Fighting Parkinson’s on skies:
I would like to start the story of our ski trip with the most important result: The recreational part – to improve my physical and mental health. On a beautiful sunny day with fresh, crisp air, it was great to take a break at a lake after some kilometers up hill. With a snack I had in my pocket (an orange and two chocolate bars), we sat down for a rest and a nice chat. The view was breathtaking and I am glad I can share it with you as my Nokia Mobile phone is capable of capturing it all in panoramic mode:

Around 11AM and the sun is low on the horizon since it’s winter time – the darkest time of the year (6 hours duration in Oslo, Norway). If this isn’t wonderful scenery and an atmosphere to charge your batteries – then I don’t know what is!

Like I said: I was glad I still had the basic ski skills from childhood. It’s two years since I was last on skis when I got the diagnoses Parkinson’s – in addition to that I had a knee replacement about four months ago – so I have to admit my form has been better : -) But you can compensate quite a bit for being in shape if you have good technique, both on flat areas, up hills and especially down hills in (almost *LoL*) full speed:

Skiing: The most wonderful outdoors recreation I can think of : -)

The impact of Parkinson’s however feels like driving with the parking brakes on: Picture yourself driving like that and the wire from the parking brake is your body muscles – and they are stiff and tight as guitar strings. The effect of your engine, even on full speed, is relatively small and you have to use quite a lot of fuel to get going.
Let me add; it was my physiotherapist, who trains me 3 times a week, who came up with the idea. He is very supportive and focuses on my mental training as well. We often talk about getting me out of the role of patient and believe me: it worked on this ski trip!

Anyhow; it was a wonderful trip, and an outdoor adventure and I wouldn’t be without for anything in the world. Despite the struggle, I proved to myself that even if I have an uninvited “guest” (Mr. Parkinson) in my body; I am in charge and capable of doing the things that I like. I can still enjoy outdoor life, nature and improve my physical and mental health – and even better: to share these adventures and magic moments with my son!

Other sport achievements in 2011:
It was been another successful year in Norwegian sport – here are a few highlights:
The Women’s Handball team defeated France 32-24 just under one week before Christmas to gain the world title. It was Norway’s first World Cup win since 1999, making it a hat-trick with the European Championships last year, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Swimmer Alexander Dale Oen beat seven others at the recent European Championships in Szczecin, Poland, winning a gold medal in the 100-metre breaststroke. He is now tipped as a favourite for next year’s London Olympics.
Thor Hushovd did not win the Tour de France this year like in 2010 but he and Edvald Boassen Hagen did Norway proud, winning a series of difficult stages across France and piling the pressure on those ranked higher. At one stage, three Norwegian competitors dominated the podium.

Norway shocked after youths slaughtered and bombing in Oslo
King Harald sent his condolences to the victims and their families, and urged unity once again in his New Years Speech for the 79 youths killed at Utøya, and the 8 killed in the bombing of the capital buildings. At a press conference on the morning after the killings Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg called the attack a “national tragedy” and the worst atrocity in Norway since World War II. Stoltenberg further vowed that the attack would not hurt Norwegian democracy, and said the proper answer to the violence was “more democracy, more openness, but not naivety”. You are welcome to read my first post about this tragedy here!
In Stoltenberg’s speech at the memorial service on 24 July 2011, he opened what would be Norways reaction to the atrocity: “No one has said it better than the AUF girl who was interviewed by CNN: “If one man can show so much hate, think how much love we could show, standing together.”

Photo of Oslo City Hall square – borrowed from Morten Stokstad
I have a feeling that what was amazing the world the most after this tragedy, was the way Norwegian dealt with and handled the whole thing. Instead of showing anger and talking about revenge, we showed solidarity, love, and care for our fellow man. You are welcome to read all about it in my post: With torches and roses Oslo Norway shows its solidarity

Nobel Peace Prize from Norway to women rights activists
Karman of Yemen, Leymah Gbowee and Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (Photo: John McConnico/AP)The Norwegian Nobel Committee moved away from highly controversial choices to award this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to three women in Liberia and Yemen who the committee believes have played important roles in creating peace, reconciliation and democracy.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen were awarded the prize in three equal parts for what the committee called their “non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights for full participation in peace-building work.”
I really liked the Nobel Committee’s reason: “For their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work. We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society”. Here is the link to my post about this.

