Auld Rasmie

Hamish the Haggis - Final Chapter..

2012-02-03T21:59:00.000+01:00

The bold and beautiful little beast eventually arrived yesterday. Still sealed in the carefully designed shipping container.

After a bit of a struggle with a can opener he was set free and I let him have the freedom of the house. After all he's nearly the most unusual visitor we've had for a while.
I have to admit I've seen better specimens, but considering the size of his drinks bill for his weekend in Oslo, It's no wonder he was looking a bit rough.

Overnight he was left to roam the house and I was beginning to think that he might just make a better pet than a meal.
Until this morning when I got up to find that the damned little Scottish reprobate had found my bottle of whisky. Now there is one thing I won't accept in this house and that's any form of alcohol abuse, such as spilling it or leaving a beer unfinished. And there is absolutely no way that I will accept any plundering of my whisky reserves.. So exit one pet and tonights meal was prepared.

After all the trouble, worry, and expense of getting him here, I'll end this saga with the best picture I got of him.

Accompanied by baked potatoes and mashed neep (swede/turnip) he suddenly became a severe bulge on my waistline which necessitated the slackening of my belt.

Rest in peace Hamish so bold, in my stomach you'll never grow old.
In this story you've played your part but I'm dreading the morning, you wee Scottish fart.

Yun's aa fir enoo

Hamish hasn't arrived yet, BUT.....

2012-02-01T22:23:00.000+01:00

..... His accommodation and bar bill (disguised as import duty and taxes) has arrived for his stay in Oslo. Just 822 Kroner, so it's a lot less than I spent the last time we were there.
I did get a phone message today to say that he will be delivered to our door tomorrow.
Once we get him sobered up properly I'll see if he can stand up long enough to get a picture.

Believe me, this topic is going to get worse before it gets better.... ;)

Maybe I'll get sensible again when we get the boat back in the water in a few weeks.. Which reminds me, I have some nice boating pictures to share here.

Update on Hamish the Haggis

2012-01-31T22:22:00.001+01:00

Firstly I'm getting hungry just thinking about him... But, I'm beginning to wonder if by the time he gets here I will have become so personally involved that I can't find it in my heart to eat the poor little beastie.

Anyway, after his clearance delay at Oslo, he sobered up enough to pass the breath test this morning and was released.
Of course, this being Norway, nothing happens quickly... I guess he's been indoctrinated into the Norwegian lifestyle all day as he's had to sit around Oslo until 20.21 tonight.. Assuming he's been denied access to alcohol, he's most likely been eating cake and drinking coffee.. Now, Norwegian cakes are GOOD, and I mean REALLY GOOD, (coffee is crap, but best not say too much about that).. So Hamish is likely to arrive here heavier than he started out.. YUM YUM. ;)

So, I'm sitting here drooling over my keyboard, trying to remember what Haggis tastes like. Wondering if I can afford a bottle of whisky to drink a toast to this wonderful creature, and Chieftain of the Puddin Race, when he arrives....
Or should I just eat the bugger first and celebrate later?? Because if a real Scot like Hamish gets near whisky there will be nothing left for me.

These questions and more may be answered later. Or earlier, if our broadband connection speeds up. ;)

Yun's aa fir enoo

Up Helly Aa.

2012-01-30T21:45:00.000+01:00

Above image courtesy of Kozetland1 and Shetlopedia.com

In the small town of Lerwick, capital a small group of islands known as Shetland, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea, and on the last Tuesday of January every year, normally sane men start dressing up as women.... As well as Vikings, and just about anything else.....
Of course that's why some locals jokingly refer to this day as 'Transvestite Tuesday'. But it's all part of the world famous fire festival called Up Helly Aa.

Here's a few links which will explain it better than I could ever do:
Shetlopedia.com, with hundreds of pictures (That's a wiki based site so navigation is easy with the normal category system)

Kozetland1 (Bloger, photographer, and one of the main contributors to Shetlopedia for pictures and info related to Up Helly Aa.)

Official Up Helly Aa Website

And finally a link to a webcam broadcast which will become live tomorrow, 31st January, the day of the festival.
http://www.shetland.org/uha
That webcam link will be well worth watching tomorrow evening from about 1900 UK time.

Oh, just while I'm here:
An update on Hamish the Haggis.
As last reported he arrived in Oslo at 05.15 on Thursday 26th.. God only knows what he's been getting up to since then, because when I checked DHL tracking tonight, this is what I found:

Monday 30th January, 13.45: Clearance processing completed, Oslo - Norway
Monday 30th January, 1855: Processed for clearance, Oslo - Norway
Monday 30th January, 1856: Clearance Delay...
This last line is kinda what I expected anyway... Just think about the usual problems with Scots travelers.... Yup, now I've figured out what he's been up to since Thursday. He's spent the weekend in the pub, now he's not allowed on the flight until he sobers up.

Onywye, yun's aa fir enoo.

Hamish the Haggis

2012-01-28T23:48:00.000+01:00

I suppose like most things which happen in life a simple word or name can trigger a chain of events which seem almost impossible to comprehend.
This was the case when a simple mention of Robbie Burns made me realise that I hadn't eaten Haggis for 5 years. And just like a Glasgow teenager who hasn't had a bottle of Buckfast for a while the craving for Haggis grew stronger and stronger with every hour that passed.
So what could be done about this dreadful situation? The answer of course was Google.
Now since I live in Norway I knew it wouldn't be simple to obtain a Haggis. Firstly import of wildlife is seriously restricted, with the exception of Shetlanders which seem to be allowed. Secondly importing of meat is impossible, so that ruled out getting somebody in Scotland to bump one off and bung it in the mail... Actually, since I've just mentioned 'bumping off' (slang for killing), I'd better explain a bit more about what a Haggis is, and how to catch and kill it, purely for the benefit of folk who don't know what the beast is.

The Haggis (Latin name: Haggis Haggis) is a small creature which is indigenous to the upland regions of Scotland. Because of the hilly nature of it's habitat and the fact that it will only run anti-clockwise around the hills, it has undergone a rather unusual evolutionary change to its undercarriage over time. Its left legs have become shorter than the right ones in order to help it remain upright, and although this must have been helpful in the days when Scotland had predators like wolves, it has become a problem since man realised how tasty this little creature is.
Man being a more logical predator than the wolf quickly figured out that to easily catch a Haggis all he had to do was place an obstruction in the beasts path which forced it to turn round. It then went off balance because its legs are no use going clockwise around hills, tumbled to the bottom of the hill, and could be easily captured before it regained its composure.
Over the years many obstructions have been used to reverse the path of the Haggis. Including stone walls, fences, Hadrian's Wall, and the latest one,,,, Wind Turbines. The latter has proved to be useless as an aid to capturing Haggis, which is a pity since there are so many windmills about and it had been hoped they could be of some use for something..
Now that the beast has been captured we come to the grizzly business of dispatching it from it's earthly existence. Perhaps if you're squeamish you should skip to the next paragraph before I tell how it is done. In the past there were many methods used including knife, bullet, humane killer, and sedative overdose. But all these methods had to stop due to animal rights concerns, and another method was quickly found. It is the most evil form of death ever invented.. The poor beasts are forced to watch TV repeats of Big Brother.. It is a quick death though, usually only taking a few seconds.

But, back to my desire for Haggis. I eventually found a site which could send this delicacy to me in a manner which was permitted by Norskie import regulations.. The beast had to be hermetically sealed in a metal container. So now that I knew it was possible, all that was left was which size of Haggis to order, and this was decided by the shipping costs.. £42 to ship a 1 Kg baby Haggis, £38 to ship a spotty teenage 3Kg Haggis, or £42 to ship a fully grown and haired over 10Kg specimen. So that was that decision made, although I'm still trying to figure out why 5Kg was cheaper than 1Kg.

As is always the case with me, at this point I thought that it was best to assign a name to this poor creature, rather than call it 'IT', so thus the good old Scottish name of Hamish was given to this poor little armour clad highland animal which was soon to be travelling to Norway.
Now I've traveled to Norway with Flybe, and SAS. Both of which are fairly competent carriers which tend to fly in straight lines,, point A to point B,, but poor little Hamish was to be entrusted to the care of DHL,, (Which means something like 'Don't Hope Long'),, and their idea of a direct route is from point A to point B, via points C, D, E, F,,etc..
And so his journey began, and to date it goes something like this, according to the DHL tracking system:
23rd January 15.48 : Stuffed in cans and shipped from Edinburgh
23rd January 16.56 : Processed at Edinburgh (Guess that was painful)
23rd January 19.35 : Departed Edinburgh facility (And let's face it departing Edinburgh is GOOD)
24th January 03.42 : Arrived at sort facility Gatwick
24th January 05.23 : Clearance processing complete at Gatwick (I wonder if he had to suffer a full cavity search?)
24th January 08.01 : Departed Gatwick (What a relief,,, that's no place for man nor beast)
25th January 01.43 : Processed at Brussels,, Belguim...
At this point I started to feel really sorry for this poor little traveller. After all he was heading for Norway but getting further away all the time.
25th January 03.01 : Departed Brussels (Happy, but wondering where to hell he would land up next.)
26th January 05.15 : Oslo. Yup that's in Norway, or at least it pretends to be...
But???
Where to hell was the poor little fellow during that 26 hour period between Brussels and Oslo?
This question, and many others, may well be answered when he eventually arrives in Vestnes.

To be continued.......

It's been ages...

2012-01-27T20:52:00.000+01:00

I don't know why, but I just suddenly lost interest in writing anything.
That horrible weekend in Copenhagen killed my interest in travel, taking pictures, and human nature all in one quick disaster.
So I've been quiet for a while.
But it's hard to stay quiet when there's so much I want to share, so I'm slowly crawling back to my blog, and maybe, just maybe, we'll get some weather this year which will make it possible to take a few pictures of this wonderful country I stay in which are worth sharing.

In the meantime I have a little story to tell about something which is currently happening:

I'm not sure how much my readers know about Haggis, (try a Google search if you don't know what it is), or better still just wait for the story of "Hamish The Haggis" which will be posted here over the next few days, that way you'll know the real truth about Haggis and how the poor animals life cycle can be so dramatically affected by the interventions of import regulations, international carriers, and my hunger for a taste of Scotland.

I'll post part one of the story tomorrow with information gleaned from the archives of DHL about the trouble Hamish has had in his travels from Scotland to Norway...

Oh, and just in case you think I'm going to write something sensible. You've lost the plot.
If you think I'm going to write something stupid. You're right.
And if you think I've lost the plot... You're wrong. I'm just so very concerned for the welfare of the Haggis, Scotland's most beautiful little animal, which has somehow managed to escape the protection of the World Wildlife Foundation.

Check back tomorrow....

Yun's aa fir enoo.
;) ;)

Just back from Copenhagen.

2011-09-11T22:15:00.000+02:00

Or to be precise "København".
The weekend was, to put it mildly a complete ******* disaster. This started with SAS managing to lose all the baggage from our party. This disaster was followed rapidly, in monumental proportions, by every screw-up known to man. And a few screw-ups which had to be invented particularly for this trip.
I even managed to find out where the English expression, "Couldn't organise a booze-up in a brewery" originated from.... This trip. ;)

I've started sorting some pictures which I'll deal with during the week. I think you'll like them.
The trip may have been a disaster because of bad planning. But København is an extremely beautiful city in very many respects, and a city to which I will definitely return when I can organise the trip myself.

Here's a little picture to whet your appetite, then I'm heading for bed:

Check back soon for some lovely, and maybe amusing images of København.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

A Brighter Day

2011-08-30T22:17:00.000+02:00

Well actually, weather wise, that isn't actually accurate. It has been yet another dull, miserable, and sometimes wet day.
But I had my 3 month check-up at the hospital in Molde today. And to put it in automotive terms, I'm good for another 3 months or 3000km, which ever comes first.

I thought about taking a picture of the hospital as an example of an ugly and decaying building but I was afraid that it would break my camera. So I just sneaked a little bit of it into the corner of this picture, with some nicer scenery in the background.

That's looking towards the entrance to Tresfjord. The funny looking white monolith at the left side of the picture is the Rica "Seilet" (The Sail) hotel. Here's a closer image of it's back side.

It's an impressive building from any angle, but here's a shot which took on a brighter day from the other side.
It's easy to see why it's called 'The Sail'

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo.

A few pictures...

