tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1166162692769296962012-01-21T19:49:32.604-08:00adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comBlogger5041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-90330912635452229972012-01-15T21:54:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:55:58.755-08:00

Oh man, what a crazy long weekend it's been! Thanksgiving turned out great, then visited the Brooklyn Museum and on Satuday did a walking ghost tour with some friends in the upper West Side. Have you ever done a ghost tour? They're a really great way to learn a little bit of history. Well, that's why I do them it's more about the creepy NY history than finding out if there are any ghosts

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-26389887735860061812012-01-15T21:49:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:53:45.769-08:00

Day 333: I have been getting behind on posting my projects! This one I made on New Years day on the drive down to Albuquerque to visit some friends. Don't worry, I wasn't the one driving. I found this picture of a girl walking in the rain. I tried to give it a rainy kind of feel by ripping the paper into long strips. Day 334: I cut out a pair of scissors from a magazine page. This was

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-75766284906381462022012-01-15T21:48:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:49:09.955-08:00

I haven't been sick since June *knocks on wood* and so as we come into cold and flu season, it's granted that I'll get a least one cold. In which I'll stay home from work because that's just how I am. I don't want to get other people sick and when I am sick, I can't do anything but be sick. My mind doesn't work, my body doesn't work. It's pointless. I came across this post today on Apartment

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-43257724907004716782012-01-15T21:46:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:47:14.004-08:00

Jen Cusick has been busy this winter. Here's an excerpt of an email she recently sent... "So I just got back from a little 1 1/2 week spring break snowboard adventure. So much fun! Started at Moonstone and learned back flips into the airbag. Now I just got to man up on the snow! Then competed in the you look good riders cup, had a solid sweet run but only got fifth...o well :) O and I met

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-23114278150256232442012-01-08T13:02:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:49.483-08:00

Often when I question things here in Norway I do not get a proper answer. More often than not the answer is, "Sånn er det" which means "thats the way it is"So when I ask "why is everything closed on Sunday?", "Why is everything so expensive?" "Why don't norwegians use their indicators or car horns?" "Why do norwegians all eat taco's on Friday?" "Why is there a crap choice of food in the

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-72504115742120229752012-01-03T12:04:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:49.599-08:00

This is my street at 3.15pm today. That is sheet ice and it's a bugger to walk on. This winter is crap. Wet,icy,dangerous. Give me last winter instead. Snowy,friggin freezing, but dry (and it's the dryness that makes the difference)Sunrise:9.19amSunset:3.21pmThere are on average 20 weeks til we have some warmth here, and I am counting down!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-59945682050332284292012-01-02T14:12:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:49.623-08:00

Back to work today. This day last year I began norwegian lessons and now I'm fluent enough to function in norwegian society (well, in my own funny little British way) and have a job. I'm pretty proud. I don't actually like speaking norwegian and spoke very little over the christmas holidays (which suits me just fine) so today was pretty difficult to switch the norwegian back on, especially when

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-33610353937693708342012-01-01T00:15:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:49.648-08:00

We woke on this first day of 2012 with huge amounts of snow and no hangovers!We spent the last day of the year in a costly Oslo clinic with me having costly throat swabs done only to be sent away with super strong antibiotics and a case of Pharyngitis and told not to drink alchohol!So we celebrated NYE on the sofa,watching lots of good films,drinking Pink Lemonade (me) and eating Panettone.Henrik

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-75994670387127303182011-12-29T00:26:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:49.754-08:00

Hope you all had a fantastic christmas! I love the time between christmas and new year, it's so relaxing and cozy, there are good things to eat (bubble and squeak from all the leftovers is possibly my favourite meal ever) and lots of feel good films to watch. I have been sick since boxing day with a sore throat,hacking cough and my asthma is shocking (I developed asthma when I was 19 and moved to

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-88423922193606959362011-12-23T11:57:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:49.773-08:00

My mum and stepdad are in Norway for the first time since we moved here (mum has a fear of flying so it's taken a while to get her here!) and we are looking forward to spending christmas with Henrik's folks. Thanks for visiting my blog this year, and all your comments. Merry Christmas! See you on the other side!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-59735718292315014852011-12-12T11:06:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:49.865-08:00

The weather is my least favourite at the moment. We have snow which partly melted, iced over at night, melted again during the day and froze over again when the temps dropped at night causing the worst bumpy ice that is impossible to walk on and very stressful to a non norwegian who attempts to waddle like a penguin, taking baby steps whilst the norwegians expertly whizz past me!I have a strong

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-86612973832011115042011-12-10T00:41:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:49.895-08:00

We have butter! We shopped in Sweden last weekend and managed to track down 3 packs of the creamy goodness! Insane that the butter shortage still continues here.... Norway is a strange,strange land. People are now selling butter on Finn.no (a kind of norsk e bay) for 250kr (£27) per pack!I'm off to England on Wednesday to stay with my best friend, do some christmas shopping and become blonde

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-66079704734592374372011-12-07T05:17:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:49.992-08:00

Winter arrived last night and it took just a few hours for us to be totally blanketed in the white stuff! I do love snow at first, but ask me again in 5 months and I'll say the opposite!All this snow has got me wanting some christmas tunes- Im liking this.