Roald Amundsen Norway first to reach the South Pole
When the ship Fram left Norway on Aug. 9, 1910, it carried, according to Amundsen himself, “nineteen men, ninety-seven dogs, four pigs, six carrier pigeons, and one canary.” The ship was nearly 20 years old and the expedition leader, Amundsen, was 38. He was already a formidable polar explorer, but this voyage to Antarctica and the South Pole made him one of the greatest explorers in history.
Amundsen actually started preparing for an expedition to the North Pole, but when Frederick A. Cook and Robert E. Peary claimed to have reached the Pole, in 1908 and 1909, respectively, Amundsen secretly changed his plans. In Madeira he revealed that the expedition to the North Pole would go by way of the South Pole. The race was on with Robert F. Scott to see which of them would be the first man on the southernmost point on earth. Feel free to read my post about this anniversary!

Remember, all these (except for the cheese), are homemade with fresh meat coming directly from the butcher – made with love and care, based on recipes past on for generations! Just by thinking of it, especially when I enter my parents house this special day, I am literary taken down the memory lane – just by closing my eyes, I remember mom and grandma in the kitchen almost the entire month of December, the smell, the atmosphere, the excitement and the anticipation. There was something in the air – it was Christmas!
If you thought the food and the feast ends here, you are wrong! No, when you are filled up with pork and lamb and ham and…… and maybe had a short walk or a power nap to digest at least a bit, then the special homemade sweets were on the table:

To the right: All kinds of cookies and the Kransekake (Ring Cake)

The Nisse or Tomte:
A Nisse is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore originating from Norse paganism – actually close to what we call an elf. He was believed to take care of a farmer’s home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the house folk were asleep – type Fjøs Nisse (Fjøs = barn). Nisse is the common name in Norwegian, Danish and the Scandinavian dialect in southernmost Sweden is Tomte and Tonttu in Finland.
The Nisse was often imagined as a small, elderly man (size varies from a few inches to about half the height of an adult man), often with a full beard; dressed in the everyday clothing of a farmer. However, there are also folktales where he is believed to be a shape-shifter able to take a shape far larger than an adult man, and other tales where the Nisse is believed to have a single, cyclopean eye. Here are some examples of Nisse from my parents home Christmas decorations:

Left: My Great Grandmother’s Nisse – Right: My Grandmother’s Nisse Family

The Fjompe Nisse:
I’ve never seen him, but he has been an important part of my memories from Christmas ever since I was a child – especially in preparing, like decorating the tree and house in general. The Fjompenisse was defiantly a shape-shifter type, as he could come in (always at night) through the chimney or even the key hole. He defiantly had a temperament: One year I remember we had forgotten to take out the key from the hole and he had to use the chimney. You could then see his footprints of ash all around the house. The Fjompenisse was clearly a traditionalist too and did not want to be disturbed in his work.
Another of these things that takes me down the memory lane and brings back the Yuletide spirit from childhood when I enter my parents house, are all these Fjumpe Nisse figures hanging around:

Left: On top of the paintings – Right: On top of the old family clock from the 18Hundreds

Jule Nisse or the Santa Claus:
In the 1840s the farm’s Nisse became the bearer of Christmas presents in Denmark, and was then called Julenisse (Yule Nisse). This mythical character then turned into the white-bearded, red-capped friendly figure associated with Christmas ever since. Shortly afterwards, and obviously influenced by the emerging Father Christmas traditions as well as the new Danish tradition, a variant of the Nisse, called the Jule Nisse in Norway and Jultomte in Sweden, started bringing the Christmas presents in instead of the traditional Julbock (Yule Goat).

I hope you have enjoyed my reminiscing of my childhood and a walk down memory lane. Christmas Eve is now upon us and its time not only to remember our traditions but to give them to our own children and families. From all of us here to all of you we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

This year’s November earned a place in history books: Never before have temperatures been so high in the month leading up to Christmas – the warmest we have experienced since temperatures started being measured in the 1860. November last year was the coldest in living memory and the temperatures in Oslo were setting records at the other end of the scale, down to -24°C.
That’s a sharp contrast from November this year, to say the least: For the country as a whole, highest temperature was measured +10°C (49°F) which gives the average temperature 4.5°C above normal. So we are all glad that winter finally arrived and just in time for Christmas too!