2011-08-26T22:52:00.000+02:00

Just now and then the clouds disperse for a few hours, or minutes. The sun peeps through and I catch a glimpse of something worth posting about.
Old boats for instance, who can resist them?
Our local 'Tall Ship', 'Auno' came in to the pier here a few days ago. She was carrying a wedding party and they fired off a small cannon as they came into the pier which is why I jumped out of the house with the camera for this lovely shot of her decked out with flags. Pity she wasn't under sail.

The last time we'd seen Auno was in Lerwick last month when she was the first of the 'Tall Ships' to visit.

Another little beauty caught my eye when I came home from work this afternoon, peacefully sailing out the fjord. The 'Hilmara'. Not big but certainly beautiful

And although the sun has only peeped out a few times this summer. The moon was caught having a little peep round the corner of a hill the other night, before he gave up and hid in the clouds as well. ;)

Anyway, we're going to have a run into Tresfjord tomorrow. Annual market/fair/whatever it's called. Always a great experience, not least of which is the fantastic array of vintage cars which are on display.

Onywye, yun's aa fir enoo.

Rubbish Weather

2011-08-08T23:40:00.000+02:00

This has been such a hellish year for weather here that I've decided to keep a photographic record. The basic idea is to take a picture from the same viewpoint, eg. the front door, every morning. Then I'll stitch the images together in a video.

Here's what I should see when I open the door in the morning. And believe me this sight has been a rarity this year.

The following shots are what has actually been seen over the last few days.

I hate to say it but the 2nd last picture has been most normal this year.

I've still not managed to figure out the reference points for cropping the pictures for this photographic project but when I do I'll produce a video which should show that we have Autumn eternally in 2011.

Oddly enough. The wife tells me that living with a weathersick Shetlander is 'hell on earth'.

Now I'm not normally a person to complain about any weather, apart from Shetland weather. But this year in West Norway the weather has been absolute ******* **** ***** ***** and even ******.

Please excuse my language, I know it's a bit *****

I'll be feeling less weather sick tomorrow, if the forecast is right, so maybe I'll get some of the holiday pictures sorted.

Onywye,

yun's aa fir enoo.

Loard bliss you, een an aa.

Ålesund Aquarium

2011-07-31T18:14:00.000+02:00

Great place to visit, mainly because most of the fish are the ones which are good on a plate with a portion of chips. Or at least fish which are found in local waters.

The staff are great, but the residents are the ones who are always ready to greet you with a smile.

Some of them look a bit regimented..... Get in line there..

And this guy is just all frills.

Now for lunch... where's the chips.

That of course is OK if you like Cod, but here's my favourite with chips.. Haddock.

And it's very hard to beat a ling, fresh from the sea, gently boiled and served with new potatoes..

Then of course, like most stories there has to be the bad guy. The villain. And there ain't no more evil looking that this guy. The Catfish, or Wolf Fish, or in Shetland dialect he's known as a Steenbiter (Stone Biter). (Norsk: Steinbit).. I sure as hell wouldn't like to argue with him, and there are signs warning folk not to put their fingers in the tank, for obvious reasons.

The largest tank in the aquarium is filled with what I can best describe as "Dinner". All the fish which formed the backbone of my diet when I was younger. I could spend hours in that tank with a fishing rod. :D

The next pic is what I would call a Scaddiman's Heid. No idea what the English name is.

And a lovely flat fish.

Another visitor held this crab up for a picture.

And this little beastie was one of the 'stars'

Some of the exhibits tried their best not to be exhibitionists...

Whilst others were just born to show of...

These guys are Humboldt Penguins. Maybe not the fanciest of the Penguin race, but they exhibit all the trends which make us poor humans gaze at them in wonder. And in fact in extreme cases make humans try to dress like them just to make them feel at home such as they guy feeding them.

I don't know how the guy feeding them came to be wearing a 'Penguin' jacket, but it was a nice touch. And as he fed them he gave an excellent commentary. All the Penguins at Ålesund have been bred in captivity, in various countries in Europe, and last year the aquarium managed to hatch their first Norwegian born chicks. One of which is the scruffy, half fledged guy, getting a feed in the above picture.

Speaking about food...... I have a sudden craving for chips again...

Of course they do have some fish which I wouldn't eat... Too small to bother with.

And then there are the 'asylum seekers'.... These turtles are mostly ones which have been seized from people who have tried to illegally import them.

Yun's aa fir enoo.
Mair sharn anidder day.

A visit to Molde

2011-07-30T00:35:00.000+02:00

We eventually got a half decent day of weather on Wednesday so we took a run over to Molde on the Hurtigbåt (water taxi). Some sources, such as Wikipedia, call Molde a City. But when you see the town dwarfed by a cruise liner you have to believe that those sources are wrong. :D

We wandered out to the main shopping area. Me, son, and daughter. I was really scarred how much my daughter would invade my wallet, but for once she showed some remarkable restraint, for a 10 year old.
I know this picture is squint, but my software for fixing pics ain't working just now. It's just a little flavour of the town.

After the shopping bit we wandered back into the town centre. Central to the town is the Muckle Kirk (Big Church), or to give it it's correct title 'Domkirken' (Cathedral). The building was completed about 1957, and is very unusual because the spire/bell tower is completely separated from the main building.

The interior is fairly plain in comparison to some British Cathedrals. (Note the model ship hanging just right of centre. Nobody can tell me why every church in Norway has a model like this.)
But the ceiling is stunning, and extremely unusual.

I took the picture of the outside of the Church from the roof of the town house. Here's the view from there down to the harbour.

Next stop was for a few pictures of the new Jazz House which is being built just along the road.
To me this is a fascinating structure.
It's being built in multiple levels into the face of the natural slope of the town. Due to be finished next year, it makes a similar project in Shetland look even more stupid. Have a look at the pictures, then I'll tell you why.

It's costing less than the 'Mareel' project in Shetland, has twice the capacity, will be finished on time, has almost no public opposition, is designed to fit into it's surroundings, and most importantly will actually make a profit. Of course Shetland readers of this will make excuses that they have a small population, etc.., etc.. Wrong, population about the same,,, but this venture in Molde hasn't got the Shetland Islands Council to bugger it up.... RANT over. :D

After a bit more walking my daughter complained that she was getting tired and needed to sit down. Although there is a reasonable amount of seating available in the town, often in very scenic areas, I spotted the best seating area available and made a bee line for it... The 'Dockside' pub on the pier.

A truly brilliant establishment which has a nice view of the town centre.

But it has one very serious fault..... It sells what can only be described as the worst beer in Norway,,, Dahls,,, It might look good on a warm day, but looks are all it's got going for it.

And, whilst on the subject of very watery things. I took this picture the other day of one of our garden weeds, which for some strange reason holds on to water droplets as if they were gem stones in a setting.

And, again, whilst on the subject of water. I took this image of Mary from just beyond the range of her water cannon...

Must get her to use that on the car tomorrow. Maybe it will clear the bird poop.

Next post will be about a delightful visit to the Ålesund aquarium yesterday. Look out for that tomorrow,, or later today,, depending which time zone you're in.

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo.

Grief can know no bounds on a day like this.

2011-07-24T00:00:00.000+02:00

My thoughts on this day are with those who have lost loved ones in the outrage at Utøya and Oslo.

Never has there been a more peaceful and beautiful country than Norway, and never have I met a more peaceful and caring people than the Norwegians who I am so proud to know, work with, and love.

This outrage won't change my opinion. Norway is, and always will be, the most beautiful place on Earth.

If you're reading this, please copy and paste the flag below, then add it to your blog page. And while you're doing it, take a few moments of quiet thought for those who have lost their young lives in this tragedy.

Yun's aa fir enoo.
Fae a very sad auld craetir.

Holiday, part 1

2011-07-22T22:18:00.000+02:00

We returned from holiday in Shetland yesterday, after a week of predictably shi**y weather.
I have a few nice pictures, which still need to be sorted through, but here's a few beauties which I took at the start of our flight from Vigra (Ålesund Airport), to Flesland (Bergen Airport).
Firstly, part of the island of Vigra.

Part of Ålesund. The main harbour area is just out of shot at the bottom of the picture.

The next 2 shots are just nice, so I won't try to look at the map to name the mountains.

I'll sort some more tomorrow and perhaps use the map to add location information to the images.
Time is a bit limited since I've got my little princess staying with us for the next 2 weeks. I just had to add this picture of her posing for the camera. (Actually she thought I was pointing the camera at her sister. This is just cropped out of the bottom corner of an 18 megapix image.)

Onywye.
Yun's aa fir enoo. Mair sharn da moarn.

It's been a while....

2011-07-13T23:06:00.001+02:00

Haven't posted anything for ages, purely because there's been nothing to post.
Almost every day has been grey, wet, and miserable. With nothing worth looking at, or telling about. But that is set to change soon.
We break up at the work for 4 weeks holidays at the end of this week. During the holiday the main event will be a 2 week visit from my youngest daughter, so at the moment I'm straining my brain to think of activities which will keep her out of the shops, and out of my wallet. No doubt my efforts to achieve this will result in failure on both counts, likely some tantrums from her, and maybe a few posts to my blog.
Also somewhere during this 4 week period we will be visiting a newly upgraded museum which has great links with the Norwegian west coast. We'll be seeing some 'real' sailing ships, and maybe taking pictures of some Horny Vikings... Maybe even catch a picture of a moder-dye ;)
At the very least we will be away from the shi**y weather we are having here and experiencing shi**y weather elsewhere.

Anyway, check back soon and follow what happens when Auld Rasmie gets round to travelling again. ;)

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Garden

2011-06-26T18:27:00.004+02:00

So far this summer the weather hasn't exactly been nice, but since the wife bought that damned hose the garden has had plenty of watering.. Not from the hose, I hasten to add.
Most of the flowers are coming along nicely now but my favourite flower in the garden is a very small wild one called 'Maria Gullsko', which translates roughly as 'Mary's Golden Shoe'. It's a beauty, and my youngest daughter is called Mary, hence the reason I think it's special.

One of our bushes is now fully in bloom, and it actually looks like it's got snow on it.

Here's a close up of the flowers,, there are millions of them....

The other flowers and roses are also starting to look good.

And, as seen in the last picture, the ants are everywhere.

And finally. Nothing to do with the garden, but I had to sneak this picture in somewhere.... An early picture of my wife, when she really was a Peerie Trowie... British readers will know what I mean when I mention the 'Deardrie Barlow' glasses. ;)

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo.

Sometimes a big house is nice.....

2011-06-17T22:38:00.000+02:00

Especially when the house is too big to fall through the gap you're trying to cross.....

I love these little guys...

Yun's aa fir enoo.
:D

Recent thoughts and pictures..

2011-06-11T23:50:00.000+02:00

Firstly, I never did get round to explaining the 'Guiness Can in the oven', which appeared in my last post. The explanation is quite simple. Some fool had turned the fridge thermostat too low, likely the same fool placed the can of Guiness right next to the back wall of the fridge, likely that fool was me, and yup, it was frozen solid. Nothing more than a small dribble exited the opening of the can when I pulled the ring and attempted to pour the beautiful Irish nectar into a glass... Even after half an hour in the oven with the door open so as not to cookit, it was still a frozen chunk of disappointing.

But, on to happier things. The weather....... Nope, try again, the weather isn't worth mentioning.
Apart from, possibly, this picture.

That's the kind of beauty that can be seen about 6am here. Just before the damned rain starts again.. At least our plants are being well watered.

And, while I'm still not mentioning the weather, yesterday saw the worst floods in east Norway for 50 years...
The mountains are wearing what the wife calls their 'summer duvet'. The blanket of cloud which lies down to about 300m

Sometimes the cloud clears and everything looks as though it has been washed clean, even at 5km away.

I've been desperate lately to get out with my new camera and try for some wildlife shots. But between the showers the best I could get was Jeemie fishing from the pier, which will likely make him wild that I've posted it,

And a nice little Wagtail prancing through the garden.

On the wildlife front, there is one point worthy of note. The Swallows have eventually arrived this year, over a month late, compared to last year. The blurred image before the mountain is the only proof I got.

Summer here has many other obvious indicators. Least of which are the increasing numbers of caravans and camper vans which appear every day. These vehicles are a pain in the bum on the road, and personally I feel they should be banned.
But, just every now and then you see something which makes sense of it all... This is what caravaning should be about... Classic equipment, designed for the job, and well worth admiring.

Not much else to say just now. But the wife had a birthday at the end of May and her collection of garden ornaments expanded a little bit. The deer she got last year suddenly found a wife and baby.

