Showing posts with label National mourning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National mourning. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

July 27


Just another day...
Trying to put another post together is not always coming to me easy. Other bloggers have realized that as well. 


With the day starting out gray and with a drizzle I had to stay inside, even though I rather wanted to work on our porch.
With patience I sat in my favorite chair, glancing out of the window. But my hope to see a clearing in the sky remained small. 


Our thoughts are still going to Norway and the victimized families after the July 22 terror attack. Just as 9/11 had severe consequences for everyone's life in North America, there are consequences in Norway and Europe as well. While Norwegian authorities proclaim that the terror attack will not destroy their freedom and democracy, authorities in Germany tend to increase general surveillance, thereby threatening the principal idea of a free society. One might ask the question whether terrorists are slowly succeeding in undermining a peaceful society, by forcing authorities to restrictive measures against their own population.


In the days after the attack, Oslo has been transformed into a sea of flowers. People have gathered in the city by the thousands to mourn, to talk and simply be together as a Nation. As we are reading the Norwegian Press we have received a lot more information than what media in North America have published. The eyewitnesses account of the attack are heartbreaking. Like after a war, Norwegians are now seeking peace for the sake of peace. They seek healing of their minds and heartaches.  
Commentators also predicted an upswing of active democracy for the coming elections this fall. 
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When the rain finally subsided, I could get outside and to my tools. During the afternoon hours some more dark clouds popped up over on the American side producing a little thunder and a light sprinkle on our side. But it sure was enough thunder to scare Molly into hiding. 
Thunder clouds this afternoon...
...made Molly hide behind the tarp.
At the end of the day I had managed to put all the rafters on to one side of the porch and even thrown an OSB-sheath up on the roof, before Bea was calling for supper.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

July 23

Events in Norway
It is hard to just think of what happened yesterday in our former country of residence. The shooting at the youth camp resulted in a death toll of 84 young people, while the bombs in Oslo killed 7 people and injured many more.
The streets looked a lot like after a war attack in Beirut. The daughter of our friends is normally working in one of those offices, but was absent on Friday as she was participating in a meeting elsewhere.

Police has caught the killer, a 32 yr. old ethnic Norwegian who is a right-wing extremist. He operated disguised as a policeman and was brought over to the island by ferry. This terrible attack had nothing to do with islamic fanatism, as we all thought at first. He made the Oslo-bomb out of Ammonium Nitrate and Diesel fuel, which is of the same kind as was used in the Oklahoma City bombing. Today, and in the days to come Norwegian flags will be lowered to half staff, and the country will be under National mourning.Let us all pray for the families who have lost their loved ones.

Not our photo: Herring Cove
When we are in deep thoughts it often helps to take a walk. We went to the Ocean at Herring Cove. Here are the pictures which kind of mirror our thoughts.


Just a matter of time...

Resting Gulls