Happy days of May

Last Sunday I and the dog were babysitting these two guys, Oliver (left) and Tobias, two of my cousin's sons. The boys spent pretty much the whole day with us, and the weather was fabulous, so we decided to go for a long forest walk. Both the boys, the dog and I had a great time. We took a few stops here and there to let the boys rest and play a little, and they did a lot of exploring. And, of course, lots of photos...

When arriving at the water tower we sat down in the little birch forest there is and had a picnic break. I had baked a chocolate cake the day before (for another purpose) and we had taken the leftovers with us. Very popular, though the dog was a bit miffed that he didn't get any of it...

17 May is Norway's Constitution Day. It's a national/public holiday and everyone get the day off. There are children's parades all over the country, and in my little town they paraded in front of our house, pretty much. It was, and is always, a great sight, though this year I did not join the parade as is custom. Instead I took the dog out for a loooong forest walk. He seemed content with that.

I've taken up a new hobby: recreational orienteering. It means having a map (and, if need be, a compass) and walking different routes and paths in the forest to find posts that I then mark off on a score card. There are some 40 posts in the forests around where I live, and I've taken six of them so far. Each post gives a number of points on the score cards, and the score accumulated through the season (until September some time) and provide the foundation for the allocation of rewards of some sort. It is a great incitement to finding new paths and chosing unknown routes when out walking, and of course the dog loves accompanying me.

There are times when I wonder why I ever lived anywhere else!

Spring by the sea is great

Lately we've had fabulous spring weather, warm and quite lovely all through the day. It does not get dark at night anymore, so it's possible to be out and about 24/7 if one wants to. When I walk the dog in the morning before going to work (around 5.30 a.m.) it's sunny even when I wake up. I love it, and I love how I can walk outside at that hour wearing just trainers, a t-shirt and tights. Very, very easy! I have stopped counting the hours I've spent in the outdoors the past two weeks...

Both these images show my dog earlier today. I took him walking down to the seaside, where there's an area where he can run freely about. His best friend Mia (dog!) is in heat, so they're off playdates for a little while. He enjoyed chasing birds instead!

My mother visited yesterday, and she brought with her something that pleased me immensely. My aunt (her sister) is moving, and in the process she is ridding herself of some things from her flat. So I get to 'inherit' a set of porcelain plates, serving trays etc in various sizes from a set of porcelain that my grandparents got for their wedding day in 1948! When they died my mum and her sister split the china among them; now I have my aunt's part and will soon get my mother's part too. So I will end up having a full set of oooold china. I am so excited.

Have a great weekend - I plan to, too :-)

BBQ season's started!

Tonight I officially started this year's bbq season. Together with some great people I had a bonfire bbq at lake Soløyvannet, just outside Bodø town. 6-7 people and three dogs had a wonderful time at the southern shore of the lake, the sun was shining and all was well in my corner of the world.

Btw, it does not get dark at night anymore. It grows grey'ish for about 3-4 hours every night, then the light returns again. Not long to go before the midnight sun is back. Yay! The place where we had the bbq tonight was new to me, and it proves to be an excellent place to use as starting point for roaming the mountains and forests around Bodø. Something tells me I'll be back there quite soon... I think the dog will be happy to return too. He enjoyed every minute of tonight, which is not a surprise. Huskies are made for outdoor life, and Emre is no exception.

Now we have months and months of easy living to look forward to. :-D

Post-Easter blues

Easter is over and life has returned to normal again. During Easter my Swedish friend Suzanna was visiting, and we had rented a car in order to be able to drive around and see as much as possible. We spent a few days with my parents at the cabin (further north), but also took time out for one-day expeditions in my neighbourhood. It was fabulous, and fortunately the weather was nice most of the time, so we could spend hours and hours in the outdoors. Oh joy.

Suzanna and my dog Emre resting at a beach rock about 30 mins south of where I live. We spent the day outside and at the hiking club's cabin, which is situated literally on the shore. Suzanna enjoyed the place so much that virtually one of the first things she did was to find a nice spot on a rock and curl up to nap a little... And Emre decided to keep watch :) Later on we explored the shores and made dinner at the cabin, together with two other friends and their dog. Some times life is so good that there's nothing more to say. This was one of those days, I think.

