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.

Daylight Hours and the High Latitudes

There is no better time than the passing of the midsummer solstice to get to grips with daylight hours in the higher latitudes. Living in Norway it’s a subject that I’m asked time and time again about from those residing at lower latitudes.

If you want to compare daylight hours between two cities then the U. S. Naval Observatory website has a neat little page where you can input latitude and longitude and output the sun rise and set times for the year. I have chosen Bradford, England (W001 45, N53 47) which is the city of my birth, Bergen, Norway (E005 20, N60 20) which is currently my home town and Barcelona, Spain (E002 09, N 41 23) for comparison and because it also starts with a B - see map below that shows the different cities within their time zone. Purple is GMT and yellow is GMT + 1.

Plotted in Graph 1 are the sunrise and sunset times for Bergen, Bradford and Barcelona, the sudden vertical translation of the curves depict day light saving. The graph shows that for us in Bergen in the depths of winter the sun rises at 09.45 and sets at 15.29 giving us only 5 ¾ hours of daylight. In the height of summer however the sun rises at 04.10 and sets at 23.10 giving us 19 hours of daylight. As expected, the graph shows that at the higher latitudes (Bergen) the daylight hours are shorter in the winter time and longer in the summer time. It also shows there is less variation in daylight hours as you move closer to the equator.

Graph 1
However a couple things are odd in the graph. I would have expected the curves to lie equal proportion between each other throughout the year and to cross only at the equinox. This is the case for the Barcelona and Bergen curves, but not for Bradford. In the summer the sun rises in Bradford around the same time as in Bergen but it sets around the same time as in Barcelona. The inverse relationship holds for the wintertime. In addition, the switch in the length of daylight hours should occur on the equinox all over the world but in Bradford this date is staggered either side of the equinox in comparison to the other cities.

The reason for this behaviour can be explained by plotting the sunrise and sunset times normalised to the true local time, that being noon when the sun is directly overhead or the same as moving the cities to the same longitude (GMT) (Graph 2). It then becomes clear that the reason that the daylight hours in Bradford do not behave as expected in Graph 1 is due to the time zones and where a city lies within that zone. Bergen and Barcelona lie in the west of their time zone but Bradford lies in the east of the previous time zone. The map shows that there isn't a huge distance between Bradford and Barcelona laterally but there is one hour time difference.

Graph 2 - note daylight saving is not applied.
Now the curves behave as I would expect. Also plotted are the number of daylight hours that each city receives throughout the year.

What is interesting to observe is that on the equinox all locations on earth receive the same amount of daylight and if you calculate the amount of daylight each city receives throughout the year then each city receives exactly the same.













Twilight

The first graph (no 1) shows that the sun sets in Bergen at 23:10 at midsummer but I know from experience of living in Norway that it is light way past this time The graph shows daylight hours which is when the sun is above the horizon and it doesn't include the effects of twilight. Due to the earth’s shape, tilt and orbit around the sun, the duration of twilight varies greatly with the time of year and with latitude from a few minutes in equatorial regions to hours in polar regions. It is that which makes the difference for those residing at higher latitudes in the summer.

Twilight is the period of time when the sun is below the horizon but the earth is not completely lit nor completely dark. It can be divided up into 3 distinct intervals: civil twilight, nautical twilight and astronomical twilight based on the position of the sun in degrees below the horizon. The definitions of these intervals are shown in the Table below. The observations on the ground can be obscured due to light pollution and atmospheric conditions.

The most important interval for us is civil twilight which is the time that the sun is less than 6 degrees below the horizon, but more importantly it is the time that the horizon can still be seen clearly visible and terrestrial objects are easily perceptible without artificial light.

At high latitudes during the summer time the sun never goes below 6 degrees below the horizon and a continuous civil twilight exists. At the poles, twilight can be as long as two weeks at the equinox (white nights), while at the equator, it can go from day to night in as little as twenty minutes. At temperate-zone latitudes, twilight is shortest around both equinoxes, slightly longer around the time of the winter solstice and more longer during late spring and early summer.

Graph 3- note daylight saving is not applied.

Graph 3 illustrates that at midsummer in Bergen there are 2 hours from civil dawn to sun rise and from sun set to civil dusk. If we were to apply daylight saving to these times then in there would only be 1 hour of Nautical Twilight between 12.30am and 01.30am. Although we do not technically have 24 hour daylight this explains why it feels like we do.

