H2O

As I occasionally do, I take a shower. Wash my hair, wash my body and finish with my face. As I was getting in the shower this morning, I noticed the water wasn't as abundant as usual. I grabbed my shampoo, washed my hair and noticed in the mean time, there was less and less water. I managed to get my hair shampoo free before the water became a mere trickle and then stopped.

I live in a cottage in the Norwegian countryside. There are many fantastic birds here, lately I have been spotting a deer when I drive to work early in the morning, it's quiet during the night, it has a view to the sea. And now?

No water. The water pump was making some funny noises last night and I now think it was because there was no water to pump up from wherever the water comes from. I got some 5 liter bottles of water today to help me with the important things, like washing hands, brushing teeth and making tea. I would have liked some more rain (I know!), but alas, nice weather is expected!! 

Of course I have tried to get in touch with my landlady, but I have the funny feeling she might actually be on holiday and has her phone turned off! Which is annoying to say the least, since I don't know what's going on and she might. 

In the near future, water will be preserved: the last drops of drinking water will not be thrown out, washing hands water will be used to 'flush' the loo and no washing up I am sorry to say.

Isn't life in the Norwegian countryside a blast??

Food

I like to cook. Honestly, I do. I don't do it very often, but when I do: culinary high lights! Well, perhaps not that exactly, but I haven't poisoned anybody yet!

With my parents here last week I had to cook. Every day, apart from the day we spent in Bergen, where we ate out. On my birthday (Sunday) I made my own birthday dinner: potato wedges, sausages and cooked cauliflower including a 'papje' (a cornflour and milk sauce). Monday saw me make pizza à la Mara. On Tuesday we ate out. Wednesday was a day for chicken wings and potato wedges. Thursday was salmon, boiled potatoes and salad and Friday I made pancakes. 

As for desserts? Well, yoghurt most days, but also rhubarb crumble and apple crumble. Plus I made apple pie for my birthday. 

I hope I can continue cooking for myself. But I fear it will become very boring eating my michelin starred food on my own and I will return to easy food. Microwave dinners and the like. Perhaps I just have to invite people over!

PS: I of course didn't take any photos of the food I made, so two photos of what we encountered in Skudenes last Friday instead.

Language

Reading the comments by my friend Pepperfly on my post about Wuppie, I had to laugh. Any language is difficult. But there is of course a difference between decaptiovating, decaptivating and decapitating. The first one is a misspelling of decaptivating and that is the wrong word if you are talking about 'off with his head'. Although...

This post is however not about heads coming off. It's about a conversation I had a few weeks ago. As you know I was able to speak French again with somebody from Morocco. If I couldn't remember the word and spoke Norwegian it wasn't a problem: she spoke Norwegian as well. After a while however, we decided to continue our conversation in Norwegian: a bit nicer to the people sitting around us. 

At one point she was describing having to use medication for some ache or pain and since she couldn't take the ordinary oral route, it had to be rectal. So far, so good. I understood what she meant to say, but now we had to think of the Norwegian word for a pill up your backside. I thought I knew the English/French word, but couldn't get any further than suppo... which was not much help. Fortunately she came up with the word: strikkepinne. Sounds good doesn't it? Although, sticking one of those up your behind might cause a whole new pain, since it's a knitting needle!

We were in fits of laughter, but still didn't know the real word. Realising I couldn't find the English/French word and she couldn't find the proper Norwegian version, we decided to ask her husband. Who told us it was a stikkpille. Well, it sounds like the strikkepinne doesn't it? Honest mistake... 

(About three days later I finally came up with the English term: suppository and the French version would have been suppositoire)

Photo on Sunday 2013-14

What with being back online I thought I would go back to posting for Photo on Sunday as well. This time not a photo that I took, but one that was taken by my good friend Pepperfly of my/their cat Wuppie. 

I just wonder what he has in his sight...

Last day

 

Yesterday was the last day my parents were here and the weather was beautiful. So, we decided we would go and visit Skudenes on the southern-most tip of the island of Karmøy where I live. Because there was a festival going on there, we didn't really think the car would be a good idea, so we took the bus. Giving my parents the time to enjoy the surroundings and the smell of stale alcohol (the men sitting behind them).

Skudenes was filled with market stalls, big and small boats and a lot of people. After we had strolled through that part, entering every single antiques shop (and I use that term quite loosely), we sat down to enjoy some waffles, fish soup and bacalao. The last one is not native to Norway, hailing from the Mediterranean, but I like it. And so did my dad when he tasted it. 

After the sit-down we strolled a bit further, this time through the old 'town'. And a lovely quaint part of town that was! With more antique shops, so me and my mother were happy. There were lovely houses, lovely gardens and lovely other things as well. We made our way to the view point which gave us a lovely view over both Skudenes and the North Sea. And then we walked down to the quay where a bus was waiting already that could take us home again. 

A lovely day!

Woman at work

Working in the garden is not normally something that is seen by many other people. Mainly because I live alone and nobody will stop their car to gaze admiringly at my handiwork. Or not admiringly for that matter. Anyhoo...

I have visitors right now in the form of a paternal and a maternal unit. Otherwise known as Papa and Mama. And since yesterday was a dry day, although very cloudy, I had to work in the garden again. I got out the mower and the strimmer and the rake. Exclaimed over the lack of wheel barrow and set to work. Back and forth over the lawn in my lovely bright pink boots. Until the battery was dead. 

In the mean time my father was busy pulling out the big weeds that surrounded my parking area. Even though I live on my own, there is space to park at least four, possibly six cars around my property! Ridiculous really, but it gives me enough choice to park where I want. 

Note the boots!

