Julekaketradisjoner

En viktig del av juletradisjonene for meg er kakene. Da vi var barn lagde vi hvert år hvite kakemenn og pepperkaker, og mamma lagde kransekake, krumkaker, og noen ganger sandkaker. Men best av alt er bestemors julekaker. Sirupsnipper, berlinerkranser, peppernøtter, strull, goro, fattigmann og flere andre sorter. Mange av oppskriftene har hun arvet fra sin bestemor, som var kokke på storgard på Hedmarken. Det føles ekstra bra å videreføre en slik gammel arv. Oppskriftene er dertil, mengdene er nok til å mette en liten hær av gardsfolk. "En kvart porsjon er nok" har bestemor notert i oppskriftboken et sted. At oppskriftene er gamle er helt tydelig. Det er flere ganger "mel til passe deg", og så min favoritt, "anis for 30 øre på apoteket" (ca. to teskjeer er nok til kvart porsjon av denne).

Da jeg etterhvert skulle feire jul i Oslo måtte jeg jo ha julekakene mine! Det første året fikk jeg oppskrifter på sirupsnipper. Neste året berlinerkranser. De årene vi feirer jul i Oslo setter jeg min stolthet i å ha minst syv sorter, om enn ikke av den tradisjonelle typen. Kakemenn blir som oftest en av dem. Sirupsnipper, berlinerkranser og peppernøtter er de faste gjengangerene. De siste par årene har jeg inkludert strull og kransekake som faste innslag. Årets nye er brune pinner, det har jeg aldri laget før. Siden de fleste av de gamle oppskriftene kun inneholder ingredienser, og i beste fall temperatur og steketid, så må jeg prøve meg litt fram på utformingen. Skal smøret smeltes, eller smuldres i melet? Skal eggene piskes? Det ble brune pinner til slutt, men fremgangen nok litt annerledes neste år.

Kakemenn er en av mine absolutte favoritter. Siden i fjor har vi fått en ny tradisjon med baking av kakemenn sammen med venner med barn. Det er morsomt med forskjellige figurer, og maling med konditorfarge etterpå. Tradisjonen tro noterer vi aldri ned hvor mye det blir, lager minst like mye deig neste år, og baker i evigheter. Jeg har minner fra barndommen der pappa stod på kjøkkenet og kjevlet kakemanndeig lenge etter jeg og lillesøster var ferdig med å trykke ut - og spise deig.

Det er ikke alltid det hjelper å ha laget noe før. Noen år vil det på mystisk vis ikke fungere. Sirupsnippene blir tykke, berlinerkransene flate, eller som i år, strullen myk og kransekaken hul. To forsøk på strullen ga en full boks med myke kaker. Og så var det kransekake da. Det er veldig greit å lage flere når man først lager, så jeg tilbyr meg gjerne å lage til svigerfamilien. Som sagt så gjort. Første kaken ble hul inni, helt sprø, og ringene hang fast i formene (som var badet i formfett). I løpet av første "runde" forsøkte jeg å steke med og uten varmluft på 2-3 forskjellige temperaturer, uten store endringer. Ny deig, litt justering. Omsider har jeg fått ut 5 nesten hele (de største ringene er utrolig vanskelig å ikke brekke!) kransekaker. Det tok bare halvannen dag, denne gangen. Vi prøver igjen neste år!

Bath Weekend

Even though I am not sure I would like to live there, I love Bath for it's history and all the old buildings. I love the thought of people going there to relax and enjoy through thousands of years.

The second weekend in November, I caught up with Tollef who was attending a conference in London. I flew in on Thursday afternoon, an met up with him after work at Charing cross. After a quick dinner we went to see memorial at the Tower, surrounded by thousands of poppies remembering the British losses in the First World War. An impressive sight to see.

The next morning we took the train towards our intended destination for the weekend, Bath. The Airbnb lodgings were even more central than I expected, and after dropping our luggage we headed to the city center. We had a little time before our lunch reservation at the Pump Room, so we went to see the Bath Abbey first. I particularly liked the Prayer Trail that took you through prayers at different places in the Abbey.

 The lunch at the Pump Room was everything expected. Live, classical music, elegant atmosphere and nice food. I also had a taste of the famous waters, which turned out to be as promised - not very tasty! As the weather was brightening, we decided to do the Roman Baths the next day, when the forecast said it would wain. Instead we went back to our lodgings for a short rest, before we headed out again for a bit of shopping. I found the perfect birthday gift for my mother, and we had dinner at the Salamander. In the evening we went to the Thermae Spa, and enjoyed two hours of the famous spa waters. Lounging in the rooftop pool watching the fireworks was really great!

