Day:307, Words:307

As I drove to work today, there was something that just wasn't quite right. A feeling that some small alterations had been made but I couldn't put my finger on it. As I pulled up to the car park and glanced at the vehicle next to me, it suddenly hit. A large number of the cars in this quiet, little village were missing number plates. Øksfjord is not been noted for theft or vandelism or even serial practical jokers. I made some enquiries and received the answer.

Apparently, a van from the Norwegian road and traffic authority were in town and checking all of the registered vehicles. They were checking that everything was up to date, such as the compulsory biannual EU check up, insurance and other mandatory registration necessecities. If a car was found to be lacking one or more of the red tape fundamentals, the 'technicians' in the van would promtly remove both the front and rear number plates. It would then be the responsibilty of the car owner to organise the retrieval of the plates, at their own expense of course.

In at least one instance today, the missing number plates were the result of an unfortunate misunderstanding. When informed of the mistake, the plate removal workers in their van responded with this..."Our policy is that once a number plate is removed, it cannot be re installed." You can't beat good old fashioned government organisation customer service.

The clear days, the cold weather and the early snow falls have been welcomed by the keen skiers that have quickly begun to utilise the conditions before they quickly change again. The lights lining the cross country ski trails have been switched on in the Vassdalen valley and the swishing soundtrack of poles and skis have replaced the previously rushing river sounds, which is now deathly silent.

 

 

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