Lekaro

The other day we had a big thunderstorm coming through, and I was sitting in my window with my camera.

I took over 300 pictures and this is what came of it.

Not a lot but better than nothing

This weekend we had a summer party with some of the members in Sørkedalen brass at Grethes cabin in Nordmarka.

It was a shame that everyone wasn’t able to make it but we that came had a really good time. Great fish from the lake on the BBQ, nice warm weather and good beverages.

And I guess,  for me at least, the three and a halves hour bike ride from home was worth it.

[View with PicLens]

I’ve just finished two days of oil spill cleanup exercises together with the fire department in Oslo, and it’s been two very nice and educational days.

Yesterday the officers from FIG Follo and the IG in Follo spent the day with Eivind Ask who held an excellent lecture in how oil spill cleanups should be handled. I think he did a great job, even if he had to compress what usually is a two day lecture into one.

Then today we got together with the rest of the FIG and IG and headed down to Sjursøya. Sjursøya is a peninsula just southwest of the center of Oslo and contains a large terminal for fuel oil distribution. Which means it’s a prime spot for oil leaks, and I guess a possible site for a gigantic fireball. I guess we were lucky that there were no fuel trains at the depot when the runaway cargo train hit  on the 24th of March [1]

But today it was all quiet and the weather was great. I’ve even managed to get a divide where my beret has been all day

At first the fire chief took us to have a look at the larger mounted oil spill booms that are on a winch drum ready to be pulled out swiftly to prevent any oil leaks from the terminal or cargo ship to  escape into the Oslo fjord.

Then we divided up and started going thou some of the equipment that we might come in contact with if we get called out.

The FIG started out with the Vacuna 1000 system. The Vacuna system is a system for sucking up oil from the shorelines. It’s based around a air pump that can be configured either to blow bark onto the oil spill or to suck up oil, water and bark from the same place.

Bark is blown onto the oil in order to make it less sticky and easier to get at, either by using the suction part of the pump or more commonly, by hand. There’s no use trying to hide it, getting oil from the shores is grueling, backbreaking, tedious manual labor. The pump will work great if the oil is still in pools or floating on water, but as soon as it hits the rock you’ll have to get down and dirty.

The bark also helps nature work a bit faster when it comes to breaking down leftover oil. Getting all the oil from a spill out of the ground is impossible, but if we get most of it out nature will eventually do the rest.

After the Vacuna we went and had a look at the different oil spill booms that are in use. The equipment we went thou is made for calm waters mostly. There are bigger booms but I don’t think we’ll ever see those in the Oslo fjord.

The smallest were one time use booms that actually soak up oil from the water and is the retrieved and disposed of like the rest of the oil that is collected.

The other type is a type that is stored as 25m lengths that might be connected together to for long links.

The last type is a boom that comes “flat packed”. It got a spring loaded air chamber with a one way air valve, when it’s packed it’s rolled tightly and all the air chambers are deflated. To deploy you’ll drop the whole coil into the sea and the pick up the end and start pulling it out. As you unwind the coil the springs in the air chamber is sucking air unto the top part which acts as the booms floating device.

Quite an ingenious contraption. Just make sure you don’t tow it in a to shallow arch, since it might then suck air into the chamber and sink

To get it back up you’ll have to have a purpose built packing machine. As you drag the boom from the sea you’ll put all the valves in an open position and the machine will wind it neatly into a coil ready to be deployed again later. But of course if it’s been in contact with oil you’ll have to unwind it again, clean it and then rewind it later. Lots of work. I guess that’s why we didn’t get to try out any of those.

Then we went on to the more hand on stuff, looking at the equipment used to scoop up oil manually and fill up Big Bags. The Big Bags are large plastic lined bags that is used to collect oil. Then at a later stage these can be floated to a bout, picked up with a truck or airlifted to some waste disposal plants.

We also went trough how to set up a forward depot with clean and dirty zones where the people doing the dirty work can come and change into clean outfits without con terminating a larger area.