Now, before I go, did I mention the bloody rain which has caused so much trouble in Norway recently?
Well, I'll mention it now. And it's all my fault. You see the wife bought a garden hose, which I was supposed to connect for her. Being a man, I avoided this task as long as I could. Then female pressure was brought to bear one day, and like a fool I did as I was told.
The hose was connected,,,,,,, used once,,,,,,, and it's rained ever since. So here's a pictures of what is responsible for all the flooding in Norway.

Onywye, yun's aa fir enoo.

Bloomin' Bush

2011-05-21T00:12:00.001+02:00

Yup, it's that time of year again. That damned bush, which I have previously threatened to introduce napalm into, is now in full bloom. And even a grumpy old devil like me has to admit it looks bright and cheerful on an otherwise dull night.

Peerie Trowie bought a lot of plants last weekend, and she's busy doing something with them.... so here's my latest 'bum shot'.. I honestly don't understand what she sees in these plants, but then again she's not colour blind, so maybe they're not all green/grey weeds in her eyes. ;)

Guess I'll get shot for that pic...

Now for something completely off topic..
While trying to find the above pictures in my computer tonight, I stumbled across the following image, and as far as I can see I haven't posted it here yet, so here goes,,,, explanation will follow......

But, I'm a tad sleepy tonight. So the Guinnness in the oven explanation will just have to wait for another night.

;) ;)

Yun's aa fir enoo

Reflections...

2011-05-15T22:57:00.000+02:00

Reflections is a good title for this post.
Mainly because, reflecting on the amount of beer and wine I consumed last night, my bladder made a very definite decision that I should get out of bed at 6am this morning. I'm glad that I had to get up early since it was a stunning morning. Here's a few pictures which explain without words why I love this place.

I actually took 2 shots of the last picture. One with the camera upside down. And flicking between the two images on the computer was fun to see how little difference there was. It's not often that water is seen so calm. And from the point of view of a Shetlander it is a total rarity.
The second last image above is one of a series I took. I stitched them together with a program called Panorama Maker 3, and here's the result.

That image is from 4 pictures which the program spliced together. It still amazes me how good that bit of software is,,, and it's a free download, so google it now. ;)

Not much else happening just now. The wife has become interested in the garden again,,, (grumble, curse, damn),, which meant a visit to the local plantie crub (I can't remember what the English word is,,, but it's where you buy plants) yesterday. I was just driving, since I'm too scared of Bees to venture into one of those places again. I damned near had a heart attack when we visited one last year.
Anyway, a car load of seedlings are sitting ready for planting. And at this moment they are being copiously watered by nature.

We're having a long weekend just now, since Tuesday 17th, is Norway's National Day. I'd rather be working tomorrow, but I have to admit that I'm really impressed with the national spirit that exists in Norway around this time. So I'll just go with the flow, enjoy the break, let my aching old bones heal a bit, and be very proud on Tuesday to be staying in this fantastic country.
Maybe a few pictures then, if this damned rain stops..

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo

Ants,,,, It's that time of year again :(

2011-05-09T22:51:00.000+02:00

These little buggers appear about this time every year.. Sometimes in small numbers, and sometimes by the thousands, if not millions.. They're harmless, and fun to watch.
Apart from a few hundred which have been sucked into the dust-buster (to feed the odd wasp that suffers the same fate), we've not had too much trouble with them this year.
It's always amusing to see what they're up to, and tonight I caught them in an extremely busy state on one of our small trees. Every emerging blossom on the tree had ants busy eating/harvesting.

They were running along every twig.

There seemed to be a basic traffic control system in operation, with the up traffic staying well clear of the down traffic.

I just hope that these ones which were coming down the tree,

were heading for the wife's underwear drawer....

That would give me a chance for a real 'wild' life post ;).

Nothing much else going on here.. Had a lovely walk along the voe yesterday, temperature about 23C. Today the thermometer hit 27C, not the best for working with hot metal, wearing heavy overalls.

Onywye,

yun's aa fir enoo.

The last week....

2011-05-04T22:26:00.001+02:00

I just never seem to find the time to post at the moment, and there's not a helluva lot going on anyway.
But this last weekend, on the 1st of May, I churned over yet another year on the calendar of life. .. 54 now :(

May 1st is a flag flying day in Norway. The Norwegian flag is flown proudly, and rightly so, on most houses. But our house was a bit different, we flew the Shetland flag for my birthday. I'm not really sure which flag I have most pride in. I would like to think that I can honour the land of my birth, but with the disastrous state that Shetland is getting itself into, I can see a time coming very soon when I will hide the Shetland flag in a bottom drawer and proudly fly the Norwegian Flag on my birthday.
Anyway, here's possibly the last time a Shetland flag will fly in Vestnes. Even the shop flags in the background are more honest. ;)

Rant over. ;)

The garden is coming along nicely.... And by the way, I forgot to mention that all these pictures are taken with the fantastic new Canon 550D camera which Peerie Trowie gave me for my birthday....

Tulips and Daffodils. Interesting, but not as nice as scenery. So we went for a run around Tresfjord on Sunday afternoon. Including a run up to the head of the valley at Øvstedalen.

We were just pottering around and enjoying the sunshine, and 20C temperature.
This small river looked nice.

And check out the stone arch on this bridge.

Here's a view from the east side of Tresflord, looking through the valley of Skorgedalen.

From the same point looking towards home, with the shipyard I work in left of centre.

And a view back into the head of Tresfjord.

It was a lovely day, as birthdays go, apart from being older. But I thought I'd mark the occasion by letting the wife take a birthday portrait of me, using my new camera.
These cameras now come with all sort of added gizmos, but they ain't figured out how to make a Trowie hold the damned thing level yet. LOL.. Maybe in a few hundred years time, when historical analysts are reviewing old images, this tilted picture effect will become known as the 'Trowie Syndrome'

But. I wouldn't change the image, because I wouldn't change her. So I'll just lean a little, and go with the flow.. LOL

Yun's aa fir enoo..

PS......
Doctors gave me the all clear again today.... Me very happy

Happy Birthday - Willie Nelson

2011-04-29T23:20:00.001+02:00

Willie Hugh Nelson, born 29th(*see note at bottom of post) April 1933 in Abbott, Texas.
The true founder of outlaw country music

He's 78 years old, still touring the world for most of the year, and showing no signs of slowing down. Hopefully he'll be back in Norway really soon.

Here's a video of him with Melonie Cannon, singing a song which Willie wrote, and which I'm fairly sure is the reason that I live in Norway now.
Enjoy.

* The bit I mentioned about his birth date.
It's actually quite funny, and I'm sure I've told this a thousand times to anybody who would listen.
Willie always celebrated his birthday on the 29th of April, until he joined the army and had to get a copy of his birth certificate. He was surprised to find that the certificate showed the 30th as his birth date. Assuming that this was correct he continued for many years to celebrate his birthday on the 30th, until an aunt who had been present at his birth assured him that he had been born several minutes before midnight, but the doctor, for one reason or another, hadn't looked at his watch until after the hour had turned.
Most folk would be confused by a situation like this, but not Willie. Just like the Queen of England, Willie celebrates 2 birthdays. LOL

Anyway, Happy birthday to the greatest singer/songwriter who ever dared to step across all the boundaries of country music,,, and most other musical genres, when I come to think of it.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

First Tulip,,,

2011-04-24T15:03:00.000+02:00

The first Tulip in our garden opened today,,, a beauty. :D :D

Everything is growing quickly, thanks to the higher temperatures. Yesterday it got up to 22.1C. The best today has been 21.7C, but that's warm enough for me.

Eventually got round to changing from winter to summer wheels on the car today.. I only had to do half the job since there was a willing slave available. ;)

It only took us about 15 minutes.. Which is still a helluva lot slower than the 6 seconds it takes an F1 team to change the wheels of a racing car.

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo.

Summer is here.... Hip, Hip Hooray.....

2011-04-23T00:06:00.000+02:00

Slowly but surely Summer crawled out of the fog this morning..

I was up early, before 7am actually, looked out the door, and all was grey. Early morning mist, which decided to become late morning mist, and with a temperature of about 6C.
But as the sun rose higher the mist was burned off and I made a conscious decision that it was time for me to wake from my winter hibernation and do a couple of small jobs outdoors.
First was to take apart a wooden grating which had originally been in the bottom of our shower and had been left outside until I got round to salvaging the boards for future use. (Shetlanders never waste wood).

Because of where the wooden structure had been leaning against the wall it had attracted a few squatters. Although I don't know if squatters is the right term, since they actually had their own houses with them, on their backs..... Yup, snails.
I quickly came up with a plan for them.. A snail race. (I tried the same thing last year)
Here they are lined up for the start.. Note, I put the ones with the go-faster stripes in front, since stripes on cars are supposed to make them faster...

Due to a complete failure of macro photography, and the fact that William Hill refused to offer decent odds on the outcome of the race, there are no more photos of this event.. But let me assure you that if you see somebody with stripes on their car.... It's just for show, or they maybe have a very small 'cubic capacity'. :D

The sun got hot enough during the afternoon that I erected the 'parasol' above the 'Reekerie Ooterie' (outdoor smoking area, for anybody that hasn't read my crap before).

And I settled down beneath it's shade for a relaxing beer. My first 'Garden Beer' this year.

OK... I can see what's wrong with that picture as well.. But the glass is the right size. :D
I had a wander around with the camera in the late afternoon and took a series of pics over the fjord, one of which is now my header picture, because it had a fast boat in it. Here's a slightly slower version of the same picture.

So, all in all a nice day for the first day of Summer...
BUT!!!!
Summer means gardening... The plant in this picture had been in a pot which was broken by frost. The bush survived, and rather than bung it in a pot again we decided to give it a decent burial. Not easy when there is only 5cm of soil, but after a bit of time a hole was dug, some words were said (not nice ones I hasten to add), and the 'mystery seedling' was laid to rest within 10cm of the point designated by 'her who has the garden planned'.

I think there could be more posts on this 'grand gardening master plan' in the future. Assuming I can understand/can translate/can tolerate what I'm being told to do.....

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo.
Mair sharn anidder nicht.
:D :D

Sometimes nothing happens as it should...

2011-04-21T23:08:00.000+02:00

The forecast said warm and sunny for today. WRONG!!!!
I hoped our first Daffodils would open. WRONG!!!! (They just looked sad and gave up)

And then there was the poor little sparrow who is building a nest in one of our ventilators. He's having a helluva problem finding dry nesting materials. And what he does find just don't seem as though it will fit through the entrance, so the poor guy ends up hovering like a Humming Bird, wondering if he's going to make the same mistake I made when I bought a motorbike which had handlebars wider than the shed door....
I think this is the first time I've ever seen a sparrow imitating a Humming Bird, and certainly the first time I had a camera in my hand.

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo.

Summer is coming,,, fast..

2011-04-19T23:14:00.000+02:00

After weeks and weeks of miserable weather, there is hope at last.
Yesterday was yet another day when it was so wet that the sparrows, who are keen to get on with their mating, were just sitting around under the bushes, sheltering from the rain, and picking hopelessly at anything they thought might be dry enough for nesting material.
We are on holiday from the work just now for Easter, so I was available to run the wife to the hospital at Ålesund yesterday for an appointment. I had hoped to get a few pictures worth posting during the trip, but as usual the weather said NO!.
Me and Jeemie did a little bit of shopping at Moa while Trowie was terrorizing her doctor. Kinda glad she wasn't with us for two reasons. Firstly, one more person in that damned shopping centre and it would have burst at the seams. Secondly, like most wives, she's a pain in the butt when it comes to shopping. :D :D
On the way home the weather started to clear up and by early evening, although the clouds were still hanging down to about 500 metres, there was a glimpse of sunshine on the mountains in the distance.

Today the temperature slowly crept up to 14.7C, the rain stayed away for a change, and the flowers and birds are starting to behave like they should at this time of year.
It's fine to be able to wander out in the garden at night now with just a light jacket on. Especially when there has been enough sunshine to charge up the solar lights along our garden path.

Hopefully the next pictures I post will be of our first Daffodils... Maybe tomorrow...

Onywye,
Yun's aa fir enoo.

Happy 21st Birthday....

2011-04-04T21:27:00.000+02:00

To
"Honey The Honda"

First registered on 4th April 1990. Honda 2.0L Accord
She's been the best behaved female in my life for 3 years now. She seldom complains, even when I treat her like a rally car on the mountain roads,,, unlike my regular co-driver (the wife) who always complains about my rally style driving. God, you should have heard her when I drove through the east road of Yell at speed... LOL
But, back to the birthday girl.
She's coming up to 300,000km on the clock now. All the electrics still work. And she starts at the first turn of the key. She is without a doubt the most reliable vehicle I have ever had the pleasure to drive, and some of those drives have been rather long, including 750km last June with only one short break because the human contents of this amazing vehicle couldn't hold their water any longer.

