WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR AUGUST 2016

Lagopus

Yay Charleen!

Keep on trucking, Cheri!

Joyce, I agree, get that fatigue checked out. Obviously you have plenty of reasons to feel fatigued, but it appears to have come on rather suddenly. Likely it's just from the relief of getting Charlie home relatively whole. You relaxed a bit and all the tiredness you've been staving off just so you could keep going overwhelmed you. Still, better safe than sorry. :flowerforyou:

Re, you ask about Norway. I'll answer by describing my trip out to the holiday house in what I call Paradise. It's a house at the end of the road on a big, peaceful island only 40 km (25 mi) from downtown Tromsø as the bird flies. But I'm not a bird. I'm driving, so I have to stick to the roads, and the roads in Norway tend to be on the narrow strip of relatively flat land between the steep mountains and the icy fjords. So the actual driving distance is a lot longer and the trip as a whole takes about two hours.

The Norwegian coast is criss-crossed by (gorgeous!) fjords. My route gives samples of the three different ways we get past them. Driving out of Tromsø, I cross a typical Norwegian bridge: long, narrow and very high, so ocean liners can go under them. "My" bridge is two lanes with a bike lane tacked on at one side and nothing but a railing on the other. When the wind exceeds a certain speed, the bridge is closed so nobody blows off it.

After the bridge, I drive past some rare farmland (cow pastures, potato fields) before the road starts winding between rocky slopes on the left and the briny on the right. After half an hour I come to the second fjord crossing - a tunnel this time. The road goes down a hole in the rock face, making first a quarter turn, then straightening out and diving to about 200 feet below sea level, then climbing again and making another quarter turn. After a full mile underground, the car emerges on the other side of the fjord, heading east instead of west.

This second island is even more rugged and the only farming I can think of on land is somebody's raspberry patch, but there are a couple fish farms moored offshore. This stretch of road also offers some of my all-time favorite curves. (Oh they're glorious! They swoop up and down little hills, hugging the shoreline.) After another half-hour I'm at the ferry stop, ready to cross the next fjord.

Norwegian ferries are actual ships, that look like ships, not barges. You park in line and wait for the next ferry. Most of them run according to a set schedule, rather than constantly sailing back and forth. Miss your departure and you may have to wait for hours! "My" ferry takes about 24 normal-sized cars at a time. On major travel days they sometimes have to leave cars behind at the dock, so it's good to get your car in line well in advance! But today wasn't a big travel day, and I chose an off-peak time as well, so there were only two cars.

The ferry comes in, lifting its entire bow section high in the air. The shore-based ramp is lowered onto the deck, and the cars roll off. Then the ones in line roll on. If there are lots of cars, the ferrymen wave you into place and help you park as tight as possible. Sometimes you pay as you drive on, other times the men come around with their ticket machine after departure. The ride itself is only 20 minutes. Usually I get out to use the bathroom, and in the summer I often watch the birds (puffins, Arctic terns, gulls).

On the other side of the fjord, I drive off and double back again, going south instead of north. The road is gravel from here on out. Driving from the ferry station to the end of the road (where our house is) takes about 25 minutes. Today I saw eagles twice along that road. The picture below is taken about five miles from home.


So yes, I'm home now. At one of my homes. Perhaps my favorite home. The strawberries have come along nicely in the nine days since I was here last, and the carrots are starting to plump up. Now if only my husband was here, too...

/Penny, at her sub-polar paradise

pipcd34

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KetoneKaren

Tracie Yeah, I figure my diary is pretty much just for me...I have given the key to a couple of other people, but mostly it's just for my own edification...to learn from...I have to emotionally distance myself from the logging to really learn from it, not easy to do, but worth it. It's a learning tool.

