Ah, luxury! The final assignment has been sent off to its owner and now YT has two days to fiddle with the details of her upcoming trip and get herself all psyched. As loyal readers will know, YT received a rather unexpected phone call last October in which a complete stranger offered her an all-expenses paid trip to the UK, courtesy of the Nordic Council of Ministers. To attend a conference of Nordic translators who translate Literary Works into English.

It is safe to say that the phrase ‘like winning the lottery’ sprung to YT’s SAD-infested brain on that bleak October morning. At the time the event also loomed somewhere way waaayyy off in the post-Christmas era – which curiously enough has now arrived.

What has also arrived is the conference programme and what a treat it promises to be! Not knowing what to expect, YT had not envisioned anything in particular. Yet from reading the programme it becomes apparent that the purpose of this conference is to do some serious networking and introduce us Nordic Translator Persons [a mere 14 of us] to Arts Executives, Media Pundits, Publishers and at least one Famous Author [whose name I am reluctant to announce as the name is followed by a ‘tbc’.] Yowsa!

THE WEATHER

Has done a turnaround. It’s been raining, which means our ubiquitous white stuff has been transformed into sheets of ice. The Weather Office has released avalanche warnings for the entire West Fjords, which is highly unusual – normally it only applies to particular locations. The reason being, of course, that when the snow starts to melt it gets really heavy and when there’s storm – which is also in the cards for today – it can act as a catalyst and send it thundering down the mountainsides. Which is bad bad news. Especially if you happen to live at the foot of the mountain. Temps are currently 6°C [42.8°F]. Sunrise is at 10.31 and sunset is set for 16.50.