torshovblog

Gulrotbrød (Carrot Bread) Recipe

2011-02-18T16:33:00.004Z

One of the pleasures of visiting Oslo is enjoying the wide variety of craft bread available. One of our favourites is Gulrotbrøt, carrot bread. Since I became interested in bread making I have been searching for a suitable recipe. Most of the Google options are of American origin and really glorified carrot cake. I eventually found one today and realised I could have worked it out for myself! Essentially a basic bread recipe with grated carrot added! Not exactly rocket science. Here is my adaptation:-

250g strong white flour
250g wholemeal flour
2 medium carrots finely grated the quantity is not critical
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 pkt dried quick yeast
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Water to make a workable dough approx 250ml depends how wet your carrots are

I mix with a Kenwood with dough hook for 5 minutes. I added the water until the ball of dough formed but as it mixed it became a little wet so I added extra white flour, about a heaped tablespoonful. I start with the flour add water last.

Make a ball of dough in the normal way on a floured surface and place in a standard oiled loaf tin. Cover with oiled cling film and leave till the dough has risen to the top of the tin in a warm place 45min to 1½ hours or until risen. Place in middle of a pre-heated oven at 200C for 40 min (fan oven). Leave to cool before cutting, if you can wait that long! Delicious

Who needs the Instructions?

2009-07-30T08:23:00.002+01:00

Cora Singing at Santa Lucia

2008-12-17T00:03:00.010Z

Cora singing at the Luciakonsert at Aker Kirker, Oslo, on Saturday 13th December.

Hear singing here

PRICE PROHIBITION

2007-07-24T22:11:00.000+01:00

The British Government supported by the Tories have launched yet another band wagon, price the drunks out of the pubs! Having just changed the law so that they can get slaughtered 24 hrs a day they have decided that in an effort to reverse the adverse effects of such a rash change to our social habits, "binge drinking" by upping the duty on booze.

Do I get the feeling that this could be another money spinning scheme. Surely the British Government know that putting up the price of alcohol does not stop people getting drunk. Look at Scandinavia. A pint of beer in Oslo costs twice as much as in London and at least THREE times the price of a pint in Blackpool. Yet the pubs and clubs in Oslo are overflowing from Thursday to Saturday. If you think its only the rich and reckless that can afford the prices, a visit to any park in Oslo will reveal a thriving population of smelly unshaven, and that's just the women, characters getting well out of their tree on cheaper alternatives such as Red Spirit (Rubbing Alchohol), glue and other more imaginative concoctions.

The Aftenposten reported, " The Norwegians are drinking ever more alcohol and one in three are concerned about the consumption of those closest to them. According to the Directorate for Health and Social Affairs, Norwegians over the age of 15 drink 30 percent more alcohol today than ten years ago."

These binge drinking loud mouthed doorway urinating members of society will not deterred from enjoying themselves because the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Chief Medical Officer of Health have conspired to up the price of a Bacardi and Coke by 10p or even 100p. You have to remember these upstanding members of society are living rent free, catered for by parents less well off than they are and have more disposable income than Gordon Brown. If they haven't got the pennies in their purses they resort to plastic. Did you not know that in the average night club and an increasing number of pubs you can buy a Bacardi and Coke on your Credit Card.

The Government will up the duty on alcohol, tell us they are going to spend it on resources to cope with the effects of binge drinking, which probably means they will employ a hapless A&E registrar fresh out of a third world medical school and is not quite sure of the difference between haemoglobin and heamohrroids! Let alone to be able to decipher the ranting of a Sauchiehall street raver after a skin full of White Lightning!

XDRIVE - Share and store files online

2007-02-16T15:38:00.000Z

Sending large files, pictures etc. as email attachments can be a problem with some ISP's. This is usually because they put a cap on the file size you can upload. There can also be a problem uploading files with a forbidden extension such as "exe" because it could be something dodgy. Google Mail is clever enough to spot exe files even if you wrap them in a zip file.

One way around this is to use an on-line file storage and sharing facility. One I signed up to some time ago was XDRIVE which is now owned by AOL, ugh! But never fear you do not have to be an AOL user to use XDRIVE but you do need an AOL "Screen Name" which in AOL speak for an AOL email address. You get 5GB of on-line storage.

To sign up go to this XDRIVE link and follow the "sign up for free" link. We know that AOL never make things easy and true to form they don't. The form that appears is designed for USA residents only, I could not find a UK version, as a result to complete the form you will need a USA phone number and a legitimate USA Zip Code. Be warned your application will be rejected if you try to use UK numbers or Post Code, as I discovered after my 10th attempt. Try these:-

Phone - 3608344822
Zip - 35801

When you have finished the registration you just need to create a folder called "Share", you can call it what you like of course but I find it helps my Alzheimer's if I have a clue what the folder is for! You then add the email addresses of those you want to share files with. They will be sent an email inviting them to share your XDRIVE. Avoid the trap to make you sign up for AOL unless you want to of course, but who would want to.

XDRIVE is also a great facility for backing up files, particularly your image files. There is an Power Tool addon which enables you to drag and drop files and folders inside Windows Explorer. This is definitely worth downloading if you are going to get the best out of XDRIVE.

Oh yes and it's FREE.

Green Christmas in Norway

2006-12-09T20:40:00.000Z

No this does not mean Christmas tree lights are to be powered by windmills. It means Oslo is unlikely to have a white Christmas, so the experts predict. This time last year we were struggling to cope with nearly a foot (30cm) of snow. This year we are zipping and unzipping jackets to compensate for the sub-tropical temperature Oslo is enjoying at the moment. Well 8C is pretty warm for this time of the year in this neck of the woods.

An eminent Norwegian meteorologist is predicting the end of the white winter in Norway. The snow line is rapidly retreating northwards resulting in severe depression in the skiing community. Even though Oslo is frequently snow free the city is surrounded by much higher ground which until recently would have been covered in snow from the middle of October till May. Good skiing was within a 20 minute train ride or drive. But not at the moment, Norway is virtually snow free from Finmark in the north to Oslo in south.

The only place with snow at the moment is Hemsedal in the mountains between Oslo and Bergen. It's protected from the warm winds sweeping over the rest of the country. This weekend, it will host a European Cup skiing competition that had to be moved from St Moritz because of a lack of snow in the Alps. Although they are having to use snow guns on some of the lower cross country tracks.

One of the interesting results of higher temperatures is an increased rainfall. The Akerselver river that runs close to Torshove and through the centre of Oslo is swollen by all the extra rain. I was taking photographs to day at Sagen where there is a series of waterfalls and weirs. I have never seen so much water in the river, it is quite spectacular. Some of the riverside businesses are less than comfortable and are busy erecting sandbag barriers and other defences to fend off the effects of any further rise in water levels.

On yer Bike

2006-07-09T08:52:00.000+01:00

Considering Oslo is such a hilly city with dreadful roads an amazing number of people use bikes to get about. The combination of cobbles, tramlines and potholes you could lose a bus in makes for a cycling hell! Oh, and then there are the kamakasi drivers. Not surprisingly most folk use mountain bikes but there are still quite a few of those "Alo Alo" sit up and beg jobs around. One of the major downsides of this throng of two wheeled demons and dodgy road conditions is that cyclists seem to think that pavements and pedestrian areas provide a much smoother and traffic free alternative to the roads. This despite a serious effort on the part of the authorities to provide cycle lanes on many roads. It is a frightening experience having bikes flashing by on both sides whilst taking a leisurely walk. The river walk path is particularly hazardous. What ever happened to bells? Although someone told me that if the cyclists use a bell to warn of their approach they get even more abuse from the pedestrians!

The Oslo city kindly operates a public bike service. There are over a 1000 of them parked in special racks around the city and the outskirts. You need a special card to use them, this is available from tourist info centres, metro and railway stations. They cost 60 Kr (5GBP) for 24 hours but you need to leave a 500 Kr deposit. The main users of these bikes seem to be the local druggie/wino population, which is considerable. If you are going to hire one I would suggest you invest in a good lock and chain.

You can not help but notice the number of derelict bikes around the city.They range from brand new top of the range jobs which someone has obviously worked over with an allen key and a spanner, to the poor buggers who have obviously lost the key to the security lock, then there are those who have suffered some dreadful accident. I suspect others have belong to drunks who have forgotten where they parked them.

