Ice Exports

I figure that I had best complete the journal of our previous visitors stay before our next visitor, "Kid Sister" arrives this evening.

This post is inspired and partly written for "the good cumbrian general practioner" (tgcgp) who came to trace the steps of his ancestry prior to our moving in party in May. It seems that tgcgp's Grandfather made his living exporting Glacial Ice from Søgnfjord to the British isles. Now, you may wonder how all of this relates to the visit of the thoughtful Scotsman..... I can explain.

During the course of our house warming party, tgcgp found himself chatting to an attractive young Norwegian lady, the golf course owners Daughter. One who he was infact already aquainted with (as well as her sister), although he may or may not remember (new years eve, waltzing in the kitchen, pianola and all that......). After his exciting travels he was obviously keen to share his ancestry with those present (ed. verbally, of course).

During our vist to the golf course and their farm, we were shown to the "Stabbur" (little building for food storage and meat curing). This now served as a museum of items from the long history of the farm. Private museums are something quite common, it seems, in Norwegian farms, this is not the first we have seen. It was a great privelage to rummage through the small upstairs room, finding all sorts of things including weaving machines, ancient ski's, tools, bags etc. Remembering the conversation with tgcgp, we were informed of the prescense of a couple of Ice Saws. The photo of one of which is enclosed, with a couple of "golf goons" for scaling purposes!!!

When you've stopped looking at our legs, you will see that this saw was obviously designed to shear of huge chunks of Ice before the were packed in Sawdust and wood shavings for transport to the UK (and presumably other destinations). I am informed that using this packing technique the blocks of ice would keep for "a good time"....

Can those of you who may be seeing tgcgp in the pub tonight, pass on news of this post and tell him how to get to it....