Table of Contents
Alistair
- Alistair’s Letter Introduction
- 02 December 1978
- 19 December 1978
- 24 December 1978
- 07 January 1979
- 17 February 1979
- 26 March 1979
- 14 May 1979
- 23 May 1979
- 04 June 1979
- 23 June 1979
- 30 July 1979
- 02 October 1979
- 13 September 1980
- 28 September 1980
- 06 December 1980
- Dunston 1980
- 31 July 1981
- 04 September 1981
- 16 October 1981
- 26 October 1981
- 28 October 1981 postcard
- 10 November 1981
- 23 November 1981
- 05 April 1982
- 28 April 1982
- 28 May 1982
- 16 September 1982
- 26 October 1982
- 29 January 1983
- 07 February 1983
- 08 February 1983
- 14 February 1983
- 18 February 1983
- 29 March 1983
- 02 April 1983
- 28 June 1983
- 23 August 1983
- 06 November 1983
- 14 October 1986
- Red Letter Surrey
Merete
Karen
Hans Klaegstad
Oslo Norway 1970s 1980s
Photos 1970s 1980s description
Here are more than 100 photos from the 1970s and 1980s in Oslo. Many of the photos are taken at Sogn student town. I wasn’t a student, but rented various rooms from students at a reasonable cost.
The rooms were very small, and you had to share a kitchen and bathroom with six others. But I was around 30 years old at the time, so this didn’t bother me. Moreover, you could meet many people there, and have parties and girlfriends without anyone getting ‘nosy’. There was also two restaurants where you could buy beer. We had many a ‘sing-song’ – and I was ‘banned’ on two or three occasions for being the ringleader in such sing songs.
I don’t have the time at the moment to describe in detail every single photo – I might do this later. But this is 40 years ago! So I might need to ‘jog my memory’ in order to remember every single name and event.
Moreover, I won’t go into a long description here, something which I might do later.
So, I will just briefly mention some of the names.
One of the photos shows my friend Eddie Jacobsen – he was a brilliant guitar player – we used to play Beatles and Stones songs together.
Another photo shows Alf-Erik – a gay guy from Honningsvåg in the north of Norway. I became friends with many of the Honningsvåg people who worked for Oslo University in various jobs, such as the kitchen at the university café.
Some pictures show me in my Oslo Sporveier bus uniform – I worked as a bus driver for about 2 years, around 1980.
There are lots of photos of my various girlfriends, such as Liv, Kristin, Bente, Nina, Safira, Merete, and many others.
Pictures in my diaries around late 1970s/early 1980s
In the late 1970s / early 1980s, when I was living in Oslo, and was about 30 years old, I kept a number of diaries. These were composed in quite a haphazard way, and included drawings of where I happened to be, and drawings of friends and girlfriends (they also included contributions from them). Sometimes, I might include quotes from authors I happened to be reading at the time. I would also include sketches of the works of artists that I admired, or just copy some popular comic strips, such as Hagar the Horrible (Norwegian: Hårek).
Also, I drew a number of self-portraits. Sometimes I would use charcoal, pens, inks, professional felt tip pens, and so on.
Here are about 70 images from the Diaries which I recorded in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Oslo, Norway. Many of the photos are taken at Sogn student town in Oslo. I wasn’t a student, but rented various rooms from students at a reasonable cost. The rooms were very small, and you had to share a kitchen and bathroom with five others. But I was around 30 years old at the time, so this didn’t bother me. Moreover, you could meet many people there, and have parties and meet friends. There
were also two restaurants where you could buy beer. We had many a ‘sing-song’ – and I was ‘banned’ on two or three occasions for being the ringleader in such sing songs (as it wasn’t allowed). (click for more)
Merete
Karen
I had a beautiful and vivacious girlfriend in the late 1970s and early 1980s called Karen. Karen had two wonderful sons called Alexander and Kjetil. We had many glorious times together! Karen lived at Grunersgt 6 in Oslo – and I first met her through her son, Kjetil, who used to help me deliver Coca Cola to the shops in East Oslo. We also visited England on one occasion, and my mother came to Norway, and we all went on a round trip of Norway. I could write a lot more here, but I will keep this brief. I will include five home movies here:
Kindergartens in Oslo in the 1980s
Working in Kindergartens
Around 1980, I worked in a number of kindergartens in Oslo, Norway. I was a so-called assistant – in other words, I had no qualifications. I was also interested in so-called Super 8 film – that is film with sound. However, the movies I post here are without sound, because I have scanned the movies on a machine that did not have the sound function. Nevertheless, not much is lost with the loss of sound. The film clips was taken at ‘Hallenhagen barnehage’ (Hallenhage kindergarten) in East Oslo central.