Here photographs of just a few I found on an afternoons walk:-

If this is a Blog what is a Photoblog

2006-07-07T08:15:00.000+01:00

Blog - A weblog, which is usually shortened to blog, is a website where regular entries are made (such as in a journal or diary) and presented in reverse chronological order. Blogs often offer commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.

Photoblog - A photography blog, picture log or simply a photoblog, is a web application which contains periodic posts containing user-taken photographs on a common webpage. These posts are often but not necessarily in reverse chronological order, from the date when the photograph was taken.

I started this blog to kill the time when we are resident in Oslo. No decent TV or the toys I play with at home. I started to explore the possibility of starting a Blog to record my thoughts about Torshov, Oslo, Norway and anything else that came to mind. I really wanted to start a Photoblog but I could not get the Blog to look the way I wanted it so I thought in the meantime I would start Torshovblog. As you may have noted the blog is hosted by Blogger. A fantastically easy to use blog publisher provided by Google. The only downside as far as I am concerned is it is not a very good basis for a photoblog. Although it is very easy to upload photographs to Blogger. I compose the text in a text editor because I need a spell checker! I use a freeware programme called Text Pad but you could use Notepad, Wordpad or even Word. I just cut and paste the text into Blogger.

Whilst exploring photoblogs I came across another disincentive to going down that route. I came across a photoblog by a David Nightingale who just happens to live in Blackpool. I looked at Davids photoblog http://www.chromasia.com/ only to discover that the photographs I had in mind to publish on my blog, David had already published them, mainly shots taken in and around Blackpool and the Fylde coast. Not only that but his were significantly better than mine. I was utterly dejected. To make matters worse Chromasia had just been voted number one photoblog on the Internet and was receiving in excess of 3000 hits a day. Plus he obviously had a band of very dedicated fans who not only regularly viewed his site but many of them posted comments about his work on the blog. Was I to risk the accusation of plagiarism. Well no I wasn't. David's fans had already seen off a couple of other sites who had endeavoured to copy Chromasia's style. So I chickened out. It has to be said that even without plagiarism to emulate David's photoblog would be no mean feat. In the time I have been viewing Chromasia I don't think there has been a day when he has not published an image. And when you read his blog and see what obstacles he has had to overcome in achieving that amazing feat. It is unlikely that I could aspire to posting a photograph a day. And it is not just the daily posting David closely monitors the comments on his images and provides a constant stream of feedback both technical and intellectual. You just have to admire his dedication and commitment. However I live in hope and I am busily working away in the background trying to get to grip with the complexities of Pixelpost in the hope that I will eventually get my photoblog up and running.

UPDATE - 15th August 2006: I now have a rudimentary Photoblog up and running at Digiphotology. I ended up using Pixelpost which proved quite simple to setup once I got my head into gear. I don't think it is as potentially sophisticated as Movabletype but one step at a time.

If you are remotely interested in photography you really should have a look at Chromasia. I will be superprised if you don't become a regular viewer. If you are interested in Photoblogging the Internet is teaming with information, tools and advice. A quick Google will show up tons of stuff. Here are just a few links of interest.

Photoblog.org
Photoblogging
Photoblogging with Blogger
Introduction to Photoblogs and Moblogs
PhotoFriday - a weekly photo challenge
Photobloggies - annual awards
Photoblog Magazine

Life Drawing at the Little Red House

2006-07-05T23:21:00.000+01:00

Well one thing I did not expect to be doing whilst here in Oslo was to take part in a Life Drawing class. No not as the model! We were taking a walk down the river walk from Torshov to Grunerlakka and stopped at the little red house. A traditional Norwegian wooden house that is now a cafe and art gallery of sorts. We were perusing the work on display when Mare (Marie), the lady or more correctly an aging hippie chick (OK old bird) who runs the place, started chatting. When she found out I was a frustrated artist she suggested that I should come along to her Life Drawing class the following evening. Well would you ever!

It turns out the Red House has an interesting history. It is situated on the Akerselve river just below the Beyerbroa bridge in an area known as the "Molle". So named because of the many mills that once lined both banks of the river. Some still remain down one side and now house a mix of trendy businesses and eateries. This is an area where the river drops very steeply providing the motive power for many water wheels initially and electricity turbines later. On the bridge is a beautiful statue by Ellen Jacobsen depicting 4 "mill girls" in memory of the incredibly young women who lost their lives working in what were mainly spinning mills. It turns out the little Red House was the kindergarden where these girls could leave their babies whilst they slaved in the mills. What is now the main room of the cafe/gallery was in those days lined with built in cribs for the babies.

But back to the Life Class. I duly turned up at 6.00 pm on Tuesday evening, In fear and trepidation I might add. Convinced I had bitten off more than I could chew and was about to make a complete arse (f you will pardon the figurative term) of myself. It turned out that this was to be a very select class just four of us and the model, Silvee, a mature lady of some 66 years, I was advised, with a very artistic body. That is the best way I can describe it. My other three colleagues were, Mare the organiser, no mean artist and two other ladies with unpronounceable Norwegian names.

I can only assume Mare was making more money than she was declaring to the taxman as she was drawing directly onto stretched canvases and she must have used half a dozen in the space of 2 hours. I had just an A4 sketch pad. A bit of a come down from my usual A1 size paper. At least I could use that as an excuse for my artistic short comings. It turned out that Silvee was an actress and long time artists model. She was currently taking the lead role in one of Ibsens many plays which are currently playing in Oslo. She proved to be a very good model, striking very interesting poses which changed every 10 to twenty minutes. Fast work was essential. I used a mix of pencil, charcoal and my trusty Pentel brush pen which on this occasion proved to be the weapon of choice. The brush pen created considerable interest with the others who were not familiar with it. Two hours passed very quickly. Just a pity I am going home before the next session. Never mind it was an unexpected and enjoyable diversion.

Some of the results of my Life Class

Akerselva River Walk Photos

2006-07-04T22:39:00.000+01:00

On Sunday we explored a new section of the Akerselva river walk that I blogged previously. We took the tram to Kjelsas and walked down to Sagene. Kjelsas is almost the confluence of the river, at this point the river broadens out into a series of small lakes and is a popular picnic area with beautiful wooded surroundings and access for swimming and boating. The walk is a bit confused at the start and not very well signposted. The path follows a couple of underpasses under the railway and main road and ends up crossing a supermarket car park with no real guidence. However we managed. The route is gently down hill and follows the river quite closely. The route passes through a mixture of countryside and what where industrial areas but which are now mainly hitech, media and computer businesses including Microsoft Norway. There is a convenient watering hole along the way where they have built the new Oslo University Business School. A good selection of bars, cafes and shops surround a pleasant plaza on the banks of the river.

For more photographs visit www.torshov.shutterfly.com

River walk sculpture

Weir Nydalen

Eggs is Eggs!

2006-07-03T16:47:00.000+01:00

It started when I tried the Atkins diet, my quest for very large eggs that taste like eggs. The mainstay of my diet was 2 boiled eggs for breakfast. I have to say it has been a sad and weary search. As someone who spent the best part of my working life associated with the British Poultry industry I find it really sad to have to report that British eggs are CRAP. They are invariably stale regardless of where you buy them from. The shell quality is abysmal, invariably thin, porous, rough, and frequently misshapen. And as for taste well they don't or if they do it is usually of something not very nice. Then there is the current grading (size) standard. I like my eggs EXTRA LARGE. But they are very difficult to find in most egg outlets. One of the reasons is the strange weight grading ranges currently applied to eggs and the other is the mean way in which they are applied. Due to a quirk in the egg grading regulations an extra large egg can be the same size as a large egg. Eggs are graded as small, medium, large and very large. The weight ranges for the grades are as follows:-

Very Large - 73g +over
Large - 63 - 73g
Medium - 53 - 63g
Small - 53g +under

It does not take a genius to notice that a 73g egg could be both a "very large" or "large" now if you were an egg seller how would you distribute your eggs. Well I can tell you on a limited survey of eggs from Somerfields and Booths you get very few 73g eggs in the "large" category and you get few eggs much larger than 73g in the "very large" size. Now where do all the eggs larger than say 75g go? Well I know you can buy super large eggs at some farm shops but it does naff me off that in the average supermarket a very large egg is hardly any larger than a large egg and "Extra Large" eggs are rarely seen.

