thanks to
Your sale for me, to pay off Kùllberg completely; –
I have unfortunately not kept any account of
what I have paid for, and what I have not – once last year
I received a bill for some mesh fencing (130 kr.) and paid
it; – then received a postcard with a receipt saying, that I
had paid for a washing machine – this washing ma-
chine was paid for the previous year (the year before last). –
The weather here is damp – dark mist and rain – spring
has just begun to arrive at last – but the ice
still lies intact without holes or cracks – it is thick
yet soft – it will probably remain for another 14 days
and before it disappears, there will be no warmth in
the village, – the snow has for a few days now receded
halfway up the slopes only a few patches of ice remain –
we have been almost without contact with the outside world,
almost an entire week passed with no mail; this was due not
only to the bad road conditions but also to mistaken shipments at the dis-
tribution centres; – due to the difficulties with coal
the boat runs only once a week on Söndfjord.
Here there is still a lot of frost in the earth, so one can bare-
ly begin working the earth, – it is doubtful it will be
a good year for farming, – everything is delayed – but spring
has finally arrived – my "sod farms" as people here call
my terraces are turning green – the wagtail
and the other spring birds have arrived, "sùsvorta" and the song thrush
compete with their mating calls in the birches below our cabins, and
the magpies have now built their third nest on the farm, I caught
the neighbour’s boys and gave them a sound scolding, because
they had been up in one of the magpie nests and thrown out the eggs.
I am plagued by my choking fits – though to a lesser degree than before
otherwise we are all well. Hope You are all well too and are
living well. With very best wishes from Engel and me.
Your devoted N. Astrup