Here's a couple of pictures of the birthday girl.
1st on a gravel forest road.

And this one 1500m above sea level at Dalsnibba last summer.

Admittedly, a few hours after that picture was taken she suffered from a slight incontinence problem due to a burst radiator hose, which you can read about here.

I have a feeling that this car is very likely to outlive me... Since it's basically in better condition.. And a helluva lot less rusty.
So if you're reading this with a glass, or cup in your hand, please raise it and join me in wishing Honey the Honda a very happy 21st birthday.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

The weather is improving

2011-04-03T19:35:00.000+02:00

Slowly but surely spring is arriving.
I was up early this morning. It was such a beautiful morning that I had to go out with the camera.

Spring is having it's usual effect on the birds. They've started building nests under the edge of the roof.

This one even posed for a picture about 3 feet from me.

The flowers are also starting to come out.

In the afternoon we decided to take a little run in the car. Some clouds had started to hide the best of the sun. But even Tomrefjord looked quite nice today.

This ships was lying next to the STX shipyard. Big ain't it....

We took a run round through Fiksdal. This little mountain always looks impressive when it still has some snow on it. It's not very high, but it sure is impressive.

Onywye.
Yun's aa fir enoo.

Music post... A true classic

2011-04-03T00:22:00.000+02:00

As usual on a Saturday night I end up watching music videos on Youtube.
Mostly I'm searching for Willie Nelson videos. But sometimes I search for Johnny Cash. And tonight I found this one from one of Johnny's 1970 TV shows.
Johnny Cash and Burl Ives. Both American legends. But on the same stage,,,, just magic. Enjoy.

Sorry if my posts have been a bit few and far between lately, but there just isn't much happening here, and the weather has been absolute crap.
But there is a big event happening on Monday. A 21st birthday celebration for one of the nicest members of the family. I think I can safely say that she's the only female member of the family which has never given me any real problems or grief.
So check back on Monday to see which one of my women I'm talking about. ;)

Spring???

2011-03-27T00:03:00.001+01:00

I'm sure spring is just around the corner. Although I don't quite know which corner it's hiding around.

After 5 months of winter there are signs of life in the garden.

This poor little Crocus is doing it's best to give us hope. It opened briefly for the sun this afternoon.
Then, with predictable monotony, the snow started again.

I'm getting kinda pissed off with the cold weather now. But I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to the certainty of the heatwave that will surely come within the next month. West Norway weather is confusing.......

Anyway, at the end of everything, there is always a rainbow. Even at the end of a Norwegian winter.
So, since it's Saturday night, and as usual my thoughts are turning to music, here's a classic Willie Nelson video. It starts a bit slow, so bear with it. It's a classic. :D

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo

Hair today.... Cold head tomorrow..

2011-03-20T00:03:00.001+01:00

Did you honestly expect a sensible post on a Saturday night??

Every winter thanks to the cold we get here I let my hair grow, where it can.
Eventually , about the time that the weather is taking a turn for the better, I decide to revert to my Summer plumage. But only at the stage where I have achieved the Albert Einstein appearance.

So tonight we got the clippers out. This time the job was done by my son who, unlike the wife, managed to get it done without too much hilarity.
Here's the ''after'' shot.

And, just in case the weather isn't going to get as warm as I hope, here's the precautionary interim measure that will keep the old brain cell warm.

The woolen cap, (Toorie in Shetland dialect), (Lue in proper Norwegian), or (Hue in the dialect of this region of Norway), should keep me warm. Thanks to Shetland Heat Energy and Power for supplying such a thermal device. Cheers Neville. :) :)

And, just for fans of the original Star Trek series. Do you remember the episode called "The Trouble With Tribbles"?
Well this should be a reminder.

Yes, it looks like a Tribble.
And I have to admit that only the grey hairs in that pile are mine. The boy had a haircut tonight as well.

Onywye,
yun's enyoch sharn fir da nicht.

Just a couple of pictures...

2011-03-18T22:56:00.000+01:00

At this time of year there really isn't much happening worthy of a post. I seem to be waiting for something to happen all the time.
Perhaps some morning soon I'll come out of the house and the old car won't be complaining about the cold.

That picture was very early last Sunday morning. The 'very early' being because I had forgotten, for the second day in the same weekend, to turn off the 5.30am alarm..... And, yup, you've guessed right, I wasn't very popular with the wife for that double screw-up.

The other thing I'm eagerly awaiting just now is the first sunrise before I go to work. It should happen about Monday or Tuesday, depending on how early I leave home. The sunrise at work is a lot later because of the mountains. But yesterday morning I snapped this 'almost sunrise' image which I think is absolutely beautiful and worthy of sharing.

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo.

One Year on...

2011-03-13T00:22:00.000+01:00

It's one year today since I started this blog.
And for some strange reason there are still people looking at it.
I can understand why some folk click to see pictures of this beautiful region of Norway, but I will never understand why and how some of the visitors find my blog.

This blog has been viewed by folk from 76 different countries. And among those visitors, somebody from every state in the USA has dropped in for a look,,,, apart from Vermont,,,, I wonder what I did to offend Vermont? ;)

But, back to my usual low standard of posting.
Vermont won't like this picture since they have too many trees anyhow.

That's a view I see every day at work. Kinda majestic I think.

And, to celebrate 1 year of blogging I thought I'd have to light a candle. Norwegian style.

In my dialect it's a "Snaa Licht". In Norwegian it's a "Snølykt".
That picture shows how it looks. But switching the flash off it looks so much better.

Well, that's all I can think to say tonight...

Yun's aa fir enoo.
;)

Gardens in March - Shetland versus Norway

2011-03-08T22:08:00.000+01:00

The post title really says it all.
Here's a couple of pictures my sister sent me from her garden:

And here's a picture I took of our flower bed on the same day.

Enough to depress any Norwegian gardener....
But our weather will get better than Shetland very quickly,,,, I hope...

yun's aa fir enoo.

Random images from today...

2011-03-05T23:47:00.000+01:00

Winter has returned. It's been snowing a little bit for most of the day.

Only about 7cm (3 inches) so far, but hopefully a lot more over night.
Our Reekerie Ooterie (smoking area) looks a tad chilly tonight.

And my little bronze Squirrel looks like he is rolling a snowball.

Me and the wife were treated to a meal out in the local restaurant tonight, courtesy of my son Jeemie. Kebabrull (Kebab wrap) is always a brilliant feed, and very cheap. I hear so many folk saying that eating out in Norway is expensive, but it isn't really, if you know where to go... The Milano in Vestnes is an eatery I would highly recommend to anyone.
Anyway, back home we lit a few candles before the door to make things look a bit warmer.

Then we retired to the couch for our regular Saturday night TV hour.
The Saturday night TV thing has become a serious habit in this house, after I introduced the wife to "Heartbeat" and "The Royal"., both of which are brilliant TV series, and which were being shown on NRK1.
Sadly Heartbeat came to an end, after roughly 18 years. But I hatched a cunning plot and started buying the wife the DVD box sets at Christmas. SO we have many Saturday nights to enjoy the antics of Claude Jerimiah Greengrass.

As usual I'm rambling.
But, before I end, I just had to add this picture which I took on the way back from the restaurant tonight.
This picture is just for my dear little sister who has been having some trouble with doors in her house recently.

Well sis, the damned things are just lying around on the sidewalk here... ;) ;)

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo.
;)

Love Is.....

2011-03-03T23:24:00.000+01:00

Well, if you've listened to the song, you'll know what I mean.

For more musical pleasure, search for Willie Nelson on Youtube and Google.

Yun's aa fir enoo

Warming things up a bit,,,,

2011-02-24T20:45:00.000+01:00

After yesterday's cold weather, and cold pictures, things took a quick turn today.
From -12C yesterday morning we reached +9C this evening.... A 21 degree change in 36 hours..

So here's a suitably warm picture from today.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Mountains v Coca Cola, which is coolest?

2011-02-23T21:24:00.000+01:00

Really just a few random images from the last few days.
We've had a mini ice age here this week which gave me the chance for these lovely shots though clear air of 'our mountains', which lie just south of Vestnes.
The highest one in this shot is called "Ystetind", and the little peak to it's left is "Litletind".

This one is called "Remmemstind"

Those mountains look really 'cool' just now, but maybe not as COOL!!! as the bottle of Coke which I left sitting in the production hall overnight.... The temperature was -12C when we got to work this morning. And guess what,,,,, it had solidified. So I just had to set it on it's head for this picture, before I dunked it in a sink of hot water to thaw it a bit. After which it was a nice Coke Slushy.

It certainly looked 'cooler' than Jeemie's bottle of Fanta..

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo.

I feel sorry for office workers....

2011-02-18T22:02:00.001+01:00

Many people spend their whole day stuck in an office and if they're lucky they have a view over a city, or maybe just a view of somebody else's office window across the street.
To explain what I mean, here's a couple of views from my workplace yesterday.

Looking south towards Tresfjord.

Looking east towards Vikebukt.

I just can't see me ever wanting to work in an office....

Yun's aa fir enoo.
:D

Sunshine,,, and more sunshine..

2011-02-13T20:03:00.000+01:00

With an area of high pressure sitting right over us we have wall to wall sunshine. Maybe the temperature is a bit on the low side, but that's more than made up for with the beautiful scenery.
I had a little wander round with the camera in the early afternoon.
I didn't think this first picture was worth a mention until I noticed the stones in the foreground.

Next I found was evidence of an animal which had been playing in the snow. I thought it might have been an Otter, but the wife says they are rare here, and it's more likely to have been a Mink.

Here's a beautiful shot looking south over the marina.

It's only about 4 weeks ago that the sun was setting behind the hill to the left of this scene.
The moon was high in a clear blue sky for this shot over to Vikebukt

Looking towards home over the marina, the mirror image in the water was lovely

Eventually the sun set on a beautiful day, for the second time. It had previously dipped behind Remmemstind, but showed up again for this shot, which came out rather poorly.

There's starting to be a bit of warmth from the sun, thankfully. The temperature never got above zero today, and now it's dropping quickly, with our thermometer showing -6C just now.

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo.

Music post, just since it's Friday...

2011-02-11T23:01:00.001+01:00

A bit of music from my homeland.
I've had the pleasure of knowing Eddie Barclay for many many years. A great entertainer who brought to recognition the great writing talent of the late Eddie (Minley) Smith, a neighbour of Eddie Barclay's who had a talent for writing funny songs in the Shetland dialect.
This song however was written by Eddie Barclay himself, and although I'm a bit biased, I think he did a good job.

An, Eddie, if du's readin dis. A'll hae a peerie dram wi dee da neest time wir i da isle.
Göd bliss dee.

Yun's aa fir enoo

I'm old enough to remember when,,,,,,

2011-02-10T22:09:00.000+01:00

,,,, the wheelhouse on a fishing boat was just large enough for a man to stand in and steer the boat.
Now, like everybody's house, it has to be larger to accommodate all the electronic gizmos which are deemed necessary in the 21st century.
This wheelhouse will likely be fitted to a boat which is little more than 3 or 4 times the length of the wheelhouse itself.

There's a lot of room for computer games in that thing. lol

My personal opinion of the fishing effort these days, is that in the not too distant future expensive technology will no longer be able to beat quota cuts. Fancy expensive vessels will cease to exist and fishing effort will revert to more sustainable methods, in order to catch higher quality fish... Hence, I'm going to get my fishing rods out and do some real fishing... For Sillocks, Piltocks, Lyries, Olicks,,,, etc.. etc... Those are Shetland names for fish which managed to sustain many generations through hard times, when survival depended on getting food on the table, and not the percentage share that the bank owned of the boat you were fishing from.

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo.

Things are looking good...

2011-02-08T21:48:00.000+01:00

Had a trip to town this morning. Missed 5 hours work because of it. But snapped this lovely view, from the ferry, of Otterøya.

The clouds hanging over the island made it look very good.
Nearly as good as the doctors giving me the all clear for another 3 months. Maybe, just maybe, I've actually managed to beat the 'BIG C'.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Very Old Pictures - Part 2

2011-02-06T21:07:00.000+01:00

Continuing my search through my old postcard collection, I came upon this picture from the early 1900s.
Lerwick from the Ward of Bressay.

And roughly the same image from 2008. Although there has been a lot of change in the foreground, the major change has been the number of houses in the far part of town.

