Smoked mackrel

Today Marens grandfather came up to me saying: "Here is something you should taste.", while slamming a smoked mackrel on the counter. He caught, salted and smoked it yesterday.

Peeling the skin off a bit of fish

I`ll spare you the eating-pictures that did not turn out flattering at all, but I can assure you that such a freshly smoked fish is really nice. Salty smoky and a bit chewy. I am not a mackrel-fan usually, but this makes me see the species in a new and different light.

The first beer!

It seemed like a good weekend to try our newest batch of beer. Yesterday I put a few bottles in the fridge, and this afternoon it was testing-time.

I am quite happy with how it turned out. There is good flavour in it, and not too much carbondioxide. It has a nice refreshing bitter taste, and is not "yeasty" at all. All in all we are not sad to have 16 liters of this stuff on the shelves.

A sad day for sheep.

Every year the sheep of our father in law get lambs. These lambs lead a good life grazing the hills and raiding our gardens for fruit. In the fall, when they are nearly fully grown, they are sent away to a local abbatoir. A bit of the meat comes back, but most of it is sold. Today was the day we separated those lambs that are to be sold from the rest of the flock. The trick here is to get the whole herd inside first, and then let out the sheep we want to keep again. Seeing twenty lambs that used to be our neighbours sent of in a truck to a slaughterhouse is a bit sad, but this is the price of local, happy, high-quality meat and that is worth something.

All the sheep are inside, which makes the stable a bit too full. Now we have to take out the sheep that are to stay again.

Here are the sheep that will stay. All the mothers and a few of the better and tamer lambs that will be good livestock.

That time we had tea on a rock in the sea.

We ended our previous canoe-trip prematurely due to the increasing wind. Yesterday the evening was so nice, we decided to go for a retrial. We loaded up the canoe, and entered the water in the same spot as last time. We were set on exploring more of the island group, and possibly have tea somewhere. We set out in the bright and low evening sun, and headed for the islands.  

 I was pretty happy about having grabbed my sunglasses last minute. Made it possible for me to see where we were. We paddled around many islands, and spotted some of their inhabitants. This island, for instance, has "wild" goats on them. They live isolated and are not checked up on often, hence they get pretty wild after a while.

Coming out of a denser part of the island group, we entered the following stretch of sea. In the distance you can see the open ocean between the islands. We did not really intend to go there this time though. It seems a bit intimidating.

Instead, we spotted this barren rock in the middle of the fjord, and thought it might be an adventurous place for tea. We headed for it, and found a nice way to climb out of the boat and get our stuff on land. I had to get my boots back on and moor the canoe, and then we were ready to boil water and explore our rock.

While waiting for the water to boil I walked around the island a bit (10 meters radius, at most) and found the previous owner in no fit state to deny us acces to his land.

Finally teatime! We sat in the evening sun for a while, sipping tea and looking at the boats pass in the distance. Then, when the light started fading a bit, it was time to aim the bow at home again. We passed some more goats that were curious, but not very friendly, and then navigated the little islands again.

We ended the trip in perfect conditions, and with mysterious and beautiful blue-golden evening light. A very succesful, beautiful and relaxing trip. Needless to say we love our canoe. :)

Exploring the Archipelago

On this lovely sunny Sunday we decided to take advantage of the nice weather while it lasts, and take a canoetrip. There is a cluster of little islands not too far from home, so we rolled the canoe to the waterside, and went on to explore this micro-archipelago with its many lagoons and sheltered spots. 

Squinting against the sun to get a picture of me as well....

 The image above is taken at the turn-around spot in our trip. The mountain in the distance is called Siggjo, and it is the highest point of the large island we live on.

We had packed a nice basket with a stove and had actually planned a little picknick. Unfortunately, the wind started picking up and our exit-point was against the wind. We therefore made sure we were back before the wind was too strong for it to be fun. It really is a captivating little area we paddled, and it is hard to capture the magic of the clear depths with its bright seaurchins, the islands, the rocks and the fish on pictures. This is partly because I am a bad photographer, and partly because such things just have to be experienced.

Below I included a map on which I drew the route we paddled. On the way down we crisscrossed the islandgroup, while the way back up was the straight line up.

Apple harvest

Slowly but surely, apples are beginning to blush on our trees. Today we thought there`d be enough to fill a basket. Even though that was not the case, there were certainly enough for an applepie to complement the rain outside.

There are two trees, giving two types of apples. The tree with most apples seems to be ripening later than the other.

The lathest news.

We like to keep a close eye on a facebook-group aimed at sales, trades and give-aways in the Bømlo area. We have gotten a few nice purchases and freebies from that site, and have given away some things we had no need for in our turn. Last week, something showed up that I could hardly believe, for a price I could also hardly believe. A lathe. Or, een draaibank, for the dutchies reading. In a playful mood we placed a bid, thinking that now is the time in life we have time and space. Needless to say we were awfully surprised and excited to see we won the auction! Now we have a beautiful lathe weighing 80 kg in the garage, with a nice selection of turning gouges and chisels. A dream come true for me, at a time I did not think it ever would.

There she is. :-)

Of course I had to testrun as soon as it was in place.

Soon enough though, I changed to more appropriate clothing. I spent a long time trying out different cuts with different tools. This is a whole new skill to learn. Exciting.

What I want to use it for most is to turn bowls from green wood. First I`ll have to put myself through the paces of learning though, and get the hang of using all the tools safely. A lump of wood spinning at 2000 rpm can be a frightening thing!

Elections

Today, the local elections were held in Norway. Therefore, we drove to the most local election-office so that Maren could cast her vote. As a fresh immigrant, I do not get a vote yet. (Which I think is great, since I have no idea what the local issues are, nor who are supposed to do what about it...)

An interesting thing for me was that apparently on election-day, stores are not allowed to sell alcohol. This inexpliccable phenomenon is a relic from Norways pietistic history that seems to be quite resilliant within the society.

Daniels first "Basar"

All over the world, the word "Bazaar" means marketplace or somewhere to trade and do shopping. But not in Norway. In Norway we use the word "basar" and mean lottery where you win items like knitted sweaters, toys or the ever so popular fruit basket. It's one of the classic ways for organizations and clubs to do fund-raising, It's a very imporant part of norwegian culture, and this weekend Daniel got a chance to attend the annual "basar" supporting the organization for women and family that Elisabeth is in. (Kvinne og Familieforbundet)

Here are some pictures to illustrate such an event.

Daniel sits ready. 

A few of this years prices. 

Most of this stuff is hand-made with great care. 

This is taken 30 min before staring time. 

And this is 10 min before start. The room was completely packed, at least 150 people showed. 

The coloured sticks are for the small lottery. Each have five numbers, and if your stick has the right number, you win a price. People usually get a few each. 

Daniel is coming back with what he won!

A pair of hand-knitted small socks. 

What we won this year - not a good year, really. 

And the next day, what do we see? 

Someone is hosting another! And this time Daniel know what he's missing out on.