Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Emotions in the Blue Garden

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When my mind is busy, emotions moving around like pebbles,
I seek out in the garden.

My afternoon nap has become a "workinginthegarden-nap".

Planting out a few daisies
Weeding
Gathering stones for a dry river bed
Photographing a new Pelargonia with the funny name TexMex 
Chatting with the tulips
Sitting down in the greenhouse
Breathing colours

 

An hour in the garden resets my mind.

The emotions are still there. They feel right. I thank my Creator that I am born with this wide rainbow of feelings......

 ......and I put yet another stone into my emotion pot.

A writer, a singer,a blogger. A world

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From one world to another........or rather from one beautiful place to life goes on.

I came back to The House in the Woods around midnight, and after a few weeks sleep, Terje and I were out running together. 
Whitsuntime, Monday a red calendar day and perfect for a cabin weekend. Double perfect as our sister in law, Fabula, or Stina as she is for us, is in Norway at a festival in Surnadal, on our way to Rastarbo (if we drive a detour.......which we glad ly do to meet Stina).

Fabula performen at an outdoor concert last night, which we were unable to attend, as I was on the plane somewhere over the Atlantic......but today, as she would be singing at a booktalk with Mette Karsvik, nothing could stop us.

Mette Karslvik, a young Norwegian writer, her first novel gave her the Tarjei Vesaas debutant award, her fourth and  most recent novel, shortlisted her for Brageprisen, a Norwwgian litterary prize that is awarded annually by the Norwegian Book Prize Foundation.

Her lastest book, Bli Bjørk (Become Bjørk), is a three dimentioanl book about the history of the state of Iceland, the history of Bjørk's father, and about Bjørk herself. I have not read the book, and it was not on sale at the booktalk, but no doubt, I know what my next book buying will be!

Stina sang two songs, one with text by a famouse late Icelandic poet about an angel hidden in a stone. One by herself about a stone so sad because his most beautiful side is faced down to the soil and there are no one there to turn him around......we all want to show our most beautiful and to be seen, don't we?

Fabula and Mette Karlsvik. Two women with a message to the world.

Their messages hit me, stay within me, will makr their impact. Will free the angle in me, help me to turn my stone around........for the world, for those close to my heart, to see.

 

After the booktalk and some worlds and huds with Stina, Terje and I continued. A drive, a ferry ride, a slideshow of beautiful Western Coast of Norway......

 

Spring is Norway.
Nothing can compare.........

Promises of a good harvest to come.

An apple tree, a cherry tree, a friend with wildflowers and a tiny cabin. What more do you need?

 Well, what about a boathouse, and may be a boat?

Yesterday was great.
I love today.
I wonder what tomorrow migbht bring.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bli Bjørk

Fabula

The first photo is today's post is by Kalla Skrøvset, a late painter from Surnadal. I love her paintings, especially the one which used to be grandma Olga's which now hangs in my parent's home

Trading snow flakes for falling apple blossoms

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Just a few days ago snowflakes fell on my hair.

Today I have traded the snow with apple blossoms.

Though the rain is pouring down and I am wet to the skin after a couple of hours walk, and I left Trondheim bathed in sun this morning....

......my heart is blooming with the pink falling flowers.

I left Trondheim early this morning. Flew down to Oslo, transfered to a flight to London, Heathrow, and now I find myself in a charming little cathedral city (I was about to write town, but have learned that a twon with a cathedral is a city!), St.Albans.

I am here for a couple of work meetings, staring in half an hour with Evening Song in the cathedral. But when we arrived we had a couple of hours with nothing on the agenda. It unpacked my umbrella and went out for a walk.

 

First I found a charming Pub, The White Swan with great fish&chips. Then I found an Oxfam bookstore with a perfect section of travel books. Then I found the falling apple blossoms. Then a church where I walked in to say a few prayers and light a candle.

Then, behind the church, the tiniest little garden....

....and found that it is a memorial garden.

Isn´t that sweet?
How I would have loved to meet Mrs. Rodgers.

I wonder if the stick haning by the door was hers?

On my way.......somewhere

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Den som intet våger, intet vinner!

 

..........

Some days I wish all of you spoke Norwegian. 
I can´t see why you shouldn´t. The easiest language in the world, with the words to best describe my words. My feelings.

 

Like today.

The photo and the words den som intet våger, intet vinner!

Say it all, if you ask me ;-)

 

In English it will be something like:

you have to take a chance to win, to gain.

Den som intet våger, intet vinner!

 

Good luck.

The Baccalao, a party to start Easter Break

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When Easter break starts with a baccalao birthday party with friends, cabin life can wait a day or two. A birthday party means you need to go downtown for a birtjday gift. Going downtown means a stop at Fairytale Cupcakes for coffee.

 Salty chocolate, perfect choice for a cupcake.

 

At the party we were in for a wonderful surprise, baccalao. A perfect Easter meal. A perfect summer meal. A perfect all your round meal!

Baccalao, prepared the traditional Western Norway way, spicy, strong red wine, a table filled with friends. Laughter. Words. Discussions. Shering of tales. Talking about books, music, food.......you name it.

 Coffee down town. A party.
Baccalao
Friends.

 

Well worth to wait with cabin life a day ow two.

The Gift of the Day

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Saturday morning. A weekend ahead. All mine. 

Home alone.

I am not used to home alone weekend (Marta is still here, asleep, but she will soon be on her way to a friend for a sleep over. Terje is away for a few days)

The hours ahead, like wrapped gifts, playful printed paper, colourful ribbons. I will open then. One by one. I will take time to enjoy every single one of them. I will take time to BE in the minutes. Be in the time. To be.

