doings

April 2011

1 April Andrew returned yesterday evening after two schooldays and a night in the mountains, where they were skiing and doing survival skills (digging snow holes and so on) - all part of the Norwegian curriculum.

We mentioned on 28 March that the new school bus driver, Connie, was not having a good week. The bus broke down, which meant using a temporary one. Then, on the journey home from school she was unfortunate enough to crash the bus into some new protective railings and into a tractor trailor at the same time; and shortly after that (but unrelated), the engine overheated seriously, requiring a 20-minute cooling-down stop and then some cautious driving/freewheeling the rest of the way. So by yesterday we were on the third bus of the week.

Yesterday morning, when Connie tried to start the latest bus at 6.30am it had a flat battery. She somehow got it going after a while and asked for the pupils to be brought to the bridge to avoid having to drive from farm to farm (and risk having the bus cut out altogether). Unfortunately it had snowed hard overnight and the road up the mountain towards the tunnel was fairly deep in snow. The bus wouldn't go up and eventually slid into an awkward angle. She got out and put the chains on. This didn't help. A passing motorist pointed out that the chains were on the wrong way round, so they had to be taken off again and turned round. Three hours after leaving, the children were strongly suggesting that Connie turn round and drive home ("school's nearly over") but she held out and got them there before lunch. She really has not had a good week.

And today her week got even worse. You may remember that last September we found out late one evening that the highways authority was to close the road to Vikes� for a couple of months - starting the following morning - due to maintenance work (avalanche prevention). There was a storm of protests to the Mayor - but he hadn't been told either, so he was very cross. This morning, at the entrance to the tunnel there was a large sign with the emblem of the highways authority, which read: "Highways Authority. Notice of Closure. This tunnel will be closed for three weeks from Monday 4 April 2011 due to maintenance. For enquiries, ring [the Mayor's phone number]". (Photo, left - click for enlargement). Once more, the Mayor didn't know. Nor, in all fairness, did the highways authority. It is 1 April, after all.

2 April Everyone in the valley seems to have enjoyed yesterday's episode with the tunnel sign - and a few people were taken in (including the bus driver who rang her bus company in consternation). The most worrying aspect (apart from the fact that some people believed it, which doesn't say much for the Highways Authority) is that people immediately suspected that Tim must be responsible. (And they were quite right, of course).

Nine people and two traffic lights were injured in Bergen today and subsequently treated (mostly for shock) after being hit by a flying matress. See illustrated news report (in Norwegian). Good job it wasn't yesterday or no-one would have believed it.

3 April The sun is just chasing the morning mist away, showing the red tinge in the forest that tells us that buds are just growing. (Photo, right - click for enlargement). Another week or two and the red will turn to pale green. Nearest we get to traffic lights in �rsdalen.

Every week Katie has to write a short story (in Norwegian, of course) as part of her homework from school. The teacher provides the title and the first sentence or two and then she has to finish the story in 400-500 words. The results are usually very creative - Katie always seems to manage to build some sort of twist into the plot (and when I come to think about it there always seems to be an airborne animal involved, one way or another). In case you'd like to read this week's homework story, there's a translation of it here.

6 April When people used to ask Tim what if anything (apart from family and friends) he missed about Britain the answer was fairly easy: marmalade and Radio 4. Now it's a different world. In the kitchen we have a wifi radio, which means that using the wireless broadband we can pick up almost any national or local radio station from around the world. And even when we're not in the kitchen there's always a computer handy, which provides the same service. So now there's no problem about Radio 4 (or anything else). Which only leaves the marmalade. Of course, we brought a good stock of mamade tins with us, and certain friends have been generously keeping us supplied, so we've never really run short. Yesterday evening we did something very unusual: we all went to a shopping centre near Sandnes. Looked around shops, bought ice cream and coffee. If that doesn't sound anything in particular, you've not experienced a lengthy stay in �rsdalen. Just before leaving we went into a food shop of a brand that we've not visited before. It contained a whole aisle of marmalade. Every make and variety you could think of (even those strange ones with whisky that you only find in Scottish souvenier shops) - even down to tins of mamade. And such oddities as mint jelly and marmite. So it looks as though the last problem is solved. Life's as good as it gets.

The council meeting. The local paper reported today on some important deliberations in the local council, and were kind enough to provide a photograph taken at the meeting (photo, right - click for enlargement). It wasn't the decisions they'd taken that caught my attention: it was the evident formality of the meeting. The member nearest on the left appears to have been sent out for failing to eat his greens.

8 April Our friends at the Highways Authority have announced today which roads are to be resurfaced this year. These include the whole stretch from the ski centre, through the �rsdalen tunnel and down to Hovland (where we live), as well as the stretch of road that was closed for so long last year due to avalanche prevention work (see photo, left - click for enlargement). So we can expect a few chaotic days of road closures whilst this is being done, but it will be so much better afterwards!

Fantastic spring storms today. It's poured down for the last couple of days, so the river is full and every inch of mountainside is covered in waterfalls. Strong winds are blowing all this water in all directions, to great effect. Click the photo, below right, for three very short film clips of �rsdalen today.

