Sky Watch Friday

This Friday I start with a photo taken in Stockholm, Sweden showing a Sewer coming out of his manhole at Raol Wallenberg Place for Sky Watching and talking to my wife. She is an expert in talking to sculptures or getting attention from men with deaf ears while looking at TV.The sewer may have got lost in the underground on his way to the City Hall in Stockholm behind the Vasa Bridge.May be next time he see daylight is in the beautiful Carrara Mountains in Tuscany, Italy where among others Michelangelos David was carved.May be he then wish he could join us when leaving by boat the Doria Castle at
Portovenere on our voyage towards north and the spectacular Cinque Terre:
Riomaggiore ,
Manarola,
Corniglia,
Vernazza, and
Monterosa al Mare.For more Italian photos see:
Berlin, Praha, Firenze 2003
Tuscany 2004
Puglia 2006
If you want to join the Sky Watch Friday Fellowship on this Leap Day go to DOT and sign up on Mr. Linky

Bloggers love Chocolate

Yesterday many of my visitors gave comments related to the Freia Chocolate Marketing Sign, The clock at Egertorvet.

It is obvious that bloggers love Chocolate.

Outside Oslo perhaps the more known ad from Freia may be the Freia Cow or the Freia Boy. He is Norwegian.

Belgian chocolate has been the food of champions, a lure for lovers, the indulgence of the rich and later, the favorite of the masses.

Belgium produces 172,000 tons of chocolate per year with more than 2,000 chocolate shops throughout the country.

Pralines in Belgium are sublime chocolate confections. A beautifully sculpted chocolate shell conceals a center of filling which explodes with a surprising texture and flavor in your mouth. Many chocolatiers still make their pralines by hand. Every town and even small villages have chocolate stores with luxurious pralines.

In Brussels I found in a Chocolate shop this box of the group of atoms bonded together, representing the smallest fundamental unit of a chemical compound that can take part in a chemical reaction, The Molecule of Chocolate.
Chocolate and other ingredients mixed together in a special recipe can also result in one of the worlds most famous Chocolate Cake – The original Sachertorte at Hotel Sacher in Vienna.
The Recipe is hereBon Apetite!

ABC Wednesday - F

This ABC Wednesday I want to share a photo from last summer.
I am not sure if it is
F for Fun, Fear or Fearless In my town we have the most known marketing sign in Norway; the Freia-clock at Egertorvet. It is around one hundreds years old and was equipped with neon lights in 1956.
F for Freia and its chocolate Another, but perhaps not that well known eye catcher is the old front of a modern house in Josefinegate.
F for Front Living in a city we have more street boutiques than shopping centre. An exception is at Aker Brygge where you may find shops above each other.
F for Floors in shopping centres However, wherever we live in Norway, some of us always dream about going back to nature and the “cosy” life at the cottage.
F for Fireplace


You almost feel the romantic atmosphere in the Living room above and probably want to sit down among fantastic Fox furs waiting for the Fidler to arrive.
My painting shows a Fidler tuning the
Hardingfele

F for the Fiddler playing
Fanitullen

If you like the piano better, listen to the Norwegian composer Chr. Sindings Frühlingsrauschen (Rustle of Spring) on this
YouTube video

More Family News

Henrik is developing and a new video is presented from the Cymraeg family.

Take a look and see Henrik Isak smiling

For more information about his first months and the family challenges, see Henrik Isaks own blog

Gerd and Arne have Birthdays

I think it is a little odd that my sister and her husband are born on the same day although it is 5 years between those 26th Feb.
Today I send all my Congratulations to both of them by reopen some photos from our common trip to the fantastic Alhambra Granada, Spain, last autumn.

Alhambra is the common name of the complex consisting of a fortress (Alcazaba), a palace (Charles V) and the Castle (Alhambra), the unirrigated Upper Alhambra village, plus the leisure place (Generalife). The area is full of gardens, buildings, rooms, bridges and patios; all with astonishing decorations.
We had a great time together and are looking forward to visiting you in Spain another time.

The first photo is from the Dome in Hall of the Abencerrajes

The wonderful dome of mocarabes rests on eight pendentives of mocarabes. The windows that are where the dome starts let a faint light filter through and illuminate the mocarabes creating a magic atmosphere.
The second photo is the Daraxa´s Garden

In the garden there are cypresses, acacias, orange trees and box bushes surrounding the big central marble fountain. The fountain's border is decorated with a poem, like the fountain of the Patio of the Lions (Patio de los Leones), and it was made in 1626 with the big basin that was in the Patio of the Gilded Room (Patio del Cuarto Dorado).Above Alhambra at Cerro del Sol you can visit Generalife where the third photo was takenOur visit at Alhambra was in a wonderful Andalucian weather with the sun shining from a clear blue sky. Today we have light spring rain here in Oslo. The water will bind the dust in the streets and it is easier to take deep breaths.
Tomorrow the weather prognoses are once again clear with increasing temperature.