Now, let’s go back to the scenery I tried to capture after this year’s first snow fall:

My fascination for snow of course goes back to my childhood: I remember it took some time to dress for the winter season, but then again the strong winter weather never stopped us from having fun. Snow was something we looked forward to: instead of closing our schools, we went to school on skis and the recess in the school yard was never more fun than at that time of the year.

Let me end this White Gold of Snow post with the last photo I shot – by sunset, around 2:30PM. We are into the darkest part of the year and in Oslo the duration of daylight is less than 6 hours. We are soon at Winter Solstice you know (the 21st of December) and in this pic you might get an idea of how the snow brightens up the atmosphere – at sunset:

As many of my Facebook followers and friends already know, I am currently at a rehabilitation center for Parkinson’s which is just outside of Lillehammer. Many of you may remember Norway’s winter Olympics in Lillehammer 1994 – so I assure you the magic of winter has touched us here too. My training includes outdoor exercise in the beautiful mountains surrounding the center, so I hope I will capture some more winter magic for my readers in the next days. Even when I am away taking care of my health, I always have my Nokia N8 handy you know – so stay tuned : -)

Planning for the North – going to the South Pole:
Amundsen started preparing for an expedition to the North Pole, but when both Frederick A. Cook and Robert E. Peary claimed to have reached the Pole, in 1908 and 1909, respectively, Amundsen secretly changed his plans. In Madeira he revealed that the expedition to the North Pole would go by way of the South Pole. The race was on with Robert F. Scott to see which of them would be the first man on the southernmost point on earth. Five weeks before Scott, who died on the return journey, Amundsen reached the South Pole 14 December 1911:

Norwegian flag planted on the South Pole (Photo: Norwegian Polar Institute)

The first to sail through the Northwest Passage:
In the summer of 1903 Amundsen sailed from Oslo with the ship Gjøa. The aim of the expedition was to find the Northwest Passage, for which the English had been searching for 400 years. Amundsen had a scientific goal: he wanted to measure the earth’s magnetic field and determine its exact location.

The ship Gjøa in front of Fram Museum

The expedition had a 23-month stopover in Gjøa Haven on King William Island. While there, Amundsen studied how the Inuit lived and gathered a prodigious amount of ethnographic material. In the spring of 1905, Gjøa sailed onward and emerged at the other end of the Northwest Passage in August 1906.

Norway marks Amundsen’s south pole feat 100 years on:
Today dozens of scientists and explorers joined the Norwegian prime minister to mark 100 years since Roald Amundsen led the first expedition to the South Pole. At the pole, PM Jens Stoltenberg paid tribute to “one of the most outstanding achievements of mankind” and highlighted the importance of this cold continent in our efforts to understand the warming of the globe! He also said Amundsen’s polar expeditions “helped to form our new national identity”. You see, Amundsen’s arrival at the pole on 14 December 1911 came only six years after Norway had declared independence after a long union with Sweden. So there is a lot of reasons to celebrate this year and especially today you know : -)

Karman of Yemen, Leymah Gbowee and Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (Photo: John McConnico/AP)

To recognize women rights activistsa:
Karman – at 32, the first Arab woman and the youngest peace laureate ever – is a journalist and member of the Islamic party Islah. She also heads the human rights group Women Journalists without Chains. The prize is also recognized the Arab Spring movement championed by often anonymous activists from Tunisia to Syria.
Sirleaf is widely credited with helping her country emerge from an especially brutal civil war. She was elected president of Liberia in 2005 and won re-election in October this year.
Gbowee challenging Liberia’s warlords, long campaigned for the rights of women and against rape. In 2003, she led hundreds of female protesters through Monrovia to demand swift disarmament of fighters, who continued to prey on women, despite a peace deal that should have ended the 14-year civil war.

