Dessert

I had this amazing plan on Monday. I would make kale 'n' mash and I would have a perfect dessert of blackberries and apple. It could hardly be better. However, the meal didn't quite come together the way I had hoped. 

First of all, I had cooked too many potatoes for the mash. Not to worry though, I left some out, to be used to fry yesterday. But even with the ones I left out, I still had a bit too much mash. Never mind though, I had enough kale. But since I only used one bag, I didn't really have that much. In the end though, the result tasted as it should. 

The dessert? It ended up in the bin! Because I left it on the stove for too long. Which meant that the blackberries and apple had turned into black slush and stuck to the bottom of the pan. And I mean really stuck to the bottom of the pan. As in: I need industrial cleaner to get it out! As I haven't got the industrial stuff, I have been trying ordinary stuff, but after three days of scouring cream, oven cleaner, more scouring cream, more oven cleaner (you get the drift): the result is the photo at the top (the pan on the right). 

I think I might need a new pan!

Photo on Sunday 2015-33

I have been busy with a lot of things this past week. I will tell more about that next week. Promise. In the mean time I leave you with Miss Oswin who thinks the letters sent to me in the past make a perfect bed!

Prickly

I would have loved to take this photo, but I didn't
Photo from Wikipedia

As I was driving my route this morning, I saw several flattened creatures on the side or even in the middle of the road. Most of them were hedgehogs. Lured by the heat of the tarmac, they make their way to and try to cross the roads, where they are then hit and killed by cars.

So, when I saw another one that was in the middle of the road, I felt quite sorry for it. Until I realised it wasn't quite in the middle and it wasn't dead! It had had a fright from the car that had just sped past (well, he was going about 15 miles an hour, but to a hedgehog, that must seem like supersonic, no pun intended) and was sitting still on my side of the road. 

Not my hands, and not 'my' hedgehog either
Photo from groei.nl

I only had one passenger and we were nearing the last stop, so I stopped the bus, got out and tried to pick the hedgehog up. Because the minute I tried, it became a quivering ball of prickly spines. I tried again and this time I was able to gently lift it up, take it to the other side of the road (where it was clearly headed) and put it down in the high grass. 

When I came back about ten minutes later, the hedgehog was gone. Scuttled off into the safety of the grass and hopefully living a long life yet! As for me: I felt the prickly spines for a few hours yet!

Photo on Sunday 2015-32

My satellite connection is playing up. I mean, really playing up. It's working fine from morning to evening, but come 8.30pm, it starts to stutter and finally go down. Until about midnight when it comes back!

Next week the satellite man is coming over. He will hopefully update and solve this problem. Because not watching the Doctor....

London

Me and my sister during her visit to me earlier this year

My sister and I had decided it would be nice to go to London again. It has been over three years for me! I usually went about five or six times a year in my old job, but since moving to Norway I don't travel that much anymore. So, London it was. Sometime in November or December. 

Then my sister got invited to a bachelorette party. In New York! Which meant that she still wanted to go to London, but wasn't that sure about how to finance the lot. 

Well, for me, seeing my sister is more important than a trip to London, so instead of going to Oxford Street for some Christmas shopping, I will be visiting my sister in Northern Ireland. And there will be plenty of opportunity to go shopping there as well. And perhaps this time I actually get to see a bit more of Belfast!!

Tide Games 2015

Well, you have probably read the story about the Tide Games already. I think Brom did a really good job at writing it (!). We are usually a gang of about 20 making our way to Voss, but this year we were only 12! Seven of those were playing football and the rest was cheering. Not nearly enough of course, so for next year we will have to do some serious recruiting!!

The journey over was good fun. I was in the guide's chair, since sitting two seats back wasn't making my tummy too happy. Besides, it's easier taking photos through a window! I kept my alcohol intake low during the whole weekend: one sip of white wine and one sip of vodka/fanta. And yes, it should be said in that order: it was strong stuff!!

The evening was spent in a good way as well. I took lots of photos during the weekend and during the evening I had my camera with me again. Not always used by me, two others would take it occasionally as well. Which resulted in some photos of me as well, which is always good.

The return was a bit of a dreary and quiet affair. Dreary because of the rain and quiet because most were trying to recover from the day before. Football aches and pains and a glass or two of whatever their tipple was does that to a person. We got dinner as well, so no need to get out plan B when I got home. The weekend ended with a bit of television. Unfortunately there seemed to be some unsettled weather in England, since it was difficult to get any channels properly. 

