Another lockdown… another commute

[Mendip]

My north African taxi driver had his wipers on full speed... it was absolutely bucketing down by this point and no way could I have walked.



After realising how far out of town the Haugesund Koronavaksinering Centre was I relented to my driver's repeated hints and once we arrived, said he could wait for me in the carpark and keep the meter running. He assurred me that it wouldn't cost much if he was parked up... I didn't believe him for an instant but what choice did I have... this place was in the middle of nowhere.



Everything was very well organised. After being allowed in (by mentioning my email contact's name), if you had an appointment you sat in one area and if you were a 'drop in' you sat in another area. I sat in the drop in area and after about 5 minutes realised that I'd forgotten to pick up a queue ticket... no-one had told me about that. I went back, got meself a queue ticket and sat back down again at the back of the drop in queue... but to be fair it was moving fast.

My number was maybe 20 places away, but it only took around 10 minutes to come up, and I went off to the specified Vaccine Room. The doctor there couldn't find my name anywhere and said I had to go back to reception and fill out a form. I'm not blaming anyone, and this isn't a moan, but I had a bladdy taxi on the meter here...

After filling out the form I had to again get a queue ticket and wait maybe another 15 minutes to get called. I was offered a choice of Moderna or Pfizer but eventually decided on Pfizer. I think it's more readily available in the UK (where I hope to get my second jab) and I'm not sure how comfortable the UK are about mixing vaccines and then declaring you fully vaccinated. The doctor finally made my mind up as she got bored of my deliberations and had a Pfizer shot ready loaded in a syringe. I took it in the left arm as per Topper's advice. I'll see how that works out.

Afterwards I was told to wait 20 minutes in another area before leaving... but bollocks to that. I could see my Eritrean taxi driver in the car park looking way too pleased with himself... I immediately sneaked out to cut short his joy. All said and done, I reckon the entire process had taken me around 45 minutes.



I got him to drop me in town so I could continue my reminiscing... and he only charged 416 NOK... about 35 quid, which for Norway was a very pleasant surprise. Sorry matey, I take it all back.

I walked down to the waterfront to 'Smedesundet', the sound between Haugesund and the island of Risøy. That bridge connects Risøy to the mainland and has played a big part in my life in the past.



But first I checked out the statue of Marylin Monroe, who looked bra-less to be honest. In case you're wondering, the sculptor had made no effort at any detail under her skirt.



Haugesund claim that Marylin Monroe's father was a local baker before emigrating to America. I can't imagine that America needed any help from Norway on the cuisine front, but there you go.

I walked along to the end of the boardwalk and took this pic.



The last but one white building across the sound on Risøy, the tallest building with the four gable ends, used to be the offices of Stolt Nielsen Seaway. Anyone associated with the offshore industry will probably have heard of this company in the 1980s and 90s... and will have been familiar with it's fleet of mustard-coloured offshore vessels. Stolt Nielsen were a major dive company back then, but also had a construction division and a survey arm... and were my first employer in the offshore industry. They had the same parent company as Stolt Tankers, which I think are still going today.

Over the years Stolt Nielsen Seaway changed names to Stolf Comex Seaway (with the acquisition of a French dive company), Stolt Offshore, Acergy and were then 'merged' with Subsea 7 to become... Subsea 7. I worked for all at one point or another... same shit, same company... different name.

Anyway, almost throughout the 90s I worked out of the Stolt Nielsen Haugesund office which became a second home. My hotel was in Haugesund, and very day I had to walk back and forth across that b@stard bridge, come rain of shine (usually rain), and sometimes twice if I could wangle a lunchtime pint. It is known as the 'windy bridge', and for good reason.



As it had stopped raining I decided to re-live those memories.

On the way back to the bridge I took a pic of this... a crumbling reminder of Haugesund's past glory. Sild means herring.