The Golden Beauty of Fall:
Some weeks ago, still recovering from my knee operation, my wife and I shared another quality time here – photo hunting for the golden beauty of fall. Well, the hunting wasn’t that intense, but the scenery, the nature, the smell off sea and the fresh, crisp fall air with the sound of silence was divine. So while experiencing these magic moments with my wife, I was thinking: offer me to the most spectacular shopping center, or a famous amusement park, not to mention a front seat at Super Bowl -> I would not exchange it for this recreational adventure!
Although it’s difficult to convey this experience in photos, we both had our Nokia N8 mobile phones at hand and here are some of my shots:

The Golden Beauty of Fall

Outdoor Recreation in all four Seasons:
When talking about beaches, seas and swimming, most people imagine sun and summer heat. In Norway, with significant change in seasons when it comes to weather and temperature, we have always loved to be out in the nature – all year through. Especially on weekends, the whole family is hiking in the woods or up in the mountains. That’s where my saying comes from: there is no such as bad weather, only bad clothes. So if you have the chance to visit Huk beach, no matter summer, fall, winter or spring: you will always find lots of people – in all from winter dress with hat, gloves and scarf to literary nothing at all (in reserved areas!) – enjoying the beauty of nature away from the stressful urban life. Remember Bygdøy is just 20 minutes away by bus or boat to give you this kind of scenery:

While looking through my photos for this post, I found some from the same area from last summer and winter. So since pictures say more than a thousand word, let me show you how we in Norway love to be outdoors in fall as well as in the snowy winter time:

There is no bad weather: from bikini ……….

……… to winter dress at the beaches!

My wife’s temptations:
Before I end this post about enjoying the nature and outdoor recreation, let me get back to this weekend we had on Bygdøy by fall. I still have some photos to show you – there is always things that catch your eye on a beach you know ; -)

And remember, I am reporting from a quality time with my beloved wife. She always packs our little backpack with surprises, including coffee in a thermos and e.g. sandwiches. This time, when I was fooling around with my mobile phone – trying to catch the golden beauty of fall – she found a way to sneak into a open cafe without me noticing and after a while she found a bench and asked if she could tempt me – with this:

Waffles with raspberry jam & coffee – impossible to resist!

So now you know how I recharge my batteries, recover from my knee operation and keep the Parkinson’s at bay. Yes and how Norwegians spend their weekends and spare time, in all four seasons – outdoors, properly dressed (even the naturists *LoL*) – knowing there is no bad weather, only bad clothes – is there a better way?

Foreign companies dominated exploration off Norway in the initial phase, and were responsible for developing the country’s first oil and gas fields. However, Statoil (The Norwegian State’s Company) was founded in 1972, and the principle of 50 percent state participation in each production license was established.

The Social Democratic Model:
The billions that came from the oil in the North Sea should be used to give the people a better life. In 1974, the government decided for a Qualitatively Better Society; Those who live in rural areas should be prioritized, and culture should receive funding as well. Oil money would simply be used for all, in such a way that everyone had benefited from them. The easiest way to do this is by spending a large part through the State Budget.
Today, much of this is done and Norway has more money than ever before. You see, The Government Petroleum Fund was created in 1990, and receives revenues from our oil and gas business. The Fund is the Norwegian people’s money and today it means that every Norwegian has about $ 80,000 or € 60,000 “in the bank”. What many people wonder about is why don’t we just take the money and get rich together. Of course it’s not that simple – we want to ensure the future generations too. Once you get a recession and when it is wise to have money in reserve so that we can ensure good welfare for all, that is to say that we still have public health care, free education e.g.

Bygdøy Maritime Museum and Royal Estate:
In spite of more than 40 years of production, only around 40 percent of the total expected resources have been produced. Norwegian oil production has remained at plateau level of about 3 million barrels per day since 1995.

But let’s go back to our quality time, the photos and fall: The pics are taken at the Bygdøy Island close to The Maritime Museum. It’s situated near several other museums, including the Fram Museum; the Kon-Tiki Museum; the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History and the Viking Ship Museum. Norwegians have a long history as sailors you know (the oldest boat found in Norway is 7 000 years old). I let this photo with the old anchor stand as an evidence : -)

Bygdøy Island is only 20 min by boat or buss from down town Oslo and is a popular place for outdoor recreation – no wonder when you get from the urban stressful life to this rural natural beauty in a few minutes. The Royal family was thinking the same (long time ago):

At the end of the thirteenth century, Bygdøy was purchased by King Haakon V of Norway as a gift for his wife, Queen Euphemia of Rügen. Their daughter, Ingeborg of Norway, later returned the island to the monastery. It was acquired by the king during the Protestant Reformation to supply Akershus Fortress and garrison. The King would also use the estate for hunting and a hunting lodge. A zoological garden was set up by King Christian IV of Denmark-Norway.

