snow, fram, being social, work, devon
Saturday, 27. January 2007, 09:17:41
Snow
H loves the snow. She stops every few feet to throw herself down or make snowballs to throw at me. She makes snow angels and then tramples them trying to get up and see what she has made.
We went shopping the day the snow came in sideways. We tried to push the stroller through the rising drifts and keep the wind and wet sticky snow out of our eyes. It was beautiful but difficult. We had tea and watched it snowing, coming down in lateral gusts, laying down a bright quiet blanket.
The next day was like a festival in the park. Children with every sort of sledding device imaginable gathered along all the high paths to come screaming down to their chatting parents. It was on this day that I met the New Yorker with the Newfoundland named Kelvin, one of a small handful of dogs larger than ours. When Tosca and Seamus wrestled, Kelvin would let out a thunderous bark clearly trying to say, "guys, don't play so rough, knoock it off".
The dogs love snow. A lot. They leap and bound and eat it and wrestle and generally exhibit more energy than at any other time. Tosca in particular can go into an atavistic celebration of her inner wolf, leaping upon her larger companion and rolling Seamus into a snow bank.
On one post-snow day there were at least 9 strollers or prams in from of a nearby bakery cafe. Our neighborhood is full of children and dogs. The kids in our building made snow forts almost a meter high somplete with flags for their back yard snow ball fights. The concrete futball pitch down the block has been cleared of snow and flooded to make an ice rink for people who don't need rails and have their own skates.
Fram
We went to see the Fram. This is the ship used by the polar explorer Nansen in his attempt on the North Pole and then later borrowed by Amundsen for his Antarctic expedition. Nansen is one of those superheroic men whose survival abilities and knowledge and drive are so far beyond anyone you will ever meet that they seem to be a different species. Knowing they could not break through te ice, Nansen designed the ship specifically to survive getting stuck in the ice and then planned to let the natural drift carry them close enough to the pole that they could ski in. It was quite fasinating but it definitely helps to have done a bit of homework before going.
We also went to the maritime museum next door. My wife has a bit of a fetish for shipping disasters. It was mostly a dingy building filled with aging models of freighters, the carpets threadbare and it's organization not entirely clear. They had a pleasant film showing footage from the lemgth of the Norwegian country side on a wrap around screen but even this felt a tad dated and designed more by the tourism board than a maritime curator.
The Fram and many other museums are out on Bygdøy, a rural/suburban peninsula connected to Oslo right near downtown. There are large open fields, horses, many many many museums, residential neighborhoods with a village feel, and some unspoiled forest just a few bus stops from city center. Our trip was affected by the absolute pouring rain that caught us on our way back (this was before the winter wonderland weather arrived.
Being Social
We aren't always very good at being social. But the wee miss H needs other kids and so I got involved in the office Jultrefest planning. This is a sort of post Christmas party that culminates in singing songs around the tree and calling for Santa who shows up (looking remarkably like the CEO wearing a white beard) to deliver small gifts. We had a good time and met a bunch of other parents at the office and H chased around a little girl named Ruby.
Since then, S and H have been in touch with Ruby and her mom and been to åpen barnehage (like a drop-in pre-K where a parent stays the whole time) for a play date. Ruby's mother, being an American emigre, has also been super helpful with advice. She's a former Montessori teacher who has done a metric tonne of research into all the various child care / education options.
Work
Interesting turn at work, my team and responsibilities more than doubled this week. At the moment, I think I will really like having the visibility into these additional projects and locations (a couple of the folks are based in the Linköping office in Sweden). It happened very quickly; perhaps 4 work days between "here's a possibility" and "it's a done deal".
Devon
Yay. Our books and art and few small pieces of furniture have arrived in Norway. Still at the docks, they should be delivered on Monday. We did have a bit of a scare though when we turned on the news and saw footage of a cargo ship listing heavily, containers being spilled into the sea. Containers exactly like the one holding our stuff and not unrealistically far. We spent 5 concerned minutes confirming that this particular ship was not on any route tat could affect us. However, a woman in Stockholm who is relocating to South Africa saw looters on the Devon coast "salvaging" her belongings from a container that had washed ashore.
Blog
Sorry for the long break between posts. It happens that way sometimes.
H loves the snow. She stops every few feet to throw herself down or make snowballs to throw at me. She makes snow angels and then tramples them trying to get up and see what she has made.
We went shopping the day the snow came in sideways. We tried to push the stroller through the rising drifts and keep the wind and wet sticky snow out of our eyes. It was beautiful but difficult. We had tea and watched it snowing, coming down in lateral gusts, laying down a bright quiet blanket.