But size is not everything or so I am told! Flavour is probably more important when it comes to enjoying your chucky egg and toasty soldiers or is it shoulders? Say that fast!! As I have already said I have tried a variety of sources and have yet to find an egg that tastes like an egg should. Yet when we visit Spain, Tenerife, France or Norway the egg quality seems so much superior. I have just had 2 eggs for my breakfast purchased yesterday at the local supermarket. They were delicious, they actually had a flavour. A rich creamy yolky flavour which is hard to describe but you recognise it when you taste it. It goes with toast like strawberries go with cream.

The first thing of note about Norwegian eggs is they are WHITE, you don't get white eggs in the UK anymore, well not from commercial layers anyway. The British abandoned white eggs in the 70's when the poultry industry marketing hype convinced the gullible British housewife that brown eggs were better than white! White were considered to be "factory" eggs whilst brown were "farmyard" eggs, bollocks of course. They even charged a premium for brown eggs. A triumph of marketing over common sense or should tat be "bullshit baffles brains". Egg colour is genetic and does not have any relationship to quality. The other interesting thing about Norwegian eggs is they have really dark yellow yolks, like eggs should! When it comes to judging quality or flavour yolk colour can be a bit deceptive. Yolk colour is almost entirely related to diet. Commercial layer rations are constructed in such a way that the colour of the yolk can be pre-determined within very narrow limits and can be selected off a chart much like paint. Once upon a time this colour was derived from natural sources such as maize or grass. This is why true free range hens tend to produce yolks with dark yellow yolks. These days artificial colourants are used. There are three different agents used to tinker with the colour of egg yolk - canthaxanthin (E161g), citranaxanthin (E161i) and beta apo81 carotenal (E160). Lion quality mark guidelines - set up by the Egg Information Service for its members - do not permit the use of E161g. But the remaining 30% of British egg producers are at liberty to use this colourant.

So where do I get VERY LARGE eggs, with nice yellow yolks and bags of flavour without having to move to Norway, Spain, Tenerife or France? I don't mind if they are brown or white or any shades in between as long as they taste like eggs. Being fresh would be a bonus. Although, having said that an egg can be too fresh. If you are into hard boiled eggs they need to be at least 7 days old. If they are any fresher it is almost impossible to remove the shells without taking the white as well. Oh and another bit of trivia, in Torshov they sell eggs in 4's aint that quaint!

The Dreaded Disposable Grill

2006-07-02T20:13:00.000+01:00

Barbecuing is a popular Norwegian summer activity, nay obsession. As soon as the sun shows itself everyone in Norway charges out to buy a disposable grill (engangsgrill), some meat, sausages or fish at a supermarket and go to a park or one of Oslo's many delightful islands.

The downside of this activity is the air is pervaded by the stench of smoldering cardboard and paraffin which wafts along on the summer breeze. It is bad enough suffering the pong when you are out and about but it is utterly sick making if you have your window open to relieve the particularly stifling heat that we are currently enjoying. This weekend there has been no escape.

You wouldn't mind if these phonebook size aluminium foil contraptions did a good job. We tried them on one of our first trips to Oslo. The results were sad to say the least. Even if you follow the principles of good barbecuing and leave the charcoal to heat up for about 30 - 40 mins, the food still tastes of paraffin. That's assuming the food is cooked before the thing goes out altogether. Most Norwegians seem to stick a match in and chuck the bangers on straight away....ugh! Mind you most of them are cooking frankfurters so you would hardly notice the taste of paraffin and burnt paper. You do however see the odd food poisoning addict trying to cook chicken! Another downside is the multitude of little brown patches all over the Parks, where the grass has been scorched to death. It looks like a bitch on heat has been piddling everywhere!

In the popular picnic areas there are special bins for the disposal of these lethal devices. Despite this it is not unusual to find the distorted and charred remains of plastic litter bins all over the place. The other danger associated with this anti-social device is the ingenious and lethal wire frame provided to raise them off the ground (to stop you burning the grass) they are often left lying around in the grass waiting for the unwary to step into one and go base over apex! As I discovered to my cost on one occasion sh........t!!!

Allegedly Norwegians of a certain age, even wear a "barbecue suit" while performing this activity. A barbecue suit being a colourful tracksuit that is very comfortable and does not tighten when you bend down to check on the sausages. Married couples tend to choose matching tracksuits. I have to confess I have not noticed this strange behaviour myself but I shall keep my eyes peeled.

Lets hope the "engangsgrill" never catches on in the UK.

Priority from the RIGHT

2006-07-01T15:15:00.000+01:00

It was when the taxi pulled out of a side road straight into the path of another taxi that I remembered Norway still observes that piece of traffic lore left over from the days of the horse and cart, PRIORITY FROM THE RIGHT. No not a political statement but an archaic driving rule which the French discovered years ago was one of the main reason for the high death toll on their roads. I remember French holidays which were frequently interrupted by a screech of brakes and a mouth full of profanity, as a 2CV emerged from a side road without slowing down, looking left or kiss my a....! Did you see that the mad French bugger nearly wiped us out!!!! Well I have to tell you the rule is alive and well and living in Norway.

Norwegians have scant regard for traffic rules at the best of time. The fact that they have the right to dive out of a side road in front of you is almost classed as sport. The rule is bad enough for local drivers but if you happen to be a foreign visitor the consequences can be bloody. The matter is made worse by the absence of any reminder signs. Taxi drivers are particularly bloody minded when it comes to enforcing this primitive rule. It would no doubt account for the large number of cars with a a row of dents along the right hand side. You have been warned.

Picasa - Pretty as a Picture

2006-05-08T19:22:00.001+01:00

Everyone knows that Google is everyones favourite search engine but how many of you have clicked the more>> link just above the search entry box? There are lots of interesting things to be found, STOP before you get distracted the link you need to follow is down at the bottom in the TOOLS section. One of the best FREE programmes on the net is PICASA.If you have ever struggled searching for your computer for thoise photographs you are sure are there somewhere. If you have sweated trying to remove Red Eye from your photos. If you have pissed everyone off by sending them a photo that took 2 weeks to download. If you ever wanted to turn a photo into a wonderful black and white masterpiece. Then you need PICASA. Googles fantastic free image storage/manipulation programme which installs at the click of a key on a broadband connection, needs no setting up and works straight out of the box! It works with W98 and XP and is very intuative. Even if you have Photoshop installed on your computer you will find PICASA much easier and faster to use for lots of photo manipulation and printing jobs. OK thats enough of the hard sell for now get PICASA now and try it for your self.

Go to Google, locate the more>> link which is to the righthand side and just above the box where you normally type your search query. Click the link and scroll down the new page till you can see the Google Tools section towards the bottom of the page or you could click here to go to Picasa directly.

Akerselva an Interesting River

2006-04-02T09:12:00.000+01:00

Akerselva (Aker River) runs north, south through the centre of Oslo, a distance of 8 kilometres from its source at Maridalsvannet to Oslo harbour. It is flanked for almost the whole length by an excellent paved pathway that passes through the heart of what was Oslo’s industrial heritage but what is now a mixture of parkland and a major renovation area. The river tumbles steeply in parts, a feature which was utilised as a source of power by the many mills, workshops and factories that once flanked the river valley. Attracted by the abundant supply of water for power, industrialisation of the area began around 1850. The population grew rapidly from less than 30,000 to nearer a quarter of a million in less than 50 years. One of the first factories to be established was the Glads paper mill in the Sagene area of the city. It is believed the first mill to be powered by the river was established in the 13th century. There were many thriving saw mills operating in the 1700’s. The word Sagene is plural for word “saw”.

Factories, mills and workshops together with the accommodation to house the workers extended the length of the river. Many of the buildings have long been demolished. Fortunately, some of the grand old industrial buildings have been rescued and preserved. Buildings have been converted for a wide variety of purposes, including trendy designer apartments, IT businesses, design studios, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs and a variety of other businesses large and small.

The Oslo students union undertook one of the most enterprising rescue projects. They acquired a non-descript concrete grain silo on the banks of the river and converted it into student accommodation. It is now a much-admired local landmark. There is currently a project underway to convert the massive Ringers Brewery into upmarket lofts and apartments.