This change is even more emphasized in this picture which shows how much new housing has been added to the left of the above image.

100 years ago this scene would likely have shown little more than 20 houses.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Very Old Pictures - Part 1

2011-02-05T19:57:00.000+01:00

I have a collection of old postcards, all from Shetland.

I started collecting them about 45 years ago and there are some beauties among them, so I thought I'd share some of them here.

It's amazing to see how much some places have changed. My original plan was to try and get new pictures from the same viewpoint as the old postcards, then I moved to Norway and that plan got put on the back burner. But here's a couple of examples of then and now.

Scalloway seen from the east sometime in the region of 1900.

Similar scene in 2003

And Scalloway from the west, sometime in the late 1800s

And a recent image from about the same point. This image is courtesy of Clintwiki on Shetlopedia

Maybe one of Scalloway's latest residents, Kevin, will be kind enough to try to take up to date shots from the correct angles... There's a challenge Kev. ;)

Onywye,
Yun's aa fir enoo.

Music post, with a difference.....

2011-02-04T22:07:00.000+01:00

Joiking, or Yoiking, the spelling and pronunciation being dependent on which countries language is being used, is one of the oldest forms of music in Europe.
The Laplanders, or Saami people, have used this form of musical chant for hundreds, if not thousands of years, to express their connection with nature, life. etc..

I don't exactly know how to explain what I find appealing about it, it just makes me want to hear more.
Here's a nice video I found on Youtube. Just listen and see if you can see an obvious connection with America:

I think I'm somewhere the mark in saying that the Saami population is about 130,000 most of whom live in North Norway, the others being spread across the northern areas of Finland, Sweden, and the northwest of Russia.
In 1980 Joiking hit international prominence when the following group was Norway's entry to the European Song Contest. It didn't win, but it brought the music to the attention of a larger audience.

Whatever you think of this music, it's different. Unique to a very specific region of our planet. So have a listen, give it a chance, maybe you'll enjoy it.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Old Picture.... Can you spot me????

2011-02-03T23:20:00.000+01:00

Sometimes history has a way of crawling out of a corner and giving you a little prod, just to show that you can't forget your past. Old pictures are the best example of that.
My little sister has been trawling through the family photos recently, and worst of all the old 'class photos'.
She found this one, which was from my first year at school.

Can you spot me????
Here's a recent picture as a clue. (only 49 years of wear and tear, but I can see no difference).

God, I feel old... Must go to bed and dream of younger times.
;)

A waste of wood....

2011-01-26T22:19:00.001+01:00

While we were watching the burning of the Up Helly Aa galley last night, 'she who often makes silly statements' said something like: "As a Shetlander you must think that's a waste of wood?"
This statement of course referred to the way that, because I'm a Shetlander, I never want to discard a piece of wood, since it can always be used for something. Even if the piece of wood is no bigger than a match stick it can still be stuffed in a hole to tighten a loose screw in a door hinge, for example.

For any Shetlander reading this, I'm stating the obvious. But for those who don't know, Shetland has hardly any trees. So wood is a very valuable commodity.
I, like many Shetlanders my age and older, spent many hours 'beach combing' for drift wood. (It's a good reason for a coastal walk anyway). And I, like many others, felt a sudden lifting of inner spirits when a vessel carrying a cargo of wood happened to lose it's deck cargo near the islands.

But back to what I started to post about. 'She who makes silly statements' asked if I thought Up Helly Aa was a waste of wood.
Well... No, I don't think it is. Perhaps there are some issues about all the torches and burning wood affecting the ozone layer, (incidentally there is a hole in the ozone layer over Shetland,,,, I wonder if Up Helly Aa is to blame,,,, joking....). But in my opinion the Up Helly Aa festivals in Shetland do so much good for the community spirit of the islands, as well as maybe helping the tourism figures, that it can only be a good thing.

However, at my work there is a total and horrifying waste of wood on an all too regular basis. We don't have a solid fuel fire or this situation would be quickly rectified.
Old pallets and wooden packing materials end up being burned, as witnessed in this shameful picture.

That lot could have kept any of the wood burning fires of my co-workers going for a month, if they could have been bothered to chop it up and take it home, rather than buying wood. I really must try to learn them some Shetland values. LOL

Anyway, enough about wood.

Lord has the weather ever been rubbish this last week. It's been raining Cats and Dogs most of the week. And to prove it, here's a picture of another jigsaw puzzle that Little Sis sent us.

It was another of those very easy 'impossibles' puzzles which I mentioned in a previous post. But given the weather we've had, it was very appropriate.

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo.
;)

Lerwick Up Helly Aa 2011

2011-01-25T22:51:00.000+01:00

On the last Tuesday of January every year the small town of Lerwick in the Shetland Islands is home to what is likely the best known fire festival in the world.
There are 10 annual fire festivals in Shetland which follow the same theme, revolving around the islands Viking ancestry. You can find more general information by clicking the following link: Up Helly Aa

The Lerwick event is well under way now. The procession has taken place, the galley has been burned, and now all the participants are settling down for an all night party.

For further pictures and information on this years Lerwick Up Helly Aa click on this Shetlopedia page.
Or visit Kozetland1's blog
His blog has an amazing archive of pictures from all aspects of Up Helly Aa.
Here's an example of what you'll see:

I'd like to say a special thanks to Kozetland1 for the pleasure his almost instantaneous pictures give to exiles like me when events like this happen in Shetland. Much appreciated. :)

Also maybe worth a mention is Visit Shetland. Thanks to their live webcams we were able to watch the whole event live tonight.

Onywye,
Yun's aa fir enoo

Daddy's Girl - Red Sovine, Country Legend.

2011-01-23T00:53:00.000+01:00

I just found this recording on You Tube of a song by an old country music favourite of mine, Red Sovine.
It kinda made me think about a couple of people who are very important in my life, so I thought I'd post it here.
Enjoy.

Red Sovine was one of the great heroes of old country music. I listened to his songs back in the days of LPs (those black round things which can't be downloaded), but which could be played and gave us kids a connection with another world, before the days of TV, CD, Internet, Bullsquash, etc....
One of the songs by Red Sovine which I first heard about 40 years ago, and which touched my heart deeply, was this one.
You'll need something available to wipe away a tear from your eye.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

impossibles

2011-01-22T21:24:00.000+01:00

Anybody who has read my blog before will know that I have a fascination with jigsaw puzzles.
Now my little sister also knows this, and this Christmas she sent me a supposedly impossible jigsaw, which was titled "impossibles".
Unlike a normal puzzle, there are no edge pieces. There are 5 extra pieces which are part of the scene, but are the wrong shape. And the picture on the box only shows a small part of the scene.
But, my dear sister, you failed to beat me yet again.....

It's definitely one of the best puzzles I've built. It was very addictive.
Although perhaps Kevin almost got me and the wife hooked on his online jigsaw puzzles.

Onywye, I böst geeng an skrive a grain o sharn upö facebook, jöst ta wind up a twartree fok I ken.

Yun's aa fir enoo.
LOL

Happy Birthday Mary

2011-01-19T21:26:00.001+01:00

My youngest daughter's birthday was today. She's into double figures at the grand age of 10 (I remember that being very important to me when I was a kid).
One memory of her earlier years, which is burned deeply into my computer hard drive, is the first ever digital picture I took in 2003.
God, was she cute.

She's still as cute. And she still has that cuddly dog, along with dozens of other cuddly toys, (all of which are named, and a large number of which I am responsible for buying, just because I like cuddly things too).

Speaking of cuddly things. here's a recent picture of Mary and her big sister:

Thankfully, in the whirl of the genetic gene pool, they didn't get their good looks from me.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Roundabouts...

2011-01-18T23:20:00.000+01:00

Roundabouts are a great way to speed up the flow of traffic. I always thought they were effective until I came to Norway.
Nobody seems to understand the basic concept. Perhaps this is because in rural areas the law states that you should give way to traffic coming from your right hand side, then suddenly you enter a roundabout and have to give way to traffic from you left hand side. It's like a giant game of dodgem cars, although thankfully everybody is so unsure of the rules that everybody stops for everybody at every junction, thus no traffic moves, very safe environment....
NOT!!! Wrong idiot always moves first. And that's usually me. It's a wonder I'm still alive, or half-way sane.

But tonight I came across this video from Germany, and suddenly realised that it was a very near replica of how roundabouts are handled by the skillful local drivers in this area. (I won't mention the unskilled ones)...

See more funny videos and TBT at Todays Big Thing.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

An, Loard bliss you bairns. Dunna try onythin you see atil yun video.
;)

Dawn today

2011-01-16T02:10:00.000+01:00

A mountain dawn, a burst of gold.
A beauty for the heart to hold.

I just love mountains...

Yun's aa fir enoo

Facebook, who needs it?

2011-01-15T01:55:00.000+01:00

Just a general comment on a site which has become a worldwide phenomenon.
And the comment is simple.
Why to hell should I sit around and wait for 15 minutes for a page to load, when any other site I access will load in micro seconds? (We have a 15Mb connection) (smug grin) :)

I've often heard people say: "Facebook? Get a life".
Now I know why.

Facebook might be OK for young kids who have a whole life before them, and plenty of time to wait. But I'm an old fart with very little patience, no time to wait, and absolutely no patience with websites which fail to perform.

Rant over. I'm going to bed to sleep for a long time, as old farts like me normally do.
And hopefully when I wake up Facebook will have loaded.

Unlikely... LOL

Yun's aa fir enoo

A musical post - Ernie Haase & Singature Sound

2011-01-13T22:23:00.001+01:00

Normally I only post musical items if it's Willie Nelson, or maybe Johnny Cash. But this is a very special musical rendition from a quartet who are doing a show at the Clickimin Leisure Centre in Shetland on the 9th of February.
I've always liked American Gospel music, thanks mainly to Willie & Johnny, but these guys really made me sit up and listen.

I wish I could get to see these guys live. I'd certainly suggest to any Shetlanders reading this that they should consider taking in their show.

And for more info on the quartet, check out their website:
Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

Yun's aa fir enoo

Da young een's first day..

2011-01-10T19:45:00.001+01:00

For his first day at his new job he got off fairly lightly. A nice easy day with no real pressure, and nothing that could really be called hard work.
A little bit of welding.

A little bit of grinding.

It's great having a bit more help with jobs like that, and I think he's going to learn fairly quickly...
BUT!!!!
.
.
.
Just when to hell did he hear me ask for help with my jigsaw puzzle???

Guess I'll just start another one. It's good to see somebody else hooked on this great passtime.
LOL.

Yun's aa fir enoo.
:D

Shetland Ponies

2011-01-09T21:20:00.000+01:00

Hopefully nobody who is seriously interested in these lovely little ponies finds this post because likely they'll be shocked that I can only see the comedy in these short legged little work horses.
I found this video again last night by accident, whilst searching for something sensible, after one beer too many. SO I thought I'd share it here, it's a classic.

I have to admit that video is a bit cheeky, in as much as it portrays Shetland Ponies as being slow. And given how slow broadband operates in Shetland it's a bit cheekier still. So I thought I'd have to redress the balance with a video to show how fast Shetland Ponies really are.

They really are gutsy little ponies, with hearts of gold. They're a favourite worldwide as the best pony for a child to learn to ride. And they're cute.
For more info on them check out this Shetlopedia page .

But, like everything from Shetland, there is always an element of comedy, and the Shetland Pony is no exception. A man I work with here in Norway has a Shetland Pony stallion.
He found it to be completely uncontrollable. It was always escaping from it's field and wandering miles in search of female company. Only solution to curb this natural Shetland urge was a visit from the vet with a vicious tool to separate the poor animal from it's gonads. Let's hope that only happens to four legged Shetlanders in Norway. LOL.

Yun's aa fir enoo.
;)

End of the Christmas season

2011-01-06T20:22:00.000+01:00

Since today is Old Christmas, as per the Julian calendar, we've had a mini Christmas celebration.

Now, anybody who has read my recent posts might remember the trouble I had just before Christmas with this little Julenisser who had the cheek to invade my keyboard.

He then made a nuisance of himself by taking over my mouse docking station. Although, when challenged he had the decency to hold his hands up and plead guilty.

Well I got really mad with him and locked him in the bottom of the clock, although I did promise Santa Claus that I'd let him out in time to help with the deliveries for 'Old Christmas'.

Well this little Julenisser hasn't learned anything from his spell in the lockup... I let him out earlier today, as promised.. Now just look at the state I found him in tonight....... He's simply legless....

