What we have for Dinner in Norway during the dark and cold Winter

I will give you an insight in what we have had for Dinner the past Weeks here in Oslo. All dishes are prepared by Anna in our Winter Home. Wellcome to Dinner.
 
When it is really cold outside, what can be better than a Hot Soup?
This one is made from Stock based on boiled bones, boiled meat and vegetables. We have Crisp Bread as well.
 
Another hot dish is Fish Balls in Lobster Sauce and Mini Carrots and Potatoes.
 
Here we had Roasted Duck Breasts, Carrots, Green Peas and Potatoes and Game Gravy.
 
This is partially fermeted Trout. A Norwegian speciality named Rakfisk.
 
When Anna did visit Ingelin in Hong Kong, she learned to love Dim Sum. We have found an Asian Food Shop where we buy excellent Dim Sum (Frozen).
 
Here you see Anna preparing Dim Sum
 
Light Salted Cod (Steamed) is another favourite Dinner
When we are lazy, Spring Rolls are nice to pick out from the Freezer…
Some times we even have time for a starter. Here Wild Boar Pate upon Tert Shell with cornichons

Wolffish is a delicious White Fish. Juicy and mild. The Fish do look a bit scary

This is a Family favourite: Stuffed Tert Shell. Fish Pudding, Prawns, Peas in a thick White Bechamel (Sauce). On top Slice of Lemon, decorate with Parsley or Dill.

Do never have Desserts, Cheese or Fruit?

Leander loves Raspberries and Blueberries…

Rasberries with Ice Cream	Red Currants with Ice Cream

 
Stilton with Biscuits
 
Typical Norwegian Christmas Dinner. Can you find out what you see here?
Who does the Dish washing?
 
Felicia of course. The best Green Technology there is;-)
Have a great meal.
PS. It seems my treatment regarding Skin Cancer is working well.

Merry Christmas 2011

Dear friends around our tiny Planet,
once again we have been travelling and met family and friends during the year that soon will be history.
 
On January 29 we lit the Candle on Rubens Grave.
Papa slept over with his best friend after that event.
On my 66th Birthday in April, we had an unforgetable party.
All 8 beds used.
We have met our daughter and her husband and his family in Germany.
We have met our Son Mats, his wife , her sister and their Mother in Michigan
We have met our family in California
This year we have met the nature as we can't control:
Earthquakes, Sunamis, Drought and Floods that millions still suffer from. Let us not forget those who suffers more than we do.

And here in Norway an insane person killed 77 persons on July 22.
At that date we were in the Chigaco area, and could not believe what we watched live on TV.
We thanks all the Americans we met who gave us their thoughts during our stay in US during these difficult time.


A special thanks to our blog friends in North America:
Lisa, Suzann, Comedy+, Expat Traveller, Steven and Irene

and Claudie and Pierre in Southern France.

In April we had the pleasure of meeting Ginnie and Astrid here in Oslo.
During the year, we had several phone calls with Mrs Lifecruiser. Hope to meet her and Mr Lifecruiser during 2012.

You are all very important in our life.
And we even met a Norwegian Blog friend.
That was a blast.


Of course I will not forget to mention my most important blog-mentor:
RennyBA.  I really hope he will recover and be back as usual in the blogosphere.


We have many more to thank for given us hope for the future.

Both Family and Friends. Like Maribeth, Naomi (we are on the Phone),
and Petunia who has been in charge for the Nordic version of Sky Watch, this week for #64.
I have a special blog for “Himmelsk” – photos you can see… without understanding Norwegian.

Have I forgotten some of you? Yes, I have.
Facebook Friends, but this is my blog...
It’s past Midnight here and I must post before the Pillow and Cats etc ….. 

Hope to meet you all during 2012.
In one way or another – at least we have social medias:-)

Papa goes X-Mas shopping with Grandson and visiting great-grandmother

Grandson Metin Leander and his Mother Ingelin arrived some days ago.  From Germany. Papa picked them up at Oslo Airport in the Northern Seasonal darkness.
December 21-22 is the longest Night here. And December 22 the shortest Day.
 
Well, look at the bright sides of life.  Or what Metin Leander? He agreed. Here before we went out shopping. Metin Leander had to check out the advertisments before we went shopping.

I want quality, he said

Take it easy, I said – have a biscuit
- See, quality?
- yes I do mama
 
Shopping might be boring.
- I blew a balloon

Wedensday was special. 3 Generations went to the Family Chiropractor. Who happens to very good and trustes friends as well. Ingeling and his family and kids have met often, both in Norway and abroad. Papa like this fact.

After our treatment, we went for a Lunch. Metin Leander had pancakes, Ingelin Salad, papa as well and some pressed fruit

You want a taste?
You cant’t see it, but it was red berries
We did some X-Mas shopping, which can not be revealed, at this moment;-) Then we went across Oslo to visit papa’s Mother.

Here Ingelin, Metin Leander enters Papas Mother – she was 92 in October.

We stayed there for a while and hope to see Great-Grand Mother on Christmas Eve.

This is the view from Great Grandmothers Window. See the Ski Jump in the Hill? Holmenkollen.
 
Another view from my Mothers home

Yet another view. In fact the primary School for the Royal Norwegian Family.
 