On Saturday we started out at the Roman Baths Museum, which turned out to be a lot larger than it looks. I loved it, even though I would have appreciated more information about the use and history of more recent years, not only the Roman history. Afterwards, we wandered about the city, checked out the Guildhall Market, and of course visited Shakeaway for a taste of my favourite milkshake. In the evening we went to the nearby brew pub and had a short tour about their brewery. It was ok, not very impressive, but it's rather small and new. For dinner we had their sausage plate, and we both filled up with loads of different tasting sausages.

 On Sunday morning I made some last minute shopping - some long needed clothes - and took a walk across the famous Pulteney Bridge, before we took the bus towards Heathrow. For the first time we used a lounge, and the two hour wait for our boarding was a really relaxing experience.

Roads of California

I've never had a strong wish to go to the US. It is too much exposed through TV and media to be really exciting, I suppose.

Anyways, with another winter coming on in Norway and Tollef starting to work for Fastly in San Francisco, we decided to put the yearly "get somewhere warm and sunny for Karianne"-trip in the area. California has a lot of interesting sights as well as a comfortable climate, and the planning went accordingly.

On our way out we flew via Copenhagen and had a quite nice and mostly uneventful trip. The time zone adjustment went surprisingly well for my part, maybe because it is quite easy to get up early in the morning and go to bed early.

Already on the first day we headed to Alcatraz, it being our only weekend to spend in SF. I was a bit disappointed, it wasn't THAT exciting compared to all the fuss about it, but the audio-guided tour was quite interesting and it is still a must-see. We had a bit of rain, but mostly before and after the tour itself, so we also got some nice views from the island. After the trip we walked over to Fisherman's Wharf and the nearby shopping-area, and had a real American Diner Lunch.

On the second day, the time zone-change hit me hard, and I spent most of the day just relaxing in the apartment that Fastly had gotten for us, slightly disappointed that the rain kept Lindy in the Park from happening. In the evening we headed out to meet some friends of Tollef, and had a really nice time of it. Also, we accidentally met a colleague of Tollef from the time working for Canonical, really weird, in a nice way!

On Monday was Tollef's first day at work, and I joined him there before I headed out on my own to do some sightseeing and shopping. I walked past the pyramid and through Chinatown, saw the tram and checked out the bigger shopping areas. I got a new suitcase for hand luggage that I needed for my planned trip to Palm Springs, and a few nice pieces from Victoria's secret and Aerie store, both of the stores being a lot less expensive than I expected.

I had rented a car beforehand, and Tuesday morning I picked it up at the airport and headed south toward Palm Springs. It took most of the day to get there, but it was kind of nice to get an experience of the motorways as well, even though it was not that exciting. Some of the views along the roads were quite nice though, and it was fun to see what I later identified as orange fields. The roads were OK, not as good as I'd expected. Also I used some time to figure out how to fuel, as none of my cards worked at the gas station. When I finally arrived in Palm Springs it was pitch dark and no street lights, really weird.

There had been some misunderstanding about the rental car and GPS, so first thing Wednesday morning I headed to the airport in Palm Springs to sort things out. From there it was only a short way to the riding stables, so I decided to drop by and have a look, which ended by me getting on a two hour ride in the desert. It was a rather slow ride with only walking, but nice to see the desert and nearby oasis from horseback. I talked to the owner afterwards, and got a really good impression of how they keep the horses, making sure they are all well cared for and get enough rest both on a weekly basis and a longer break during the summer.

After a couple of relaxing days in Palm Springs, Tollef flew down from SF and met me. On Friday morning we first visited the Living Desert Zoo (quite OK, apart from the wolves and big birds in way too small spaces), then he took the Aerial Tramway while I did some shopping. I am not really a shopping person, but it was high time for some new clothes, and I managed to use a good handful of dollars before we left for LA and Hollywood. LA was surprisingly easy to navigate, very nice, and we walked the Boulevard in the evening, identifying a few of my favourite stars. The Beatles were well hidden, and we had to look them up the next morning, as we went to take photos of the Hollywood sign as well.

After lunch and a walk on Santa Monica Beach, we headed north for a couple of hours, planning on doing the Pacific highway the next day.

Sunday was our big driving day. The breakfast at the motel we stayed at appeared to consist of coffee, muffins and sweet orange drink (not juice), luckily we had leftovers from the dinner the night before. Going north on the pacific highway we saw the Morro Rock, Moonstone Beach, sea lions, a waterfall in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Bixby bridge, and finished with a dinner in Monterey. The highway was no really that spectacular if you are used to driving Norwegian coastal roads, but it was a very nice drive. I would have loved to stop and see more of the national parks and Hearst castle, and Monterey in daylight, but it wasn't time to see everything. Maybe next time.

