Wednesday, March 31

AfterSki - an Easter Meme for fun

Today´s weather report from the morning hours in Oslo. No more comments required.
It may be better to remind you once more about the Easter challenge you can find when Petunia invites to AfterSki either when having lunch with Moules frites or Salat accompanied with excellent wine.
AfterSki at fru Burum´s starts every day in Easter at 3 pm. The bar is ready for your refreshment.

Tuesday, March 30

Easter as it was and is

Some years ago (about 40?) I captured this photo when skiing in the mountains with wooden skis, snowman building and having fun with friends.
Today we are strolling the streets of Oslo searching for spring in the light rainy and foggy weather. Why did we not stay another month in Spain.
Remember the Easter challenge you may find when Petunia invites to AfterSki

Monday, March 29

City Easter Week

Almost no cars parked. Most people moved up to the mountain areas. It is quiet in town. It is City Easter Week.
Later this Easter Petuia invites to After Skiing but why wait until Thursday. For some of us we have After Skiing every day this week.

Saturday, March 27

Starting Easter

When some of or many of our friends are moving to the mountain and their cabins with or without electricity, we are starting Easter with a outdoor glass of wine at Aker Brygge including lunch at Bølgen and Moi with Champagne and their recommended Fish Soup.
Happy Easter wherever you are.

Thursday, March 25

Maja ready for touring in Easter

Rikke and Maja are training for strolling the Easter city hunting for Easter bunnies and Easter eggs.
Most of the Norwegians are travelling up to the mountains during the Easter week to prolong the skiing season. That is why the streets of Oslo and the restaurants along Aker Brygge are our favorites. With Maja on Rikke´s or Tor´s back it is easier to move around without using the push chair. Springtime is here within a few days.

Wednesday, March 24

Hedda Emilie 9 weeks (36 wks corrected)

Hedda has added more than 1 kg since her very early birthday 9 weeks ago. She is developing well and we look forward to meet her within some weeks when she is dismissed from hospital and comes home to Helene, Henrik, Trine and David.

Monday, March 22

Steve Jobs: "I was very fortunate"

A year ago Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, received a strongly needed new liver through a liver transplantation.
Jobs told other transplant survivors who attended the crowded Friday news conference at Stanford's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital , "I'm feeling fine. I almost died. It's been a pretty good last few months."
"I was almost one of the ones that died waiting for a liver in California last year," said Jobs, whippet-thin but healthy. He appeared at a brief event with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to unveil a new legislative effort to greatly expand the number of California organ donors.To read more and see the video of this presentation about the push for California´s Organ Donor Registry you can click on this link from MercuryNews.Com

Living in Norway do as senator Elaine Alquist, D-San Jose says in the video:
"Choose Life - Say YES",
by make your decision today. Inform your relatives today and fill in your Donor Card
through Stiftelsen Organdonasjon.

Spring is coming closer

At the fireplace shelf the yellow tulips are giving clear signals:
Easter is coming soon.

Outdoor the sun has taken the command over rotten snow and the Snowdrops are arriving.
In one garden close to the wall we find a few.
In other places the numbers are multiplied around the rose twigs.
Spring is coming closer in Oslo.
And if you are interested in Norwegian football:

Sunday, March 21

My blog´s 5th anniversary - Happy Birthday

Today my blog has birthday. It is 5 years since I posted my first text :

"This is Tullen and Arne´s Blog. Hopefully there will be lot of text in this Blog"

This is my post no 1.110
During these 5 years not only text has been presented. Photos, slide shows and a few videos have been shared with visitors from all over the world. Lots of references and links to interesting websites have been distributed.Visitors from 156 countries have found my blog since I started the registration on July 20 2008. January 31st 2008 I made the decision to swap from Norwegian text to English on permanent basis, and text related to photos has been my visual profile during all these years.
59% of the visitors come from countries other than Norway. You are all very welcome.
Life is still great.

Saturday, March 20

Weekend reflections

This is my contribution to James at Newtown Area Photo's meme called Weekend Reflections. Post a reflection during the week-end, log on to MckLinky via his site - and you're on.

Thursday, March 18

Back to normal - Winter in Norway

With a photo taken over the Swiss Alps (and presented as a Sky Watch photo) we have returned to the winter in Norway.
Here we were met by environmental fines (4 x 500 nok) from Oslo municipality due to late removal of icicles. Although we had marked the sidewalks with public warnings and ordered lifts for removal, the trafic personell / parking guard had taken their photos and issued fines. Complaints made results and reduced fines.
The winter is also present at the coastal ares of western Norway. Asbjørn is well dressed for a walk along the beaches, but also (when carrying a cap), able to take an outdoor bath in his Jacuzzi.
In Oslo, Bølgen & Moi at Tjuvholmen has opened their Saturday spring luncheons with favorable prizes for "the house champagne". The food is always very good at these restaurants, so a competitor to our normal lunch location C.C. has occurred.
For more Sky Watch see Here

Wednesday, March 17

An ordinary day in Spain

I received a Mail from Audun Bell on Monday telling me that he now more than before followed my blog after our last meeting in Marbella, and he was impressed of my documentation from our long term stay Spain this winter. Thanks Audun.

