Jun 30 2026
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Daily Post, Sport

The pain of defeat

Tuesday 30th June 2026, 8.00pm (day 5,423)

Ivory Coast defeat, 30/6/26

I have been watching some of the World Cup; games in which I feel I have some kind of personal interest. Like, thanks to last week, Norway, whose casting as something of a one-man team was not harmed today by Haaland nicking tonight’s winner, with a goal that was better than it first seemed (watch the slow motion — he knows what he’s doing). Clare, as pictured, and I commiserate with the losers of the Ivory Coast but they’re going home, the Norwegians stay for at least one more match.

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Jun 30 2026
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Daily Post, Landscape

I can see the office from here

Monday 29th June 2026, 1.05pm (day 5,422)

Walker and Manchester, 29/6/26

Well, it’s somewhere over there, anyway. But far enough away to be mostly out of mind. Better and more uplifting things were to be found today on the summit of Kinder Scout, in the Peak District; you can read more about this on my other blog.

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Jun 29 2026
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Portrait, Stranger

Cookng manoeuvres

Sunday 28th June 2026, 2.10pm (day 5,421)

Market cook, 28/6/26

Whatever is cooking away under the lids, I have no idea, but as with every Sunday, the general miscellany of the market on St George’s Square proves attractive. Food, trinkets, old military uniforms — nothing as useful as a pair of shoelaces though. For such things, we are forced to leave town.

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Jun 28 2026
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Loganberries are go

Saturday 27th June 2026, 2.45pm (day 5,420)

Loganberries, 27/6/26

Fruit is just so much easier to grow than vegetables. You really don’t need to do much work and that suits my gardening style. While we were in Norway, the garden experienced ten days of warm weather with occasional showers, and things have responded accordingly. I didn’t pick these two today — they’re not quite ready — but there were plenty more around the place.

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Jun 27 2026
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

Cyberpeople (green cohort)

Friday 26th June 2026, 8.45am (day 5,419)

Green headphones, 26/6/26

Back to work — for a day, anyway. This photo is very low quality thanks to being taken through not one, but two windows, but I couldn’t resist capturing it. In Doctor Who the evil Cybermen, half-organic, half-robot, always had these headphone-like contraptions clamped to their heads. The attendees at whatever conference sub-group was happening in University Place this morning were clearly wanting to try out the look; what’s more, they seem to be offering a rather Irish take on it.

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Jun 26 2026
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Daily Post, Landscape

View from the bus stop

Thursday 25th June 2026, 7.30am (day 5,418)

Sommarøy morning, 25/6/26

Most things in Norway are expensive. Public transport, however, is not one of them. Our bus back to Tromsø airport this morning cost 50 krone each, which is about £3.50, and for a 90-minute ride through stellar scenery that is undoubted value for money. Farewell to this very beautiful place: I hope it is not 2032 before I return.

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Jun 24 2026
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Kelp

Wednesday 24th June 2026, 12.25pm (day 5,417)

Kelp, 24/6/26

I sort-of promised another landscape from our last full day here in Norway, so let’s call this one — at the micro-scale, anyway. Sommarøy doesn’t have much of a social life and you’d think you might be able to get some decent food here (fresh fish, for a start), but it is a staggeringly beautiful place. Look, even the shingle is pretty.

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Jun 23 2026
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Daily Post, Landscape

View from Hillesøya to Håja

Tuesday 23rd June 2026, 11.30am (day 5,416)

View to Håja, 23/6/26

Climbing to the summit of Hillesøya, the sibling island to Sommarøy, made for some needed exercise in the morning, for me, Clare and the two hikers you see here, as well as a bunch of others who hauled themselves up its rocky and awkward slopes. Still, it’s undoubtedly an easier walk than Håja, in the background. This pointy little island apparently inspired the shape of the ‘Arctic Cathedral’ in Tromsø, which can be seen on the left-hand side of the first picture I took of the city back in March 2017.

One full day to go here, and you’ll probably be seeing another landscape tomorrow — but there are reasons for that.

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Jun 22 2026
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Daily Post, Landscape

Sommarøy

Monday 22nd June 2026, 3.55pm (day 5,415)

Sommarøy harbour, 22/6/26

Time to get out of the big city (well, Tromsø) and out into the countryside for the remainder of our time here. The name of Sommarøy means ‘Summer Isle’, which is appropriate for the time of year, but not for today’s weather, which certainly reminded us that we are at 69º 37′ N. On the other hand, who doesn’t like a Wicker Man reference. Somewhere over there a policeman may or may not be landing his seaplane on the loch, sorry, fjord and dropping by to make inquiries about a missing girl. OK, we are in the real Norway, not a fictional Scotland, but the scene is reminiscent enough.

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Jun 22 2026
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Daily Post, Landscape, Sport

Football and big mountain combo

Sunday 21st June 2026, 4.05pm (day 5,414)

Fløya landscape, 21/6/26

Seems like an adequate combination of two of my more favoured recreational pursuits. In the background, Tromsdalstinden, the summit of which stands at 4,055 feet (1,236m) above sea level and which I hauled myself up on 30/9/2017 — in weather that was a damn sight warmer than today’s ‘Midsummer’s Day’ incidentally, as the snow evidences. As seen from the ground of IF Fløya, the green-clad players of whom are defending here, but they needn’t have worried: they were already 2-0 up at this point just after half-time and went on to win 4-0.

Incidentally, I make this the 100th Norway shot to feature on this blog.

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