On Monday it was actually fairly sunny, so I rented a bike from a place nearby, and biked through Golden Gate park, where I saw the really nice Japanese Tea Garden, the playing fields for the dogs, and at last the beach on the other side. In the evening we met some other friends of Tollef for tapas, they were really nice and almost, but only almost, convinced me that SF might be a nice place to live.

On Tuesday I had a nice and quiet day, mostly packing up and getting ready to leave. On Wednesday we checked out and left for the office, where I left my luggage and headed out for some last minute sightseeing. First I headed up to the Golden Gate Bridge, and took some photos of Alcatraz from "the other side". Then I took the bus back, and walked across Fort Mason to the Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman's Wharf, getting some gifts for my family. In the evening we took a taxi to a hotel near the airport, and finally arriving there, it appeared we was re-booked into another hotel a bit further off. The hotel was noisy and the rooms was cold, so I was quite tired by the time we went to the airport to check in, and discovered that my booking did not exist. Too early in the morning it was all I could do not to cry. Luckily it solved in time for take-off, and we got both to New York and further on to Oslo without any incidents. Tollef's luggage didn't, it was sent to Sweden and used another day getting home. At least we didn't have to drag it on the airport bus home...

You can see the photos here: 

San Francisco

Palm Springs and LA

Pacific Highway

2013 - A résumé

I don't often do this, but I think the last year need a summary. I can hardly remember myself, what I did!

• January: Health was not very good. A lot of work organising a dog show in February. Resigned my job, and got a new one!
• February: Obedience course w/Odin. Organised a dog show. Work trip to Poznan to train my successors.
• March: Riding holiday in Morocco. Easter in Molde with my family.
• April: Started new job parallell to finishing the old one. Mostly work.
• May: Rally obediance course w/Odin. Weekend trip to Hemsedal.
• June: Birthdays. Short drop-in on Arcon. Weekend in Larvik.
• July: Preparing dog show in August. A week in Ringebufjellet and Molde.
• August: Road trip to UK for summer holiday. Organised dog show (successfully).
• September: Work trip to Alicante. Weekend trip to Trondheim. Good competition w/Odin.
• October: Tollef away a lot, so mostly work, dogs and rest. Weekend obedience course w/Odin.
• November: Another good competition w/Odin. Weekend trip to Molde for Christmas baking.
• December: Baking. Trip to La Manga for New Years.

Looks like I got to travel a bit after all. Kovu is also still here, but gets mostly long walks, and join the occational group trainings. He got a chip for chemical castration in October due to some hormone problems. And is still himself, mostly.

This year, there's already a lot to look forward to. In February we're going to San Francisco for two weeks. If that doesn't earn a separate blog post I'll be disappointed!
There's a few dog courses I'm looking forward to do with Odin, and I do hope to get us to elite level competitions this year. I also may take Kovu to some rally obedience competitions.
In May my sister is expecting her first child, and being first of his generation in our family he will certainly get his part of the attention.
In July I will larp again, first time in a very long time. It's been a combination of health issues and timing preventing me from larping but I really expect to make this one. I already have some plans for my costume, just waiting for more information from the organisers.
There is of course a few travels I'd like to make, preferrably including a riding holiday, if time and health permits.

Happy new year! I hope all of you have had some nice memories created in 2013, and exciting events to look forward to in 2014!

UK Roadtrip

The alternatives for our summer holiday this year was either a) road trip to Switzerland through Germany and joining Debconf (Linux conference) at some point or b) road trip to the UK and joining the LinuxBeerWanderung there. The Debconf organising was slightly unorganised, and the LBW being more dog-friendly, we took the dogs, car and spent two weeks driving to and in the UK.

Friday, August 9th

We started out by going to Larvik Friday the 10th of August, spending a few hours walking in the famous Beech tree forest with an irc-friend and his dog before we headed down to the ferry. Arriving in Hirtshals in the evening, we went straight to the nearby camping park where we had booked a room for the night.

Saturday

We spent long 14 hours in the car on Saturday, going from Hirtshals, through Denmark, Germany (with an hour queue north of Kiel), Netherlands and Belgium, before we decided to find somewhere to stay for the night. Surfing booking.com and calling up hotels that allowed dogs, we called Holiday Inn, and was answered that they only had executive rooms left, for the price of €160, but dogs were allowed there. The receptionist answering the phone claimed that the booking.com saying rooms were available was wrong. We booked there anyway, and checked in 20 minutes later, with no comments from the receptionist.