It is wonderful having so much daylight in the summer. It means that after work you can go for a hike in the mountains, go climbing or out in the kayaks and still get home before dark. To live close to the equator would mean much less variation in daylight length throughout the year, so although you wouldn’t have to live through the long dark winters that we get at higher latitudes it would also mean you wouldn’t get the fantastic long summers either. In contrast, to live further north than Bergen would be simply a waste of daylight as we still need to go to bed and any dalylight past 11pm would be better rationed out during the winter.

For me I think Bradford and Bergen are close to being the perfect location in terms of daylight hours through the year. Perhaps somewhere inbetween - close to a latitude of N60 would be spot on.. where could that be?

The Common Gull

The Common Gull is a medium sized gull (adults are 40-46cm long). They look very similar to the Herring Gull but are smaller and have a shorter, more tapered bill of a more greenish shade of yellow. The bill often has a poorly-defined blackish band near the tip. The body is grey above and white below. The legs are greenish-yellow.

The Common Gull is found all through northern Europe and you are probably most familiar with this bird trying to steal your fish and chips! I spotted it from my window as it joined in the cherry gorging frenzy.

Blackbirds

The Blackbirds don't venture to the feeder but they sit in the cherry trees that surround my terrace and feast on the dark ripe cherries.

I am one of the lucky few in my block that have direct access to the cherries, I simply pick from the branches that overhang my terrace. Each year I collect 2 - 3 very large bowls of them through July, but at about this time I'm starting to feel like I can't eat any more!

I don't understand why the Sparrows don't eat the cherries too?

House Sparrows

I am ‘working from home this week’. This is not a skive but because I have a virus which I don’t want to spread to the rest of my colleagues and is also making me feel under the weather. I find I am normally more efficient at home due the lack of distractions that are found in the office but today the birds on my feeder are doing a good job of taking my attention from the report I am trying to write.

For the past 2 days I have watched a number of House Sparrows dart backwards and forwards to the feeder and peck frantically at the nuts behind the mesh. From what I can see there is definitely one breeding pair and up to 4 dependent young which are sometimes perched on the feeder but other times are lined up on my terrace rail and screeching whilst they wait to be fed by Mum or Dad.

Other adult House Sparrows are queuing in the branches of the trees behind the terrace, waiting for some space to free up on the feeder so they can also get a slice of the action. Now and again they get impatient and try their luck at getting past this family feeding frenzy and then the occasional fight breaks out. It’s difficult to keep track of who is who.

During the afternoon the sun shines on my terrace and the feeder (when it is shining in Bergen)and I have been able to take some photos of all this action, see my flickr account. The record on the feeder is 6!

According to the RSPB feeding should continue through the summer months as food shortages can still occur and it is important to give the chicks a chance. One thing I did learn today is that peanuts are not the food of choice at this time of year and can do harm to nestlings. If they must be used then should never be put down loose on a table but in a feeder.

House Sparrows, though once common in Europe are now on the decline and the RSPB have put them on their Red list, this being the highest conservation priority and the species needing urgent action. For this reason I am especially happy to have them take over my terrace.

Also seen on this feeder at other times have been Blue Tits, Coal Tits and Great Tits.

Banana Bread

Due to popular demand here is the Banana Bread Recipe from the Big Book of Bread by Anne Sheasby. It's very quick and easy to prepare and takes 1 1/4 hours to cook. You can enjoy it straight out the oven or it can also be frozen to be eaten later. Great for the mountains or just simply with a cup of tea.

115g(4oz) butter, softened
115g(4oz) light soft brown sugar
115g(4oz) thick-set honey
2 eggs, beaten
225g(8oz) plain white flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 large bananas
A squeeze of lemon juice
55g(2oz) walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 180oC/350oF/gas mark 4.

1. Place the butter, sugar and honey in a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.Gradually beat in the egg, and then fold in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon.

2. Peel the bananas and mash the flesh with a little lemon juice. Fold the mashed bananas and walnuts into the bread mixture until well mixed.

3. Spoon the mixture into a greased and lined a 900g (2lb) loaf tin and level the surface. Bake for 1-1/4 hours, or until risen, golden brown and firm to touch.( Cover loosely with foil towards the end of the cooking time if the top is browning too quickly)

4. Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Shouldn't shop assistants assist shoppers?

After a hard days work I decided to call by the local shopping centre to pick up a few bits for upcoming birthdays and soon to visit family. Now I don't shop often and I certainly don't spend much time in shopping centres so I decided that as I was making the trip anyway I would pop into H&M and see what they had.