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-16565426466388262512011-12-02T00:49:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:50.090-08:00

My norwegian is improving now that I'm working but I'm still making the stupidest mistakes. Sometimes I lie in bed at night thinking about all the cringe-worthy things I said at the barnehage that day (whilst Henrik pisses himself laughing)There are three words that I often mess up:pølse (pronounced pulsa)= sausagepose(pronounced poosa)=bagpause(pronounced powsa)=break, as in half an hour break

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-24012805671969122462011-11-27T08:56:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:50.117-08:00

I've been battling a crappy cold, aching body and sore throat for the last three days, so much of the weekend has been spent sleeping and watching the amazing series, "Breaking Bad" but late on Saturday afternoon we ventured out to the christmas market at Bærums Verk to get some christmas cheer (plus a delicious elk burger)Winter seems to have gone away again and we are having lovely, mild

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-4902965596040048232011-11-23T11:51:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:50.220-08:00

Trying to speak norwegian all day at work is the most exhausting thing I have ever done in my entire life, and to top it off I'm not sleeping well at the moment as I think my brain is having a hard time switching off at bed time and I'm finding myself wide awake at 3.37am. Uff!Today it was so dark that it felt as though we never passed dawn which does not help with my tiredness. I need sun but

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-82527959758056362052011-11-19T02:12:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:50.247-08:00

Winter arrived this week and the mornings were -6c. We'd been pretty mild so it was a shock to the system at first but now I've accepted winter is here, unpacked all my winter gear and I'm embracing it!My first week at my new job went very well, I'm loving being back at work. It's funny but I always quite fancied being a lady of leisure and not working, but in reality it's no fun. Having a job is

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-3006246221977506602011-11-14T00:11:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:50.343-08:00

I woke up today and we have internet (we have been piggybacking off our landlords wi-fi, with permission and payment for the last 15 months but something changed and the signal stopped reaching down to our flat) Today it's on. Good, I missed it!I switched my camera on yesterday and after 9 months of not working it came on and worked perfectly. Hmmmmm. What's going on? Am I having a bit of good

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-52004701116769248682011-11-09T06:35:00.000-08:002012-01-15T21:58:50.463-08:00

We are still internet-less at home which is very irritating (there is only so much you can do on a small iphone screen..) so I'm now sitting in the library as I need to see things on a bigger screen!So, whats been going on lately?*Today was my last day on the norwegian course. I have finished 5 weeks early as, wait for it..... I have a job!!!! I shall begin working (for real money!) next week at

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-34650412889015584372011-10-23T11:47:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:50.573-08:00

My best friend has been here for a few days and as usual it has been soooooo nice to see her! My life in Norway would be just right if I could only convince her to move here.....We are now in Gøteborg for a few days of better shopping, better food and friendly Swedes!(My blogging is non existent at the moment due to a terrible internet connection which we are trying to change but if you are

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-81730599555840128992011-10-19T13:04:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:50.686-08:00

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-5358949959217417942011-10-08T03:13:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:50.796-08:00

My two weeks at the barnehage are now over and I'll just be going on Thurs & Fri from now until christmas. Back to the norskkurs on Monday for a well earned rest! I have spoken sooooo much norwegian for the last 2 weeks but I still get to a point where I hit a wall and have to revert to english. Will I ever get over the wall? It also suddenly hit me this week that this is my life now. A norwegian

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-44509575243446633992011-10-01T01:10:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:50.898-08:00

How on earth is it October already? Only 11 weeks til christmas!So, I've just finished my first full week in the norwegian workplace (unpaid,of course!) and I had a fantastic week! I was scared witless on Monday and could barely breathe as I walked into the barnehage that morning but I really had no need to be so afraid as I was welcomed with open arms! I have learned so much norwegian this week

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-44066011156973701242011-09-25T11:54:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:50.998-08:00

Don't worry, the weather has not changed just yet but I guess this picture shows what I should be expecting pretty soon! I did see on the front page of the newspaper last week "Ekstrem Vinter" (extreme winter!) emblazened in huge letters and felt slightly scared. Speaking of being scared I begin my språkpraksis tomorrow morning at a very nice local barnehage and I'm terrified. Terrified, I tell

