How do Norwegians survive the long winters – my winter survival toolkit

How do norwegians manage the long winters? Here is my toolkit for surviving winter in Norway. Before I moved to Norway I never gave much thought to what it takes to get through minus degree weather. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from life in a Scandinavian winter it is the absolute, mood-altering, joy-giving, life-saving necessity of wool. So here is my winter survival guide, to help you survive those long harsh winters, with some specific recommendations.
View PostBrunch ideas and how to set a brunch menu

We are talking about brunch today! I am sharing brunch ideas on how to plan a brunch, how to set a brunch menu, basically all things how to host a brunch, particularly a buffet brunch. Step 1 – What time is brunch? So you have decided to host a brunch, first things first, what time is brunch? Brunch is known to fall between 10:00am and 2:00pm. This applies to private brunches of course, not restaurants. I know some restaurants that will have brunch going on till 4:00pm. So decide what time to host your brunch before you send out your…
View PostLooking for house plants that grow in the dark

I am obsessed with buying house plants. All I can think about right now is all the twenty five plants I want to buy – to add to the ten I already have, the textured vases they will stand in, and the elegant stands that will carry those vases. All I see is green. And yellow, and purple and white, amidst all shades of green. Last week I looked up plants that grow in the dark. Yes, plants that grow in the dark. And it turns out there are quite a few! The hallway is not always well-lit with natural…
View PostLife in a new language – learning Norwegian

Today I’m exactly midway through my Norwegian language classes. It has felt like home in Norway since March, but learning Norwegian makes it feel more like home even more each week. The language class teacher is nice, kind and patient, and altogether we represent 9 countries. We all are like toddlers learning to walk, our shaky Norwegian sentences thick with our native accents as we try to adopt Norwegian inflections. Every shaky sentence is a step towards a confident new life in a new language. We all can’t wait to be fluent! There were so many sunny days this past…
View PostMusic for the summer – yes Amazon Music!

After the recent Isle of MTV music festival week in Malta, I have gone in search of new music and new sounds I haven’t heard before. Younger me did better than current me at finding and enjoying music new and old. But guess what is in time to help remedy this? Amazon’s Prime Day! 11th July is Amazon’s third annual Prime Day, a.k.a the day of thousands of deals Between now and July 11, you can get 4 months of unlimited streaming and downloads for a few pennies per month, literally pennies. This is music to my ears! Amazon…
View PostInnflytningsfest – Housewarming in Bergen

This weekend was a very important one, as we moved into our new home and entertained there for the very first time. Norwegians like a good party so it goes without saying, the drink flowed! Moods loosened up, and so did the limbs and waists, I’m happy to report! In Africa, a party has not achieved the highest standards of success until the guests hit the dance floor. That is something to write home about, as the saying goes. The dance and the drink make the party a success, and this housewarming scored 10/10 on each point. We served…
View PostHeading to the Motherland

This month I’m back in Uganda, to pick up from where I left teaching clinical pharmacy to 3rd and 4th year university pharmacy students. This is what I was doing before I left for Malta to do my doctorate, and I love this work so I’m back doing it before the summer recess ends and I have to return to being a student myself, doctoral research and all. After this I’ll be heading back to the Mediterranean yet again. ———————— I took this picture in the Duty Free section at the airport, I could wander in Duty Free forever, so…
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