Stave Churches in Norway: Høre Stave Church
For decades now I’ve promised my readers a post about Stave Churches and here it is: The same weekend that we visited the Ancient Grinding Mills at Leine, we also went to see some Stave Churches. Since they are all in the proximity, we figured: this has already turned out to be an “old Norwegian culture weekend, why not go for an overdose?” So, I hereby present the first presentation of Norwegian Stave Churches (if it’s too much to read for you, just enjoy the pictures):
In the mist of the waterfall (weekly photo challenge – hidden)
I found the Photo Challenge this week to be very challenging, because I had too many ideas and too many photos to choose from (luxury problem). After having opted out a bunch of photos, I ended up with these photos shot at a secret location somewhere in Midgard (Miðgarðr as it is called in Old Norse. Meaning Middle-Earth, the home of the humans). What you see on these photos is the most common, or most known, example of the optical phenomenon called dispersion:
Oven Roasted Trout & Chinese Style Fried Potatoes
Oven Roasted Trout & Chinese Style Fried Potatoes is like a sexy date between two cultures: the Norwegian & the Chinese. The chinese part, the Chinese style fried potatoes, is a recipe I picked up from a cookbook called “Xiang – Mat og Kultur fra Hunan” (Xiang – Food and Culture from Hunan), written by chinese chef & author Feng Xian Lin. As you might understand by deciphering the title of the book, it gives you some insight & knowledge, not only about Chinese cuisine, but also about the culture and traditions in Hunan.
The Place Where I Create(d)
I’ve started stalking this blog (stalking sounds more fun & more creepy than following…) – latebloomerbuds.wordpress.com – and she wrote a post about her workspace called “Where I create”.
Her post is inspired by some women’s magazine where the readers gets the opportunity to get an insight into the studios & workspaces of female, high-profile artists (“regular” artists and craft divas from all over the world are featured as well). So, I figured: maybe I’ll write about my workspace?
Photos of Tattoos Wanted
Hello Dear reader/fellow blogger.
I’m writing some articles about the History of Tattoo, and I thought it would be nice to illustrate the series with images from fellow bloggers (or their friends) tattoos. Perhaps you/your friend want your tattoo featured in one of the articles?
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Low-fat, yoghurt based cheese: Labane
Here’s something that has happened to, if not all, then probably most of us:
You’re sitting there, stuck in rush hour on your way to or back from somewhere, your mind wanders off, in the background the voices on the radio just turns into mumbling and then suddenly…
Fettfattig yoghurt basert ost: Labane
Her er noe som sannsynligvis har skjedd, om ikke alle, så de aller fleste av oss: Du sitter der, fastnet i rushtiden på vei til eller tilbake fra et sted, tankene dine vandrer avgårde, i bakgrunnen blir stemmene på radioen til en grøtete mumling, og så plutselig…
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The Ancient Grinding Mills at Leine, Valdres
There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand (mortar and pestle), working animal (horse mill), wind (windmill) or water (watermill). The grinding mills at Leine are water powered and situated next to a creek called Leineåne. There used to be 13 grinding mills at Vennis, but most of them were destroyed during the big flood back in 1860. Here you can see photos and read about this old Norwegian history. (more…)
Ville Hester
The horses had a great view from their position up the hill: snow-covered mountains and lake.
Overskriften kan være misvisende da det er ganske åpenbart at hestene er ikke ville, men jeg liker tanken på ville hester og friheten de representerer – å løpe rundt med vinden i din manke (trivia: Visste du at buene til fioliner, bratsj og celloer blir strukket med hestehår?). Ifølge Wikipedia er ville hester nesten utdødd i denne verden og det er bare noen svært få som fortsatt lever på de mongolske steppene . (more…)
Wild Horses
The horses had a great view from their position up the hill: snow-covered mountains and lake.
The headline can be misleading as it is quite obvious that the horses are not wild, but I really like the idea of wild horses and the freedom they represent – running around with wind in your mane (trivia: did you know that the bows of violins, violas, and cellos are strung with horsehair?). According to Wikipedia, wild horses are almost extinct in this world and there’s only a very few that still lives on the Mongolian steppes. (more…)
Weekly Photo Challenge: Opportunity – cobweb
Last week I accidentally discovered something called Weekly Photo challenge, which resulted in a post with a picture of a girl at the market in Jerusalem. Since my epiphany last week I’ve been looking forward to the next challenge.
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Jalapeño Maisbrød
For noen år siden skrev jeg en oppskrift på Jalapeño Corn Bread, og jeg fant ut at jeg kunne poste det her i bloggen (et annet alternativ ville vært å poste det på postkontoret, hvor man pleide å poste ting i gamle dager, men det er for mye slit å dra rassen sin hele veien til postkontoret). Uansett, da det viste seg at bildene ikke lenger var egnet, betydde dette at jeg måtte bake cornbread igjen slik at jeg kunne skyte noen nye blinkskudd.
Jalapeño Corn Bread & Vanilla Rum Extract
Some years ago I wrote this recipe on Jalapeño Corn Bread and I figured out I could post it here in the blog (my other option would be to post it at the post office, where one used to post things back in the old days, but it’s too much of a hassle to drag my ass down to the post office). Anyway, as it turned out the photos weren’t suitable, which meant that I had to remake the cornbreads to be able to capture some new shoots.
