Sunnmøre Jul, Oslow temperatures

14.02.2010

It's been a while since I put some photos up and a lot has happened in the last couple of months too. Probably the most important development is that I actually have a proper job now. It was good to start working with some more purpose during what has been a dark, cold, though certainly not unpleasant winter.

Ages ago (back in December) Fez and Jim came and visited from Australia as a 'wind down' stopover on their seemingly annual international post/math/shoegazer rock festival juggernaut. That was right as Oslo started to get cold—the first weekend below -10 degrees C. Straight after that we flew up to Sunnmøre again for the annual Christmas overeat and mountain gazing.

The weather has certainly been cold this winter. Cold even by Norwegian standards apaprently. Just after Christmas and at the start of the New Year, it was between -15 and -20 for almost 4 weeks. You do actually get used to it and it does make -5 feel extremely mild. It's actually a good walking temperature. A brisk walk, granted. So I've been walking to my new job and pretty much everywhere all through winter. I was originally riding but a high speed 'stack' while carrying an expensive computational device taught me a valuable lesson about traction and that perhaps I should ease into these winters—first on foot. It's also at temperatures down in below about the -12 range that funny things happen. Your nose hairs freeze or course, which is not unpleasant but does make you acutely aware of their existence.

Have just finished a second Norwegian course. Having never really put in the effort to learn any language up to this point, the best way to describe it is like a huge jigsaw puzzle. I mean really big. Say A2 size at least. Probably 10,000pc. Of an overcast sky. Some weeks you are on a roll and really getting it all together, then other weeks you try and try to use it, to speak with the correct accent etc, and the helpful Norwegians just talk back to you in English. It's like smashing your head against a brick wall and at these moments you wonder why you're even bothering.. but that is luckily a temporary feeling and once you get a few more pieces in place its OK again.

I've been playing and recording some music too. It's an epic project that I'm not even going to begin to explain here. But will certainly keep me busy and on my toes drumming-wise for a while.. Also, I've included some pictures from our Australia Day celebrations in our local park. The weather put on a balmy -5 degrees for the occasion and our BBQ'd real snags (not this pre-cooked hot-dog-style shit they sell here) and footy paid homage to the day.

Anyway, over and out from me. I'll let some pictures do the rest of the rambling.

Sagene Mølla

Probably about November sometime, right before this river froze over. HEAPS of water.

Crown Lager

Bogans. They are omni-present. It doesn't matter if it's from the other side of the world to here, it's still shit. Found discarded on the footpath as it should be.

Classic bust.

In the Aker cemetery. "Did you see that little shit? He poured paint right on my head, knowing full well I had no way of resisting."

Medium setting!

Nice hair. I guess this was made posthumously as I doubt the owner would have approved the 'windswept' hair style.

Den Norske Opera

Early winter sunsets work well with the internal lighting.

Slottet (The Castle)

How's the serenity.

Shuffleboard! At Tilt.

Fez throwing down one with some nice line and length.

Shuffleboard! At Tilt.

Rani with the home ground advantage. Tilt is our venue of choice at the moment. They always have a great beer selecting (even though the good beers are around $15AUD each).

Some small christmas/sausage market

Outside the Town hall. Santa also played some covers.

Pinnekjøtt.

Pin meat. It's dried and salted lamb ribs that you soak in water for a while and then steam the hell out of them until the meat falls off the bone. Brilliant!

Holmenkollen - the Oslo ski jump.

They were working late on a Sunday afternoon in about -10 degrees up on that structure. I think they were a bit behind schedule for the first tournament in March.

Nice type. Back in Sykkylven.

Very impressive attention to detail on this sign. Don't necessarily agree with their typeface choice but the execution is brilliant!

The blue hour.

Looked better in person of course.

The '2nd day of Christmas' Town party.

Everyone from 16 to 40. Strange. Held in a local community hall/gymnasium.

Note the basketball backboard.

Felt like I was in an american teen prom movie.

Finally a white Christmas.

Pretty much first snow for winter..

On the way to Stryn.

Epic mountains are omnipresent.

Great logo.

"What are we trying to convey? Well.. we empty people's septic tanks. And we have a really big truck. And we work on call... Got it. Septik 24. With an elephant graphic doubling as a vacuum cleaner. Booya!"

This is Norway.

Dairy country. This is the barn where the cows stay over winter. Note the incline on the mountain behind. Epic.

Andalsnes at 9am.

Start of the train journey back to Oslo. Our train was OK but the very next train after us stopped on the tracks with no power (and hence no heating) for 4 hours where it was -26 degrees.