Krims Krams

ho hum

2012-02-12T12:19:00.004Z

Is anyone else sick and tired of winter? I'm fed up of going to work in the dark, wrapping up warm, heavy bulky footwear, terrible fruit and veg in the shops,dry skin and ice. I'm longing for norwegian strawberries,weekends at the cabin, fjord swimming, dresses and sandals and long warm days (oh and fleamarket season!)

Brrrrr

2012-02-05T14:29:00.004Z

The last few days have been super cold. Night time has been as low as -22c and the days have been hovering around -15c. Too cold for me, my asthma plays up and I get a red rash all over my legs which itches like mad once I'm indoors again. I'm so ready for summer.

A new week

2012-01-30T17:01:00.007Z

We had a very nice relaxing weekend with all the udi stuff behind us (I'll enjoy it whilst it lasts because I know it won't be long before Norway pisses me off again!)
We wandered round Oslo, ate a nice lunch in a very nice cafe,had leisurely breakfasts and long lie ins. We watched the wonderful "The Killing" even though the danish is very distracting for me as now I can speak norwegian the danish language sounds like a norwegian who is drunk with a potato stuck in their throat! (no offence intended to all my lovely danish readers!) I can read danish but cannot understand it at all when I hear it (and I'm a little disappointed as I thought I was getting 3 languages for the price of one when I started learning norwegian!)
We are almost in February now and I'm not quite sure where January went....

Udi 0-lisa 1

2012-01-25T20:52:00.004Z

After a very stressful week things are back to normal. The Udi have well and truly fucked up as far as my case is concerned, they still have not fixed things but things are less uncertain now.
After Sunday's article came out (along with a follow up on Monday) the Udi went into crisis mode making excuses in the press and in a TV debate. They apologized in the press but I'd rather like a letter.It was all pretty exciting. As an organization they are an absolute joke (I'm afraid to say that I fear Norway is an absolute joke also, in so many ways)
I have now been contacted and told that I'm entitled to stay in Norway (I always thought this was the case) no matter how much Henrik earned in 2010. We were badly advised when I first registered here and we never should have applied for family reunification in the first place. Here's an idea, Udi, when I applied why not write back to me and tell me that I'm applying for the wrong thing? Just a thought? Could have saved us all a lot of trouble.
I now,after 16 months will finally have a personal number rather than a temp number and being from the EU means I'm allowed to live/work/whatever as long as I'm not draining Norway of resources. This is what I always thought was the case. 16 months of fannying about for nothing.
The sad thing is that there are too many people in Norway being ripped apart because of the Udi. We are the lucky ones. During this process of uncertainty I had to think about packing up and us heading back to England and I must admit I did not like the idea at all. Norway is the oddest place I have ever lived, I don't quite fit in (and I never will!) and there are soooo many things here that make me want to pull my hair out/punch someone but it's become my home. I love my job, I can speak this strange language pretty well and there is just something about this strange land that I'm not ready to leave.....

Waging a war with Udi

2012-01-22T08:01:00.005Z

It is something I have not talked about on my blog before but for the last 16 months we have been fighting a battle with the norwegian immigration department, UDI.
We have been turned down twice for family reunification based on the fact that Henrik earned too little in London in 2010. Our fight is that surely it does not matter what Henrik earned in London, surely what counts is what Henrik is earning now, here in Norway. You are required to be payscale 8 which Henrik was slightly below in England. He is now payscale 50 (quite a jump, huh?) but the UDI says that Henrik did not earn enough in London to support us both here in Norway. Crazy huh? They don't take into account that I'm now working and I am earning a very nice wage. We have both more than doubled our salaries here. We have a nice life in Norway, a lovely home,a car, no debts, a fridge full of good food,and enough spare cash to enjoy ourselves.
Those of you who regularly read my blog can see we are not living in poverty (as the UDI seems to think!)Life is good, yet once again we have been turned down for family reunification. It stinks.
After 2 lawyers and countless trips to many government offices I had had enough so I went to Aftenposten, Norways best and most reliable newspaper. Today our story came out along with many other couples who are having exactly the same problem as us. We will also have a follow up story tomorrow in the same paper. I'm hoping it helps with our struggle. We are now in the dark regarding our future in Norway.

Monday

2012-01-16T19:42:00.004Z

I finished work today and felt the need to bake (now I'm working I never seem to find the time or have the energy) I made no knead bread which was super easy and amazingly delicious. Jam thimbles were next and these too were simple to make and oh,so yummy!
Whilst i was making these there was a hotpot in the oven, but not your ordinary hotpot of the Lancashire (where I grew up) variety but more of an "Oslo hotpot" with reindeer instead of lamb. Also good. We have eaten like kings today and are now on the sofa, slumped in a carb fueled haze about to enjoy an evening of the best TV show ever, Breaking bad.
p.s New polar bear print from Alice Potter. Love it

Sånn er det

2012-01-08T21:02:00.003Z

Often when I question things here in Norway I do not get a proper answer. More often than not the answer is, "Sånn er det" which means "thats the way it is"
So when I ask "why is everything closed on Sunday?", "Why is everything so expensive?" "Why don't norwegians use their indicators or car horns?" "Why do norwegians all eat taco's on Friday?" "Why is there a crap choice of food in the supermarkets here?" the usual answer is "Sånn er det" which really gets on my nerves, so when I'm asked a question I always try to avoid saying those three little words and give an answer explaining why something is the way it is. That is until Friday at work when a 5 year old asked me, "Hvorfor er dine pupper så store?" (why are your boobs so big?) and the only reply I could give was...... "Sånn er det!"

Winter

2012-01-03T20:04:00.002Z

This is my street at 3.15pm today. That is sheet ice and it's a bugger to walk on. This winter is crap. Wet,icy,dangerous. Give me last winter instead. Snowy,friggin freezing, but dry (and it's the dryness that makes the difference)
Sunrise:9.19am
Sunset:3.21pm
There are on average 20 weeks til we have some warmth here, and I am counting down!

changes

2012-01-02T22:12:00.004Z

Back to work today. This day last year I began norwegian lessons and now I'm fluent enough to function in norwegian society (well, in my own funny little British way) and have a job. I'm pretty proud. I don't actually like speaking norwegian and spoke very little over the christmas holidays (which suits me just fine) so today was pretty difficult to switch the norwegian back on, especially when we attended a course today which was conducted entirely in Swedish! My colleagues thought it was hilarious that I understood barely 5% and luckily my boss told me to go home early as she realised the whole thing was pretty pointless for me! Oh, how my life has changed.....

