9th July 2010 Our house Brohaugen, Norway

This will be the end of this blog. We are back in Norway and our container has arrived with all the garden furniture and other stuff. In the short video you will see our old house Brohaugen in Norway uncensurised. I think it will give some impression on what is keeping me occupied lately. For us there is no other better place on the globe, summer or winter, and I am very aware that this old house will be a lifelong project. Then the art becomes to find time for a nap in the hammock.

Thank you for many nice reactions and you can still find me on both hyves and facebook, and my university email address, although I currently am unemployed.

20th April 2010 - Thousand issues, kid, cat and garden

Officially I have not moved back to Norway jet. I found out that it takes running a 3 step paper and net mill to be living in my own house for real. First I have to report to the police office, this after have made an application on the internet office of foreign affairs (UDI). This needs to be combined with official papers as valid work contract (for me) or birth certificate (for Merijn, a document I have never used before). That this was the current practice I found out after visiting the police station with the forms that were used last year, up dated, signed and scanned. The next day, after have dug up Merijns certificate from the remaining stuff upstairs, I arrived at the police station in Elvestad, to find it was closed because police force is to small to keep the office open. On Monday morning I found out were the police office in Spydeberg was situated and brought the papers there, but of cause it was not their case, and they were going to hand it over to the responsible lady in the Hobøl force who might be able to look into int on Wednesday (tomorrow) between 12 and 15.
When I get the papers back from Hobøl police office I have to go to Askim personally to report moving into Norway to the persons office (Folke register). Then this is connected to many official registers (tax office (skatteetaten) NAV (social office) and so on). As long as I am not ‘living’ in this country I am not allowed to make an regular appointment with my doctor, since I do not have any and I am not allowed to register to have one. Guess one does gets help in case of emergency, but this will bring an unappreciatable paper trail.
Then there are all the small things. Making a case to get the deposit from my tenants, preferably without having to obtain any signatures, since he has left without a trace. The case consists of a letter of complaint of unpaid rent and some minor details referring to attachments from my bank account, bank communication, contract document and email communications with them. These I have delivered to the bank where the money is situated, and hope for the best. Changing the locks, since the tenants never returned their keys. Which was surprisingly easy, at Byggmaker (handyman shop) there is one person that can change the content of an old lock of the brand common here, to fit a new set of keys. This cost NOK 150 only, half of the cheapest new locks I have seen. So hurray for him, although I still obtain this knowledge, take my old lock there, wait for it to transform and skrew it back inn when home again (yes my house was unlocked for a whole day... but I am living in Norwegian country side, risk is very small and I did not announce it on FB or anywhere else). Then there are some small car issues; alu wheels, 2 sets of tyres (car dealer), toll road subscription (fjellinje.no/ESSO), cheaper diesel (Esso card) rescue service (NAF), paint and floor mats (Toyota), 3M protection foil (Torshovbil). Merijns labtop has a broken lid since November last year. It is still younger than 2 years, so it needs to be send to the internet shop (amentio). Besides that I have the issues of Merijn, this now includes daily homework too. Misu, the hairy cat, whos fur has not been combed for a year, but by now I have reduced of 90% of her dreadlock issues.
Oh did I mention I have a garden, my patch of Norway 2500 m2 large, each of my two houses (one renovated since 1887 and one not) do not comprise more than 200 m2 together and the rest is garden, with grass, flowers, fruits and vegetables. Last weekend I decided to remove an irritating wild bed of weedlike flowers, this weekend I reorganised the patch with stones and replanted with all remains of menthe family and some of the most favoured flowers from in between the weeds. Also have I started to dig up my vegetable garden that was left as it was since I went August 2008. And the cold bench is still in pieces (complete I hope) inside, but needs new foundation before it can be replaces, next weekend maybe.
I do hope I have some time to work to in the close future. After I post this blog I do foresee a brake, to be able to do some serious working on my project.

Just remembering too that I am out of a job by the end of next month, another issue that needs addressing.

(My quiet Nairobi life is defenitely over :o)

