Diary

Week ending April 13, 2008.

Yesterday afternoon the temperature grudgingly climbed to 17.9 degrees. Oh, let's say 18; close enough. And we of course acted appropriately. Marit quickly had a load of coats and jackets washed and hanging on the outdoor clothes line. I painted a coat of primer on the bare wood of the chicken coop.

Several flowering current bushes have been sulking on the property. Yesterday I'm sure I saw them look upwards and smile. Those blossoms have been as late as the hummingbirds in arriving. And speaking of arrivals, the swallows finally appeared. I first noticed them Friday. But they were flying too high; I wasn't able to distinguish whether they were tree swallows or violet-greens.

Marit tried laying in the sun to "get some colour" before the trip to Norway. But she was disappointed to discover how incredibly boring it now is to power suntan. She used to enjoy sauteing herself for hours. Instead she potted a collection of plants to contribute to the Garden Club's plant sale on April 26.

I too went a little crazy playing in the dirt. I planted all my potatoes; one and a half rows of Bintje potatoes, and two and a half rows of Red Pontiacs. Since parsnips have a long growing season I put those seeds in now too. 750 potential parsnips are now laying in a long compost covered bed. Just wait to see how this barren looking patch of soil appears in a couple months.

Carrots! Last year I had a slight problem. The soil was slightly rocky and many (most) developed forked roots as a result. I called them Carrots with an Attitude. But this year I completely dug out a bed and sifted it through a quarter mesh screen, (that's about 6 mm.) And the first planting of several varieties were sown in that bed yesterday, along with compost and organic fertilizer. They should be totally laid back with no attitude problems this year. And finally, I seeded some lettuce and some arugula in hopes that salad material will be available when Marit returns later in May. Now that I think of it, I forgot radishes. That'll be remedied tomorrow.

With warmer temperatures, the mason bees began a mass emergence on Saturday. After being cocooned in a small hole for the past 6 months they were a bit stiff and clumsy. Many fell onto the ground, or were knocked there in a frantic amorous encounter. Much to my dismay I discovered that the local birds were aware of this event and flocked to the buffet. The carnage and predation was severe. I was shocked. These were my friends that I treated all winter; the golden-crowned, the white crowned, and the song sparrows. Now I had to stand guard for hours and chase away the little S.O.B.'s.

Incidentally, these shown are all new nests. The deluxe houses from PG are mounted at the far end. The emerging bees are on the back (north side) of the panel.

While I was working in the garden Marit called from the back of the house. Two boats, unusually decorated with flags, were parading south down Baynes sound. From the mixture of Canadian and Chinese flags Marit quickly deduced that these boats were participating in a protest involving the Chinese occupation of Tibet. The issue of course has become involved with the pending Olympic Games and the current torch ceremony. If there was media coverage, or an explanation of this small flotilla, I haven't seen it.

One more boat item: The Brico has been demolished. It's been a landmark across the water in Fanny Bay for as long as I can remember. The Brico had been beached and served as a "floating" restaurant for years. Marit and I ate there once but I'm afraid our review of the food wasn't too favourable. Maybe too many people felt the same way; the restaurant has been closed for many years. Its now been scrapped and the remnants were burned earlier this week.

Given time, everything changes.

Week ending April 19, 2008.

Another surge of arctic air has pushed southward. Fortunately, at this time of the year even arctic air is not as cold as in earlier months. We had some snow this morning, (the flakes are visible in the picture on the left), but melted quickly after hitting the ground. However, driving up the hill to the recycling centre, I found the trees and roadside shrubs coated in white.

The brunt of the snowstorm passes to the south of us. Nanaimo was hit with 24cm. Apparently this is the latest date that a significant snowfall has ever occurred in this area. Yes, I know, global warming; all those ice floes that have broken off must be floating nearby and cooling everything down.

But it must be spring. The fawn Lillies, Erythronium oregonum, are in full bloom. Every year these magnificent wildflowers put on a great display in the clearings along the shore line. I have a similar plant (shown bellow) with yellow flowers blooming in the garden. I believe its Erythronium grandiflorum, another provincial wild flower. (But I want everyone to know this was bought at a nursery).

This report is being posted a day early. We'll be leaving tomorrow for Vancouver. And on Monday we'll be flying to Oslo Norway to attend our son's wedding. (Good choice of wedding dates Erik; since its one day before your birthday, you're not likely to forget your anniversary). I probably won't update this site until my return in early May. But if possible, I will try updating occassisonaly from Norway.

Meanwhile there's lots of activity on Denman Island. More information meetings on our Official Community Plan; (I thought the vision statement presented in the last session was excellent. My congratulations to the committee.) And don't forget the Garden Club plant sale next Saturday. And the Fireman's Auction. And the Conservancy walks and the amphibian pond workshop, and ...why was I leaving again? Oh yes, the wedding.

