'Blue'

This week's prompt was blue and although I could have posted my blue plum jam, I decided against it. Even if it tastes lovely! Instead I decided on this photo taken in our accommodation before my last hike (the fumes one). It's the door to the dining/breakfast room and it's... well... blue! So, I think that passes muster!

This is my 64th entry for Photo Theme for Thursday. Why not join? 

Plums

Unfortunately one of the pots cracked and was a lost cause!

As you know I have several fruit trees in the garden. And when the fruit is ripe, you have to do something with it. So, I picked all the blue plums (not that many) and made two pots of blue plum jam and a pot of blue plums in red wine sauce. I then went out and started picking the red plums. Filled one container after the other before I got the bucket out. Which I filled twice! 

There is also that many on the ground in my garden and probably that many still on the tree. Although, while I was picking, a flock of birds had already taken up residence and was feasting away as well. Besides, someone came and stole plums. About half a carrier bag. And then wanted to pay for them, which defeats the stealing tastes better than paying purpose. (I knew who they were, they had asked permission to steal!)

On Sunday I made more plumjam. Nine pots to be exact. They are all about half a liter (a pint), so they are quite big. But I have to admit, it tastes really nice. I only used a masher, so there are quite big bits in them, but I like it like that!

I still have about half a bucket left and have been trying to make plum pie as well. With custard. I finished one cake yesterday (the eating part), but it's only a four piece cake, so it sounds worse than it is. I've decided to take the remainder of the plums into work, since I am getting pretty fed up with plums. 

Tomorrow I will start on the apples. They are not really eating apples, more cooking apples, so it will be apple sauce and apple compote. I might keep some plums, just to make some apple and plum compote. 

Hiking

I have shown you the photos. Of me on hikes. Long walks that lead to milk acid in legs, dizzy heads, blisters and excruciating muscle aches. Long walks that lead to beautiful spots, usually quite high over sea level. But I am not the only one on those hikes. There are loads of Norwegians loving nothing better than going on those hikes.

The brand of chocolate featured in the commercial is a popular brand. I use it when out on hikes. And to get me hiking even more, every single wrapper comes with another tour! All over the country.

That is not the reason I show you this video though. It's more to do with how it looks like when I am out on a hike. The hard terrain, the weather (although I have not yet experienced rain while out on a hike) and the breath-taking scenery.

Norway isn't so bad...

PS: before anybody asks: yes, long woollen underwear is a must in this country! I still have to buy them, although I do own a woollen shirt and woollen socks. They work a treat!

Photo on Sunday 2013-23

Well, I tried. I made my first batch ever... EVER! Jam, of course. That's what I am talking about. There are two pots of jam in the photo (the smaller ones), both blue plumjam and the bigger pot contains blue plums in red wine! I won't show you what the kitchen looked like though. 

Today I will continue with the red plums. A whole bucket full of them, so that will be several pots and then there's a whole bucket still on the tree! I heard you can just freeze them and then make jam whenever you want, but alas, my freezer is not big enough, so immediate jam it will be!

I just hope it all tastes well. Of course I didn't read the whole recipe properly before starting, so it might just be awful. Although the left overs (not enough to fill a pot) taste quite nice. I think I might make some custard tonight and use the left overs for that! Oooh, salivating already!

Going shopping

The other day I wanted to buy something in my local supermarket. But when I got to the register, for some reason the price didn't come up. So, the cashier got up and went on the hunt for the price. Came back and asked me. We went together to where I found the product and looked and looked and looked. No price anywhere. As a matter of fact, there was no such product! 

Now, whenever there is no price available from the barcode, I ask the cashier if the product is free. It never is. They always find a price. This time however? No price and in the end I left with the product and with my money. That's a good day's shopping in my eyes!

Pride in your work

One of my many many jobs

Yesterday I told you a tiny bit about all the jobs I had. And when I say tiny, I mean miniscule. I once made a resumé with all the jobs on. It was over four pages long and only listed, it didn't explain anything. I had to scale it down considerably and am still on two pages!! I might actually tell you some stories pretty soon, since there is so much to tell, but right now I will continue with the thought I had yesterday. 

Now, while I was still living in the Netherlands and working as a coach driver I had to take several courses. Like the one I did on First Aid. The courses had to be taken to get our code 95 as it is named in the Netherlands. Basically, every professional large vehicle driver (goods and people) has to do 35 hours of training every 5 years. Out of those 35 hours, 7 have to be practical. I did 28 hours back in the Netherlands. And then I quit, which meant my boss wasn't going to fork out for the last course. 

When I came to Norway therefore, I had to take the last course, but nooooo, over here they say you have to take the courses within a certain amount of time. Besides I hadn't gotten hold of the official certificates I needed, so I needed to do the whole 35 hours again. This week I finally got to do them. 

Parking. Just not for tanks!

We started on Tuesday, getting through dry laws and how a motor works (I never understood in Dutch, let alone in Norwegian). On Wednesday it was Thursday and we did more laws and more dry stuff. On Thursday it was Wednesday and we got a crash course in CPR and fire fighting, were explained about food and movement, responsibility and tunnels and a few more laws.

