Not my car....

Perhaps an artist living here?

One day I might find out.

This is a well known landmark at " Torget/ the marked place" where you can buy food like hot dogs, hamburgers etc. in the evenings at the weekends.

Perhaps today is the day to buy some flowers ?

I meet these cute and noisy friends sometimes when I am out for walks:)

They love mud and water and live a happy life near Sørmarka, a popular place for walking.

(PS. Today I have posted the prizes from the competition.)

Tonight I have spent 3 hours on a course held by NAF. (Norwegian Automobile Association)

"Girls Evening", a free course about cars, what to do, when to do it and how to do it.

A course for us , a group of nearly 20 women, all ages, and I guess with different number of years as car drivers. Wow, I think tonight gave us an idea about many things that we had not thought about before.

At "Sølvberget Galleri" in the Culturehouse, you can, from now and until mid April, walk through a very nice, strange and secret wood.

Antonio Rodrigues and Helle Damgård have created this area that is open to the public, and it is good fun with places to hide and explore. Sometimes dark as the night, and sometimes sunshine with real sounds from the woods. Many children from different schools have been visiting the place. I can't really take photos of the children without permission from their parents, so I was pleased to find 3 generations who said yes to being my models, Åse, Kristel and little Mille :)

A wonderful morning. Still a bit of snow around.

Plenty of snow up in the mountains and more to come.

At the back in this photo, there is lots of building activity.

Our new concert house is well on it´s way.

It has been a beautiful, fresh, sunny and cold Sunday! (- 8C just now when I arrived back home.)

In the city centre the windows will soon be full of spring fashion for 2011.

I see all these legs and feet with no woolen socks..... and I thought about one of you who belongs to the CDP community, who posted a simmilar photo a few days back...

The winners of the competition are (in the order they were picked out):

1. Al

2. VP

3. Honest Abe Lincoln

4. Milena

5. ladyfi

CONGRATULATIONS!

Reflections #1

LENA, who is from Kiev in Ukraine, has been living in Norway for 5 years.

She has been busy studying, the last 3 years in the travel branch.

Her Norwegian is very very good, and she speaks several other languages too.

Best of luck with exams and job searching.

I am sure you will succeed !:)

To see colorful "Primula" plants is MY sign that spring is on it's way.

Yesterday I bought these.

In the evening and over night we got quite a bit of snow again.

So although it is very much still winter here, these help to "warm" me up.

February 16 th. at 16.05.

Man heading back home from work on his unicycle.

St.Olav area, - on a bright and cold day!

Valentine`s Day today.

I hope you all have had a nice day!:)

Most shops have decorated more than just the windows, and here is one I passed a couple of days ago.

*** Competition closed Sunday 20.02.2011***

I have been sponsored with 5 scarves, pins and money clips from http://www.vikingbutikken.no/

YOU can be one of the 5 winners, All you have to do to be in with a chance is to :

Add a comment here and tell me just the name of the most famous football team (or soccer team for those of you in the US) from the area where you are living.

The winners will be announced NEXT Sunday, and my husband will pick the names of the winners out of a bowl.

Happy weekend everyone!

The sky is blue, it is windy and cold, but the sun is shining.

If you enlarge the photo you can see the snow on top of the mountains.

This is a view over Auglend, Mariero and down to Hillevåg.

Yes I know the names are strange:)

Childhood can sometimes be too organized .

Most kids from the age of one, spend longer days in the kindergarden than their parents spend at work.

A bit sad to see all the empty playgrounds, but this weekend it will probably be full activity again, with all the "lorry drivers" back at work.

A different perspective on a grey day.

After parking the car, and walking out of the carpark I noticed this sign on the way out.

Someone seems to have made a couple of "creative" adjustments to it.

I hope they will make a nice "mother and daughter" sign, with beautiful dresses, shoes and smart handbags!?

"Chocho Boco" is a nice place for a bit to eat and drink. It is situated in the cinema area at the Culture House. You can even get alcohol served, but you can not take it in to the cinema area for public viewings. However, I have been invited a few times to private viewings of films at the Luxury and V.I.P screening rooms. Here there are plenty of snacks and drinks, and because these are "closed" private viewings, alcohol is allowed.

These days the politicians are busy discussing this, and today the local newspaper wrote an article about this.

http://www.aftenbladet.no/lokalt/1330580/ndash_Alkohol_hoerer_ikke_hjemme_paa_kinoen.htmlSSSssS

What is it like at your cinema?

On a grey and cold day, like today, it is nice to see some bright colors like this house near the park and little lake in the city centre.

(At this moment it has started SNOWING again:)

Sad to see how neglected the church, Hetlands kirken, has become.

A view of the interior at "Food story".
A popular place to eat here in Stavanger and also one of my personal favorites.
Good food and a very interesting style.

According to "Rolfsen", a well known fashion-trend-shop in Kirkegaten, this is what Norwegian men should look like this winter.

Not many people have a big villa and a big garden like this here in Stavanger.
Most people who have big gardens build a second house.
I like this villa and these wonderful old trees.

Quick and simple breakfast, plus coffee and orange juice, can keep me going for hours.

Coffee is essential !:)

This is the house for the French-Norwegian Culture Centre and the French consulate.
I have a friend who has started in a French conversation class here.
Probably a very good idea! (Most of us here in Norway use English before French, German or perhaps Spanish) .
The center also has an exhibition area for art, together with a section for books, films and magazines for those who are interested.
Some company employees (and their children) who are going to move to France attend private courses arranged through the center.