I tend to stay away from H&M in the UK simply because the shop floor is a disorganised mess. In my experience the clothes racks are packed too close together creating narrow aisles that shoppers have to slide sideways between to pass one another. Furthermore, the clothes are not organised collectively resembling something like a jumble sale and there are so many items on one rail that it is almost impossible to take an item of choice off without pulling another 5 items off with it. Did I also mention how the clothes hangers don't face one direction? This along with crowds of seasoned shoppers trying to find a bargain in an already ridiculously cheap shop doesn't bode well for a successful and happy shopping trip. H&M in Norway however is a different story and is a much more bearable experience and on a sunny evening such as this one it is especially quiet.

Once in H&M I wandered around the shop floor and collected a number of items that caught my eye. I made my way to the changing room and I tried on the items and quickly made 3 piles; yes, no and need to try a different size. I headed out of my cubicle with the 'to change pile' and found the shop assistant folding up clothes at the entrance to the changing room. In my poor Norwegian I tried to explain that I was on my way out to get some new sizes but I had left my 'yes pile' of clothes in my changing room along with my personal belongings. I wasn't sure whether I had misunderstood her strange dialect but I thought she'd told me to put my clothes back on the rail. I was a little suprised and thought it a stange request from a shop assistant. I put it down to bad translation and as I was going back to the racks anyway it was no big deal for me to take them with me. Yes, I surely had misunderstood....

Following the second session in the changing room I was in the possession of a very large 'yes' pile. I carefully put the 'no's' back onto their hangers and along with the items to buy thrown over my arm I headed out. On my way past the shop assistant I paused and expected the girl to take the clothes I wasn't to buy from me but instead I was met with the same phrase as previously and this time I caught it 'Kan du ta de tilbake' which translates to 'Can you take them back'. I was again suprised but this time I promptly told her no.

I consider myself to be a polite and courteous person but I do expect things to be done a certain way. Is this a sign of getting older? A shop assistant is there to assist shoppers and I expect them not only to put clothes back but also to assist in getting other sizes. At what point did the customer have to start doing the shop assistants job? Is this a sign of the times or do I have to admit that I am conservative in nature?

A quick poll over lunch showed that although I did have some support on my feelings it certainly was not universal. One of my more avid supporters gave an interesting analogy 'It's like being asked in a restaurant by the waiter to pass your dishes down the table'. I wouldn't like that either.

If you have bothered to read this far then I would invite you to take part in my poll.

In a clothes store who should return the unwanted garmets to the shop floor?

History of 17 May celebrations..

This started as a brief summary of the history of 17 May celebrations in Norway but ended up getting a little more involved as I delved deeper. It is mostly taken from Wikipedia so if you want to know even more then I refer you to their webpages...

King Haakon V of Norway died in 1319 leaving no male heir to the throne. His daughter had married a Swedish prince and had a son called Magnus Eriksson who inherited both the Swedish and the Norwegian kingdoms. This union with Sweden was only personal to Magnus Eriksson and it was agreed that his two sons would inherit one kingdom each. King Magnus only had one son Haakon and he became king of Norway and co King of Sweden, he then married Margrethe the daughter of a Danish King.

Haakon and Margrethe’s son Olav became the King of Denmark in 1376 and on his father’s deathbed in 1380 also succeeded to the Norwegian throne as King Olav IV. Denmark and Norway were thus united in a personal union under Olav. With brief exception Norway and Denmark were ruled from this date by the same king until 1814.

King Olafs mother (Margrethe) united Denmark and Norway with Sweden in the Kalmar Union (1396 -1523). During this period the Norwegian power was greatly weakened due to large losses in population resulting from the Black Death pandemic. In 1523 Sweden withdrew from the union and Norway was so weakened that it was unable to resist pressures from the Danes. More and more decisions were being taken in Copenhagen and in 1536 the Norwegian council was abolished.

From 1536 until 1814 Norway was in a personal union with Denmark. Whilst the political and economic power emanated from Copenhagen the King maintained Norway’s legal status as a separate hereditary kingdom.

During the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark had at first tried to keep itself neutral so that it could continue to trade with both France and the UK. It entered the League of Armed Neutrality, a policy designed to protect neutral shipping against the British Royal Navy’s wartime policy of unlimited search of neutral shipping for French contraband. The British considered this action to be hostile and attacked Copenhagen in 1801 and 1807 pushing Denmark into an alliance with Napoleon.

