Let it snø......

So when kath and I unleashed our adventure on line we pitched it as a cross between grand designs, escape to the country and ice road truckers.....suffice to say last weekend was more of the latter. 

I posted a double selfie (is that the right term?) of my dad and I as we sat in gatwick ready for our weekend away and prior to that I rechecked the weather forecast that I had been diligently checking for 2 weeks prior.....oddly enough it had been the same. I.e. Strangely mild weather, very strong winds and heavy snow......called by the man on the vaernes car hire desk as Storm Orla.

After a pretty easy going flight watching episode 1 of sky atlantics fortitude (which is on you tube for free and I highly recommend it if your nordic noir, albeit slightly Hollywoodfied. It's got the killings Sarah Lund (Sofie something) , Michael Gambon and the great Stanley Tucci to name a few and is set on a fictional town on Norway's bear island, Svalbard).....anyway where was I...... 

.....our first trip of the day was a now usual jaunt to ikea and the DIY stores and suffice to say when I stepped out of the car I was faced with 50mph gusts of horizontal snow so strong I could barely stand up. After donning our hats, coats and other winter paraphernalia to make the 50m dash from the car to the entrance doors, another car pulled along side and out jumped a sporty ( are there any other type) norwegian wearing jeans and a t shirt! Oh the shame.....

So I could also mention the fact that we had the occasional white out on the drive, the fact I got the car stuck on the hill outside the house, that we had so much drifting snow over night that I had to dig the car out or that one of my just met, lovely neighbours, took the car off me and reversed it up the hill for more grip...oh the double shame.....but actually it was a weekend of firsts, the first time electricity has been on in 30 years (see the last post ;) ) the first time I've ever needed to explain in norwegian that my snow chains are too small (hopefully the last time as well), the first time of sleeping in the house (the champers will be saved for when kath joins me .....nothing personal dad), the first time I've ever needed to clear the snow before I could reach the toilet (it's currently in the barn) and the first time my dad has left the country in about 10 years and certainly in the 3 years since my mum died. 

Here's to lots more firsts at nordic-snø :)