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Tuesday, May 24, 2005

The way we...are?!

Why you shouldn't turn your back on Martin

I've been meaning to get this one up for a while. Martin and family will be making the crossing to Oz next month. Apart from a general thickening, (something that seems to have happened to a few of us) the carrot top seems remarkably uneffected (unaffected? Grammerphiles, please let me know) by the passage of time. Daughter Emily and Martin are seen here at Krispy Kreme, just seconds before he created serious trust issues with his girl.

Those of you who don't know about Krispy Kreme, it's a huge chain of doughnut stores based in the states and now beginning to spread to other lands. I had the good fortune getting a boxed dozen courtesy of my darling wife when she came back from a hit and run trip to London a year or so ago. The sugar levels are toxic and the fat levels are probably carcenogenic, but mmmmmmmmmmm....doough-nuuuts...

Lawn lemmings

At last, a picture of LC and I that I like

Finally, a genuine sunny day arrived in Tønsberg. At this point the lawn was starting to resemble the Kokoda trail, so out came the lawn mower from its winter hibernation. Even though the thing is effectively brand new, being used only once just before winter closed in (with some help from Mr Piccles) an extended battle of wills was required to get the thing started. Whoever designed the "easy start pull cord" should have the skin stripped from their body. Very slowly.

Rannveig and Astrid swap photo tips

Anyway, there I am out on the lawn, living the 50's dream, wife in the kitchen preparing dinner and minding the baby, me manfully pushing through the bush hoping not to run into any bears hiding in the grass (it was really long) when an interesting thing happened. The neighbours to our left emerged from their asbestos clad palace, plugged in their electric mower and started to cut the grass. Not long after, the neighbour across the street did the same. Then the guys next to him. Then the neighbour on our right. A quick survey around the block tells me that no less than 6 households in an ever widening circle from our own felt compelled to get out there.

Astrid, Kjetil and Mabel ready for 17th May

Now, is it just a coincidence? I can't say I'm used to this suburban scenario yet, Rannveig tells me it has more to do with the sun coming out than anything else, but I don't know. I pulled out our freshly purchased whipper snipper a while later just to test it and blow me down, two neighbours emerge with their whipper snippers not long after. This has the makings of an interesting behavioural science study. I'll try dancing on the lawn naked with a sheet tied around my neck and a Batman mask on to see what happens.

Sunday, May 22, 2005

Spring arrives

The forest floors get covered by hvitveis

Rannveig roused on me a bit for not showing off some of the Spring flowers in Tønsberg, so here they are. The forest floors get carpeted in these little white flowers during early Spring and can often be seen poking their way out of snow covered ground when they get enthusiastic.

It really goes berserk...

The party only lasts for a couple of weeks before they disappear, but it means that Spring really is here.