Olav and Janet's "bit of the web"

Janet camping.

Janet competing in the high jump.

Janet at the beach.

Janet Lilian was born 15 August 1934 in Lerwick, Shetland. Her parents were Margaret Pottinger (born Halcrow) and Thomas Christie Pottinger. She had three siblings: Adelaide, Gilbert and Oliver.

Janet went to school in Lerwick and was active in several sports: swimming, athletics and field hockey. On several occasions she represented Shetland in competitions!

For two years Janet studied child care in Edinburgh, Scotland, and later worked in England.

She was in Cleveland, Ohio, for a year and a half, where she worked as an au-pair for the Shiverick family. Janet sailed back and to to the USA in the wonderful ships QEI and Queen Mary. Janet travelled on tourist class, but with the help of contacts in first class she got to enjoy the luxury on board anyway - swimming pool and all!

In the mid 60s Janet got to know the captain on board the Norwegian rescue boat at the time, Peder Fjørtoft. That way she came for a visit Peder and his wife Johanne on Ekkelsøy outside Kristiansund. This also paved the way for Janet getting another au-pair position - this time in Trondheim. She worked for Knut and Inger Rygnestad. The children, Gyro Mathilde and Tarjei, welcomed Janet and also helped her learn the new language.

Visitors from Trondheim to Rygnestad in 1962. Front row from the left: Gyro Mathilde, Hallvard, Tarjei, Kristi, Olav with Torgrim. Behind: Knut and Inger.

A relaxed Olav.

Olav's parents were Hallvard O. and Kristi Rygnestad. Hallvard Olavson was born on 17 September 1907 and Kristi was born Homme on 20 March 1909. Because there were many people with the same name it was usual to take your father's initial as your middle name - that way Olav became Olav Hallvardson Rygnestad.

Hallvard and Kristi had five kids. Olav and his twin sister Gudrun were born on 14 November 1938. Their eldest sister, Guro, was born two years before - on 3 October 1936 and their baby brother, Torgrim, arrived several years later - on 11 August 1951.

Olav started his schooling at Flateland in Valle in 1946 and was there for 7 years. He doesn't remember much from the war, but remember always being afraid when German soldiers came to the village. He remembers one particular story. One day there was a raid in many villages and the Germans were looking for explosives and guns. The family knew that dad had dynamite in the barn, but luckily they didn't find it. Everybody was scare, because if they had found the dynamite they would have arrested dad and taken him away.

From 1954 to 1955 Olav attended the highschool Fredtun in Larvik. He was there together with his twin sister Gudrun. That was their first time away from
home on Rygnestad.

In 1957-58 Olav studies furniture making at Blakstad technical school at Froland. It was a rewarding year and inspired Olav to continue working as a carpenter for many years.

In 1958-59 Olav did his military service at Evje and he was also stationed in Northern Norway for some time. It was not a very rewarding time. The months were many, long and hard, especially those in Northern Norway. In the summer they had mosquitoes everywhere and in the winter is was bitterly cold.

Olav remembers the slogan of their captain:

No more hiding behind your mother's apron, everything for Norway.

After his military service (1959-60) Olav attended Bygland agricultural college. That was the start of Olav's career as a farmer. Besides working on the farm he also worked at Øvre Otra's hydro electric station.

In the summer of 1962 a young Janet came for a visit to Rygnestad together with the family Knut, Inger, Gyro Mathilde and Tarjei Rygnestad from Trondheim. Knut was Olav's Dad's brother. Olav and Janet quickly got know know each other and that was it! Janet said "YES" and moved to Rygnestad the year after. As such she was the first English speaking person to move to Valle. That was a very brave thing to do.

Olav and Janet get married, 15 August 1963.	Janet and Berit Brottveit, 15 August 1963.	The wedding cake!

Janet, Ann Kristin and Olav on the steps at their Oppistog farm at Rygnestad, September 1966.

Janet and Olav - All action farmers!

Left: Janet tying a carpet for the living-room. A huge project that took several years with (a little) help from the whole family. Right: Janet playing the organ one Sunday afternoon (with a coffee cup in her hand).

Janet in her comfy chair with the cat, some sweets (seigmenner) and a cross-word puzzle.

Olav and Torgrim Homme attending cooking class. Many cooks spoil the broth? No, it all went well.