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-46732429239233759622011-09-18T11:45:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:51.109-08:00

We have had a lovely weekend. Friday night we celebrated Henrik's 36th birthday with our friends, Saturday we visited three fleamarkets, picked apples & plums and today we took a trip to Sweden and now I've just finished my norwegian homework (the least favourite bit of the weekend) Autumn is certainly here and I'm trying to embrace it but I'm still not ready to give in and get all our winter

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-40422071183468368502011-09-15T09:40:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:51.212-08:00

I've been a bad blogger lately but I seem to have no time to take pictures. So, whats been happening around here lately?*My British car is now norwegian. My British plates have gone and I'm now sporting Norsk plates. It cost us a bloody fortune (47,000kr = £5327) but it's worth it to me as our car has low mileage and I know its history. The same car here would cost me 80,000kr. Norway is a money

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-72867535266150373482011-09-09T06:50:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:51.347-08:00

We are off to the cabin with a year old husky- should be interesting!?Have a great weekend folks! The sun is out, the sky is blue!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-24572458887649020022011-09-06T07:37:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:51.445-08:00

Life is busy right now with school- full time school! It's been a shock to the system to be getting up at 6am again and then getting home and spending a good few hours studying. My new course is very hard, a huge step up from my last one. I feel as though I have skipped a whole level. I went from feeling pretty clever during the summer to feeling like a total muppet after a week back in class! I

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-7072499627082934422011-09-04T20:42:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:51.547-08:00

Autumn is here (which I'm not ready for!) which also means that fleamarket season is back (which I am ready for!) and this season got off to a great start! Being at the cabin (and therefore being even further away from Oslo) means that the fleamarkets are even cheaper and there are less people! woo hoo!There are not many more weekends that we can visit the cabin now, maybe only four as it's not

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-59590492719255785782011-08-31T22:06:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:51.640-08:00

We have been living in Norway for one year today. I have no idea how that year slipped by so quickly! What a year! It has taken me longer to settle here than it has anywhere I've moved to but I'm slowly getting there..... Tonight we shall celebrate with a BBQ on the beach with our friends. Gratulerer til oss!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-54681973851367881492011-08-30T13:07:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:51.761-08:00

Norway you are very pretty but you have spent the last year kicking my arse. Maybe you can give me a break now? være så snill!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-60513269512875067682011-08-23T05:10:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:51.864-08:00

Yesterday I went back to the norwegian course and what a difference from when I first started!! I remember feeling so nervous that first day. I instantly hated the look of everyone on my course and came home announcing to Henrik, "Ugh, I hate it! I'm not going to make friends with any of these people. I shall learn norwegian and nothing else!" but yesterday I met up with all my friends/

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-51861044273422661722011-08-21T02:11:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:51.967-08:00

Summer holidays are now over for us. I'm back to school on Monday and Henrik back to work. What an amazing summer it has been. I think my best summer ever.Having the cabin to visit every weekend has been a dream come true (and I hope we can carry on visiting til at least October before the winter sets in) We just came back from Denmark last night after a lovely holiday in Skagen. Once again, I

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-61367861670836359592011-08-17T08:08:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:52.066-08:00

We have been in Wales & Liverpool visiting my mum and stepdad. I had no idea Wales was so pretty and filled with so many castles. Henrik is a total castle boffin (history in general, and of course he loves Tanks!) so we spent many hours at Conwy Castle (as long as there is a shop and a cafe I'm pretty happy to be dragged around these places!) Tomorrow we will take our last little trip of my

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-58868476393621456042011-08-09T01:07:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:52.177-08:00

I had a dream last night, and in that dream I was talking norwegian! Yikes! It's even infiltrating my sleep! I'm even thinking in norwegian sometimes. What about you? Do you think in your mother tongue or your adopted language?I can feel autumn in the air and it's freaking me out as I'm loving summer so much and don't want it to end. I dread the long winter especially now I know what to expect!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-2132246315677551882011-08-05T07:06:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:52.272-08:00

I can now speak norwegian. It's official! I'm not being show-offy but I have decided (Yes, me) that I'm not doing too badly! Yesterday I took two friends to the cabin for a girls day. We swam in the fjord, we bbq'd,drank coffee and gossiped a little.Nothing special there I hear you say but we actually spent 8 (yes, 8) hours speaking non-stop norwegian. We had no choice but to speak norwegian as

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-2156466188045686072011-08-03T03:40:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:52.366-08:00

