Ode to Summer '12

"In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me 

an invincible summer"

- Albert Camus

Sun! sun! midnightsun!  Robbing you of sleep at night and giving you energy by day!

Dinner caught in the lakes with rod and reel, with no skis, cold extremities or ice-hole needed

Yes! Insects.... (lots of them ;))

Too warm to sleep in the tent really, but with the midge-mesh system you can sleep bathed
in midnight sunlight and to the gentle drumming of mosquitos trying to eat you.. 

A sea and sky blue and clear viewed from green hills!

Birdsong along the grassy lanes

Taking time to smell the flowers

...even the very smallest!

Yes, this is a Finnmark beach. A quiet and - surprisingly? - warm place on a summer's day

And the air is so warm you are tempted to swim up even up here at ca. 600m on the vidda... ;)

...and yes, you take a warm morning bath here :)))
(when there are  simply too many jellyfish in the sea to swim there comfortably...)

Oooh. So sleeeepppyy in the sun... 

Mmmmmmm......zZzzzzz

Festival time: Midnight sun music... 

Yep. More sun past midnight ;)

Exhausting but energising hikes in the early hours of a midnight sun morning...

You know 'tis summer when even the sheep (bathed in rainbow light!) are watching the sunset

Gamme haven

Me and Dovre spent one night in this gamme which is a traditional turf sami dwelling. You find these gamme in sparsely populated woodland areas, a bit like a rare species.  And when you finally locate them and Arrive they can be in varying states of condition and decay so you can't always guarantee a dry roof over your head...  This gamme was in tip-top condition.  It has actually been built as part of a tourist attraction, yet I think it has been constructed pretty faithfully after the sami tradition.  It was in A1 condition and a perfect place to stay as it was absolutely POURING with rain outside and the tent with a wet dog is no joke!  It was very rain-proof.  I was impressed!

These gamme are meant to be always 'open' and in theory can be used by anyone.  Of course, anyone using a gamme has to be prepared to collect their own wood to burn and be responsible (avoiding littering and leaving food waste that might attract rodents..).  Even though this gamme was actually in a Nature Reserve area and there were nearby staffed offices and a visitor centre, the staff were happy for me to use the gamme :)  So, myself and Mr D. had a really cosy night there - reindeer skins a plenty to be piled on soft mattresses of birch twigs also made it a very comfortable experience! Yes, Sir! Slept like a pig in mud...

 Advertising Plug for Stabbursnes Nature Reserve:

• you can see a fantastically-built Sami gamme (and maybe stay the night, if you ask nicely)
• the area is absolutely great for birdwatching (esp. for lesser white-fronted geese :)))
• ...but mind the mosquitos in summer.... (ouch!)

Stabbursnes Nature Reserve
(ooh.  See here!  I have worked out how to make a 'live link'... I am obviously a not-very-learned-blogger! Oh yes! (Oh dear! ...sigh.... ;))

Nature in the north

Well, summer is over - again! how did THAT happen, I ask? - and I am now again in Tromsø-town.  In fact, since I am such a LOUSY blogger, the autumn has ALSO passed and the snow has come :) ... the nights are drawing in... On November 21st we lose the sun for two whole months.

Here are some images from my summer in Kokelv, in the north.

Here is a link to where Kokelv actually IS: (cut and paste)

http://kart.gulesider.no/query?what=map&mop=aq&geo_area=kokelv&partnerid=google&_s_ref=21SbNWP6S&kw=%5Bkokelv%5D&creative=9413226364&s_kwcid=TC%7C21491%7Ckokelv%7C%7CS%7Ce%7C9413226364&gclid=CJCqnuL3w7MCFWZ2cAodlV8Agw

And a wee video 'Minute for Minute to Kokelv'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq4AYVZxJ6Q

(see from about minute 3 to miss the big discussion in Norwegian as you drive over from Smorfjord in the first long stretch through the birch forest)

This is a take off from when the National TV channel here showed in 2011 minute-by-minute footage of a Hurtigruten (coastal cruise liner) boat travelling along the coastline of Norway.... It was literally, minute-by-minute filming (with dodgy musical accompaniment)..   The boat stops at several ports (some small, some larger) as it travels northwards the 6 days from Bergen to Kirkenes....  The crowds greeted the boat and its passengers at every port and the crowds seemed to just grow more personal (and the messages on the banners). It was pretty avidly followed, as everyone wanted to catch their rellies on the TV, som far-flung place northwards.  Classic TV, and classic marketing for the cruise liners!! (I think the sales were boosted incredibly by this)

http://nrk.no/hurtigruten/?lang=en (cut and paste to view this)

(a small place, persecuted by the wind constantly but beautiful shifts of weather! - constantly...)

And here is what you might expect, in terms of nature and wonder up there...

Enjoy