The workers that flooded into the area were accommodated in a wide range of housing including the traditional wooded cottages and houses many of which date back to the 1700’s. Whilst many of these have long since disappeared examples of traditional buildings can be found scattered among the more modern accommodation. There are a few areas such as Maridalsveien and Sandakerveien where there are carefully preserved streets of these traditional houses. In Kampen a whole district of these attractive shiplap covered houses in their various neutral hues, has been preserved. The traditional housing gave way to more substantial brick and concrete dwellings as the population exploded. A typical example of the type of accommodation common in the area can be seen where we have our apartment. A quadrangle of 3 story apartments built around a communal garden area. Apparently when they were built they were almost self sufficient for amenities with communal laundry, kitchen, vegetable gardens etc. It is hard to imagine looking at the place today that when they where built as many as 10 people shared a small room.

In addition to the natural and spectacular waterfalls on the river there is evidence of mans intervention with weirs, sluices, mill ponds and other artefacts along the route all of which add to the interest of what is a spectacular and very interesting walk. During the winter months, the weirs and waterfalls freeze to form spectacular ice sculptures and cascades. Parts of the river are suitable for swimming and water sports. Canoe hire is popular in the and less turbulent, lower reaches. To sustain the weary walker there is a scattering of interesting cafes and bars along the way.

April Fools Day in Norway

2006-04-01T09:09:00.000+01:00

In the UK, it almost certainly goes back as far as medieval times and possibly beyond. As it is essentially a folk event there are few historical records of April Fools Day.

One of the strongest candidates for its origin was the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1582. Poe Gregory decreed that the calendar would start on 1st January. Because communications were a bit on the slow side in those days many folk continued to celebrate the start of the day under the old calendar on 1st April and so left them selves open to ridicule and the label of April Fools.

As The Norwegians are not exactly renowned for their sense of humour, it came as something of a surprise that they pulled an April Fools day prank on their Swedish neighbours. The newspaper Aftenposten published a story supported with full page adverts that tried to lure the unsuspecting Swedes into believing that due to the influences of the Gulf Stream they could enjoy Mediterranean holidays at "Playa Los Fjordos," where they could swim in fjords warmed up to tropical temperatures. Where, the water temperature had risen to a positively balmy 24C (75F). It is not recorded how many Swedes fell for the prank. It has to be remembered that the Norwegians and the Swedes have a similar relationship to the English and the Irish when it comes to Jokes.

Probably one of the most famous April Fools day pranks in the UK was the BBC’s report of the Swiss Spaghetti harvest. In 1957, the respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in, and many called up wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. [View original video clip – needs Real Player].

All coyrights recognised

Free with the Duty-Free

2006-03-31T09:11:00.000+01:00

Travellers arriving at the superb Gardermoen Airport, gateway to Oslo, will almost certainly have been warned that they are in for a period of alcoholic abstinence enforced by cost and restricted availability of alcohol in Norway. (You can only buy wines and spirits from Government controlled stores Vinmonopolet.) Although the winos littering the streets and parks don't seem to find the cost of booze or the absence of an off-licence on every corner a deterent.

It will come as something of a surprise to visitors to discover, as they enter the luggage hall, a giant Duty-Free store. Now isn’t that novel, Duty-Free in arrivals, eat your heart out Manchester. As you might imagine the store does a roaring trade. Dozens of disbelieving travellers stuff their trolleys full of booze and fags. The wine section does particularly good business. Hardly surprising when a bottle of what we would consider cheap plonk, £3.99 in Somerfields can cost you £9.00 in a Vinmonopolet. There may not be any wine at £3.99 in the Duty-Free but the prices are about 30% cheaper than in the wider world. I also discovered the cheapest gin anywhere at £6.00 a litre. You are supposed to be limited to 1L spirit, 2L wine, 2L beer, 250g tobacco, 200 fags and curiously 250 leaves of cigarette papers, although you would not think so from the look of most of the trolleys at the checkout. In addition to this unique perk Gardermoen Airport already has the largest Duty-Free store in Europe. Is that ironic or what!

Coffee or Tea

2006-03-30T21:16:00.000+01:00

Norway Top Coffee Drinkers

Even without the aid of a single Starbucks, Norwegians managed to consume 41 tonnes of Coffee last year. That’s equivalent to 8.8 kg of coffee per head or 4 cups per adult per day.

It may have something to do with the price of booze that they need to get their stimulation from a different substance. I have to say Starbucks or no Starbucks I enjoy my regular daily Mocha when we come to Oslo. Oh and they haven’t heard of decaffeinated coffee!

More Tea Vicar

Tea consumption is also up, 4.5 million Norwegians brewed up an amazing 680 tonnes of last year, 5% up on the previous year. This is a statistic which I find rather surprising. Although you can buy Tetleys tea bags in Norway the content bears no comparison with an English Tetley tea bag. I think my grandfather would have described the taste as "horse s..t and tram tickets".

Tea bags are high on the list of illicit import requests from family when we are visiting. So take note tea importers, if Norwegians will drink 680 tonnes of crap just think how much they might drink if you put decent tea in the bags!

Norwegian Christmas Traditions

2005-12-18T15:58:00.000Z

The differences in Christmas traditions between countries is quite fascinating. None more so than the differences between an English and Norwegian Christmas. Sad to say compared with Norway the traditions of an English Christmas for many folk have been hi-jacked by commercial interests. By comparison it is delightful to discover that for many Norwegians Christmas (Yule) still retains many of its traditions. As we discovered a couple of years back, two of the interesting traditions are, they celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve and eat strange alternatives to Turkey, but more of that in a moment.

For many Norwegians Christmas begins on 13th December, the shortest day of the year, with the celebration of Santa Lucia’s (St Lucy) Day. According to legend, Lucia was burned at the stake in Syracuse, because she refused to deny her Christian faith and marry a pagan. In her honour, a young girl, traditionally the youngest daughter from each family but elsewhere the blondest girl available, is dress in white robes and red sashes, and wearing a crown of greenery and long slender glowing candles. They may lead a procession round the house or carolers through the street, church or school. Lucy is the only saint celebrated by the Lutheran Swedes, Finns, Danes, and Norwegians, in celebrations that retain many pre-Christian elements of a midwinter light festival. The delightful practice of using candles and tea lights to light up the home, cafe and restaurant tables and bars, shop fronts and almost every where else you could put a candle is widespread.

In some areas it is traditional to cut your own Christmas tree, Surprisingly for a country covered in Christmas trees this is a tradition that was imported from Germany in the latter part of the nineteenth century. It can also happen in England but unfortunately it is often the one that someone has just erected in their own garden! The tree is not normally decorated until Christmas eve. The traditional decoration is small home made candles but the practice is now considered too dangerous.

Santa Claus (Julenisse), in Norway is a mix of the German St Nicholas and the Norwegian Nisse. Nisse was a mythical character who looked after the farmland and buildings. It was important to make sure he was rewarded for his duties by leaving out a bowl of porridge and a glass of beer in contrast to the English Santa Claus who prefers mince pie and glass of sherry or whiskey (In truth he would probably prefer a vindaloo or a kebab. Julenisse is helped by a team of mischievous elves who have taken over the name Nisse.

A still popular tradition, particularly with our grand daughter, is the baking of a wide variety of cakes and biscuits including julekake (with raisins), kryddekake, delfiakake, rosettbakels, fattigmann, smultringer, goro, silkekaker, pepperkaker, kokosmakroner and sand kager. Most of the biscuit recipes are not unlike ginger bread. If you are not up to making the spicy dough yourself you can buy it in the bakers or supermarket ready to roll out.

Of particular interest is the brewing of special Christmas beer, "Juleøl", There are over 50 varieties, one of my sons friends has produced the ultimate grown up Advent Calendar in which the daily surprise is a different "Juleøl" rather than a chocolate Santa Claus. The beer tends to be a bit like an English barley wine and can be as strong as 9% alcohol but the commercial varieties are not as strong being limited by law to less than 5% alcohol if they are to be sold in supermarkets.

For visitors to Norway the most curious Christmas tradition is their choice of food. Our traditional turkey is replaced by a variety of alternative the choice of which may depend on which part of the country you are in and whether you are in town or country. Our first Norwegian Christmas dinner comprised Lutefisk, mashed peas (mushy peas), rendered lardons (thick fatty smoked bacon), red potatoes boiled in their skins. The fat from the grilled bacon, is poured over the potatoes. Norwegians remove the skins before eating the potatoes but I like to leave them on. Despite the rather bizarre treatment of the fish I found Lutefisk to be delicious. This was followed by "Pinnekjøtt" - salted lamb ribs, literally translated as "twig meat".