Happy new year!

2012-01-01T08:15:00.005Z

We woke on this first day of 2012 with huge amounts of snow and no hangovers!
We spent the last day of the year in a costly Oslo clinic with me having costly throat swabs done only to be sent away with super strong antibiotics and a case of Pharyngitis and told not to drink alchohol!
So we celebrated NYE on the sofa,watching lots of good films,drinking Pink Lemonade (me) and eating Panettone.
Henrik has now woken on the first day of the year feeling exactly the same as I have felt for the last week. Happy new year!
p.s that red building is our storage with 27 unpacked boxes in it. One day when we buy a bigger place I can finally unpack everything.....

Quiet time

2011-12-29T08:26:00.002Z

Hope you all had a fantastic christmas! I love the time between christmas and new year, it's so relaxing and cozy, there are good things to eat (bubble and squeak from all the leftovers is possibly my favourite meal ever) and lots of feel good films to watch. I have been sick since boxing day with a sore throat,hacking cough and my asthma is shocking (I developed asthma when I was 19 and moved to London and it has been non existent since I moved to Norway,so it's horrid to have it back again...)

Seasons greetings!

2011-12-23T19:57:00.004Z

My mum and stepdad are in Norway for the first time since we moved here (mum has a fear of flying so it's taken a while to get her here!) and we are looking forward to spending christmas with Henrik's folks. Thanks for visiting my blog this year, and all your comments. Merry Christmas! See you on the other side!

Gløgg&pepperkaker

2011-12-12T19:06:00.005Z

The weather is my least favourite at the moment. We have snow which partly melted, iced over at night, melted again during the day and froze over again when the temps dropped at night causing the worst bumpy ice that is impossible to walk on and very stressful to a non norwegian who attempts to waddle like a penguin, taking baby steps whilst the norwegians expertly whizz past me!
I have a strong feeling that I'm going to hate this winter as I'm now being told that last years winter was perfect in the fact that we had dry snow because of the frigid temps which kept the ice at bay.hmph! At least our flat is warm and cozy, plus gløgg and pepperkaker make everything a little bit better....

2011-12-10T08:41:00.004Z

We have butter! We shopped in Sweden last weekend and managed to track down 3 packs of the creamy goodness! Insane that the butter shortage still continues here.... Norway is a strange,strange land. People are now selling butter on Finn.no (a kind of norsk e bay) for 250kr (£27) per pack!
I'm off to England on Wednesday to stay with my best friend, do some christmas shopping and become blonde again (I'm not a fan of my natural dishwater blonde!) I can't wait!
God Helg!

It's here!

2011-12-07T13:17:00.005Z

Winter arrived last night and it took just a few hours for us to be totally blanketed in the white stuff! I do love snow at first, but ask me again in 5 months and I'll say the opposite!
All this snow has got me wanting some christmas tunes- Im liking this.

pølse/pose/pause

2011-12-02T08:49:00.002Z

My norwegian is improving now that I'm working but I'm still making the stupidest mistakes. Sometimes I lie in bed at night thinking about all the cringe-worthy things I said at the barnehage that day (whilst Henrik pisses himself laughing)
There are three words that I often mess up:
pølse (pronounced pulsa)= sausage
pose(pronounced poosa)=bag
pause(pronounced powsa)=break, as in half an hour break from your job etc
Now these three words are used frequently in my everyday life but I keep on muddling them up.
The busiest time at work is when we are getting 18 children ready to go and play outside. Norwegians take the weather very seriously and these children are dressed properly in any weather.On this particular day it was cold,wet and windy so we were dressing children in woolen trousers and tops,padded all in one suits,rain clothes on top,scarves,wellies,gloves and hats so it's a busy time. I needed a plastic bag to put some wet clothes in, so asked my lovely colleague, "Kan jeg få en pause?" to which she replied that we were really rather busy right now so it was not a good time to take a break!!!! I'd stupidly asked for a break rather than a bag!
Uff! I did not live this down for the rest off the day but I'm learning to accept that mistakes like this will continue to haunt me as I'm trying to nod off to sleep for the next few months.....

The weekend

2011-11-27T16:56:00.004Z

I've been battling a crappy cold, aching body and sore throat for the last three days, so much of the weekend has been spent sleeping and watching the amazing series, "Breaking Bad" but late on Saturday afternoon we ventured out to the christmas market at Bærums Verk to get some christmas cheer (plus a delicious elk burger)
Winter seems to have gone away again and we are having lovely, mild weather compared to freezing temps and snow this time last year. Many people here are moaning cause they are keen to ski but I had enough snow last year to last me a lifetime so I'm more than thrilled with this mild November.
On another note, Norway has run out of butter just in time for christmas. There is not a pack of butter to be found in any supermarket which for me proves that it is ridiculous to have only one butter producing company in this entire country! It's about time Norway imported some decent butter from other countries..... (and just some good food in general!)

Wednesday

2011-11-23T19:51:00.003Z

Trying to speak norwegian all day at work is the most exhausting thing I have ever done in my entire life, and to top it off I'm not sleeping well at the moment as I think my brain is having a hard time switching off at bed time and I'm finding myself wide awake at 3.37am. Uff!
Today it was so dark that it felt as though we never passed dawn which does not help with my tiredness. I need sun but until that returns I shall have to make do with a summery dinner, tea and brownies on the sofa watching the new series of Dexter.

2011-11-19T10:12:00.003Z

Winter arrived this week and the mornings were -6c. We'd been pretty mild so it was a shock to the system at first but now I've accepted winter is here, unpacked all my winter gear and I'm embracing it!
My first week at my new job went very well, I'm loving being back at work. It's funny but I always quite fancied being a lady of leisure and not working, but in reality it's no fun. Having a job is important, so important. Being a kept woman is not all it's cracked up to be, in fact I hated it! I have worked since I was 19 so not having my own money has been pretty crap.
Living in the most expensive country in the world on one wage has not been easy but Henrik and I have managed brilliantly (mainly due to his great money management skills, not mine!)but we are now looking forward to being a two income house again (and the even better news is that my salary is 150% higher than it was in London!!!) Good times!
Enjoy the weekend!

