Minky-whale washes up in our backyard

Well not quite ... but there is a connection between the two. For those greenpeace lovers, please don't read on!

Ok - we haven't written much lately. Since Friday afternoon last week we have basically been out working in the garden every small second. Things we have done:

• Hired a 5m skip
• Filled it up with soil and roots from the garden as well as a 6x4m section of grass
• Ripped out 2 large hedges, 3 ugly plants, about 10 large tree/shrub roots
  
• Built some steps out of timber, Norsk granite cobblestones, Sola beach sand, driveway pebbles
  
• Built timber borders for the garden beds
• Landscaped the garden beds
• Put weed matting down
• Spent a ridiculous amount of money on new plants
• Planted them
• Borrowed Mari's car with a tow ball
• Got 2 cubic metres of tanbark and trailer
• Filled up trailer with said hedges, ugly plants, roots, and massive stump i pulled out a while ago
• Took it all to the tip
• Landscaped area with tanbark
• Had a few beers to celebrate a job well done

Here are some pics showing what we have managed to do:


Here is just below our current deck. Already removed is 3 ugly bushes, a hedge all the way along where Emma is standing, and various other trees/shrubs from the previously overgrown garden.


Ryan and Coobs managed to help out with this also.


Here is where we ripped up the grass getting ready for the deck extension. It is planned to go about 400mm off the ground and have a step down to it the full length of the original deck from the original deck. We will obviously get rid of the railing from the original deck. I think that post hole digging is scheduled to commence on Saturday, although by the looks of the weather (http://www.swellfinder.com/forecast/stavanger_sola) it might be postponed!


With rubbish now removed!


SPOT THE DIFFERENCE. And no, it is the SAME dog.


Here was the framing for the steps. We had all of those old cobblestones lining the old garden. It's a lot neater with the timber border and the steps are a nice feature with the stones in them.


Close up of Emma's cobblestone work. We have to fix it up a little, and get some more sand. All in good time.


Coobs in his yard. The tanbark is down and plants are laid. We have weed matting under the bark also. Hoping for a maintenance free garden - Emma is more of a gardener than me.


Ok - "And what does this blog have to do with Minky Whale?" I hear you ask. Well there is a festival in town at the moment called gladmat. Literally translates to Happy Food. Well all sorts of stalls are set up and it is just jam packed. We went down last night to celebrate finishing our garden. Anyway many of you will be familiar with Australia's condemnation of Japanese whaling practices. The Japanese apparently claim that it is scientific reasons they kill the whales but end up eating them. Well the Norwegians are an honest bunch. They kill whales too (I believe it is the non-endangered Minkys they kill) but they don't feign some scientific excuse - they just go "No we kill them to eat them!". I have never tried whale meat before (let alone see it) and I saw a sign for Grillet Hval down at Gladmat. Grilled Whale - YUM! So I tried some.


Here is me - 10 seconds prior to losing my innocence. 15 seconds prior to claiming "Thats not actually bad at all ... I like it!"


"Anyone got any krill?"

I feel a bit guilty (Emma says its probably the catholicism coming out in me) and I hope that the claims that "the Minky's aren't in danger", and they "harvest them in a humane manner these days" are true - although I still feel a bit guilty. Sorry if this offends some people. I know it can be a touchy subject. It was Yum though!

Its raining and blowing like crazy at the moment (Typical North Sea weather). Kind of regretting my decision to ride to work today!

Have a good weekend.