I imagine that kindergartens have not changed much in the last 40 years in Norway. Children are most likely still eating mackerel sandwiches, and playing outside in all weathers – come rain, snow or whatever.
The film clips show that children have an unquenchable thirst for play – and not least for ‘working together’. Perhaps adults can learn something from children. Of course, children had their upsets and quarrels, but this was never allowed to disrupt their playing together. Race and gender had no meaning for these children – prejudices was something they ‘learnt’ later in life.
In Norwegian – the children have a word ‘muring’ – God knows how I should translate this into English – but it involved playing with sand and water, creating channels, and working together – a kind of construction work. There is no differentiation between boys and girls – thus, the boys and girls had equal roles in this ‘construction’ work.
Children are also great ‘play actors’. One boy called Nicholas liked the group called “Kiss”, so I arranged a concert where they could play like Kiss.
I also had a movie projector, and used to show them Tom and Jerry movies – which they loved – especially when Jerry inflicted pain on Tom! (‘David and Goliath’).
I even carried out some ‘Olympic Games’ – but this was not always a good idea – as children would become unhappy when they ‘lost’, and sometimes break out in tears. Perhaps this is something else we can learn from – ‘everyone’ loves competitive sports – but what about the losers? The major nations invest much in international sports, just as they invest in the military. In other words, if they succeed in international sports, this seems to imply that this gives them the ‘right’ to oppress the ‘losers’ – a kind of primitive Darwinism or Hitlerism.
Home Movie 1970s 1980s
1970/80s Home Movie
This home movie starts by showing my brother Alistair playing the guitar, when he visited me in Oslo, Norway, around 1980, when I was living at Stølsvegen 18.
It then shows a Scottish piper in Karl Johan Gate – the main central street in Oslo. Comically, he doesn’t seem to be a very skilled player! The next shot is a black street singer, showing my brother, and a friend, Hans Klægstad, in the background. The Royal Palace is also in the background.
The singer seems to have questionable skills, but is not short of blonde female admirers; but of course, he is also quite good.
The next clip shows me and my brother at the apartment in Stølsvegen.
The next clip is some scene from a disco or club.
The next clip shows my brother at the ferry terminal getting ready to return to England.
Another clip shows my brother at a historical site in central Oslo.
Another clip shows Alistair and my girlfriend Merete – Alistair talks about the world cup – so this is probably 1978.
The next clip shows Merete when we visited Gavin and Sue, who were staying in Alistair’s house in Dunston, Sunderland.
The next clip is from a horse race track. My brother, Alistair, was an obsessive gambler, and often visited race tracks. Perhaps this is in Newcastle, I’m not sure.
Amusingly, my brother appears almost like some kind of Hollywood recluse star, wearing a heavy dark coat, and Stetson hat. If nothing else – my brother was certainly a ‘character’ with his full beard and white hat!
The next clip shows the street in Dunston, Sunderland, where Alistair lived. The great irony here is that Alistair was born in Sunderland, and supported the Sunderland soccer team – but of course, although he was born there, my parents were only there for a short time. My mother had decided that four of her sons were ‘middle class’. But she had relegated Alistair to the working class – which, ironically, was the class she was brought up in, in Govan, Glasgow. In other words, returning to his roots in Sunderland was perhaps an act of opposition to his mother?
I think my father disliked this prejudice of my mother against my brother. So I think he was instrumental in ensuring that Alistair followed an educational path – so he became an electrician. After all, my father and grandfather were electricians – but with the aim of becoming engineers. My mother’s mother was from peasant stock, and didn’t even have English as her mother tongue! My mother’s father was no more than a barman. So, it is quite ironic that she held prejudices against skilled working men and her own son.
Audio
Southern Man by Neil Young
Alabama by Neil Young
Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday
Recent Posts
- Diary No. 1
- Jumble of Photos Around 1980s and 1990s No. 3
- Jumble of Photos Around 1980s and 1990s No. 2
- Jumble of Photos Around 1980s and 1990s
- Pictures in my diaries around late 1970s/early 1980s
- Oslo Norway 1970s 1980s
- Home Movie 1970s 1980s
- Children at Kindergarten Playing at Building
- Children in Kindergarten Form a Rock Band
- Children in Hallenhagen Kindergarten