Except for the return trip, it will be a long time before I decide to go the long way around again...

Sunday

On the Sunday morning we made the short trip to Calais, and was put on an earlier ferry, and arrived before schedule in Cambridge. We settled in at the Stationroomz hostel before going off to a large green to give the dogs a run. There were free walking cows that made the walk a bit interesting, but the dogs got to run and play for a bit. Odin rolled himself in cow droppings, and when Tollef turned to look at him, Kovu ran off towards another dog, and Tollef got his hand badly burned from the long leash trying to stop him. We went back to wash off Odin and Tollef, feed the dogs, and then headed back to the green and the nearby pub where we had agreed to meet friends. We had a very nice evening in the pub garden with friends, dogs and dinner.

Monday

We arrived at Denton in Oxford short time before lunch, and was greeted by my previous employers. Nothing had changed, and everything was just as lovely as ever, and very green from the warm summer and som recent rain. We walked the dogs to a field where they got to run, and had a nice lunch at the house. Afterwards we drove into the city centre for some shopping and the important fudge and milkshake. In the evening, we met friends in Banbury and ordered curry, before we stayed the night at one of the best inns during the trip, Fairlawns.

Tuesday

Tuesday was our first day roaming the Welsh countryside. We had lunch in St. Fagans and then went to the open air museum. The museum was really great, the only regret was that we were a bit late so we did not have time to really enjoy the village and some of the exhibitions there. They had buildings, gardens and exhibitons from various times, a castle, woolmill, cider workshop and a lot of good information. It was also very accessible and the dogs enjoyed coming with us.

After the museum we drove up to Aberdare and Dare Valley camping park, which also was really great. The tent area was nice, flat and clean, there were riding stables nearby, and the park was just at the edge of the national park. We could probably have enjoyed staying there for several days, if we did not have other plans.

Wednesday

On Wednesday we started out driving to Penderyn and visiting Wales' only whisky distillery and had a tour there. The tour was short, but interesting. We continued on to the Brecon Beacon Waterfalls visitor centre, which is supposed to be a good starting point for walking to any of the many waterfalls in the national park. We had lunch at the ancient inn across the road before we went off. According to the guy in the reception there was a nice 5 km walk (there and back again) where we could see 5 of the nearest waterfalls. We headed off in rainy weather, during nice green forests, along a quite large river. We found the first (very nice) and second (somewhat boring) waterfalls, and then we had already walked 3,6 km of the supposedly 5 km walk. The path was quite uneven and I was tired, so we decided to turn around. Still, it was a very nice walk, and the dogs enjoyed it, if not so much having to be cleaned for all the mud afterwards!

From the waterfall centre we drove down to the southern coast of Wales, and camped near Pendine Sands, one of the longest beaches in Wales.

Thursday

In the morning we took the dogs to the beach and let them run, particularly Kovu enjoyed running around on the beach, in the water and in the sand. We continued driving up to St. Davids, visited the cathedral and saw the castle ruins. St. Davids is Britains smallest city, and sits on a quite hilly spot on the western coast of Wales. There was a lot of old, small shops and steep roads. After lunch, we headed up to Castell Henlleys, an iron age fort, which appeared to be a very pleasant experience. We could bring the dogs, and walked through a nice nature park, before coming to the top of the hill. There were several round houses with exhibitions and showing of practical crafts, storytelling, woodworks, weaving, how to build a house, and much more. I could have used a lot more time there, even if we got to see a bit of everything!

We continued on our way up north, and when we started to get hungry for lunch, there were no pubs or eating places along the road. After a bit we found a lonely hotel with quite expensive, plain food. While we had dinner it started to rain outside, and before we were leaving it really poured down. We considered whether to camp for the night or find a B&B, but ended up finding a quite nice camp site. The rain even eased for a bit when we put up our tent, so we weren't quite soaked before going to bed, but the wind and rain picked up again, and it was a restless, noisy night.

Friday

Friday was spent mostly in Conwy. We parked on the wrong side of the city, and walked to the castle. Conwy castle is very old and quite nice, but the visit was not really worth the money. There could have been so much more information about the history and layout of the castle. Also, the guide could have made some more effort, or at least left his plastic sword and fabric chain mail at home. To anyone coming after us, just do the town wall walk instead!

After the castle we had ice cream and I visited the smallest house in Britain. A nice little place, where actually a whole family lived at some point!

