Header picture - stones in Ørsdalen river (© Katie).

Comments joanna - March 21st, 2017 Love the new header, well done Katie, there is something beautiful about natural pebbles. Katie - March 22nd, 2017 Thank you Joanna

2 March - Griffindor - Katie has been to Harry Potter World today, but our trip was to the nearby university town of Greifswald (photo here). It got its name ("Griffin Forest") because a helpful Griffin showed some monks where to build the town in the 1190s. It soon acquired what is now one of the world's 30 oldest universities, which Tim was visiting (he's doing a lecture and concert there next year). We wondered why Denmark and Sweden had squabbled for centuries over which of them should rule the area (it didn't actually become German until the 19th century) until we discovered the city's finest feature: a bakery that did the most fantastic hot chocolate and gooey chocolate muffin.
Evening trip just down the road to our favourite restaurant (photo here).

3 March - A walk alongside Rätzsee Lake - Beautiful sunshine invited a long walk through the woods alongside the nearby lake that we more usually use for kayaking (click picture, above right, for 6 photos).

Joanna — you remember those "bird's nests"-or-not from last Autumn? You were, of course, quite right: now that the Autumn leaves have gone we can see that they really are some kind of plant (photo here).   Comments joanna - March 3rd, 2017 It is mistletoe! We have it in many trees in our area, I won't say I told you so and you can believe me !! The area looks fabulous and I am sure there will be much more in the natural world that you will find interesting! May be even start naming birds! Tim - March 3rd, 2017 Named a bird today. It flew up at me when I nearly trod on it: won't tell you what I called it. And as for the mistletoe, you won't catch me standing under it to take any more photos. But yes, it's great here. Like the Norfolk Broads but twenty times the size and no tourists. Lovely. joanna - March 4th, 2017 If you nearly trod on a brown stripes bird it could have been called Jacksnipe!!! Tim - March 4th, 2017 Main danger is standing on storks. Dozens of them in every field. Never seen so many. But then, Germany does have a falling birthrate, so maybe they've all been made redundant and are standing around waiting for work. joanna - March 5th, 2017 Really Tim you must get your facts right, the dozens of Storks will still be sunning it in Israel and North Africa!! The birth rate might be down but the death rate of Storks would be very high if you see them at this time of year!! This repartee could go on for ages!! Tim - March 6th, 2017 You see, we needed you with us. I should have taken pictures. Cranes is the obvious, but they seemed bigger than cranes. If that's what they are, then there's more of them than you'd find in a shipyard. There's apparently a population of Rheas. joanna - March 6th, 2017 Cranes are certainly a good idea, unless there are a load of Rheas dodging war in S. America!! Tracy - March 7th, 2017 There were loads of them and they were huge, about the size of ostriches or flamingos! They were mostly on open fields in groups of 3-10. An internet search has not yielded any suggestions either. Regarding rheas, Wikipedia notes this: "A small population of rheas has emerged in northeastern Germany, after several couples escaped from an exotic meat farm near Lübeck in the late 1990s. Contrary to expectations, the large birds have adapted well to the conditions in the German countryside.Currently there is a population of well over 100 birds in an area of 150 square kilometres (58 sq mi) between the river Wakenitz and the A20 motorway, slowly expanding eastwards.A monitoring system has been in place since 2008." Joanna - March 7th, 2017 It's amazing what happens with escapees!! So it looks as if it is an immigrant problem, may be Germany needs to get 'Trump' on the job!! I learn something new every day, thats what keeps me sane!!!

Apologies for a long period of silence. T&T have both been kept busy at their respective churches (Sandnes church in moonlight here) and with other things!

Sometime last week - the visitor - Woke up this morning and looked out of the bathroom window, to see that a visitor called last night. Came from the barn to the front door, found no-one awake and went away again. Photo of the evidence. A lot of deer around at the moment in the garden and the fields.

Knitting - Tracy has had several projects recently, including this tractor jumper for a small boy in her congregation, who is now delighted.

18 March - Saturday at last! - Woke up to a fine sunny morning, so we're spending the day decorating one of the bedrooms (an overdue job!). It's only a couple of degrees, so it's fine to enjoy the sunshine from inside.

20 March - You know, of course, that today is World Happiness Day? So we hope that you will be celebrating it at least with quiet satisfaction, if not with a broad smile. The Norwegain press is allowing itself a wide grin, so to speak, because Norway in back in its usual top place on the United Nations' annual world happiness report, published today, which arranges all the countries of the world in order of happiness — calculated according to an elaborate and complex formula. Last year, Denmark briefly pushed Norway into second place. The press is also gleeful to note that Sweden is down at ninth place. The UK comes in at number 19.

Norway is also happy to note that today is the Spring Equinox, so the sun starts to move into our favour.

Comments Norah - March 23rd, 2017 I really am amazed at your knowledge of birds & also need to look at a map of Germany to see where you have been. Lovely pictures. Wish you could encourage Caernarfon seagulls to join you - they are already getting into gear for the annual bash at the town & my house in particular. Tim Thank you Norah! But alas, as I'm sure Joanna and my brother and sister-in-law would be the first to say, my knowledge of birds is woefully inadequate. But we enjoy having them around - except perhaps for the seagulls. By all means send your seagull over: Matt is ready!.

27 March - big news from Farmer Thomas, who today is signing a long-term lease/purchase-option agreement on a 12000-acre farm (that's about the size of Exeter), including about a mile of shoreline on the Ørsdalen lake. He's intending to fill it with sheep (the farm, not the lake). Click photo, left, for large number of pictures of his new domain.

Easter is coming. In church it's the greatest time of year; but the only problem is that there's so few people in church for it. They'll all be here in Ørsdalen and higher up in the mountains, skiing. Of course, that's only natural: the sun reflecting off the mountain snow and melting the ice on the lakes (see lake this morning) is an unmissable joy, that has to be appreciated together with a packet of the Kit-kat-like Kvikklunsj (according to this history of Kvikklunsj, "on average a Norwegian eats approximately nine Kvikk Lunsjs every year, three of them at Easter") and chocolate marzipan. When Norwegians are not skiing or eating chocolate, they read the milk cartons (this one taken from our fridge today), which at this time of year are decorated with the other essential element of Norwegian Easter: crime mysteries. Despite suggestions that the Easter preoccpation with mystery stories is somehow connnected with the empty tomb, we have to admit that when Easter tries to compete for Norwegian attention with skiing, chocolate and crime, it seems to come off second best. After Easter we all change our tyres to the summer variety and then focus on bank holidays and end-of-session events in the run-up to summer. Must admit, it does sound rather good.

Comments joanna - March 27th, 2017 Congratulations to Farmer Thomas!! It all looks fantastic and so much better than all the Britains toys he used to play with!!

31 March - Thomas' first 48 sheep are arriving today. Now a real sheep farmer!

He's now in the middle of lambing and his 48 sheep have at least as many lambs. His stock is increasing as fast as his hours of sleep are decreasing. Click photo, left, for pictures.