Now, back to more sensible things.
Firstly the explanation for my post last night when I mentioned that today we would be flying the Shetland Flag.
Simple reason. Another Shetlander has arrived here on a permanent basis. My Son has sensibly decided to leave Shetland before it becomes nothing more than a wind farm feeding the wallets of a few greedy money grabbing individuals. (Don't get me started on my hatred for Viking Energy..... I wouldn't give a crap if they hadn't got mad at me for criticizing them,,,, obviously the truth hurt,,,, rant over)
I've got him a job at the same place I work.. I just hope he doesn't show me up by working harder than me.

Anyhow, here's the boy enjoying his Old Christmas meal of Pinnekjøt... Shame he had to wear a T-shirt advertising a piss poor English beer.

And, finally, after all that rambling, a snowy scene...

The wife has just told me I'm writing another bloody novel,,,, so I'd better stop writing...

Yun's aa fir enoo.
;)

Nice Ice

2011-01-05T20:18:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we had a slight thaw so the floor in the production hall at work was fairly well covered with pools of water from melting ice and snow from the various bits of metal we had taken in from outside.
This morning most of that water had frozen, and was as slippery as hell. But amongst the icy patches I found this beautiful ice pattern. About 8 inches across, it looks good with the reflected light from an overhead lamp.

The weather is looking like getting a little colder over the next few days, with more snow on the way. So maybe some nice outdoor pictures this weekend. Assuming I can see past the piles of snow that the snowploughs are building up everywhere.

Tomorrow of course is Auld Yöl (Old Christmas as per the Julian calendar). Russia still celebrates Christmas on the 6th of January, and most folk know that. But not everybody knows that the small Shetland island of Foula also celebrates Auld Yöl (I suppose that would be Gamle Jul in Norwegian).
But tomorrow is a rather special day in this household, a day on which Auld Yöl will be observed, and a day on which we'll be flying the flag. Not the Norwegian flag but the Shetland flag.

I'll explain why tomorrow night.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Snowing again...

2011-01-02T21:10:00.000+01:00

After 48 hours of rain and thawing snow, with inches of water on the top of ice which made walking rather difficult, we're back to lovely fresh snow.
Normally I enjoy shoveling snow. But I've managed to hurt my back yet again, so here's a picture of an extremely rare creature. A 'Snow Clearing Trowie'.

I guess that picture will earn me a slap around the ears, so.

Yun's aa fir enoo

Happy Birthday to Bobbie Lee Nelson

2011-01-02T02:42:00.000+01:00

Born on January 1st 1931, I don't think Bobbie ever thought of fame, and given her gentle nature I don't think she ever wanted fame.
But her brother Willie Nelson was always going to drag his older sister along with him. He's been doing that for many years now, and still introduces her as "Little Sister" at all their live shows worldwide.

OK, so Bobbie is 80 now. Maybe Willie will let her have a little time off?? No chance, she'll never let him. They're a team, and always will be. That's family...And that's what has made Bobbie Nelson and her 'big brother' so loved by all the fans like me who enjoy their shows.

Here's a pic I pinched from a great Willie Nelson fan's site, stillisstillmoving.com,, hope you don't mind Linda Lee.

With Bobbie now at the sedate and relaxed, supposedly, age of 80. And Willie at 77. Surely there is some grain of logic which states that it's time for these two 'old folk' to retire.
This question has been asked of Willie before, and the answer was something like: "Retire from what? I play some golf, sing a few songs. What's there to retire from?"

Another great picture (pinched from stillisstillmoving.com) of Willie, Bobbie, and their great friend Paul English.

When you see folk smile like that because they enjoy being on the road, and in each other's company, you just know they will never retire.
Here's a little video from the Langesund show this year. Willie singing 'Me and Paul', but as usual 'Little Sister' was very hard to catch on video since she's always hiding behind her piano.

As usual I've written more than I meant to. But it's hard to say what you want about a living legend in few words....
Or, maybe I got it right with the title of the post,,
"Happy Birthday to Bobbie Lee Nelson"

New Year fireworks.

2011-01-01T22:06:00.000+01:00

Last night the weather could best be described as crappy. But we still went out to join in the traditional celebrations. Not that many other people did, and I can't blame anybody who decided it was best to stay at home.
Here's a few pics of the Vestnes fireworks.

Maybe not as impressive as the beautiful display from the London Eye, which we watched on BBC News 24, but the sentiment was just as important for a small community like Vestnes.
So well done to those who organised the fireworks. We certainly appreciated their effort.

Happy New Year, Auld Rasmie style.

2010-12-31T22:42:00.000+01:00

Yun's aa fir enoo.

My latest DIY project

2010-12-30T23:02:00.001+01:00

For ages we have been looking for a TV cabinet, with DVD storage, which would best fit the space available. Nothing existed, so the simple answer was to make one, and that accounts for my absence these last couple of days.
I feel kinda proud of the result so I took a snap before we loaded the shelves with DVDs, ornaments, hellery, etc..

It's amazing what can be achieved with a little bit of wood, a few screws, and far too much bad language.

Yun's aa fir enoo

Just a picture

2010-12-27T20:46:00.002+01:00

Just a thought

2010-12-27T01:01:00.000+01:00

I look at mountains bold and high,
separating earth from sky.
I wish that I could fly up there,
where only clouds and Eagles dare.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland.

2010-12-25T17:50:00.001+01:00

To shake off the some of the inches gained on the waistline yesterday I went for a walk up the side of the voe at midday. Not much sun thanks to the mountains, but plenty of ice and snow. There's even a group of Herons in this pic.

The path had a fair depth of snow on it and all the trees were well coated with either snow or frost.

Away from the stream of tide which flows in and out of the voe. the water was well and truly frozen.

At some points the trees were weighted down so far that walking under them was a bit difficult.

Some of the larger trees looked nice from below.

On the way back I noticed that the sports field has been cleared of snow. Maybe they're going to spray it with water to form an ice rink.

The Beach Volleyball area hadn't been cleared. I think that may have something to do with bikinis not being much use at -15C

I'll end with a couple more pictures of the ever growing ice crystals. Some are up to 2.5cm long now and starting to look like little trees.

Now must go and eat Christmas Dinner number two...

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Julaften (Christmas Eve)

2010-12-24T22:43:00.002+01:00

It think it would be hard to have found a more beautiful dawn than the one which greeted me when I went out this morning.

Everything was covered with a freshly formed layer of ice crystals, called 'rimfrost' here. When the sun came up I got this snap. The crystals are mostly about 1cm long, but unlike normal frost it doesn't stick to anything, not even the car which I had thought would need a lot of scraping, but just need a brush off.

After a visit to the churchyard to lay a wreath and light a candle at the grave of my wife's father, we visited her mother, then home to set about some serious eating....
But first we lit a few candles outside the door.

I think we've got about 10 candles lit outside, and 14 indoors.. Well we've got to do our bit to combat this global cooling. ;)
Now for the food,, Pinnekjøt, smoked sausage, mashed swede, and tatties. The normal accompaniment to this meal is a glass of Aquavit, but I hate that stuff, so I had a glass of single malt whisky, and a glass of Guinness.

We ate too much, as usual. Then we opened our presents. Some lovely gifts, useful, practical, funny, weird, etc.. Maybe a special mention for the beautiful gifts that my daughters gave to their step trowie,, I thought she was going to cry...
But there's one of the funny little gifts from my kids which stands out a country mile for shear frustrating horror,, this one.

I think the only good thing is that I have very little hair to pull out. The person who came up with the idea of Sudoku on a Rubix cube must be truly evil. It's going to take me months,,, unless I search google for a cheat ;)
Now if you read one of my posts last night you'll remember this little Julenisse, who I arrested for trespassing on my mouse docking station.

Well he's still languishing in the lockup, (the bottom of the clock).

Until he learns to behave and stay away from my computer he's going to stay there. But I have promised Santa that I'll let his little helper loose in time to help with the Auld Yöl (Old Christmas, as per Juilian calendar) deliveries on 6th January.

Now must go and sample some Christmas Spirit. Maybe have a nice walk in the morning for some winter pictures, before we settle down to a 5.5Kg Turkey... I know,, but it's the smallest one I could find, and we do like Turkey sandwiches..
Yun's aa fir enoo,
an Göd Yöl ta dee an dine.

Some pictures from today.

2010-12-23T23:22:00.000+01:00

When I got up this morning the moon was just about to set. It looked like a big snowball rolling down the side of the hill.

About 11am I had a little walk past the marina. The Frostrøyk (frost smoke) over the fjord was spectacular.

I'm getting a bit worried about some of the sharp icicles which are hanging above our door, I wouldn't want one of these hitting the crown of my head.

I had another little walk before lunch. Difficult to get decent pictures with the frostrøyk swirling around, but I managed this one of the old bridge. (over 150 years old).

The frostrøyk made this scene look a little haunting.

With the temperature struggling to get above -10C today, everything looked great. Here's a view west over Flatevågen.

But the sun had been up for over an hour, it was getting tired, so time for it to settle back behind the mountains again.

Back home from my walk, with my ears burning cold, I took a last snap looking east over the flord.
''''COLD''''

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo

Some Christmassy things....

2010-12-23T22:09:00.001+01:00

Christmas is fast approaching, less than 24 hours until we start our celebrations here in Norway.
On Julaften (Christmas Eve) the festivities start with a Church Service and the ringing of the Church bells for the start of Christmas at 5pm.
Almost every grave in the Churchyard has a candle lit, in remembrance of those departed... I find that part really moving.
Then the first really big feed of the festive season begins... Pinnekjøt (salted lamb) with all the trimmings.. I'll post about that tomorrow night, if I don't have too much Christmas 'spirit'. ;)
After a big feed, presents are opened. And I can't wait to see how well I've done at disguising my presents to my dear peerie wife. I love disguising presents, so sometimes a big box may contain something small, or a small box something,,, nope, haven't figured how to get something big in a small box yet. Need help from Doctor Who with that one. LOL.

I said in an earlier post that the only Christmas tree we would be having this year was an outdoor one, to avoid a shower of Pine needles on the floor. But, we've changed our minds. We have a Christmas tree indoors after all. And it's an environmentally friendly one...

It's not big, but it's growing in a pot. So when Christmas is over we'll look after it and slowly introduce it to the great outdoors where it can continue to grow.

Another big theme of Christmas in this house are these darned little Santa ornaments which appear everywhere. Julenisser, to give them their local name, are taking over everything. This one had slipped on his butt and landed on my keyboard.

But this one was chancing his luck on the charging pad of my mouse. When challenged, he instantly held his hand up so I took him into custody.

If he behaves overnight I'll let him go in the morning.

Yun's aa fir enoo

Another rare appearance of Auld Rasmie without his helmet....

2010-12-22T23:16:00.001+01:00

A rare picture of Auld Rasmie on Skis..

Well actually this was the little Troll which was wrapped up under the Christmas tree with a message, 2 years ago, that I should look in the shed, where Peerie Trowie had stashed a complete ski kit for me.
When you're getting well into your 50s, learning to ski is just about the same as learning to speak Norwegian. But I'm working on it, and with our current weather conditions I hope to soon join the league of folk who have broken a leg when on the pissed,,, piss,,,piste,, well something like that... ;)

There was actually a post I made about skiing last March. The next post on the subject will hopefully depict me as being slightly more capable of maintaining a vertical position.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

2010-12-22T21:48:00.000+01:00

For some reason these little white flakes keep descending on us..
But, I'm still managing to keep the satellite dish clear. That's priority number 1, since I'd be lost without a good laugh at the latest from BBC News 24, about whatever politician had screwed up this time...

Weather forecast says no more snow for a few days so maybe I can set aside my shovel for a while.

Speaking of BBC News. One of our best sources of entertainment lately has been watching the chaos in Britain, caused by the snow. They could learn a lot from Norway. I think the only flights which have failed to take off or land, have been those which were to or from Britain.
And as for driving, no problem. Snow tyres are a legal requirement, grit/salt isn't used,,,, perfect.
Having said that. Driving home from Moa last night I was completely pissed off by the number of drivers on the road who had illegal lights on their vehicles. Some were badly adjusted, some were missing, some idiots didn't know what dipped beam means, some thought that fog lights were clever, and then there were the Audi drivers but the Audi lights should never have been allowed on this planet.... Rant over...

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo.

Snow and a snow troll..

2010-12-22T00:19:00.000+01:00

As usual it's snowing again.
Pity it hadn't started earlier in the day, I might have got out of a trip to the shops..
Here's the scene a few minutes ago.

But here's an interesting picture I took last night of the snow on 'the bush' before the door. Can you spot the gnarled face of a 'snow troll' in this image?