Following the defeat of Denmark in the Napoleonic wars in 1814 it was forced to abandon Norway and transfer it to the King of Sweden. Despite the treaty the Norwegians revolted and declared independence on May 17, adopted a constitution and elected the hereditary prince Christian Frederik as king of independent Norway. This marks the day that is still celebrated in Norway as their Independence Day.

Norwegian independence at this time was short lived and later that year they were invaded by Sweden. In the peace negotiations, Christian Frederik agreed to relinquish claims to the Norwegian throne and return to Denmark if Sweden would accept the democratic Norwegian constitution and a loose personal union. The Norwegian parliament (Stortinget) then elected the Swedish king as king of Norway on November 4, 1814.

The Union between Sweden and Norway was peacefully dissolved in 1905 and Norway called on a Danish prince to become King Haakon VII, the first king of an independent Norway in 586 years. However, Norway once again lost its independence in 1940 when it was occupied by Nazi Germany.

Norwegian National Day - 17. Mai

The 17 May, or ''syttende mai'' as it is known locally marks the Norwegian Independence Day. It is a big celebration in Norway and although it is said to be a day for children, you see people of all ages getting excited in anticipation of the event.

The day is a holiday and because of this I normally leave the country for a long weekend of Munro bagging in Scotland. This year it fell on a weekend and I was at home in Bergen so I had no excuse but to find out what all the fuss was about.

I woke up to the sound of canons being fired and the sound of the Buekorps drumming in the street below my window. Although this day is celebrated throughout Norway the drumming is unique to Bergen. The Buekorps is made up of groups of children, mostly boys who march through the streets drumming. It is thought to date back to 1856 and originates from the old police force or brigades. Unfortunately for those residing in town, the Buekorps start their drumming practise as early as March and are heard early on many a weekend morning and throwing eggs at them is not the done thing. On this morning I could hear how proudly they beat their drums after all their hours of practise – and my hours of painful listening. On the plus side, the arrival of 17 May meant that from this day and onwards for the rest of the year I could look forward to Sunday free drumming.

I had arranged to meet Cecilie to watch the parade of people that would march through town. I dressed relatively smart knowing how important the day was and headed out. Immediately out of my door I joined a steady stream of people who were walking in the same direction and proudly wearing the National Dress – the Bunad. Feeling out of place in my modern day attire I allowed myself to be carried along the old narrow cobbled streets that are lined with wonky wooden houses and that lead to town.

The Bunad is typically of rural origin and are local to the different regions of Norway. The ladies Bunad is made of thick wool, mostly black but can be seen occasionally in green, red and white and is ornate with elaborate embroidered designs, scarves, shawls and handmade silver or gold jewellery. It is worn over a white shirt which is also embroidered. Accessories also vary according to status, for example red tights are worn by the unmarried and black by the married. The tradition is mostly held by women are typically bought for them for their confirmation. At 3000 pounds a pop though they are only replaced once in a lifetime with the onset of middle age spread. Apart from 17th May the Bunad is worn at weddings and other formal social gatherings.

I was quite moved to see Cecilie wearing her Bunad from Alesund (see picture). We wandered the streets watching the parade and Cecilie educated me on different bunad styles and meanings. Although even Cecilie couldn’t explain the punk rocker clad in Bunad but for me it meant this was a day that people of all walks of life felt united.

Also a tradition that ends on the same day is the celebration period of the end of schooling for Upper secondary school students. For the 3 weeks leading up to this day kids are seen dressed in red dungarees (or other colours depending on their line of study) with the words Russ down the side. Their time is spent partying hard both day and night, hanging around on street corners and goading each other to do silly things. Those from the more affluent families transport themselves around town in self-decorated buses and vans with slogans and booming music. After this day they have to buckle down and hope to pass their looming exams.

I have to say that I am really happy that I was in Norway to see at least one 17 May celebrations. It is quite a unique experience and as one person described it – it’s comparable to going to a wedding in a folk museum.

For a summary of the history of events leading up to the 17 May celebrations see here.

Observations from my first evening back in Blighty..

It's been well over 6 months since I was last in England and I've flown home to spend a long weekend with my familly. I flew into Manchester airport and was picked up by my cousin Laura who took me for a very civilised evening in Manchester.... here is what first struck me after a long stint in Norway.

