NORWAY - A Land of Peaks and Pines

The 44th this year returned to the land of fjords, peaks and pines. Armed with a rudimentary grasp of Norsk (enough to ask "Snakke Du Engelsk?" and "En øl takk") and a minibus crammed with enough equipment to meet most eventualities, the unit initially took up residence in the forests of Nord Odal at a place called Gjeddevasskoia - 'the settlement of the pike'.

There we were set to work on and around some old foresters' huts - repairing things, making wooden bridges, painting floors and stoves, clearing water courses, deepening a water collecting pool, shifting boulders, installing our own Norwegian variant of a shadoof, planning and marking out a nature trail, felling trees, clearing undergrowth, cutting and stacking winter wood, ..... the list goes on!

Interspersed with all this purposeful activity we found time to swim in the local lakes, threaten the resident fish with a fishing pole, take on the local football team in an exciting contest, eat large quantities of Geitost, Sunda and tomato mackerel as well as visit the capital city Oslo, for Fram and the Thong of Norway, and Elverum, for its famous Jagt - og Fiskedager and knife festival.

A week of our hard labours left Ernst Davies, our 82 year old "works convenor" much impressed - he even loaned out the leaders to a neighbouring farmer to put up a ".. few (hundred) metres .. " of fencing!

Thus shattered but feeling proud of our collective efforts we journeyed to the mountains and some spectacular scenery for the remaining week or so of our visit. Impressive blue glaciers, high mountain views, icy morning plunges, the Pilgrim's Way through Vinstradalen, the Gaupne squeeze-box festival and a girl called Tonje - all made up a kaleidoscope of experiences and memories for each individual in the party. And finally it was all over - too quickly as such trips always are!

PB