Finally, I'd like to thank the International Lottery Commission for notifying me of my winning draw in the third category of the Spanish "Once El-Combo Combote" sweepstake. With my poor memory I didn't even remember buying a ticket. How much in Canadian dollars is 625,810 Euros? Sure, I'll gladly supply my bank account number and agree to pay 10% commission upon receipt. Maybe after my trip.

Week(s) ending May 7, 2008.

Fortunately the jet-lag prevented any sleep beyond 1:30 AM today, providing time to review the images of the trip. My camera took 647 pictures. And I have pictures and video from three other avid photographers. This may be the most recorded two weeks of my life, and I'll be including some of the images in the coming weeks.

The main purpose of the trip was to attend the wedding of my son and his fiancee, Hilde. Our first few days were spent at their new home in Nittedal, a "municipality" directly northeast of Oslo. In our terminology, it would be considered a suburb of Oslo. The picture above is taken in the backyard of their townhouse. Hilde is barbecuing while her father photographs. Her mother is talking to Marit. Our niece Joanne, who is standing by Erik the door, accompanied us. And the fellow holding the Heineken is a Lenny, a good friend of Erik who flew from Vancouver a few days earlier.

Just before the wedding we vacated their home and went to our home village of Berger, in Svelvik. Our cousin, Grete, was extremely kind and generous giving us the use of her house for the duration. Berger is a beautiful area located on the the shore of the Oslo Fjord. Its quite small, having about the same population as Denman Island. We felt very much at home.

Grete also took us on two trips; one to her cabin at Blindvanna,a nearby lake, and one to surrounding areas. I fell in love with the cabin and the area, and agreed to come back and rent the cabin in September. However, we never specified which year.

On the day of the wedding a chartered bus drove the relatives from this area, all 18 of us, to the ceremony. (I still can't comprehend how that huge bus negotiated the narrow winding roads and traffic circles). The ceremony was interesting. Unfortunately my Norwegian comprehension is quite poor and I couldn't understand most of it. But the vows were spoken in English for our benefit. At the reception and dinner afterwards I had the same difficulty, but I could see the sincerity and the happiness in the proceeding; the talks by the master of ceremonies, the speeches that were given, the songs and poems, and the toasts that were made. And by the laughter that accompanied, it was evident that every moment was enjoyed. Some of us spoke in English; Lise spoke at the reception and gave a native Indian poem of blessing at the ceremony, and I spoke as father of the groom. Everything was well received, and everyone agreed the wedding couldn't have been better.

At midnight Erik was seated in the middle of the hall; then everyone circled and sang happy birthday , first in Norwegian and then in English. It was his birthday on the next day. Soon after, Erik and Hilde left for their honeymoon. They spent the week immersed in the culture and metropolitan lifestyle of Paris, France; before returning to "quiet, little" Nittedal.

Incidentally, there are other accounts of our trip on the blogs of two of our cousins, Grete's Moserabben and Eva's Blog. 

After the wedding, we went with Randi and Odd, Marit's sister and brother-in-law, to their ski cabin in the mountains north of Kongsberg. I hate to call it a cabin because in reality its a well constructed house with all amenities. I'll use the Norwegian word of "Hytte"). There was still up to 2 meters of snow on the roadsides, but it was melting fast. In the three days we were there, the snow level dropped at least 30 cms. The rivers were raging and nearing flood levels as we left. And the snow conditions were too poor to attempt cross country skiing. In normal winter conditions this is a paradise for ski touring. The Telemark district is just over the west ridge; the north extent of the Hardanger fjord area in to the south-west; and the largest mountain, Blejfjell, forms the south-east ridge. (At least, that's if I got my directions correctly).

The final highlight of our trip was attendance at the Confirmation of our niece, Jenny Birkeland. (Jenny is the exact centre of the first row in the image to the left).

"Confirmation" is a formal rite in the Norwegian Lutheran church. It culminates a lengthy study of the Lutheran religion and is usually undertaken in the early teens. It appears to be a "rite of passage" into early early adulthood (although I might be later corrected if I have a misunderstanding). In any event, its a major event in a young person's life and warrants gift and celebration. And I congratulate Ruth and Erik (Jenny's parents, and another sister and brother-in-law of Marit) for hosting a first class event on this occasion.

Erik and his new wife, Hilde, also returned to attend the confirmation. And we  had a photo opportunity at the event to take a new family snapshot. The Birkelands; Harold, Marit, Lise, Erik, and Hilde.

Marit is staying for another two weeks. She plans to attend the fiftieth reunion of her school; see most of her old classmates, and face the stern old teacher once again. She'll remain for the Norwegian Independence Day celebrations on May 17, then return to "quiet, little" Denman. By then I hope to have fully adjusted to this time zone and be able to help as she re-emerges to a new cycle of day and night.

In a couple days I'll fetch the new chicken flock to help welcome her back.