Happy 75th!!

King Harald V is 75 years old today. That seems old. But he still seems to be full of vigor and zest for life. He's certainly come a long way. :-)

Strawberry season ... !!

Strawberry season is here - I love strawberries, they just are so incredibly tasty and delicious. And they're so pretty too. :-)

Congratulations to HM Queen Sonja on her 73rd birthday today! I hope she had some strawberries to celebrate. :-)

Speeches

I just can't get over that wedding just yet. :-) Here are the speeches at the dinner ... some words from the heart that won't be soon forgotten. :-)

Click on the links to see the videos in full windows ... probably better. :-)

King Carl XVI Gustaf's speech as father of the bride:


Olle Westling's speech as father of the groom:

'You didn't make it as a hockey pro, son, but we're proud of you anyway'. Hah. :-) This guy is actually pretty special - Daniel has a congenital kidney disease that he needed a transplant for ... he had the operation last spring and his father, this guy, was the donor. That's something that not every parent would do for their child.

Prince Daniel's speech to his bride (with subtitles):


Ooh, and the wedding waltz ... ! So relaxed and casual, gotta love it. :-)

CONGRATULATIONS ...

... to Sweden!!!!

Yeah, I know we Norwegians bitch about the Swedes a lot, but we do love them really. And I'm sure I am so far from the only Norwegian who is completely glued to the TV set right now. :-) Congratulations to any & all Swedes reading this on what I'm sure is going to be a fantastic and beautiful royal wedding. And most of all congratulations to Victoria and Daniel. :-)

Watching all the bigwigs arrive to these things is always fun ... the women mostly, since the men all dress the same. ;-) There are some dresses here that I take exception to, especially that hot pink one that whoever it was was wearing ... and I have to say that I don't think our own Princess Märtha has been very successful in her choice today. Grown women in all pink just is not the thing. IMO. Wear all the pink you want, but personally, I think that as a general rule pink dresses aren't for grownups.

Mette-Marit though looks amazing ... as I knew she would. The dress is a bit too flouncy for my taste but it's lovely on her. I knew she would wear pastel ... baby blue is totally her color. Aw, she's so pretty. I can't wait to see what Victoria will wear though. Can you imagine how many people are waiting for that ... ! :-D I'm sure that whatever she's picked, it will be beautiful ... and she will look a perfect princess ... but I don't think that the dress can be quite as gorgeous as Mette-Marit's dress was. I am not a wedding person but I have to say that that gown is my favorite wedding dress ever.

Ooh, Harald and Sonja ... Queen Sonja looks great as always. And Queen Margrete too. She just is such a totally classy lady. Now Queen Silvia and Princess Madeleine ... the latter an impeccable beauty, but the former a little too surgically enhanced for my taste. (But I like her dress a lot - even though it's pink! Ouch, my brain ... ! Can we agree that it's actually more purple than pink?) The groom and his about-to-be-brother in law ... who I think the Swedes should bless themselves for avoiding as king, because he really seems to be a grade A dimwit. Despite what his father may think.

The male commentator just said that this is special because it's the marriage of a future 'statschef' ... but that can't be right? At least in Norwegian it would be wrong. She will not be 'chief of state' as in head of government, she will be head of state, which isn't the same thing at all. A little gaffe there, I think?

But now - the bride ... !! Oooh, she's so pretty ... !! Oh, she looks fantastic, and so happy. Entering the church on her father's arm ... he will give her away, I don't approve of that at all. It's a disgusting tradition, but what are you gonna do. The king's in his, what, grand admiral uniform ... looking very spiffy. What are the children who walk ahead of the bride down the aisle called in English? o_O Our future queen is one of them, and the future king of Denmark too. She is six years old and he is four. I love royal weddings. :-D

