s o r r y m u m

Piri on Rarotonga. "You can only appreciate so many mountains and beautiful lakes, sunsets and turquoise lagoons - then you have to meet the people ", a friend once said. And he was right. When travelling over time, as I did a year, your surroundings start to not give any meaning. You stop seeing and appreciating nature. Nature fatigue . Very interesting phenomena that can even make you sad and depressed. Pointing out the reason helped. I knew I had to meet the people, so I changed my focus. On Rarotonga, an island in the Cook Islands, I met Piri. In 2002. First at his coconut-tree-climbing show where we als where taught how to make a fire with sticks and to cook with hot stones in the ground. We all had to work together and it gave meaning. It  took us half a day to cook the meal. Piri making a fire. The stones were heated by the fire we made. Piri worked hard with dry moss and two sticks and we all gave shelter from the wind so he could nurture the fire. Piri work

Maori sculpture by a New Zealand road. Photo: K. Udland I cannot believe people from New Zealand read my blog! That makes me so happy. I love that country. Travelled both islands in 2004 in an old, yellow car bought outside Auckland. Stayed for months. What impressed me the most on New Zealand was the people. They made me feel like a guest in their country - not a tourist. When - not if - I studied a map on the street, people would come up to me and friendly offer their help. Or invite us to their house. We even got to sleep in a marae - a  house where the maori used to live in large families. Grandparents, aunts, cousins - everybody sleeping in one big room. Until the English moved the maories by force to live in small houses which made my friend so unhappy as a little kid missing his grandma, he ran away to be with her in the night. She met him by the creek... He also told me how he used to stay in the forest for days and weeks without food and even clothes just living off w

New York 1964 This is a photo of me and my mum in 1964 sailing in to New York on a tanker. Happy times. I am safe, chubby, happy and warm. Mum seems happy, too. We chose to go. To explore other continents, people and cultures. I learned to walk on this ship. Today, in 2015 - 51 years later - people travel to other countries for their safety. They run from wars and terror and killings and the hopeless and the sad. Refugees of war who used to study at the university, work as a lawyer or a teacher, who met up with old friends for a coffee after work, went dancing in the night or spent the evening watching "True Detective" or "Notting Hill".  Perhaps. And then war happened. Strangers bombed their houses, killed their neighbour, shut down the university and the cafe and there were no longer jobs for lawyers and teachers. Time to run. Time to go. Time to save their childrens lives. Some have uggs and iphones and cashmere sweaters and of course they bring it when th

Neigbourhood graffiti by unknown human being. Thanks, I enjoy it daily. That is sooo hard.. Don't talk about it, be about it .   I truly admire people doing that - or being that. Dedicated. Being something. Not just during workinghours, but being and living it. Waking up in the morning being that person. Being a musician, a priest, a writer, a husband, a birdwatcher, a gardener, a traveller..being just that all your hours - and loving it.  That is what life should be about. Not wanting to stop working because that job is not a job, it's what you are and want you seek to do every single second of the day. That does't mean you don't have to work hard. You do. The difference being it doesn't feel like work. It feels like fun. Like blogging, perhaps?  I know people being , but not being able to make it into a living (not enough being?), and they work as a mailman in the mornings and play the drums in a band at night. Paint stunning portraits during the da

Photo: K.Udland PMS, vannhode, Alzheimer og menopause Jeg har lekt med fenomenet PMS og trukket linjer fra PMS til hydrocephalus (tidligere: vannhode) og Alzheimers syndrom. Hva er det som egentlig skjer med oss kvinner i denne perioden? Hva bør vi vite og hva bør våre kjære være forberedt på månedlig? Hva har skaperverket gjort med oss og hvorfor?  Jeg gjør oppmerksom på at dette ikke er en fagartikkel, og heller ikke et forsøk på sådant, men et sammensurium av undringer og forsøk på å samle dem. Noen av dem. PMS står for premenstruelt syndrom. Premenstruell betyr ”før mensen”.  Syndrom kommer fra det greske ordet for ”sammenstimling” og betyr ”en samling symptomer som tyder på en viss sykdom”.  Årsaken til PMS forklares som ”hormonelle endringer fra eggløsning og fram mot mensen”, og:  ”PMS skyldes forandret væskebalanse i kroppen. Mer vann enn vanlig siver ut fra blodbanen til vevet, og det kan godt være at dette også skjer i hjernen vår”. Så – kjære kvinner o

I want to share this happy couple with you. They show so much love and respect for eachother, it is amazing. True love amongst animals. I have to believe they are capable of love seing Dash and Oranja and how they cuddle and play with eachother. Always respectfully. Lionhug. Photo: K.Udland I watched them everyday for 8 weeks - this inspiring couple making the best of their situation in captivity. Oranja has a bad hip and Dash is a nurturing and respectful friend. When I took the photos they went on like this for perhaps half an hour - calm and happy. Enjoing eachother. I do believe animals have a soul. How can I not? s o r r y m u m More hugging: Dash & Oranja. Photo: K.Udland True love. Photo: K. Udland Happy lion. Photo: K.Udland

Mondaymorning. What to choose.. Photo and even drawing: K. Udland Kan vi velge litt på en mandag, tro? Kan vi tenke at vi har to valg. La oss gjøre det så enkelt i dag. Fyrstikkmennesker og et dårlig iPhone4-bilde til tross. Du tar poenget. Ta mandagen! s o r r y m u m

