Monday odd shot

May be not odd for some but taken from high above the fjord.

Atlantic ocean 23.27

The view from our summer residence with ASBJORN and anne.kat . 30 min before midnight.

Friday coast

Greetings from skule island

ABc wednesday - w

W is for www sent by mms

Odd shot monday

Mobil greetings

Flammentanz roses

This weekend we are watching the opening of the Flammentanz blooming. During the weeks to come the walls will be covered by hundreds of red beautiful roses. It is Summer.

Happy Midsummer

Tonight we have summer solstice and the sun start its tour "down" to the southern hemisphere. We still have, however, a lot of wonderful summer nights ahead and the people living longer north will experience the Midnight Sun.

Yesterday a new milestone where passed in my blog when the new layout gave you the beautiful scenery of "Storfjorden" and "Valldal" in Møre and Romsdal, Norway where we will stay this weekend.

The shortest night this year will be used for traveling for the celebration among very good friends at this north-western part of Norway. The weather condition is not the best, but well dressed and with enough good Italian wine and food, we all will happily gather around the Jonsok Bonfire A special thank to EVLAHOS PHOTOGRAPHY for the help with this revised layout.
Happy Mid-Summer to you all.

Rafting in Japan - Kyoto

During one of my visits to Japan and Kobe after the Great Hanshin Earthquake we had the great honor to participate in our employees annual company trip to Kyoto. Part of the transportation to Kyoto was by boat and River Rafting.
On the Hozugawa river from Kameoka to Kyoto's scenic Arashiyama we were surrounded by stunning sights and the many sounds of nature
On the way to Arashiymaya where the Hozugawa becomes the Kamogawa river, which in turn flows into the Yodogawa river we had time for a break in silent water.

At the Arashiyama Hotel we had hot bath and was dressed in Local Costumes, had a Great Dinner and was singing Karaoke.At bedtime the local "floor sleeping equipment" became a big surprise, and especially the pillow (made of dried rice?) gave us a some sleeping challenges.
The day after we visited the Toei Movie Land and the Samurais, the Golden Tower and the Heian Jingu Shinto Shrine with the great Torii.
Tullens body guard . The Last Samurai.
Eating in Japan is a sitting challenge, but the food is fantastic either you get it in season-colored boxes or in luxury restaurants.To all my colleagues and friends in Japan: Thank you for your great hospitality.

First Painting - 2008

I wrote some time ago that I had difficulties in finding topics for blogging every day. The writing obstacle or hurdle disappeared more or less when joining the different blogging memes and coming in contact with a lot of nice new readers of my blog. Swapping into English text also helped.
However, when having all this focus on blogging, my active painting became reduced, and the activity almost totally stopped. I have always motives in process, but starting with covering the canvas has been another hurdle.
Hopefully my Ganesh has helped and today I finished my first painting "Night over Molja" (72x100) Acrylic on Canvas in 2008.
I know that more painting will be worked out in the summer weeks ahead, but until so please visit my other paintings at My Gallery.

ABC Wednesday = V

This week my ABC Wednesday post will be covering my wife´s trip to Vietnam in January 1995.
Only a year after the lifting of the US embargo, Tullen and three friends took a short break from the expat-wife luxury living in Singapore and visited Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Halong Bay in Vietnam. A memorable tour at a period of the country´s development prior to the increase in economy, business and tourism.

See some of their experiences as presented in:

V is for Vietnam

In front of the Ho Chi Minh City Post Office you may see a sculpture of the great hero Ho Chi Minh. Ho led the Viet Minh independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing the communist-governed Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and defeating the French Union in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. He led the North Vietnamese in the Vietnam War until his death; six years later, the war ended with a North Vietnamese victory, and Vietnamese unification followed. In Saigon, as the city was called earlier, the transportation at that time was almost only by bicycle-taxies (Cyclos), and they rented one pr. day for each for almost no pay, and a tour on the Saigon River made them see some of the living condition at that time.
The next photo is taken underground in the defense tunnel system beneath the jungle surface.
It was one of the head quarters for the resistance, and Tulenh = The boss.
The entrance to this tunnel system, and no claustrophobia is required to go down.
Some of the hidden entrances were traps, and the real entrance could be right under the sharp knives.
Ho Chi Minh City is located 1760 km south of the Capital of Vietnam, Hanoi and the temperature is much lower in the north. The market at that time is shown below.
Time, they are a´changing in Vietnam too, but still you may find the look and smell of this extraordinary country and its citizens. Go for a visit before it is too late to feel the real Asia.
East from Hanoi you may find the fantastic Ha Long Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin. The Bay has a coastline of 120 km long with thousands of limestone karst and isles in various sizes and shapes. The last photos on this journey is taken inside one of the great caves in Ha Long Bay.
For more ABC Wednesday = U adventures, go to Mrs. Nesbitt Place.

