Blog Back in Business

It has been some time since I last visited my blog, infact it’s over a year. It died a death when I left Slack Oil and moved back to The Deen at the end of 2009. Writing blog articles took a back seat when I was faced with a more demanding career,coupled with no home internet connection. As it happened, 2010 turned out to be probably the most significant year of my life with its consequences playing out in 2011.

For those who need to be brought up to date..

At the end of 2009 I left Slack Oil and Bergen and moved back to Aberdeen. It was a move that was made with mixed emotions, I was relieved to be leaving Bergen and the frustrations of working in a large oil company but sad to be leaving John behind and embarking on a long distance relationship for the second time.

After a month of R&R (including 2 weeks skiing in Canada and 1 week windsurfing in Tobago) I started my new job started in February 2010. I was met with great colleagues and interesting projects and all in all the move turned out to be everything I was hoping it would be and more. The following month John came over to Aberdeen and whisked me away to Pittodrie House for my birthday weekend. After a fine meal and in a beautiful setting John popped the question and of course I said yes. Arrangements soon began for a summer wedding in 2011.

In May, John and I travelled to Utah to celebrate Johns brothers 40^th and involved lots of mountain biking, canyoneering and river rafting. It was an amazing trip and I was so happy to have tagged along when I discovered soon after my return that I was pregnant. Outdoor activities of these kinds were now on hold.

Last but not least, after months of searching for our family home in the Aberdeenshire countryside we acquired ‘Cowieswells’ in the September. It consists of a run down farmhouse and a derelict steading and bothy just 15 miles south of Stonehaven in the village of Catterline. Why not add a renovation project to our list of things to do in 2011!?

So if I am to resurrect my blog I have to accept that with a new baby, a wedding to plan and a house to build I no longer have time to research topics that have long interested me. The angle will have to change to something I know plenty about and can write articles in a short amount of time and what better to write about than all the exciting things happening around me. Not only does this keep family and friends up to date but it is also a journal of my transition into family life.

So where are we at? Sophie was born in February in Aberdeen and I am now 3 months into my maternity leave in Norway. Planning permission has just been accepted on Cowieswells and the wedding is to take place in just 5 weeks time.

Watch this space!

Thrifty ways... one for the girls.

Being from Yorkshire I am constantly being told I am tight but I wholly disagree. It is my passionate dislike for waste in todays society that people confuse with being a scrooge. Whilst I am encouraged when I see the boxes of paper and plastics lined up in the streets of Aberdeen on recycling day I believe there is so much more we can do as individuals by just reusing items in our daily lives. It is true that these small individual efforts make very little difference on the grand scale of energy saving and pollution but it is the development of an attitude and a behaviour that that leads to the collective efforts of individuals that does make the difference.

One of my favourites is the reuse of tights/stockings as hair bands, though only those that contain lycra will do. A hole or ladder in your favourite pair renders them useless and this can often happen after one wear. Of course first wash the tights then remove and throw away the crotch and feet. The tights are then cut perpendicular to their length to form hairbands that don't have the annoying little metal clasps that tear and break your hair. The thinner band the less elasticity it will have so cut the bands thick enough so they retain their shape for longer.

Enjoy!

on the move...

I am leaving Norway after 5 years and am moving to Aberdeen, Scotland.

Norway is a beautiful country, with its high mountains and deep fjords it offers endless opportunities for fun and activites. Its low population means that you really get a sense of space and lacks all the problems that other European countries have related to overpopulation. They have a high standard of living and exercise a work – life balance that would be perceived as slack in Britain. It was voted to the best place to live in the world by the United Nations this year but something fundamental is missing and with frustrations at work I have realised its time to move on.

What will it mean for me work wise?
The divide between Norwegian and British work ethics is as large as the North Sea itself. It is going to be interesting to find myself back in the British working system. I suspect that it is here that I will experience the largest inverse culture shock but at the same time it is an environment that I am eager to get back to.

A deadline will be a deadline. Good mobile phone etiquette in meetings. Efficiency. Appropriately dressed colleagues. Lunch at lunchtime. Cake only on special occasions. Most importantly and probably the biggest driver in my move is that the working language will be English. I will however miss the mass evacuation from the office just because it’s good weather.

What will it mean for me in my free time?
I will miss the snow! I own enough pairs of skiis to challenge any Norwegian and I love the easy access to the downhill slopes and cross country trails. Scotland may offer a few soggy days at the Lecht if I’m lucky and I’m staying optimistic to getting out touring but it won’t compare to the Sunnmoere Alps.

