Spring is progressing in Oslo

Yesterday the streets around our house were cleaned and washed. Leftovers from the winter´s snow and icy streets and pavements were removed. Heavy equipment was used, and the result very good.

 This morning Toyota had opened their garage for a free swapping of winter tyre to summer tyre. With Toyota´s tyre-hotel this process has become an easy quick fix compared to the work we did earlier by ourselves.

 Then It was time to visit our cottage for the first spring work this season. Rotten leaves removed from the flowerbeds and moved to our compost site for the continuous transformation to mould. The apple-trees are also happy for the spring and show it by presenting the new leave buds towards the warming sun.

A drummer in the family

Some days ago I could present one artist in my family. Today Maja showed her capability in front of the drums. Maybe she once in the future can add her name to the famous List of Drummers

An ultramodern artist in the family

At last I have found one of my grandchildren that has the real capability to develop into an international wanted painter by galleries and private collections.
I here present Hedda Emilie Davidsdatter Bjørkmann Berry´s last work:

Easter Resurrection .

An Easter smile

Take some minutes, watch this video and have a Happy Easter

10 years with Apple Mac

I have sometimes been alleged that I am involved in Apple / Mac´s PR activities or at least have some stocks in the Apple Inc (AAPL) Corporation.
I am not employed although I should have wanted that part of the $576.8 billion value of the corporation was mine.
It is almost 45 years since I started to work with IT (or EDP as we called it in the 1960s). First as a developer and later as a professional user within the HR area.

It is 10 years since I got my first Mac. My white IBook G3(back left) introduced me to modern laptops with OS X, photo processing and wireless operation.
Two years later I was so interested in photo manipulation that a larger screen became interesting, and my iMac G5 PowerPC desktop computer (back middle) arrived to my home.
After two more years I once more found out that a portable laptop was the only way ahead. My choice therefore became the 17-inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo (back right)

The white IBook which my wife had used for many years, needed to be renewed and she got the MacBook Pro Unibody in 2010 (front left). That is still her main computer in addition to her iPhone 4S and the latest iPad 3 Wi-Fi 4G (front right).

I bought my MacBook Air (front center) last year after we returned from our longterm stay in Andalusia. My iPhone 4 replaced my iPhone 3G which now is lost somewhere in the Canaries.
I now wait for the iPhone 5

I forgot to put forward all the iPods (shuffle and nano), Airports and Apple-TV on the image, but feel that my museum is good enough for the decennium of loving Mac and Apple products.

Home again and new iPad 3

Back in Norway and the new iPad became a too great temptation. Tullen´s "old" MacBook Pro was really a heavy machine compared to my MacBook Air, so why not buy a iPad 3 to bring with us on the next journey.
The few tests performed so far are really return of investment.

Returning to Norway and Norwegian Spring

With this photo of our granddaughter Helene showing "Blåveispiken" (although these flowers are Scilla), we say goodbye to Costa del Andalusia for this time and are looking forward to spring in Norway.
6 weeks and only one day with rain. Lots of good food and wines. Almost 10 km walks per day. Blisters on several toes but a great stay this time too.
Now we plan for the next stay in October / November.

Sunset in 10 minutes

Yesterday evening we experienced another beautiful sunset while relaxing at our balcony. It took 8 minutes from the first to the last photo.
20.15

20.19

20.21

20.23

After another two minutes the sun was hiding behind the horizon

Today we have a General Strike here in Spain and my daughter is 31. The sun is shining and we can enjoy another lovely day at Costa Andalusia.

Sky and Sea

The scenic route from dinner in Fuengirola town, a cava at the harbor bar and our walk back to the hotel.

Sunset

Thanks for another beautiful day. See you tomorrow.
But first we had a visit by Mrs Luna

Elections in Andalusia today

Today we have local election in Andalusia. At our hotel we find one of the voting stations, and although I am not a representative from EU`s voting quality board (or OSCE), as far as I could see  the rules were well taken care of here.

If PP or PSOE will win the election, we have to wait some more hours to confirm

Sunday, Summertime and Strolling along the beaches

Last night the waves at the beaches were larger than normal due to heavy wind somewhere out in the Mediterranean Sea. The sailing boats got nice wind for the competition along the coast, but the fishermen had to run from the breakers when the waves became too close.
On the other hand we walked along the Paseo Maritim and experienced some nice last wintertime hours before the night was shortened by one hour.
Today we plan for our last long-walk on this stay, and will take the train to Los Alamos and walk home. Hopefully the grey clouds will not make us wet during the tour.

Light rain

This morning we have had light rain from a grey sky. Nobody is at the pool and we have to come up with alternatives for the activities. For my wife that is no problem. She can go shopping without spoiling a single minute of sunbathing, but I may sit here with my MacBook Air and discuss with myself if I too shall get an iPad 3 like my daughter, or what.

Today´s lunch is planned for (Mr.Wok with Gerd and Arne)

 Close to our hotel we have found another Asian buffet restaurant which we highly recommend; Mr Wok.

Today we intend to go there for lunch together with my sister and brother-in-law Gerd and Arne.

We have been at another Mr.Wok (at La Canada), but that is not the same concept as this one. This is owned by the same company that operates Mr.Wok in Puerto Banus. High quality and excellent food makes me feel hungry now just after breakfast. I can promise that the hunger will long be gone around 3 - 4 pm.

