Bye, winter

This photo is from Dominique's visit in January - the mountains look pretty much the same as now in April.

I don't know what's happening with time, I think it's sped up since I turned 25, two years ago. Now I'm 27 (what) and I feel like Dominique was just here and I've just been working a bit and studying a bit since then. Then again, when I think about it, since January I have gone househunting, found a new house, moved all my stuff over to said new house and met new housemates, I've started studying Spanish in my spare time and I've gotten new tasks at work. Oh, and I've turned 27, and I've started noticing how much I've changed since I started this blog at 19 (nineteen!).

In other news, I really do need a new camera.

Some weather for you

At the marina visiting my sister's boat, December 26th

Sunset on December 27th

After a really slow winter, we finally got some snow in December. I'm confused as to whether I like it or not, and I've been missing Cali and the heat they have there in December. At the same time, I know how to deal with the snow and the wind and the cold, and I can feel that this is where I come from. 

Elise, you are the best (seriously)

 On the 15th, my friend and housemate Elise ran the Tromsø Ski Marathon 

(this is a lake just behind my house, and a random man in the middle of the photo)

 And this is her being amazing

 After doing about 20 out of 26 miles

She still manages to look as cheery as this.

That's all. All my admiration and respect.

Mountains and babies

 A few weeks ago my mum and I took a roadtrip

 From Tromsø to Setermoen, to see my sister and her children

 Namely, Andreas, aged almost nine months

 and Dina, aged almost four years

 And let's have another photo of Andreas because of baby cheeks

What did we do? We bought food, we made food, we ate food, and then we played around and watched films and baked and sang songs and pinched cheeks. Oh, and we celebrated mother's day, so Dina and I both made cards for our mums.

And then...

 Winter was properly here on Tuesday morning

And today, after the winter winds have settled a little, it's even looking quite pretty

I am excited by the snow this year, seeing that I was away most of the winter, and haven't been close to  snow since January. I am also already exhausted by the snow, realising that it means six months of hoping our neighbour will come and clear our driveway in the morning, of starting every car journey ten minutes earlier in case you have to clear off the ice and snow, of getting stuck, of darkness, and so on.

Snow is very nice at midday, when you have daylight, when you don't have to go outside, and you have your book and your tea and your sofa and your cat. Other than that it can be a bother. I remember that. Still, at this moment I can enjoy it. (It is midday. I am inside. I have a lot of the aforementioned things.)

Itinerary

14-16th December: Cabin trip near Oslo with people I'm travelling with in January.
16-21st December: Copenhagen, Denmark, seeing Cecille again for the first time in two years!
21st-27th December: Tenerife, Spain (Canary Islands), family Christmassy time.
28th December: Home! Home, home, home, at least a week or two before more adventures, which I've realised I haven't made that public yet, so you just have to wait...

Now to my Red Cross Christmas dinner, then sleep, then Oslo-time!

Tromsø

 View of the early afternoon moon from my dad's office (about 3pm)

View of the north end of town from my dad's office

Mostly because he works in the city hall, a few floors above the mayor, doing property planning stuff, and the new city hall is all made of windows and hardly any solid walls.

Also, look, more winter, more darkness early in the afternoon.

A trip to the printers

Finished product

 Becoming finished product (the paper to the right has print on it)

 People wearing winter clothes, to assure you that we do have winter

 Scrapped newspapers, with mistakes and such

Either a) an amazing rollercoaster for mice or b) a machine that carries the newspapers from place to place

On Friday, we went with the other volunteers at the student newspaper to the printers, to see how and where they print our newspaper. It's the same printer that does the local papers, and some regional prints of national newspapers. It's such a massive machinery, so much paper, so much work going into making these flimsy dailies - and our fortnightly newspaper. That aside, I just want to be a tiny mouse and go on the amazing rollercoaster.

Wintertime

Good job, Tromsø. You managed four months without any snow at all.

Of course, on Saturday, we drove further into the country, away from the sea, and they get more snow there. Still.

It's gone now, but the damage is done, we're in wintertime.