Today will be another theory day and then tomorrow will be driving day. And after that I will get my code 95. However, where it is just called code 95 in the Netherlands, here in Norway it is called YSK (Yrkes Sjafør Kompetanse), which translates to Professional Driver Competancy. Doesn't that just sound a whole lot more grown-up and proud? 

I am proud of my work and proud of all I have achieved over the last 14 years. And I am proud to soon be able to have that pride show on my license. 

Careermove

Nursing an aunt with a concussion! Age 15 or 16

Did I ever tell you about my career wishes? About how I wanted to be a nurse since the age of 4? I didn't? Well, that certainly is an oversight on my part. Because I did. Want to be a nurse that is, from the age of 4. Influenced by some sisters of some order or other who were nurses in Upper Volta (Burkina Faso) in Africa. When I was four we had an action week at school and it stuck. I wanted to be a nurse. 

By the age of 15 I didn't anymore. Well, I did and didn't at the same time. I wanted to be a pediatric nurse, but since there are no separate pediatric nurse trainings and I wasn't feeling much for the general side, I lost my interest pretty much. However, all the classes I took were geared towards nursing: mathematics, biology, chemistry. Oh, plus Dutch, English and German. By the time I was 16/17 and trying to get into a course (preferably practical), all the hospitals told me no. They weren't interested, because I wasn't interested. 

One of many excursions during my year at the tourism school

So, it was a career swith. Since we were due to move (which never happened), I looked for and found a school that dealt with tourism. Incoming tourism to be more exact. And from then on my life changed. I failed that course, but by the time I found that out, I was already working in Yugoslavia! My first job since you ask, since I never had any summer or after school jobs. I was too busy doing nothing. 

Fast forward a few years and a few countries (Belgium, Italy, France, England) and I finally moved back home. But after a few years temping and working in such exciting places like a milk powder factory, mail rooms and a biscuit factory, I moved up: a job on the trains, selling snacks and drinks. I had already thought of a different career though: the army! Yes, I wanted to be a driver in the army, despite what my Dad thought about the subject (he was army and thought it was no place for women and if there was: it would be office only. Me and office don't go together). Well, you may realise I never got in. I was mentally okay, but physically? That's a story for another day!

During my first year as a busdriver

My Dad then gave me the only good career advice ever (he had tried once with air hostess, not his best, even he will probably admit): why not try and get your buslicense? And here I am, fourteen and a bit years later, driving a bus for a living. And loving it! Because I love driving and I love interacting with people. I have been all over the place, from as far south as Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast in Italy to north to the Highlands of Scotland. I have been looking at the Atlantic Ocean from Waterville which is situated in the West of Ireland and I have almost been at touching distance to the Polish border in the far East of Germany. 

I have had my palm read by a gypsy in Southern France, walked in mud in Denmark, visited a Champagne house in France, been in a gondola in Venice, saw owls in the Lake District, England and lots and lots more. And for the past 9 months I have been living it up here in Norway. 

In Ireland!

More to come tomorrow!

Glorious food

You may remember I posted a photo a couple of months ago of my face in apple blossoms. But not only do I have an apple tree, I also have two cherry trees and two plum trees. I never saw any of the cherries. Well, on the ground I did, but never hanging ripe in the tree. It was a free buffet for bugs and birds alike I think and maybe even a cow or two (I did after all find some organic fertiliser one day). Mind you, I didn't mind much, since I don't like cherries, so they were quite welcome to them.

The apples and plums however are a different story. And today I was finally able to harvest my first batch of plums. I have two different varieties: a blue version and I think a yellow/red version. The latter isn't yet ripe, the blue ones though are. And they are being eaten as well. By bugs and birds I guess. There are lots on the ground already and I added a few as well: too damaged and eaten already. I did however get a lovely batch of plums to eat myself though. 

The yellow plums are still quite hard and the apples are not quite there yet either. I will need a stepladder to get everything out though: the trees are quite high! There is one question though: what on earth am I going to do with so many plums?? (the apples are not a problem: apple sauce is always good)

Video

Since you might have read my cabotage post before and don't go back every ten minutes to check it out for updates or changes, I thought I would post this video I shot again. It's of the convoy as it was leaving Kopervik on Karmøy. I started shooting this when the first three or four vehicles had already left and I stopped when there was only me and one lorry left (we were the rear).

Photo on Sunday 2013-22

While we drove to our destination last Saturday, we passed the Hardangervidda. A huge area that is quite high up and is absolutely breathtaking. Mind you, I do have a thing for long views that aren't hampered by too many mountains! And if there are no trees, it gets even better (I am funny like that). So, that area was just perfect. 

It had some feeling of The Burren (Ireland), but it was so much bigger and even more impressive! I will definitely go back there some day. The sticks that you see at the side of the road are the road markers, since the weather can be quite treacherous during wintertime.