This was served with yellow turnip, we would call it swede but that is a bit non-pc in Norway, could be construed as cannibalism and more potatoes. All washed down with adequate quantities of Aquavit and "Juleøl".

Lutefisk [loo-te-fisk]- this is cod fish treated with wood ash or lye (which is essentially potassium chloride) during this treatment the fish swells and becomes like jelly, after which it is dried. Before it can be cooked it is soaked in repeated changes of water to remove the chemicals.

It is great to be in a country where the natives still uphold their traditions. No fear of the Norwegians changing the name of Christmas lights to Winter lights. Such has been the demand for traditional Christmas fare there is a danger that some seasonal delicacies may be in short supply.

Christmas Beer in Norway - "Juleøl"

2005-12-17T07:59:00.000Z

Modern Scandinavians would say they celebrate Yule, while the Vikings "drank Jul". And a key part of "drinking Jul" - today as in the year 1000 - is brewing special Christmas beers.
In Norway alone there are more than 50 kinds of Juleoel, or Christmas beers, ranging in strength from 4.5 to 9.9 per cent alcohol, brewed just before the holidays each year. They are darker and more flavourful than regular beers.

In Viking times, Helge Soerheim said, people thought drinking themselves into a stupor on holiday beer and other alcoholic beverages would create a euphoric connection with supernatural forces. And failure to get drunk at a Viking feast was an insult to the host, implying that his alcohol wasn't good enough. Because modern Jul is generally a family affair, today's Scandinavians are more moderate in their "drinking Jul". But the old Viking toast - "to a good new year and peace" - still echoes in the modern Christmas wishes of the North, Soerheim said.

Even after Christianity made inroads, brewing Jul-time beer remained a serious matter. In medieval times, every farmer was required to brew Christmas beer or risk fines and worse. "Everyone had to make two batches of Christmas beer a year, one for themselves and one for guests, or be fined three riskdollars," Olaug Flakne, 31, Norway's only female brew master, said, referring to the currency of that day. "If they did not do it for three years in a row, their farms were taken away, and, if they were also not Christian, they were expelled from the country," she said at the brewery on the outskirts of Oslo.

In old times, Norwegians used whatever was at hand, from juniper berries to tobacco, to flavour the beers. But under the Beer Purity Act of 1516, which was repealed in 1994 but is still heeded by Norwegian brewers today, only malt, hops, yeast and water can go into beer. Ringnes, Flakne's employer and Norway's largest brewery, alone makes 3.3 million litres (nearly 870,000 gallons) of Christmas beer, in 18 varieties.

Not everyone is happy about the connection between Christmas and the brewing of beer. In the 1960s, the Christian Sobriety Society demanded that the name Juleoel, or Jul Beer, be banned. The national brewers' association, however, successfully countered that Jul has nothing to do with Christmas or Christianity but stems from Viking times.

Other Christmas traditions appear to have been passed down from the Vikings. Many believe the "Julenek," a sheaf of grain Norwegians place outside for the birds each Christmas, stems from the Vikings' Jul offerings to their gods. Others say it may have a later origin, such as sharing Christmas bounty with all creatures.
Source

Where the hell is Poulton le Fylde?

2005-11-30T11:53:00.000Z

Where the hell is Poulton le Fylde? If you live in Oslo that is probably a very fair question, I shall try to explain.

The town of Poulton le Fylde is located in the North West of England in the county of Lancashire. Situated about 5 miles (8 Km) inland from the seaside town of Blackpool between the river Lune in the north and the river Ribble in the south, in a coastal plain known as the Fylde. The population is approximatly 20,000.

The town gained its name from Skipool, a tributory of the river Wyre, which lies less than a mile to the north east of the village. The name Poulton was created by combining the Old English words Pol, for pool or creek, and Tun, meaning a farmstead or enclosure. Thus the name signifies "settlement by the pool". In 1842 the suffix 'le-Fylde' was added with the advent of the "penny post" to distinguish the village from Poulton-le-Sands, a community further north, since renamed to Morecambe. Built on one of the few low hills in the western part of the Fylde, Poulton le Fylde became an busy medieaval, market town and important port on the river Wyre.

The village name appears in the Doomsday Book (1086) one of the 60 villages of Amounderness. The village is centered on St Chads church, dedicated to the seventh century Saxon Bishop. A church is thought to have exsisted on the site before Norman times although the fist record is dated 1094, recorded by Roger de Pitou a Norman knight who had been granted the district of Amounderness following the Norman conquest. The present structure is from three different periods, the oldest section being the tower dating from 1638. The main part of the church was re-built between 1751 and 1753 although some parts of the walls are of an earlier origin.

Wet Sunday in Oslo

2005-10-30T16:39:00.000Z

Well it is Sunday the last day of our visit to Torshov, we go home tomorrow. I had hoped to post a selection of photographs of the locality but the past few days have been grey and wet and today is no exception. In fact today is double crap as it is misty as well. I have only taken a few photos and they are hardly worth posting. So what else can I post?

I was listening to BBC Radio 2 on the Internet on Friday, as I have been doing most days. I have to say the Internet is the ex-pats best friend in so many ways but most of all as it allows us to listen to Wogan in the morning, Jeremy Vine at lunch time , Johnny Walker in the afternoon and most important the Archers in the evening or best of all you can listen again at anytime. As I said I was listening to Wogan on Friday morning. For reasons best known to the BBC it was being presented by Johnny Walker, who has to be the best DJ on radio 2 but that is another matter. We were about 15 mins into the programme and Johnny played a hilarious track entitled Jose Murino's half time talk. Apparently this item was composed by a group of Irish radio presenters and is not available commercially. At the end of the track I thought, I wish I had paid attention to that it sounded hilarious. I also wish I had recorded it. It was now Sunday, I checked the BBC website for "Listen again" and as luck would have it Wogans Friday show was still available and sure enough about 15 mins into the programme was the Murino track. How can I record it?

A quick google revealed a number of audio recorders, most were commercial or shareware programmes, not expensive but I was looking for something free. The suggestions were to look for a Streaming Audio recorder rather than a straight recorder. I had a look at the News groups and searched for BBC radio streaming audio recorder. The first in the list was looked promising Quite an interesting set of posts but the gem was a link in the last post for FREE Hi-Q Recorder This is a fantastic piece of software that will allow recording from any audio source as an MP3. To record the BBC stream all you do is start the BBC Player and as soon as your programme or track cue's press the record button on HiQ and you are away. The software has all sorts of useful facilities including a timer but I have not had time to check them out yet.

Sunday Lunch

Traditionally we take the family out for Sunday lunch, they choose, we pay. All we knew it was a restaurant down Grunerlokka way. Turned out to be the far side at Schous plass, yes for all you Liverpudlians, the home of Scouse, more of that later. A long walk, 30 mins later and a bit damp we arrived at a magnificent granite building, that was previously a bank. Shades of downtown Liverpool. The place was called SUDOST, should have an umlout over the U, very interesting interior, big roaring fires, Long oak tables as well as individual ones, a cafe at the entrance and the old strong rooms as the wine store. Very quaint. The menu was limited, I had the special, neck pork with beetroot, excellent. Irene had grilled cod, Lill, red snapper and Andrew crispy duck, the universal verdict was excellent, well cooked and very tasty. Good bisto style food. The girls had white wine, a Chablis and Andrew a red, not sure what, I had beer. Sweets were creme brule x 3 and autumn fruit compote, again all excellent. Service was very good considering the place was busy. The only downside was the bill, with 10% tip, came to NKR 1600 (£145), I have just finished washing the pans! Sounds expensive! You have to remember the wine cost as much as the meal and there is 25% VAT added, phew!

Have you heard the one about the Moose?

2005-10-29T14:48:00.000+01:00

In the world of Journalism a top story would be described as a "Man Bites Dog" headline. In Norway you would have to change that to "Man bites Moose". As we do not have them in the UK, Moose, that is, you may find it difficult to understand what an important role the Moose plays in Norwegian journalism. For example when a Scotsman was asked "What do you get with a 2 ton Moose" his reply was "Bloody big holes in your skirting boards"! Ask a Norwegian and what you get with a 2 ton Moose you would still be there 3 hours later listening to the answers. In Norway the Moose grabs more headlines than Jorden, Sharon Osborne or Georgie Best!

The most recent Moose headline in The Aftenposten was on 17th October 2005, "Moose attacked moose statue" A family in the coastal Telemark town of Bamble had erected a statue of a moose in their garden, but a pair of the real Moose showed their dissaproval and broke the interloper into several peices. "Moose regularly visit the garden but they'previously they have just eaten our apple and pear trees," Tveten, the statues owner, said.