Happy Monday

2011-11-14T08:11:00.003Z

I woke up today and we have internet (we have been piggybacking off our landlords wi-fi, with permission and payment for the last 15 months but something changed and the signal stopped reaching down to our flat) Today it's on. Good, I missed it!
I switched my camera on yesterday and after 9 months of not working it came on and worked perfectly. Hmmmmm. What's going on? Am I having a bit of good luck? Job? yep! Internet? yes! camera working? ja!
Happy Monday indeed!
(Fathers day here yesterday and we treated Henriks folks to a seafood bonanza. It was delicious)

A catch up

2011-11-09T14:35:00.004Z

We are still internet-less at home which is very irritating (there is only so much you can do on a small iphone screen..) so I'm now sitting in the library as I need to see things on a bigger screen!
So, whats been going on lately?
*Today was my last day on the norwegian course. I have finished 5 weeks early as, wait for it..... I have a job!!!! I shall begin working (for real money!) next week at the barnehage where I have been taking my språkpraksis. I am thrilled to be working there as it's such a nice place and everyone is so friendly! Result!
* After 15 months I have still not been granted family reunification, I'm still waiting to hear, only now it does not matter so much as by having a job I will finally be in the system here. It's been pretty scary to not really exist all this time, but now I'm a real person! woo hoo!
* We had a car crash the other week when a young boy came crashing into the back of the car, knocking off my super expensive new norwegian number plate! (I managed to salvage my most expensive purchase ever!)
*My english speaking is becoming bastardized by the norwegian language and I often find myself constructing an english sentence in a norwegian way (but strangely enough not the other way round, I'm still constructing a norwegian sentence in an english way.....ugh)
*It has been unseasonably warm for november and I'm hoping for a milder winter than last years shocker......
and Canal Digital if you are reading, please sort out our internet soon!

Bygdøy

2011-10-23T19:47:00.004+01:00

My best friend has been here for a few days and as usual it has been soooooo nice to see her! My life in Norway would be just right if I could only convince her to move here.....
We are now in Gøteborg for a few days of better shopping, better food and friendly Swedes!
(My blogging is non existent at the moment due to a terrible internet connection which we are trying to change but if you are familiar with a norwegian working day you'll know that it's pretty hard to get anything done in a country where they don't like to work more than six hours a day!)

Autumn nights

2011-10-19T21:04:00.003+01:00

The weekend, finally

2011-10-08T11:13:00.002+01:00

My two weeks at the barnehage are now over and I'll just be going on Thurs & Fri from now until christmas. Back to the norskkurs on Monday for a well earned rest! I have spoken sooooo much norwegian for the last 2 weeks but I still get to a point where I hit a wall and have to revert to english. Will I ever get over the wall? It also suddenly hit me this week that this is my life now. A norwegian life. It's hard to be yourself when speaking a new language and I feel that when I speak norwegian I lose some of my personality. It's not really me. I can't crack jokes or express myself the way I can in english and it is sooooo frustrating! I was also told this week that when I speak my accent sounds a bit danish, and considering I cannot understand danish at all I found this rather odd!

Hello October

2011-10-01T09:10:00.003+01:00

How on earth is it October already? Only 11 weeks til christmas!
So, I've just finished my first full week in the norwegian workplace (unpaid,of course!) and I had a fantastic week! I was scared witless on Monday and could barely breathe as I walked into the barnehage that morning but I really had no need to be so afraid as I was welcomed with open arms! I have learned so much norwegian this week and got over my fear of talking to kids. All the staff have been so kind to me,answering all my questions, joking about the many mistakes I make and just helping me in general. I got lucky with this barnehage! They even offered me a vikar (temp,stand in) position for January. It's only 5 weeks but it's a start (and will be my first paid job in Norway!)
Next week I'll work with the older kids (5-6) which I'm also pretty scared about as they ask so many questions. I will cope though!
p.s Like most of Europe we are having amazing weather at the moment. Thick fog in the morning followed by warm,sunny days. Lovely.
Enjoy the weekend folks!

A new chapter

2011-09-25T19:54:00.002+01:00

Don't worry, the weather has not changed just yet but I guess this picture shows what I should be expecting pretty soon! I did see on the front page of the newspaper last week "Ekstrem Vinter" (extreme winter!) emblazened in huge letters and felt slightly scared. Speaking of being scared I begin my språkpraksis tomorrow morning at a very nice local barnehage and I'm terrified. Terrified, I tell you! This is a real test of my norwegian, talking to little kids who can't speak english, gulp! Wish me luck!

The weekend

2011-09-18T19:45:00.004+01:00

We have had a lovely weekend. Friday night we celebrated Henrik's 36th birthday with our friends, Saturday we visited three fleamarkets, picked apples & plums and today we took a trip to Sweden and now I've just finished my norwegian homework (the least favourite bit of the weekend) Autumn is certainly here and I'm trying to embrace it but I'm still not ready to give in and get all our winter gear out of storage. The idea of the long winter we have ahead is too awful to even think about!!
(top 3 pics by Vindhya)

A catch up

2011-09-15T17:40:00.004+01:00

I've been a bad blogger lately but I seem to have no time to take pictures. So, whats been happening around here lately?
*My British car is now norwegian. My British plates have gone and I'm now sporting Norsk plates. It cost us a bloody fortune (47,000kr = £5327) but it's worth it to me as our car has low mileage and I know its history. The same car here would cost me 80,000kr. Norway is a money sucking vampire! I now don't have to hide from the police and Statens vegvesen so I'm less stressed!
*School is hard and I have days when I really feel as though I will never understand this damn language (and some days I really hate how norwegian sounds)
*We babysat our friends husky at the weekend and learned that you cannot walk huskies enough. They just recharge and are ready to go again half an hour after a 3 hour long walk....
*Fleamarket season is in full swing and I've been finding some amazing stuff. Surely my lucky fleamarket run is about to come to an end soon?
*I've been down with a stinking cold all week after never being ill for the whole time we have been in Norway. I was proud of the whole year cold free!
* In a weeks time I shall begin språkpraksis (language practice) at a barnehage (kindergarten)
To say I'm nervous would be an understatement. I have not worked with children for over a year now plus I'm gonna have to speak norwegian! God help me!

It's the weekend!

