Post Permittert

Permittert is a word, simple, almost like Permit, but means one thing if you get a call, and that is simple your no longer needed at work. Well I never got the call, which isn't surprising as they never call me about anything unless its to use my body to sit in some seat on some boat. Anyway I digress, I never got the phone call, but 50% of the Geo team did, cut down in there youth. Sad. I am sad about it. They were all better at doing there jobs than me, and I have never in 12 years of working offshore had a boss that inspired me, but I have always been inspired by the people around me and may be that is why when I got some text message on Monday night and flight details to join the boat without any explanation. So cold. I flipped out, didn't sleep and sent a mail, worded in such away they decided not to invite me on there little cruise. Timing is everything is seismic, everything, and it would seem I got my timing to perfection by flipping out on the Permittert day! But there you go, I have a job. Mellaine, Ole, Oyvind, Timo, Danny, Andre, Gabi, Hollie, Susie, there are two more but I don't have there names, don't.

Anyway, missing the good weather I headed up Øyfjell above Mosjøen today, the snow in places was deep, and cloud low to form mist. I saw nothing, and even if the mist did move I saw very little. Had to navigate to the summit, like the old days but had the joys of using Trackback on the GPS which brings you back to the start. Winter was here, -10 and now its back to Autumnal. Wet with soft snow.

Extreme Knitting Part 2

Following on from my last post, a knitting theme, I am shocked to inform you the spreading of this dark religious cult to seemingly innocent supermarkets. Sandwiched in between the breed and the domestic goods this cult have slipped in a rack of wool for sale. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this sort of thing in other parts of Norway? If not we may still have a chance to nip this one in the bud and stop this evil cult from spreading further. Although in all honesty I think it might be to late.

Well up here in Mosjøen, it started snowing, and is something like -4, apparently it want last but it looks very pretty.

The picture quality is poor as I took it secretly and undercover with my hidden mobile phone in case anyone noticed me and reported me to the cult (or Supermarket security, how the hell would I explain that one, well officer I have a blogg, hmm....)

Well with all this talk of You tube I checked it out and found these very funny monty python clips taking the micky out of climbers! Very funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U0tDU37q2M&feature=fvsr

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F2SJS6B1wQ&NR=1

Extreme Knitting

For sometime now I have had this feeling that there is a darkness within Norway, a sub culture and today I was shocked and horrified a person very close to my heart is apart of this dark sub culture or even a full member of this cult. Its not even that well hidden, and even normal people, seemingly normal people are apart of it. It also runs through families, but can just leap generation and plant itself firmly in new believers. Knitting may seem to be harmless but this cult like occupation, have stores all over Norway, and often in busy streets. Today quite unsuspecting I was lead into said shop and exposed to the full horror of this evilness. The place was full of normal looking people browsing through shelves of wool, knitting needles and piles of papers, templates and magazines. I just kept my mouth shut, and tried to blend into the wool, which isn't to hard as I was wearing a wool jumper at the time. I felt like a fraud and any sudden movement would clearly expose me as an intruder. I browsed quietly feeling the wool in my hands, but muttering under my breath anything to ward of the evil wool spirits. I escaped, by bring up the idea of lunch, and I was free. While eating lunch I suddenly realised many of my friends are part of this cult, and openly knit in public places. You would think it would be outlawed. May be I should tell somebody, or may be it to late, they are amongst us and in control at a very high level of government...

I was driving down from Mosjøen the other week, trying to find the road conditions from Lom to Songdal over the Jotunheim but the person on the phone hung up with out answering me, and the sign said open so I went for it. At first the dry road was replaced with ice and then snow, and you would think the stuck lorries or crashed car would have persuaded me to turn back but being stubborn I did not and then started to seriously regret my erroneous ways especially after slipping into a ditch and then sliding down the road started. At one point I was going 10kmh when the wheels just started loosing grip on the steep road, I was left wondering can I get the seatbelt off and jump before the car falls off the edge of the road. I made it down, what should have taken 20mins took 2 hours. its supposed to be the end of September and over the hills it was +4 with snow. A reminder next time take the snow chains winter is back!