From Conwy we drove to York, and tried to find an open camping park that answered the phone and also had available tent pitches. After some tries we ended up at some farm camping by the marina that also had free walking chicks. Exciting! In the evening we took both dogs to the pub where we met another friend of Tollef. Apart from when the dogs discovered the cat on the roof, it was a nice evening.

Saturday

We packed up on Saturday and headed to Newcastle to visit my cousin. Underway we called some camping parks but all were full, so we ended up booking an inn for the night. At my cousin's place we first inspected his new apartement, which was really nice, and then went to a nearby pub and had lunch. The guys went off afterwards to walk the dogs in a park, and I went to the city center to do some shopping. A few hours later we met up and were all happy with the day. We found a nearby Indian restaurant where we had dinner, before we said goodbye.

The inn we booked was nearby the airport, and quite busy with partying people on a Saturday night. We were in the quiet corner of the building, according to the landlady, so the surprise was quite big then police woke us in the middle of the night. Someone at the inn had noticed the door of our car being open, and called them. Nothing was gone, so we probably had forgotten the door in the hurry to check in and get to bed...

Sunday

Finally, we arrived in Castleton to stay there for the next four nights. All my doubts about the cottage that we had booked were gone when we found the owned in the next door cottage, got the key, and entered. Beech croft cottage was really beautiful, apparently recently refurbished, and quite large.

After getting settled and grabbing some lunch, we ended up spontaneously joining the LBW people for an afternoon walk. It was longer than we were told beforehand, so we turned back after a while, but at least started to let the dogs become used to the other dog that was there.

The landscape around was beautiful, and the village was really busy with all the people that came there to walk in the area. It did quieten after the weekend, but was still a lot more busy than I expected.

Monday

The experience of sleeping in a lovely bed with nice, clean linen, knowing that I would stay in the same bed for the next few nights, was just lovely. On Monday morning we started doing some shopping for the organised dinner in the evening. Then we joined our first long walk, about 10 km long, to a nearby top. We walked through fields and hills that were crowded with sheep, so the dogs had to stay on leads, but were mostly ok with passing the sheep peacefully.

In the afternoon (after a long, nice showed in the very nice bathroom in the cottage) there was an organised dinner where everybody brought some food. Tollef made pancakes, and we brought some Norwegian sweets and drink. We got to taste a lot of nice and special food from many places.

After dinner there were movies, and I saw Monthy Python and the Holy Grail while beating some others in Carcassonne with some new, special rules (I did not like them much, though).

Tuesday

On Tuesday my feet were really sore from the day before. Odin, Kovu and I hung out at the village hall with the other lazy people while Tollef joined another long walk. Before lunch, one of the other participants joined me and we took the dogs for a walk to Peveril Castle, a 15 minute walk away. It was quite expensive, even if nice. There was some information on the history and layout of the castle, and it was fun to imagine how it would have been.

After lunch (Milkshake from a local bar, not impressed) the dogs and I hung around the Village Hall, awaiting Tollef's return. About seven in the evening he arrived, and we had a quick dinner and a short evening at the Hall before falling into bed.

Wednesday

The last full day in England. Both ready to start for home, but sad to leave too. Tollef and I took a walk on our own around the back of the castle and across some of the fields we walked on Monday. At one point we met a bunch of full-grown but very curious calves that wanted to say hi to Kovu. I knew Odin would trigger on them, so we stayed a bit behind while Tollef took the opportunity to work som contact and calm with Kovu. One of the calves was as close as one meter away, Kovu went down in a play-bow, the calf jumped back a few metres but came back shortly. We stayed there for a while before we chased them off and walked back to the village.

Back in the village hall I just played computer games, while Tollef attended the beer tasting. In the evening we had our last dinner on a pizza place that was recommended, and appeared to be very nice.

Thursday

On Thursday morning we packed the car, and headed off just at the same time as the days hike left the village hall. We headed down towards and through London, doing not too bad from what we expected might be a long queue on the M25. We made a last stop to do some shopping for dog-stuff, and were just in time for the Dunkirk ferry. The ferry was a bit late in crossing, and we arrived at the hotel quite late in the evening. The dogs, having spent most of the day in the car, got a nice run on the nearby beach before we went to bed.

Friday

Tollef took the dogs down to the beach again and let them run, before we had breakfast and headed north. The day was mostly like the trip out, long and boring, with a few pit stops. We found a very idyllic camping site in the evening, where we had booked beforehand. The staff had left for the night, with a note on the door for us to find the key and linens in cabin number 5.

Saturday

We had a not very exciting breakfast before driving the last two hours to the ferry. There was some roadworks and queues, and I was a bit nervous even though we had left in good time. Of course there were no problems, we made the ferry, and then arrived at home not too late after the last couple of hours drive from Larvik. Happy to be home, but looking forward to our next trip to the UK!