9 April Calm, blue skies, sun and very hot temperatures today. Click photo, left, to see what we've done with it.

10 April The year's first flowers in the garden (photo, right - click for enlargement).

Many rockfalls along the roadside (the school bus continued its run of bad luck by managing to hit this one, just outside the tunnel entrance on Friday - photo, left - click for enlargement).

11 April Police tactics. Today's newspaper reports on a motorist who was driving carelessly. A couple of other drivers rang into the local police to report it. The police were "busy with another matter" at the time (probably coffee break) so rather than giving chase they looked up the owner's details, found his mobile phone number in the telephone book and rang him to ask him to drive properly. The driver was apparently rather surprised and promised to drive better.

Morning mist (quickly cleared by today's sunshine) photo, right - click for two pictures.

13 April Gathering sticks and other signs of spring. Today was full of signs of spring. Firstly, the Highways Authority was out, gathering up the "sticks" from the roadsides - the poles that mark the edges of the road so that it's still possible to see where the road is, even when the road and surrounding fields is covered in deep snow. Secondly, there were sheep out - the first sheep to lie in the middle of the road in �rsdalen this year. There will be many more yet. Thirdly, Tune has had her annual drastic haircut (before and after picture, right - click for enlargement). And finally, Fudge has jumped into the pond to cool off (and partly to get away from a now suddenly highly-energetic Tune) (pictures, left - click for short sequence).

17 April The kind of Easter-week weather forecast that we like! (near left - click for enlargement).

We've spoken before about our experiences in Norwegian banks. Our first experience was when we first came to Norway - to the small island of Lur�y - we needed to open a bank account. We wandered along to the bank, but it was closed. As we stood looking in through the window a car pulled up. It was the bank manager, who pulled some keys out of his pocket, opened up the bank for us, took our photographs for a bank card, gave us some cash and then invited us home for tea. Even here in our local bank, we went in one day and found the place empty - the staff had just popped out somewhere but had left stacks of bundles of bank notes on the (open) counter. We stood around for a bit and another customer came in, with whom we exchanged comments about "self-service" - until the assistant eventually came back in and resumed service. Here (click photo, right) is a short film about the daily routine in a bank not far from here.

18 April Hotter than forecast (sunshine, clear blue skies and 20-something degrees in the middle of the day). The waterfalls are already starting to diminish ((photo, far left - click for enlargement) The sheep were already out having fun at 6.30 am (photo, near left - click for enlargement); we were busy in the forest chopping wood so that it can dry outside in the coming week's good weather. We've built (actually Thomas Andrew did most of the actual work) a wood-storage cage just inside the garage which should hold a full winter's wood - and we're determined to cut the following year's as well, which we'll store in the barn. Click photo, right, to see a bit of the work in progress.

21 April Maundy Thursday. Yet another hot day (bright sunshine and pushing 20°C - 68°F). As Tracy and Katie are away on a trip, Thomas Andrew is working at the ski centre and Matt is running a youth camp I decided to go for a walk after church this morning. Between the church at Bjerkreim and home in �rsdalen there is the �rsdalen lake, with high mountains along each side. To my shame I've never been up there, although there's a good path up from church. There wasn't time to go all the way today (and besides I'd be stuck with my car at the wrong end if I did) but I took a quick walk up to the top. It was glorious. Patches of snow glistening in the hot sunshine, sounds of birds and waterfalls, and spectacular views. Click photo, left, to see a couple of short film clips. Must do this again when I've got more time - and walk all the way home.

22 April Picture - left - speaks for itself. Must clean the thermometer. With the good weather, everything is growing fast. The garden is full of daffodils, and the forest has suddenly turned green (picture, above right - click for enlargement).

23 April Out enjoying the sunshine whilst chopping logs - and there's no sign of the good weather stopping (long-range weather forecast, left). Thomas Andrew has been creative and made a cheesecake for tea (photo, below right).

27 April "Just stopped to get an ice cream". But this unfortunate motorist's car had other plans for cooling off.

Two years ago today we signed the contract to buy this place: we're not regretting it yet!

29 April Still enjoying the seemingly-endless succession of warm and sunny days - and there are now warnings of danger from forest fires.

Norway's "oil fund" (Norway decided not to spend its oil revenues but save them up for a rainy day) just keeps growing - the country is said now to own 10% of all shares in the world and if the fund were distributed amongst the people, every adult and child in Norway would be a millionaire. Naturally there has been debate about what will happen when North-Sea oil runs out. Companies have begun to look at the Barents Sea off Norway's northern coast. First reports, released yesterday, suggest that (all being well) there may be as much oil there as has been found altogether in the North Sea. It doesn't seem fair.

A politician in Stavanger is also saying "it's not fair". He noticed in a newspaper that there had been a local election. On reading further he found out that the election had been to replace him - because he'd apparently died. He'd been unaware of both these facts and is now objecting. "Not sure how this has happened" is the official comment.