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The History of Tattoo Part 1: Polynesia & New Zealand
Originally this was written for a Tattoo chain. Later I will translate and publish the rest of the History of Tattoo. A lot of the material is American, as much of the literature on this subject originates there. The illustrations (except the small one here) are from Wikimedia Commons and they are “Out of Copyright worldwide” (which means anyone, anywhere, can use the illustrations.)
Huevos Rancheros – Tasty Mexican breakfast
Huevos Rancheros – the photo is borrowed from bayvalleyfoods.com – their picture looked much more tempting than mine…
Huevos Ranchero (farm-style eggs) is a classical Mexican late breakfast/lunch, which, after having spread to the West, now appears in a myriad of combinations. I try to stay away from the degenerate Western versions (where sugared canned beans often are allowed to flourish and stand out as the main ingredient in the dish) and present what I believe to be the original Huevos Ranchero.
Huevos Rancheros – klassisk frokost på Mexicansk vis
Huevos Rancheros - Bildet er lånt fra bayvalleyfoods.com - ettersom deres bilde virket mye mer fristende enn mitt...
Huevos Rancheros (egg på gårdsmanèr) er en klassisk mexicansk sen-frokost/lunsj som, etter å ha spredd seg til Vesten, nå fremstår i et utall av kombinasjoner. Jeg holder meg unna de degenererte vestlige versjonene (hvor den sukrede hermetikken ofte får blomstre og fremstår som hovedingrediensen i retten) og presenterer det jeg tror er den opprinnelige Huevos Rancheros. (more…)
Winter orchids
The winter is coming, there is no doubt. I’ve heard people talk about it: the weather reporter on TV mentioned it, friends of friends on different websites specializing in social networking have discussed the subject, plus a family member that lives in far, far away land, told me they already had seen snow this year and that it was early. And then there’s convection… (more…)
A girl at the market (weekly photo challenge – possibility)
Here’s a photo of a girl I captured at the market in Jerusalem. The market is known as the Shouk Mahne Yehuda, or just HaShouk (the shouk – the market). The poem I chose is written by american poet Shel Siverstein (September 25, 1930 – May 9/10, 1999). (more…)
Autumn in Oslo
This is an annual event which I guess we all have grown accustomed to, but still: the visual aspects of the photosynthesis can be breathtaking every year. Too bad that autumn also implies a change of temperature and that it signalizes the upcoming winter. Here’s a quote about an English autumn, but it might as well could have been a quote about a Norwegian autumn.
Cold Water
Winter is slowly returning to the Northern Hemisphere: the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting darker and some of the birds have started to wonder if “this might be a good time to go on that early family adventure down south?”. So, today I wanted to share this photo of water in most of its forms, which is (obviously) captured during winter:
One kind word can warm three winter months.
- Japanese proverb
Where Moses spotted the Holy Land
A while back we were on a journey through Jordan. Don’t misunderstand now: I’m not trying to present myself as a member of the somewhat dubious club of footballers Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke, or Dane Bowers (from the gay ‘music’ group Another Level). I’m not trying to say that I have been to see a leading and profitable brand business with Nordic focus in oral hygiene, cleaning and painting tools, that with the help of knowledgeable staff, innovative products and extreme retail expertise are consumers ‘and retailers’ favorite. Oh no. That’s not what I am saying.
What I am trying to share is that I somewhat recently undertook a tour of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan – an Arab country in the Middle East / West Asia that borders to Syria in the north, Iraq to the north-east, Israel in the west and Saudi Arabia in the south-east. (more…)
Der hvor Moses så Det Hellige Land
Var nettopp på en reise i Jordan. Ikke misforstå meg nå. Jeg prøver altså ikke å fremstille meg selv som medlem i den noe tvilsomme klubben til fotballspillerne Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke, eller Dane Bowers fra “musikk”-gruppen Another Level. Jeg forsøker heller ikke å si at jeg har vært og besøkt en ledende og lønnsom merkevarebedrift med nordisk fokus innen munnhygiene, rengjøring og malerverktøy, som ved hjelp av kunnskapsrike medarbeidere, nyskapende produkter og ekstrem butikkompetanse, skal være forbrukernes og handelens favoritt. Neida. Det jeg forsøker å komme frem til er at jeg nylig foretok en reise i Det hasjimittiske kongeriket Jordan. Et arabisk land i Midtøsten/Vest-Asia som grenser til Syria i nord, Irak i nord-øst, Israel og Vestbredden i vest og Saudi Arabia i sør-øst. (more…)
An evening in TLV
The hidden narratives of everyday Tel-Aviv life. This old city is more seedy and magical than often meets the eye. Tel Aviv is the heart of a thriving, Israeli metropolis.
Black-Jesus from Nazareth?
“Is it President Obama? No, its Little Black-Jesus of Nazareth.”
This is how he looked like, Jesus of Nazareth, according to the picture hanging in the church of the Ethiopian Christians in the eternal capital of the Holy Land: Jesus was black (finally this puzzle is solved). Right next to Black-Jesus there’s a picture of white-Jesus (perhaps we are more accustomed to seeing him pictured this way?), (more…)
He said/she said: