Happy New Year

Happy 2007...

Snow It Is Then...

Just a few weeks ago (actually, it is exactly a month today, but it sounds better with the term "a few weeks ago") I wished for winter, and now it has officially arrived. Last week, the night before Tuesday to be correct, we got a (approximately) 35 cm white layer of wonderful snowflakes coming down covering our habitat. Everything turned white and heavily covered with cold snow - and even though children (and everyone who feels like one) are happy like all supporters of the football-club FK Viking of Stavanger today Monday 6 November 2006, it also brings along the (by so many) loathed activity of moving snow from one place to another (i.e. from footpaths, roads, parking lots and such simply to ease accessibility to mentioned areas) I guess we'll all be better off if we just breathe in the cooler air, put on our woolen hats and gloves - and deal with it...

On the positive side - to those who long for spring (already) - today it was around +5 degrees, so a lot of the snow has taken the shape of water again, disappearing down into the ground or wherever it goes... Despite this current rise in temperature I am sorry to remind that it will be winter for at least the next 4 months. Yes, I am Norwegian, we do talk about the weather. However, that´s what we do up here... Enjoy the snow, enjoy winter!

Lemon

Lemonsjøen Alpinsenter, Randsverk, Norway. Mountains and clouds - summer 2006.

Snow, soon? (Patience Is My Weapon)

Any snow this year? I know it is a bit early to talk about winter - but hey, who knows when these white, delicate things are going to start landing on us from above... It is now October; petrol stations and their alikes have started filling up (hah, did you get the pun..?) shelves with marcipane-pigs and chocolate-covered xmas marcipane candies (actually they started in September!)...so it really ought to start snowing? This little cow on the photo above is not worried about being covered in chocolate (or snow..), but she sure liked the view from her window last winter. Milky-white snow somehow relaxes her... But it is not too hilarious with that marcipane entering shops already though, it is waaay too early for xmas-candies. December will be here soon enough - pigs (made of marcipane) should wait a little bit longer... Therefore I urge you all NOT to buy any until the 1st of December!

Listening to: Tindersticks: "Desperate Man" - (Curtains), Lucinda Williams: "Those Three Days" (World Without Tears), Steve Earle: "Goodbye" (Train a comin´), Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas: "Claudja" (Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas), Yann Tiersen: "La Redécouverte" (Amélie, soundtrack). Just watched: Seinfeld on TV3, and these days I am reading: Haruki Murakami "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman" and Bill Bryson "A Short History of Nearly Everything". "Soon" I will be working on my website: www.degarden.net - still not finished as (patience is my weapon)...

(Also should have been doing: Organising papers (to be delivered) to my accountant, but somehow it is being delayed due to all the other things I am occupied with... :-)

Patience is my weapon...

3. August 2006

On a wet and windy day this August I went for a stroll along the beach outside La Couarde-sur-mer. The beauty of the sea is especially evident on days like these. The sky and the sea become one. Even though most of my previous sejours spent at Ile de Ré have been dominated by sunny skies and high temperatures, I really like the rainy days there as well. And if winds in the year ahead are on my side, I´ll be returning to Ré next summer. It is a very special place. A bientôt!

Ile de Ré

I came back Friday from Ile de Ré after travelling by car (Melissa & Davy), train (TGV), bus (Autobus), plane (SAS Braathens), train (NSB) and car (Hans Ole, courtesy of Kari Anne). In between these sessions of transportation I certainly did some walking (albeit no running!!), so after getting up at 06H00 in the morning at the French island in the Bay of Biscay it was nice enjoying a beer and two glasses of wine on the terrasse at #18 after coming home around 18H30. This holiday has brought me to Switzerland for five days and France for seven, so I am tres content with my summer-break. Spending time with Ina is always great. Enjoying french cuisine (fruits de la mer, des fromages, gateaus), wine, enjoyable company - and as said hanging around with my daughter - is a pleasing way to spend a holiday. And although I am not the biggest fan of sandy beaches (way too much sand that gets stuck everywhere...), I really do love swimming in the sea, searching the beach for beautiful shells and simply admiring the vast ocean. Now, returned to the Norwegian summer (which is still very much here), I went for a swim in Norway's largest lake (again) yesterday - regarding the temperature in the water; we must be talking records. Very comfortable - and thoroughly refreshing in the warm weather we're still blessed with. Summer is certainly not over yet, but we all know it can quickly change...