OK, the dress is gorgeous, except for that massive train. That is too much. I hope no one steps on it. >:-) So ... beautiful dress, but could have been better. She herself looks absolutely perfect though. Extremely happy and a little nervous. :-) I have to say that I love that Daniel is wearing his chunky nerd glasses. I mean, it's his wedding, he wants to look his best, so anyone would forgive him for switching to contacts just for today. He did for the engagement announcement. But nope. Those are his glasses and he's gonna stand by them. :-D

Aw, they're holding hands, they're both nervous. :-D She kissed his hand even. :-) How messed up is it that the prelates are turning their backs on the bride and groom ... I mean, to an atheist there is just so much here that looks so freaky. Please, invisible man in the sky, bless this couple! I have no idea what either of them personally believe, but they have no choice, they have to have this massive church wedding with the archbishop and hymns and praise be to God. That is one of the very few arguments I can accept against the constitutional monarchy. But they don't seem to be very worried about it ... or about anything much. :-) OMG they're married!! Aw, Daniel had to cry a little bit. :-D He's not used to this kind of thing like she is ... but now there's no going back, Prince Daniel. Pretty crazy actually. o_O Hm, Dagbladet's saying that she cried too ... I didn't see that. She was smiling so much that I didn't think to look for it. :-)

The archbishop was the first person EVAR to be able to say 'you, Prince Daniel' ... that's all well and good, but did he have to actually mention the fact in his speech to the couple? o_O I gotta hand it to Victoria, she is perfect in public, she carries herself with absolutely utter perfection. I love it that she winks at Daniel like that, it's so charming. :-) Reminds me of my favorite part of any royal wedding ever ...

Namely when Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, married Maxima Zorreguieta back in 2002. :-) They had the second ceremony in the New Church in Amsterdam, it's from the 17th century and has stone walls that are something like a meter thick. Yet when the prince said 'Yes', the cheers from the crowd outside were so loud that they could be heard even inside the church. (The ceremony was being broadcast live on giant TV screens set up outside the building.) And the officiating prelate said to the prince, 'They can hear you!' Then everyone laughed. It was soo Dutch, I loved it. :-)

Anyway ... they're married, everything's gone well, and people are cheering madly in the streets as the wedding cortège passes through the city. The bride and groom are riding in an open carriage and smiling and waving at everybody, and there are crowds everywhere shouting and cheering and waving flags. (With Security Police officers running alongside literally the whole way. Poor bastards. :-D) Kind of sad to think that we won't be seeing anything like this in Oslo again for what, 20 years. :-( But again, massive congratulations to the Swedes. A wonderful event and a great memory for the entire Swedish people ... but most of all of course for Crown Princess Victoria and the brand new Prince Daniel.

Aw. :-)


Edited to add that I realized why he's wearing glasses and not contacts. It's because he knew he would be crying. ;-)

Happy birthday to HM King Harald V!

His Majesty King Harald V of Norway was born 72 years ago today. He has been our king, increasingly beloved by a nation to whom his father embodied a royal ideal, for 18 years.

On this day in 1937 the weather was much the same as it is today. :-) Today is deeply overcast and the snow is coming down quite densely across an already snow-covered city and countryside; 72 years ago there was also a whole lot of snow, it was overcast, and snowing just a little. The birth of then-Crown Prince Olav and his Crown Princess Märtha's third child was awaited with eagerness and trepidation across the country. It seemed likely that this would be the couple's last child; their two daughters were already almost seven and just turned five, respectively. And if this were to be the last birth (as indeed it was), then it must, it absolutely must be a boy this time. At that time, women could not inherit the Norwegian throne (although of course some arrangement must be made if there should be no male heir), and our new monarchy, still young, could easily find itself in trouble if it should fail to live up to this most basic of traditions. I can't imagine how the Crown Princess must have felt. Of course, in 1937 a woman had no way of finding out the sex of the child she carried. No doubt she looked forward to becoming a mother again. But what an immense weight of pressure must have been on her from all quarters. This really is a Crown Princess' only true duty - the production of an heir. How she must have dreaded the prospect of failure as the expected day drew nearer and the entire nation waited to hear the desired news.