It was supposed to rain today and I planned to stay home all day cleaning our grubby flat but the sun is now out and its boiling hot. I should stay home and carry on with my boring cleaning plans but the weather is far too tempting. I'll save the cleaning til the next rainy day.(above pic taken on a day when it wasn't supposed to rain so we planned a BBQ and went ahead anyway!)Happy birthday

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-2786419525291593362011-07-31T13:23:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:52.464-08:00

This weekend was hot! We spent it at the cabin,swimming mainly, reading,relaxing. I feel as though I've had a weeks holiday in just 2 days.We bought a new sofa (the very reasonably priced Ektorp from Ikea) last week for the cabin. It's white. So it's now covered as we are not white sofa people, we are clumsy people and I don't trust either of us to keep it free from chocolate, coffee,wine so it's

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-23479548937459862922011-07-29T00:28:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:52.558-08:00

Had a lovely week with my friend Emma (who left last night) Always nice to have British friends to stay and what a lovely stay it was. A busy stay with bbq's in the rain, much shopping,coffee drinking,too much food, Oslo wandering, pancakes at Bærums Verk,an overnight stay at the cabin and some fjord swimming.

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-37985310531770615662011-07-27T03:02:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:52.659-08:00

My friend Emma is visiting us this week and we have been spending lots of time in Oslo. I thought the city would be empty but I've never seen Oslo so busy. We can't let crazy people ruin our world. Oslo is covered in flowers and flickering candles but filled with sadness.....

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-22976340857291845022011-07-26T02:35:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:52.762-08:00

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-58908816427702056962011-07-23T11:53:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:52.878-08:00

My heart goes out to everyone affected by yesterdays tragic events in Oslo and Utøya.Thanks for all your e mails. We are safe and well but very shocked.

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-70892605991290902642011-07-22T00:43:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:52.980-08:00

Hmmm, yes, so showing off about the lovely weather here yesterday was not a good idea as it's now pissing down! I actually need a break from it to be honest, I'm a bit sun burnt,windswept and my hair is dry and crispy from the sea salt (plus our flat is a pig sty from being out and about in the nice weather all week) So, today is tidy up day before we head to the cabin for the weekend.I love

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-87388292650835553662011-07-21T03:30:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:53.075-08:00

Summer in Oslo is in full swing and it's lovely. I'm on my 3rd book in as many days and making the most of our garden. When Henrik gets home from work (about 4.30pm, thanks to short working days in Norway) we pack up the bbq and head to the beach. This is the life!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-48573502256660069122011-07-18T01:05:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:53.170-08:00

The weather has been amazing recently so there have been many bike rides, picnics and lots of swimming. I'm enjoying the summer so much (but in the back of my mind is the dread of the winter which will be upon us very soon! argh!)Pics are from Bogstad with our friends T&V (and the kayak) where we had a BBQ which included bananas with chocolate (amazing dessert which you need to try!) We swam in

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-5708655682630718562011-07-13T01:57:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:53.268-08:00

The weather is perfect (for me) in Oslo right now. Sunny but not too hot (between 18c-21c)I'm in the process of registering my British car to make it legitimate here in Norway (which will cost me more than I paid for the car in the first place!) and yesterday I passed the first hurdle by passing the EU control test (British MOT) with flying colours. I'm expecting the process to take a while, as

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-77348402976787962822011-07-11T03:52:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:53.374-08:00

Henrik and Tommy took the kayak out for its maiden voyage last week on the Oslofjord whilst Vindhya and I howled hysterically at the sight of these 2 tall men squashed into this inflatable contraption! They had a great time whilst Vindhya and I stayed on shore to keep the BBQ burning (and worry slightly when they disappeared from view for over 30 minutes)

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-42408452152321435412011-07-10T12:10:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:53.474-08:00

No cabin for us this weekend, we fancied staying home and relaxing here. We bbq'd, had a day trip to Sweden,watched films (500 days of summer, Hotel New Hampshire and The Godfather) and picked lots of wild alpine strawberries from the roof of the garage in the garden! Hope you all had a great weekend!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-10718191687831886552011-07-07T02:47:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:53.572-08:00

I've had many requests to come back to England for a few weeks during my summer holiday from school but I ain't budging! I survived a 6 month winter from hell to get to this fantastic norwegian summer and I'm not leaving it!p.s Norwegian strawberries are the best in the world!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-83069083483548369222011-07-04T13:52:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:53.666-08:00

We are slowly making (budget) changes in the cabin. Feels like home there now and we love driving there every Friday night for the weekend. First proper swim at the weekend and a log fire to warm up afterwards.Norway is now closed for July. Many people take a months holiday (or are forced to) as companies close for the summer. If you want anything doing here in July you need to be prepared to

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-27664092237557672542011-07-04T02:45:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:53.765-08:00

