It is snowing!

Saturday was the Christmas dinner for Jarle's work so here we are all dressed up.

Amsterdam

Experimental photography....

Wonky building 

Quiet residence we came across that allows only women residents 

Oh my goodness it is ages since I have blogged!

I have just spent a wonderful weekend in Amsterdam with two lovely friends, Wendy and Carolyn.  We set off on Friday morning after the kids were packed off to school and we pretty much shopped the whole weekend....

We did squeeze in a one hour boat trip around the centre and Wendy treated us to a live comedy show which was great fun.

Shopping, shopping oh and a bit more shopping.  Good food, lovely hotel, great company, friendly helpful Dutch people, fun Amsterdam.

Halloween

When we first moved to Norway (1999) Halloween was almost unheard of here.  Every year it gets a little bit more and more popular.  Nille (cheap shop that sells wide variety of stuff you never knew you needed) sells loads of Halloween decorations and sweets now.

So Mia went off trick or treating or as it is known here "Knask eller Kneip" with Maria and Rannveig.  Bucket of sweets later she came home happy.  This year for the first time ever we had a real pumpkin.  I have never carved a pumpkin in my life before and was quite pleased with my work.  Thank goodness for google!

Riding, Football and Halloween

Mia was riding yesterday again, on a horse whose name I have forgotten but he was dark chocolate coloured and very sweet.

Today was a football cup tournament at our local club grounds.  Mia played three games and unfortunately her team did not win today but they are definitely improving and they try their best.

Mia is off to a halloween party this evening at a friend's house, should be fun.

We are trying some sparkling white wines from the Burgundy region of France (not Champagne officially because it is a different part of the country, but basically the same thing but cheaper).  Tried our third one today and we both agree it is the best so far, course I can't remember what it is called........

Clocks go back tonight, winter is looming, Christmas is just around the corner.....

Mia in her riding gear with Leira from last week (Tip; riding gear is much cheaper and more choice in France!)

Zizou

is curled up happily on the Bob the Builder bean bag right now.

Yesterday he got a haircut.  Transformed from shaggy sheep to whippet like schnauzer.

Paris and then South

We arrived on Friday evening in Paris and drove straight to Phoebe\s house!  Mia stayed with Phoebe until Sunday afternoon.  So me Jarle and Ben spent some time in rainy Paris, shopping, walking and eating.  Cold and rainy weather.  Sunday we set off for Beaune in the Burgundy area of France, about 3 hours south of Paris.  We stayed at a lovely hotel called Hotel de la Paix then continued South in the morning.  The weather improved en route and we stopped for lunch and some chocolate and wine shopping in Tain L`Hermitage.  If you ever see ValRhona chocolate in the shops, that is where it comes from!

Monday evening we arrived at the flat and have settled in for some relaxing days.  Yesterday we spent a few hours at the beach, the sea temperature is still quite warm, even for me.

As promised

Photo of Mia with horse.  This was "Merkur" and last week she rode "Leira".  All the horses at the stables are Iceland Horses, very sturdy and chunky.  We went for quite a long walk in a nearby area.  I wish I was on a horse!  I was trudging through the mud and trying to keep up......  Mia did very well, even when Merkur kept trying to eat grass and trees!  Oh and the weather was gorgeous, 20C and sunshine.

Horseriding

Mia has taken up another new hobby, horse riding!  I got a bit of a shock when we turned up for the first lesson and I had to be involved, leading the horse around in the mud and poo through a forest.  Just as well I had put on my wellies!!  It was quite good fun though.  I was a little worried the horse would push me over or step on my feet but it didn't.  Only problem was that the girl taking the class didn't seem to understand that Mia and her friend Maria were complete beginners.  She didn't show them how to hold the reins, how to start and stop the horse, nothing.  Just get on and ride and of course I was no help.....

Afterwards the man who runs the place came over to talk to us and he understood that Mia and Maria were complete newbies.  He took them (and us, me and Maria's dad) aside for a little helpful instruction.  Phew.

Next time it should go a bit smoother and I will probably just be watching them as Mia will manage on her own.  Quite exciting.

Forgot to take my camera.....

Football and Rain

Autumn in Stavanger is always wet.  It is raining again today and there is no point in checking the weather forecast because it is going to rain every day for a long time.......