Wednesday 7th of April - Obtaining wheels

Norway has very nice trains and busses, but this country is very large with a relative low population and it is not always very pleasant to be outdoors. Choosing where you live means choosing to be completely depending on a car or not. I live very near Oslo, only a half hour by car, but the nearest anything is 5 km or more away, and my work in Ås 30 km. Neither my house nor the university is next to the train station and the travel in between takes 1h19min (except at 0718 only 34 min, which I can not catch since Merijn schoolbus leaves 0730) besides that it costs NOK 51 one way (www.nsb.no). When I want to visit friends in Bergen I take the train, if booked very early NOK 199, but for the daily routine I need a car. So after scanning www.finn.no for a few days I found a Toyota yaris, much like the one I sold two years ago, a little newer though. Yesterday I called the importer to check whether the car was still there. After a final check on other options that evening I made an appointment with my neighbour Margunn to drive to the station together, she works in Oslo and drives to the Tomter station. Mind that I was already there using their wireless internet at their home. I found that I can use my mobile to connect to internet too, but this connection is very unstable.
The Finn car sales page covers the whole country, and although an even better looking car was for sale close to Bergen, I choose one on a little closer on the other side of the Oslo fjord. I took the train Tomter – Tønsberg, where you now also can use a chip card to pay for a ticket. Changed trains in Oslo, luckily without delay, and arrived in Tønsberg 2hours and 20 minutes later, where I took the taxi to Sem, since I had no clue where it was. The taxi driver informed me on how to avoid the toll roads on the way back, on the way to the ferry Horten - Moss.
I saw the car and liked it. Dirty outside and inside, especially the engine, tyres without profile and scrape marks in the plastic part of the boot. The sound of the engine was as a diesel should sound, and it drove as expected of a tiny turbo diesel, a lot of power and little weight. This model has a much different interior compared to my previous one, but I already like the volume buttons on the steering wheel. Dark grey metallic may be a bit dull colour, but very practical. I bargained for two sets of better tyres, with the summer set on alu. Unfortunately I have to pass by the place next week to pick those up. I signed the contract, paid via by internet and called my insurance company. Then the seller called Morten was off to register the car, and pick up new number plates.
I had to wait two hours in a village with only a few shops, two petrol stations and a Chinese restaurant. There I ordered a cup of tea and managed to hook-up to the internet with my mobile. By 1530 I was called back and received the car keys, so within an half hour I had tried all buttons,radio, glove and related compartments and was on my way back home. The ferry cost NOK 78, for a car and driver for about 40min sail. The coffee on board was pretty bad, but there is free internet access. From Moss it takes exactly 30 minutes to reach home over the bumpy roads because of the thawing frost underneath (telehiv).
If the weather becomes as good as promised I will have a car to clean this weekend, nobody here I can pay KES 50 to do it. Good the car is a little smaller.
Link to car advertisement:
www.finn.no/finn/car/used/object?finnkode=21176648

Easter 4th of March - To be or to have a tenant

For Mr Pami I have tried to be a good tenant. I paid until end of March and booked a flight at the 31st of March, but I forgot the clause in the contract saying that the place had to be returned as found, newly painted. This basically means that I have to pay for the paint and the labour, which he organised. The painter never produced a bill, and without a receipt I am not paying anyone, with or without VAT, especially of the extraordinary high price of 5000, if the guy actually paining receives 1000 for 2 days work he is lucky. But I will take contact with a mutual friend with whom I can settle the bill later.
My own tenants is a completely different story. This young couple did not last to long. I do not know the details, but she moved out and he was unable to afford Brohaugen alone. So since 1st of December the house was empty. With the unusually long and hard frost, weeks of -25C the water systems froze, to taw again less than two weeks ago, apparently without any damage. The few indoor plants that survived the previous tenant are dead as well. (So I will check out if the garden centre is open tomorrow).
Although my neighbours had tried to clean a little after theirs snowy boots, the whole house is full with black dog hairs, on the beds and everywhere, will probably find them until Xmas. The first thing I did after coming in was vacuuming, being very happy with my 22ooW apparatus, that was Thursday. Friday I cleaned out all cupboards and kitchen. I found a very unlucky mouse in a cupboard, making very necesassity of the work very clear. The oven was left sprayed full with cleaning foam. So I was unable to make lunch of the ciabattas Margunn had bought for me until that was clean too. Then there was clean space to bring the kitchen stuff down. In the boxes some mice had been running around as well, so it did not take long until the dishwasher was full. Then I found that the bottom was full with dirty water. So everything out again and let it run a short program to clean itself. I found just enough dishwasher detergent to run one go with plates and glasses, and filled it awaiting for detergent. Yesterday was Saturday, shopping time, which is a nessecary evil to me. As I had Margunns car, after dropping her at the busstation for visiting her friend in Stavanger in the weekend, I drove to Ski storsenter long before the big rush. There I visited my few favourite shops, Clair DK, NoaNoa, Indiska, ClassOhlsen, Mestergrøn, BodyShop and checked out some new shops, they opened a new floor since I left, I did not spend much. I have no overview of what I own right now, or what I need. But found a new version of tea immerses, which I have been collecting for 20 years now, not very fanatically though. Then I went to Enebakk to buy food. Since I did not own a single pasta screw or rice corn, I spend more than ever there. In bus shelter at the other side of the road a few apparently drunken village originals were celebrating easter loudly. Home again with food and a few flowers it was very good to enjoy the sun in front of the veranda doors with a cup of tea and a newspaper, Aftenposten.
This morning I cleaned all the floors, vacuum, green soap and lye, to bring them back in the original light colour, before waxing. Now I am having warm feet again on the woollen carpet sitting in the woolly hairy blanket covered chair.
Tomorrow I have to wash the windows, which are filled with dog noses and the doors with have funny yellow spots everywhere, possibly dog slime. And still a lot of stuff to move down, so that will be my trim the coming week, running up and down the stairs. Not that I need to lose any weight, gaining some is more my aim.

