The weather has changed a lot lately, one day snow and the next rain. Today we got snow once again. Maybe it will stay till christmas this time?

(12.18.2004)

After a week with mild weather, there is just a little snow left. If the fields hadn't been so wet, the cows could have been grazing, even though it is December!

(12.11.2004)

And then we got wind from southwest. This means mild weather, rain and icy roads. As children we loved such conditions, but from a drivers point of view, slippery roads are dangerous.

(12.04.2004)

Today it is 10 years since the norwegian people said no to join EU. In 1994 it was 22 years since we said no to EU for the first time. Now it seems that the unionists will try to get a third referendum. They haven't realised that 516 years as the smaller nation in unions with Denmark and Sweden has vaccinated the norwegian people against unions.

(11.28.2004)

The polar night is on its way. But still we have sunshine on the mountains of Grytøya. Theoretically the sun could have been shining for one more week, if there had been no mountains to the south.

(11.21.2004)

Yesterday evening the snow started to fall, and this morning the whole landscape was white. Nothing special at this time of the year; but it was a sudden temperature drop from 10 degrees above freezing point earlier this week.

(11.14.2004)

Chocking news tells us about higher temperatures in the artic area. This is no surprise for people living in northern Norway. Green fields and 9 degrees Celsius (48F) in november would have been almost unbelivable 50 years ago. Today we look at this as a matter of course.

(11.09.2004)

Then we got the first autumn storm - gale to strong gale from northwest. Not a weather that can destroy buildings, but nevertheless scaring for Vytautas and Gintare who never have experienced such weather back home in Lithuania.

(11.01.2004)

This afternoon the nice weather came to an end. We have got rain in the lowlands and snow in the mountains.

(10.27.2004)

In the last periode we have had a lot of trouble getting someone to milk the cows. For the first time we had to get a worker from abroad. Vytautas is from Lithuania and he has been working in Norway for 3 months already. He speaks neither norwegian nor english, so his fiancée Gintare will be the interpreter.

(10.18.2004)

Today we got snowfall even in the lowlands. The first snow will usually melt away rather soon, but anyway it is wise to change to studded tyres now.

(10.10.2004)

October came with nice weather. This is the way it is up here in the north: One day wind and rain, the next a dead calm and sunshine from a cloudless sky.

(10.01.2004)

The grass has been growing on the pasture till quite recently. But now extra feeding is necessary. So today the heifers got round bale silage. Anyway it is just a couple of days now until they have to be stalled.

(09.27.2004)

Today is autumnal equinox, when day and night are of the same lenght all over the globe. From now on the days will be shorter as you travel northwards. The long days have come to an end, and we will slowly move towards the periode when the sun is under the horizon day and night.

(09.22.2004)

Eight days ago we could see the first snow in the Litjetussen. Today this mountain is all white. Now we have got a new moon and snow in the mountains, but we still have the rainy weather as before!

(09.15.2004)

It has been raining continiously for some days now. We can hope that the weather will be better next week when there is a new moon.

(09.09.2004)

The nightfall is earlier day by day. But still we can have sunsets like this one.

(09.02.2004)

Grazing cows are more and more infrequent in this area. Sights as the one to the right are what people want to see, but the changes in the rural areas are negative, political as well as demografic.

(08.30.2004)

24th August was in the old days looked upon as the first autumn day. It was said that if this was a bright day, the autumn would be fine. Looking at the picture to the right, one can't expect much from the coming autumn!

(08.24.2004)

Finally a day with sunshine and a dead calm. Days like this should be used to go out on sea. Today this is limited to baling out the water from the boat.

(08.17.2004)

It has dried up after yesterdays rain. So today we are harvestin the grass we couldn't get into the silo.

(08.11.2004)

Finally we have filled the two siloes with grass. There are still some hectars to be harvested, but of this grass we make round bales. The picture shows people who have been working in the silo.

(08.06.2004)

After a rainy day the sky cleared in the evening. Now we can hope that we get dry weather so we can harvest the boggy soil.

(07.27.2004)

Sunshine, no wind and 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Farenheit) has made people come to our sand beach. The parents are sunbathing, and the children are even bathing in the sea, where the temperature is a lot lower than in the air.

(07.24.2004)

The summer has been rainy, wich has resulted in a lot of flowers. In the picture to the right the girl Maria is sitting in a "forest" of scentless camomile.

(07.18.2004)

The sea has changed colour from ordinairy blue to turquoise. This has been rather common for some years now. It is caused by a little alga, emiliana huxleyi, with calsium plates that are spreading the light.

(07.14.2004)

A little opening in the clouds resulted in this midnight sun picture.

(07.06.2004)

Today we made some round bales of grass. This conservation methode is rather flexible, since we do not need to go on harvesting as we have to when we put the grass in a silo.

(06.24.2004)

Finally we got better weather, and this made it possible to plant flowers on the family graves in the cemetery here at Elgsnes.

