Photo on Sunday 2013-19

Do I really need to say something about this view from my living room? No, I didn't think so either...

'Rain'

Over the past week and a half we have had some strange weather here in Norway. At least the West coast where I reside. Like the past weekend. Friday had been awfully hot and the expectations had been that early Saturday morning (basically the middle of the night) there would be thunderstorms and a lot of rain. A great deal of rain! But I slept soundly and when I woke up to go to work, the roads were dry and the sky wasn't clear, but it wasn't threatening either.

Only an hour or so later it changed. The professed rain was arriving! And my did it arrive! Within minutes of the rain starting, rivers came down the road. Swirling water where it would go down into the sewage system, deep puddles and even bigger splash-ups while driving through said puddles. 

It seemed to come down in waves though. It would ease off for a few minutes and then a new load would be coming down. The photo was take from the bus during a lull. It was still raining, but not as heavily. This brave man is holding an umbrella, but I know from experience that that was quite futile, since there was quite a bit of wind as well!

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Herman

I like meeting up with friends. Either at a restaurant, or at home, or on top of a mountain! It's fun. One of my friends makes absolutely yummy cakes. But... so do I! For the Eurovision party I had (which nobody but me watched by the way), I made a Dutch apple pie. And they loved it! So, I decided to make another one and have an apple pie night. 

Now, I needed to invite some of my new friends. After all, having a lovely apple pie and then having to eat it all by myself is not nice. I started asking people over. Some of my female friends, some of my male colleagues. 

One of those colleagues is Polish. He isn't that fluent yet in Norwegian. But I like him, he is nice, he is funny and I feel he needs a bigger dose of Norwegian. I invited him along for my Wednesday apple pie night. In Norwegian Wednesday is onsdag. Sunday is søndag. He understood Sunday. And as I was watching a film last night, I saw him coming of the bus. 

We had a nice evening. He told me about how he got to live in Norway, a bit about his wife and daughters, about his home, about his life in general. He might not be able to come on Wednesday, but one piece of apple pie will certainly be going to Herman*!

*Herman is not his real name. But since he looks a lot like a Dutch comedian called Herman, I tend to call him Herman, before calling him by his real name!

Photo on Sunday 2013-18

As I was sitting behind my computer the other day I looked up and saw this vessel come past. I wonder what 'new' country he will be looting, pillaging and plundring! Of course I couldn't really get a nice photo from inside (I tried), so I had to go outside, walk a bit down the road and try again. 

By then he was already moving off into the distance. Ready to conquer!

'Modern'

A few years ago I was driving for the Airforce Days in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. Since we had to cross several canals there were also several bridges and this one bridge had to come up to let some boat or other through. It was very wonky and crooked and modern looking and where I normally don't take photos of bridges, I did take one of this one. 

This is my 60th entry for Photo Theme for Thursday. Why not join?

I wonder a bit more...

I have always wondered why women wear red shoes. Now, I probably will insult somebody here, but honestly: why?? Don't get me wrong, red shoes can be great. On Dorothy for example, even if FLB had her wear silver ones.  

Other than that? Stay away from them! Don't wear them! Don't even buy them! They are ugly about 99,99% of the time.  

I recently bought a really nice black dress. I needed shoes to go with it. So today I bought a pair of high heeled black leather ones. Really pretty.

Oh, and the ones in the photo! 

Summer

I spent a few of my summers in countries other than my homecountry. I spent a few weeks in Belgium in my not quite youth. I can't remember it raining once. Then I spent a summer in Yugoslavia, where it rained every Tuesday it seemed. A summer on Sicily, where the only rain that fell was so-called ghost rain: you could see it fall, but it was so hot that it would evaporate before falling on our heads. And then, a few summers in England. Which wasn't as bad as people usually say it is. At least I can't remember it being so. 

I have now moved to Norway. Live in a lovely cottage in the Norwegian countryside (I might have mentioned this before). And it's summer. Summer as in summer in Norway. Nothing like the 40+ degrees we had on Sicily, or even the 30+ of Yugoslavia. Summer in Norway is 17 to 23 degrees. Day time temperatures not changing that much during the night. But just because the temperatures are summery, it doesn't mean the weather necessarily is. 

Last week we had a few glorious days. Which ended on Sunday with some heavy rainfall. Then yesterday a lot of wind. And this morning a massive thunderstorm, which actually shook the house! But inbetween the weather is nice. Sunshine, nice temperatures and racing clouds. Plus an occasional day where you can sit in the sun and enjoy summer. In Norway!!!

Photo on Sunday 2013-17

Two years ago I drove 40 Dutch scouts from the Netherlands to Denmark and then on to Sweden for the World Scouting Jamboree. Great fun. And I remember that while I was driving through the south of Sweden, that it was a beautiful piece of the world. And why, if that part of the world was already so beautiful and Norway would be even beautifuller (yes, yes, I know), would I want to move to Canada? Those were my honest thoughts. Albeit in Dutch. Of course. 

Well, I moved to Norway in the end. Where it's beautiful. But in September I will be back in that little bit of Sweden to enjoy it some more. This time courtesy of my new friends who have invited me over for a girly week. So, an older photo this week of the landmark tower of Malmö. Where I think we will be flying to. And I hope I will get some more and clearer shots of this tower and lots more besides!

July 27th, 2009

Debbie (Just Breathe) asked a question on Facebook yesterday: what did you blog about 4 years ago? I just had to check it out of course. Because I might have been away on a trip to somewhere nice. I might have enjoyed a lovely day in. I might have experienced something profound and thought provoking. 

I blogged about a slug! An ordinary ucky yucky slug! 

That will teach me...

Original post

I wonder...

I wonder about myself at times. Why do I do the things I do. Why did I move to a little cottage in the Norwegian countryside for example. Don't get me wrong: I love living here. Hardly any traffic, beautiful views, great garden.

Hold on, did I just write great garden? See, that's why I wonder about myself! Because yes, the garden is great, but it's not great at all! It's big that's what it is. It's a place where runaway cows think they can drop their shit (literally: three big ones I found while mowing). It's a place crawling with crawlies. And not only the crawling variety either. Also the flying versions. Small white butterflies that I bet aren't butterflies at all, just look like that. Bees and wasps. Horseflies (thanks to Bessie and her mates) and all sorts of other assorted flying uckinesses. 

But if you have to mow the lawn, you have to mow the lawn. And when the battery is dead, you might as well trim the trees around the bins. Make them accessible again. That's when it must have happened.

I don't know whether it's animal, vegetable or mineral, I only know it's weird. As I was washing my hands (I needed a drink), I looked into the mirror and saw my right arm was sweating. I tried to wipe it off and... nothing! It didn't come off, since it isn't sweat. Looking closely it looks more like small blisters. It doesn't hurt. So, now I have my shoulder covered with blisters of some sort. 

I wonder...

PS: I tried to take a photo, but of course that didn't work!