Tonight we had an awesome aurora borealis. For some time it was covering most of the firmament, so its characteristic wavering was difficult to see, and even more difficult to make visible in a still photography. To see a bigger version of the picture to the right, click here.

(12.23.2008)

Today is winter solstice. The polar night is not that bad when the daylight is growing, day by day. But still it is more than a month till the sun is back here at Elgsnes.

(12.21.2008)

Before nightfall, at 01:30 PM, the sky had an orange colour. With the barn in the picture and the outlook for a bad WTO agreement for the agriculture in Norway, the title of the picture could be "Sunset agriculture". But at this time of the year, we have no sunsets this far up north because the sun is under the horizon day and night. And to be a farmer in the slope of the north pole, one has to be an optimist - anyway.

(12.10.2008)

December starts with temperatures above the freezing point. It is only + 3 degrees Celsius (37 degrees Farenheit), so the snow is not melting away, but still enougt to make the roads slushy.

(12.01.2008)

Day by day it is getting darker. Already early in the afternoon it is now necessary to use a tripod to take pictures.

(11.25.2008)

Today we have northwesterly gale. But the real stormy weather, like what we used to have some years ago at this time of the year, seems to have moved southward. So the forecast that climate change would cause wilder weather, is not visible yet in this part of the world.

(11.21.2008)

The snow that fell in the end of October, melted away after a day or two. Five days ago the precipitation once again turned white, though it has been very little snow on the fields. But in a few hours today we got 10 cemtimeters (4 inches) of snow. So now the landscape is totally white.

(11.16.2008)

The sun is still shining for some minutes per day here at Elgsnes if it is a clair sky like today. But it is more usual with clouds on this time of the year, so even though there still should be sunshin for another five days, it is more likely that this is the last time we see the sun this year. The sun will be under the horizon, and we will enter the polar night. The first chance to see the sun again is 28th January 2009.

(11.07.2008)

Yesterday evening we got a little snow. After that the clouds disappeared, and the temperature dropped to minus 4 degrees Celsius (25F). Because of this, the snow didn't melt away. But we will probably have temperatures above the freezing point again soon.

(10.31.2008)

In october we have had no real storm. Because of this, the rowans still have so many berries on that the forest down at Vester- Raten looks red.

(10.25.2008)

Today we were out fishing. We got coalfish, pollack, Norway haddock, ling, but most of all cod. In the picture the fish has been cleaned, and the seagull wich has been waiting, now get the guts.

(10.19.2008)

The days get shorter, and already at 6 o'clock PM there is a twighlight even when then sky is just partly clouded. Soon the summertime will come to an end, and then the darkness will appear one hour earlier. When we could need this kind of time far up north, we loose it. In the summer we have light day and night, so we have no need for this adjustment of the time.

(10.13.2008)

October has started with nice weather. Therefore the cows are still out grazing. But now it is just a couple of days till the cows has to be taken in to the cowhouse for the winter.

(10.05.2008)

The stormy weather is following a well known pattern. The wind starts from southwest and is turning to northwest. Then the wind will calm down before it starts all over again from southwest. This is caused by the depressions passing by off the coast. Click at today's picture to see a bigger version.

(09.28.2008)

A rainy day. It seems that we will have now the precipitation we needed in june and july. Only the electricity companies will benefit from the autumn rainfall, since we will not have cheap electricity anyway.

(09.23.2008)

The costal cod is now on the red list of threatened species. There is a lot of talking about too much fishing, but very little about the sea urchins eating the sea tangle forests. When this shelter for the small fishes like the one on the picture disappear, they are much more exposed for predators.

(09.16.2008)

Today we have had a wonderful weather. If this will continue as the meteorolgists have said, we can talk about a real indian summer. Thinking of the cold summer, we really need some nice days before we once again get winter and polar night.

(09.09.2008)

The autumn starts with a rainy day. In old days, when they needed water to get the grain milled, rain this day was a good sign for a wet autumn. Nowdays a farmers wish is enought rain in the summer and little rain in the autumn.

(09.01.2008)

There has been nice weather for some days now, and in the end of August, we have no reason to complain about the temperature either.

(08.25.2008)

Elgsnes has got the name from the mountain Elgen on the southern side of the farm. The experts of the past said that the mountain got the name because it from the seaside looks like a laying elk. But regardless what side of the mountain you are looking at, it is hard to see any resemblance with an elk.

(08.17.2008)

In the mountain Elgen we can see the profile of the troll Elgemannen. Trolls turn to stone when the sun is shining on them. Elgemannen was too late to get into the mountain before the sunrise, and is still looking towards the sound where the young female troll according to the fairytale used to bath.

(08.10.2008)

It is more than a month since we sowed this area. This month it has hardly been any rain. Besides this, the cold wind from north has dried out the soil. So the germination is not as good as expected.

(08.05.2008)

We haven't enought space in the siloes for all the grass, so some of it is baled and wrapped. Today Hilmar is making round bales from our last field. So this is the end of the main harvesting periode in 2008.

(07.28.2008)

Today is the warmest day till now this summer with 22,6 degrees Celsius (72,7 degrees Farenheit) as maximum temperature. When the weather is like this in the weekends, a lot of people are coming here to the beach. Sometimes they even arrive with boats like today.

(07.20.2008)

The midnight sun season is about to end, and at last we have some beautiful sunny nights.

(07.18.2008)

This fox has learned that where the grass has just been harvested, there can be vole nests to find. So it is sneaking around the fields, looking for food. As long as you are in the tractor, you can get pretty close to the fox. Even though the tractor is big and makes a lot of noice, it is not looked upon as a threat. But if you leave the tractor, the fox is running away as fast as it can.

