The Mad Red Motherf**ker World Tour.
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Yeah, very cool pics, pizza looks delicious - Happy New Year to you all x x x
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Wow Reuben, going all out on your leg! Field trips, food, beer, family! Great stuff man
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Wow Reuben, going all out on your leg! Field trips, food, beer, family! Great stuff man
Thank you, thank you…
It's like bloody monsoon season here. We've had five days of gale force winds, thunder, lightning and heavy rain so wearing the jacket to work hasn't been on the cards. Tomorrow, I hope.
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It's like bloody monsoon season here. We've had five days of gale force winds, thunder, lightning and heavy rain so wearing the jacket to work hasn't been on the cards. Tomorrow, I hope.
I'm probably not alone in being horrified and saddened by the fires raging in Australia, but climate change is wreaking havoc with this tour too (tongue only gently inserted into the oral cavity behind my cheek
).Traditionally the north Norwegian coast experiences some storms in January. Strong winds from the Atlantic sweeps in, southerly low pressure winds may bring some rain, northerly winds normally signify arctic low pressure and bring cold weather and white outs. But in-between the one or two we normally get, then you can count on light skies and crisp, white snow. Air so cold you can see the moisture crystallising before you, and when you breathe it it burns a little. -5C to -15C is normal.
January 2020 has had only two days with sub zero temps and has at times been up to 6-7C. The northerly winds bring sleet and freezing rain, the southerlies are just rather bloody wet. And it has been wet a lot. Record levels of precipitation, and not a dry day all month. Add to that storm force winds that can blow for days and it is just grim. All of this means that not only is The Jacket not getting much wear, there isn't much going on outside of the house.
Yesterday it cleared up a little for two hours and I went out in the neighbourhood with the little guys for some relief. We saw a sea eagle only 20m over our heads, it circled for five minutes, surrounded by upset crows. The boys were in their rain gear and waded through icy puddles up to their waists, having great fun in the process. Eddie (soon to be 3-years old), threw a large rock at me. It hit me square in the knackers and floored me for three full minutes. We laughed (well Eddie and Alfred did, I sobbed). I also forget to take my fucking phone with me, hence the poetry in lieu of proper artwork.
So a mixture of zeitgeist-y manmade global warming, and my own incompetence, means the middle section of this leg has been a bit of a wash out (excuse the pun). I'm crossing my fingers for a turnaround, otherwise I'll have to resort to shots of me standing mournfully in front of my window, holding the jacket while staring at the bleak, unremitting, grey-black sky, the maelstrom swirling, unseen, yet menacing. On a daily fucking basis
These are from Wednesday, at 3pm…
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I once had a roommate who proclaimed that one thing, and only one thing, has been funny throughout human history- other dudes getting smacked in the nads. I think Jake was probably right…
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The weather forecast promised a let up in the rain, and something resembling clear skies, and it delivered. On a Saturday too. So despite the -15c effective temperature, Hot Ingrid and I took the boys down to town for a walk around the småbåthavna (literally “small boat harbour”.
We’re still at that time of the year when the sun doesn’t rise, but what a difference the lack of cloud cover makes. We left the house around noon when the sun was at it’s “highest”:
And came home three hours later:
In between we had a lovely walk. It was great to be outside in the cold air and by the water.
The harbour is encircled by a breakwater that we can walk along. It is lined by a cracking bit of municipal art. Some guy come upon the idea of mounting big bits of locally mined granite on the sea wall. They have been drilled in such a way that the sea wind would whistle through the resulting holes. Of course it doesn’t work. They look pretty good against the winter sky though
The kids loved it and even in town there’s a lot of local beauty to appreciate.
As we walked along the breakwater we were followed in by the coastal express (Hurtigruta). This service has run for over a hundred years, carrying goods and passengers. It does that still but doubles as a tourist cruise as well.
From there we went to the local library for some arts and crafts, and sticky buns.
It’s a fantastic building, the architects made amazing use of light, both inside and outside.
Town was looking lovely in the 3pm dusk when we left…
Then home for a beer…
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Nice update mate. You live in a truly beautiful place
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Nice update mate. You live in a truly beautiful place
I do, but please note the bit about 17 days straight of pissing down rain, howling winds and blizzards.
If you ever feel the need then feel free to bring the fam up for a holiday and a look around in person.
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And the second time I admire your libary @neph93 .
„…luminosity of the Nordic summer night...“
Even the Guardian has an article of this beaty.It really is a great building and we’re lucky to have it. Importantly, it also offers a lot of wonderful activities, making it a favourite for those with kids.
But loads of other great stuff goes on too. I’m proud to say I gave a lecture there once, about four years ago, on the Joy Division album «Unknown Pleasures»
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Lovely update @neph93 !!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Beautiful day @neph93 -looks like you're trying Hot Ingrids patience in the last photo
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Sunday funday! New storm front coming in tonight, so we made the most of the lighter weather and went up the cabin.
This morning I made “solboller” (rough translation, “sun-buns”. A kids favourite and traditional mid-winter fare while waiting for the sun to return. It’s simple stuff, first make a straightforward sweet dough:
Freshly risen dough is almost as satisfying as well worn denim:
Then make a space for some vanilla creams and fill them:
Bake:
And while that is happening make some royal icing. I took them up to the cabin with the little guys to see the in-laws.
The cabin is a little higher up so the snow doesn’t get washed away quite as easily. It is still bizarre that the lake isn’t totally frozen over in January. Local heads say they can’t remember the last time that happened. Still beautiful though…
My nieces were there too so my father-in-law held court and entertained them:
Still cold enough for this:
We walked down to the nearby stables while eating icicles. Obviously…
I’ve no idea if we’re allowed to do this stuff but Ingrid’s Dad just assumes we are [emoji28]
Then back home to ice the buns:
The kids seemed happy with the result…
We chilled out for the rest of the day..
Ate some dinner and drove back down to town in time to watch the mighty redmen batter some crap team from a crappy town up the canal, all the while singing “Who the f**k are Man Utd”? [emoji3166]
Pretty good day on the whole [emoji3526]
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Fantastic photos, @neph93 - the view from the cabin looks very different from when we were there late July!
Amazing buns BTW
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@Madame:
Fantastic photos, @neph93 - the view from the cabin looks very different from when we were there late July!
Amazing buns BTW
The buns were pretty great I have to say…
Yes the difference is quite dramatic. Still a lovely place to be and it gets very cosy inside. Wonderful to be able to come into the warmth after being out in the snow and look out over the lake. I was having lots of fond flashbacks to our time up there in the summer.
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Sitting here in front of my laptop, hungry with just a cup of coffee… and then those buns ???
Whenever you're in the area @Chap then give me a couple of hours notice and I will oblige you. We have some good coffee making facilities around here too (and some great raw material for making sashimi).
