There will be days like these

Last night I needed a British dinner. Cottage Pie.I have days when Norway chews me up and spits me back out. Yesterday was one of them. I dealt with the usual lack of manners. (which I'm getting used to now and I'm over using my manners to make a point) But the best part of the day was a huge tax bill that came in the mail which was a bit of a surprise considering I've never worked a single day since arriving here! All I've done is shell out money to Norway for Family reunification and language school fees. I have not earned a damn Kroner! It's funny how I'm not in the system anywhere else in Norway but the tax man knows I'm here!!
(cute dog is our neighbour, she came down to check out the cottage pie!)

p.s It just started snowing

Looking forward

What a difference the lighter nights make. You feel like getting out and doing stuff rather than hibernating at home. I look forward to dinner in the garden, bbq's,evening smimming in the fjord and taking off my winter boots and slipping into a nice pair of sandals. Ahhhhh!

This morning

We woke up to snow this morning. I'm not going to complain.
Spring will arrive. It will!

Earth hour

I'm now worried that we defeated the object of earth hour by lighting too many candles and polluting the air :(

Dog sled championships

Dog sled championships on a sunny Saturday.
Great way to spend the day and if someone had told me this time last year that this was the kind
of thing I would be doing at the weekends I would have laughed in their faces! Brilliant fun though!

Good morning!

We are off to the dog sled racing championships up at Holmenkollen.
I'm loaded up with anti-histamines and raring to go on this beautiful,sunny day!
Have a good one!

Reintroducing

Let me reintroduce you to norwegian grass! Not seen around these parts since November 2010.
It made a welcome return on Wednesday evening in Henrik's parents garden!
It's looking a little bit brown and sad just now but give it a couple of weeks of sunshine and it will be back to it's former glory. Welcome back grass!!!!
(the cat is Chat noir who I'd imagine is also pretty chuffed to have something warm under his little toes)
The fjord at their house is no longer frozen (although some parts are) and I look forward to boating over to that little Island for a swim and a picnic in a few months time.

Early morning baking

We are having a little Party at the norskkurs today and we all have to bring in some food from our own country.We have students from every corner of the globe so I'm looking forward to some good grub today.
I made cookies as everyone seems to be doing savoury so we will need a little bit of sweetness to end the feasting!
(I'm not sure if I have translated "poppy seeds" correctly in norwegian but I'm sure someone (Siri?) will correct me if I'm wrong!)
Lemon and poppyseed recipe here

The snow really is melting now and I am so excited! Never in my life did I think I would be so excited to see the return of grass. I feel I have made it through my first norwegian winter.
Yesterday it read 16c on my window thermometer (although I believe it was really 11c but my window is a sun trap) It was sooooo nice. I went to school without a coat and we sat on the school balcony soaking up the sun. I'm now obsessed with checking the weather,hoping it will continue. Lovely!

A moan

Oh, Waitrose, how I miss you. Marks and Spencer, I miss you too. Nothing compares to you here. Food shopping in Norway is a dull, expensive experience. I know I've been spoilt in London but I can't help but be disappointed each and every time we food shop. Henrik and I argue in supermarkets more than we do anywhere else!
The prices..... Oh, the prices are just shocking! See that block of cheese? The Jarlsberg? It is 109kr which is a whopping £12.04 of our great British pounds!!!! For that kind of dosh I could have some seriously nice cheese from here!

Søndag

The weather was amazing today, sunny, blue skies and a balmy 5c. People were walking across the fjord but I was too much of a wimp to get on the ice. I could feel Spring today (although I'm afraid to say it as every time I mention Spring here I wake up to snow the next day!)
I made delicious fish cakes this evening after attempting to eat a(shop bought) Norwegian fisk kaker recently. Never in my life have I tasted anything so foul. A strange mixture of jelly,gluten,air and a fake fish taste, bleuuuugh!

Shopping♥

We spent the day in Oslo yesterday on relatively snow free streets. It amazes me that we live 7 minutes outside Oslo yet we still have sooooo much snow in our neck of the woods. It's melting though and I hear if temps stay this way we could be snow free in 2 weeks time. So exciting!
So many nice things I wanted to buy yesterday but I'm now saving all my money for fleamarket season. Hope everyone is having a nice weekend.

Sometimes you need a huge,greasy breakfast the morning after the night before.....

Today

The snow is now melting and the days are getting a tiny bit warmer,its light at 6.30am and I saw some grass today! Exciting!
This evening I made amazing peanut butter cookies from Siri's lovely blog, The transplanted Baker. They are quite possibly the best cookies I have ever made (Henrik ate several before they had even cooled down) I left out the choc chips and the whole peanuts (purely because I did not have any) and they were still fantastisk!