At the foot of the bridge is Lothes Bar. In the early 90s this was one of the few places you could drink spirits late at night... Haugesund used to be very conservative. Many times at the weekend I stumbled out of this place after a night of Hansa with Jegermeister chasers, bypassed my hotel room and hiked straight across the bridge to work. I couldn't do that these days.



Back up at street level to gain entry to the bridge my old hotel is visible. It used to be painted white and called the 'Rica Saga' but is still very recognisable to me and brings back a lot of memories... my second home in the 90s. Back then you used to get Braathens Safe loyalty points (before they were absorbed by SAS) when staying in Saga hotels, and Braathens Safe were part of the KLM alliance. I went Gold for KLM in one season of staying in that hotel... a good deal before that particular loophole was closed.

If you check out the first balcony above the entrance on the fourth floor... that is a small two-room suite that I stayed in continually during the 90s. I left bread for the seagulls on the balcony and entertained several guests behind those glass doors... including 'starfish woman', sadly.



Memories... anyway, it was time to walk over the bridge again, for the first time in maybe 20 years.

[ootai]

Mendip
Just a question re you leaving before the 20 minutes were up after your jab.
When I had mine I had to wait 30 minutes and then after that they gave me the certificate to say I had had the needle.
Did you get a certificate or any verification that you have had 1 vaccine shot? If not then I would be getting in touch via email to see what you can do to get one.
No good having it is you can't prove it.

As for walking over that bridge no way I could do that without crawling so I couldn't see over the edge, 2 metres is about my limit.

Have a safe trip to the Black sea.

[Mendip]

As I ascended the bridge I couldn't help noticing what I at first thought was a high rise going up... but once I looked properly I saw that it wasn't a crane on the right, but a flare stack. This is a new topside being built at the shipyard/engineering works. The comparison with the surrounding housing really gives an idea of the size of these structures.



It is part of the Phase 2 development of the huge Johan Sverdrup field... recently discovered and due west of Stavanger. Johan Sverdrup is, I think, the third biggest hydrocarbon field on the Norwegian Continental Shelf with a design life of 50 years. It currently produces over 500,000 barrels of oil a day... yes, Norway really is that green!



I reached the apex of the bridge but that was far enough... although it had stopped raining there was the constant threat of a downpour and it was blowing an absolute gale. What was there to gain from walking down the other side?

Look at that flag! It was difficult to hold the camera still and if I'd been wearing a hat it would have been long gone.



The view to the north... you can just see my boat in the distance, close to the horizon.



Zoomed in... those white horses look ominous... we will be sailing out into that soon...



And the view to the south.

The big bridge in the background connects to the island of Karmøy... similar to Wales in that it's population are very strange and renowned for inbreeding. That is one bridge I will never attempt to walk over. Haugesund's airport (HAU) is located on Karmøy.



A slightly zoomed in pic showing the old Stolt Nielsen office building at the end of Risøy. During the rare sunny and warm summer days this can be a very pleasant place to be. In May there will be pleasure boats everywhere as the entire population of Norway takes it's holidays. It can be nice.



I also noticed this on Risøy to the south... what I had at first assumed was a tanker is in fact an FPSO being fitted out.



The Njord field is a bit further north of Åsgard, where we were working a couple of weeks ago,.



Shipping and engineering are now a huge employer in Haugesund and previously there would have been an army of British welders and pipe fitters working here throughout the busy times. All of that work of course now goes to Europeans, mainly Poles, but I promised Katie that I wouldn't go there again, I must move on. I'd hate to be labelled a remoaner.

I was very glad to head back down the bridge to get out of the wind. Incidentally, many years ago, somewhere around the foot of that lamppost, I threw up on my way into work on the morning after a heavy night out. It was January and the pool of vomit froze solid on the pavement for several days and became known as 'Mendip's Pizza'. It's funny what you remember.



The waterfront north of the bridge... you can imagine how nice this would be in the summer.



And a quick view back at the bridge from the north... no rain but very cold and windy.