Brom on the road again

Coocoo

It was time for the annual Tide Games and this time I was allowed to come! I was so excited, because Mara had made me another great outfit! A Viking outfit!! Because this year everybody was supposed to come as Vikings. Mara didn't make it in time to make one for herself though, only making a felt helmet. 

First though, we had to drive to Voss. We would go by bus and I was allowed to sit in the window almost the whole time. I saw a lot of trees, mountains, apples and even snow! It was great fun, even if the driver would make me tip over occasionally! 

We got to the hotel and went up to our rooms, before Mara went down to have dinner. Without me, but I didn't mind, the bed was very comfy. When Mara came back after dinner, she wanted me to put my Viking outfit on, but she couldn't find my suitcase anywhere.

In the end she went downstairs and she found it at reception. It had been there for hours. It's a good thing nobody else had the same suitcase or I wouldn't have had anything to wear... As it was, everything was still in the suitcase and I put on my outfit. Mara then found some (fake) fur and made me pose for some photos.

Helping out the goalie

The next day was the day of the Games. This year there weren't as many people in our team and the football team had a bit of difficulty finding a keeper, but the managed eventually. The first game was won easily (the other time didn't show) and then came the second game. 

Someone get me out!!

I was helping the goalie (Mara says that's what they are called), but it was quite scary, even with helmet and shield! In the end I just sat in front of one of the goalposts. 

Me and the team!

We won the second game as well (10-2) and then went on to the semi-final. It was hard and tough, but me and the rest of the team did really well, and in the end we won 7-4. We were in the final! And we had to play the final against the same team we had already beaten!! Well, we won again and we were the champions. Everybody said I did a really good job, even the keeper from the other team gave me a kiss for helping his team out!!

After all that I needed a bit of a rest before we were going to dinner. Mara had brought my kilt along and that's what I wore to the gala dinner. 

We had a great table and somebody made sure I had a great view!! There was good food and a lot of laughs and then there were the prizes: 

the football cup, which was so heavy I couldn't lift it [it was actually very heavy], chocolates for a colleague of Mara's who had been hurt during the heat of the game and a golden bus prize for one of the teamleaders. He wasn't there to pick up his prize, but we clapped and cheered anyway!

Viking Mara and Viking Brom

In the end Mara took me up to the room, because I was very very tired. It was a great day. The next day we took it easy. We went home again and it was raining all the way. Which was a bit of a shame, but I enjoyed the trip anyway.

Photo on Sunday 2015-31

More stories and photos to follow!!

Photo on Sunday 2015-30

She was happy when I got back from my holiday and stayed closer to me during the day and even to some degree during the night. 

She was not so happy with me the other day. She had been allowed to stay out all day, but since I was at work and couldn't let her in... The weather had turned a bit and she was hungry. She was not happy!!!

September

Incredibly enough it's already September. How the time has flown these past few months. A little update first: the headache I had had nothing to do with migraines or chocolate or cheese or wind or sun or anything like that. It was a good-old fashioned show of: you are ill, you should stay home. Because, I basically... ehm... was ill. Still not completely better, but much better than last week anyway. 

I spent two days at home feeling sick/not so sick before going back to work. All the while coughing my lungs out as well, because I had noticed some fluid in my windpipe (I could hear it) and I wanted to get it out. I don't think I quite managed that, but my voice is nice and deep now (!). 

In other news: Brom and I will soon be on the road again. To the annual Tide Games to Voss in Norway. I have been there twice already (I won for the best hat in the first year and the best horse in the second year), but Brom has never been! And since it involves a stay-over (well, two really), he will be coming along. 

The first year I was dressed like my clothes cabinet had exploded on me: colours everywhere. Last year we were supposed to be cowboys and -girls. And this year? Vikings!! Which means that tomorrow (when I am off) I will need to go shopping and get some Viking gear. I am making something for Brom as well, but I won't show until. 

I had planned on making some jam. Either raspberry jam or blackberry jam. The raspberries were nearly gone though, I found one here and one there, but not enough to make an eggcup of jam, let alone a pot! The blackberries weren't ripe yet. They did tear down some of the blackberry bushes though, which wasn't very nice, but at least now I can get at them a bit easier. I think I will have to wait another week or so and then I can make some blackberry jam. 

My apple harvest this year consist of no apples. There was plenty of blossom on the tree in spring, but the weather then turned so bad with so much wind that the bees never got a look-in and didn't get the chance to pollinate. The plum harvest is a bit bigger, but I will be lucky if I can make a small pot of jam of the whole harvest! 

Well, that was me in a nutshell.