Suzanna at a beach in Lødingen, near our cabin. This beach is next to the road, however, there were hardly any people and so we could let the dogs run freely around for a while. (My friend Annelin and her dog Mia were there too, they're just not on the photo.) There were three reindeer on the one side of the beach when we got there, but fortunately they ran off before the dogs could detect them. Emre had chased one reindeer just a few days earlier, with both himself and the reindeer falling through the fjord ice, so I was nervous to let him loose. But it worked out relly well, thank God! And Suzanna had a great time watching the two furry ones chase each other around, both on the beach and in the sea!

On Easter Sunday I just had to try the water. Did not have a swimsuit with me so could not swim properly, but wading along the shore was just fine. The water wasn't ... well, let's say this: it was a very refreshing experience! But I didn't catch a cold or anything afterwards, not as much as a caugh or a sneeze. Though it would totally have been worth it if I did.

Spring on the shore

Yup. It's definitely spring here now, and has been for just over a week. One day I took the dog down to the shore of the sea, to an area where there are no houses and hardly ever any people. There I can let him roam freely about, and he loves it. We often go there if we are with someone else so that the dogs can play together in a large area. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon when coming home from work, as you see above!

This is Emre, 10.5 months old. He is a relatively calm, confident and very happy puppy who is about to turn into a youngster rather than a 'puppy'. I enjoy his company a lot, obviously, and I don't think he minds mine either... His great-grandfather won the Iditarod a couple of years ago, together with the rest of the dog team and a guy behind on a sled, and Emre loves running too. He is slowly about to learn the art of pulling too. What a joy!

Emre looking out for birds after having inspected the shore. He loves chasing birds, especially when they sit by the sea and he can run towards them just to scare them off. He does not need to bark in order to do that, so he doesn't. Most of the time, anyway. And just like when he was a little puppy still living at his (home/original) kennel, he continues to enjoy taking a break to stop and get an overview over what goes on in the surroundings. Just in case, I guess.

Smells like spring spirit

It started looking like spring around the 20th of March. But then another snowfall came, and it was equal to the most we've had this winter. One of the days the weather was lovely and I was not at work, so I took the dog with me out and made the most of the day. It was almost like traditional Easter holidays: snow, sun, chocolate and hours spent in the outdoors.

Usually summer here lasts from mid/late December to about late March, a total of 3-3.5 months. Last year the ground was coverend in white from 14 October onwards, and it's still white. Which means we've had winter for nearly half a year now – that's a lot, and it feels like way too much.

So therefore I am glad that spring has arrived for real this time. It started just a few days ago. Snow is melting faster by the day, the temperatures are warm and I can once again wear trainers instead of winter shoes. Soon every little forest path will once again be available for exploring without wearing skis. The walks with the dog will not have to be along streets but can be anywhere, anytime. In a month it won't get properly dark at night either.

Yesterday evening while out walking there were northern lights. There's been quite a lot of that this winter, and I've enjoyed it every single time. Yesterday's sighting might be the last one for the season. Although I'll miss it I'm not sad. It's moving towards summer time, and sunshine 24/7. Bring it on - I am totally ready for it!

My new best friend - 10 months later

I realise I've been ignoring and forgetting about this blog. I shouldn't have. So I'll try and update it more frequently from now on. Maybe. This is my dog - the puppy from the previous post is now 10 months old. His name is Emre, he is a very loveable dog and measures about 70cm on top of his shoulders. Big for his age and for the race, in other words, and he still has muscles to grow. I love it.

The winter is about to leave, spring is approaching and I look very much forward to being able to wander about in the nature here with Emre without having to ski or worry about where there's a hard track to walk on... Perhaps I'll update more here when we start roaming?

Wade in the water

Today I tested the ocean water for the first time this year! In just two days we've gone from late winter to early summer; the days of spring seem to be gone and with them the cool temperatures and remaining patches of snow. Now the trees are green, the air holds 20 degrees C and it does not get dark at night anymore.

And then there's the beach. Today I went to Bodøsjøen beach, just outside the city centre, together with a group of other people. We talked for a while about this and that, and the ocean water looked more and more temping to me. In the end I could not help it anymore; I left the group, took off my shoes and socks and started wading in the water! Not very far, that's true, and not for too long. But I was out until half my legs were covered with water, and it was crystal clear. Temperature...? Fresh, let's leave it at that. Not enough to get a heart attack;-)

And above you can see the proof. I've officially started the wading season. Bathing soon to follow, though not sure if I'll be able or willin to picture that. Watch this space, and come visit if you want to. Summer is on and it's here to stay!