1. Someone said excuse me as they entered the perimeter of my 1 meter wide personal space zone.
2. Everyone was standing behind the line at the baggage carousel at the airport and only moved within it to collect a bag. Once I had collected my bag I strolled up this 'inside lane' to avoid weaving through the crowds and was met with some very stern and disappoving looks.
3. The traffic is very heavy and the cars are move fast even though we are inner cty.
4. People disobey the traffic laws with little concern.
5. Shops were still open past 8pm - don't people go home and spend time with their families?
6. Vegetarian dishes stand proudly under their own category on menus.
7. There are tea making facilities in hotel rooms.

Skarverennet

I took part in the Skarverennet this weekend, a 38 km cross country ski race that runs every year from Finse to Haugastøl. We took the train from Bergen at 8am and we were each full of anticipation for different reasons. I knew I could make the distance physically as I had particpated in the Birkebeinerennet (54 km cross country ski race) last year but I was most worried about the waxing of my skiis.

Cross country skiis are a few cm's wide and the racing variety do not have metal edges. To be able to get some 'kick' when your skiing it is necessary to apply wax to the central part of the underside of the ski. I had, up until this race used only waxless skiis which have a rough underside which give you the same kick effect but is seen as 'unsporting' and 'unethical' by the locals. After completing the Birkebeiner last year in waxless skiis I felt I needed to gain some respect from my Norwegian colleagues... one of whom said recently 'I didn't even realise they made waxless skiis for adults'.

Waxing skiis seems to be a form of black art if you are not Norwegian as there is a type of wax for a multitude of temperatures and wetnesses and are combined in layers. At this time of year the snow is warm and wet which presents itself as the perfect klister conditions. Klister is a type of ski wax that is extremely sticky and for full effect should be smeared smoothly into your skiis, this is best acheived with your hands. See photo of local. Problems are plentyful and range from having to long or too short a wax zone, not smearing the wax smooth enough, having to much or too little wax (because most of it has ended up stuck to yourself) and of course having the wrong wax for the conditions. To complicate matters further the number of skiiers directly ahead of you on the trail can change the snow conditions which can make your waxing useless.

The waxing of the day was first a pre-prepared ski with base binder in the central kick zone and glider wax on the outer parts. Mine had been prepared for the Birkebeiner the previous year and as I had not used them they were ready to go. At the start of the ski race I applied a universal klister, suitable for +3°C to -5°C, mixed wet and dry snow conditions (fine/medium coarse) to coarse, moist snow. After the day had warmed up I then applied the Swix KR70 klister which is for warmer conditions +12°C to +2°C and when the snow has a high water content such as slush. Don't worry if I lost you!

All you need to know is the weather was stunning and the waxing was under control! We completed in 5 3/4 hours and then lazed in the sun, having a beer and watched the Norwegians swing dance in their ski boots.

Athletic events in Norway mostly attract those with great athletic prowess and tend to be quite serious affairs. The Skarverennet is different, amongst the 14,000 participants you can find people from all walks and of all different skiing abilities (huge benefit for us foreigners) but one thing I didn't see was a Barney Rubble!

Forerunner 201 Up and Running

A bit of a geeky post but I wish I'd had this information a few years ago!

I received a Garmin forerunner 201 for my birthday a few years ago from John. It has a personal training device that is worn like a watch and measures speed, distance and pace. It also claims to measure calories burned but as this version does not come with a heart rate monitor I'm not sure how reliable it is.

The beauty of the watch is being able to upload your training sessions to the PC and do sad and geeky data analysis to see how your training is improving... or not improving as the case may be. For some strange reason the watch connects to the computer through a serial cable and not usb. I bought a serial to usb converter but have had numerous failed attempts to connect it to my PC.

Using my new laptop which runs with the much critisised Windows Vista operating system I finally had succes in connecting my forerunner to a computer. I was simply directed to the Prolific website to download and install the PL2303 Prolific driver installer. Result!

I look forward to being able to provide a time estimate for the Bergen Voss.

Bergen-Voss Cycle Race 2009

On Saturday 6th June I will be participating in the 170 km long Bergen-Voss cycle road race with my Norwegian friend Cecilie.

The route follows the old road between Bergen and Voss and as shown in the profile below it is mostly a series of ups and downs. The most gruelling climbs occur up to Gullbotn and Kvamskogen, then the route follows much gentler terrain along the picturesque Hardangerfjord but still maintains the theme of ''up and down''. There follows one final tough climb up to Skjervet and then it's downhill all the way to finish at Voss.

Participation in the race has for many years has been only local but it has recently gained huge popularity. In 2008 there were 2500 partcipants - almost double of the previous year.