That made me publish a final post describing an ordinary day at Costa del Sol.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and with self-catering arrangement at the hotel the meal was almost a copy of the Norwegian although at half prize or less.
In the mornings when temperature and sunshine was kind enough, some hours before lunch could be spent in the garden by the swimming pool. (High UV factor of corse)

A walk along the beach (Marbella here) after lunch and / or a glass of white wine at a restaurant can be nice, but in these days the umbrella must be mandatory accessories if you want to be outdoor. In the horizon we could see Gibraltar on clear daysand when visiting the house of Gerd and Arne in Calahonda the "Room with a view" became a reality.
On the way back to the Apartment Hotel we could see the low sun illuminating Torreblanca, and up to "the white city" Mijas and the mountains behind.
A visit to the 8100 kvm large Eroski Supermarket at Parque Miramar had to be visited. They had absolutely everything.Then the last sun beams of the day had to be caught together with an afternoon tea or a cup of coffee, before the dark of the night could arrive.

Tuesday, March 16

Performing artist in Malaga

At every red light stopping the trafic at this pedestrian field in Malaga the artist performed her jiggling before she on yellow quickly took up her cap and asked car drivers for money. One eye on her clubs and the other on the trafic light. Dangerous activity, but nobody started to pass the pedestrian field before the green light had been on for a few minutes.Arne and Tullen are not performing artists anymore although the performance of the Marathon runner and the Piano player could absolutely compete with the street artist above.

But due to the fact that AaFK (Aalesunds Fotballklubb) took their first home victory on Sunday , and Arne is a full-blooded Aafk-fan, I had to add this photo showing him on H.C.Andersen´s bench in Malaga to this post. He smiled then and I think he smiled even more after the match (beat LSK 3 - 0). Btw we all apreciated the result.

Monday, March 15

Marbella - the old city

The tower of the beautiful church Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Encarnacion is not a landmark when strolling the narrow streets, but at many squares openings can give you a possibility to discover the church.The streets are full of interesting balconies with loads of flowers.
House-walls are painted in different colors although the main impression is a white old cityVisit recommended. Search for the Plaza de Naranjas and have a refreshing drink among all the Orange trees.

Sunday, March 14

Weekend reflections

This is my contribution to James at Newtown Area Photo's meme called Weekend Reflections. Post a reflection during the week-end, log on to MckLinky via his site - and you're on.
My reflections come from Marbella, Spain.I also invite you to elaborate about the different cultural traditions in your own and other countries while looking at the Plaza de Toros in Malaga, Spain.
OR:March 10 2010 my first visitor from the Dominican Republic (flag no 156) found my blog, reading the post from July 2009 Angry Nature Thunder and Lightning
It is interesting that words in this post was searched for from a country close to the Haitian disaster. The earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale which struck Haiti on 12 January, struck Haiti and devastated the capital city, Port-au-Prince. Reportedly more than 150,000 people were killed and buried later in mass graves, although the exact number was difficult to determine. My post about weather chalenges in Oslo July 3 2009 can not be compared to the devastating problems they have experienced at the Caribbean island Hispaniola with the sovereign states Haiti and the Dominican Republic

The blue on the flag stands for liberty.
The white on the flag stands for salvation.
The red on the flag stands for the blood of heroes.
Also worth a reflection on this Sunday.

But is you only want reflections in windows please take a look at the photo from our longterm stay in Andalusia in January - February this year. See the Mediterranean sea from a Tapas Bar in Marbella where everything was prized to 1, 2 or 3 euros:

Saturday, March 13

Beach life in Spanish Winter

The beauty of the Mediterranean Sea seen from beach terraces during winter in southern Spain can fully compete with the beauty of the white clean snow in Norway.
Local fishermen are searching for their catch in the morning and the stormy weather during last night has made the fish coming closer to the beach than normal
The water is curling into the arched form and breaking on the shore giving the turquoise color a green-grey or brown image.
Only trained surfers in special suits dare to enter the waves. No bathing can take place. The temperature in the water is too low at this time of the year.
But not only the temperature is a challenge. The flooding of rivers due to continuous raining and the stormy weather has sent a lot of bamboo and canes into the water. Swimming can be more than dangerous.
However, help is not far away. Maintenance of the beaches are highly prioritized in this country, and tractors are every morning busy with cleaning if necessary.
The great volume of garbage are quickly gathered and taken away by lorries. (Just dream about the ability of removing dirty snow in our "the world riches country" streets at the same time. Once a year?).
Soon thereafter we again can stroll along the Paseo Maritime. Looking at the sea and the beautiful beaches, and stop at our favorite cafe for a coffee, beer or copa de cava. Winter in southern Spain will be repeated. May be even earlier. Come and join us.