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cured meat – perhaps a bit of swede, turnips and carrots, if they

do not wither too much in the cellar before then – quite a bit

froze this winter and is now rotting. Fish we can get partly

from the lake, hopefully and perhaps some newly salted fish from the sea

now and then (common salted fish we can get hold of easily).

Well it is petty to speak of such things, but

the times are such, that we do not get, what we want for

money either, – we have a little cured pork – but otherwise

everything called "sandwich fillings" is impossible to get hold of here –

likewise crackers and the like but Engel can perhaps manage

to bake – and likewise if not to perfection at least

tolerable bread – we still have a little "fine wheat flour". Canned food

we might perhaps get hold of from Bergen, if You would be

so kind as to <specify>, what kind You might like to have, – here we have

only fish cakes made of pollock, and You probably find them – like most people – inedible.

Cured herring You will presumably put in the same category, –

when it is good, I like it, – but the farmers despise it.

The storm has shifted to north – northeast – so the outlook

points to long-term cold – Jölstervandet is shifting towards

black, so it sucks one’s eyes into it. We had a

violent earthquake one night – strangely enough it

is only here in the fjords, one has noticed it –

perhaps we will have a volcano here one day – that would

please me, – so many unbelievable things happen these days –

I am freezing even though the stove is rumbling, so a volcano

in the vicinity might be a good thing. The children are

well and run about outdoors despite the cold, – today they nevertheless wish

to immediately crawl back inside. I am struggling with the woodcuts

and with poor quality paints and poor quality paper – but one must

get used to it during these times. With sincerest wishes

from Engel and all the children. Your devoted Astrup

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