Hope to see you all again soon. Here in fact, Metin Leander and Marie Louise watch TV…
More to come…..
From here and there
PS. Papa had wonderful moments

Meeting a new blogfriend in Norway

Meeting a new blogfriend in South East Norway
 
Most of my readers might have observed that Anna and “Papa” has met several blogfriends face to face during 2011 far away from Norway. Besides of course RennyBA and DianeCA, who lives in our part of Norway.
Ginnie and Astrid, did visit Norway and Oslo in April.
Then we went to USA and there we met:
Lisa,
Suzann,
Comedy +
and in Canada we met expat traveler. 
Later this year we went to Ollioules in Provence (Claudie and Pierre)
and a Month later to Austin, Texas.

Let us not forget: Phone calls are still in operation:
We did not meet eye to eye,but met voice to voice:
The Old Lady in the Hills
and Mrs Lifecruiser.

Last Saturday we went South from Oslo – about 75 minutes to shop in Sweden. We only shop what is favourable there. At least we say so;-)

Planned
This trip was planned (as allways when we travel) long ago. Beside visiting and staying overnight with Anna’s Best Woman and her hubby and Felicia’s kitten, we (papa) had an aditional plan:

Norwegian Blogger
Visit a Norwegian blogger, living in Fredrikstad. She has several blogs. Here is her profile. Read it and then you’ll understand why papa would visit (She is working as a Teacher, like her Husband and as you know: Anna as well).

Small World
We talked and talked and even realized that back in the 1880’s around, the two male of us had grandparents from the same tiny area in Telemark, Norway.
That’s why we have a saying in Norway (When meeting Norwegians abroad): It’s a Small World – Specially if from Norway

Photos?
Do not be too curious. Do not excpect too much. We are talking December. When it is no Snow. It’s Fog or Rain or the Sun directly in your Eyes when heading South.
OK, here is some Photos:
 
Fruits. See the tiny Manx to the Right?
 
Window Shopping
 
X-Mas Street in Fredrikstad, Norway. It was very dark around 9 PM
 
Food – Turkey as served at Mer (aldri mer i julerushet)
 
Here we are. A Flash Photo. Not the best; but we had a great time.
The other men stayed at Home (Flue or something).
 
Closing time. The Food could have been better regarding the price, but we really had a wonderful afternoon and evening together. Here, to the left, my blog friend.

PS. We could have talked until the Dawn, at least…
  
Fruits next morning as well. These are Clemtines, which belongs to the same family of Trees as the Oranges.
In Norway we call  Oranges:
Appelsin. The origin is: Chinese Apple or Apple (from) China. You see?
PS. We met Marta and Monsen again. They are Cats and Daughter and Son of Felicia. Here is Marta. Monsen, the male cat, he was outside. (I’m a Male too, but staying inside)

I hope there will more to come, so stay tuned…..

Here as well

Arriving Oslo by Ship a November Morning

It’s curious how we often think: What we see everyday, might be so familiar we do not think it might be excotic for people who lives in other parts of this tiny planet…
You are hereby invited to join my experience when entering Oslo by Ship on Saturday Morning, November 26 –2011. With Photos and a few Words.

See the follower? Just before 9 AM . What a Hunt.
 
We are followed – Who will be the Winner?
  Here we are in the inner part of the Oslofiord. The Ship behind is coming from Kiel in Germany. It’s the Worlds largest Car ferry and as well a cruise liner, with all what you expect of fascilities on a Cruise. Our Summer House is, by the way,  just on the right side of the Ship, in the Background Hills.

This Island – in fact several, used to have Oil Tanks when I was a little boy. And it’s a saying: The Sun allways shines on Steilene, the name of these tiny Islands. To day you can stay overnight here in old style seaside and Light Houses.

In the distance you see some typical Hills around Oslo. The White Building to the Right:  Here was Oslo Airport until 1998.
This is Southern part of the Penninsula where I lived for 30 years.
It was an Island, but due to the raise of the Land after the last Ice Age it is now a Penninsula.
 
During the Oslo Blog Gathering in 2010, we had a common Dinner in the White Building just in the Center of this Photo. We then took photos on the Ship from Land, this time from a ship towards land and Hills.

Dyna Light House and Foghorn. I remember when as a little boy , Iwas in our Garden, less than a Mile away a foggy afternoon and heard the “Sorrow Sounds”  from here. Two Days later:  Whooping cough. A Token?  To Day it’s Restaurant… In the Summer
 
The Ship is bringen us closer to the Capital of Norway: Oslo

What’s going on here? Are they building a new part of the City?
  
Be Aware. It’s lot’s of challenges to arrive Oslo by Boat.

This Ship that looked so tiny – just before in Oslo, Norway

Can you see the Ski-Jump in the Center of this Photo? Holmenkollen. The competions there attracts several 10k attenders every year, since more than a 100 Years. It so easy to get there with Oslos metro systems. You can walk as well. In my Childhood we did walk down -35-45 minutes...
Enlarge the Photo and you will realize how close it is to the Down Town
  
Here you can see Oslo City Hall – and some Hills
The Blue Sea, the Hills and  what you do not see: The capital of Live Music in Northern Europe..

See, how Green it is? Where I grew up.  Blue and Green and four Seasons. Oslo – Norway

250 meters away is were the Ship arrives. Here is only one of Oslos’s several Marinas.
 
Have a  great life everybody, regards Tor

PS. Hope to meet you in real life