2011-09-09T14:50:00.002+01:00

We are off to the cabin with a year old husky- should be interesting!?
Have a great weekend folks! The sun is out, the sky is blue!

ikke så flink

2011-09-06T15:37:00.003+01:00

Life is busy right now with school- full time school! It's been a shock to the system to be getting up at 6am again and then getting home and spending a good few hours studying. My new course is very hard, a huge step up from my last one. I feel as though I have skipped a whole level. I went from feeling pretty clever during the summer to feeling like a total muppet after a week back in class! I have cried, threatened to go home to England,bitched and moaned for the last week but now it's time to pull up my socks and get on with the job in hand! I'm very lucky that Henrik is right behind me, encouraging me to study, helping me, marking my work for mistakes- but sometimes I can't help but want to whack him over the head with my text book for being norwegian in the first place!

A new season

2011-09-05T04:42:00.004+01:00

Autumn is here (which I'm not ready for!) which also means that fleamarket season is back (which I am ready for!) and this season got off to a great start! Being at the cabin (and therefore being even further away from Oslo) means that the fleamarkets are even cheaper and there are less people! woo hoo!
There are not many more weekends that we can visit the cabin now, maybe only four as it's not winter proof, we already need a extra duvet and woolen socks and the fjord is too chilly to swim in.

One year in Norway!

2011-09-01T06:06:00.004+01:00

We have been living in Norway for one year today. I have no idea how that year slipped by so quickly! What a year! It has taken me longer to settle here than it has anywhere I've moved to but I'm slowly getting there..... Tonight we shall celebrate with a BBQ on the beach with our friends. Gratulerer til oss!

?

2011-08-30T21:07:00.005+01:00

Norway you are very pretty but you have spent the last year kicking my arse. Maybe you can give me a break now? være så snill!

Friends

2011-08-23T13:10:00.003+01:00

Yesterday I went back to the norwegian course and what a difference from when I first started!! I remember feeling so nervous that first day. I instantly hated the look of everyone on my course and came home announcing to Henrik, "Ugh, I hate it! I'm not going to make friends with any of these people. I shall learn norwegian and nothing else!" but yesterday I met up with all my friends/coursemates and we hugged/kissed and chatted and it felt nice to have the whole gang back together.
I have made some very nice friends at school and feel so happy to have all these people in my life now. We are all from different corners of the globe, with totally different backgrounds but I've realised that no matter where you are from, what religion you are, we are all the same. We are all struggling to find where we fit in Norway, we are all trying to integrate, we all want a job,we all miss our old lives/friends/family and we all just want to be happy.

(pics from Skagen, Denmark)

End of holidays

2011-08-21T10:11:00.002+01:00

Summer holidays are now over for us. I'm back to school on Monday and Henrik back to work. What an amazing summer it has been. I think my best summer ever.Having the cabin to visit every weekend has been a dream come true (and I hope we can carry on visiting til at least October before the winter sets in) We just came back from Denmark last night after a lovely holiday in Skagen. Once again, I loved Denmark!
More pics tomorrow from our trip, I have a pile of washing to attack!

Trip

2011-08-17T16:08:00.006+01:00

We have been in Wales & Liverpool visiting my mum and stepdad. I had no idea Wales was so pretty and filled with so many castles. Henrik is a total castle boffin (history in general, and of course he loves Tanks!) so we spent many hours at Conwy Castle (as long as there is a shop and a cafe I'm pretty happy to be dragged around these places!) Tomorrow we will take our last little trip of my summer holiday to Denmark (and maybe visit a castle?) before I'm back to norwegian classes on Monday. It's been a great summer....

The good life

2011-08-09T09:07:00.002+01:00

I had a dream last night, and in that dream I was talking norwegian! Yikes! It's even infiltrating my sleep! I'm even thinking in norwegian sometimes. What about you? Do you think in your mother tongue or your adopted language?
I can feel autumn in the air and it's freaking me out as I'm loving summer so much and don't want it to end. I dread the long winter especially now I know what to expect!
Fleamarket season will start up soon,my friend Jessica arrives from England today for a visit, we are going to England on Sunday, Denmark on the following Thursday and back to school on August 22nd. Life is nice and busy. I've been here 11 months and things are good.

2011-08-05T15:06:00.002+01:00

I can now speak norwegian. It's official! I'm not being show-offy but I have decided (Yes, me) that I'm not doing too badly! Yesterday I took two friends to the cabin for a girls day. We swam in the fjord, we bbq'd,drank coffee and gossiped a little.Nothing special there I hear you say but we actually spent 8 (yes, 8) hours speaking non-stop norwegian. We had no choice but to speak norwegian as Antonella (from Croatia) speaks no english at all so it forces Vindhya and I to speak norwegian (we normally speak english to one another cause if we are alone it feels so wrong to speak norsk!) It felt really good to speak so much and be understood (mostly) and I found it hard to switch the norsk off when I arrived home (but soon had to as Henrik was telling me all about how he had accidently blown up his remote control speedboat in the living room on my Ercol coffee table!)
Above pic of a fence made of Ski's. Those norwegians can't get enough of their ski's!

Happy weekend folks!

no rain

2011-08-03T11:40:00.002+01:00

It was supposed to rain today and I planned to stay home all day cleaning our grubby flat but the sun is now out and its boiling hot. I should stay home and carry on with my boring cleaning plans but the weather is far too tempting. I'll save the cleaning til the next rainy day.
(above pic taken on a day when it wasn't supposed to rain so we planned a BBQ and went ahead anyway!)
Happy birthday Vindhya!!

The weekend

2011-07-31T21:23:00.003+01:00

This weekend was hot! We spent it at the cabin,swimming mainly, reading,relaxing. I feel as though I've had a weeks holiday in just 2 days.
We bought a new sofa (the very reasonably priced Ektorp from Ikea) last week for the cabin. It's white. So it's now covered as we are not white sofa people, we are clumsy people and I don't trust either of us to keep it free from chocolate, coffee,wine so it's on with a cover til we grow up!

This week

2011-07-29T08:28:00.004+01:00

Had a lovely week with my friend Emma (who left last night) Always nice to have British friends to stay and what a lovely stay it was. A busy stay with bbq's in the rain, much shopping,coffee drinking,too much food, Oslo wandering, pancakes at Bærums Verk,an overnight stay at the cabin and some fjord swimming.

Oslo

2011-07-27T11:02:00.003+01:00

My friend Emma is visiting us this week and we have been spending lots of time in Oslo. I thought the city would be empty but I've never seen Oslo so busy. We can't let crazy people ruin our world. Oslo is covered in flowers and flickering candles but filled with sadness.....