Les 2 Gazelles

Les 2 gazelles

Day 1: I fell off!

The day started too early, with a shuttle to Terminal 5 and flight from London to Agadir, and then a 90 minute drive along roads of variable quality to the ranch called Les 2 Gazelles. The driver didn’t speak much English, so we spent the time watching the dry landscape and half built towns.

On our arrival we were met by Leila, who spoke a little bit English, and showed us around and offered lunch. After lunch we already had our first ride, a short lesson in the school and then an hour riding out. I got a big mare called Tamazirt that was really lazy in the walk, fine with trotting and full speed in canter and gallop. Tollef got a smaller mare called Tizlit who were more forward going in all paces. We rode down to the beach and along it, and it was obvious that the horses normally run a lot there. We didn’t do any trot or canter before we turned off the beach and along the tracks back to the stable. At some point the guides horse shied during a canter, and my horse followed suit. I was somewhat prepared, but didn’t manage to stay on. Well done for a first ride! The fall was not really bad, and I got up and we walked nicely back to the stables.

Dinner was nice enough, and we both withdrew early, tired from the travel and riding.

Day 2: New horse, new possibilities

The second day started with a two hour long ride along the beach and back across the dry inner land, to my disappointment still on Tamazirt. We had some long canters along the beach, and the horses really enjoyed it. I have not often become tired from cantering! Tamazirt was really strong and pulling a lot on the left rein, so I spent some time fighting her before we finally agreed.

We had lunch and a new arrival, an Englishman that had done a lot of riding holidays. It was lovely having someone to talk to that actually understood English properly. He joined our ride in the afternoon, where I was allowed to change horses for a red Arab stallion named Queiss. He was so much better than Tamazirt, following the others in a nice pace, and quite controllable in trot. We did not canter at all, as we came through a town that had some kind of festival, and we rode through crowds of people, down a narrow track, all of this with loud noise from speakers around us. Queiss got really nervous, and took a long time to calm down. Then, on crossing the road before the last stretch, he was startled by a motorbike, and almost got me off for the second time on my part. Luckily I stayed on this time.

Day 3. Storms, and yet another horse.

In the evening the wind caught up, and we had a storm during the night. I didn’t sleep much, as the dog was barking a lot in the yard, and the wind made a lot of noise. Luckily we didn’t have any water coming into our room, like some of the others had.

I asked if we would have a lesson in the morning rather than riding out, as I was very unsure how the horses would be in the strong wind. Leila said we would, but when we were to saddle the horses we were told that we were going out anyway. I agreed to take Tamazirt again, as she could be expected to be calmer with the wind. Better with lazy than jumpy. We barely got out through the gate though, before she started jumping around and making problems, and I decided to go back inside and rest for the morning. At that point I was not very happy with the horses or the guides, the main instructor being the only one able to pick out a horse for me that I could be comfortable with. I rested until the others came back, and not unexpectedly, it had been a lively ride.

Before lunch I spoke to Leila, and in the afternoon I got Tollef’s horse, Tizlit. I felt really bad about that since he was so happy with her, but apparently it was the only horse they meant would be better for me than the two I had already tried, and the alternative was to break off the whole riding thing and go to Agadir for touristing (I was that tired of everything, lack of sleep didn’t help at all). Tollef got my horse and rode out with the others, while I stayed for a lesson together with a younger girl who also stayed at the ranch. It was not very complicated instructions, mostly controlling the horse in trot and canter, but I got to know the horse and got quite comfortable with her. She is just the kind of horse that I like, small, quick and eager. I still had some problems controlling her in the school, so waiting to see how riding out will be in the coming day. Tollef was also happy with “my” horse, so in the end it was a successful switch.

Day 4. Testing, testing.

No less stormy, but at least more sleep during this night. My plan was to ride out in the morning to get to know Tizlit on the track, and a lesson in the afternoon because it is less tiring, saving my energy for the trail ride.

The English-speaking guide took us about the same route as Youssuf on Sunday, down to the beach with some canters, and back through a village and over the dry lands. We had various levels of strong wind the whole way, and on our way back we had some heavy rain showers. Today’s challenge was a gallop along the beach against wind and rain. A bit after we had to stop and turn the horses with their backs to the rain, as they are not used to this at all. All in all Tizlit proved to be a good and steady horse, though I am not sure if I could have kept her back if the French couple behind me had started racing, as they tended to come side by side during the canters.