After my dad was done pulling weeds (he is getting on a bit and shouldn't do too much) and the strimmer was put to one side because of grrrr moments while using it, I only had to wait a few more minutes before the battery to the mower was charged and I could continue mowing the lawn. I was even able to do a part I hadn't gotten to before and while working there I spotted something I wanted: a wheel barrow. This place certainly gives me lovely surprises at times!

Talking of surprises by the by: I knew I had an apple tree in my garden, but according to my mum I also have two cherry trees and two plum trees. Plus I have chives, lovage and probably some other edibles as well. 

42 (and a bit)

Last Saturday was a day on which I had to some shopping and some serious cleaning. Fortunately my parents weren't due to arrive until late in the evening, so plenty of time to clean! Yippee... Anyway, by the time I had cleaned everything, there was still enough time to watch television and wait for my parents to arrive. Which finally happened at around 10.45pm. They had found my home in one go. 

My mum exclaimed over the house, my dad exclaimed a bit over the low ceilings (especially upstairs). But in short: they liked the place. Wouldn't be a place where they would want to live, but that's good, since I wouldn't want them to live here anyway!!

Sunday was an easy day. I made dinner, baked an apple pie, we did some sightseeing (only some), we watched some television. No Wimbledon for my mum, but they could see some Tour de France. A film out of my vast collection and the day was almost over. The day on which I turned 42!

Monday was a bad weather day. Rain and wind and we decided we would go to the shopping center. After all we are Dutch, so we don't (yet) go with the whole 'outdoor in all types of weather' craze they have here! However we had seen Tuesday would be a nice day, so I checked at what time the boat and the bus would run and decided to visit Bergen, the city with the slogan: It rains in Bergen. It didn't! 

My parents had wanted to see Bergen and I didn't mind seeing it again, so on Tuesday we headed to the quay in Haugesund to take the three hour journey by fast ferry to Bergen. It was a nice ride, although a bit boring. In Bergen we had lunch, saw the Hanseatic houses, went up the mountain with the funiculaire and had dinner, before heading back to the busstation to start the three hour journey back, this time by bus.

Yesterday (Wednesday) was another rain day and we mostly stayed in. I did venture out for a bit on my own to do some necessary shopping and I (finally) got my internet router.

All in all a quiet week. Today we wanted to work in the garden, but there is a threat of rain and the grass is still wet, so...

Ice

Well, it took some time. Almost two months in fact, but I finally got back online in the privacy of my own home. Me not having any credit rating because I haven't been here long enough turned out to be the main problem. Well, when added to general not doing much about getting internet that is. 

But I now have internet again. Ice cold internet I have to add. Since my provider is called Ice! So, expect some more stories on this blog again soon. Starting from tomorrow I think. Because after all, I am on holiday now!!!

The bird

As I looked out of my bedroom window the other night, I saw this huge bird (in my eyes anyway) standing on the rock across the road. I ran for my camera hoping it would still be there when I got it and I was lucky. It was. I took the photo and ever since I have been wondering what type of bird it was. Was it a typical Norwegian bird or was it more European and international?

Since I couldn't find it online and none of my colleagues knew, they only thing for it was to facebook the photo and hope for an answer. Well, I got answers allright! Anything from snipe and northern lapwing to heron and stork! Of course I should have only asked my friend Pepperfly because she might just be omniscient and she said it was a (Eurasian) curlew. Which it is!

It is a migratory bird, so quite international. Like me. It likes invertebrates, but will also eat earth worms and small crabs if the opportunity arises. Unlike me. Not too fond of the earth worms!

Anyway, now I know. Life in Norway, isn't it great?

Little update

No, I still don't have my own internet and it might actually be my own fault. Something to do with mail and things: I had been sent a letter instead of them calling me! Of course the letter didn't arrive and I never knew anything about them not being able to offer me internet. Which means that none of the other providers will be able either. Apart from one, which I will have to phone tomorrow. Hopefully they can help me. Otherwise I will scream!

*****

On Saturday we had a staff surprise party. Gathering at a pub, taking a boat and going to one of the islands near to Haugesund. We had Bacalao (something Spanish/Norwegian with fish that apparently not many Norwegians like) and we saw the St Hans fire. St Hans is the Norwegian Midsummer. In my mind Midsummer is on the same day all over the Northern Hemisphere, but not according to Norwegians. They celebrate it on June 23rd!

While at the party I talked French with the wife of one of my colleagues. Apart from a few slip-ups I was alright. And if the slip-ups were in Norwegian, it wasn't a big problem: she speaks Norwegian as well! I was happy to be able to get proper sentences out though, very relieved. 

*****

Talking about languages: I finished my Norwegian course. Honestly, I don't feel I learned that much, partly to do with the fact that I was faster than the other three (they had only been in Norway over 10 years each), both in understanding and writing. Partly to do with the fact that we only really had three months. Ah well, the teacher gave me some course work that I could do at home, so that is good. 

*****

My furniture is finally all gathered in one place again. There was a bit of huffing and puffing and occasional swearing while we were trying to get some things upstairs, but we managed. The big dresser I used to have in the living room is now in the hallway and it is a bit big. It fits and there is enough space left, it just looks too much. The daughter of my helping friend might be interested and she can have it, no money asked!

The large wardrobe is still in pieces and will remain that way: there is no way I can put it together upstairs and having a wardrobe in the hallway is just silly. The wood is still good though, so I might actually use it to make some bookcases. Use the doors as the sides and the remaining wood as the shelves. 

*****

First however there is one more week of work to go. And when I say work, I mean work. Long hours, short breaks. Ah well, it keeps me out of trouble. I hope! On Saturday evening I will get my first visitors to my new home: the parental units. They will be driving up to Norway, which means I have sent them quite a wish list of things to take along to me. Stroopwafels and custard powder amongst them.