Last night the streets of Oslo were full of love (and flowers)

2011-07-26T10:35:00.002+01:00

Sad

2011-07-23T19:53:00.002+01:00

My heart goes out to everyone affected by yesterdays tragic events in Oslo and Utøya.
Thanks for all your e mails. We are safe and well but very shocked.

Friday

2011-07-22T08:43:00.004+01:00

Hmmm, yes, so showing off about the lovely weather here yesterday was not a good idea as it's now pissing down! I actually need a break from it to be honest, I'm a bit sun burnt,windswept and my hair is dry and crispy from the sea salt (plus our flat is a pig sty from being out and about in the nice weather all week) So, today is tidy up day before we head to the cabin for the weekend.
I love Norway in the summer. Life feels easy. We have many beaches within biking distance (but we usually drive as we are normally loaded down with bbq's etc!) are surrounded with beautiful countryside and deserted islands, plus we don't have to battle traffic to get anywhere- and when we need a taste of city life we can take a 7 minute train journey to Oslo. Best of both worlds.
Happy weekend folks!

Bliss

2011-07-21T11:30:00.004+01:00

Summer in Oslo is in full swing and it's lovely. I'm on my 3rd book in as many days and making the most of our garden. When Henrik gets home from work (about 4.30pm, thanks to short working days in Norway) we pack up the bbq and head to the beach. This is the life!

Saturday

2011-07-18T09:05:00.004+01:00

The weather has been amazing recently so there have been many bike rides, picnics and lots of swimming. I'm enjoying the summer so much (but in the back of my mind is the dread of the winter which will be upon us very soon! argh!)
Pics are from Bogstad with our friends T&V (and the kayak) where we had a BBQ which included bananas with chocolate (amazing dessert which you need to try!) We swam in the lake which tasted of a nasty mixture of poo,rust and bad eggs! Uck! I prefer fjord swimming!

2011-07-13T09:57:00.002+01:00

The weather is perfect (for me) in Oslo right now. Sunny but not too hot (between 18c-21c)
I'm in the process of registering my British car to make it legitimate here in Norway (which will cost me more than I paid for the car in the first place!) and yesterday I passed the first hurdle by passing the EU control test (British MOT) with flying colours. I'm expecting the process to take a while, as everything in Norway takes aaaaaages (I blame it on very short working days and the fact that I'm going through this process in the sleepy holiday month of July)

The maiden voyage

2011-07-11T11:52:00.003+01:00

Henrik and Tommy took the kayak out for its maiden voyage last week on the Oslofjord whilst Vindhya and I howled hysterically at the sight of these 2 tall men squashed into this inflatable contraption! They had a great time whilst Vindhya and I stayed on shore to keep the BBQ burning (and worry slightly when they disappeared from view for over 30 minutes)

Weekend

2011-07-10T20:10:00.003+01:00

No cabin for us this weekend, we fancied staying home and relaxing here. We bbq'd, had a day trip to Sweden,watched films (500 days of summer, Hotel New Hampshire and The Godfather) and picked lots of wild alpine strawberries from the roof of the garage in the garden! Hope you all had a great weekend!

Summer

2011-07-07T10:47:00.002+01:00

I've had many requests to come back to England for a few weeks during my summer holiday from school but I ain't budging! I survived a 6 month winter from hell to get to this fantastic norwegian summer and I'm not leaving it!
p.s Norwegian strawberries are the best in the world!

The weekend

2011-07-04T21:52:00.003+01:00

We are slowly making (budget) changes in the cabin. Feels like home there now and we love driving there every Friday night for the weekend. First proper swim at the weekend and a log fire to warm up afterwards.
Norway is now closed for July. Many people take a months holiday (or are forced to) as companies close for the summer. If you want anything doing here in July you need to be prepared to wait til August!

Bestått= passed (2)

2011-07-04T10:45:00.004+01:00

We got home from the cabin last night to discover a lovely certificate telling me that I'd passed the reading, written and listening part of Norsk prøve 2!!!!!! Thrilled!
Congrats also to Emily for passing Norsk prøve 3 and my good friend Vindhya for passing prøve 2!
We did it ladies!

July

2011-07-01T13:38:00.002+01:00

July already? Where has this year gone? Where is summer? There is certainly no sign of summer in Oslo today. Overcast and humid but I'm hoping the weather perks up as we are going to the cabin this eve and our friends bought an inflatable kayak which Henrik is dying to try out!
(pic of my 4 new Ikea chairs which were reduced from 495kr to only 95kr each. A bit of an impulse buy which Henrik really took offence to so they might end up in the cabin painted something less loud!)
Happy weekend folks!

Cabin evenings

2011-06-30T11:02:00.005+01:00

Yesterday was pretty hot so after Henrik came home from work we took a trip to the cabin planning to eat some ribs on the bbq,have a quick swim, hang out with his folks and then drive back home, but come 11pm we had a few too many glasses of wine so crashed out in the cabin for the night (where I had a horrid nights sleep dreaming I had giant ants crawling on me!) We woke super early expecting to get stuck in rush hour traffic but managed to get home for 6.32am (only 32 mins!) So nice to just escape there mid week. This is the reason we moved out of London!

A bit more of Denmark

2011-06-28T14:42:00.002+01:00

As I mentioned in yesterdays post, I loved Denmark. I also love Norway.
I seem to have offended a few people with some of my opinions of Norway/norwegians.
Whenever you move to a new country you see/hear/experience things that are different to your own country/culture and they take a while to get used to. This is my blog, a space where I can rant/rave and express my opinions on my new life in Norway. It's one thing to visit a country on holiday and think the people/place are wonderful but once you move there and experience real life it can be a whole other story. I write about my experiences here, nobody elses. I do not claim that all norwegians are rude. They are not. They just do things differently and it's taken me 10 months living here and 5 months of language learning to realise this. The politeness in this country is hidden! (but if you dig deep you find it- eventually!)

