We have another wonderful Norwegian summer day - it is clear, sunny and hot. We do not do too much today during the day other than hang out and get ready for the barbeque this evening that Jorgen is hosting. In the morning we help take care of sweet, little Linea - even getting breakfast ready and feeding her. We have a late brunch at around noon, sitting out on the lawn. It really is a great spot to hang out and enjoy good food and company.
After brunch we start to focus on the evening barbeque and the necessary preparations. We head down to the local supermarket to stock up on the necessary provisions and supplies. We deviate quite a bit from the prepared list - if we see something we like, we grab it. We also stop at the Wine Monopoly and pick up a supply of wine. Final stop is at a house supply shop to see if we can get a large outdoor umbrella to provide some shade. The sun is pretty hot and fierce here when it shines, so we are lucky to find they have one left. We snap it up.
Then back home we go. While Jacqui assists with getting the food all prepared, Lars helps with setting up things outside. While doing this we have a beer or two. We set up the tables and prepare one to take the umbrella. We have to drill a hole in the table top and then slide the umbrella in and tie it off. It works very well. We take down the clothes line and finally we get the barbeque positioned and ready to fire up. We just hope that we have enough gas.
At around 5 PM, people begin to show up. Lars' parents, Carl's family and Tante Berit all show up. It is a great barbeque and get together. The weather is just fantastic - maybe just a bit hot (but we are not complaining). The table is groaning under the weight of all the food and drinks. The barbeque is constantly going and fresh supplies of cooked meat and fish appear on the table. We also have roasted potatoes, potato salad, crabs, prawns, chips and lots of other things.
We spend a two or three hours around the table taking our time enjoying all the different treats, washing them down with beer, wine or soft drinks. Everyone drifts from spot to spot talking to different people - it works out very well with the buffet style. The shade and slight breeze try their best to keep us cool in the hot sun. The only irritant are the many wasps that come out, attracted by all the great food and drink. Unfortunately Olivia gets stung, but she is a tough girl and takes it well.
For dessert we have a cake and huge amounts of fresh berries of all sorts. They are so juicy and sweet. And then we mingle between inside and outside, and enjoy a few after dinner drinks and just chat. Finally, at around 11 PM, the maxi-taxi arrives to take the guests home. What a great party. Of course, as we are cleaning up afterwards, we have one or two additional nightcaps before heading off to bed.