There were also parties on the beach (yes, that is a pig: now sausages...) with friends who were leaving to work elsewhere in Norway, and bicycle rides to support others who were cycling across the country - I accompanied Rene and Tim on their send-off from Vilmarkssenter/Tromso to the ferry port to nearby island of Senja. This involved a 9hr return journey for me, which was painful to say the least (not the sweet goodbyes so much as my ass!).
I then journeyed Northwards (Cruise-ship transport - now that's a fine way to commute to work), for a pre-breeding season visit the island of Hjelmsoy with Geir, my new boss for the summer, as I switch from work at the busy dogyard to life in a seabird colony! Hjelmsoy is where I will spend the most of my summer.... it's a fair-sized island, of several kilometres squared, not far from Nord Cap, which is mainland Norway's Northernmost tip. Athough as you can see, it was rather snowy for the time of the year, it was already promising to be a hub of seabird activity. I shall be there monitoring kittiwakes, guillimots, puffins... and trying to catch some sleep in the 24h daylight! We spent a week on the island, checking the progress of the breeding birds. Seems kittiwakes are slow this season, with nests still unbuilt, but gulls nesting and laying already, and plenty of bird life about. There were clouds of snow buntings foraging energetically on bare patches of ground. Ah, it's good to be in the North. These birds are infrequently seen in the UK, and remind me very much of the two field seasons I spent avoiding polar bears up in Nunavut, Canada.
'Goodbye Vilmarkssenter' - the expression says it all!
Ice-cream send-off at the ferry port to Senja island.
The fishing-boat transport to Hjelmsoy - a short stop from Havoysund.
But first Trollfjord, a ridiculously big cruise ship - an overnight journey from Tromsø to get to Havoysund.
Leaving Tromso behind.... 
And yes, I sat in this sauna for hours, and actually saw whales swim past at one stage (I had to blink twice!).
My home-to-be for June. Can't wait to be there again!