I ♥ Denmark

2011-06-27T08:29:00.003+01:00

We have had the most fantastic three days in Denmark! This included:
-Not driving on motorways so we got to see the real Denmark (the landscape really reminded me of England)
-Eating amazing food, including wonderful Danish bread (unlike Norway the food revolution has hit Denmark!)
-Visiting beautiful white sandy beaches (who knew Denmark had such beautiful clean beaches? -not me!)
-Lots of cheap shopping which we took full advantage of!
-Friendly,chatty people (lovely,lovely Danes who are not at all suspicious of outsiders unlike another Nordic country I shall not mention!)
-cheap alcohol (which of course we also took full advantage of, including packing up the car with a fair bit of it!)
-Visiting a museum full of tanks (not my idea of a good time but Henrik had a ball, esp because you were allowed to climb into them!)
-Fleamarkets dotted all over the countryside in big barns,strawberry picking and honesty boxes selling local honey,logs,plants etc

I really loved our trip to Denmark♥

2011-06-23T22:16:00.003+01:00

We are taking a little trip to Denmark tomorrow from Larvik to Hirtshals on the fast ferry (3 1/2 hours compared to the usual 8 hours on the slow ferry. Perfect for a sufferer of seasickness i.e me!) I'm now finished with norsk lessons til the end of August but I must self study throughout the summer otherwise I'm pretty certain I'll lose my new found language skills!
Have a great weekend!

Bestått= passed

2011-06-22T15:35:00.002+01:00

I passed the speaking part of norsk prøve 2 and I feel fantastic!
Such a good feeling!

The weekend

2011-06-20T21:10:00.006+01:00

The weather has been pretty crappy here recently but every time we venture to the cabin the sun seems to come out (I hope I'm not going to jinx this by mentioning it!) Still not warm enough in the water for anything other than a quick dip though, but soon hopefully!
My norsk course finishes on Wednesday for the summer and the fleamarket season is over til September (which Henrik is pleased about as he gets stressed about all the crap I buy!) We will take a little trip to Denmark on Friday for 3 days which I'm really looking to. Have a good week folks!
p.s Have you noticed how I'm not moaning about Norway so much these days? I seem to be getting used to this funny little country!

The cabin(2)

2011-06-14T21:26:00.002+01:00

We discovered many new beaches/cafes/ice cream spots this weekend whilst wandering in the car, including a cute little beach with imported white sand and crystal blue water. The water temps are still pretty cold which is not suprising when you think back to the frozen fjord just 2 months ago. I'm loving our cabin and escaping there every weekend and I'm really enjoying no internet & tv (although we have cheated a bit with series one of True blood on dvd on the laptop!)

The cabin

2011-06-13T15:52:00.004+01:00

It's been a long holiday weekend here in Norway and we just returned from the cabin feeling relaxed,sunburned and windswept! You just cant beat summertime here. This is the reason we moved away from London (not the other 6 months of frigid temps and snow!)
I'm now ready to start the week (and count the 4 days til we can be back at the cottage!)

Hurray!

2011-06-07T20:56:00.002+01:00

My norwegian tests are now all over. Last week I took the speaking (muntlig) portion of the exam and I think it went ok. Well, I feel that I spoke well but I didn't actually answer the questions correctly! Hmmm, we will see. I will get the results in 2 weeks. I'd like to pass at least one portion of the test. I was just in England for 4 days and now I'm back in Norway (and back in class) I feel I have forgotten how to speak norwegian!

2011-05-31T23:20:00.002+01:00

After my speaking test tomorrow I shall "slapp av" (relax)
I got some super cheap plane tickets for one kroner (about 12p!) so I shall pop across to jolly old England for some quality mum time and a bit of good old British shopping. I cannot wait!
(Last few pics from the cabin, Henriks favourite (odd) ice cream and the weekends fleamarket finds)

A long Monday

2011-05-30T21:53:00.003+01:00

Sooooo, I took norsk prøve 2 today. Hmmmm, I'm not sure how it went. There was a writing portion where I had to write about a typical week in letter form to a friend and another where I had to write a note to a neighbour about looking after my home whilst on holiday. This was not difficult.
Next I had to read (and understand) 4 different texts and answer questions with a short sentence or a one word answer. Again, not too difficult.
The difficult part was the listening task. This was a disaster! Oh my god. They spoke too fast,with difficult accents and so many words I don't yet understand.
I tried my best and whether I pass or fail I come away knowing that I have achieved something. After only 16 weeks of classes I can now speak pretty good norwegian and I have made wonderful friends on my course. You can't really ask for much more than that!

The weekend

2011-05-29T16:05:00.004+01:00

We have been at the cabin for the weekend so I could study without any disturbances (although I did disturb myself on both days for a little fleamarket visit!) Apart from all the studying we did have a lovely time and as much as I rely on technology (and love it) it is sometimes nice to get away from it (and use a toilet that incinerates your poo!)
I love that we have this little cabin to escape to now. I'm very lucky. Lets hope I will be lucky with my test tomorrow!

2011-05-27T08:52:00.003+01:00

I seem to have lost my blogging mojo for the time being but hope to be back on the ball after my exams next week. We are off to the cottage this weekend so I can cram in some last minute intense studying- no internet, no tv- just many hours of trying to get this bloody norwegian grammar in my head! (Oh, and of course I will be taking a Fleamarket break!)
God helg/ Have a good weekend folks!

2011-05-22T19:14:00.010+01:00

I hate that I rely on technology so much. My camera is incapable of taking a picture that isn't blurry, I still have that damn spinning beachball of death taunting me and now our internet has reverted back to 1997 dial up standards. If there is one thing that infuriates me it's not having internet (Okay maybe the lack of manners in Norway annoys me more, but no internet comes a very close second!) I need Skype. I want to blog. I want to read blogs.I need to e mail.
Maybe it is a blessing in disguise. I should have my nose buried in a book getting ready for my test....
p.s Pics from a Saturday walk around Oslo. The rest of the weekend was spent cleaning the cabin (and not being on the internet)

Nice things

2011-05-19T18:38:00.002+01:00

Today feels like a Tuesday so I'm pretty happy it's actually Friday tomorrow!
I have new material to make into cushions and 4 beautiful new cards from the super talented Francesca from Mrs Eliot books. Love them!

Hej Sverige!

2011-05-18T08:59:00.004+01:00

Pictures from a recent trip to Sweden. We just crossed the border with no plan. Followed the coast, stopping if we liked the look of somewhere. I like days without a plan (although it must involve an ice cream near a beach!)