In return though I will have access to great mountain biking, Munroes on my doorstep and the nearest windsurf location is only 9 miles from the house at Loch Skene. There is less single pitch sports climbing (of which I have enjoyed in Bergen) but there will be access to long mountain routes.

What does it mean for me socially?
Norwegian society is extremely family orientated which is good for families but makes it quite closed to outsiders. To make matters worse I am not fluent in Norwegian which has made it quite difficult to break into a Norwegian circle of friends, (although I have been told that even if you are fluent the door still remains firmly shut). Despite this I do have some good Norwegian friends – admittedly they are more like Norwegian expats - but mostly I have socialized within a small circle of expats of varied nationalities, some of whom I wouldn’t have met in other circumstances.

There’s going to be more opportunities socially in Aberdeen. I already have a friend base in Aberdeen, some work in the same building as I will and others live only a couple of streets away.I can join clubs and take classes and not have to worry about having to speak bad Norwegian or be embarrassed about speaking English. I will be able to speak English full flow and really be myself!

What does it mean for me personally?
I will get to see my family and my new born niece more frequently. It takes the same to travel home but with the flexibility of being able to jump in my car at a moments notice I can nip home for unexpected events at the cost of a tank of fuel. The down side is John is staying in Bergen for the time being so I only get to see him at weekends. This is the toughest part of all of this.


As I write this I am sat in Bergen airport with John waiting to hear news on my delayed flight to the UK. I have sold my flat which ended up a very unpleasant experience (see Johns blog) and my belongings are already waiting for me in Aberdeen for when my flat becomes available in April. Although this is really my flight out of Norway it doesn’t feel like an ending. Until John joins me in Aberdeen I get the best of both worlds – I will be living in Aberdeen and commuting back to Bergen at weekends.

Review photoland_uk amazon market place seller

If you're only going to read the first lines of this post then the conclusion you need to take away with you is to avoid the seller photoland_uk on the amazon market place. If you need justification then read ahead.

I bought John an Olympus µ camera for his birthday this year. I ordered the camera on the UK amazon website from the seller photoland_uk (Norway is one of the most expensive places on the earth). The seller had good ratings so I didn't hesitate to part with my money. I had the camera delivered to my Mums address in the UK a month before his birthday so I had time to get it to Norway.

John was made up - he had really wanted one of these bomb proof water proof cameras to use on outdoor trips or just raining days in Bergen. It wasn't till a month after his birthday that it got a really good testing on a 2 day kayak trip along the fjords. Unfortunately he complained that the camera had problmes accepting the memory card and also that the camera was slow to respond and had continuous battery low warnings despite being fully charged.

I promptly contacted the seller by email as they did not provide any contact phone number and I expained that we still wanted a camera but outlined the problems and suggested that it was probably faulty. I asked if they could return it to the manufacturer for testing?

No reply.

I tried again a week later, I copied the first mail with a note asking if they had missed it the first time.

Still no reply.

I contacted Amazon who told me that because it was over 60 days since I had bought the camera then Amazon were no longer liable to help (but they are up 60 days after purchase - something probably worth remembering).

A quick google search on the seller revealed a number of disgruntled buyers on external review sites with similar problems. Once you pass 60 days since purchase you are unable to post feedback on Amazon, thus photoland_uk can treat you how they like with no comeback. I wouldn't be suprised if photoland_uk are aware of this!

I have complained to Amazon about the seller and they have said they will be monitored by the seller performance team. I would have also liked for them to let me leave feedback on the sellers profile but as not, I have aired my views here instead.

Interestingly a camera store in the north of England with the same name but no association with the amazon seller is fed up with being contacted with complaints from these people.

DON'T BUY FROM PHOTOLAND_UK - and it is worth doing a google search on your seller before you buy.

Blue Tits

The Blue Tit is a small bird that is easily attracted to and spotted on my feeder. It displays a mix of colorful feathers; blue wings and tail, yellow breast, white cheeks and greenish yellow back but it is the dark line that passes through the eye and encircles the white cheek that makes it distinctive.

The Blue Tits and their fluffy yellow chicks have been regular visitors to my terrace all through the summer. I didn’t realise until now that Tits are resident birds, that is they don’t migrate. So now that the noisy Sparrows have flown, the Tits can feed at their leisure and they casually hang upside down and swing on the feeder. It is said that in winter they form flocks with other tit species but I have only seen them socialize with the Great Tits so far.