(07.11.2008)

The colour of the sea has changed from blue to turquoise. This is caused by an alga with the latin name emiliana huxley. It embodies small calcium sheets wich is spreading the light in a way that makes the sea colour changing.

(07.04.2008)

It has been cloudy for some days now, but this afternoon the clouds disappeared. Tonight we can even see the midnight sun. The sun is still high on the firmament at midnight, so this view is not as spectacular as it can be when the sun is near the horizon.

(06.27.2008)

Here at Elgsnes we have acidic rocks. The soil is therefore the same, and the fertilizer makes the pH even lower. To improve the growing condition for the grass, we have to add calcium. Here Håkon is loading the wagon for spreading calcium on the fields.

(06.20.2008)

The coalfish is here mostly in the summer. It came two weeks ago, and now it is hunting small fishes in the sea. When trying to escape, those get near the surface, and then the seagulls are attacking from above.

(06.15.2008)

More than 100 years ago the tide was extremely high, and the wind was strong. The waves then washed away a hose approximately where the picture is taken from. Today it is only a steep slope here covered by blooming dandelions.

(06.07.2008)

17,5 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Farenheit), sunshine from a cloudless sky and a dead calm. A taste of summer so to say. And today the cuckoo could be heared for the first time this year. The picture to the right is taken from the top of the mountain Elgen and shows Elgsnes and in the background Grøtavær and Alvestad.

(05.31.2008)

The wind from north is cold, but in areas sheltered from the wind, the ground is warmed up by the sun. In such an area the first wild pansy (viola tricolora) is flowering.

(05.23.2008)

The midnight sun is back again! The first glimpse of the sun by midnight should have been seen two days ago, but tonight we can see the whole sun above the horizon by midnight.

(05.21.2008)

This is how northern Norway is: One day winter with wind and snow, the next the wind has gone, the snow melted away and the temperature is rising. This means that the conditions for spreading fertilizer was good today.

(05.14.2008)

Yesterday it was snowing the whole day, and when we woke up this morning, the landscape was totally covered by snow. It is not unusual with snow at this time of the year, but normally it will melt away almost as quick as it comes.

(05.13.2008)

It is now 250 years since Hans Egede died. He was born in Harstad, and was named the apostle of Greenland because he christianized the people there. The church here at Elgsnes has the name Hans Egede's Memorial, and is the only house of God in Norway with Egede's name. There will be a big anniversary for Hans Egede in Harstad 15th June, but it is not sure that this church will be included in the jubilee.

(05.05.2008)

The sunsets can be spectacular the last weeks before we get midnight sun. Today it has been a wonderful weather with sunshine from a cloudless sky and 17 degrees Celsius (63 degrees Farenheit) as a maximum. This is unusual for April.

(04.30.2008)

The days are getting longer and longer. Even though it is almost a month till we can see the midnight sun, there is already a red light near the horizon at midnight.

(04.25.2008)

No spring yet. Today we have a gale from south west. Wind from this direction would normally mean a rainy day. But the picture to the right shows that it is still snowing.

(04.16.2008)

The fields are still covered with snow. But on the sunny side of the old farmhouse the first blue anemone is blooming.

(04.09.2008)

The sunset is now between those two mountains. The mountain to the left is on Hinnøya island and the one to the right on Andøya island. The time is 8 o'clock PM.

(04.07.2008)

The oyster catcher is back! This is a bird of passage, so seeing it on the beach is one of the first signs of spring.

(04.01.2008)

An excavator from a local company is blasting the site for Håkon's country cottage.

(03.28.2008)

Maundy Thursday and dream Easter. The picture is taken from the top of the mountain Keipen and shows the peninsula Elgsneshalvøya wich is deviding the fjords Kasfjorden and Kvæfjorden to the left and the sound Toppsundet to the right. In the middle of the picture we can see the mountain Elgen. The two promontories are to the left inner Elgsnes and to the right utmost Elgsnes. Behind is the fjord Andfjorden wich is limited by the island Andøya in the background.

(03.20.2008)

Aurora borealis are natural colored light displays, which are usually observed in the night sky in the polar zone. It appears as a greenish glow and sometimes even a faint red. The aurora borealis is also called the northern polar lights, as it is only visible far up north. The aurora borealis most often occurs from September to October and from March to April. Its southern counterpart, the aurora australis or southern polar lights, has similar properties.

(03.12.2008)

One month ago we wrote about the otter. Here it is. This one has been out fishing, and has probably got a fish. This has to be the reason why it didn't try to escape from the photographer.

(03.05.2008)

A nice day with sunshine, but too cold for sunbathing on the beach. The houses in the background belonged to small farms still used a generation ago. Now the white house is a weekend cottage.

(02.26.2008)

Another windy day. Now we are longing for the sunshine.

(02.19.2008)

Today we have storm from northwest. Wind from this direction cause lower temperatures, so the precipitation has changed from rain to snow.

(02.13.2008)

When the otter was hunted, it was much more shy than today. The otter has been protected by law since 1982, and now it is not afraid of passing by houses even in daylight. In the picture you can see where it has slided down the road to the boathouse.

(02.07.2008)

For the first time this winter, we had to use the snow blower to clean our private road. This means that we have very little snow compared to what was normal a few years ago.

(01.31.2008)

Suddenly it started to snow. This is how the coastal climate is up north: Changing - always changing.

(01.24.2008)

The snow we got two weeks ago has almost melted away. Will there be a real winter this year?

(01.19.2008)

Today the sky is cloudless, and the sun is now shining on the top of the mountains for the first time this year. But it will take another 15 days till we catch the first glimpse of the sun here in Elgsnes.

(01.13.2008)

Yesterday evening we got two inches snow. Not much compared to what they have got in southern Norway, but still enought to make it look like winter.

(01.08.2008)