My last reminisce of the day... Mackkjelleren. Another regularly frequented bar during the 90s when none of this fancy glass fronting existed and I think the whole area was much nicer.



I tried to gain access for a coffee but it was closed... probably just as well because the temptation for a pint would have been too much by this stage.



The reason I wanted to get inside was this... a picture that has been hanging on the wall in the bar since around 1996, for 25 years...

I took this pic of the pic around 3 years ago...



I was sitting outside Mack's with a couple of colleagues around 1996, both of whom are now retired. I am now older than either of them when that picture was taken... which really makes me feel old. Where have the years gone? I'd love to have those years back again, they were good times... although I'd probably avoid the starfish woman second time around. But not definitely!

It was time to get back to the boat before I got all melancholy.

The Johan Sverdrup topside was still towering above the surrounding housing. It must be really strange to live closeby and be dwarfed by that structure for months on end, and then for it to suddenly disappear in a day once it's finished and towed out to sea. One day it's a major part of the skyline, and then it just disappears.



On the way back to the boat I passed another smaller bridge to the island of Hasseløy (the next island to the north is Killingøy, where the boat is moored).

This is a small bridge so I popped up to take a pic. A nice view to the south...



And to the north... not far now.



Another bladdy statue... I couldn't be bothered to investigate.



Yes, no stopping now... I was on a mission and wanted to get back to the boat before they stop serving food at 12:30.

It was getting closer...



It was 1.4km away and I had 20 minutes... should be possible.



Another nice church.



And yet another glance back at the Johan Sverdrup topside dominating the skyline, even from this distance.



You've just gotta laugh at these Norwegians!



And finally... 10 minutes to spare...



Security is tight...





A very welcome sight to a cold, wet and hungry traveller.



But this was a surpise... the new 2600 metre long umbilical was back on the spool... I later found out that it hadn't gone on the winch right and so was spooled off again. A Friday departure was looking unlikely... but regardless, I was glad to have got my vaccination out of the way and not wait until Friday's appointment. I have no need or motivation to leave the boat again.



Finally... 5 minutes spare to get some food and strangely enough, a very welcome sight indeed. I happily walked up the gangway after getting soaked through and bitterly cold in Haugesund... the next time my feet touch dry land will most likely be in Istanbul.



And to round up, because I know it's expected... the long anticipated food was pretty shite to be honest and all I had to show for my day trip was a pair of extortionately priced trainers, a tube of toothpaste and a bottle of water that cost more than a pint does in most countries.

But at least I had my Covid jab!

[Mendip]

Mendip
Just a question re you leaving before the 20 minutes were up after your jab.
When I had mine I had to wait 30 minutes and then after that they gave me the certificate to say I had had the needle.
Did you get a certificate or any verification that you have had 1 vaccine shot? If not then I would be getting in touch via email to see what you can do to get one.

Yeah, already in hand Ootai.

Everything is online in Norway and you need a digital identity to gain access to your Covid vaccination history. You need a Norwegian bank account to get a digital identity, which I don't have.

They don't give out anything at the vaccination centre... but gave me a link to a government website to look into this. There is of course no email contact given, so I'll have to phone and find out what's what. It seems that they will post out some kind of certificate for me to show the UK authorities when I get my second jab... and then hopefully the UK will give me a digital certificate. My next step is to inquire about this and try to get something sent over to my mum's address in the UK. Nothing will be straightforward but I think all will be possible.

[ootai]

And to top it all off after that long walk you couldn't find a set of scales to confirm or refute your weight gain?
We'll see how long those new expensive joggers last but with the little use they will get they should last forever.

Nice pictures by the way not too large for me like when someone else posts.

[Mendip]

^ On the contrary Ootai... I know exactly where the scales are but I've just been too busy to go and use them. I have a lot to do on here.

I'm very pleased that you can view my pictures OK... I try and keep things simple as I'm very aware of your limitations.