Karen in Virginia

melaniemetoyer

Good afternoon Ladies...hope all is well with each of you. Well, it seems I've been doing this MFP logging stuff WRONG It never occurred to me that I need to log say.....the cooking oil I may use to fry an egg, or the mustard I put on a sandwich. I probably exceeded my CI's many days by not logging stuff like that. Now I understand the importance of logging EVERYTHING I did manage to get a mile & 1/2 walk this morning, so I know I'm doing that right.
In other news, Sunday is my birthday, and my dear daughter(Gabrielle) decides she & the girls (3 granddaughters...Laila 8, Maddie 2, Noelle 9 months) & D(damn)SIL decide they're going to the beach (Pensacola) this weekend, meaning I will be ALONE for my birthday My son and remaining 3 grands live in N. Louisiana, 3 hours away. Guess I'll go treat myself to the bike I've begging the my kids for for years, and start riding it instead of walking everyday Could probably ride a lot further then I can walk. I did find that on the days I'm not active, the RA (or whatever it is) seems to flare up, which is certainly an incentive to walk everyday. The pain sometimes brings me to tears. In any event, glad I found you all, love reading your post, and I can always find answers if I have any questions. Thanks Ladies!
Charleen-CONGRATULATIONS on the ribbon for your quilt

cityjaneLondon

Penny - You are giving me nostalgia pangs! Wonderful. Thanks for the great description of your journey. Is the first bridge the one we walked over from the Arctic Cathedral?

Lenora - The perfume company is based in London, but I guess you could pay shipping. It's called Les Senteurs.
lessenteurs.com

Our Dover Sole was absolutely amazing. I did have a bit of lemon and butter with it, but only green veggies so I am counting 250 for the meal. It is one of the best white fish in the world. DH produced a Pouilly Fume which was (is!) gorgeous. I still have 350 calories in hand after our stewed plums and yoghurt, which I haven't eaten yet. Roquefort is calling me. (Blue sheeps' cheese) It just shows you can eat lovely food and still lose weight. Get your butt off that couch! :laugh: Stay away from processed carbs full of hydrogenated yukness that a factory produces. You are worth more than that.

Lots of love, Heather xxxxxxxxxx

miakoda40

Charleen in Colorado - Congratulations!!! That is so exciting.

Lagopus

No, Heather, it's the bridge on the west side of the island. The bridge by the Arctic Cathedral is wider, with bike lanes on both sides and hefty anti-suicide fences that make it feel almost enclosed. It's also shorter and considerably lower than the bridge I was writing about earlier.

But I used to walk over the bridge on the east side by the Arctic Cathedral twice a day - going to work and home again. It was truly awful at first, because the surface of the walkway was just sheet metal riveted to the steel girders and they had a lot of give to them. Walking along there, feeling the metal buckle slightly at every step, seeing the drop down to the water, and being buffeted by the pressure waves from all the vehicles speeding by on the roadway, I had to steel myself not to panic! It took a couple weeks of white-knuckling my way over before I got used to it. A few years ago they reinforced the walkway by using thicker sheet metal and doubled the height of the railings.

Lenora - you know, of course, that this is an open forum. There's nothing whatsoever to prevent anybody - male or female, Martian or slime mold - from reading what we write here. Apart from the sheer volume of the posts, I think the only thing saving us from men is that we tend to write about stuff many men don't get. Still, there are a lot of things I DON'T write because I don't want them out in a public forum.

/Penny, the polar party-pooper

PackerFanInGB

Penny, at her sub-polar paradise: What a beautiful picture and what a vivid picture you paint of your journey. I am just so drawn to the area of the world you live in. You said this is your holiday house? Is that like what we would call a cottage? Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't or didn't you live in Iceland? Sorry, I was missing in action for quite a while there... I remember someone posting beautiful pics of Iceland and I think it may have been you! Thank you for sharing!

KJLaMore

KJLaMore

I'm hanging this in my bathroom!

pipcd34

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janetr7476

Penny, thank you so much, your words make the drive come to life right on our computer screens. You are so very talented and we love you for it. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to share your love of Norway. We have all fallen madly in love too.

Janetr OKC

Lagopus

Nope Beth (it IS Beth isn't it, @OConnell5483) I live in Svalbard, which is in more or less the same ocean as Iceland, but WAAAAAY far north of it. But I'm not there now. I'm at the holiday house in northern Norway.

I call it holiday house because we come here at any time of year (thus not summer house) and I avoid the word cottage because that suggests to me a certain amount of rustic charm, including drafty windows. This house is new (just 6 years) and built to withstand winters in the windiest part of the Arctic.

Iceland is beautiful too - and my husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary there - but I haven't posted any pictures from there. I have posted lots from here, and lots from my "other" favorite home in Svalbard.

Here's a map. The black arrow shows Svalbard, the red one where I am now. The map projection makes Svalbard look huge. In fact, it's smaller than Ireland.