We got home from the cabin last night to discover a lovely certificate telling me that I'd passed the reading, written and listening part of Norsk prøve 2!!!!!! Thrilled!Congrats also to Emily for passing Norsk prøve 3 and my good friend Vindhya for passing prøve 2!We did it ladies!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-86047226704987660232011-07-01T05:38:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:53.859-08:00

July already? Where has this year gone? Where is summer? There is certainly no sign of summer in Oslo today. Overcast and humid but I'm hoping the weather perks up as we are going to the cabin this eve and our friends bought an inflatable kayak which Henrik is dying to try out!(pic of my 4 new Ikea chairs which were reduced from 495kr to only 95kr each. A bit of an impulse buy which Henrik really

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-17955886069441759132011-06-30T03:02:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:53.956-08:00

Yesterday was pretty hot so after Henrik came home from work we took a trip to the cabin planning to eat some ribs on the bbq,have a quick swim, hang out with his folks and then drive back home, but come 11pm we had a few too many glasses of wine so crashed out in the cabin for the night (where I had a horrid nights sleep dreaming I had giant ants crawling on me!) We woke super early expecting to

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-58473876744008930472011-06-28T06:42:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:54.051-08:00

As I mentioned in yesterdays post, I loved Denmark. I also love Norway.I seem to have offended a few people with some of my opinions of Norway/norwegians.Whenever you move to a new country you see/hear/experience things that are different to your own country/culture and they take a while to get used to. This is my blog, a space where I can rant/rave and express my opinions on my new life in

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-77640320860891839642011-06-27T00:29:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:54.146-08:00

We have had the most fantastic three days in Denmark! This included:-Not driving on motorways so we got to see the real Denmark (the landscape really reminded me of England)-Eating amazing food, including wonderful Danish bread (unlike Norway the food revolution has hit Denmark!)-Visiting beautiful white sandy beaches (who knew Denmark had such beautiful clean beaches? -not me!)-Lots of cheap

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-6476507228220192802011-06-23T14:16:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:54.249-08:00

We are taking a little trip to Denmark tomorrow from Larvik to Hirtshals on the fast ferry (3 1/2 hours compared to the usual 8 hours on the slow ferry. Perfect for a sufferer of seasickness i.e me!) I'm now finished with norsk lessons til the end of August but I must self study throughout the summer otherwise I'm pretty certain I'll lose my new found language skills!Have a great weekend!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-72100737015037178342011-06-22T07:35:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:54.357-08:00

I passed the speaking part of norsk prøve 2 and I feel fantastic!Such a good feeling!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-33117476856238726582011-06-20T13:10:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:54.451-08:00

The weather has been pretty crappy here recently but every time we venture to the cabin the sun seems to come out (I hope I'm not going to jinx this by mentioning it!) Still not warm enough in the water for anything other than a quick dip though, but soon hopefully!My norsk course finishes on Wednesday for the summer and the fleamarket season is over til September (which Henrik is pleased about

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-10672430403014596972011-06-14T13:26:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:54.555-08:00

We discovered many new beaches/cafes/ice cream spots this weekend whilst wandering in the car, including a cute little beach with imported white sand and crystal blue water. The water temps are still pretty cold which is not suprising when you think back to the frozen fjord just 2 months ago. I'm loving our cabin and escaping there every weekend and I'm really enjoying no internet & tv (although

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-92220108622766806592011-06-13T07:52:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:54.659-08:00

It's been a long holiday weekend here in Norway and we just returned from the cabin feeling relaxed,sunburned and windswept! You just cant beat summertime here. This is the reason we moved away from London (not the other 6 months of frigid temps and snow!)I'm now ready to start the week (and count the 4 days til we can be back at the cottage!)

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-44032378790568950082011-06-07T12:56:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:54.777-08:00

My norwegian tests are now all over. Last week I took the speaking (muntlig) portion of the exam and I think it went ok. Well, I feel that I spoke well but I didn't actually answer the questions correctly! Hmmm, we will see. I will get the results in 2 weeks. I'd like to pass at least one portion of the test. I was just in England for 4 days and now I'm back in Norway (and back in class) I feel I

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-77421288857648465392011-05-31T15:20:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:54.900-08:00

After my speaking test tomorrow I shall "slapp av" (relax)I got some super cheap plane tickets for one kroner (about 12p!) so I shall pop across to jolly old England for some quality mum time and a bit of good old British shopping. I cannot wait!(Last few pics from the cabin, Henriks favourite (odd) ice cream and the weekends fleamarket finds)

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-66687451671899709262011-05-30T13:53:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:54.999-08:00