Thursday 1st April - Landing in Norway

Leaving Nairobi to make it to the airport was more challenging than expected. The traffic made that we were the last to check in our flight, also because I had to juggle with the content of the suitcases to make them both less than 25kg. Luckily the guy responsible lifted the suitcase a little before pushing the button. The passport control was rapid and even one of the escalators worked, to get up to the gates. In the airplane was not overfull, so after takeoff the xxl gentleman next to us was given another seat, and Merijn slept before the late night snack. And I saw a funny Flemish film, one of the good things of flying KLM. We landed on time at Schiphol, but had to speed walk all the way to the next gate to make it to next flight in time, because the time consuming passport control at the exit of the Nairobi plane. And then the second complete check to get into D where we had to go to gate 84, as usual.
At Oslo airport Gardermoen we found our suitcases quickly and Merijns dad was waiting for us. The weather was gray, with wet snow falling. We drove to Brohaugen, where Misu was walking around the house waiting for us and Margunn my neighbour had opened the door and put on the oven full with wood. Merijn was jumping around in the garden throwing snowballs at his dad. I added some wood to the oven and went up to find the water cooker and cups in the old bedroom where I had stored my stuff. Since it is easter all stores are closed on Thursday and Friday as well as Sunday and Monday. So Margunn had left the most necessary foodstuff to help me survive, among which green tea and nugatti :o).We had some tea and then Merijns little brother called his dad telling him that he had waited long enough. Merijn is spending Easter with his dad, while I make Brohaugen liveable again.

Wednesday 31st March - Kwaheri Nairobi

The last days went very fast doing my best to take care of as many loose ends as possible, as well as saying goodbye to everybody crossing my path.
At Merijns school they usually have a kwaheri ceremony on the last day at school, since I work and as good as never pick up Merijn from school I have never attended any. Merijn had to sit in front of everybody, and they sang the short and powerful Kwaheri song. After that received Merijn a booklet in which each of his class mates had written their personal best wishes with little drawings, as well as the teachers. As soon as Merijn met his dad at the Oslo airport this had to be shown and read out loud.
Since I had given away the mattress we did not any place to sleep the last two nights. Miyuki, who rents the bottom of the guesthouse in the picture underneath, allowed us to stay at her place, filling the floor with suitcases and stuff to be packed. On our last evening she went early home from work to prepare dinner for us and a few guests. This was as good as every diner we have enjoyed at her place, adjusted to everybody’s best wishes, with some interesting Japanese touch. Living in Nairobi would be very hard without friends like Miyuki.

30th March 2010 Moving out

Last Saturday was the big emptying the house day. First some of the kitchen items left, and then we had a garden sale of smaller things and cloths. Although I had advertised on several websites, not many came, but most of the small things were sold. So it might be better to advertise more and earlier, and not have it in a weekend many people are stating holidays. One other lesson I learned is that it’s best to get paid in advance. The person who had viewed and wanted the sofa, came later on Saturday without the financing, appologies only. Good that I had stored all emails of all persons interested, so I could call the next in line, who luckily wanted most of it. And the next day the guy helping with the transport bought the remaining two-seater.
Leaving with a container has a great benefit. If nobody wants it (for the right price) pack it. The lady who said she wanted the dining table and chairs did not come to pick it up, so that will be shipped. A lot of things are given away too, much of Merijn and my cloths as well as linen. Why shipping it to Norway, to put it in a cloths collecting container, to be shipped out again, possibly even to Nairobi? The last reminders of the kitchen items I brought to the office, so my colleagues could buy them for very little. The money obtained there I will leave behind for future school fees, that some of my colleagues have great difficulty with to raise.
Now the container is standing in front of the compound, and the last items are packed. By noon I will return the keys to my landlord and say farewell to the staff and Tusker the dog.
Yesterday I also sold my car, and the ownership transfer was signed. Today I will receive the money, in cash, which I will put into my account ASAP. I found a friend who agreed on selling the car in case I did not manage. This knowledge gave me a peace of mind and patience to wait for a good price.