On 12th October the Aftenposten had another Moose headline: "Moose collisions hurt most" Apparently Norwegian motorists hit over 3,000 of these creatures a year and always come off worse. Norway's insurers pay out about NOK 100 million (£9 million, USD 15.3 million) a year for animal-car collisions, most of them involving game - moose and roe deer.

One of the best headlines has to be " 'Dead' moose attacked hunter" A hunter's worst nightmare came true for 68-year-old Arne Aurdal after shooting a moose in the forest in Gausdal. Aurdal is considering giving up the sport after being beaten black and blue by the mortally wounded animal, though he survived thanks to a bit of quick thinking.
Aurdal, had taken the moose down with his first shot. He moved in to finish it off. Suddenly the animal reared up, I threw myself onto his horns, he said. The moose thrashed around in a frenzy, after what seemed an eternity but was less than a minute the giant, 300kg, animal crashed to the ground, leaving Aurdal black and blue but thankfully alive. He is keeping the massive antlers as a memento of his near death experience.

No wonder they leave big holes in your skirting boards.

I found over 50 Moose related headlines in Norweigian newspapers without really trying, here are a few for the really dedicated Mooseologists!

Moose set off on long-distance swim
Moose closes tunnel
Moose spark traffic trouble in Trondheim
Moose rings twice
Expanding moose population spurs calls for more hunting
Moose attacks laundry rack
Landowners see gold in moose hunting
Moose breaks into grocery store
Norway's annual moose hunt
Moose on the move!
Flying moose lands on car's roof
Drunken moose alert in southern
Norway Moose move proves fatal
Moose pose record-high traffic threat

Vital Statistics

Moose can be found in Canada and northern parts of America, northern parts of Europe (Scandinavia, Russia) and Asia (Siberia, Mongolia, Northern China).
Life span: 15-25 years
Weight: 550-700 kg (1200-1500 lbs)
Body length: 2.5-2.7 metres
Moose are herbivorous mammals, the largest of the deer family.
The Moose population in Norway is about 125,000

Ryan Air to Oslo (Torp)

2005-10-28T21:01:00.000+01:00

Should we try the cheap and cheerful route to Oslo from Liverpool to Torp (Oslo) operated by Ryan Air? We regularly fly to Oslo via BA from Manchester, by and large we have been happy with the service. The primary attraction of the Torp route is the price around £40 per person compared with £130 per person with BA, The first problem is Liverpool airport is in Speke which is not as easy to get to as Manchester airport for us. Probably the biggest problem for me is Torp is 150 km and a 2 hour drive south of central Oslo. What is it about Ryan Airs pathetic grasp on geography Torp can hardly be described as Oslo! Travel to and from Torp is by regular coach service which links to the flight. Mind you Gardemoen air port is 50 km away fro Oslo ciry centre but at least they have a 19 min train link.

The other problem is I don't really like doing business with companies that think customer service is a joke and charge extra for toilet paper. There is an additional potential problem. Ryan Air don't like passengers taking luggage with them. As we are usually laden with Red Cross parcels when we travel to Oslo we could end up paying more in excess baggage than the BA fare.

I have read a couple of bad luck stories in the news groups. One was about missing a flight because of a traffic accident on the Oslo - Torp road, one of those things I suppose. The other was a bit more disconcerting, passengers were delayed 48 hrs because a flight was diverted because of fog. They spent the time in the cafe, the only place open at night. Ryan Air don't do hotels etc. The irritating fact was the plane was diverted to Oslo's main airport 100 km away but Ryan Air would not transport them there and the plane returned to UK empty. How b....dy irritating is that.

I sound as though I am talking my way out of saving a load of dosh. I think my fuse is too short and my blood pressure to marginal to be a Ryan Air "customer".

Sleeping with the Enemy

2005-10-28T10:03:00.000+01:00

After 60 years of shame, misery and discrimination the Norwegian government has decided to officially forgive the 14,000 women described as “German Whores”. These were the women who at the end of the war where arrested for fraternising with the German army and for giving birth to their children. The Nazis who occupied Norway for 5 years actively encouraged their soldiers to have affairs with local women, part of the SS plan to enrich the “Aryan” gene pool. At the end of the war the "tysketöser" where denounced as traitors by the puppet government of Vidkun Quisling and many were sent to labour camps.

It is estimated that over 12,000 children were born from these liaisons. They were separated from their mothers and suffered unbelievable abuse in homes and lunatic asylums. There mistreatment was justified by the authorities because they where considered to be a danger to the state and are still considered a threat.

One of the most well-known "tyskerunge," or "German brat", is Anni-Frid Lyngstad, the brunette singer from the 1970s group, Abba. Her mother, Synni, had an affair with a German soldier and fled to her native Sweden when they were ostracised in their village in northern Norway. Synni died in the late 1940s and her daughter eventually met her German father when she was in her 30s.

After the war the Norwegian government paid a war pension to all citizens who remained true to "good national principles" during the Nazi occupation. The "tysketöser" were excluded until now. The Norwegian government has decided to pay the dozen or so remaining women their belated pension, which will not be backdated. A group of the “war children” have been fighting for the justice and compensation in the “European Court of Human Rights”. One of the children, now 63, explained how when she was 10 the local villagers branded her with a swastika on her forehead.

Other links: Unique Quisling interview found

Smoking Ban

2005-10-26T11:15:00.000+01:00

"Welcome to Norway. The only thing we smoke here is salmon"

Norway banned smoking back on 1st June 2004 following a protracted debate much the same as is taking place in the UK at the moment. The principle thrust of the Norwegian governments case for banning smoking was the Health and Safety of workers in the hospitality industries. Not surprisingly there were objections from all and sundry. It has to be remembered that Norway already had a compulsory no smoking policy in all offices and public buildings. Restaurants and cafes already had designated no smoking areas. Prior to the ban 30% of Norwegian men and 29% of women smoked despite the cost of a pack of cigarettes being in the region of 62 NKR (£5.50). Although it is noticeable how many Norwegians, including many women roll their own fags. The ban followed heavy pressure from restaurant workers' unions who claimed their members had a higher incidence of lung cancer than other workers due to the effects of passive smoking.

Following the ban Norwegians could only smoke in their own homes or outdoors. There were the inevitable claims of doom and bankruptcy from the hospitality industries but more than 2 years on ingenuity has triumphed. The first thing to appear were a variety of out door extensions to cafes, bars and restaurants ranging from chairs benches, window ledges with cushions to major out door seating areas. To cope with the harsh winter temperatures, breweries helped out by providing free or subsidised gas heaters and blankets. One ingenious bar owner bought up a redundant petrol station and changed it into an open air bar under the old garage canopy.

I must say from a punters point of view, as a non-smoker, I find eating and drinking out a much more pleasant experience than back home. It is surprising how people have adapted to the situation. Watching a football match in the pub is interesting, The place empties at half time whilst the smokers charge outside for a quick drag, it makes it easier for the non-smokers to refill their glass! The only down side is eating and drinking outside during the warmer weather. The smokers get their own back by blowing billowing clouds of smoke in your face.

The Norwegian government are claiming the ban as a great success, better than they had hoped for. The grim forecasts of widespread bankruptcies in the pub, bar and restaurant sector have so far proved unfounded. As anticipated there has been a marker improvement in the health of those working in the hospitality industries. Public reaction has also been better than expected. In a survey three out of four Norwegians were pleased with a tough new anti-smoking law. They say they're still patronizing bars and restaurants, even if they can't light up. One of the unexpected results of the ban is a 3 fold increase in restaurant customers dodging off with out paying their bill after slipping outside for a smoke.

It looks as though the UK government is making a meal of its' smoking ban legislation. It is hard to see how anything but an outright ban on smoking in all work and public places will work. Particularly as the primary justification for the ban, is worker health and safety. The segregation proposals did not work in Norway so it is hard to see how it would be any different in the UK. One thing is for sure, the smokers days are numbered, more and more countries states and cities throughout the world are introducing smoking bans, restricted tobacco advertising and in some extreme cases a complete tobacco ban.