Tuesday Facts - Henrik Wergeland 200 years

Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland was born June 17, 1808 in Kristiansand. He was a Norwegian writer, celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist.
He is often described as a leading pioneer in the development of a distinctly Norwegian literary heritage and indeed of modern Norwegian culture. (The painting above is Reidar Aulie´s "I natt red´n Henrik forbi")

Wergeland became a "symbol" of the fight for celebration of the constitution at May 17, which was later to become the Norwegian National Day. He became a "public hero" after the infamous "battle of the Square" in Christiania, which came to pass because any celebration of the national day was forbidden by the Swedish Royal Decree. Wergeland was, of course, present and became renowned for standing up against the local governors. Later, he became the first to give a public address on behalf of the day and thus he was given credit as the one who "initiated the day".Many people in Norway only think of the 17th of May regarding Wergeland, but many have the meaning that he is remembered for the "wrong" things. His fight with Welhaven, his sad loving affairs instead of his happy marriage, the many court processes (which he lost), the refusal of being a priest due to his lifestyle and that many others played a more significant role in the May 17 process. More of this can be read in this article (in Norwegian) from bt.no

When celebrating his 200 years birthday I think it is important to remember at least two women who have had an important influence of the way we today look at Wergeland. His sister Camilla Collett and perhaps mostly Ingeborg Refling Hagen who called him the Great Sow Man.
Jørgen Holen´s painting "Såkvinnen" can be a tribute to these ladies.Wergeland died 37 years old on July 12, 1845 in Christiania ( Now Oslo )

Odd Shot Monday

Artists have during the last years developed into a diversity of entertainment in Summer Oslo and Karl Johan Street. One of them is performing his music in a really spectacular way. His puppet on the strings is playing the piano or the violin and performs great classic music.
Compare to the other performers you may find at the "Artist"-link, I think this one deserves the Odd Stamp.

PhotoSafari - A week with blossom

A week on photosafari. In my own neighborhood. My camera is always there. Battery uploaded and 2 GB ready for short term storing.

My Beautibush has from June 7th (last saturday) till yesterday (june 14th) developed from an ordinary green bush to an ocean of pink white flowers.
My Kolkwitzia has every June/July from late 70s been a "starting tag" for communication with persons passing our cottage. They just have to stop and admire the fantastic blossom.

The first photo was taken last Saturday when the small red flowers emerged
The second taken three days later (last tuesday)
and yesterday (Saturday 14th) she looked like this.
Outside the garden Heggspinn-møllen is making a different view of the Bird Cherry. The net around the bush is completely making a spooky image. Thousands of insects are crawling inside the net eating leaves. The only positive reflection is that the tree itself is not harmed and can next year show its blossom like Herman Wildenvey wrote in his poem Heggen der Hjemme read by Liv Dommersnes The link will also give you music by Karin Krog and John Surman.
No wonder I am relaxing with a glass of Rose wine and the sense of Peonies in full blossom.

Saturday Urban LIfe - Hong Kong

Hong Kong Skyline taken from Victoria Peak january 1996 towards Kowloon and the main land. At that time Hong Kong was our bridge-head to mainland China and Shenzhen / Guandong
Our Chinese employees had at that time problems to get visa to Hong Kong and even travel in China, but through special arrangements we managed to have meetings with them in Shenzhen.
However back to Hong Kong. In Kowloon we visited the "Bird Market.And on the other side of Hong Kong island we visited Stanley Market, one of the must-go places for tourists when they visit Hong Kong. You will find an interesting array of little shops selling silk garments, sportswear, art, Chinese costume jewelry and souvenirs.
The market has changed in twelve years, but will still give you interesting bargaining possibilities.
Going to Hong Kong from Singapore was easy (only three hours flight), but quite surprising when my secretary SUSIE suddenly pop up at the market and of course joined in for lunch. She was on a visit to her sister living in Hong Kong, like Mette that had moved from Singapore in 96.
In Oslo today the clouds are grey with rain and ab 13 C, while the weather in Hong Kong has doubled the grades and raining.