Ties

This is the centre.

Red for love, if I understood right.

The "roads" leading from this centre, are of two

kinds, just like life.

Easy, straight forward.

More difficult, a little off balance.

In memory of my father

When my father died , I felt that his old ties would

be one way of remembering him.

From my childhood I remember him in a white shirt

and a tie.

I never understood how he chose that day's tie from

his collection.

In addition, how did he made that knot???

As my father got older, he used more informal clothes,

and the ties would mostly stay in the closet.

But what do you do with a collection of old ties?

By themselves, they collected a lot of dust.

That I have tested. :-)

A patchwork seemed a good way to use the ties.

On the other hand, that seemed too an ambitious

project for me, both regarding design and execution.

After coming back to Norway, I once I bought

a patchwork that made me happy.

I contacted the artist Inger Kokkim to say thank you.

Suddenly it became clear to me who could help

me with my tie patchwork - Inger Kokkim!

Today she brought me the result.

I am very, very pleased.

Hope you can get some impression of her work

from these photos.

Moss Canal

The crow - the symbol of Moss

Kjelleroedgaarden = Kjellerødgården

According to the sign on the yellow building

shown below, this building was built in the 1770's

by Just Gude.

The couple Holth lived there from 1817 to 1862 and

the house was then called Holthegaarden.

Later alcohol (brennevin) was sold here.

Then it became a grocery shop.

From 1978 it became a restaurant.

Lately Dolly Dimples had their pizza business here.

Now the building is up for sale.

The building is very charming, inside and outside.

In addition it is now more than 230 years old,

but what will any potential buyers use it for?

Icy branches

This may look just like branches, but look closer

by clicking at the photo once or twice and see

how each branch is lined with ice.

This weather of colder-milder-colder-milder-colder

has created beautiful ice creations in nature.

But personally I am all for milder-milder-milder....

and then spring and summer.

Moss Canal today

In the background the ferry to Horten.

Along the shore some smaller boats.

Pieces of ice floating through the canal.

With around zero degrees Celsius today,

I am developing a hope of warmer weather.

Width 77 cm Height 93 cm

Artist's suggestion for future frame:

Broad black frame.

A present

About a week ago I was shown two oil paintings

made by Oddbjorn ( Oddbjørn) Ottesen

who lives here in Moss.

I am not an expert in this field, but

immediately was charmed by a painting

inspired by one of Rembrandt's self-portraits.

For me, even the technical part of creating

such an oil painting is a wonder.

At home, I searched the internet and

looked at some of Rembrandt's self portraits

from different museums around the world.

I was also reminded of my own visit to the

Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam around 35 years ago.

That night it felt like a wonderful surprise and

pleasure to have seen this painting here in Moss,

and to know who had painted it.

Imagine my surprise when I got a present today

- that same oil painting.

I like it very much.

I feel priviliged to own it.

Thank you!

PS. I took these photographs tonight, but will try again

in daylight to see what difference it makes in

the colors.

Moss December 2010

First snow this year in Moss

Last night around eight o'clock I came out of a meeting

in the centre of Moss, and despite the darkness,

saw that it was snowing, at least a little bit.

Today there was no trace of snow downtown,

but we will follow the situation..........

Which in my case means I hope there won't be very

much snow this winter, but then again, who am I?

A house that makes me smile

I probably should learn more about this wooden house

because every time I walk by, it brings a smile to my

face.

I think it is mostly because of the cupola that looks

quite oriental for Norway and for Moss, but in particular

because I think that one day, so-and-so many years ago,

somebody designed and somebody (else?) approved

this building for this little town.

Daring souls?

It is getting colder

During the colder weather I strive for the temperature

in my apartment being around 20 degrees Celsius.

My philosophy:

I feel really miserable if it is much colder.

If it is much warmer, the electricity bill will be very

high, and too hot makes me drowsy.

Today it felt cold. Checking the thermometers in

the different rooms, I discovered it was now around

17 degrees Celsius.

I brought out one of my two radiators and officially

started the heating season.

Autumn rain

Tonight it has been raining.

The sound coming in through my windows reminds

me of autumn rain back when I went to highschool

in Moss.

Back then I usually used my bicycle.

I dressed up in my Helly Hansen's rain suit - orange

pants and orange jacket, and I wore "sailor boots",

low Wellington boots, in such weather.

How did my schoolbooks get to school dry?

Was the rucksack enough?

I don't remember.

But I do remember the feeling of bicycling in the rain.

In the forest today

My mother loves to go the forest and pick mushrooms.

So the following mushroom is one she keeps away from,

because it is POISONOUS.

I am not such a big fan of these trips, but when I can

bring my camera and pick what I want to

photograph , I don't even have to know what

mushrooms are edible.

I just leave them where they are.

Sometimes, the size of the mushroom becomes

irrelevant. You can imagine you are a little troll,

any size.

Perhaps even a tiny troll....

Jeloy Radio: Inside

From the dining hall.

The food was excellent.

Tapas, a fishdish, dessert.

The lobby when we left to go home.

In Norwegian http://www.jeloyradio.no/

Their Photo Gallery

http://www.jeloyradio.no/hXGYynNljW5Z.8.idium

Jeloy Radio: Inside

My sister had arranged for my mother and me

to do a pre-birthday celebration. It was a very nice

gesture of her, enabling me to see how this building

look inside.

In Norwegian http://www.jeloyradio.no/

Jeloy Radio: The Exterior

This radio station, originally sending telegrams to

America, was built in 1930.

The style is popularly called "funkis" in Norway and

most buildings in this style were built between 1930

to 1940.

These days the building has become a conference hotel

where you also can eat at their restaurant if you contact

them beforehand.

In Norwegian http://www.jeloyradio.no/

Jeløy Radio : The Hotel and the Museum

On the top floor of the barn, there is now a

Telegraph Museum I hope to visit one day.

I thought the stairs leading up to the museum looked

interesting.

The first floor of the barn now houses the hotel.

In Norwegian http://www.jeloyradio.no/

Torderoed - a work in progress

Last year our guide Arnulf Johannesen showed us the

White Room where the ladies would withdraw now

and then from the dancing and the entertainment.

He said that the expert Viktoria Brand had established

the original color scheme of the room and that she had

found part of some amazing old wallpapers with 18

different colors, printed in France, with an English tax

stamp. From this Viktoria Brand would now make

reprints to be put up in this room.

So this was my last visit in August 2010, more or

less of that same corner. Different colors - the right

colors - but the wallpapers will only be ready next year.

I find this exciting!