The next day was like a festival in the park. Children with every sort of sledding device imaginable gathered along all the high paths to come screaming down to their chatting parents. It was on this day that I met the New Yorker with the Newfoundland named Kelvin, one of a small handful of dogs larger than ours. When Tosca and Seamus wrestled, Kelvin would let out a thunderous bark clearly trying to say, "guys, don't play so rough, knoock it off".
The dogs love snow. A lot. They leap and bound and eat it and wrestle and generally exhibit more energy than at any other time. Tosca in particular can go into an atavistic celebration of her inner wolf, leaping upon her larger companion and rolling Seamus into a snow bank.
On one post-snow day there were at least 9 strollers or prams in from of a nearby bakery cafe. Our neighborhood is full of children and dogs. The kids in our building made snow forts almost a meter high somplete with flags for their back yard snow ball fights. The concrete futball pitch down the block has been cleared of snow and flooded to make an ice rink for people who don't need rails and have their own skates.
Fram
We went to see the Fram. This is the ship used by the polar explorer Nansen in his attempt on the North Pole and then later borrowed by Amundsen for his Antarctic expedition. Nansen is one of those superheroic men whose survival abilities and knowledge and drive are so far beyond anyone you will ever meet that they seem to be a different species. Knowing they could not break through te ice, Nansen designed the ship specifically to survive getting stuck in the ice and then planned to let the natural drift carry them close enough to the pole that they could ski in. It was quite fasinating but it definitely helps to have done a bit of homework before going.
We also went to the maritime museum next door. My wife has a bit of a fetish for shipping disasters. It was mostly a dingy building filled with aging models of freighters, the carpets threadbare and it's organization not entirely clear. They had a pleasant film showing footage from the lemgth of the Norwegian country side on a wrap around screen but even this felt a tad dated and designed more by the tourism board than a maritime curator.
The Fram and many other museums are out on Bygdøy, a rural/suburban peninsula connected to Oslo right near downtown. There are large open fields, horses, many many many museums, residential neighborhoods with a village feel, and some unspoiled forest just a few bus stops from city center. Our trip was affected by the absolute pouring rain that caught us on our way back (this was before the winter wonderland weather arrived.
Being Social
We aren't always very good at being social. But the wee miss H needs other kids and so I got involved in the office Jultrefest planning. This is a sort of post Christmas party that culminates in singing songs around the tree and calling for Santa who shows up (looking remarkably like the CEO wearing a white beard) to deliver small gifts. We had a good time and met a bunch of other parents at the office and H chased around a little girl named Ruby.
Since then, S and H have been in touch with Ruby and her mom and been to åpen barnehage (like a drop-in pre-K where a parent stays the whole time) for a play date. Ruby's mother, being an American emigre, has also been super helpful with advice. She's a former Montessori teacher who has done a metric tonne of research into all the various child care / education options.
Work
Interesting turn at work, my team and responsibilities more than doubled this week. At the moment, I think I will really like having the visibility into these additional projects and locations (a couple of the folks are based in the Linköping office in Sweden). It happened very quickly; perhaps 4 work days between "here's a possibility" and "it's a done deal".
Devon
Yay. Our books and art and few small pieces of furniture have arrived in Norway. Still at the docks, they should be delivered on Monday. We did have a bit of a scare though when we turned on the news and saw footage of a cargo ship listing heavily, containers being spilled into the sea. Containers exactly like the one holding our stuff and not unrealistically far. We spent 5 concerned minutes confirming that this particular ship was not on any route tat could affect us. However, a woman in Stockholm who is relocating to South Africa saw looters on the Devon coast "salvaging" her belongings from a container that had washed ashore.
Blog
Sorry for the long break between posts. It happens that way sometimes.
Welcome back. The snow sounds wonderful. Unfortunately our little valley is too sheltered so we must be conten seeing it on the surrounding peaks. LN
By anonymous user, # 28. January 2007, 17:00:57
We had our share of winter (ten days of below freezing and a minimal accumulation of white; there is another blast on the way - but as you know the bluebonnets start blooming the end of February. If we are so ready, I can only imagine how you will feel when spring is on your horizon. So glad that S & H and pooches are finding compatible folks to interact with.
Have tried to respond to fiordward, but am blocked at every turn - keep the updates coming.
By anonymous user, # 29. January 2007, 13:58:53
We had some snow in Aus. Unfortunately, some people decided that it would be nice a trash a hill at a local elementary school.
By anonymous user, # 29. January 2007, 16:39:59