Dawn of Spring

At the Dawn of this new week I also want to present the Dawn of Spring.
My agricultural period when leaving my apartment in the city and moving closer to the geographical centre of Oslo to live at my cottage (or summer residence - Tullarbo) is coming nearer. Although we have not yet ended the winter month February, the temperature yesterday was +10 C with mild wind from southwest. At Tullarbo the icy ground is still dominating but the perennial plants have started the budding. The red Rubarb and the bud of the Lilac leaves are wonderful discoveries.
At home we still have flowers from the shop. My preferred flower is the Tulip, and I send this flower bouquet to Turid (birthday yesterday) and Gerd and Arne (birthday tomorrow).
Age? No comments. Congratulation to you all.

Stockholm, Second edition

Saturday, February 9. I wrote about the Capital of Norway as the Jungle City. Being in the Capital of Sweden with my camera I also shot some photos of the animals of Stockholm.
First the lonely Swan close to the Skeppsholm bridge:Close to Strøm bridge we found the remaining family with lots of friends:The closest we came to a jungle animal was this Crocodile eating the old buildings at the central station.In a Norwegian blogpost January 28th, I showed a sign for private parking of Norwegian sheep and goats. In Stockholm they have Parking rights for inhabitant cows. The gilding Owl we found (ref comments from GAWO some time ago) will be used in next ABCW - F.

1060 km and a Vernissage

530 km x 2 during 6 hours x 2 car-driving, 2 nights in a hotel bed, italian food, strolling up and down streets, over bridges, up and down shopping escalators, subway traveling = a short visit to Stockholm, Sweden.
The purpose?
The spectacular vernissage of Henri de Toulouse Lautrec (1864 - 1901) at Nationalmuseum.In addition we had for the first time the chance to visit an exhibition of Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987) at Moderna Museet.
Moderna museet is located at Skeppsholmen and you have to cross a bridge to arrive. From the bridge you have a great look at the the old city with the Royal Castle at Skeppsbron. A journey through the subway system on the way to the museums, gives you possibilities to see underground art.
This is from Kungstregården station
Outside Moderna Museet a lot of fantastic sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle, born Catherine-Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle (October 29, 1930–May 22, 2002) can be seen.Traveling back to Oslo, we have the following facts to share.
Petrol is 17% cheaper in Sweden, and good wine 50% cheaper at Systembolaget.
However, we have the bridge of Leonardo da Vinci at Ås outside Oslo made by the Norwegian artist Vebjørn Sand At the end and you still is interested in my Stockholm posting, I have a question to you, and perhaps mostly directed to my swedish visitors. What is or symbolizes this figure at the entrance of Skepsholmen. It is written "Skeppsholm Førsamling" under the roof, and I may have read somewhere that many poor and sick children lived at Skeppsholmen years ago. Please enlighten me.

Sky Watch Friday

Been away a couple of days. Had to visit Stockholm, the capital of Sweden to check the spring collections at the fashion street, Biblioteksgatan, eating at Gamla Stan, visiting Art museums, etc.
Will return with normal blogging tomorrow morning, but just to tell those of you still looking for my name at mr. Linky, that I am not out of SWF. I show you below a photo from Skjærhalden, Norway with the ferry to Sweden taken last summer.

ABC Wednesday - E

What else can be more significant for the opening of this ABC Wednesday than
E is for my Easels in my painting studio.
Take look at my paintings and listen to the Beethoven when thinking of
E for Elise performed in a different way, but absolutely intriguing on this:
YouTube video.
It is still winter holidays in southern Norway and we take a short shopping visits to Stockholm, Sweden. Still 4 weeks to
E is for Easter
but I found already this years Easter fashion-bunnies in a shop at Aker Brygge.We cannot use the European currency in Sweden yet, but here in ABCW it is
E for 100 Euros.With E is for EXIT
and Equipment for Emergency Evacuation in Hospital, this photo is Ending my ABC Blogpost this Wednesday.

Weather condition at Skuløya - It´s Springtime

Documenting Nature is more than Sky Watching.
Last Friday I had a photo taken at my friends A&AK´s Summer House. Today I will show how the weather changes over night at the same place.

These photos are, as usual, sent from my co-photographer Asbjørn and are from Flemsøya / Skuløya. Flemsøya is one of the islands we call Nordøyane or The Northern Islands at the north-western part of Norway.
The first photo (originally two) is taken at sunset last Friday and the second the following morning, from beautiful springtime at the coastline to fog, rain and stormy weather.That’s nature as it is, climate changes or not, like the weather here at Homansbyen, Oslo, (photo taken at the same time as above) In addition,
once again I give my congratulations to Anna Katharina on her birthday yesterday. Looking forward to your border passing next year.

Dawn of the age of Reason

Yesterday I watched a fiction movie on TV about consequences of environmental disorder. Flooding, extreme global weatherchange, storms, frost, death etc.
Burning books was the only way to keep up a certain "heat" inside the libraryroom where lead actors stayed and waited for the hero.

