Saturday, October 12, 2013

KONG23 - Day One

KONG23 officially started with the arrival of Arnstein Bue, OJ Sagdahl and TJ Bråtveit on schedule, in heavy winds at 13:05, courtesy of Wideroe Airlines. Solar conditions aren't at all good, the previous night was uneventful with only a handful stations heard. Nothing interesting from Asia and the Pacific in the afternoon either, so the guests could set up their PCs and black boxes (SDRs) with no stress. Weather has definitely turned autumn, although mild for the season with 5 Celsius, but gale force winds and showers would be unmotivating for outdoor activities like antenna erections. Luckily we didn't have to, they were already up.

The first KONG meal is usually a simple one. This year, Bjarne presented his special fish gratin comprised of haddock loins and fried bacon, lyce, carrots and macaroni, and the all-important muscat flavour. A Kim Crawford white wine served as a worthy companion. For dessert we enjoyed dark chocolate pudding with vanilla custard and a small glass of Amaretto. To clear our throats we also needed a glass of the lovely Grappa Amoroso.

Overnight conditions are even worse than yesterday's. Few, and faint signals. Luckily we have lots of recordings to attend. The temperature this morning is 3 Celsius, fresh breeze and the hills are snow-clad. Fresh breads are in the making. Ocean swells are hammering on my sandy beach near the house. Yes, it's that time of the year again.

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