I hope my readers will notice that I have updated the photos of my grandchildren on the right side of my blog. They are growing fast, and we look forward to see them in and after Easter.

Four weeks - two to go

2/3 of our stay in Andalusia this year have passed. We have still two weeks to go.

Real Madrid - Malaga 1 - 1

We are in Malaga / Fuengirola and then the top international teams are only another football club.

Foto: SCANPIX/AFP PHOTO/JAVIER SORIANO

Malaga´s Cazorla shot to the longest corner and had a dream goal.  Casillas had no chance to ward off free kick pearl - Malaga player's fourth in a direct free kick this season, which is most in La Liga.
Result: Real Madrid 1 Malaga 1.

As a tribute to Bente B living down here, I had to steal her photo of Paco´s Paella and celebrate the (victory) or draw.

Lades night at Myramar

These five ladies made the preparation for the party starting when we had gone to bed. I think they continued till 3 am.

St Patrick' s Day

Celebration continuous.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick

 Today our Irish and Scottish friends are celebrating St. Patrick´s Day.
We are told that Benalmadena is the center of this celebration on the coast,  so we are expecting a silent day at the pool since most of the British people here are ready for the Guinness somewhere else. The temperature is estimated up to the thirties, so the bodies are already covered with sun protection creams.

We will later today have a late lunch / early dinner at one of our Tapas restaurants without Guinness.
This image is of a Jamon Iberica tapa at El Pimpi, Malaga.

Friday morning at the Mediterranean Sea

 Early morning at the estuary of Fuengirola River. On the way to make a new record in my recovery after the cancer operation in January.

This Pesetas sculpture has been the turning point on our morning walks every time we have spent some weeks at Myramar Fuengirola, but this year today was my first turn half way on my 90 minutes walk.

Back at the hotel the shadow under the umbrellas are my favorite place while my better part is licking sunbeams wherever they are at the swimming pool.

Around +30 C

It may be a bad post for many of my friends and family in Norway, but we have SUMMER here in Andalusia for the time being.
Yesterday they measured +32 C in Sevilla, and today we are expecting +28 C here in Fuengirola.

The beauty or the beaches are great at this part of the year. Not too many tourists have started their holidays and we can walk and experience the blue sky and water almost for ourselves. (at least early in the morning when we perform our daily exercise)

There are some beauties at the beach too, but they appear a little later on the day when the shadows from the palm trees are helping to lower the temperature.

I was almost about to change my name to HARE the other day. Tullen has decided to get a new record time of her morning walk, and are sending me in front to be caught up. Presently she uses 69 minutes from the hotel, turning at the Pesetas sculpture and home. It is about 7,5 and 8 km. I am not in the same condition as she for the time being, so I make my turn earlier after 32,5 minutes (she 34 min) to get her see my back where she approaches the hotel entrance at the end of her walk.
I will return with a new post when the record is there.

In memories on March 11

Today it is one year since the nature catastrophe in Japan where 15.854 people died and 3274 people disappeared after the earth quake and the tsunami.

It is also 8 years since the terror attacks in Spain.
On March 11, 2004, packed arriving commuter trains were bombed in a series of coordinated bombings, killing 191 people and wounding 1,800. 

 Tullen and I visited Madrid and the Atocha railway station two weeks after the bombing.

Today our thoughts go to all the victims and the anonymous helpers on that black day in March 2004.

Cloudy and La Canada lunch

Great Asian Buffet at Mr. Wok

Oslo vs Fuengirola

 This morning we received this image on our private communication channel Path from our son-in-law David when he at 6:30 am rushed up Karl Johan in Oslo to reach the Airport Express on his way to Amsterdam. Spring is on its way?

After my morning walk at Costa del Sol I caught this image of the Fuengirola river and the castle close to our hotel.
Hopefully you now know better why we stay down here for some weeks at this time of the year.

Touring the coast

Yesterday Tullen wanted a special birthday present. Using the whole day along the fantastic Costa del Sol - Walking !!!
And so we did. A 4 hours walk and with breaks, train / bus a totally 8 hours tour from leaving the hotel at nine am till slipping the shoes off at five pm
The photo above shows the beautiful weather during her birthday walk.

The day before we experienced another way of walking. From the hotel and up the hills during small paths A complete different nature, but nice except the insect that hit me under the right ear. Very painful but without any long consequence. (maybe because my daily use of Prednisolon)

Today I take a break from walking because my toes hurt due to blisters. But no problem, the sun invites us to stay at the swimming pool

Happy birthday Tullen

My partner and wife during 35 years has her birthday today. 

No age mentioned but I can assure she is just the lady I love.

Happy birthday, Tullen

Denne er til deg

La Farola, a restaurant to visit

La Farola is a restaurant to bring your friends to IF you want to have a nice Dinner or Lunch to an afordable price. We celebrated Tullen's birthday in advance with lovely dinner together with Gerd and Arne.
We will return many times.

World's first iPhone photo

Thursday we visited Malaga and at last (tried a year ago) got the opportunity to see the Carmen Thyssen Museum. This year (and maybe last year too) Spanish painters from last part of 1800 were on the walls.

Julio Romero de Torres documented in 1922 the first iPhoto shot.

We followed up with a visit at El Pimpi Bodega, and ended (after shopping) with some Malaga wine.