Klokken er tilbake!

So we continue to be in sync with the UK with the changing of the clocks. The extra hour is always welcome, the dark nights less so. Telling the time in Norwegian uses the most convoluted method imaginable. For example…20 past 2 is 'klokken er ti på halv tre', which translated means 10 minutes before the half hour before the following hour of 3 o'clock. And 20 to 3 is…'klokken er ti over halv tre' or 10 minutes after the half hour before the following hour of 3 o'clock. Is it any wonder my head's bursting??

I got a nice surprise on the language front in the form of a certificate from Berlitz which indicates that I've actually completed Level 1 AND 2 of the course. How big a swot am I??!! That would explain the relentless pace of information coming my way. Fair to say it doesn't change the fact I still only have a very basic understanding of 'norsk'. That said, I managed to converse with the mannie at the fruit/veg market stall yesterday…started by asking him to repeat how much money he wanted for the tatties, to which he asked me (in norsk) where I was from. All I uttered were three words…'kan du gjenta' (can you repeat)…and he clocked I wasn't local! The conversation went on from there, with me saying I was from Scotland and him telling me he was going over to Aberdeen this Thursday, me telling him to have a good time etc! I was rapidly heading for difficulty but thankfully another customer appeared.

A quick recap given the gap since the last post. We had a brief trip across the North Sea to the Big Smoke to celebrate a birthday. The most memorable part was a trip up The Shard - the capital's newest and tallest building (but not for long I suspect). The views from the 32nd floor were amazing.

Back in Stavanger and we're still cramming in as many outdoor trips as we can before the weather really turns. Just to the north of Hafrsfjord Bridge, is a memorial to 123 people who where killed when the Alexander L. Kielland capsized whilst working in the Ekofisk Field in March 1980. The capsize of the semi-submersible drilling rig was the worst disaster in Norwegian waters since WWII.  The rig was named for one of Norway's literary giants, Alexander L. Kielland, and served as a 'flotel' for offshore workers. Reports say that a crack in one of its five legs had gone undetected and went on to rupture after being hit by a massive wave. All the anchor cables would subsequently snap, resulting in the rig's eventual capsize. The memorial - 'the broken chain' - is right on the coastline.

Time for the word of the day…any idea what 'grønnsaker' might mean (grurn-saak-er)? Yep, the earlier mention of tatties was a clue…….it's 'vegetables'!! Sadly the snazzy name doesn't make them any the more appealing to eat, especially since we've just segwayed into sprout season which incidentally are called 'rosenkål' (roo-sern-kawl).

We're off out tonight to the Konserthus (no prizes for guessing what that is!) to see Randy Crawford, an R&B singer that people who remember the 70s (like me) will know about. And on Saturday night, a very exciting outing is planned to the DnB Arena to watch the Norway -v- Denmark ice hockey match. Stand by for a report…

I'll sign off with a pic of swans on the fjord this morning.

Til neste gang!

p.s. Bonus word…'bra' (braa) = 'good', 'super', 'alright'! Probably where we got 'braw' from…