However, the entire time that this went on - there was some debate, of course, as to the future of the monarchy in the event of a third daughter in the royal family - there were always two people who were completely confident of the outcome. Their two little Highnesses, Ragnhild and Astrid. :-) They always had perfect faith in the tendency of things to go well. ;-) No doubt ever entered their minds - they were going to get a little brother soon, so there. What were all the grownups fussing so much over??

As their mother went into labor in the early hours of the 21st, the two little princesses were sent out to play in the vast drifts of snow that covered the estates of Skaugum Farm. It wasn't quite a perfect day for such activities - snow, crisp cold air, but alas, no sun - but of course the girls must be kept out of the way. :-) The court held its collective breath - oh, how would it go?? But the princesses never worried. Every so often they would shake the snow off their boots and go inside to beg a little treat and to ask their nanny, Is our brother here yet? And every time that lady had to answer, anxiously, No, darlings, not yet. Until finally, after hours of this, she could answer her two charges with delight, Yes, your brother's here now!! :-)

In response to which the little Highnesses of course asked, Can he come and play in the snow with us?? So they were disappointed again - No, I'm afraid not quite yet. :-D

The new baby was given the name Harald at his baptism in the Palace Chapel on March 31st, 1937. (A choice laden with symbolism; this was the name of the first ever king of Norway, more than a thousand years earlier. :-) The boy carried to the font that day was the first prince to have been born in Norway for 567 years. At his blessing in the Cathedral of Nidaros on June 23rd, 1991, he became the first king of Norway to have been born on Norwegian soil for more than six hundred years. Way to go. :-)

Happy birthday. :-)

I have of course put up the flag on my balcony ... and the flagpole on the commons is flying its flag too. Of course. :-) I had to take a picture, I think it's a fun shot. :-)

Translation of the Aftenposten front page above:

The Evening Mail - Extra

A PRINCE OF NORWAY IS BORN

Crown Princess Märtha was delivered today at 12:45pm of a healthy son.

Mother and child are well.

An official bulletin from Skaugum [the heir's residence]:

Crown Princess Märtha has today at 12:45pm been delivered of a son.

Later, the following bulletin: HRH the Crown Princess gave birth today, February 21st at 12:45pm, to a healthy son. The birth progressed normally. Both the Crown Princess and the little Prince are entirely well.

Skaugum, February 21st, 1937. Anton Sunde - Hans L.C. Huitfeldt

An official bulletin [from the Palace]:

A meeting of the Cabinet will be held tomorrow at 9:30am on the occasion of the Prince's birth.

The King himself informed the Prime Minister over the phone of the joyous event.

It is 567 years since a prince was last born in Norway.

The news became known in Oslo only slowly due to the large number of weekend excursions taking place, but presently flags began to go up on public buildings and private homes. The Evening Mail soon experienced a storm of calls on its phone lines. The news was everywhere received with the greatest joy.

Happy Birthday to HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra!

Today is the 5th birthday of our charming little royal rascal, HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra, the firstborn child of HRH Crown Prince Haakon and second in line of succession to the Norwegian throne. I remember in January 2004, the early morning of the 21st, when the news were out that the Crown Princess had gone into labor ... everyone was hoping for a girl, or at least everyone did who had any hopes regarding the event. :-) Our constitution was changed in 1990 to get rid of male primogeniture ... but since Prince Haakon, then 17, had been raised throughout his life to one day be king - and his sister, Princess Märtha, then 19, to not be queen - it was decided that the new Law of Succession should not apply to persons born before AD 1990. In other words, when King Olav V died early the following year and his son became King Harald V, it was Haakon and not his older sister who succeeded to the heir's title. So when the Crown Princess' pregnancy was announced, hopes were high that she'd produce a girl ... because a boy would just be more of the same thing we'd always had, but a girl - a girl would be historic. And a girl it was.

More than a girl - a future queen, and the first Norwegian woman in the 1200 years of our history to ever be born to reign.

