Skilpadde.

Woke to a sticky-warm tent today... The sun heating the air to sauna levels. A good feeling to wake up to on holiday! After breakfast with a view over the sunny North Sea, we got ready and headed out to Kristiansand Dyreparken for a day of animal-spotting. The zoo was amazing... Absolutely huge with an enormous number of enclosures that looked full of things for the animals to interact with. Best of all, most of the enclosures were separated from the public by a drop and electric fencing, rather than glass or mesh - much easier to take photos. All the animals were great, but I particularly liked all the monkeys; especially the lemurs that were free to roam with the humans - one of them just sitting catching flies in his hand absentmindedly. The orang-utans, otters and reptiles were really cool too, and I really liked this grumpy tortoise (skilpadde). Oh, and I got to pet a pot-bellied pig (felt like a brillo pad) and a goat. M refused - I couldn't believe it!

After a full day of walking round the enclosures in the hot sun, we were ready for an ice-cream and home. On the way back we might have got marginally lost (NOT my fault...) but as we were parked in a layby, we got some very exciting news: M had got the job he was interviewed for the other week. We are both absolutely delighted - I am just so, so happy for him. It was exactly what he wanted and he thought he was going to have to wait years before he attained this position - just shows where very hard work can get you. Best of all, it's an onshore job, so no more 3-weekers in sea-jail!

We headed home for a celebratory engangsgrill which turned into supper cooked on the trangia as black clouds bubbled up from nowhere and suddenly popped over the campsite. In a brief 15 minutes of sunshine we sat outside with our pØlsa and Øl (hotdogs and beer) and later retreated to our tent to read while a thunderstorm crackled overhead. At the worst point, I dragged M outside to watch, but it all sounded much more dramatic from inside the tent. I even saw a tiny mouse scuttle for cover under a strawberry plant.
After a day of sun, walking and celebratory beers, M and I will both sleep well tonight!