The Norwegian Independence Day!

Today is the Norwegian Independence day, the day we celebrate the ratification of our constitution back in 1814.

It was a basic idea of some weird hippie types of the day ( as in the crowd in La Boheme ) that

"Hey, wouldn't it be great if us guys from the valleys and fjords of the Norwegian backwash could sit in a nice house and run NORWAY as a country?"

I think it was the spirit of the day to break free and start your own country. ( less than 20 years after which ever revolution happened in 1796 ( I can't remember which - The French or the American! Although I would lean to it being the American one... )

In typical Nordic, non violent fashion though it took a war to sort it out.

Some sort of battle ensued between the Danes And the Brits I think, and as the swedes helped the Brits by doing very little ( like the Swedes do ) the brits decided that the peace offering that The Danes made, should be given to Sweden as a punishment for not getting involved.

Although the Swedes to this day believe they got rewarded when the British told them they could have Norway.

OH we got SO close!

Imagine that - the British isles would have a border to Russia, lots of fjords and Mountains!!

Ah give me a break, Snowdonia is a pine cladd HILL and Ben Nevis is a big dent in an otherwise rocky road!

Whatever you say. On my way to school every morning I had to climb up to 20 000 feet and down again, jut to get to the post box sticking out of the snow. And that was usually easier on the days when the moose and the polar bears were sleeping.

just kidding.

Although I HAVE been chased by a moose on my way to school once. I was the one on the way to school by the way.

As the moose was obviously too old to go.

Thankfully I had PE that day and had an extra change of clothes with me - ( including the - ahem - underwear ) because with two tons to angry Elk chasing me down the country lanes- You would too!

Anyway. If I can take an internet lesson from this It would be a miracle, but I'll try.

Some things are more fun when you look back at them. And I guess the anticipation of what might just happen to me, can some times scare me so much I need my PE clothes for the rest of the day - but at least The 3 of us that got chased were heroes for the next couple of days.

For me, and my internet venture, the opportunities are there just as often as the fear. But as I have posted in my Friday Progress Reports before, fear is just a reminder that I am venturing onto new and untestede ground.

So unless there is a Tiger or an ELK huffing and puffing right behind you - there is no need to C#ap your pants and run - just get on with it!

Cheers,
Jon ( still progressing )

=Every Day In Every Way, I'm Getting Better And Better=

PS.

And if you DO ever get chased by a wild animal - take it from me and control you bowles - it makes is SO much easier to run!