So, I have moaned rather a lot about Norway these last few days and want to end the week on a more positive note....
Do you know that when Norwegians get their pay cheque in December,they only pay half a month worth of tax. I guess it's a little Christmas gift from the government to say "Hey guys, thanks for living in this overpriced country of ours and paying at least 38% more for your products than everyone else living in Europe!!"
It's a nice thought though and lovely to have a bit more money in your pocket at this time of year. I don't have a job so it does not affect me!
Oh, and a little tip..... If in Norway you are receiving lots of annoying sales calls on your mobile,just simply answer the phone with a British accent and they hang up straight away!! Wa-hey!
Ok, next week there will be no moaning about Norway. I promise!
p.s About that recipe (As Mary kindly pointed out) I have put butter down twice! Its just 3/4 cup of butter. Ignore the 1 cup part!

Cupboard dinner

The easiest meal where everything (bar the onion) comes from my cupboard. I like meals where I do not have to go and buy anything else- feels like I'm getting it for free!

Sunrise,Sunset and Inbetween

Norway might feel like a pain in the arse sometimes but it certainly is beautiful. It's hard to miss the sunrise each morning as it happens pretty late, 9.08am today,probably 3 minutes later tomorrow. The days are getting so short now. This weekend we will drive to Sweden to do some Christmas shopping, it only takes 90mins and is much cheaper than here,plus I love Sweden!

-16c

Three things I really think I need to see me through the winter.
I have never experienced cold like this. Bone chilling,bitter, sub zero hell!!
All for too expensive for someone who has not worked since July but I can dream!
Boots here Coat here Hat here

Last night

Just to carry on my theme of moaning about Norway I'd also like to mention that the food here is
way too salty for my tastes so more than ever I'm making everything from scratch. Did you also know that Norway is on average 38% more expensive than England (and in a lot of cases 100% pricier)
Last night I made delicious sweet potato falafels from here with flat bread and humous. Yum

When I met Henrik I really thought I'd met an old fashioned gentleman (and I was right!) His manners were impeccable (still are!) and he treated me like his princess (still does!)
I put all this down to him being Norwegian, you know,a small country (in terms of population) beautiful surroundings, a more innocent lifestyle and maybe that's just how kids are bought up...... Oh, how wrong was I!!!
I have found since moving here (I never really noticed it when we came here for holidays) that a large majority of Norwegians have no manners whatsoever.
Expecting to have a door held open for you? Not gonna happen!
Have someone thank you when you hold a door open for them? Hell, no!
Have someone roll over your foot with a Supermarket trolley and say sorry? I dont think so!
Give you a little "thank you" wave in the car when you let them pull out in front of you? Never!
Say sorry when they push you in a bush cause they are cycling on the pavement? In your dreams!
Say thank you when you pick them up from the ground after they just slipped on ice? Nope!
Maybe Norwegians are shy to say anything in these situations. I know they are a reserved bunch but really.....come on!! I started thinking maybe I'd just start behaving like them but why should I? I'm British,have good manners and whilst I'm living here I'm an embassador to good old Great Britain!!!!
p.s Im well aware that wherever you go in the world there are rude people with no manners (plenty in the UK) but this seems to be the norm here in Norway (the Oslo area at least!)
I think it's sad..... It's so easy to say say "please" and "thank you" and costs nothing!

Comfort food

Potato cakes with white bean & celery soup. Just what you need when its -13c (and ,yes, I am obsessed with checking the temperature here in Norway!) I walked to the shop today to buy some parsley and in the five minutes it took me to walk home the bloody parsley was frozen and dead!

Tea towel winner....

.....is Irene from Austria! Please get in touch with your address!
Irene also has a lovely blog.
Im constantly adding to the Christmas decorations in our flat (must stop soon before it starts resembling Santa's Grotto!)

Norsk Folkemuseum

Yesterday we wrapped up and went to the Jule Marked at Norsk Folkemuseum.
It made me feel so christmassy as we wandered round all the stalls filled with beautiful handcrafted (but, oh,so expensive!) Norwegian goodies. The only downside was the frigid weather. Oh.my.god. I have never been so cold in my entire life. Even my breath on my scarf turned to frost within minutes! With frozen thighs we headed home and heated up the gløgg to defrost us!

Crumpets

So nice to have a taste of England for breakfast this morning (thanks to Emma and Suzi who bought lots of them over last week)

Another freezing day with beautiful sunshine. Im fuelled up on coffee and about to head out to do some Christmas shopping. How nice are those gift boxes from Ikea? Love 'em!

Thursday

Today is the first day since we moved here that I have not been outside. It's just too cold and I cant be bothered with the wrapping up, de-icing the car,trudging through snow and attempting to drive back up our slippery driveway in temps of -15c. Its just not worth it!
So instead I decorated our flat for Christmas whilst listening to Seasonal songs,drinking mulled wine.
p.s you can download some nice christmas wrapping paper here