I think I know exactly what you picture viewing problem is but keep my own council as I don't want to get embroiled in any controversy.

[malmomike77]

That's a great update Mendip, would have been even better if you'd fully reminisced and taken us back 25 years for a night out, although we'd probably all have appreciated not seeing the Haugesund starfish incident relived. Sometimes that saying any port in a storm is bollocks.

Its funny though how times change and not always for the better IMO. Whilst its a much healthier and safer environment in many workplaces nowadays, i for one would not swap the, shall we say more relaxed work atmosphere during the 80 and 90's for the fairly sterile, dare i say dull conditions now. Looking back and i suspect its the same for you, when compared to today i cannot believe some of the stuff we used to get up to; you would be dismissed immediately and in some instances arrested and charged. Occasionally at work a some of us reminisce with new staff on what it was like "back in the day" and they sit their open mouthed or colour up from embarrassment. I almost feel sorry for what a dull working life they have ahead of them but i guess what you've never had, you never miss.

Back to present day, great news on the jab and will be result if you can get back to the UK for your second. I am waiting on news on the booster jab and flu jab but as usual in these times its proving a challenge to get a coherent response from anyone. You may want to avail yourself of the Flu jab as well if you can.

I'd watch yourself in Constantinople, keep out of the fleshpots or you may find yourself in a barrel with another starfish incident to recount in the future. Stick to adding to your carved lady collection. Safe travels.

[ootai]

^ On the contrary Ootai... I know exactly where the scales are but I've just been too busy to go and use them. I have a lot to do on here.

I'm very pleased that you can view my pictures OK... I try and keep things simple as I'm very aware of your limitations.

I think I know exactly what you picture viewing problem is but keep my own council as I don't want to get embroiled in any controversy.

I wasn't talking about the scales on the boat but finding some on land that told the true story.

As for the rest of your comments I think it was much better when you weren't trying to be nice.

[Headworx]

Whilst its a much healthier and safer environment in many workplaces nowadays, i for one would not swap the, shall we say more relaxed work atmosphere during the 80 and 90's for the fairly sterile, dare i say dull conditions now.

I can remember when weekly Safety Meetings were first introduced on Sunday nights, and that was only because the client was Shell, and the only way management could get us all in the same place at the same time for 10 minutes was to put on a few cases of free beer . Nobody ever died (well rarely) and accidents were few and far between when we looked out for ourselves and each other without some knob-head who had no idea of what it took to do our jobs telling us how to do our jobs safely. We already knew, or we'd have been either dead or disabled.

[Stumpy]

Nice pictures by the way not too large for me like when someone else posts.

That's because Mendy has a Nokia Flip phone and you have an old CRT where you don't adjust resolution, you adjust raster size..

[Stumpy]

Great Pics Mendy. Thanks for sharing. Quite enjoy them while sitting at my pool bar enjoying an ice cold beer....

[bsnub]

Quite enjoy them while sitting at my pool bar enjoying an ice cold beer....

Rub that salt in.

[Stumpy]

Rub that salt in.

^

[Stumpy]

Do I dare ask what you plan on doing with that Sensodyne and your new shoes? Don't tell me that you read on line that Sensodyne helps with toenail fungus???

[bsnub]

Do I dare ask what you plan on doing with that Sensodyne and your new shoes? Don't tell me that you read on line that Sensodyne helps with toenail fungus???

[David48atTD]

I guess you have to hand it to King Harald I, but personally if I'd been around 1000 years ago I'd have jumper in my longboat and rowed the fuk away from Norway to find some place where it doesn't rain all the time and cost 12 quid a pint.

Oh Mendy, God bless you ... you have such a turn of phrase.

Love it!

[helge]

Someone made a joke with this roadsign. 'Gøy' means dick in danish. I'm sure it's the same in Norway

The statue in your earlier post was of Harald 'Fairhair'.

