Norway part two

On Friday 8th we had big plans for the whole group to take a day off together and climb Ullstinden, a nearby mountain. However when we awoke after our amazing lie in (we got to stay in bed until 9am!!!) it was raining and foggy. So we decided to change our plans and go into Tromso instead. Once there we were back in the library (Helen really can't keep away) to try an sort out accomodation for our trip to Oslo.The Chess Olympics is currently taking place in Tromso and there were a lot of people walking around in team jackets with huge passes around their necks,very much like the 2012 Olympics in London.  Who knew chess was such a big deal?!

After lunch we went to the polar museum. It was a strange place that didn't really teach us much. Howeverwe watched some seals perform in their aquarium. Of course It wasn't quite as good as The Deep in Hull!

When we finished in town we broke off from the rest of the group and got the bus to Oldervik which is right at the end of the line. It is a tiny collection If houses which feel like they are on the edge of the world. To get back to the farm we attempted hitch hiking for the first time. We were a bit unsure about this but we got lucky and got a ride straight away. They were a lovely French couple that even rearranged their car to make room for us. We would definitely try it again. 

After work on Saturday we climbed the mountain behind the farm. It was very very steep but the view from the top was incredible. It was higher than The Cross which we sometimes climb in the evening. We had to climb through woodland and there was no path at all. It was worth it though. It was also good practice for the next day when we finally climbed the mountain we had been planning too since Friday. Roger gave us all the day off and we set off about 9.30am on our big adventure. It took us over an hour to get to the bottom of the mountain. It was around 1,100m high and we climbed in from sea level so it was a tiring day! Like Saturday there were no footpaths and for around 2 hours we were pulling ourselves up over steep rocks. The view from the topwas incredible though. We have honestly seen nothing like it before. Alices crappy photo does it any justice. 

The way down we took slowly as it was very steep and we were enjoying the view.  That was our excuse for arriving at the summit 1 hour after everyone else and not getting back to the house until 9.30pm when everyone else was home by 7.30pm. It was worth it though, however exhausting. It was also a good bonding excercise to get to know Joe that had arrived the day before. We were all ready go to bed straight after dinner and Alice wasn't too impressed to be on washing up duty that night! 

On Monday we were back at work pulling and sorting carrots. In the evening Allison, another WWOOFer here, read our cards. So now we are at least we are now prepared for the future. 

Since we climbed the mountain a lot of people in the house have been ill. Helen was struck down by the deadly Nordvoll flu and had to spend some of Tuesday afternoon in bed. Alice thinks she was only doing it to get out of work. She managed to soldier on and make to the bonfire we had up mountain that night. We cooked sausages (slightly better than last time) and played pictionary by drawing in the dirt (we so cool) until Helen fell asleep on the grass and we headed back down to get warm. As we were sitting back at home we saw the Queen Mary II sail past. We think it's the biggest boat we've ever seen. 

On Tuesday evening it started raining and didn't stop until Sunday. This resulted in us having to don some incredibly sexy orange outfits and plant strawberrys and pick carrots. We managed to get out of going back outside in the afternoon and cleaned the house instead. On Thursday we weren't quite so lucky and had to pick the orders for that day and the day before. That's a lot of strawberrys! The strawberrys couldn't be left to get wet once they were picked so we had to line green boxes with toilet paper and spread them out on these in order to dry them. It was a very strange site. After a full day picking in the rain we were rewarded by some Norwegian waffles which made it all worth it. We also watched Into the Wild with everyone that night which was very good film.

Friday was even colder and it was a actually straying to feel like we were in the Arctic. We lost all feeling in our hands and feet which wasn't pleasent. Roger put the fire on later which got the inside

of the house up to 30 degrees. We don't think he's ever heard of moderation. 

Over the next few days we completed out last hours if work. We picked many more orders under time pressure in the rain. We cut and planted strawberry runners and almost completed planting the new field. We are now on our last night here and can't believe how fast the time has past. This place really has become home over the last few weeks and we can't imagine living anywhere else anymore. We worked out we have met 18 new people over the last 3 weeks and they have all contributed to our special time here. Nordvoll farm is a very unquie place.