In the afternoon I was having a lesson with the girl from yesterday and the French guy from the earlier mentioned couple. Luckily I was in the school before any of the others and got some time all to myself to work on the trot and halts that I struggled with yesterday. When the other two came the lesson more or less consisted of the three of us riding around trying to avoid each other, the French guy changing directions a bit randomly, and the other two of us trying to control our horses to pass him and each other without causing any trouble. My horse appeared quite tired and protested quite heavily against the trot and canters in the end, so we made it a short lesson (if it counts as a lesson without any instruction?).

After a shower (including various water temperatures) I had my appointed massage, which at least was very good. Hopefully a full body massage will help me relax my muscles and sleep better the last night before the trail ride. Apparently we are going about 30 kilometers every day, by 5-7 hours of riding. I expect that we are not doing much trotting or canter as the horses will be having long enough days anyway. Looking forward to see how this will be! For dinner we also had the company of Rene’s daughter and her friend, who will be joining us on the flight back to London.

Day 5. To ride or not to ride (in the rain).

Against all expectations, Wednesday started out with strong winds. The rain came just as we took the horses out to get up, and within the first hour horses and riders were soaked. We discussed whether to turn back, as it was supposed to rain all day, but when it cleared up (just as we decided to return, of course) we decided to go on for lunch and then consider the course.

We walked beside the horses up a steep rocky mountain part, before we mounted again and rode along country roads in the hillsides. Nice view, with threatening clouds from all sides. We rode through a couple of towns with a lot of attention from the inhabitants, and crossed a mostly dry river. The rain didn’t come again until we had lunch in the middle of an open field, but it wasn’t too bad and we continued the trip. The car with our luggage and equipment had gone before us and set up tables and prepared lunch for us.

After lunch we rode in a dry riverbed for some time, before we got back up on the road and had a good long canter before we started to ascend the steep mountainside. From the top of the mountain we had a terrific view of the Moroccan savannah and other mountains, even one that looked like Lonely Mountain! During the descent the horses got really tired, and we walked them the last bit to the camp that was almost ready set up. Everything was a bit damp from the rain, but the skies had cleared up and we could change to quite dry clothes and get some rest.

Day 6

We woke up to the prayers in the nearest village, rain on the tent, and luckily a swiftly clearing sky. The second day of the ride we rode through hilly landscape, and a long rocky stretch from the camp and up on another mountain. We walked the horses again quite far downhill, and it was good for the horses to get some rest. In a town we ended up chasing a cow away, and then we came down on the earlier viewed savannah, rocky fields with bushes and trees, where we had lunch.

After lunch we rode mostly on flat land, with some nice canters and trots along the roads. My horse was quite tired, and on the last few canters she refused to do anything but trot (possibly partly to do with the horse in front that had really uneven speed because the rider was fighting the reins all the time).

Even though the second day had been easier, I was really tired in the evening. I had a “wet wipe shower” and a fresh change of clothes, which felt incredibly good. We had some cooked chicken and mint-tea (served after most meals), and then flat out in the tent.

Day 7, there and back again.

The last day of the trail ride. The morning was a bit cloudy and chilly, but it soon cleared up and we had a really nice and warm sun that easily uncovered the spots we missed with the sunscreen... Not unexpectedly, we headed towards the coast still across the flat land. A lot of the parts were rocky, so there was little speed the first half of the ride. Some parts had large puddles from the rain, and some of the horses were really uncomfortable with the slippery ground. The advantage of the rain for our part was probably that there was no dust at all! A dog followed us for a long time, but stayed behind in a town we went through. After riding through a tourist area we came down to the beach, where the car waited with lunch, including strawberries for dessert! We untacked the horses and let them have a good roll in the sand, which was really appreciated.

After a long nice picnic on the beach, we headed towards the ranch. Both horses and riders were tired and eager to get home, and expected to have some good gallops along the beach. For my part the gallops were slightly spoiled because the rider in front of me still didn’t have control of his horse, but it was very nice anyway. I also managed to take some nice photos beach between the speedy parts. At the very end of the trip it started raining again, so much that we had to stop and turn the horses against the wind, as they were not used to the rain and quite nervous about it.

Back at the ranch we washed down the horses and equipment before taking a long awaited shower. In the evening there was a big dinner, with some other guests, and a lot of food and new dishes. Still, I was happy when we finished and could go to bed and have a good night's sleep before going home the next day. At the end of the week I was not sure if I was happy with the holiday or not. Some time later, having digested it all, I think I might have gone somewhere else, and made some other choices, but I also got some experiences that I am happy to take with me.