The ladies record is held by Elin Steinsbø Fylkesnes with a time of 4hr 43.min.16sec in 2005. The men's is held by 2 men, I assume they tied, Bo Andre Namtvedt and Vegard Øverås Lid with a time of 4hr.02.min.01sec from 1995.

I have no expectations on how long it is going to take me but I do know that I only have 2 months left to train and learn how to slipstream.. Saying that though I have only 2 weeks left to train for the Skarverennet, a 38km cross-country ski race but I'll write about that another evening.

Uteveggen... first outdoor climb in 2009.

First day out at Sotra climbing in 2009... and it was bloody cold! Way to go though, I led 2 routes then bottled one half way up but I can attribute most of the blame to numb fingers from the cold and it is definitely first on my list to get when I get back out again...

Although I'm only leading easy routes I have definitely seen some improvement to my nerve and strength. Rule for 2009 - stop top roping and lose some kilos!

Threadless Shirts

My first threadless t-shirt just arrived in the post and I'm unbelievably ecstatically happy with it... colour, fit and design are all superb and beyond expectations. Big thanks to Leppard for introducing me to the site.

http://www.threadless.com/

Lucky for me the thin envelope slide past customs unnoticed and there was no tax to pay either. Yipee! Result all round.

Ambition Killed the Cat by Neil Gregory... the first of many.

Back in the saddle for 2009.

Made my first journey to work today on my bike in 2009... woohoo! - and it was fanstastic to be back in the saddle after 6 months of rain, long working days and overtime pizza. The days have become noticeably longer and the temperature is firmly over freezing so it was definitely time for my road bike to come out of hibernation. I'm participating in the Bergen - Voss bike race at the beginning of June so I need some time to train. 180km suddenly seems a VERY LONG WAY!

I was kindly dropped half way on my first morning for a gentle break in, the full 18 km cycle to work is enough to have me snoozing against the PC without a proper build up. I did however do the full journey back except for the final 1km over the Sotra Bridge and that was because it was dusk and I had no lights. It felt good!

I bought myself my Orbea Onix second hand last year from Spider Bikes in Moab, Utah whilst on a field trip with work. Made in Spain it has a carbon fiber molded frame with Campagnolo components... and it is red :-) It is my first road bike so I don't have much to compare it with apart from my trusty Dutch back peddle bike and it sure rides a dream compared to that!

The first Munro of 2009

My first Munro of 2009 is Carn a' Mhaim in the Cairngorm Mountains which I climbed on the 7th March 2009 with Jill. This now takes me to 108 Munroes out of 284.

Carn a' Mhaim lies to the south of Ben Macdui and makes a natural loop including Derry Cairngorm, both of which I climbed in 2003 with Jill. Neither Jill nor I know how we missed Carn a' Mhaim the first time round, maybe it was something to do with shying away from a 30 km to bag all 3.

For those who don't know what a Munro is, it is a mountain in Scotland over 3000ft (914m) of which there are 284. The mountains are named after Sir Hugh Munro of Lindertis who first compiled the list in 1891. Since then there have been a number of adaptations to the list as methods for measuring the heights of mountains have become more sophisticated and also due to an ongoing debate as to what exactly determines a top. The last change took place in 1997 when 8 tops were added to the list and 1 removed.

For me, my challenge is to stand at the top of at least 10 Munroes every year. The rules are strict, if I fail to reach my target then I must make them up the following year and if I get more than my target of 10 then they cannot be carried over. If I succeed in my challenge then I should get my 285 peaks bagged by the year 2026 - taking me to a grand old age of 52! In the meantime I'll continue to enjoy exploring all corners of Scotland, having quality time in the wilderness, spending time w good friends and keeping in shape.

Thanks for my Uncle Jack for introducing them to me in 1997.

Another successful weekend in Hemsedal..

Rik and Adam came to visit and ski and it was just fantastic!! We travelled 280 km east of Bergen to Hemsedal... a weekend that is predictable to the hour but is thoroughly enjoyable every second every time. Hemsedal is one of Scandanavias largest ski resorts and is accessible from all surrounding areas. To put it into some perpective, there are 43km of slopes, 810m of vertical drop, 49 slopes and 22 lifts. One of the great things is the long ski season - from mid November through to the end of April.