Sooooo, I took norsk prøve 2 today. Hmmmm, I'm not sure how it went. There was a writing portion where I had to write about a typical week in letter form to a friend and another where I had to write a note to a neighbour about looking after my home whilst on holiday. This was not difficult.Next I had to read (and understand) 4 different texts and answer questions with a short sentence or a one

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-87191734025848493882011-05-29T08:05:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:55.097-08:00

We have been at the cabin for the weekend so I could study without any disturbances (although I did disturb myself on both days for a little fleamarket visit!) Apart from all the studying we did have a lovely time and as much as I rely on technology (and love it) it is sometimes nice to get away from it (and use a toilet that incinerates your poo!)I love that we have this little cabin to escape

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-66112469339871659342011-05-27T00:52:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:55.193-08:00

I seem to have lost my blogging mojo for the time being but hope to be back on the ball after my exams next week. We are off to the cottage this weekend so I can cram in some last minute intense studying- no internet, no tv- just many hours of trying to get this bloody norwegian grammar in my head! (Oh, and of course I will be taking a Fleamarket break!)God helg/ Have a good weekend folks!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-33080604125518991902011-05-22T11:14:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:55.293-08:00

I hate that I rely on technology so much. My camera is incapable of taking a picture that isn't blurry, I still have that damn spinning beachball of death taunting me and now our internet has reverted back to 1997 dial up standards. If there is one thing that infuriates me it's not having internet (Okay maybe the lack of manners in Norway annoys me more, but no internet comes a very close second!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-86324061742899604802011-05-19T10:38:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:55.392-08:00

Today feels like a Tuesday so I'm pretty happy it's actually Friday tomorrow!I have new material to make into cushions and 4 beautiful new cards from the super talented Francesca from Mrs Eliot books. Love them!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-50408135911476174802011-05-18T00:59:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:55.502-08:00

Pictures from a recent trip to Sweden. We just crossed the border with no plan. Followed the coast, stopping if we liked the look of somewhere. I like days without a plan (although it must involve an ice cream near a beach!)

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-63330199722047438492011-05-15T23:13:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:55.605-08:00

The weather was grey and wet yesterday which forced me to stay indoors and study (after a few morning fleamarkets,of course!) for my norwegian test on May 31st. I'm not a natural studier so I get easily distracted (Oh, is that a Woody Allen film on TV? I need to watch that!) and need Henrik to keep me on track (luckily for me he has become rather strict about this language learning and is

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-1813533078341403452011-05-12T11:07:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:55.708-08:00

Thank you for all your nice birthday greetings. So far being 38 is okay!Having my first birthday in Norway made me realise I have made some lovely,caring friends here. When we first moved to Norway I remember crying to Henrik telling him that one of the hardest things was not knowing anyone and having nobody care about me (apart from him of course, but sometimes that's not enough!) Yesterday I

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-90229773683940092862011-05-11T01:51:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:55.803-08:00

Today I am 38! Thirty friggin' eight!!! I thought at 38 I'd feel grown up, but nope!Still feel like a kid! 38!!!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-40641534333470510482011-05-08T13:46:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:55.898-08:00

Hello! Not been taking many pictures this week. My camera is at deaths door and my mac is teasing me with the "spinning beach ball of death" so I have tried cleaning it up a bit (getting everything from i tunes and i photo off) but that damn ball is still spinning away! Any advice?In other news the weather here is amazing, like summer (I keep being warned by norwegians not to get too comfy in my

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-4711482912586803182011-05-05T13:30:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:55.993-08:00

I have my Norwegian exam at the end of the month. Not sure I'm ready but I'm taking it anyway.I am so proud that in only four months I have a grasp on this language. It has not been easy and there have been many tears and frustrations along the way but I feel I have really achieved something. I still have a long way to go but I'm getting there......

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-30756605426933651372011-05-03T00:37:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:56.093-08:00

Been sorting out all the fleamarket stuff and packing up some of the clutter (at Henrik's request boooo, hissssss!) He wants it out of the way until we have a bigger home so I had a big tidy to try and keep as much as I possibly can on display! All in all I'm lucky that Henrik does not have strong opinions about the style of our home (he would lose anyway cause I have really strong opinions of

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-20739437159399896552011-05-01T06:56:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:56.189-08:00

The weekend has been spent mainly at Fleamarkets. Many,many fleamarkets!Saturday with my friend and Sunday with my husbando. I got many nice things, including a 1972 Diana Ikea chair (I have been on the hunt for one of these beauties for a while) another Arabia enamel teapot and lots of other lovely goodies.