Monday

2011-05-16T07:13:00.007+01:00

The weather was grey and wet yesterday which forced me to stay indoors and study (after a few morning fleamarkets,of course!) for my norwegian test on May 31st. I'm not a natural studier so I get easily distracted (Oh, is that a Woody Allen film on TV? I need to watch that!) and need Henrik to keep me on track (luckily for me he has become rather strict about this language learning and is keeping me to task plus giving me huge amounts of help)

2011-05-12T19:07:00.000+01:00

Thank you for all your nice birthday greetings. So far being 38 is okay!
Having my first birthday in Norway made me realise I have made some lovely,caring friends here. When we first moved to Norway I remember crying to Henrik telling him that one of the hardest things was not knowing anyone and having nobody care about me (apart from him of course, but sometimes that's not enough!) Yesterday I felt cared for and it made me realise I have come a long way in 8 months.Those 8 hard months, full of frustration,starting my life from scratch,homesickness and wondering why the hell I came up with this foolish idea to move to this odd country have finally turned around and being here feels pretty good!

2011-05-11T09:51:00.002+01:00

Today I am 38! Thirty friggin' eight!!! I thought at 38 I'd feel grown up, but nope!
Still feel like a kid! 38!!!

Sunday

2011-05-08T21:46:00.005+01:00

Hello! Not been taking many pictures this week. My camera is at deaths door and my mac is teasing me with the "spinning beach ball of death" so I have tried cleaning it up a bit (getting everything from i tunes and i photo off) but that damn ball is still spinning away! Any advice?
In other news the weather here is amazing, like summer (I keep being warned by norwegians not to get too comfy in my sandals because we could still have snow!!! Nooooo!)

2011-05-05T21:30:00.004+01:00

I have my Norwegian exam at the end of the month. Not sure I'm ready but I'm taking it anyway.
I am so proud that in only four months I have a grasp on this language. It has not been easy and there have been many tears and frustrations along the way but I feel I have really achieved something. I still have a long way to go but I'm getting there......

At home

2011-05-03T08:37:00.003+01:00

Been sorting out all the fleamarket stuff and packing up some of the clutter (at Henrik's request boooo, hissssss!) He wants it out of the way until we have a bigger home so I had a big tidy to try and keep as much as I possibly can on display! All in all I'm lucky that Henrik does not have strong opinions about the style of our home (he would lose anyway cause I have really strong opinions of what I want!!) What about at your house?

The weekend

2011-05-01T14:56:00.003+01:00

The weekend has been spent mainly at Fleamarkets. Many,many fleamarkets!
Saturday with my friend and Sunday with my husbando. I got many nice things, including a 1972 Diana Ikea chair (I have been on the hunt for one of these beauties for a while) another Arabia enamel teapot and lots of other lovely goodies.

Today

2011-04-29T19:10:00.002+01:00

I have never been into the Royal Family but something about living in another country has made me fiercely patriotic so today I stayed home and watched The Royal Wedding and enjoyed it so much! I thought London did an amazing job hosting this huge event and looked fantastic. William was handsome and Kate looked beautiful. I felt such pride in being British (I think the tea cosy on my head helped too!)

Rule Britannia

2011-04-29T09:24:00.003+01:00

Waiting for The Royal wedding to begin wearing my union jack tea cosy!
I had planned to go to school today as usual but started watching TV(on the BBC, not NRK as I need to understand what is being said!) and now I have to see the whole thing. I'm feeling very patriotic!

Spring days

2011-04-28T07:33:00.003+01:00

Spring arriving has totally changed my feelings for Norway. I'm loving it!
Hard to believe that just 1 month ago we had over 2 feet of snow in the garden as we now have daily temps of 20c+
We have been making the most of the weather and using our bikes a lot more, exploring our amazing neighbourhood. That sunset view is just 5 minutes ride on the bike from our house. Beautiiiiiiiiiful!

Mini road trip

2011-04-25T18:50:00.004+01:00

Today we took a little coastal road trip, stopping off at lots of little places until we reached Larvik, turned around and visited other places on the way home. I'm now worn out from all the sea air and have curly hair (also from the sea air!)
I'm back to school tomorrow and looking forward to seeing my friends and learning more Norwegian (after a week of speaking very little of it!)

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T18:48:00.004+01:00

We have been at my in-laws for the weekend, enjoying the 20+ temps, the view, speaking lots of norsk and unfortunately deviating from our health kick! Ooops
Our little yellow summer cabin is being renovated and I'm itching to get inside and start sorting it out as I'm sure this is where we will spend every weekend once summer arrives.
Happy Easter everyone! (yes, Im wishing you happy easter today because in my world today is Easter although they seem to have been celebrating here in Norway for an entire week...)

Good Friday

2011-04-22T20:05:00.003+01:00

We had our first proper bike ride of the year today,ate a picnic and snoozed under a tree. It was lovely. I now have a really sore bum from the bike seat!
We are now both on a health kick as we (esp me) have gained soooo much weight over the long winter (mine also has to do with the homesickness and making myself a cake/cookies whenever I felt down!) So there will be no more baking around here for a while (unless I'm baking for someone else) until I have shrunk!

Somerset

2011-04-21T09:34:00.002+01:00

We spent most of our time in England in the small seaside village of Porlock but on the way down there and on the way back we were in London and we managed a few (very short) jaunts
to some of my favourite shops. I shopped like a woman possessed! Nothing too fancy, a dress,shoes,beauty products,paperchase goodies and a quick whiz around Waitrose and M&S. I was in heaven. One of the great things about coming back to England is the price. So cheap (but great quality) I'm already saving for our next trip!

2011-04-20T17:43:00.004+01:00

Oslo is still a bit brown and dry after the long winter but no doubt we will be green again soon. I've planted all my pots, old tin baths etc and done a big food shop as from Friday onwards Norway is totally closed for Easter. What is everyone doing for Easter? Many people here go to the mountains and ski for the last time of the season but we are heading off to Henrik's folks for some rest and relaxation.

Blooming England

2011-04-19T22:18:00.004+01:00

o

South west England seems so far ahead of Norway in terms of Spring. Everything was blooming.
We stopped off at Dunster on the long drive back to London on Sunday. It was nice to drive on the proper (well, proper to me!) side of the road for a few days, eat good sausages and understand everything that was being said!
I surprised myself by actually missing Norway and looking forward to coming back "home" eeek!!

Greetings from England

2011-04-18T22:41:00.004+01:00

Greetings from my homeland where we have been enjoying the seaside, fish n chips, sleeping in a bed fit for a princess, enjoying beautiful spring weather, eating and drinking (way too much) and seeing my best friend walk down the aisle.. I love my country!