Mia is enjoying playing football with her classmates.  It is a girls team and although most of them are beginners, they are competing in the local league and also some tournaments.  The last two Sundays were spent cheering them on.  Today they have a match miles away which involves a ferry to get there.

Although they didn't win, all teams got trophies for good effort and contribution.

Autumn.....?

Weather is very changeable right now.  It was 19 degrees yesterday and today it is twelve and wet wild and windy.  Walked on a beach locally known as dog beach with Carolyn, her husband and daughter and dog Tilly (Zizou's favourite dog in the world) Mia and Zizou of course, this morning.  Zizou didn't stop running for an hour and a half!  We met loads of other dogs but Zizou only has eyes for Tilly.

It certainly blew the cobwebs away!

Last weekend we were down at the cabin Saturday to Sunday.  Mia had her friend Rannveig with us and they enjoyed catching crabs and starfish etc.

We are already planning the next holiday.  Not long until the autumn school holidays......  We are off to Paris and Antibes.  The flat is empty the whole of September if anyone is interested in renting it.

Back to School

Monday next week is the first day of school after the summer holidays.  Ben is starting at a high school down town and Mia is starting in 5th class with a new teacher.

Other news, last weekend we drove to Bergen for the weekend to celebrate Jarle's sister's 50th birthday.  We had a lovely time and the weather was fantastic.

The proud parents, Asta and Erling

Are our sunglasses big enough?  Me and Linn

The birthday girl Lisbeth with her big brother

Mia 10 today

How time flies....

Still warm

We are back in Stavanger and it is the hottest day of the year, 25 degrees.  We arrived home very late last night, around 1.30 am.  Jarle is easing himself back into work by working a short day today.

Here are some pictures from our 3 week holiday on the Cote d'Azur.

Going out for dinner

Delicious yellow vegetable curry 

Zizou modeling his new bandana, a gift from Mia

Walk along the cliff edge between two of the 5 villages Cinq Terre, in Italy

One of the precariously perched villages (can't remember which one, we visited 5 in one day!)

Zizou thinks he is a person and so took a nap on Jarle's pillow

Collecting as many different colours of pebbles that we could find

Mia practicing her diving at the pool

Sunny Antibes

Here we are back at our lovely flat in the South of France.  It is warm and sunny although we did have a wild and crazy thunder and lightning storm with torrential rain the other day.  Started to get worried when the terrace had two inches of water on it! 

So far we have been enjoying the pool and the beach.  Mia is playing with her friend Amalie ALL the time. 

Trip to Scotland

We had a lovely few days at Granny and Granda's.

The three "Laird" bairns and youngest grandchildren

Granny and Mia in the nearby forest

Upside down

Mia's new favourite thing to do!

At the cabin last weekend.

600kg

Jarle is very pleased with his bricks, all 600kg of them!  They do look nice don't you think?
They are also placed around our little roundabout on the lawn.

Heavy rain, thunder and lightning then sun today.  Summer in Norway.....

Pinse (Pentecost in English I think....)

We had a long weekend at the cabin.  Ben's friend Aled came with us and we celebrated Zizou's 2nd birthday.

Here he is with his new toys, the little beastie is an armadillo!  Poor love has a cone on because he had a weird lump beside his eye removed.  The vet had it analysed and it was a just a harmless tumour.

Florence

Jarle and I travelled to Florence last Friday (a very early start in the morning!) and stayed three nights.  The weather was beautiful and the city of Florence is also beautiful.  The place is like an open air museum.  Here are some of our photographs.

View from the hilltop overlooking Florence

The famous cathedral Il Duomo, bell tower and bapistry.

Typical market stall

Inside the "Duomo"

Before and after

Zizou got a haircut at last.

Speedy Lithuanians

Two very hard working men built our new terrace at the front of the house and built a new extended terrace in the back garden in just two days.

The terrace at the front will get the morning sunshine (when it shines, haha) and the terrace at the back is more than twice the size it was before so now no one needs to sit in the garden!

17th May - National Day for Norway

Mia lighting the candles for our 17th May breakfast

Mia playing her trumpet at the school 

Ben's 16th birthday on the 16th