I'm sure there was a snow covered troll hiding in the image, as the first attempt to upload it came back with 'server denied'
LOL

Unbelievable Best Before Date....

2010-12-20T20:19:00.002+01:00

In the last month I've bought 3 products from local shops which were past their 'best before date', but the packet of Salami I bought from the Coop shop here in Vestnes on Saturday has got to take the prize for the worst stock control balls-up that any retailer has ever made. Note carefully the date, remembering that we are currently living in the year of our Lord 2010, then make a mental note to avoid shopping, if possible, at any Coop store. Assuming you live in Norway.

Not much can be done about it apart from getting a replacement and hearing lame excuses. For once the UK system actually looks good for dealing with the likes of this. Any UK shop would have been dragged through the courts by trading standards, and fined heavily.

Well, maybe a little something can be done,,,,, now how do I add tags to this to help Googlebots find the Gilde and Coop brand names????
Exits post cackling in an evil manner, since I've just remembered how to add the tags....

Anyway, on a lighter note.
Heading for Ålesund tomorrow. Wife has to see the doctor about a few of her recurring aches and pains. Which brings me to my most recurring pain..... She says we shall combine it with a ''''''SHOPPING''''' trip..
AAGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Yun's aa fir enoo.
;)

Pretty Paper - Willie Nelson

2010-12-19T23:25:00.000+01:00

In keeping with my idea to post a few country Christmas carols, I just had to include this one.
Not because it's a carol, but it's about Christmas, Willie Nelson wrote it, and it's as cute as cute can be.
The lyrics just jump out and make you think of a street seller sitting at a little stall with all you need to wrap a gift for your sweetheart.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Julenisser

2010-12-19T20:03:00.000+01:00

I mentioned Nisser in an earlier post, they're the little folk here in Norway. Julenisse is basically the equivelant of Santa Claus.
Well over the years the wife has gathered quite a collection of Julenisser, and at this time of year they suddenly appear from their hiding holes to litter any available surface with their presence. They get everywhere. I even found one hiding inside the clock last year. But I'm always polite and courteous to them, after all I don't want to risk one of them getting naughty and ending up in my computer. ;)

Here's a few who were just standing around looking for somewhere to hide.

And in this little display there are nearly 40 of the little,,, dears,,, hiding somewhere.

I never know where I'll find one next. But as long as they stay out of my computer, and my underwear drawer, I don't mind them...

Of course this post will have to be spell checked by the wife in case I've made my usual blunder..
Nisse is correct, but Nise is a boob because that is the Norwegian name for a Porpoise. (Neesik in Shetland dialect, so now I know the source of another Shetland word).

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo

Clearing ice from a path...

2010-12-18T21:34:00.000+01:00

Or maybe more accurately, how not to clear ice from a path.
I've found one tool that is definitely not suitable for the job,,,,
My nose:

The wife's only real comment on my little misadventure was, "Maybe that has killed that hair". A reference to a singularly stubborn hair which was growing on the point of my nose. This statement jogged my memory regarding a little verse I wrote about it last year, so I've posted it on my poetry blog, under the title Da Nose Hair.

Apart from that, nothing much happening here. Still cold, but with beautiful clear skies and as usual no wind.
Here's a nice cold picture of the Vestnes marina at midday today. Thanks to the mountains the sun was only shining on Molde in the distance.

Yun's aa fir enoo

Christmas Carols, Country Style.

2010-12-17T23:45:00.000+01:00

Since I'm now on holiday for Christmas I thought I'd try to get into the seasonal spirit.
I absolutely love Christmas Carols, when they're sung by my heroes of country music.

So as a starter, here's Johnny Cash with his 4 daughters; Rozanne, Kathy, Cindy, and Tara. Plus June's 2 daughters; Carlene and Rosey.
Singing Silent Night.

Yun's aa fir enoo

Back to sensible posts,, well maybe..

2010-12-16T20:47:00.001+01:00

The arctic conditions continued to bite today. We've had about 25cm of snow since last night. So our outdoor Christmas tree is well and truly decorated now.

The Cypress tree in the garden is feeling the weight of the snow a bit. Normally about 15 feet high and 8 feet wide, but it's expanded in width a little bit today. I guess the same will happen to my waistline over Xmas..

The snow made life a little difficult at work today.
We were shipping out some sections and frames but we suffered from a problem normally associated with British Rail, ice on the tracks. In this case the tracks for the overhead crane. 2 inch of ice had built up which meant the crane wasn't going to go outside until some ice removal was done. I'm a bit scared of heights now in my old age, so thankfully some of the younger or less scared men went aloft. I just took pictures ;)

Eventually after much ice chipping, and much bad language (in several languages), the crane tracks were cleared and normal service was resumed.

Anyhow, we break up tomorrow for 2 week holiday. And with the temperatures being forecast for next week I'll be glad to be home.

Yun's aa fir enoo

I tell myself to behave,,,, but..

2010-12-16T00:15:00.000+01:00

For some reason I'm a bit like the weather. Quickly changing, and most likely depressing for anybody looking for something bright in their life.
Well, it's snowing here again. A cold front came through tonight and instantly selected my underwear for tomorrow. Dress style here is dictated by the weather conditions.

So, before I disappear in a snow drift I thought I'd post a warning of what may happen if you partake of too many alcohol based drinks over the holiday season.

Nothing in this poem ever happened to me, I think, it's just pure fiction from watching other folk having too much fun whilst under the influence.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Dear Santa (da neest year)

2010-12-14T22:47:00.000+01:00

Since the last little poem didn't scare anybody I thought I'd record the sequel, which I wrote in 2009.

Since Santa completely failed in 2009, eg. the Shetland Islands Council still haven't been replaced, and there is still no new dreultin tree,,,, I didn't bother to write him a wish list this year.
Bah Humbug ;) ;)

But I have another Christmas project up my sleeve, or under my oxter, or at least in the planning stage... So maybe a new festive poem/song might yet appear this year.

Yun's aa fir enoo

A rare sight of Auld Rasmie, without his horny helmet...

2010-12-12T23:07:00.000+01:00

OK, so I've eventually got around to recording one of my poems.
If the image is frightening, just look away. It's the first time I've done anything as silly as this....

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Sna Licht

2010-12-10T21:54:00.000+01:00

Well in the Shetland dialect it would be called a 'Sna Licht', but I don't think one has ever been made in Shetland, or not that I know about.
In Norway it's called a 'Snølykt'.
And in English I guess it would be a 'Snow Light', or 'Snow Candle'.
No matter which language, a candle with snowballs built round it looks quite nice...

This was a simple and quick construction which the wife threw together, but apparently some of these little snow sculptures can be quite artistic..

Yun's aa fir enoo.

A funny Willie Nelson post...

2010-12-08T23:28:00.001+01:00

Following on from the fact that Willie got busted, yet again, for enjoying a little smoke.
Here's a song that Toby Keith and Scott Emerik wrote for Willie. Performed with Willie in attendance.

I'll Never Smoke Weed With Willie Again - Click here for more blooper videos

Legalise it, Tax it, Enjoy it..... Now, where to hell do I get some from? Joking....

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Christmas tree properly decorated now..

2010-12-08T20:38:00.000+01:00

About 12cm (5 inches) of snow today so our outdoor tree is looking well decorated. :)

If the weather forecasts can be believed, we could have another 50-60cm by the weekend. Perfect for the Christmas season.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Christmas Cards

2010-12-07T23:23:00.000+01:00

Maybe a strange subject for a blog entry, but Christmas Cards just aren't a done thing in Norway.
The UK and US have shops which specialise in cards for all occasions and at this time of year those shops are brimming over with so many different cards that it's quite a job to pick the right one.
I know I've spent hours searching through the cards in various shops, just hoping to find the one with the right text. I always thought that the text in a card was more important that the picture on it, and when all else failed I always liked to add a personal little message or verse.

But in Norway Christmas cards, or any other cards, just don't really exist. And certainly not any decent ones.
The retailers will catch on eventually, but in the meantime I've become quite adept at producing my own cards for all occasions.
The cards I produce always carry a "trademark" image on the back, but apart from that the content varies with my mood, from nice, to ridiculous, to hilarious, or even downright stupid. But all the cards are personalised to the people who are receiving them.

This brings me to the point of this little ramble through my brain cell.
Having learned how to produce cards for a few pennies, I would never go back to spending mega bucks to buy a fancy card with words which don't say exactly what I want.
So if you're using a computer you have the capability to do the same thing. Make your own cards and give your friends and family a laugh with the content. It saves a little money in these hard times, but the personal touch is what makes it really worthwhile.

Onywye,
yun's aa fir enoo

Sunrise & Sunset.

2010-12-05T15:04:00.000+01:00

With a little dusting of fresh snow overnight it was a nice fresh air this morning. When the sun eventually peeped over the mountains it beautifully lit up the ice droplets on 'the bush' (the one I'd like to napalm).

The sunrise through the bush looked quite nice also, so maybe 'the bush' can have a reprieve for now..

The sun was only up for a short while before slipping back behind the mountains.
The wispy clouds hanging around the peaks made a beautiful sunset.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

The cold weather continues,,,,

2010-12-03T20:55:00.001+01:00

And continues,,,,
My favourite news channel is BBC News 24, so it's great to see Britain being gripped by the current cold spell. About time Britain had a bit of Arctic weather but many of the things reported just make the wife laugh. Schools closed because of a little bit of snow, and she's liable to ask "why can't the kids walk or ski?"
I do my best to explain that winter in Britain comes with gales and drifting snow, not the gentle snow which falls vertically in this area of Norway, then lies undisturbed by anything more than a little puff of wind.

But it's certainly been cold here this week. The highest temperature at work all week has been about -9C. It's been a few degrees warmer at home, near the entrance of Tresfjorden. And a few degrees colder at the head of the fjord.
The river which runs past the construction hall I work in has stopped flowing. And this picture makes it look as though it happened almost instantly.

But the cold air is nice for taking pictures. Here's a view from the work yesterday, just after 10am, when the sun was starting to shine on the town of Molde.

But there's not been much time for pictures, or anything else this week, since a lot of work has to be done before the Christmas break. Extra workers have been contracted in from Lithuania to help complete the jobs so the workforce is the highest now that it's been for a while.
Norway relies quite a lot on incoming workers to meet the demand for quality manufacturing, and the Lithuanians fit nicely into the system. I just wish they weren't such damned hard workers, I'm getting too old to keep up with them. But they're a lovely bunch of guys so I don't mind the fact that they're better than me.

Speaking of work, here's a pic of some ship sections which are under construction.

Not bad for a 1/4 second exposure.

Anyway, I've eaten too much tonight trying to replace calorie burned today, so I think the couch is calling me.
I'll have to see how long I can sit in front of our new TV before I fall asleep..... Likely no longer than I could with the old one... LOL

Best wishes to all readers for a happy and peaceful weekend.

(Or in Shetland: Hae a göd helly)

Yun's aa fir enoo.

More Winter scenes.

2010-11-28T20:52:00.004+01:00

I had to go and refuel the car today, so I decideded to take a little run around just to check out the scenery.
Looking west over Flatevågen the mountains looked good.

By this time, 1pm, the sun had actually set behind the mountains so it creates a great contrast between light and dark. I took a run west to Tomrefjord and drove up an extremely icy road to the setter. Thank heavens the wife wasn't with me, she would have panicked to see a 4x4 having problems on the road, when I was just having fun. :)
Here's a lovely image looking southwest through the mountains.

And a view back down towards Tomrefjord. The STX Europe shipyard, just right of centre, is currently refitting one of the old ferries which used to cross this fjord to Molde. The "MF Tresfjord" is being converted to run on gas, like the new ferries we have now. She can be seen in the floating dock in this image.

I drove back around Flatevågen (da voe), still looking for the perfect picture for this years Christmas cards. The temperature was -12.5C when I took this one.

I was using my old camera which has a 10X zoom, so I zoomed in on the mountain to the left of that image for this pic. The mountain is called Skåla (which means the bowl, and yes it looks like an upturned bowl).

From the south side of Flatevågen I eventually got the picture I wanted of the church. No sun on the church, which always makes it look too bright, but sun still on the houses and mountains at Molde.

When I got home I discovered that the wife had been busy digging out from storage some of the first Christmas decorations. By the way, Christmas is referred to as 'Jul' here, so I was met by these two nice Julenisser when I came round the corner of the house.