After a long trip via Amsterdam the boys arrive at Bergen Flesland at 5pm, just in time for me to finish work and pick them up. The car is already packed with skiis and food so we just throw their bags in boot, pick up John and head straight on the road. With a speed limit of 80km the journey takes a solid 4 hours with no stops but with a kebab break in Voss we take a little longer. First timers from the UK always marvel at the cost of everything and 30 pounds equivalent for 4 kebabs does not go unnoticed.

Saturday involves a full day skiing followed by a night in Hemsedal Cafe. This involves being pushed around by lots of drunk Norwegians who are jumping around the cafe to Rage against the Machine and throwing beer everywhere. One thing I have learnt with age and 'Cafe Hemsedal' experience is that it is more fun staying relatively sober as observing the locals is far too entertaining to be missed. The atmosphere is super charged and in any other European town fighting would have broken out hours ago but not in Norway. The next stop is Peppes Pizza.

Sunday usually sets of with a sluggish start (occasionally with someone losing their car keys) before another day skiing. The drive back to Bergen is like funeral procession of cars. The key is to avoid being caught my speed control who will fine you 300 pounds for travelling only 5km/hr over the limit. If you're lucky then a friend further down the line will text you back with the location of the police.

The boys were booked on the red eye to Amsterdam on Monday morning so a gruelling 4.30pm wakeup lay infront of us. We left Sotra in good time for the airport and we rocked up outside the terminal kl 05.35. The bags were unloaded from the car and Adam casually told me he had left his rucksack at the house that contained some charger leads, 'nothing to worry about' he said, just bring them back when you come home next. Then the reality of the situation unfolded... in front pocket of the rucksack was Adams passport. Eek.

Nothing like an adreneline rush at 05.45 am to get you going in the morning.

How much rain is needed to make a decent powder dump?

Weather forecasts commonly depict snow with a picture of a snowflake along with the amount of precipitation - as rainfall. This is all well and good but if you have a ski weekend booked then you just want to know how much powder to expect!

After some searching on the internet it seems that the generaly accepted 'ball park' ratio is around 1:7-8 but this can vary alot depending on the temperature..

When the temperature is close to freezing the ration of rain to snow is approx 1:10 but in drier colder regions the ratio can be as high as 1:30-40, here the snow is extremely dry and powdery and does not pack. Ideal for powder ski days. Wet snow can be as low as 1:4-7. The best way to investigate is to put a measuring device out in the garden when it's next snowing and then melt it down to find the ratio.

Lola the Norwegian Forest Cat

As I write this 'Lola the Norwegian Forest Cat' is perched on my lap purring furiously.. if she is typical for her breed and you love cats then I would recommend her type as a trusty and loyal companion.

I came upon Lola through a tip off from a friend/local vet who had seen her brother from the same litter. Two female kittens were still waiting patiently on the farm to be rehoused and if they were anything like the brother then they would be a fine addition to any home. To be honest it didn't really matter what they were like, we needed a moggy... or two... (Florence the sister was unfortunately lost to the road and now sits on the mantle peice in an urn waiting to become a rose this this spring).

I hadn't heard of a Norwegian Forest Cat (or skoggkatt in Norsk) before Lola and it was only by noticing her unique charcteristics that I delved a little deeper.

According to Wikipedia, Norwegian Forest Cats are an extremely old breed and occurred naturally as an adaptation to the cold climate of Scandanavia. Infact, they were not regarded as anything other than a standard house-cat until the late 1930s. References to Norwegian Forest Cats are found as far back as 7th-9th centuries in Norse mythology where Freya - the goddess of love, beauty and fertility rode a chariot drawn by 'two huge cats' which descriptions fit those of the Norwegian Forest Cat.

Lola certainly doesn't pull any chariots and she didn't come with any certificate but she does match perfectly with several distinguishing features of a Norwegain Forest cat as described on the web.

1. A dense wooly undercoat that is covered by long, glossy guard hairs that shed rain well.
2. Long and bushy tails that are the same length as the body (Lolas is 30 cm long)
3. Powerful body structure.
4. The development of a heavy mane in the winter for cold weather protection.
5. Large and heavily furred paws.
6. Heavy (Adult males weigh 14-16 pounds, while females are 8-12 pounds).... Lola comes in at 5 kilos (11 pounds)!!!!!!!
7. Expressive eyes, mostly commonly green-gold.
8. Tufts on the ends of their ears.

Most importantly, the Norwegian Forest Cat is renowned for its love of people and persitent affection. They are talkative and expressive and you will never be lonely when they are around.... whether you like it or not.

My first earthquake..

