Mjøsa is Norway's largest lake, as well as one of the deepest lakes in Norway and in Europe as a whole, after Hornindalsvatnet. It is located in the southern part of Norway, about 100 km north of Oslo. Its main tributary is Gudbrandsdalslågen in the north; the only distributary is Vorma in the south.

From its southernmost point at Minnesund in Eidsvoll to its northernmost point in Lillehammer it is 117 km long. At its widest, near Hamar, it is 15 km wide. It is 365 km² in area and its volume is estimated at 56 km³; normally its surface is 123 metres above sea level, and its greatest depth is 468 metres. Its total coastline is estimated at 273 km, of which 30% is built up. Dams built on the distribuary of Vorma in 1858, 1911, 1947, and 1965 raised the level by approximately 3.6 metres in total. In the last 200 years, 20 floods have been registered that added 7 metres to the level of Mjøsa. Several of these floods inundated the city of Hamar.

The cities of Hamar, Gjøvik, and Lillehammer were founded along the shores of the lake. Before the construction of railways past the lake, it was an important transport route. Today, aside from minor leisure boating and the steamship Skibladner, there is no water traffic on the lake. Most of its shores are dominated by rolling agricultural areas, among them some of the most fertile grainlands in Norway. The main train line, Dovrebanen between Oslo and Trondheim goes along its eastern shore, making stops in Hamar and Lillehammer. The largest, and only, island is Helgøya. Except for Helgøya, Mjøsa only contains small islets. The most interesting of these are Steinsholmen, with the ruins of a Middle Age citadel.

Matthew 'Matt' Hayes (born 24 November 1961 in Smethwick, UK) is a renowned British angler who has been making television angling programmes for the last 20 years featuring mainly on the digital TV channel, Discovery Real Time. Due to his television work and the numerous fishing articles he has written, Hayes is one of the UK's most famous and recognisable anglers. He is often seen on TV alongside his fishing companion and fellow programme contributor Mick Brown. He has a Law degree from Wolverhampton University and he currently lives in Shropshire, the UK. In his early years on his program 'Total Fishing with Matt Hayes', his co-presenter was Jan Porter. He has written a weekly column in the Angling Times for almost ten years and is the current President of The Carp Society.

Coarse Fishing with Matt Hayes (26 Jun 1995)

He has done a series of TV programmes with fellow angler Mick Brown also known as 'The Duke of Market Deeping' or 'Sir Michael'. These programmes include: The Great Rod Race, The Greater Rod Race and Wet Nets. These are both about 30 day challenges from the west coast of Ireland, to the east coast of England. Matt also starred in the TV series 'Mainstream', travelling down the UK's most famous rivers from 'source to sea', wetting a line or two along the way.

Alf Prøysen (23 July 1914 - 23 November 1970), was a writer and musician from Norway. He was born at Rudshøgda in Ringsaker. Prøysen was one of the most important Norwegian cultural personalities in the second half of the twentieth century, and he made significant contributions to literature, music, TV and radio.

His childhood was typical for those of the husmann class; the landless lower class of rural Norway. This is reflected in his songs and short stories, where he draws realistic, satirical and harsh pictures of class relations and everyday life in rural Norway.

Though somewhat of an underdog and an outsider, Prøysen made significant contributions to many artistic fields: children's radio, short stories, theater and music. His only novel Trost i taklampa was a great success both as a book and as a play, depicting the urbanization of 1950s Norway, and the effect this had on rural life.

His work includes the stories about Mrs. Pepperpot, a tiny lady who never knows when she is going to shrink to the size of a teaspoon. In the Norwegian original, she is known as "Teskjekjerringa"; the teaspoon lady.