Here. Now.

Carpe Diem

How is the gift you are unwrapping right now?

I´m singing in the rain

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I love the rain which is pouring down right now. It is like the morning shower I can´t live without.

The rain shower is enought for me.

I don´t need a swim in the icy cold river as well.

It is Friday.

I´ve had my morning shower.

I am singing in the rain.

 

My world in water colours.

A beautiful palette.

My Lectio Divina

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Early morning. Marta still asleep. Terje gone to work.
I am staying behind for some quiet time. Some silence. Some preparations for the day ahead.

For my Lectio Divina

To get silent time between me and my Creator is a challenge during the busy, filled to the brim with things happening days. Not that I am busy all day, but still days are filled, with reading, eating, listening to music, blog writing, photographing, house fun, walking, talking........you name it.

Sr. Miriam and Sr. Judith at Turvey Abbey are both teaching me about Lectio Divina........of being in the presence of God.

Why is this so difficult for modern men?
Why do I have this urge do DO something all the time. Not just BE.

BE, in the loving presence of God.

 

The English word BE means PRAY in Norwegian. May be that´s a key to something.
Å be, to pray, doesn´t mean to seek out the correct words all the time.  Å be, to be, to pray.

My lectio divina is a lesson to let my soul be, and through this quiet being, be in prayers with The Saviour.

Sr. Miriam has sent me information about Lectio Divina. Sr. Judith has sent me a list of books to read.

The first of these books came in the mail a few days ago. "Wisdom Distilled From the Daily. Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today" by Joan Chittister.

 

I am still like a newborn, on my way to become a toddler on this road to deeper wisdom. Or is this true?

My God, my Creator, my Saviour. He is also in my busy days. In my activities. In my working, in my reading, in my writing, my house fun, my walking, my listening to music, my blogging.

I am not a newborn. I am no toddler.

I am a woman. Age doesn´t matter.
I am a woman living my life with Jesus. Learning to to wear a new set of spectacles on the way, a new pair of shoes for my feet.

My Lectio Divina.

In silence. But also in my everyday activities.

 

Photos: reflections of the cathedral spire

....something old or something new......

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I have a beautiful diary. Handmade, purple leather, delicate, Italian. I carry it with me everywhere.
It is the most beautiful journal you can imagine.

In it I collect words. Tales. Sketches. Notes. Lists of this and that. A life.

 

I must have had a hundred different diaries though my 50+ life. Many of them gathered in a wooden cabinet in my studio.

 

 

I sat at the airport yesterday, waiting for the plane. Early as always. I am never late to anything. I don´t have the guts.
I had checked in a small over night suitcase. Between my feet I had my backpack. With a water bottle. A couple of books. Diary. Pencil case.
And all the "stuff" a women always carry with her.
Just in case.

And my MacBook Pro.

From the backpack I picked up the purple journal. And a pen. 

The journal is the most beautiful one you can imagine. But is is not very practical. The sown pages are hard to open flat, this makes it difficult to write on them. My handwriting suffers from this. The written pages don´t look like I want them to look. I write less. It doesn´t give me so much pleasure anymore.

From the backpack the MacBook is crying my name.
"write in me instead of your most beautiful diary in the world. Much more practical. Make a folder called journal. Fill it with your life. In beautiful fonts."

I closed the diary. Was about to pick out the MacBook. Then changing my mind.

The 50 years´habit of writing a handwritten diary can´t be changed just there and then.

The art of journal writing.

I am in the process of counting the buttons (do you say than in English?) wether to buy a Kindle or not. I will miss the feel of the book as it rest in my fingers, the smell of the ink. Even more I will miss browsing the bookshops.
Buying one book. Two. Three.

But may be for travels? 

The old fashioned me, the lover of traditions.......am I changing?

For the good?

 

Photos: Oslo yesterday

Musings in the spring sun

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I am afraid God has forgotten his rainbow promise. In Trondheim icy cold rain is pouring down, and the weather forecast tells us it will go on and on and on for a long time still.

Lucky me to have a break in Oslo.

In the sun.

 

Two days filled with meetings, but as one of my meetings was cancelled in the last minute, I got some time out to enjoy spring.

Walking through Slottsparken I came just in time for the changing of the gards.

10 years ago Torgeir was one of the King´s Guards. In the tattoo company.
Can you imagine I was a proud mother!
I was The Proud Mother!

 

I still am.

The Proud Mother, I mean.

Of four.

Being a mother, being a parent, is a life filled with blessings. Every day. Every minute of the day. It also means concerns. Worries. Prayers. Love. Comfort. Laughter. Tears.
The rainbow of feelings (......oh God, please don´t remember your rainbow promise........) 

 

We can keep our kids in our hands only for a limited time.  Our open hands are their base, from where they must learn to fly.

How often would I like to close my hands. Keep the kids closer to my heart. Hug them. Tell them how much I love them.

 

Close hands can get clammy.

Close love as well.

 

Dear God, teach me every day to keep my hands open.

Thank you that Your Hands are there to receive when mine fail.

 

I sat down at the front terrace of Kunstnernes Hus (The House of the Artists). Leaving my suitcase close to the table, my coat over a free chair, I walked inside to order a cup of coffee.

"Oh, I am sorry, actually we are closed today, but as the weather is so nice we keep the door open while we clean. Being closed emands that we have no food to sell, but we can offer you a cup of coffee if you want. Would that be okay"

 

Black coffee
Sun
Spring in the Air
A blessed mother´s thoughts and musings.