From memory I think he tried to christen Norway; probably with great difficulties.

At first I thought he was the one , who was in the imperial guard in Constantinoble, but I think that it was a later 'Harald'.

Would have been some coincidense, that you both headed in that direction.

He took the russian river route though.



I do not think that you are a moaner.

(not more than the average brit)

[Mendip]

Do I dare ask what you plan on doing with that Sensodyne...

It's for my teeth.

I went to the dentist a few weeks ago with sensitive teeth and she recommended Sensodyne and seeing as it seems to work I wanted to stock up before we depart for the Black Sea.

This really pissed me off to be honest. I'm 54 and only have one filling, until I went to the dentist recently and she told me I suddenly needed five fillings! I was mystified and we went through my diet (which is unchanged and very low in sweet things) and it turns out that lime juice is the probable culprit. Every morning at home I squeeze a couple of fresh limes (we are inundated with the bladdy things) into a glass of orange juice for me and the daughter... and I call it our 'Corona drink'. I tell her the Vitamin C will stop getting the virus. It seems the acidic lime juice may have been etching my teeth... bladdy typical, you try and do the right thing and it's still bad for you. I've stopped the practice now.

That's because Mendy has a Nokia Flip phone and you have an old CRT where you don't adjust resolution, you adjust raster size..

Ya see, I tried to stay out of this but now you've insulted me and dragged me in.

Just so you know, I have a dual SIM Samsung S10 Plus... about as high tech as you can get.

I think Ootai's problem is very simple... well, his picture viewing problem anyway. It's all to do with your camera settings... and nothing to do with file size but pixel size.

I have my phone camera set to 4:3 ratio and I usually take my pics with the phone sideways so the pics display in landscape format. You seem to have your phone camera set to some kind of weird panorama setting and I bet you take your pics with the phone upright, so the pics display in portrait format, ie up and down instead of side to side. That is why your pictures come out tall and thin.

What I don't understand is why Ootai doesn't just scroll up and down, assuming that he knows all about that.

But like I say, I don't want to get involved.

[Mendip]

Someone made a joke with this roadsign. 'Gøy' means dick in danish. I'm sure it's the same in Norway

Thanks for that Helge, and what fine comedians you Scandinavians are.

I still think the 'Farts' road sign was funnier!

[malmomike77]

into a glass of orange juice

Its both the lime and orange juice but if you give your mouth a swill with some water straight after you'll be OK. I'd not recommend bypassing your mouth by going intravenous.

[helge]

I still think the 'Farts' road sign was funnier!

Ofcourse you do

But you'll grow up eventually

[Mendip]

^^ I wouldn't bank on it!


We were supposed to depart our berth at Killingøy for bunkering at 3pm, but it doesn't seem to be happening.

I was hoping to be around for our departure but that's now looking increasingly unlikely. I've been trying to swing around to days for the transit but have been struggling and now seem to be stuck on this weird 3am to 3pm shift. But seeing as I have no back to back it doesn't matter at all.

Someone asked me if I'd get lonely working all by myself during the night... they clearly have no idea about my social life back in Korat!

The new 2.6km long umbilical is now neatly spooled onto the winch. This will allow us to work in the Black Sea which goes down to around 2.2km water depth.



But it's now 2pm and there is something very obviously missing...



The ROV guys have been doing a re-termination of the new umbilical to the slip rings. These umbilicals are full of fibre-optic wires to both allow the vehicle to be controlled from the vessel and to stream a myriad of data up from the subsea vehicle to the topside computers. This takes some connecting.

I found the ROV... I can't see us leaving in an hour.

[Edmond]

That your new weighing scales?





I'm just pissy that you're going to Istanbul with your new Filipino GF and I'm not

[Looper]

the sculptor had made no effort at any detail under her skirt.

Hope you used your phone torch to check in full view of passing locals!

[Saint Willy]

The cleaning crew the same or do they change?