On our last morning in Japan I lay in my bed in Hotel Mystays in Tokyo with a slight hangover, though I am convinced this was mostly due to mixing cold and flu tablets with alcohol and not the amount of alcohol I had consumed. I stirred to the gentle rocking of the bed and the awkward movements of my body as it tried to move at the same rythm. In a sleepy and confused daze I wondered if I was in one of those vibrating beds you see in the movies in American motels. After all we were in Japan -the land of warm toilet seats and bullet trains so why not?

What I discoverd later was that I had experienced my first earthquake. It hit at 6:51 a.m. local time about 170 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, east of Japan at a depth of about 35 kilometers (21.7 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was magnitude 5.8 on the Richter Scale.

For thoses non-geologists (and geologists that have forgotten), the Richter magnitude scale ranges from 0 to 10 and quantifies the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake. It is a base-10 logarithmic scale which means that an earthquake that measures 6.0 on the Richter scale has a shaking amplitude 10 times greate than one that measures 4.0. According to the scale, an earthquake within the range of 5.0-5.9 (like that experienced on 1 Feb in Tokyo) is of moderate magnitude and can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings over small regions. At most slight damage to well-designed buildings. There are approximately 800 of these types of earthquakes every year. Luckily for us and all those living in Japan there were no reported damage from this quake.

Seismograph taken from Channelnewsasia.com

30th Birthday and polite Norwegians.

Our first weekend back in Norway and we travelled to Myrkdalen for a friends 30th birthday party. Vibeke 'the birthday girl' had arranged 3 cabins next to the slopes and she had invited a mixture of British and Norwegian friends from work and home. Myrkdalen is 130km from Bergen and takes approximately 2 hours to drive. It has a new chair lift, 4 button lifts and boasts the most reliable ski conditions in the area.

John and I were one of the first to arrive on the Friday and with the staggered arrival of different groups of people to the party it allowed me to observe the polite and endearing manner in which Norwegians arrive at a social gathering...

A Norwegian entering a party will first greet the host/hostess and then make their way around the gathering and acknowledge every person present - with no exception. If the people are known to them they will normally greet them with 'Takk for siste' which directly translates to 'Thanks for the last time' and if they are unknown to them then they will introduce themselves and indulge in a few minutes of small talk. It is so ingrained into their 'party culture' that you can see the people sat down become agitated if the person is distracted from doing the rounds.

The 'arriving at a party culture' that I'm used to involves rocking up and putting your drinks in the fridge, finding your mates and maybe saying hi to the host/hostess if you know them.

I think the Norwegian do it pretty well.

Start 2009 with a car tow and some statistics..

Spent Christmas 2008 in Costa Rica and New Years Eve in Panama and I'm now back to the harsh reality of my life in Norway. I landed back at Bergen airport in the mid afternoon and it was already dark. The plane doors opened and the familiar surge of cold air consumed by body and shortened by breath. Returning from a hot country I always find the coldness a refreshing change but I still had to pull my jacket closed and stuff my hands deep into my pockets. Brr..

The luggage hall in Bergen is no different to any other airport luggage hall in the world right down to the scrum that gathers around the carousel. There is one thing however that sets a Norwegian airport apart from any other in the world and that is the sickly smell of pølse. The Norwegian passion for putrid smelling hotdogs that contain lips and ears fills airports and newsagents the country over.

On my way home I started to think about where I had left my car before my trip. I live in the old part of town where the streets are narrow and the parking a challenge. I have often forgotten where I have parked my car but this time my car was definitely missing. Now if I had been in the UK I would definitely have assumed that my car has been nicked.. but not in Norway - cars just don't get nicked here in Bergen... or so I thought.

According to the Eighth United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2002) (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Centre for International Crime Prevention), Britain sits proudly at the top of all countries in Europe with a staggering 350 thousand car thefts in 2002. As I expected Norway sits way down at the bottom in 13th place with 25 thousand car thefts in 2002. However, a closer look at that data and I discovered that per capita Norway isn't as squeeky clean as I would like to believe that it is.. and it actually ranks number 3 of European countries for car theft per capita... just slightly less than the UK. So in reality, if these statistics are correct the I am just as likely to be a victim of car crime in Norway as I am in Britain. That's scary!

My car had on this occassion been towed away but instead of feeling relieved for the safe return of my trusty golf I was raging that I had to pay the equivalent of 160 pounds for the release of my car and to add insult to injury the car was frozen shut and had a flat battery. Welcome home.