#3

Weather-smalltalk

Still in Målselv in Troms, walking around and trying to help out in finding out what happened  here millions-billions years ago. The pics are from a couple of days ago, when we had an 11 hours workday, mostly consisting of walking, walking, walking, but the weather was really nice and this sweet, warm sutherly wind blew through my nostrils.

Yesterday though was rain, rain, rain, no pictures taken. Today was somewhere in between, weatherwise.

Passed a really cute little cabin on our way into the mountain area, and had to have a sneek peak inside as well. Met some sheep, a reindeer, a frog and several dragonflies that were just chillin' on a rock or a log.

...and I call this working?

The weather has been cold, with rain the second day, but nice and sunny yesterday….. I could tell you a bunch about the rocks I’ve seen, but to be honest they haven’t really been that exciting, even to a geologist. Observed some fingering between a granitic thing and a more mafic thing, and the next question then is of course who is fingering who? The answer to that was the granite is fingering the mafic, finegrained rock, this because the mafic (it’s darker than the granite) rock had some of its separate bits inside the granite. A paradox you say? Nay, these are rocks, not humans. 

Also, today I managed to send a rather big piece of rock flying across mine own hand, partially flaying myself. That's what might happen when taking samples. It bled like all hell and had to change the band aid not two minutes after I put on the first one.

Lastly, picked slightly more than a litre of cloudberries today, and I don't even like cloudberries. But I like picking them. They're little pieces of mountain gold, hiding around amongst the heather.

At work

I'm in Troms in northern Norway, working as a geological field assistant for Norway's Geological Survey. Arrived Monday, several hours later than planned after one plane being delayed then loosing the next one. 

 

We were supposed to be flown in with a helicopter into the middle of nowhere, well almost nowhere, there would have been a hunting cabin there, but anyway, plans were changed and now we’re staying at a hotel surrounded my military operations instead. Not as Bear Grylls as I was hoping for, but at least it made it easier to pack now that I knew I didn’t have to drag my luggage more than a maximum of 10 metres at a time. Huge suitcase it was! 

Still get to go hiking and be outside all day, though instead of a bonfire for breakfast, it’s hotel breakfast and we drive a bit before walking. Ten hours workdays, two weeks, I like it! Partially.

I didn't bring my DSLR, I am at work afterall, but a bit of instagramming and a compact camera is still valid I'd say. Here's from yesterday.

something something blah-blah-blah

I had an enjoyable week I did. Went climbing indoors with friends Monday and Wednesday, watched and walked a friend of mine's dog Tuesday and Thursday (see pics below), picked blueberries/huckleberries on Wednesday, lost my wallet on Wednesday, got it back on Thursday because an old man found it on the other side of town and handed it in to the bank, got bitten on Tuesday by the black giant schnauzer Manfriend is watching this week, finished my Svalbard blanket (pictures later) Thursday, and made blueberryjam Friday, i.e. today.

After I finish off this post I'll head out to the city woods and set up my new tent, a Bergans Compact Light 3, make me some pancakes with bacon and enjoy the night. On the coming Monday I'm off to northern Norway again to do some geology fieldwork, and that concludes the end of my summer holiday.

This here is my friend Tone's dog Leo, a golden retriever, and the kindest, sweetest dog there is. Also, he's a complete food wreckage. He'll eat anything. Pics from our walk Thursday follows. And I'm still hooked on Instagram.

Looking down one of the smaller training ski-jumps in Granåsen.

My yummy-jummy blueberry jammy, from exactly (seriously, exactly!) 2000 grams of blueberries. I used sukrin instead of sugar since I consumate way too much sugar anyway, and the taste turned out surprisingly great.

Berry picking

So, I did go berry picking yesterday, as I said I would. Took my new old scooter and headed up to the woods, parked it, took out a small bucket, and then it started raining. No big surprise really, it had been raining on and off all day anyway, but I did realise after a little while that I should have taken different trousers or possibly just put on some gaiters. Not because of the rain itself, but because every little shrub and bush was soaking wet, and soon my trouser legs were as well, up to my thighs at one point.

 

 Also, I just rediscovered Instagram, so excuse the randomness of the following pictures and their filters.

 

All in all, a very pleasant trip indeed! I didn't really mind the rain, it wasn't cold or anything. I waddled around for a good two hours, managing a little half a litre of arctic cloudberries and some munchings of blueberries (or huckleberries, as they are apparently known as in north America).

I don't actually like cloudberries, but I like picking them, and Manfriend likes eating them. Blueberries however, are magnificent in taste, but much more boring to pick. Though maybe I'll pick some next week.

When I got home, Manfriend made whipped cream and put the cloudberries in and I said "ewh".

Bollocks

I liked sleeping outside on the balcony, slept there two nights now. It rained both nights, but as I said, this is a roofed balcony.

I have things I want to say and complain about, and I tried writing them down, but the words just don't fit together today. Another day.

But my mood is non the less kind of sour, so here's some pictures I took down in a WWII bunker when vacationing in my parent's summer cabin.

 And with that I say fuck you all, I'm going berry picking!

semi-outdoorsy

I bought a new sleeping bag and a new, fancy-schmancy sleeping mat while I was up on Svalbard, mainly bevause I didn't have any except for an old worn sleeping bag of my brothers from the seventies or eighties. And because I kinda of like buying things. At least Svalbard taught me that it is wiser to buy useful stuff rather than just pretty stuff, even though you can wear pretty stuff too. I never been one to buy ornate figurines or anything.

....Anyway, since I bought the bag and mat, I've slept outside, in a tent, once. And twice inside, on the floor. I'm trying to become more outdoorsy (more on that later) but old habits die hard. So tonight at least I am sleeping outside on my balcony. Roofed balcony. It's gonna rain tonight, but luckily the wind'll be blowing from behind the balcony area.

It's a comfortable, though not very summery 10 degrees celsius outside. Good night.

 I won't have any trees around me but at least I'll have my little lilac bush besides me.