/Penny

melaniemetoyer

O wow!!!!! Penny thanks for the map.. helps with my geography. For some reason I thought Iceland was directly north of the States when it's actually a bit Northeast. The pictures probably don't do justice to what you're so blessed to see everyday. Are you native to the area?

jmkmomm

Carey, I think it is the pillow C-pap mask I use. I use it all the time, even a nap. Love it.

Charlie had his appointment this morning, 10 AM. If you know us, we are not morning people but 10 was the latest they had. I wish there was some way a person could charge a doctor's office for their precious time sitting in the waiting room. We got in at 11. GRRRRRRR He saw us for about 5 minutes. But the drain and staples are out. I asked him what the culture grew out and I couldn't remember it by the time I got home. Oh well, he got over it. But I still have to be his driver until the 16th. Another GRRRRRRRR. After his appointment I immediately got back in my PJs and took a nap. Felt much better after. When my sister got here, I could feel how hot it was. I am so glad I took one of my meals out of the freezer last night. If Charlie wants to walk today, he can map a route around the inside of the house. Right now he is only walking a little over 1/2 mile. He can easily do that in the house.

Last night he asked me who I was talking to on the phone. I was talking to my sister and asked her if on her way home from the Y if she could come by and give me a hug. So Charlie asked why I did that. He isn't the most physical man. I put my hand on his leg while we are driving and he does nothing. I try to hold his hand and his fingers never move to hold mine. If I ask for a hug or initiate one, it is very non huggish. So he hugged me last night. It consisted of him having his arms around me and him patting me on my back. So I showed him how I wanted it. He thought I was going to squeeze him to death.

Joyce, comfy in the AC in Indiana

cityjaneLondon

I found you can get a much better idea of how far north Svalbard is and its size if you look on a globe. I was amazed when I looked on my DGS 's blow up plastic globe that it was actually right on the top of the world! :bigsmile: Thanks Penny for explaining it all. Even my friends have no real idea of how far north I've been on my cruise. I'm so happy to have met you.

Two more days of DH at cricket. I'm beginning to feel the strain. I don't have my own car so I'm marooned out in the countryside. Good job I've got my German to learn! He had a really good time today as his friend had invited a couple of relatives to join them. He was especially delighted that he was far fitter than them. :laugh: And had taken better food to eat! His team also did well.

Barbie - Over the last couple of weeks I've been watching a series on TV about the history of the Native American tribes of the Pacific North West. Fascinating. I thought of you every time they showed the scenery. I would love to visit one day.

Right now watching a lovely programme on the Highlands of Scotland and it's amazing nature. Gorgeous.

Heather UK

ilikegardens

Hello everyone!

Wow, I took a couple of days off because I was working so hard, and there were about 250 new posts!

Charleen, Congratulations on your Grand Champion Win!!!! So exciting!!!!

Joyce, Are you feeling any better? I hope so, but if not, getting checked out really soon might be a good idea. There are good reasons for thinking you need some serious rest and relaxation, but still...

Re, Yogurt and fruit cause swelling??? Really??? Sheesh! Some folks. I'm with you, I just don't get the yogurt one at all. Or, for that matter, the fruit. I know of two things that cause me to swell...Too much salt and not being active enough.

KarenE

Annr

(What KJLaMore had said.. )"Becca- I had to laugh at your description of living in a tourist town. It is the same here. We locals KNOW that without the summer tourist business, we would be very small town and very quiet and not a good place for businesses. That is why many of the locals avoid the downtown/state park and beach area during the summer. We will go down and walk/run the boardwalk and just check things out or run errands if we absolutely have to; but for the most part, we let the tourists have that area in the summer and take it over again during the school year."

Yep I do appreciate the tourists here, spending their money and then politely leaving. lol What gets me is that the business's will be all friendly to us, ask us where we are from, to which we state proudly, "Oh up the ways a bit in Hammond". They then lose their friendly grins, and say, "Oh you are local then". I think the next time they say that, in that sort of tone, I shall say, "Just remember we are the same people that come and say hello in the thick of winter".
Becca

Annr

Lenora~ I haven't had a friend request but have had that sort of invite on Facebook. They are most likely people trolling looking for people to befriend, and ask for money. They send you pictures of flowers, and say the sweetest things, then make you feel guilty when you can't help them out. Seen it, been there. Don't fall for it!
Becca

pipcd34

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