Of course there's no telling how long our monarchy will survive. But it's strong - perhaps the strongest in all of Europe - and support for the republic grows so slowly that at the current rate, it will take literally centuries for the nation to discard this, our oldest tradition. I certainly hope I will never see the end of the monarchy while I live. And - although I suppose my chances are slim; Crown Prince Haakon is only three years older than I am, the men in his family are notoriously long-lived, and Norwegian kings do not abdicate - I hope, very much so, that in my lifetime I will get to see the beginning of the reign of Queen Ingrid ... the first queen of Norway ever born to the throne.

But fortunately, that won't be for a good long while yet ... !! ;-)

Happy birthday, little lady!! :-)

We're moving (among other things)

But fortunately, happily, I am not moving. ;-)

I hate moving. I think moving is just the worst. It is such a hassle, it's so much work, and it's unsettling. I'm kind of a pack rat, I have a lot of stuff, and I like to have a lot of things, too. In the sense that … well, as my friend NyxRo once said, 'Minimalism never really came round to Leisha's.' :-D I like having various bits of furniture – 'eclectic' is probably the word I'm looking for – I like having knickknacks and geegaws around, they're fun to look at (and maybe even to play with ;-), they tell a story and they tell you something about their owner. And above all I like having lots of books. I think it was Cicero who's supposed to have said that 'a room without books is like a body without a soul'. I so believe in that. :-)

But anyway, this means that I have a lot of stuff to move, and so when I do move it's a big job … even without the emotional upheaval that living in boxes entails. So I'm very happy that it's not me who’ll be moving. :-) It's just the company where I work. The Oslo branch of the company, that is. We're moving at the end of this month … not very far, but to somewhere much better. The new building has been designed and constructed for us, it has everything we need just the way we want it. It'll be so great once we're settled in. ;-) I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished product – I've only been there once, weeks ago, when it wasn't completely finished. But even so, I could tell that this place is going to be something on a completely different scale from the place we're in now.

We're going to get s o ... m u c h ... s p a c e … o_O

In other news, Martti Ahtisaari received his Peace Prize today. Congratulations to him … except that what he said about cluster munitions yesterday kind of stuck in my craw. It probably makes sense to him. I disagree. But I am happy about him being this year's winner, I really am – in fact I had hoped that he'd win last year, instead of what I felt then was a wrong choice. Not that the IPCC and Al Gore haven't done important things. But I don't really feel, as the Nobel Committee does, that Nobel's Will is open to a great deal of interpretation. Alfred Nobel wanted to award those who achieved arms reduction. That, specifically, was his aim. Let me see if I can translate. 'To be awarded to whosoever has achieved the most or the best for the fraternization of nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies as well as the forming and spreading of peace congresses'. Shit, what a lousy translation.

But anyway … sure, times have changed. The world is different now. But does that automatically confer a license upon the trustees of the Will to reinterpret as they see fit? As much as I admire, say, Wangari Maathai, she has done very little that is relevant to the terms of the Prize as set out in the Will. I fully understand the wish for an investigation … or whatever you want to call it. Certainly, if the Committee has nothing to hide, there can be no harm in it. And I really don't see why we can't debate the issue, even though it's such worthy recipients they have chosen to reinterpret for.

If I say that I don't think the IPCC and Mr Gore should have won the Prize in 2007, does that mean I automatically belittle and deny all the good work they've done? I just don't see how that follows.

I'm going to see The Day the Earth Stood Still today. Me and Anéa. Opening night. We're pretty psyched … maybe me just a little bit more than her, I don't know. ;-) I got us tickets for the first screening at the big screen at Colosseum. As I've mentioned before, that's the biggest THX screen in the world. I don't think this movie can get much better than it's going to be for us tonight. :-D Review coming up, sooner rather than later, I hope.