Then we went to lunch, always the best part

After lunch we went and ha a look at the sea skimmer. This is a mechanical device that floats in the water and has some system for collection oil. The one we have has a series of vertical rotating discs powered by a hydraulic pump. The oil will stick to the disc and be scraped of into a container and from there pumped up and sent to be disposed of. The whole setup looks extremely simple, but according to our instructor it is working very well for recovering floating oil.

At the end we had a little competition / exercise where 6 of our squad members went through some of the things we learned that day. Our team was set to connect up the Vacuna and blow some more bark before we reverted the system and sucked i all back into the suction tank. And when that tank was “full” it was emptied over into a holding tank again by reversing the system.

I wasn’t a part of that team but I think they did well. I guess everyone learned quite a few things today, and it’s nice to do something else for a change

And here are some pictures I took today, have fun.

[View with PicLens]

I just love the shapes and colours that clouds get on a sunny day, so today I got some nice once.

[View with PicLens]

You know how sometimes the funniest things happens ?

Today I had such a  incident. I was walking on Aker Brygge when there was a sudden rainstorm, so I took cover under a small landing and since I didn’t know how long the rain would last I got my book out.

And then suddenly a woman comes across the plaza and asks me what book I’m reading. She was a publisher and she and some friends had been watching me from the other side trying to decide if I was a tourist reading a travel guide or someone else reading fiction.

I’m still wondering who won the bet

And my the way I was reading “Gone for good” by Harlan Coben. And I guess that’s the reason why I’ve yet to go to bed. Just had to keep reading.

Or at least I was, didn’t know we got such vicious buggers around here, but they got me on the run.

Just went downstairs to get my laundry and had a look at the sky and just needed to go take some photos. And all was well and good until the ant attacks

Here are the one that actually came out rather decent.

It’s that day again.

Where people get out no matter if the rain is pouring or we got a bit of snow in the air. People dress up, are happy and celebrate our independence day.

I’ve hopefully been able to get up by now and is heading into town dressed in my marching band uniform and with my trombone ready.

Or at least that’s the plan.

And for those that don’t know it. Her is the lyrics for the Norwegian National hymn if you come across some Norwegians abroad. I know this one played a lot in Sydney when I was there

Ja vi elsker.

1.
Ja, vi elsker dette landet,
som det stiger frem,
furet, værbitt over vannet,
med de tusen hjem.
Elsker, elsker det og tenker
på vår far og mor
og den saganatt som senker
drømme på vår jord.
Og den saganatt som senker,
senker drømme på vår jord.

2.
Dette landet Harald berget
med sin kjemperad,
dette landet Håkon verget
medens Øyvind kvad;
Olav på det landet malte
korset med sitt blod,
fra dets høye Sverre talte
Roma midt imot.

3.
Bønder sine økser brynte
hvor en hær dro frem,
Tordenskiold langs kysten lynte,
så den lystes hjem.
Kvinner selv stod opp og strede
som de vare menn;
andre kunne bare grede,
men det kom igjen!

4.
Visstnok var vi ikke mange,
men vi strakk dog til,
da vi prøvdes noen gange,
og det stod på spill;
ti vi heller landet brente
enn det kom til fall;
husker bare hva som hendte
ned på Fredrikshald![3]

5.
Hårde tider har vi døyet,
ble til sist forstøtt;
men i verste nød blåøyet
frihet ble oss født.
Det gav faderkraft å bære
hungersnød og krig,
det gav døden selv sin ære –
og det gav forlik.

6.
Fienden sitt våpen kastet,
opp visiret for,
vi med undren mot ham hastet,
ti han var vår bror.
Drevne frem på stand av skammen
gikk vi søderpå;
nu vi står tre brødre sammen,
og skal sådan stå!