Mosjoen, Get you Ark spares while they last

Unknown to many, even myself this rain that is falling isn't some sort of terrible weather front but biblical, and as I write half my unused brain is working on a new Ark design, come the floods. It has never ceased to amaze me that in Norway you can't find spares for your Ark, or little ads in papers advertising special rates for doubles in Arks, anyway as you can probable sea this Mystical Northern town in the middle of absolutely know were is getting and with the concept of only 4 ours of day light soon, I might be pushed to do something radical and start writing a book on How to survive in a northern tow without snow, or somehow equally irrelevant. I might even be pushed to right, dare I say it a BLOG! and become a world renowned blogger, with a special section in the local paper. Unlikely as it may seem.

With have no internet at home so I make the pilgrimage each day to the local library, the staff view me with some suspicion as I come in roughly the same time every day and type frantically for a few hours before the battery fails on my lab top and then I leave. Nobody has once asked me what i am up to, which is great, but they do swan by me and smile occasionally.

The town itself is occupied by from what I can see, local types that have the misfortune to have been born here, people that work in the Aluminium works and people that work in the hospital. There are also a collection of Artists that are easily distinguished from all the rest because they are normally Swedish and wear colourful, often very bohemian clothing, like yellow suits. It would also seem most of the people working in the Aluminium works or Hospital are forced here by necessity or are on some forced tour of duty, therefore they always seems to look south in preparation that they shall soon be leaving. The hospital seems to be full of German, Swedish or Danish doctors with the occasional Norwegian doctor.

anyway enough for today.

The abandonment

Many people don't realise that there are many periods in life, one classic one being The Enlightenment, where (I think, I haven't been emancipated yet) the great people of France decided you could obtain intellect without the helping hand of the church, thus releasing themselves from emancipation. Here in Mosjoen, the town in the middle of nowhere they have completely ignored this concept, as being to hard work, tow the line and gone straight to the "The Abandonment". The Abandonment period, is only in its infancy, however in the is northern town it has reached epidemic proportions and involves, the abandonment of anything that you own, for example at the local swimming pool, this large building containing tepid water, which is surrounded by a first world war battle field style car park. I suppose the local council just think well it will snow soon and then all the shell holes and trenches will be full and nobody will notice until next summer when they will be full of rain again. Anyway I digress... The swimming pool, in this vastness of space surrounding the building local types feel the need to ride there bikes right up to the front door and then abandon them. Many get so close there front wheels touch the door stop, and anyone else trying to get to the front door need to squeeze on through the labyrinth of bikes to get to the tepid waters within. Why, is this Chaos's in motion, can't they use a bit of sense and use the perfectly good bike store to the left, and then I noticed the do the same with there cars. Healthy sporting people, so engrossed with the philosophy of Abandonment, drive there cars right up to the back door of the sports hall and then park in some haphazard way rather than 20m away in a perfectly good quagmire of first world war hell. Anyway this leads me nicely onto the the swimming pool... The great thing about swimming is you need very few in appurtenances of the sport, unlike other activities like climbing or road biking etc. Swimming is very simple you need water, contained in some space, not to cold so you don't die of hypothermia, and pair of Speedo's and goggles. That's it, nothing fancy. Very simple. Cheap (ish) after all its Norway, and you even have a place to Abandon your towel! Everything is sorted, all you need to do is wave your arms around, kick a bit and you move forward. be careful to to wave them randomly with gulping sounds as someone in the little glass booth by the side of the pool might have to get all heroic or something. In the UK, or the pools I go to the UK in, you couldn't see the water for Floats, but come to Norway its a Float free pool and when I asked for one (training!!!) they told me "Bring your own". Great, I will. They did have one, but it was so gigantic it was probable part of the pool cover. Anyway not to worry.