And to close, check out the coolest help wanted ad ever. Seriously. Look at this. Does that rock or what!!? :-D For those who don’t read Norwegian, let me explain: this advertisement has been placed by the Royal Court, and they are looking for someone for the position of chambermaid to Her Majesty the Queen. The place of work will be the Royal Palace and 'other royal residences, private and official', and the main duty will be to 'plan and organize Her Majesty the Queen's wardrobe'. 'Some travelling must be expected'. :-D

Be warned, though: if you're even the slightest bit lazy, do not apply for this job. ;-) A friend of a friend of mine is lady-in-waiting to queen Sonja; she's been at court for years and years, I think even while Sonja was still crown princess (so, OK, back then I guess she wasn't really at court, but you know what I mean) … so I've heard some stories. It's well known that HM is an extreme perfectionist … and this friend of a friend says that she does tend to … I want to say butt in, but of course that sounds a little rude … but she does want to know what everyone is doing all the time and she MUST know that they are getting it JUST right. She's a very demanding boss. But since she holds herself to the same standards, no one at court has any problems with that. Lazy people might find it annoying, though, I guess. :-) But this is definitely the coolest thing I've ever seen on finn.no. :-)

Speaking of royalty, look at this!

I recently posted a picture of king Harald that I took myself - today I've got a picture of queen Sonja which I did not take but which is almost even cooler. Lookee:

This was published today in the online edition of Østlendingen, a local paper in the East Valley (maybe in the paper edition too, I don't know). The article is here. In Norwegian, sorry. But hey, I can translate:

Last night Mille Nørstenget, Hilde Fridtun Øyen and Storm Øyen were honored by both the Queen and the Tourist Association for their efforts at Bjørnhollia in Rondane.

-The managers put in an extraordinary effort. They're quite fantastic, said queen Sonja about her encounters with Bjørnhollia some years ago.

The Queen presented the merit badge of the Norwegian Tourist Association Oslo & Hinterland to Storm Øyen, Hilde Fridtun Øyen and Mille Nørstenget for their efforts at Bjørnhollia in Gamle Logen in Oslo last night.

-It's good to be appreciated, and it's quite special to have queen Sonja present [the badge], said Mille, Hilde and Storm.

For three generations the Øyen family were hosts at the popular mountain resort. Yesterday the last generation was rewarded with merit badges and diplomas. Chairman Knut Støren of the Tourist Association's Oslo branch also praised the three.

-Mille, Hilde and Storm have in every respect been excellent representatives for the Association and its managers, and not least have put in a sterling effort, said Støren.

Yesterday's presentation came as something of a surprise to the recipients, as it's been ten years since they served their last at Bjørnhollia, but the merit badge is not presented every year. It was last presented in 1984. The merit badge was presented for the first time in 1938, and no more than about 40 people have been awarded one.

Her Majesty queen Sonja was a guest at Bjørnhollia [on several occasions, one of them in 1985]. She arrived slightly out of season.

-But she was like most people, said Storm.

-I have very good memories from Bjørnhollia. Twice I've walked through Rondane and seen nothing until I came to Bjørnhollia. When I got there I bought postcards, said the Queen, smiling.

-Hiking lets you recharge your batteries, use your body and senses and get into shape, and nature is a treasure chest, she said.

Bjørnhollia was purchased by the Tourist Association in 1941. Hanna and Johannes Øyen were the first managers. Jenny and Hans Øyen took over from them in 1959. In 1972 Storm Øyen became manager. Starting in 1985 he and his wife Hilde Fridtun Øyen held the fort together.

-I consider the merit badge as honoring Storm's parents and grandparents as well. I myself didn't spend more than 20 years at Bjørnhollia, said Hilde.

Mille Nørstenget, Storm's sister, was the cook at Bjørnhollia for 42 years and was also essential to other areas of work there. Siblings Mille and Storm grew up with the tourist resort.

The last managers from the Øyen family felt that in the end they had to choose between the farm they run and their managerial work.

-It was exhausting. The role of manager demanded your attention morning, noon and night, and something constantly needed doing in whichever place you weren't, said Storm.