Thalwil - Zürich

Just back from Thalwil/Zürich. Went to pick up my daughter, and we had some nice days in a very, very warm Switzerland. Followed her to school the two last days before her summer vacation started.

In the river

Today I went for a swim in the river - for the first time this summer. The weather has been very nice this last period here in Norway, so the temperature in the water was close to 20C. It was very refreshing - so too for Frida, my friend´s Golden Retriever. Summer is a good thing, a very very good thing. I wish it could be more of it... Next week I go to see my daughter in Thalwil (Switzerland), before we travel back to Norway for a nice vacation. I am happy as a dog in the river on a very hot day!

My week at my "cinema"

It has been a quiet week guarding the night here at the hotel, so I have taken advantage of our excellent facilities, watching four films in our only "local cinema" (for members only though...). Had some DVDs at home that really needed to be seen, so in the following order I have updated myself with these gems: The Constant Gardener / Bin Jip / Det Levende Slottet (Hauru no Ugoku Shiro) / Le déclin de l'empire Américain

Someone must take care of the night, while everyone else is sleeping...

View from my window

View from my window, February 2006. Winter has been winter this season. You can´t ask more. The remarkable effects of the changing of seasons is the best feature of this country, and I would think it is like this in other countries at similar latitudes around our planet. Right now I am looking forward to going to Lemonsjøen tomorrow. Departure will be at 08H55, 2 April 2006. I will be awake, I will have had my breakfast: 1/3 juice of a grapefruit and 2/3 orange, two pieces of toasted bread with St. Agur and a large mug of tea.

Do not underestimate Massive Attack, Madrugada, Josh Rouse and the mighty Tom Waits. Respect and understanding. Good night and good morning!

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Born 250 years ago today. Vielen dank!

7 år

Gratulerer med 7-års dagen Ina!

Films 2005 continued - etc.etc.etc.

Concerning my previous post (december 2005) I have now had time to (sort of) catch up on my miserable "cinema-life". Not that I have been able to update so many of the holes from "myfilmfailures..2005" - but at least I have been to the cinema twice over the holidays. I saw "King Kong" and "The Legend of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe" within a period of 24 hours as a much needed break in this rather "festive" season. In addition to cinema-activity i have also watched "The Aviator", "Ghost Dog: The Way of The Samurai", "Kung Fu Hustle", "Hitch" (well, of course it counts - Eva Mendes is in it) on DVD... so I feel a little bit better about it now - still have to keep on updating though...

Last night I put my Orhan Pamuk "Mitt Navn Er Karmosin" (original title: "Benim adim Kirmizi") on hold, to read my new-bought book by Jo Nesbø "Frelseren". It was (as usual with Nesbø) extremely captivating as a crime-novel - no, actually; as a Book, and I managed to read it through from 19H00 to 05H00 in the morning (yes, I admit that I am still on some sort of vacation after the holidays - read: working on my projects when I am not sleeping or seeing friends). So culturally it has been a good start to my 2006 - I believe it continues. Now I have to get some more sketches done for a new project - in addition to finishing some of my files/projects that follows me from last year - so I´ll stop now...

The house on the photo is december at one of my neighbour´s house, seen from my window. Winter in the inland lake-districts of Norway. Cold but beautiful.

"Sweet Jane" (Lou Reed) with the Cowboy Junkies playing in my ears (mind and heart), Sufjan Stevens "For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti" is a fantastic piece of work - and what a songtitle! "Ghost of a Shark" by Tom McRae is dark, yet utterly uplifting, and I think life is going to be marvellous - not all of it, of course - but good things do come at intervals. "Somebody Got Murdered" by Matthew Ryan is a fantastic cover of The Clash, and now I have to stop.