Jeg har ME

Jeg har ME. Myalgisk Encefalopati, eller kronisk tretthetssyndrom, som det også kalles. Dette er egentlig begynnelsen (eller slutten?) på en lang historie, som jeg har startet på inne i hodet mitt ganske mange ganger nå. En bok lang, kanskje. Hvis jeg noen gang får tid, og ro på meg. Her kommer den korte versjonen.

I 2002 møtte jeg veggen, og fikk etter et års tid (et halvt år uten ønske om hjelp og et halvt år til på venteliste) diagnosen utbrenthet og alvorlig depresjon. Dette gikk sin gang, og i 2004 startet veien "tilbake" for min del, med gradvis bedring. I 2005 startet jeg på attføring gjennom NAV (historiene om prosessene i Norsk Helsevesen og NAV er flere helt egne kapitler som igrunn er ganske underholdende så lenge på ettertid, når jeg nå fortsatt lever), og i 2007 startet jeg på 50% studier i arkivbehandling, som jeg fullførte, om ikke med glans så med stolthet. Så stoppet det opp.

Depresjonen slapp taket gradvis fra 2004, og jeg var helt ferdig med antidepressiva i 2006. Det var ingen åpenbar grunn til at jeg ikke skulle få energien tilbake, men både leger og psykologer sa at det ikke var noe annet å gjøre enn å gi det tid.

Vi bodde et år i England, og jeg jobbet 3-4 timer per dag med fysisk arbeid utendørs. Det fungerte greit, det hjalp med mye dagslys og en mild vinter, selv om jeg tidvis var mye sliten. Tilbake i Norge jobbet jeg 50% i et arkiv i 5 måneder, og det var akkurat litt mer enn det jeg fungerte med, og fikk en funksjonsberegning fra legen på 40%. Det er håpløst å finne stillinger på 40%, men jeg var heldig og fant en som jeg har den dag i dag.

Så gikk NAV lei av å vente. Etter å ha gått i flere år på det som for tiden heter AAP (arbeidsavklaringspenger, tidligere rehabiliteringspenger og attføringspenger, eller også en periode midlertidig uførepenger for min del) uten vesentlig endring i funksjonsnivå måtte jeg enten friskmeldes eller utredes ytterligere for å utelukke alle muligheter og deretter eventuelt søke uføretrygd.

ME dukket opp i mediene omtrent samtidig som jeg ble syk. Jeg var klar over sykdommen og hva den innebar (alle kjenner jo til "noen"), og brukte noen av rådene og teknikkene der da jeg selv knapt orket å stå opp av sengen. Men etter at jeg startet på attføring konkluderte jeg med at jeg var for frisk til å ha ME, selv om noen av symptomene kunne stemme, og lege og psykolog var igrunn enig. Per i dag lever jeg et relativt normalt liv med hus, jobb, to hunder som jeg trener aktivt med, og et varierende antall hobbyer. Jeg jobber bare deltid, må ha noen hviledager iblant, og går litt tidligere hjem enn de andre fra sosiale tilstelninger.

Derfor var det litt med blandede følelser jeg etter en spesialistutredning (etter overraskende kort ventetid på knappe 6 mnd) fikk diagnosen. Folk man hører om som har ME ligger jo i en seng i et mørkt rom og tåler hverken lyd eller lys. Men etterhvert har jeg oppdaget at det er ganske mange som er som meg, som har jobb og lever relativt normalt så lenge de tar hensyn til energinivået.

En annen sak med ME er jo at det er tiårets "motediagnose". "Alle" de ikke greier å finne ut hva feiler får diagnosen ME. Noen ganger leser man i avisene eller andre steder om folk som egentlig hadde borreliose, cøliaki og andre ting. Eller som blir friske av nye og fantastiske metoder som ikke fungerer for de fleste andre optimistiske ME-pasienter som prøver det. Innerst inne vet jeg ikke helt om jeg tør å tro på diagnosen for min egen del, selv om det forklarer en del ting som jeg enten ikke har tenkt over eller bortforklart.

Ettersom det ikke finnes noen godkjent behandling så spiller det jo ikke så stor rolle for min del. Det vil ikke gjøre noen stor forskjell i hverdagen, jeg vil leve som før, jobbe, trene, være med hundene, og prøve å bli i bedre form og bli friskere, uten å overanstrenge meg så jeg blir altfor sliten.

NAV har fått papiret sitt, og jeg har funnet boksen min. Jeg (tror jeg) vet hva som feiler meg, og kanskje vil det gjøre det lettere for meg å forholde meg til hverdagen, energimangelen, og ikke minst NAV og Norsk Helsevesen.

Så får vi bare se hva fremtiden bringer (hvis den ikke stopper i morgen).