If there's one thing the Øyens miss, it's the wonderful staff and the friendly guests.

-There were lots of nice people we'd meet, and the socializing with other managers was also very nice, said Storm.

Although they quit as managers, they still have plenty of contact with mountain hikers and with Bjørnhollia. They have a shieling at Bjørnhollia which they use every summer.

-Plenty of people stop by to see us, said Hilde.

So this is so cool, because these are my relatives. :-) Mille and Storm are my mother's cousins. You may remember that I blogged about Bjørnhollia back in August. If not, you can take a look at the post again, here. And I wrote about my family's history in the area here. So ... this was nice. I knew they were getting the badge, but I don't think I heard that the queen would be presenting it. Nice. :-)

The picture shows, literally left to right, Mille shaking the queen's hand, Hilde, Storm, the queen, three non-random people who are totally unknown to me.

Cool picture taken by me ...

... will be today's entry. Findabair and I talked about this picture over on her LJ - she's never seen it, so here it is. Pretty cool or what? :-) The sad part is that I was nowhere near as close as it looks, I just got lucky with the zoom on my camera. The other guy is some politician ... he was head of the Alna district council (or whatever I should call it in English, I don't know) at the time. This was taken at Tveten farm at Tveita in Oslo on May 17th, 2006. Yay. :-)

Just FYI, for those who don't know it, I am a v. staunch royalist and I will fight the republic till my last breath if it comes to that, etc. I love our royal family and I think we're very lucky to have them. :-)

(Confused? Click here ...)

Don't forget the giveaway! :-)

Happy Anniversary to the King & Queen!

Today is the 40th wedding anniversary of HM King Harald and HM Queen Sonja. I think that's a ruby wedding. Not too shabby. :-) I'm sure they've had their ups and downs like any couple (although I'm not sure I believe even half the rumors floating around out there) but all in all they've probably been happy with each other. They seem to be a great fit as a couple. I loved what the king said in the interview yesterday - that the queen has made him a different person, that he used to be introverted and shy (which is true; I know a guy who went to school with him) but with her help he's gotten past that. I have no trouble believing this, because although a lot can be said about our queen, introverted & shy I don't think anyone would claim that she is. :-)

The royal couple are in Croatia today, celebrating the occasion with a private cruise with the Crown Prince and his family. I hope they'll have a lovely day together. :-)

Her wedding gown was fantastic, btw. :-)

Happy Birthday to HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit!

I'm flying the flag today - both figuratively and literally - to celebrate the 35th birthday of HRH the Crown Princess. She's been through some hard times in her life, and although it's definitely arguable that at least a good part of them were pretty much her own fault, IMO what matters is that she's learnt from what she's been through and she's a better person for it. She is very much deserving of both our flags and all our good wishes. :-)

I think she's doing a great job as crown princess and I think she will be a dignified and beloved queen when that day comes. Happy birthday. :-)

(IMO this isn't a very good picture of her. Go here to see more and better pictures. #18 is my favorite. :-)

Happy Birthday to HRH Crown Prince Haakon!

HRH the Crown Prince is 35 years old today. I don't think I realized that it's a 'round year' as we say in Norwegian. :-) Here's hoping I'll remember to put the flag out. I think I'll get it out right away ... :-)

Haakon is IMO doing a great job as crown prince and I'm sure he's going to be a wonderful king. (Although of course hopefully not for a looong time ... !) Happy birthday!!!

Happy Birthday to HM Queen Sonja!

HM the queen is 71 years old today. (A little scary - doesn't feel like it's a year ago already that the joint 70th was being celebrated around the country. A year does go by fast.) I remembered to put the flag out this morning. I seem to recall that I forgot to do that on the king's birthday back in February. Dagnabbit. Well, here's a flag they can both share. :-)

Happy birthday to our excellent queen!! :-) I hope she will get to spend the day exactly as she wants to - with her family (and especially her grandchildren) somewhere outside in this fantastic weather we're having.