Occupy Wall Street Gathering in Zuccotti Park. Photo: K.Udland DEMOCRACY - NOT CORPORATOCRACY I was there. Renting an apartment for a few days on Wall Street in September 2011 when the people started moving. Having my large latte at Starbucks on 17th of September, the coffeeshop was occupied by young people working on computers and making posters out of cut cardboard.The room was tense. Being curious as always I asked a young woman what was going on - she wouldn’t tell. Watch her on the photo up front on the pavement on her way to the New York stock exchange and Wall Street. Making a change. On the first march. Occupy Wall Street September 17th 2011.  Photo: K. Udland All was calm, I drank my coffee and left. To witness the first march on my way to the Charging Bull. Little did I know I witnessed a historic moment. Very few marchers to begin with - perhaps 20-30 at the most. The photo shows the very start on November 17th. With her - perhaps a student - up front

Sara og Vitani nullstiller seg på setesdalsgenseren. Photo: K.Udland Verdien av å gjøre ikkeno . Human being framfor human doing som nok er den dominerende menneskelige driven. Se dyrene gjøre ikkeno. Katten langstrakt i sofaen etter dagens arboristaktivitet. Hunden i dyp søvn på tunet etter rypejakta. Nullstiller seg. Nå skal du ikke gjøre noe som helst når du går inn i en tilstand av ikkeno. Du skal bare ikkeno. Ikke tenke. Ikke gjøre. Bare være. Etter gjøren. I klare høstdager og netter. Lade opp.  Eller meditere - finn en snutt på youtube med guided meditation, legg deg ned med øretelefoner under pleddet og la deg hvile og henføre av en stemme du liker. Kanskje skumte : sitte en ettermiddag alene i sofaen uten å slå på lys og kjenne at det blir mørkt. Bare la det blir helt mørkt rundt deg.  Nyt høsten! Eller ikkeno høsten.  s o r r y m u m

Fishing and wating - he got away. Loved it! See you soon. Photos only. My secret paradise on Earth. Cold, preserved, hostile, warm and friendly it is - this, my favourite place on the planet. Where roots are deep and I go to nurture my body and soul. All nature. All peace. All photos by K.Udland.  Whale-knuckle/chair "Utedo". Look it up ;). Bolted for strong winds. Love Building-material washed up from the sea Invisible sauna No comment  Reindeer-tracks in the sand The permanent recidents Eat Eat more: rhubarb, muesli and "rømme" Play: midnight-games on the beach All seasons on one string I dare you to find your place. The place where you connect. With yourself, with nature, with friends, with your lover. You will come to understand that life and living is not about your stuff - the Volvo, the Louis Vuitton, the color of your walls, the pillows in your sofa, the luxury hotels or the latest iPhone. Lear

Erik Bye. Foto lånt av ukjent. Unnskyld. Politikerens rolle. Hvilken rolle tar hun og hvilken rolle har hun? Uttalelsene nedenfor taler for seg. Dagens statsminister vs. gårsdagens bauta. Åpne linken til Byes sterke meninger. Jeg håper du fyrer deg opp. Du også. Statsminister E. Solberg: "Statsministeren (Høyres E. Solberg) er ikke fornøyd med valgresultatet, men oppfordrer sine egne til å kjempe videre. - Vi må brette opp ermene og begynne på igjen.  Noen steder vinner vi makt, andre steder taper vi makt. Jeg er sikker på at hele Høyre kan si «I'll be back» i 2019, sa Solberg til Høyres valgvake."  (ref: nrk.no, kommune- og fylkesvalg 2015, 15.9.2015) Journalist og bauta E. Bye: "... de er ikke våre herrer ..." Erik Bye om politikerens rolle: Erik Bye om politikere: https://youtu.be/fwOtxDnThoQ Det var bruken av ordet makt som provoserte. Bruken av ordet makt som et mål for en folkevalgt politiker i et demokrati. Har politikerene makten? Partiene? El

Bilde lånt av Greenpeace med håp om tilgivelse Isen smelter på Grønland og kan det være slik at isbjørnene flykter? Har de forsøkt lenge? 250 kg isbjørn svømmer og seiler på isflak for å finne bedre levevilkår. De legger på svøm og håper. Håper de finner mer is, mer sel, mer fisk, mer ro, friskere hav? I 2008 flykter en isbjørn fra Grønland og svømmer i land på Island. "YES! Jeg klarte det!" Nye muligheter, nytt liv. 290 km svømmetur tilbakelagt av en massiv, håpefull bjørn. For en bragd. Det verker i hver isbjørnmuskel, sulten river i kroppen der han sleper seg lykkelig opp i fjæra, deiser ned med bakbeina fremdeles i vannet - han er for trøtt. Men lykkelig.  En liten hvil før han utforsker de nye mulighetene. Finner lykken. Og der, midt i lykkerusen. Blir han skutt. Og drept. På Island. Han var kanskje for farlig. Kanskje for fremmed. Kanskje for lykkelig. Kanskje for truende ny. Kanskje tar han for mye plass? Kanskje spiser han all maten vår? Kanskje har han venner og

Foto: K.Udland Turistsesongen starter i september og Nepal ønsker oss velkommen. Ved å bruke lokale guider og overnatte på lokale hytter hjelper du direkte til med oppbyggingen av landet. Også kalt "teahousetrecking". Jeg var nylig på et foredrag med Jon Gangdal - fjellklatrer, forfatter og Nepalvenn. Foredraget ble holdt i Sandefjord i regi av Himalaya Festivalen, som holdes i byen hvert år i august. Gangdal introduserte oss for uttrykket bistandsturisme og oppfordret på det varmeste å besøke Nepal. Han har selv nettopp vært i landet og fortalte at nye stier og steder tilrettelegges for fjellvandring og anbefalte bl.a. å reise med "3 Sisters Adventure Trekking". "3 Sisters Adventure Trekking company" .   Empowering Women of Nepal (EWN) and 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking work in partnership to promote and empower women through adventure tourism. EWN educates and provides practical skill-based training programs. 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking guarantees