The current main building was erected in 1733 as a summer residence for Danish official and Governor of Norway, Christian Rantzau (1684-1771). King Christian Frederick lived on the estate in 1814 after he was forced to give up the throne before he left for Denmark. Kings Haakon VII and Olav V also used the estate as a summer residence.

A comprehensive restoration of the main building and gardens began in 2004. The buildings and gardens have undergone extensive refurbishments and the estate is again set to be the regular summer residence of Harald V and Queen Sonja.

We passed this Royal Residence on our way to the Museums and since photo hunting for fall colors, I took some here too. I hope you like them as well as the stories about Norway and our history as well. You see, that’s actually the aim of my blog and I love to combine it reporting from quality times with my beloved wife!

I don’t think I’ve seen so many swans at once before and of course I was happy I had my Nokia N8 at hand, to start shooting photos – I mean the hunting was done and it was just to click and click and click ….. I believe I took more than 50 pics and at least some came out well. I think they are a bit fuzzy though – maybe because the white swans are in contrast with the water.
This beautiful scenery attracted others too of course and sometimes it was more interesting to see others watching and feeding then the swans themselves. People all ages were fascinated, but the youngest was the cutest I think : -)

My Nokia mobile phone can make panoramic photos too you know. This might explain to some extent at least, why I associated the scenery with Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” – or what do you think:

The Golden Beauty of Fall:
I told you this happened when my wife and I was out photo hunting. To me, nothing is more recreational than hiking in nature – besides; I need this kind of exercise stimulus to keep my Parkinsonism under control too. Adding to that; I love being outdoors in all four seasons and fall is the most colourful – don’t you think? – That’s why I call it “The golden beauty of fall”:

Outdoor Recreation:
My wife and I had what I often call a magic moment this wonderful Saturday. Being out in the nature, seeing how it changes through the seasons. Noticing the scenery, the smell and the beautiful colors is what I call recreational! And my regular readers know that I also have a wonderful wife to share those magic moment with and she makes them even more enjoyable and magic with her special treat; always something good in the backpack – I just love those sandwiches & the coffee, and it tasted heavenly eating outdoors like this:

If you want to charge your batteries, and like me, to keep my Parkinson’s in check; there is nothing more inspiring and recreational then the nature which is all around us. November is more than half over now and our darkest period is upon us – hope you have enjoyed the fall as much as we have!

Left: Caviar of Lavaret, blintz, sour cream, dill & radish – Wine: Sancerre Domaine de la Rossignol 2010

Right: Artichoke, caramelized puree, glazed macadamia, soup & artichoke chips & black truffle – Wine: Alto Adige – Südtirol Manincor “Réserve della Contessa” 2009

Left: Skin fried cod, open lasagna with fennel & ricotta, seafood sauce, crab croquet, avocado cream & peas

Right: Red wine braised beef shoulder, homemade sausage, Confit of plum, spicy broth, potato gnocchi & pumpkin – Wine: Côtes du Marmandais, Domaine Elian da Ros – Le Vin est une Fête 2008

Moose from Gudbrandsdalen, celery puree, Brussels sprouts & cranberry vinaigrette

Wine: Rossignol Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2008

Left: Cheese soufflés – Wine: Mosel. Jos. Christoffel Jr. Wehlener Sonnenuhr ** 1994

Right: Carrot cake Cru – Philadelphia cream, salt caramel ice cream, oatmeal crumble with cinnamon & carrot jelly.

Is there a better way of enjoying good colleagues company and discussing the future of the Computer Society and our work group’s activities for the coming season? We fully agreed we are the best work group team with eagerness and enthusiasm to start a new and successful season – and of course looking forward to the next culinary feast in mid June.