(06.20.2004)

The wind has dropped, but it is still snowing in the mountains. So till now we can hardly say that the summer has come to northern Norway.

(06.16.2004)

June is supposed to be a summer month, but until now it has been cold. Today the temperature has been as low as 4 degrees Celsius (39 F) and it is snowing in the mountains. But we still hope to get a mild summer with nice weather.

(06.06.2004)

The red campion is in flower now. In norwegian it has got a name connected to Midsummer Day, indicating that it is flowering at that time. So even though the temperature is low, the wild flowers are growing.

(05.30.2004)

Finally there are no clouds in the horizon, and we can see the midnight sun for the first time this year. For about two months in the summer the sun is never under the horizon; strange for most people, but normal for us here above the artic sircle.

(05.24.2004)

The wild pansy is in flower because of the high temperatures earlier this month. Click at the picture to see a larger version.

(05.19.2004)

The 17th of May is our national day. At this date in 1814 we got our constitution after more than 400 years in union with Denmark. But then Sweden got us as a booty after the Napoleon wars. In 1905 we finally was a free nation. After only 99 years in freedom, there are some people in this country who want to give it up by joining another union - EU.

(05.17.2004)

After a week with rather warm weather, the temperature has dropped from 20 degrees Celsius (68 F) to 3 degrees Celsius (37 F). The wind is strong, so warm cloths are needed for working outside. And the precipitation is hail. Yes, this is the kind of May we know!

(05.10.2004)

We can't see the midnight sun yet, but the nights are already light. Some clouds in the horizon soften the light and makes the scenery look almost like a painting.

(05.04.2004)

Today we got the boat out on sea. Some fishing gave us cod enought for several dinners. And the sea gulls get the guts as a reward for telling us where to find the fish.

(04.29.2004)

At 01:30 AM the sea was calm, and the sky had a spectacular colour. A ship passing through the sound gives depth to the picture to the right.

(04.26.2004)

The grass at Finneviksletta was sown in August last year. It has survived the frost in the winter rather good, and is now starting to get green colour.

(04.23.2004)

The snow melted away the third day, and now the sun is shining again. The temperature is still rather low, so you can hardly see any green grass yet.

(04.17.2004)

And that was the end of this spring. The winter is back again. Because we live in the slope of the north pole, the weather is changing rapidly. So the spring will be here again - sooner or later!

(04.10.2004)

The blue anemone is in flower. It is not growing wildly, because it needs soil with high pH, but is brought here as a garden plant.

(04.07.2004)

Today we have a beautiful weather. Very little snow though, but in the mountains there still are good conditions for skiing.

(04.02.2004)

And again the snow is back. Not much snow this time, but enought to make white the main colour in the landscape.

(03.28.2004)

The sun is shining, but a cold and strong wind makes it uncomfortable to stay outside. The picture shows the sound Toppsundet and the mountain Toppen at Grytoeya.

(03.21.2004)

Another day with sunshine from a cloudless sky. Although the sun is a bit higher above the horizon every day, the shaddows from the houses are still long early in the afternoon.

(03.13.2004)

Again the sun is shining, and the landscape looks beautiful covered with snow. If there had been more time, one could have gone out skiing!

(02.27.2004)

A violent storm, where cars, ships and planes were belated or cancelled in most parts og northern Norway. Because og the wind direction, the weather here at Elgsnes was not bad. But we had a little snowstorm - as shown on the picture.

(02.20.2004)

The weather is mild, and the snow is melting away. Too early to be the spring though, so we have to expect more snow in the weeks to come.

(02.14.2004)

Standing outside the barn, looking at the sea with a high sky over, counter-balance the worries about the future for our artic agriculture in a world without borders.

(02.05.2004)

The sun is back! Today we can see the sun for the first time this year. For two months now it has been under the horizon or too low to shine here at Elgsnes.

(01.28.2004)

The sun is shining on the mountains, and more of it every day. Soon there will be sunshine at Grytøya down to sea level. But here at Elgsnes we have to wait one more week to get the first glimpse of the sun.

(01.21.2004)

Thou glorious mirror, where the Almighty's form Glasses itself in tempests; in all time,
Calm or convulsed,---in breeze, or gale, or storm, Icing the pole, or in the torrid clime
Dar-heaving; boundless, endless and sublime,
The image of Eternity---the throne Of the Invisible! even from thy slime The monsters of the deep are made; each zone Obeys thee; thou goes forth, dread, fathomless, alone.

(From Lord Byron's poem "The Ocean")
(01.15.2004)

For the first time this year there is sunshine at the top of the mountains on the western side of the fjord Kvæfjorden. Even though it still is 17 days till the sun is shining here at Elgsnes, it is encouraging to see that the sun is on its way back to us.

(01.11.2004)

This morning the moon was rather near the horizon. If it hadn't been for the time of the year, one could have been misled to think that this was the midninght sun.

(01.04.2004)

Happy New Year!