Blue Tits are commonly found in gardens and woodlands and also along hedgerows, trees and bushes foraging for insects, caterpillars, seeds and nuts. Populations are very sensitive to climate and a harsh winter can reduce numbers considerably.

The Shame of Eggers.

I have spent the summer enjoying watching the Sparrows and Tits bring their young to the bird feeder on my terrace. Many people think it's unnecessary to feed the birds during the summer but food shortages can still occur even at this time of year and if this happens during the breeding season, then the extra food can help the chicks survive. The once plentiful House Sparrow is now on the RSPB red list which means they are globally threatened. I am happy to have to supported them feeding their young this year.

I was horrified to read on the RSPB website that an automated photograph had been taken of a hand reaching into the nest of a stone-curlew they were monitoring on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. Although there is no direct evidence that the eggs were taken, evidence on the ground and the birds behaviour suggests that the eggs never hatched and were infact stolen. I thought the sport of egging had died away with the Victorians. (hand photo taken from RSPB website)

The Stone-curlew is a nationally rare species and the RSPB with support from Natural England has spent more than 20 years working with farmers and land owners, including the Ministry of Defence, to reverse the historical decline of this unique and evocative bird of the Wessex chalk downland (Stone Curlew photo and text from RSPB website).

What is wrong with these people?

A quick search on google to try and find out what drove these people to do such pointless things brought me to an article on the BBC website by Katie Law on Why do people steal birds' eggs?

It seems there is a small community of egg collectors to which the ownership of rare birds eggs is an obsession. In 2006 the Cleethorpes home of Richard Pearson was raided by police and the largest egg haul ever recovered was found. More than 7,000 eggs, including 653 belonging to the UK's most protected species. Officers also found 59 dead birds in a freezer in his garage. Pearson, 41, was sentenced to 23 weeks in prison. Early this year Gregory Wheal of Coventry was sentenced to his second prison sentence for egg theft and has eight previous convictions. (Picture shows RSPB's Mark Thomas with the recovered eggs from Richard Pearson in 2006 from the BBC).

The loss of eggs is devastating for rare species of birds. Pearsons collection included nearly 40 black-necked-grebe's eggs. The RSPB estimates there are only between 40 and 60 breeding pairs in the UK. In addition golden eagle's eggs were amongst the collection, which are known to only have one offspring every year. "Despite common belief that rare bird eggs are worth thousands of pounds on the black market, this isn't the case. There's no real monetary value," says Mark Thomas, an investigations officer for the RSPB.

So what's the big thrill?

The chase

Birds take great care where they lay their eggs and they deliberately choose hard-to-reach spots such as cliffs, marshes, trees and rooftops, to build their nests and protect their young from predators. The BBC conclude that this, it seems is part of the problem because for eggers it’s about the thrill of the chase of outsmarting the birds, the wardens and the authorities, to track down the nest, to take the eggs, dispense with the living material inside, to proudly carry home the trophy and to add it to the secret collection.

Outsmarting the birds?? Have they considered the size of the birds brain in proportion to mans!

The Trophy

Mark Thomas told the BBC that an egg represents the memory of the daring expedition that produced it - up to Scotland, over moors, abseiling down cliffs to reach nests.

So why not take up extreme sports and buy yourself a camera?

The Hunt

A self confessed egger on Radio 5 said "I don't feel any guilt as regards to cruelty to the birds, because it's almost a blood sport without the blood. A crime without consequence"

The absence of blood does not remove the cruelty nor the consequence.

It is now illegal in Britain to take birds eggs from the wild and to possess or sell them and from 2000 custodial sentences were introduced for these offences. It is hoped that the discoveries of large collections of eggs have come to an end because as the law has strengthened, more collectors have been jailed.

So the good news is, the RSPB say "Whereas 10 years ago we might have two to three hundred reports per bird breeding season of egg collector activity, now that's right down to maybe 50 reports in a typical year."

If they don’t get caught by the authorities then let’s hope they come to the same fate of Colin Watson, an infamous egg collector who fell to his death stealing eggs in 2006.

Civil Twilight in Bergen.

Mum came to visit in June and after a top evening in the Potato Cellar she couldn't believe how light it was when we were walking home and she noticed it was midnight.

The sun had set but it must have been hovering less than 6 degrees below the horizon as objects on the ground were clearly visible without artificial light.