my idea of a perfect day

(Lilly and I on the ferry, on our way to the beach, at Langøyene.)
is waking up to a sunny day and I haven't had enough sleep, but I know I heard the newspaper arrive outside (which can be anytime between 4 and 6 a.m.), and I feel this restlessness to just get up to greet the morning, celebrate the day, get going, get out there, and Lilly's right there beside me, with the same urge, so we get up, while Leighton's still sleeping, for maybe another two-three hours. So Lilly and I, we go to the toilet, get dressed, maybe Mikkes klubbhus or Handy Manny is on the TV, if so, Lilly watches that, while I read the paper and sip on a cup of coffee. Then we have breakfast. And then Leighton wakes up, and Lilly's tired by now, but she can't sleep in bed, so I take her out in the stroller and walk, run, up to Sognsvann. By now she's asleep, so I run around the lake, in all its early morning glory, listening to a Pure Disco album on my ipod, feeling so ecstatically happy to see the sun, the lake, the horses, swans, the other early bird risers that are out jogging. By the time we're heading home, the sun's already high up on the sky, it's 9'ish, Lilly's still sleeping, so I park her outside in the stroller, outside, while I begin getting ready inside, with Leighton, for a day at the beach. By 10, we're ready to leave the apartment, catch the subway, then the bus, and finally the ferry that will take us to the islands in the Oslo fjord, Langøyene, where we'll enjoy the lunch we packed, relax and play in the sun. By the time we've eaten, Lilly is tired again and falls alseep when Leighton takes her for a little stroll. Then it's back again, to our little camp, incidentally (or not) where Leighton and I hung out when we reached the same destination, back in June 2007, on our pre-honeymoon trip to Oslo.

After a long day, Lilly's tired, and on our way home, she falls asleep for the third time this day, in the stroller yet again, and is still asleep when we get home, so we unpack, shower, get things ready for supper while she still sleeps. And then we feast on shrimp and sparkling wine from our good friends Hege and Klaus, a birthday gift for me that's been lying around, waiting for this one special occasion, and this precious day is it.