From then on in Janet and Olav were very busy with the farm (a lot of sheep and some dairy cows), forestry, furniture- and cabin building sometimes. Look HERE for more photos of all the animals at Oppistog Rygnestad - through the ages.

In June 1964 Ann Kristin was born - the first daughter, an there were two more to come. Adelheid arrived in January 1967 and in the end Hild Lilian in February 1971 (Click HERE to see more photos of the kids).

After giving the farm to Olav and Janet in 1966 Kristi and Hallvard moved to Mosby (outside Kristiansand). The lived there for the rest of their lives.

While the kids were growing up it continued to be busy times at the farm at Rygnestad. Janet sewed clothes, knitted clothes, baked cakes (see some cakes HERE) and cooked food. For a while she was also busy milking the cows. It was even more busy with the kids everywhere! In the summer there was hay and silage making. In the autumn they had to herd the sheep from the mountains before mating season up towards Christmas. Both Janet and Olav were active in the Sheep Breeding Association and the local "værring" (a group of farmers sharing communal rams for the mating season). Much of November and December they were shipping rams from farm to farm in Valle at regular intervals. In the spring all the lambs are born sometimes at the same time as spring ploughing, planting, fertilising and wood-chopping for next winter. Full circle - year after year.

When they weren't driving rams around the kids had to be driven to sewing clubs, band practice, 4H clubs or Sunday school. Janet was also active and played the organ at the Sunday school and at home at Rygnestad. The Sunday-feeling was there when the organ was sounding!

Janet was also an active member of the board of Valle Handelssamlag (Valle supermarket) for several years, and in the early 90s she also started working in the shop. It was hard work but also fun, with more social contact that one could expect at Rygnestad.

In the 1970s there was increasing interest for traditional handicrafts and wood carving in Valle. Olav was lucky and was taught in several courses by Håkon Nygård from Lårdal. He was an excellent teacher. After this, wood carving became Olav's hobby. According to Olav everybody should have their own toolshed. To make something is a joy for Olav.

In the 1980s several men got together to attend a cooking course. The equal opportunity policy had also arrived in Valle. Olav learnt to make a lot of things like boiled potatoes, bread, waffles and pancakes. They even made various deserts and sponge cakes decorated with whipped cream and all. Last, but not least, they learnt how to make gravy! That was the hard bit. He had to use a sift because the lumps where many and large! All the participants were very jolly and they had a lot of fun. They would set the table and even decorate the room before eating the tasty food. After the course most of the men helped mother at home. Olav says it is the most fun course he has ever participated in, and he often wishes they had it all on video. While Janet worked at Valle Handel she often bragged the she possibly was one of the few women in Valle who could come home to dinner on the table!

From 1994 Adelheid and Tron took over the farm. At that time Olav and Janet started their second life. After all those years of being farmers they were happy to retire from all the hard work. All three kids were independent and had got married Olav and Janet moved from Oppistog (the farm) to the house at Systog (a neighbouring farm Olav had inherited from his uncle, Olav O. Rygnestad, years before). They spent a lot of time fixing up the house at Systog because it was old and run-down both on the inside and outside. See photos of the home improvement HERE.

Janet and Olav enjoying the good weather outside Systog, August 2001.

Knut, Kym and Olav "discussing" whether one should use axe or chain-saw in their work to restore old buildings!

When the weather allows it, they often sit outside Systog for breakfast, lunch and dinner (see photo). Together Janet and Olav also like to watch television - everything from news to travel programmes to James Bond! Janet continues to sew clothes - now for the grandkids. And as always she likes to sit in her comfy chair and solve crossword-puzzles and watch the football match every Saturday (or more often!). From Olav retired from farming he has focused on restoring old buildings. Work and hobby have therefore merged now. Read more HERE about Olav's restoration projects.

As before, Janet and Olav travel around in their vacations, and now they have even more time to make short weekend trips. Janet is nearly world renowned for her ability to pack up the car to fit in a family of 5 + dog on a camping trip with a huge tent and real mattresses and quilts!!! Now they travel with much less luggage and have been travelling quite a bit to England, Shetland, USA and Danmark, and they both enjoy that. In addition they have a nice cabin that they also have fixed up: Grønelid at Bjørnevatn about one hour drive from Rygnestad (see more about Grønelid HERE). They have explored much of Norway and particularly the western coast areas in numerous car trips in weekends and longer holidays. Janet enjoys the sea air as she remembers it from growing up on Shetland, and you can find it also on the west coast of Norway.