Now, at this point I'd better explain what 'nisser' are. Nisse (singular), Nisser (plural), are the little folk in Norway. A bit like the Trowies in Shetland, Goblins, Elves, Gremlins, etc... in other cultures. Some of them are nice, some are a bit mischievous, and maybe a few are a bit nasty, but that's just because of bad press in the newspapers. Our Nisser are nice, and once darkness fell we lit the candles in their little lanterns.

Things are starting to look a bit more seasonal already, and no doubt over the next few weeks several hundred decorative little Julenisser will appear throughout the house. But that's a future post.

Finally tonight, since most things are looking really cold everywhere, I thought a picture my sister sent me would be a nice warm way to end this post.
Can you feel the warmth?

Yun's aa fir enoo.
:)

Willie Nelson busted yet again.....

2010-11-27T20:20:00.000+01:00

OK, so Willie likes a little smoke of a certain slightly naughty little weed, which really shouldn't be illegal since it's no worse that many legalised substances which governments the world over make a lot of tax dollars from.
And OK Willie has been busted for it before so surely he should know better....
Well perhaps he does know better, at least better than the hoards of idiots (I won't refer to them as experts), who say that Marijuana is bad for you. After all Willie is 77 years old, has survived his earlier years of dedication to legalised substances like whisky which no doubt would have killed him, before he found the pleasure of a fragrant little weed.
Willie has given pleasure to millions of music lovers for more than 5 decades. He still tours the world giving shows, such as the two that me and the wife went to this year. He does a fantastic amount of work for good causes, such as Farm Aid. In fact all I've ever known him to do is 'GOOD'.

So why do the law enfarcement (typo intended) officers in his home country continue to bust him for taking a little pleasure for himself? I can only assume that it's because Willie is a well known user, and campaigner for the legalisation, of Marijuana. So when a petty little promotion hungry rookie cop sees Willies tour bus, he knows he can get another ticket issued.
Well, yet again an American law enfarcement officer has become the most hated person ever, amongst the millions of Willie Nelson fans. And in this case I don't think the bust will do anything for the officer's career, since this bust was on the border of his home state,Texas. And I don't think there's a Texan alive who thinks Willie is anything less than a National Treasure.

But, and there's always a but.... No matter how strongly I feel that Willie has been done a great wrong, I have to face the fact that he has been charged with possession of an illegal substance.
So I feel that I should take the necessary steps to distance myself from this terrible criminal act...... lol
I'm going to log on to Willie's Online Shop and buy one of these,,,, in the hope that it will be a step towards advertising that the criminal in this case is 'THE LAW', 'NOT WILLIE'.

And, if nothing else, the profit Willie makes from the T-shirt can help pay his fine. So maybe everybody can log on and buy one too. Although I guess there will be delivery delays due to the high demand for these shirts in Texas.

My final thoughs, for now, on the matter:
God Bless Willie Nelson,
and,
If the arresting officer thinks Texas is hot, just wait until he gets to the afterlife which is being wished upon him by every Willie fan in the world just now.

Yun's aa fir enoo,,,,,,
Must go for a 'smoke'.

Vestnes Illuminations...

2010-11-27T17:18:00.001+01:00

Since tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent, today is the logical day for the local Christmas lights to be switched on, including some new ones on the lamp posts along Sjøgata.

Since the light pollution is now so bad, we thought we might as well add to it, by putting lights on a small tree in front of the door.

So that's our Christmas tree for this year. We had an indoor one last year and we were still finding pine needles months after, so no more indoor trees..

Well, with Christmas only 4 weeks away now, I hope you've all sent your letters to Santa. I still haven't done mine yet, but that's a project for this weekend.
My Santa list for 2008 can be seen here: Dear Santa
And last year's list can be seen here: Dear Santa 2009

Hopefully this years Santa letter will be a bit more sensible,,, some chance. ;)

Onywye, yun's aa fir enoo.
An, hae a göd helly aabody.

Good music makes me feel warm..

2010-11-26T22:05:00.000+01:00

With the temperature lurking very near to double figures, at the wrong side of zero, yet again, I needed a music fix.
This is what I found, and what a music fix.

Johnny Cash was definitely a stunning performer.

Yun's aa fir enoo.

Colder and colder..

2010-11-24T22:26:00.000+01:00

The cold spell continues, and according to the news feed the UK is feeling the effects as well. BBC weather was reporting possible snowfalls of up to 20cm in parts Scotland and Northern England, so I guess the UK will grind to a halt.

Shetland news are reporting many accidents caused by icy conditions, when in fact the accidents were actually caused by the nuts behind the steering wheels. (And before anybody criticises me for saying that, I once turned a car upside down on icy roads, and it was my fault for not taking care. I was the nut in that case..)

Here in Norway, the cold has gripped with a venom not normally seen until January. Our local weather stations are reporting -7C tonight, whilst further inland at Bjorli they are reporting -24C. But, as usual, the prize for lowest temperature goes to a more northerly location, Kautokeino, with a temperature of -32C ( and falling).

Now, if some scientist, politician, or other individual who is making a profit from the Global Warming theory, could just explain this to me, I'd be happy.

Viking migration reversed?

2010-11-22T22:51:00.000+01:00

About 1100 - 1200 years ago the Vikings from Norway descended upon the shores of Shetland.
History often depicts them as fierce warriors, but I tend to think of them more as migrants who decided to look for a better life elsewhere, who maybe got a bad reputation because the residents of Shetland at that time thought the Vikings looked a bit wild.
Now comes the interesting bit of my theory on Viking migration..
All those years ago the only real tough guys left Norway, leaving behind the more sedate, peace loving people who were the forebears of the current Norwegian people, and I think it's fair to say that you'll not find a nicer population anywhere in the world, just as long as you don't let them sail across the North Sea on holiday, and into the Thule Bar in Lerwick. It still amazes me how many people in Norway know that pub, and for all the wrong reasons.
But, I digress, back to what I started to post about.
When I arrived in Norway over 3 years ago I was a kinda lonely species here. My nearest relatives being a Shetland Sheepdog in Molde, and a few Shetland Ponies here and there throughout the community.
But in the Viking spirit, which has been bred into Shetlanders over generations, I decided to fight for a foothold in this foreign land by showing how hard Shetlanders can work.
I'll maybe never master the language, but I've proved that I can work. And on the basis of that hard work another member of the family has been offered a job here.
So, slowly, the Vikings are returning to their true home. Leaving behind the disaster that in commonly referred to as 'great britain' (lower case used deliberately).

Anyway, early next year "Peerie Rasmie" (that's a tentative nick name) will land in Vestnes...
The Vikings are back..
LOL

Reflections...

2010-11-21T19:40:00.001+01:00

The full moon looked impressive this afternoon, reflecting on the still water of the fjord.
I spend a lot of time looking at the moon. Things on earth may change, but the moon has looked the same for millions of years. And no matter where you are on the earth, scenery might vary but the moon looks the same to everybody.
A constant in the turmoil of life.
If the sky is clear where you are tonight, go out and have a look at the moon. We all may be many miles apart, but we're seeing the same thing.

Onywye, yun's my tocht fir da day.

Something different.

2010-11-21T00:48:00.000+01:00

I'm always afraid that my readers will get bored with pictures of trees and mountains. So I like to include a little light entertainment now and then.
I'm primarily a Willie Nelson fan, but ever since I was a kid I've loved Johnny Cash, so here's an example of the 'Man In Black', doing what he did best, just telling a story.
As the wife always says, Johnny could have read the phone book, and still kept an audience enthralled.

God was that a road trip??

2010-11-19T21:48:00.002+01:00

12 hours, for a round trip drive of 500km.
Four ferries, several bridges, 22km of tunnels, an awkward satellite navigator, and icy roads, made a trip that I don't want to repeat for a long time.
And the scenery was just the same all the way, boring, like this.

Having left home at 6.30 this morning, it was 10 o'clock before we caught the first bit of sun touching a mountain top. The sun was having bother sneaking above the mountains and hills most of the way, so failed on the photo front. And places where there was a good chance of a picture there was no way to pull over as the layby's at viewpoints hadn't been cleared of snow.
And it was too damned cold to stop and get out of the car anyway. Driving through Rindal the temperature on the car's thermometer registered a low of -18.7C
We arrived at Trondheim before mid day. The temperature was only about -5C, but it was a very raw air, and the little bit of breeze just cut through all the layers of clothing, and skin, and went right to the bone.
We took a little walk down to the river near the hospital. The low sun peeking through the trees looked great, especially with the frostrøyk (frost smoke) hanging over the water.

Looking down the river didn't look much warmer.

After my appointment we hit the road quickly, despite some mentions of shopping from my little female navigator. After all, it's enough to be prodded by a female doctor, without having to listen to a female navigator. At which point, I have to ask the question, is it possible to get an in car SatNav system which doesn't speak in a blonde female voice? Guess I'll get a slap for that statement. lol.

There might have been a little bit of frostrøyk over the river at Trondheim, but there was far more of it over the fjord at Orkanger. I think this picture should be titled 'Smokin'.

Rather than take the road main E39 road for this trip we had decided to go through Surnadal. No problems on the way north because I remembered our last trip that way and could ignore Greetin Gertie (the SatNav), but this was the first time I had driven home by this route, so mistakes were bound to happen.
Some mistakes were caused by Greetin Gertie telling me totally wrong things (because her maps are out of date), some mistakes were made by me not trusting Greetin Gertie when I should have, and the occasional little mishap was as a result of Tröttlin Trowie (my human navigator) actually understanding a request for directions after I had passed the junction in question. But, looking on the bright side, our detours today could only account for about 1 wasted kilometre by the time we got home, and that is a record for me. ;)

Anyhow, more boring trees.

Some frostier looking trees with a nice little shed/storage house (Stabbur).

The sun sank behind the hills about 14.30, but there was still enough light to snap our first glimpse of a real mountain, since leaving the flat hills of the Trøndelag county. I find something very homely about mountains now, and no matter where we travel in this lovely country, it's nice to catch the first glimpse of the beautiful West Norway mountains.

So, all that driving, scenery which I can't describe because it is so beautiful, and which I failed to get pictures of, but which will have to be revisited when time and road conditions allow for photographic opportunities, how do I sum up today?
Absolutely ******* worn out.
But like any experience, I have learned a few things:

1) Driving on ice when you're not allowed to slide around and have fun should be banned. eg. leave the wife at home. ;)
2) Satellite Navigators should not be trusted.
3) Navigating women should be woken up at least 1km before any decision is required.
4) Men who have a strongly opinionated wife should let the wife drive, assuming she has a driving license and an ability to navigate.
5) After this post I'd better hide in a bomb proof shelter, just in case she learns enough navigation to find me. lol

But, enough rubbish.
After 500km for a 15 minute appointment, the bad news is that I'm going to be around for a while longer to bore readers with the crap I write. The doctor could find nothing wrong, and now my case has thankfully been referred to our local hospital for future 3 monthly check-ups.

PS.
Cost of trip: About 1300 kroner (£130)
Cost of results: Priceless

Yun's aa fir enoo, fae an auld bugger dat's no i too ill helt. lol

På Vegen Igjen

2010-11-18T20:51:00.001+01:00

Or, to put that in English.... On The Road Again..
Or in Shetland ..... Upö Da Rod Igyen

Yup, we're heading out in the morning for another trip to Trondheim. 500km round trip for a 10 minute appointment with the cancer doctors. Don't expect them to find anything wrong, since the only sore bits I've got are all caused by the brutal treatment I give my old body with multiple 12 hour working days....

I'm not exactly looking forwards to this road trip. It's a long way to drive on ice or hard packed snow, and I won't be allowed to have any fun because as well as the satellite navigator (nicknamed Greetin Gertie), I have my darling wife with me as human navigator (nicknamed Tröttelin Trowie, when she is in 'bitchin about my driving' mode.... lol...)
The great beauty of having an old car, and this is what the wife fails to realise, is that sliding around on snow and ice, without fear of causing expensive damage. is just pure adrenalin pumping fun for old farts like me.

Now, speaking about ice. The old car looks a bit like it has been 'fur coated' now with the build up of ice crystals. I'd never seen ice crystals growing so long until I came here. The roof of the car has crystals about 1cm long all over it now. Here's a little picture of them.

And a couple more pictures of ice crystals...

The first one was just on a stone, again the crystals were about 1cm long, and looked a bit like long grain rice..
The last pic was just on the grass, but I thought it looked nice.

Anyway, hopefully have some nice pictures to post after our trip tomorrow. Forecast is for wall to wall sunshine and temperatures well below freezing, so a nice clear air for photos.

Yun's aa fir enoo.