Record breaking weather

As I post this, we are having our second day in a row of cloudy weather, and our first rain in a month.  And by "rain" I mean, a few hours of drizzle.  Not real rain, just a few drips or a little mist.

What broke the record?  A full month of temperatures in the seventies (F)/twenties centigrade, which is a joy to all west coasters, a long dry period where watering of plants is necessary, and a shock to the usual slug population.  

Here is a day in the parks of city center Bergen.

And a quick day trip to the island of Stord.

Another crossing

My trusty orange... How can you get lost so often?  

The scene in Bergen.  A drawbridge/footbridge, on a beautiful day.  Bergen's May weather was outstanding, and abnormally dry and warm.  Not at all like the rest of the summer... 

A slew of socks... I'm hooked on Zauberball/helical spirals.  Using up all the yarn and nothing matches...4 adult socks, 2 child's.

Adventures on an island.

And more adventures... The promising start...

And the grand finish!

Restructuring the bunad.

And summer weather with flowers, and colorful project bags.

Sunset at mid-summer

Here we go, folks!  I've been on vacation/blogcation and have numerous things to share past, present and future.  

Note: my last blog mentions that I will get busy when I'm at home.  True, and then not exactly as planned... I've been busy, and am packed for my next trip.  Because of suitcase room, and a "narrow" boat, I decided NOT to bring many things home, and therefore, no binding of the intended quilt.  Maybe in November...

Meanwhile, here are some things you missed, and wonderful reminders for me!

Sunset over Bergen at 11:40 pm. View from my bedroom.
20 days until we go to England, and home by August 1.

The 17th of May

Reporting a month later, but still fun to remember!

The school children meet up at their schools, and...

with their banner (Kronstad Skole), they begin the 2 mile walk

into the city center, meeting up with other schools along the way.

Everyone dresses up and takes to the streets... 

Here are some of the teachers.  The woman on the right showed us her jewellery which is made from rare coins that have been in her family.

And here is my family.

Here is another school coming down the mountain to meet us.

Here is the beginning of the real parade, 2 hours later!

The "People's Parade" has all of the colourful organisations represented.

Bagpipes to African Dancers, 

and bicycles of all types.  The two parades pass each other and we are there at the ending of one parade and the end of the other.

Yep!  This is definitely why I planned this trip THIS May.

We weren't the only ones taking pictures!

A hike a cache

Everything is UP from here!  Or so it seems...  Mountains on two sides, with caches everywhere.

I tend to make fun of the weather in Bergen, because it usually is chilly and rainy... all summer, but I'm not complaining!  Soon it will be mid-summer.  The sunsets at 11 pm are so foreign to me!

And geocaching becomes a hike.  Bergen!

Lots of WW2 history around here.  I find it surprising that there is so much in memory of those who died on both sides of the war.  This was occupied territory, and there are several cemeteries with ally and enemy graves.  I have no idea what this marker is for.  It is high up the side of one of the mountains, at the edge of the (now) forest trails.

And I took this photo because I was sure it means something.  I just don't know what...

Paper swans? Origami?  Maybe it's there to liven up an otherwise drab gray apartment building.

What I really mean is that the weather has been great.  Pleasant 70-ish, I'm delighted to leave my raincoat and boots at the door.  And by "hike" I mean "climb".  

Mountains

Her second mountain hike!  

This is Ulriken, one of the seven mountains that surround Bergen, and the highest.  It is closest to where we live, and 2110 feet high.  Papa climbs up the steep path every few weeks with his friends, and takes about 60 minutes to get to the top.  Here's J's first ascent with Papa, using 90 minutes, only 5 years old.  No problem!  It wasn't clear to me if they used the steep path, or the not so steep path, but they rode the aerial tram down.

Knitwear in August!  Grandma's contribution. 

And Then I got BUSY!

My first week of full-time daycare was last week.  Let's say it starts around 7 when I am greeted by a cheery little girl who wants grandma to play a game.  And it ends around supper time.  There's lots to do, and we will probably do repeats this week because some are so popular.
One day we were at the aquarium:

Penguins, sea lions, and crocodiles are fascinating.  And I was asked so many questions... like about the huge tiger python curled up with its skin.  She wants to know everything. And that's OK!
Other days were playground, and science museum, and crafts.

The scooter is the new thing! and who wouldn't want Hello, Kitty knee, elbow and wrist pads?

On the fifth day of the week we went to see the other grandparents, a bus and a ferry and a bus, and a taxi away... 4 hours.  And the weather couldn't be nicer!  Life on the coast...

Ferry crossing: The bus drives on and we get off.  It's a 40 minute ride.

And at the grandparents':

And the amazing sunsets... 10:15 pm.

Knitting projects, too, to follow.

Fun in Bergen

Pizza at "Dumpster Pizza".

Then a climb on the Norwegian Constitution. (Celebrating 200 years this year.)

And then ANOTHER birthday party:

Juju hits her target!

More Bergen

Here's a sight you don't often see:  Watering the grass and flowers in the parks of Bergen.  There have been lots of days in a row of sun, and no rain.  I've felt insulted I had to water the plants in the garden...expecting rain at any moment!

The above and below photos are of the library:  Probably scholarly folk on top, and lecture hall for youth below.  Are those "sheep led to the slaughter?"

 This I passed on my way to the LYS.  Inside the train station...

 which features Rowan and DROPS plus many others.

Yes, a closer look at the above photo shows 35% off DROPS yarn... YAY for summer!

A Night Out

Yes, I own a dress!!

This is the "National Theater in Bergen", for lack of a better name.  Impressively grey on the outside, but look at this ceiling art!  And the lobby/refreshment area.  

 I think the ceiling is gorgeous, and very in tune with the play we were about to see.  Yes, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner".  It was crazy with a three man band, one vocalist, one percussionist, and one bass guitar/everything else.  He even had a theremin, as seen in "Big Bang Theory".  They are Tiger Lillies, and you can hear it here.  Very bizarre original staging and black and white face masks, which I gather they use for all of their gigs.

 Then coming home to a 10:45 sunset.