prettige feesten

kerstfeest op zijn noors

Dit kunnen we jullie echt niet onthouden.

Het laatste weekend voor we op reis vertrekken, stond nog een traditioneel Julebord of kerstfeestje met collega's van Marjolijn haar werk op de agenda en redelijkerwijs zou je verwachten dat je bij zo'n gelegenheid dan ook een soort feestmaal voorgeschoteld ktijgt, te meer omdat alle vrouwen "in't lang" moesten zijn en de mannen in kostuum.

Nu was dat gelijk ook wel min of meer het geval, naar Noorse normen. Het hoofdgerecht bestond uit een warm buffet met Pinnekjøtt (zie lager, schaperib), medisterkaker en medisterpølser (respectievelijk hamburgertje en worstje met heerlijke brokken vet) en svineribbe (soort 'ribbeke' met ongeveer 4 cm vet en 2 mm vlees), in combinatie met rode kool, zuurkool en gekookte aardappelen : echte boerekost van de bovenste plank of ook wel de beste kerstgerechten naar oude West-Noorse traditie.

Ik kijk al uit naar het volgende kerstfeestje...

Uw smulpaap,
Geert

god jul

Tegenwoordig staat alles hier in het teken van Jul, kerst dus. Dat is niet te doen, van alles bestaat er precies een kerstvariant:
kerstfoto's, kerstboeketten, kerstkaas, kerstconfituur, kerstworst, kersthesp, kerstnoten, kerstpeperkoek, kerstchocolade, kerstlimonade, kerstbier, kerstomaatjes en... Julegris, een marsepeinen kerstvarken.


De supermarkten liggen ook vól met 2 typisch noorse gerechten, alsof er niets anders gegeten wordt met kerstdag, namelijk pinnekjøtt en lutefisk.
Het eerste zijn gerookte schaperibben die gestoomd worden en het tweede in loog geweekte stokvis die gekookt wordt. Misschien dan toch maar liever onze vertrouwde kalkoen...

Uw kerstman,
Geert

weerpraatje

Eigenlijk valt er maar weinig te vertellen over onze 'belevenissen' de laatste tijd, laat ons daarom maar wat over het weer babbelen...

Het weer is hier in november ook uitzonderlijk warm en nat geweest. Van de 30 dagen heeft het 2 of 3 dagen niet geregend en de temperatuur was eind november zo'n 7 graden hoger dan normaal.

Hieronder 2 krantenartikels van gisteren hieromtrent :

Lack of snow sets record
December snow hasn't been so difficult to find in Norway for at least 60 years. From Finnmark in the far north to the mountains of southern Norway, there's a decisive lack of the white stuff, and that's posing some economic concerns along with local disappointment.

Even those Norwegians who aren't eager to go skiing are bemoaning the lack of snow that's such a part of the pre-Christmas season in the country.
A low-pressure system and steady winds from the south continue to leave most of Scandinavia caught in a gloomy spiral of wet and unseasonably warm weather. Meteorologist Jan-Erik Johnsen told newspaper Aftenposten this week that he had to go back to the late 1930s to find a map showing so little snow over Norway as there is now.
And there's no snow in sight, either. Johnsen is predicting several more days of temperatures as high as 9ºC in the Oslo area, for example, and long-term forecasts indicate a green Christmas over most of southern Norway, not a white one.
That's bad news economically for ski resorts, ski producers and sporting goods stores that rely on sales of winter sports gear and activity. Some ski centers that opened a few weeks ago in the mountains have had to close again. It's too warm to even run their snow-making equipment.
Johnsen said warm seas are also contributing to higher temperatures in southern Norway, but mostly he blames the "intense low pressure system" that stretches as far north as the Norwegian Sea.
Hemsedal in the mountains north of Valdres is one of the few places where skiing is possible. It's somewhat protected from the warm winds sweeping over the country elsewhere. This weekend, it will host a European Cup skiing competition that had to be moved from St Moritz because of a lack of snow in the Alps as well.

(Aftenposten English Web Desk – Published 5/12/06)

Darkness tires Norwegian souls
Nine of 10 Norwegians are affected, many adversely, by what's locally called mørketiden, literally "the dark time" of the year. The darkness that's settled over most of the country this year seems especially challenging, with little or no snow to lighten things up.

The weather over most of the country has been downright gloomy for weeks, with rain and heavy clouds casting a pall even over the few hours of daylight in the central and southern part of the country.
Experts are advising Norwegians to simply give in to what many feel is an urge to hibernate.
"It's natural and healthy that we who live in Norway shift into low gear during the darkest time of the year," Per Fugelli, a professor of social medicine, told newspaper Aftenposten on Tuesday. He thinks it's wise to take it easier, "reconcile yourself with the fact that you are a bit more sad and tired these days. It's all about our biorythms, and in the spring, it will get better again."
Fugelli believes it's "dangerous" for people to "go around and be happy all the time." Real winter depression remains relatively rare, affecting only around 5 to 10 percent of the population, but emotional swings are completely normal.
"We need light, that's just how we're made," said Bjørn Bjorvatn, a professor of medicine at the University of Bergen. The lack of natural light in the winter affects people's sense of humour, sleep patterns and level of social activity, he said.
Many Norwegians simply escape to warmer and sunnier climes during the winter. Most simply ride out the local darkness, trying to offset it with candlelight and crackling fireplaces, artificial lighting and, usually, winter sports.
The latter remains difficult at present, however, because of an unusual lack of snow and ice.

(Aftenposten English Web Desk – Published 5/12/06)

Zo zie je maar dat het 'zuiderse' België zo slecht nog niet is. Maar wij liggen er gelukkig niet wakker van, want volgende week zijn we weg naar Afrika voor een extra dosis zon en licht...

Uw weerman,
Geert