27th October 2005 - UPDATE: Ministers Scupper All Out Ban On Smoking

Winter has arrived in Oslo

2005-10-25T21:22:00.000+01:00

While the Journo's in the UK speculate about how hard winter it is going to be in Britain, winter has arrived in Oslo. There was a flurry of snow on Sunday but today, Tuesday 25th October we woke up to winter. It has snowed all day producing close to 3 inches (10 cm). From the look of the satellite feed on the Intellicast weather site, the source of the snow is the same front that is dumping large amounts of rain on the UK. The forecast suggests there could be snow for the next couple of days.

So how are the locals coping with the sudden arrival of winter? Most motorists were caught well and truly unawares. It is normal practice to change your tyres as winter approaches. You fit either soft rubber snow tyres or less popular, mainly because you have to pay an extra tax, If you have a car in Norway you own two sets of tyres, summer and winter. The problem is changing them when the weather catches you out. As a result the tyre depots were working overtime, long queues quickly formed outside most of them. The early callers were the taxi drivers. Most taxis use studded tyres during the winter. This is mainly to allow them to maintain the mandatory 2G cornering speeds on Oslo’s many cobbled streets! The use of studded tyres in Oslo is discouraged, they destroy the road surfaces, one reason why Oslo still has a large number of cobbled streets and because they encourage faster driving speeds. In addition they claim that the abrasion of the road surface creates a health hazard due to people breathing in the particles. However it seems you can not win either way. There is now a move to have the composition of the soft tread winter tyres changed because they contain carcinogenic chemicals.

You would think Norwegian kids would be blasé about snow but there they where making snowmen and belting each other with snow balls. At least they are dressed for the weather. The younger ones wear these “all in one” waterproof boiler suit outfits that allow them to throw themselves around whatever the weather. It is noticeable that footwear fashion this year has changed from UGG boots to fancy welly boots.

National Statistics

2005-10-25T09:58:00.000+01:00

Amazingly Norway is the top ranking country for drug related crime at 987.1 offences per 100,000 people. This compares with 214.3 in the UK. They have the highest coffee consumption at 10.7 kg it person compared with 3.0 kg in the USA and only 1.2 in the UK. Must have something to do with the long bleak winters.

Hardly surprising Norway have won 263 winter Olympics medals, more than any other country . This compares with 26 in the UK who are ranked 17th in the world.

Interestingly Norway donated more aid to the Tsunami Disaster, per capita than any other country, $57.71 per person, compared with the UK who ranked 19th with $5.42. But then Thailand is the top holiday destination for Scandinavian countries. We were in Oslo at the time of the Tsunami disaster and just everybody was collecting money for the disaster appeal.

If you want to bore your mates silly down at the pub, check out the fascinating web site at http://www.nationmaster.com/

Egalitarian Society

2005-10-24T11:17:00.000+01:00

In addition to being rated the best country in the world to live in, Norway is rated as being the most prosperous country in the world according to the United Nations. The source of this prosperity is of course North Sea oil. Norway is the third largest exporter of oil after Saudi Arabia and Russia. Yet Norway has the worlds most expensive petrol. You would think that with all this prosperity Norwegians would be enjoying a low cost subsidised lifestyle instead of the highest cost of living in Europe. Why? Well apparently the prudent politicians are saving up for the day that North Sea oil runs out. The fund currently stands at £103 billion equal to £22,000 per Norwegian citizen. Sounds a lot but it amounts to less than 6 months salary for the average citizen. Mind you it is a damn sight more than the British Government has salted away on behalf of its citizens.

Another contributory factor to Norway’s high rating is its egalitarian society and generous welfare system. Following 5 years of Nazi occupation egalitarianism was considered by the people to be the way forward. It is the equality in society that makes Norway attractive to Norwegians not to mention the burgeoning numbers of immigrants and asylum seekers. In society where few people are desperately poor and overt wealth is frowned upon it may come as a surprise to discover that a bus driver earns a similar salary to a Doctor, around £2000 per month. Visitors to Oslo may find it a bit hard to believe that there are not rather fatter salaries around from the number of BMW’s, Mercs and Range Rovers to be seen on the streets.

Norwegians are frequently asked how they survive the high cost of living in a country where beer cost over a fiver a pint and petrol costs nearly as much as computer printer ink! The answer may have something to do with the fact that most do not have to pay out for private pensions, health insurance and choose to send their children to state schools. They don’t spend much on food if the absence of fat Norwegians is anything to go by. They seem to cycle everywhere despite the hilly terrain of much of Oslo and spend the weekends cross country skiing.. This may have something to do with why the population includes a large proportion of healthy octogenarians. At the other end of the scale mums enjoy 10 months maternity leave on full pay or 12 months on 80% pay. On a topical UK note, dads can share this leave on a pro rata basis. Incidentally you have to be 67 before you get your pension which is equivalent to two thirds of your highest salary.

Oslo Facts and Figures

2005-10-23T22:53:00.000+01:00

Oslo was named Christiania, then Kristiania, before adopting the name Oslo in 1925
Capital of Norway
Population: 507,467
Elevation: 56 feet above sea level
Average Annual Rainfall: 29 inches (74 centimeters)
Average January Temperature: -3 degrees Celsius
Average July Temperature: 18 degrees Celsius
International Dialing Code: 47
Currency: Norweigian Kroner
Exchange rate: approx 11.5 NKR to 1 British Pound (23 Oct 2005)
Average cost of a coffee: 25 NKR
Average cost large beer: 50 NKR
International Airport: Gardermoen

Autumnal Leaf

2005-10-23T09:09:00.000+01:00

Quaint things about Oslo

2005-10-22T17:53:00.000+01:00

Candles outside shops. Some shops have them all year round but usually this is a winter thing. Shop keepers trying their best to set fire not only to their own premises but to everyone passing by. Occasionally there will be a really serious gas or paraffin fired blazing torch. You need to keep your wits about you if you want to avoid a singed bum! It is a delightful sight on a dark winter afternoon.
Candles everywhere. To light the long winter nights and even the long summer days you find candles and tea lights everywhere particularly on your table in bars cafes and restaurants. I think it is a delightful touch particularly on the dim winter days.
Shops do not put their Christmas decorations up until beginning of December. Unlike the UK where Christmas starts at the begriming of October!
The all year round Cafe culture. In the winter Cafes and Bars supply blankets to cover your knees if you want to sit out side. You can't beet drinking a cold beer when it´s -10C with a warm blanket wrapped around your knees.
You get the best Cafe Mocha in Oslo cafes.
Norway is NO SMOKING. You have no idea how delightful it is to watch Liverpool spanking Chelsea (well you can dream) in an Oslo city centre bar which is smoke FREE. The smokers are very well trained and nip outside for a quick drag at regular intervals and top the nicotine at half time. The only problem is during the summer months when non smokers want to sit outside. This is a chance for the smokers to get their own back by blowing smoke in your face!
Ethnic food shops, particularly Greengrocers. Oslo and its environs are well supplied with corner shops and ethnic establishments of all sorts. Some of the best are the Greengrocers one of the best of these are the Sultan shops, they sell a vast range of fresh fruit and veg and other exotic merchandise.
You can check the salary of your neighbours or any other Norwegian citizen, including the King on line. Oh, that means the King can check your salary as wel of course. How democratic is that.
Craft Bread. It is a standing joke that Norwegians only eat stale bread. It is true that an average Norwegian loaf can last the best part of a week and has a similar consistency at the end as at the start. But there must be more Kraft Bakeries around Oslo than there are Boulangeries in Paris. We have enjoyed some of the most delicious fresh bread ever. The biggest problem is most of the loaves look the same. One of our favourites breads is Gulrotbrod (Carrot bread) apart from being very tasty it has the advantage of not turning into a brick within 24 hrs.
Limited choices in Norwegian supermarkets. Oslo has lots of small and medium size supermarkets but as far as I am aware there is nothing to match the size of even an average size Tesco store. There is a raging controversy that four companies control the main supermarket chains in Norway and they are accused of restricting choice by charging placement premiums for stocking products in prominent positions. The result is that some manufacturers are refusing to cooperate, Procter & Gamble for instance have refused to supply disposable nappies. There is also a policy of stocking home produced products for example Norway grows all their own strawberries, can you believe that. All down to poly tunnels and cheap electricity apparently. Nice strawberries though!

Norway Best Place to Live in the World!