7.
Norske mann i hus og hytte,
takk din store Gud!
Landet ville han beskytte,
skjønt det mørkt så ut.
Alt hva fedrene har kjempet,
mødrene har grett,
har den Herre stille lempet
så vi vant vår rett.

8.
Ja, vi elsker dette landet,
som det stiger frem,
furet, værbitt over vannet,
med de tusen hjem.
Og som fedres kamp har hevet
det av nød til seir,
også vi, når det blir krevet,
for dets fred slår leir.

And another song that you might get to hear

Norge i rødt, hvitt og blått (Norway in red, white and blue )

Hvor hen du går i li og i fjell,
en vinterdag, en sommerkveld blant fjord og fossevell.
Fra eng og mo med furutrær,
fra havets bryn med fiskevær og til de hvite skjær.
Møter du landet i trefarget drakt,
svøpt i et gjenskinn av flaggets fargeprakt.
Se, en hvitstammet bjerk oppi heien
rammer stripen av blåklokker inn.
Mot den rødmalte stuen ved veien,
det er flagget som vaier i vind.
Ja, så hvitt som det hvite er sneen,
og det røde har kveldssolen fått,
Og det blå ga sin farge til breen,
Det er Norge i rødt, hvitt og blått!

En vårdag i en solskinnstund
på benken i Studenterlund der sitter han og hun
To unge nyutsprungne russ,
to ganske nylig tente bluss i tyve grader pluss.
Hun er som en gryende forsommerdag,
som farves av gjenskinnet fra det norske flagg.
Ja, så hvitt som det hvite er kjolen
og så rødt som det rø hennes kinn.
Hennes øyne er blå som fiolen,
hun er flagget som vaier i vind.
Han har freidig og hvitlugget panne,
og en lue i rødt har han fått.
Med en lyseblå tiltro til landet,
står vår ungdom i rødt, hvitt og blått!

De kjempet både hun og han!
Nå lyser seirens baunebrann, utover Norges land.
Mot himlen stiger flagg ved flagg
som tusen gledesbål i dag, for alle vunne slag.
Det knitrer som før over hytte og slott,
et flammende merke i rødt og hvitt og blått.
Som en regnbuens tegn under skyen,
skal det evig i fremtiden stå.
Se, det glitrer på ny over byen,
i det røde og hvite og blå.
La det runge fra gaten og torget,
over landet som nordmenn har fått:
Du er vårt, du er vårt, gamle Norge!
Vi vil kle deg i rødt, hvitt og blått!

Today’s training log from my watch.

I had a quick look at my watch after the boxing class today and saw that my maximum heart rate was set to 180, so I thought there must have been a glitch somewhere. Because I didn’t feel like I’d worked that hard.

But I guess todays class was a lot more fun that I thought since it seems I’ve been up to that hart rate a number of times.

Guess this shows how much easier it is to do a proper workout when you are having fun.

Thanks a lot for a great class Merita

And I’ve even been able to play a bit on my trombone tonight, struggling with that  high C *hmpf*

Went looking through my pictures today and found a few that I’ve taken to do some HDR tests so I figured why not just get them on line.

Winter sunset in Herøy :

View from my window:

Only two weeks late, well shit happens

Two weeks ago I spent the weekend at Årvoll skole where we were part of something I really enjoy.

Bands Crossing Borders is a cooperation between NMF in Norway and the Field Band Foundation in South Africa. Since 2001 there has been an exchange of musicians between Norway and South Africa. Four or five South Africans come to Norway and some Norwegian go to South Africa to teach and learn music.

In Norway the South Africans travel around the country having seminars with different band where they teach South African songs and dance to Norwegians. Or try to

The playing of music usually works out good, but getting stiff Norwegians to move is another matter At least when it comes to the older generation like us. I guess the kids are easier to get moving.

But still it’s a lot of fun, you learn some new tunes by ear and play beats and rhythms that are a bit different from what we are used to.

This is the second time I’m part of it and I’m hoping it’s not the last.

I guess this picture sums up a bit of how it can be