The first thing I saw upon my arrival was a wild deer who had obviously made the garden its own until it heard me coming. I took its presence as a good omen. My first 48 hours didn't involve much in the way of walking, moving around or even eating, but once I began to feel better I adjusted to my country life rather well.

The original purpose for borrowing the cottage had been to get away from distractions and work on a novel I am writing. For a long time I'd been thinking, privately, that the novel was an insane piece of madness that wouldn't make any sense to any hypothetical reader. During my time at Nesodden, I was able to re-structure the book and I can now safely declare it sane and sound. In this sense, my rustic surroundings were very fruitful, but the main feature of my stay was rest, rest, rest.

I was sad to leave, as I did not feel quite ready to re-enter my day-to-day life. Once I began working again, I realized my stress levels are still way too high, seeming out of proportion to tasks at hand. (I think freaking out at people in public isn't a sign that I'm coping.) All I can do is keep away from crowds of people, and get plenty of rest. Tomorrow, 5 June, is a national holiday, so that helps, but I'm looking forward to my next trip to the countryside, whenever and wherever that may be.