2005-10-21T21:15:00.000+01:00

For the fifth year in a row the UN has ranked Norway the best place to live in the world. The benefits of North Sea oil and a generous welfare state are two of the attractions. Although mention the benefits of North Sea oil to the average Norwegian and they will look at you with a blank expression. In Oslo the infrastructure is crumbling, if you think UK roads are bad you should see Oslo streets. Taxes are some of the highest in Europe and the cost of living is 30% higher than the European average. A pint cost around £5.00 and if you fancy a Guinness it will set you back £8.00. You can buy beer in a supermarket but you can only buy wine and spirits in the "Vinmonopolet"; the State Liquor Store. Cheapest wine is about £6.00 and the hard stuff about 3 times UK prices. Yet despite this deterrent to buying alcohol Norway has a high incidence of alcoholism and drug abuse. The evidence for which can be found littering the many open places throughout the city. As a regular visitor to Oslo for about 8 years I must say that apart from the horrendous cost of living. I enjoy my visits to the city and find it generally very attractive, with one major disappointment, GRAFFITI. I have never seen such wanton vandalism of any city as the graffiti artists and mindless Taggers visit upon Oslo. I know most cities suffer from the problem to a greater or lessor extent but Oslo must be the graffiti capital. I suspect the problem is not confined to the Oslo only from what I read it is a particular Scandinavian disease. I am familiar with the mantra of the dedicated graffiti artist many of whom are far from being children. Many of them are gifted if misguided artists. It is unfortunately the younger element who wish to imitate the activities of their heroes but do not share the artistic skills and have to limit their activity to mindless tagging. They take great pleasure in defacing anything they can reach. Nothing is sacred. Their activities are not confined to paint and markers but to scratching and cutting. It is an outrage the damage they have perpetrated on the windows of public transport, brand new trains and buses mindlessly defaced.

COMMENT from Dagbladet
Graffiti has been a constant problem for the Oslo underground, but things have taken a turn for the worse, with passengers threatened by youths bent on destroying property. Graffiti and trashing are becoming a major problem, with a noticeable impact on the general public. Graffiti is part of an extremely individualistic global youth culture whose roots are to be found in the prevailing social conditions and winds of ideology blowing across the world’s social landscapes. But they also present a challenge to those responsible for maintaining law and order. It is a commendable that the Nordic railways, subject to constant harassment, have now joined forces in an effort to combat the problem. Creative young people should have other outlets. Regardless of the nature of the problem, however, society cannot accept the destruction of our common environment by a few.

Graffiti is destroying what is otherwise one of the most attractive cities in Europe, lets hope the perpetrators turn their undoubted talents to something more rewarding or less anti-social.

Lucy´s Birthday 20th October 2005

2005-10-19T22:58:00.000+01:00

In traditional Norwegian style Lucy´s first birthday was celebrated with chocolate "kaka" (translated as cake) for breakfast. Not quite as acceptable as egg and bacon! But Lucy was delighted as was Cora, which is all that matters.The only problem is 6.00 am is too early to celebrate a birthday, even Lucy´s although she is normally awake at that time. We have still not recovered from our early flight so shall forgo the early start and wait for the official birthday party on Sunday for our "kaka". Lucy has asked that I pass on her thank you´s to everyone who sent her a card and or present. She responded to the singing of "Happy Birthday to you" by squealing and clapping, I get the impression she knew what was going on. I have to say Lucy has been a little love, very easy to look after. She appears to understand everything we say, which is amazing considering we only speak to her in English. Bi-iligual at 1 year old a bit humbling to say the least.

The day started with a temperature of 2C with drizzly rain which turned into rain as evening approached. Temperature rose slowly to 7C. There is supposed to be a chance of snow Friday or Saturday. Looking forward to the sun on Sunday.

Visit to Oslo 18th October 2005

2005-10-19T09:53:00.000+01:00

Why have BA changed the Oslo flight from 10.00 hrs to 6.55 hrs? I just hate having to get up at 3.00 hrs. If I wanted to get up at that time I would have become a milkman or a the presenter of the Today programme, similar qualifications required! I was on the Thirlwell Viaduct before I freed my eyes of sleep bogies. We used the same Chauffeur parking service as last time, works a dream and it is the cheapest option I have found, £70 after discount for 14 days, not bad. We had booked in online, changed our seats and printed off the Boarding Passes so we just had to check the luggage in, one bag was 27 kg but no comments. I have to say I am a big fan of the BA web site, works a treat.

It turned out we were on the little Embrair 145 for this flight, hardly surprising as there where only 25 passengers. Flight time was just 1 hr 45 min, 30 min less than scheduled. Had a weird flight, the plane was rolling from side to side for most of the flight most sick making. The approach to Oslo was spectacular as always, enhanced by the bright low morning sun. What appeared to be low cloud filling the hollows turned out to be FOG! The captain updated us with weather conditions in Oslo, temperature -3C brrrrr, with FOG, he added that he was going to make an approach to Gardamoen but that we should be aware that he may have to abort the landing at the last moment. In which case we would probably head for Stockholm, 4 hrs from Oslo by express train. I am delighted to say he landed perfectly if not a little gingerly on the slippy runway.
Usual efficient operation once we had landed, luggage waiting. We took advantage of the unique Gardamon facility of a Duty Free store in the baggage hall. This rather confirms the schizophrenic attitude the Norwegians have towards alcohol. Needless to say the locals are like kids in a sweetshop, they clearly like their Brandy if the contents of most of the baskets are to be believed. Incidentally Gardamoen airport has the largest Duty Free shop in Europe if not the world!. It is also the longest laminated wood construction in the world, not bad for a city with just twice the population of the Fylde (529846). We walked straight on to the Flytog, the super fast rail link to Oslo central station in just 20 mins. Brilliant, on time clean and with loads of luggage space. Why can`t we have trains like this.

Erika Nissens Gate

2005-10-18T10:10:00.000+01:00

Erika Nissens gate was named in 1914 after the Norwegian pianist and teacher Erika Røring Møinichen Nissen (1845-1903). She was famous for her interpretation of Bach and Beethoven and gave many concerts in Scandinavia , Germany , Switzerland , Netherlands and France. Erika Nissens gate runs between Agathe Grøndals gate and Lammers gate. I bet that one does not come up in the pub quiz.

Where the Hell is Torshov

2005-10-17T22:00:00.000+01:00

Torshov is a suburb of Oslo about 4 km NNE of Oslo centre. The name Torshov comes from Tors Haug (Thor's Hill), as this was a place where rituals connected with the god Thor (from Norse mythology) were carried out. Torshov is one of Oslo's jewels - this is an exquisite area for walking, with a very different feel from that of the rest of Oslo. To date we have not witnessed any strange goings on but there are a few odd folk in the area!

It is one of the few parts of this city built with an architectural plan, and has many open spaces and parks. Two things you should see while you are at Torshov are the Ox (Bull) Fountain (Oksefontenen) on Hegermanns plass, and Torshovparken with its fountains, sculptures and pavilion. On New Year's Eve this is one of the places where people gather to set off their fireworks. We were lucky enough to witness this New Year 2004/2005, it was like the outbreak of World War 3. There is a spectacular view of a large part of the city and Oslo Fiord. Sometimes there are outdoor concerts and theatrical performances in the park bandstand.

The river Akerslava runs through the area, directly south into the Fiord. There is a fantastic paved walk the length of the river right into the centre of Oslo. The river falls quite steeply in places over rapids and many dams built to provide water and power for the many industrial premises that were established in the area. The geography makes for spectacular ice formations during the winter months as the water and spray are frozen into ice sculptures. Many of the traditional industries, brewing, milling paper making etc have moved away to be replaced with more modern businesses, restaurants bars and attractive apartments. As an alternative you can follow the river northwards passing through some of Oslo´s hi-tech industrial and University parks and campuses, to its source at lake Maridalsvannet. A trek we have yet to complete. As is the case throughout Oslo living accommodation and industry are closly intermingled.

We have an apartment in Erika Nissens Gate, a road opposite the entrance to Torshovparken. A delightful spot, well endowed with trees and open spaces and conveniently situated for access to the city as a whole. Trams 11, 12 or 15, or bus 30 will take you from Torshov to the centre of Oslo and bus 20 provides access across town to places such as Frogner Park and Major-Stua, a large shopping area. It is also possible to walk into the centre of Oslo by a variety of interesting routes in about 20 minutes. Walking or using public transport, tram, bus, metro or train is one of the pleasures of visiting Oslo. Although you would be well advised to avoid travelling a peak times unless you are into playing sardines.