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-64466642160035907542011-04-29T11:10:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:56.288-08:00

I have never been into the Royal Family but something about living in another country has made me fiercely patriotic so today I stayed home and watched The Royal Wedding and enjoyed it so much! I thought London did an amazing job hosting this huge event and looked fantastic. William was handsome and Kate looked beautiful. I felt such pride in being British (I think the tea cosy on my head helped

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-18277693749538494182011-04-29T01:24:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:56.389-08:00

Waiting for The Royal wedding to begin wearing my union jack tea cosy!I had planned to go to school today as usual but started watching TV(on the BBC, not NRK as I need to understand what is being said!) and now I have to see the whole thing. I'm feeling very patriotic!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-19441869691338943492011-04-27T23:33:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:56.484-08:00

Spring arriving has totally changed my feelings for Norway. I'm loving it!Hard to believe that just 1 month ago we had over 2 feet of snow in the garden as we now have daily temps of 20c+We have been making the most of the weather and using our bikes a lot more, exploring our amazing neighbourhood. That sunset view is just 5 minutes ride on the bike from our house. Beautiiiiiiiiiful!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-71374997608698798652011-04-25T10:50:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:56.588-08:00

Today we took a little coastal road trip, stopping off at lots of little places until we reached Larvik, turned around and visited other places on the way home. I'm now worn out from all the sea air and have curly hair (also from the sea air!)I'm back to school tomorrow and looking forward to seeing my friends and learning more Norwegian (after a week of speaking very little of it!)

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-70454281888633008322011-04-24T10:48:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:56.691-08:00

We have been at my in-laws for the weekend, enjoying the 20+ temps, the view, speaking lots of norsk and unfortunately deviating from our health kick! OoopsOur little yellow summer cabin is being renovated and I'm itching to get inside and start sorting it out as I'm sure this is where we will spend every weekend once summer arrives.Happy Easter everyone! (yes, Im wishing you happy easter today

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-77951513861052616002011-04-22T12:05:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:56.786-08:00

We had our first proper bike ride of the year today,ate a picnic and snoozed under a tree. It was lovely. I now have a really sore bum from the bike seat!We are now both on a health kick as we (esp me) have gained soooo much weight over the long winter (mine also has to do with the homesickness and making myself a cake/cookies whenever I felt down!) So there will be no more baking around here for

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-73631175366383172662011-04-21T01:34:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:56.885-08:00

We spent most of our time in England in the small seaside village of Porlock but on the way down there and on the way back we were in London and we managed a few (very short) jauntsto some of my favourite shops. I shopped like a woman possessed! Nothing too fancy, a dress,shoes,beauty products,paperchase goodies and a quick whiz around Waitrose and M&S. I was in heaven. One of the great things

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-46602211667483306992011-04-20T09:43:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:57.274-08:00

Oslo is still a bit brown and dry after the long winter but no doubt we will be green again soon. I've planted all my pots, old tin baths etc and done a big food shop as from Friday onwards Norway is totally closed for Easter. What is everyone doing for Easter? Many people here go to the mountains and ski for the last time of the season but we are heading off to Henrik's folks for some rest and

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-59232944591028532782011-04-19T14:18:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:57.396-08:00

oSouth west England seems so far ahead of Norway in terms of Spring. Everything was blooming.We stopped off at Dunster on the long drive back to London on Sunday. It was nice to drive on the proper (well, proper to me!) side of the road for a few days, eat good sausages and understand everything that was being said!I surprised myself by actually missing Norway and looking forward to coming back "

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-48969186850592813512011-04-18T14:41:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:57.498-08:00

Greetings from my homeland where we have been enjoying the seaside, fish n chips, sleeping in a bed fit for a princess, enjoying beautiful spring weather, eating and drinking (way too much) and seeing my best friend walk down the aisle.. I love my country!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-91752735770603783252011-04-14T00:39:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:57.605-08:00

Last night I made a delicious reindeer stew. Before I ever came to Norway I hated the idea of eating reindeer but it's one of the many new things I have embraced (along with yummy brunost!) and really like.I do,however draw the line at whale meat- I shall not be trying that!Been busy getting ready to leave for England. (at 4am tommorow-ugh) Filling Easter eggs,wrapping presents and packing

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-88452543841423801242011-04-13T00:38:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:57.715-08:00

We are going to England on Friday for a wedding, catch up with some friends in London and a big cuddle with my lovely god-daughter and her family. We have much to cram into a few days.So, so excited! Looking forward to some shopping also. I have a date with Selfridges on Monday morning. I need uniqlo, Gap and Marks and Spencer undies to help restock my wardrobe (I don't buy many clothes here in

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-26237577034324312802011-04-12T02:23:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:57.819-08:00

I have opened up my little shop again. Hoping to fill it with lots of flea market goodies as we get further into the Loppemarked season!p.s I will work out shipping rates for outside Europe tomorrow....