Good things

2011-04-14T08:39:00.005+01:00

Last night I made a delicious reindeer stew. Before I ever came to Norway I hated the idea of eating reindeer but it's one of the many new things I have embraced (along with yummy brunost!) and really like.
I do,however draw the line at whale meat- I shall not be trying that!
Been busy getting ready to leave for England. (at 4am tommorow-ugh) Filling Easter eggs,wrapping presents and packing summery clothes. I just managed to cram my feet into the shoes I plan to wear to this weekend's wedding and after 4 months in wellies it's safe to say that my feet are not happy to be squashed into a pair of gold,stiletto peep toe shoes!

p.s It's a beautiful day and I'm wearing my new yellow dress (which totally contradicts yesterdays post when I said I never buy clothes in Norway, although I have a loop-hole- the dress is Swedish! Ah-ha!)

This morning

2011-04-13T08:38:00.005+01:00

We are going to England on Friday for a wedding, catch up with some friends in London and a big cuddle with my lovely god-daughter and her family. We have much to cram into a few days.
So, so excited! Looking forward to some shopping also. I have a date with Selfridges on Monday morning. I need uniqlo, Gap and Marks and Spencer undies to help restock my wardrobe (I don't buy many clothes here in Norway cause I'm not a big fan of overpriced acrylic and polyester!)

p.s Note how we have no snow outside our window. Woo hoo!

My little shop

2011-04-12T10:23:00.004+01:00

I have opened up my little shop again. Hoping to fill it with lots of flea market goodies as we get further into the Loppemarked season!

p.s I will work out shipping rates for outside Europe tomorrow....

Today

2011-04-11T21:13:00.004+01:00

Another beautiful day in Olso. I have made it through my first winter. I am now on the other side.
Check out the snow free landscapes (ignore the ice still floating in the fjord) It was 17c this afternoon. Norway is looking a lot more promising these days!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
MY LITTLE SHOP IS UP AND RUNNING AGAIN!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sunday

2011-04-10T14:14:00.003+01:00

e

I left henrik to sleep in this morning and went off to a few more fleamarkets on my own. I'm glad I did because I found 6 little iittala Kastehelmi glasses for a mere 2 kr each (thats about 23p!) There are always lots of children working behind the stalls at the fleamarkets (they mainly take place in schools) so I always ask a child cause they give you a great price!
I also found 2 lovely Stavanger Flint plates for my wall collection. Worth getting out of bed early!
The weather is beautiful and we have spent the afternoon sitting in the garden getting a bit of much needed vitamin D on our wintery faces!

Lovely loppemarkedet

2011-04-09T16:39:00.003+01:00

We managed 5 out of 7 fleamarkets today and what amazing fleamarkets they were!
I bagged plenty of goods. My favourite was the little Arabia cup and saucer for 40kr. Love it.
The sun was shining and people were really friendly today. Norway in the spring is a whole new experience!

2011-04-09T07:55:00.002+01:00

The sun is shining, it is 11c and there are 7 (yes, 7!) fleamarkets to visit today. I have been waiting for this weekend for ages!
God helg!

The transplanted baker

2011-04-08T09:12:00.003+01:00

In Sweden I bought a (very cheap) Höganäs Keramik Pick Up tray for myself. I also bought one for the lovely Siri (a fellow blogger also married to a norwegian) Siri always leaves lovely,supportive comments on my blog and she understands my frustrations with moving to a new country. She is a fantastic baker too ( I am also very envious of her as her family reunification came through within one month. ONE MONTH!!!! I'm now entering month 8!!) so hop on over to her blog and bake yourself something delicious!

Good things

2011-04-07T17:35:00.003+01:00

Sometimes it's good to say out loud that you like something. Last week on Skype I told my friend, "Ooooh I could really eat a Cadbury's Flake right now" and yesterday a big package arrived from her with all my favourite British chocolate, including 4 flakes!
Last weekend I mentioned to Henrik how much I liked some of the new Moomin designs and yesterday as we celebrated our "meeting anniversary" he gave me some Moomin goodies.
It's been a lucky week!

This day

2011-04-06T18:15:00.004+01:00

4 years ago today I met Henrik. That man is the best thing that ever happened to me. Henrik is a saint. He puts up with all my crap (including much moaning about his country!) and always remains jolly and positive. I am very lucky.
After school today we went for a walk to check on the progress of the melting ice/snow, and I am
pleased to report that I believe spring has arrived. Finally! We went out without coats and it was 14c, the sun was shining and the birds were singing .We were almost buried by an avalanche of snow sliding from our neighbours roof but we lived to tell the tale and are now about to enjoy a nice juicy steak. Yum.

Ginger biscuits

2011-04-05T20:06:00.004+01:00

                            I really fancied a "ginger nut" biscuit this evening but of course I can't go and buy any here so I had to make do and make my own. Not like the real thing but not a bad substitute!
                            2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons dark syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
                         

                                                        Heat oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer,  cream the butter and the sugar on medium speed until smooth.  Add the eggs,syrup,and mix until  well combined. Blend in the flour mixture, cover, and refrigerate until  slightly stiff                                  (the dough will be easier to handle).                               
Form the dough into 1/2-inch balls . Place 2 inches apart on greased  cookie sheets,press down with a wet fork and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool  on a wire rack.                               
    Very nice dipped in tea!
                    

The slow melt

2011-04-04T21:20:00.003+01:00

Spring is here. You can feel it (even if you cannot see it!) Last Thursday it snowed all day and I feared all the previous melting had gone to waste but the fresh snow soon melted away,leaving the old frozen snow underneath, melting slowly. We are getting there....at a snails pace.

Harry tur

2011-04-03T18:34:00.004+01:00

Today we took what the norwegians call a "harry tur" to Sweden. Many people here find this to be bad taste(cheating the norwegian government out of tax) but if liking a bargain(on average 37% cheaper) makes me tacky, then tacky I am!
We drive about 90 mins to Sweden and shop at a (pretty vile) mall a few miles over the border. The Swedish Kroner is pretty weak right now so you get a very good deal if you pay with norwegian kroner.
We now have fridge/freezer/cupboards full of (superior to norwegian) Swedish goods and Henrik (aka The candy man) now has enough sweets to last him til Christmas. I don't even mind when we get stopped at customs on the way home(every,single time!) only for them to discover we are not smuggling cigarettes or alchohol but infact have a car loaded up with haribo! Long live the Harry tur!