One sentence in a dialogue is still repeating in my mind:
"the Dawn of the age of Reason"
referring to protecting Johannes Gutenbergs work and his first Bible.

In 1455 Gutenberg published his 42-line Bible. About 180 were printed, most on paper and some on vellum.

His books (whatever content) was the first public medium making it possible to communicate by printing and sharing content of ideas and not only through oral stories for common people. The Dawn of the power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgments by a process of logic.

Today we all communicate through electronic media with a speed not believed only years ago. Not only by texting but also through pictures. This kind of communication creates ideas like the photo following my posting today. High heal shoes.

It was when visiting Maries blog I got the idea. Her craziness of shoes, the yesterday movie, Guthenbergs Bible and a calender poster from december 1999.

Let us have a rich communicating week full of thinking, understanding and judgements, on winter holiday, home, at work, on duty or wherever you all are in this climate threatened world made by men or not.

Can you save the world?

It´s Sunday. Many of us use the day to relax in front of sport on TV, but many more use the hours in the nature, skiing and touring. Some even go to church.

I had my time with a female priest and her Communion wine yesterday at Cafe Sorgenfri without being to much impressed of the food delivered accordance to in the new menu. Next Saturday we will return to C.C. with a lesson learned: Do not change a winning team.

Perhaps the bird at the table came with the latest news about How to save the world, and at home Wired delivered an article about almost the same.
But, before you start saving, perhaps a list of the most important TO-Do activities could help. Some of the world's brightest minds have used more than a year pondering how best to improve life on Earth and came up with 14 Grand Engineering Challenges: What are they?

Make solar energy affordable.
Provide energy from fusion.
Develop carbon sequestration methods.
Manage the nitrogen cycle.
Provide access to clean water.
Restore and improve urban infrastructure.
Advance health informatics.
Engineer better medicines.
Reverse-engineer the brain.
Prevent nuclear terror.
Secure cyberspace.
Enhance virtual reality.
Advance personalized learning.
Engineer the tools for scientific discovery.

On the way back to my iMac and blogfriends we also stopped and had our own glass of Chardonnay at fru Burums (our local) and could not avoid taking this shot. May be that also can keep unwanted persons away from delivering virus comments, like "click here". (Frivolity behavior will lead to Expulsion)

Blogging fellowship and presenting Sky Photos more often than Fridays

During last day (and night dependent of CET or American Time) I have been mailing with DOT about the BIG job she is doing on Sky Watch Fridays. The content of the mails are not copied, but as many of my other blogfriends have noticed, my communication may be "provocative" and direct, but with no intention of making people "mad".
You all know that whatever you think of a scorpion he never leaves you untouched.

After that I feel that RuneE has right about being reluctant to take mr.Linky in use for the "Broer som Binder" fellowship. May be he should keep clear of time zones and globalization. However let me thank DOT for her job with SWF, even if I mean it must be up to us to make our Blogs so interested that we get visitors and comments, not only as names on a mr Linky list.

I therefore today also choose to present two photos (taken yesterday) that could have been saved for next SWF. The morning light from my bedroom window, and the Half Moon taken at noon from the Royal Castle. The sky was exceptionally blue at the start of the winter holiday this year.
Thanks for visiting my blog, and
Have a nice weekend wherever you are around the world.

Sky Watch Friday

Today I cover the whole Friday by presenting four photos covering early morning, mid day, late afternoon and night. Hope you will enjoy seeing them larger by clicking on them.

Dawn and peak hours at Ring Road 2 close to the entrance of the hospital from yesterday medical control.
A continuation of yesterday visit to Denmark and Grenen at Skagen. If possible, go to Skagen yourself, and experience the Nordic Light as P.S. Krøyer and all the other artists has made immortal through their paintings.
Asbjørn and Anne Katharina´s (congratulation with the 18th) wonderful holiday home on the seashore and with the Nordic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Looking forward to join you at Eidet when the winter storms has calmed.
Dinner and sunset over Boat Quay, Singapore.

If you want to join the Sky Watch Friday Fellowship click on DOT´s Blog and sign in on Mr. Linky

Terminal sick, healthy, dependent of drugs, in and out of Hospitals

The title and the photo illustrate the problem nature has when culture (in my case transplantation) wants to rule over nature.
A human is first and most biology. The fight between both parties will go on as long as I am alive. Hopefully for many years still.The same is fight is going on between the northern and southern waterpower at the top of Denmark - Grenen. As long as there is water and streams, one of these nature phenomena will try to win.
Have a nice Thursday.

ABC Wednesday - D

Due to acute absence I have to post my ABCWednesday a day ahead.

D is for Dawn at Manilva Beach, Manzana Sabanillas, Spain.D for D…??….. and the possibility you all have to name this painting
D is for Dublin, Irland and the famous Temple Bar District.

D is for Drotningegatan, Stockholm, Sweden (the shopping eldorado)

D is for Debussy
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli's legendary performance of: "...La Fille aux cheveux de lin" The Girl with the Flaxen Hair">from Claude Debussy "Preludes Book 1
YouTube video