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-71493576908727576902011-04-11T13:13:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:57.915-08:00

Another beautiful day in Olso. I have made it through my first winter. I am now on the other side.Check out the snow free landscapes (ignore the ice still floating in the fjord) It was 17c this afternoon. Norway is looking a lot more promising these days!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^MY LITTLE SHOP IS UP AND RUNNING AGAIN!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-86436508690877039082011-04-10T06:14:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:58.026-08:00

eI left henrik to sleep in this morning and went off to a few more fleamarkets on my own. I'm glad I did because I found 6 little iittala Kastehelmi glasses for a mere 2 kr each (thats about 23p!) There are always lots of children working behind the stalls at the fleamarkets (they mainly take place in schools) so I always ask a child cause they give you a great price!I also found 2 lovely

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-13767864966601887852011-04-09T08:39:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:58.127-08:00

We managed 5 out of 7 fleamarkets today and what amazing fleamarkets they were!I bagged plenty of goods. My favourite was the little Arabia cup and saucer for 40kr. Love it.The sun was shining and people were really friendly today. Norway in the spring is a whole new experience!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-29164625558057340742011-04-08T23:55:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:58.228-08:00

The sun is shining, it is 11c and there are 7 (yes, 7!) fleamarkets to visit today. I have been waiting for this weekend for ages!God helg!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-45970385300498091902011-04-08T01:12:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:58.323-08:00

In Sweden I bought a (very cheap) Höganäs Keramik Pick Up tray for myself. I also bought one for the lovely Siri (a fellow blogger also married to a norwegian) Siri always leaves lovely,supportive comments on my blog and she understands my frustrations with moving to a new country. She is a fantastic baker too ( I am also very envious of her as her family reunification came through within one

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-24371476508202308782011-04-07T09:35:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:58.417-08:00

Sometimes it's good to say out loud that you like something. Last week on Skype I told my friend, "Ooooh I could really eat a Cadbury's Flake right now" and yesterday a big package arrived from her with all my favourite British chocolate, including 4 flakes!Last weekend I mentioned to Henrik how much I liked some of the new Moomin designs and yesterday as we celebrated our "meeting anniversary"

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-71734282584287381792011-04-06T10:15:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:58.514-08:00

4 years ago today I met Henrik. That man is the best thing that ever happened to me. Henrik is a saint. He puts up with all my crap (including much moaning about his country!) and always remains jolly and positive. I am very lucky.After school today we went for a walk to check on the progress of the melting ice/snow, and I ampleased to report that I believe spring has arrived. Finally! We went

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-54078353212519207582011-04-05T12:06:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:58.611-08:00

I really fancied a "ginger nut" biscuit this evening but of course I can't go and buy any here so I had to make do and make my own. Not like the real thing but not a bad substitute! 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking soda3 teaspoons ground ginger1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened1 1/4 dark brown sugar2 large eggs2

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-62250435503936507992011-04-04T13:20:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:58.710-08:00

Spring is here. You can feel it (even if you cannot see it!) Last Thursday it snowed all day and I feared all the previous melting had gone to waste but the fresh snow soon melted away,leaving the old frozen snow underneath, melting slowly. We are getting there....at a snails pace.

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-33076126966528463862011-04-03T10:34:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:58.811-08:00

Today we took what the norwegians call a "harry tur" to Sweden. Many people here find this to be bad taste(cheating the norwegian government out of tax) but if liking a bargain(on average 37% cheaper) makes me tacky, then tacky I am!We drive about 90 mins to Sweden and shop at a (pretty vile) mall a few miles over the border. The Swedish Kroner is pretty weak right now so you get a very good deal

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-11801383330053513392011-04-02T23:41:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:58.912-08:00

Yesterday was spent shrouded in fog. In some areas it was so thick you could barely see your hand in front of you. We visited a fleamarket- the first of the season, but we had enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at home first therefore all the good stuff had gone. Oh well, there are manyfleamarkets next weekend so I'm sure I'll have more luck then. Today we are off to Sweden to shop. Hurrah!

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116616269276929696.post-83743826359402383882011-04-01T07:54:00.000-07:002012-01-15T21:58:59.013-08:00

I arrived home from the norskkurs to find my lovely husband cleaning the flat which was a very nice thing to come home to. I have a good man!We have been in Norway 7 months now. I do like it here but I prefer England.It's taken longer to adapt to this new life than I imagined. Starting again is hard but today is a new month and I'm going to try to be a bit more positive. (hmmm, we will see how

adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686918243961526595noreply@blogger.com