Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

An old farm

There is something magical about old houses and old farms. Who built the house? When was it built? Who has lived there through the centuries and decades?

As I girl I used to dream life into old abandoned houses and wrote long stories in my head about families living there, and also as a young mother I loved to take photos of my two small boys outside old farms.

What is this desire to go back in history? To seek your roots and to imagine life as it used to be? Why are we charmed by an old farm like the one in the photo? Why do we collect antiques and vintages?

For me it is a deep desire and a deep need to be part of something more lasting than the day of today, be part of something bigger and more profound than my own few minutes on mother earth, the feel that I am a part of God's creation from eternity to eternity.

The farm seen on the photo is one we pass on our walks in the countryside behind our house in the woods.

Married for 26 years.

26 years ago my dad walked with me up the aisle of the Nidaros Cathedral. In front of the altar Terje was waiting for me and I gave him my "yes" (or my "I do")

We will celebrate with a dinner in the garden with the girls tonight, and then have our own special celebration with a trip to Prague next week-end.

I always need more cupboards.

When my father was a boy he made this small cupboard. It was stored, or rather hidden, in my parents' basement for many, many years untill I found it a few years ago and brough it back to life - to a wall in my parent's livingroom. I already then told them that if they one day didn't find room for the cupboard I would, and when they moved to a smaller house in January the cupboard became mine.

Now it decorates a wall at our cabin, and holds my cabin egg cup collection, and a few more things. And on the door, which is always kept open, I have hung a tumbler quilt I am working on.

Thank you Lord for giving me peace.

Walking home from the concert through the late Nordic summer night we passed this charming rowing boat. The nature, God's creation, is my favorite place for finding inner peace, love and beauty.

Luci Shaw's Poems of Creation, capture nature in a special way. I want to share one with you today:

I begin to understand how weather

The wet guts that all yesterday afternoon

swept our mountains with their gray silk

skirts - their cold cloth rinsed our faces -

have calmed and recombined tonight

in the placid lake that gleams below our window.

It shows its stormy origins -

ripples fretted like clouds, and liquid light

glancing from an awkward moon that stares,

double-faced, from sky, from water. I begin

to understand how weather - like verse, like

memory, like love - plays with pieces of the past,

makes new of old, festoons bare twigs with

jewels. From God knows where,

miracles come. And for you I am making

this green blessing from fallen rain.

Two is the perfect number for a feast.

Terje and I have spent the week-end at our cabin, just the two of us. We usually go with kids + friends and boyfriends, so it was something quite different going just me and him. We love having a full house, but I must confess that I captured every single minute of this week-end as a special gift for us.

On Saturday Terje worked in the forest with his chainsaw, and I worked on my book which is to be finished from my pen in a few weeks now. After nice working hours the sun broke through and I took the book I am reading (still Frances Mayes) out on the terrace, and could invite Terje to join me for a well deserved break. Both of us enjoying sun, birds, the view, our deep love for each other and two glasses of sirop de menthe.

Later in the day, after more tree cutting and more writing, we had dinner outdoors. Using fresh vegetables and greens from the garden, the meat is still on the grill when I took the photo, we had a wonderful feats. I never need a five star restaurant as long as I can cook our own outdoor meals.

Summer nights are long and light at midsummer in Norway, and after dinner we went to an outdoor concert at an old and very charming boathouse. Enjoyed the music together with about 100 other spectators and 1000 moskitos.

My flower girl.

Trondheim is filled to the brim with beautiful flower arrangements this week. I told you the other day that when Marta visited me at my work she borrowed my camera and walked out on a shooting safari. When she came home that day she was inspired and wanted to make her own arrangement. We did a walk in the garden together, talking about which flowers were best to use, and then she jumped into it. Marta is very artistic, and her talents bloomed together with the flowers that afternoon.

The celebration.

It is a beautiful night out in the garden, so I prefere outdoor life instead of indoor blogging tonight. But anyway, here is one of the huge cakes which were served to the people of Trondheim after the main celebration service. Yummy!

The king and the queen arrived today.....

.....but I don't have a photo of them. They arrived in Trondheim this morning, and came to the Archbishop's Palace on a private visit before lunch. It was when we had lunch break at my work, so we could watch them through the windows when they arrived. Queen Sonja beautiful and elegant as always, the king and the crown prince both galant and proud.

I took a downtown walk after work, and outside Stiftsgården, where Marta did the royal wave yesterday, The King's Guard was now patroling the palace. Torgeir was in the King's Guard's tatoo group a few years ago; watching this young man made me miss him terrible - Australia is far, far away.

We are having a mild and bright night (happy summer solstice) and tonight Terje, Marta and I went downtown to watch the busy preparation and to enjoy the evening. Outside the cathedral the bishop, the dean and the vicar were busy  going through the whole reception and service together with the Norwegian Broadcasting. Every little detail must be taken care of, every step must be the right step tomorrow.

We walked further and found a café near the marketplace with a good overview of Stiftsgården, where we could watch all the prominent guests arriving for tonight's dinner. Sat outside with Caffe Latte, tiramisu, coke and icecream, enjoyed the feeling of being tourists in Trondheim.

Busy days in Trondheim.

In two days there will be a big celebration in Norway; it is 100 years since the first Norwegian king in modern times were crowned in the Nidaros Cathedral. A huge celebration will be held, over several days, and my town is now brimming with activities to dress herself beautiful and elegant for the feast. King Harald and Queen Sonja with their whole family is coming to town for a few days, and every little detail must be perfect. Thursday morning will have the main celebration with a service in the cathedral, and you can feel the activity and the exciteness everywhere. With my office window facing the court of the Archbishop's Palace, I can watch it all. A perfect background for my bookwriting days.

The royal family will arrive the city tomorrow morning from the royal ship, which will be anchored out in the fjord. Marta's class has been on a boat ride out to Munkholmen island today, and when I met Marta when she came back with the boat, I also met soldiers planning every detail of the reception, while painters gave the old wooden bell at Ravnkloa a finishing touch of yellow paint.

Marta and I enjoyed our walk through the city on our way back to my work, watching the busy activity everywhere, side by side with ordinary, busy city life. On our walk we stopped at Stiftsgården, the house where the Royal family live when they are visiting Trondheim, and my princess Marta did the royal wave from the stairs where the king and queen will greet the inhabitants and tourists of Trondheim tomorrow.

Marta has been taught all her life that all men are equal, and she was filled with questions and reflexions after our walk. Her main one was this: "Poor royals, they are only allowed to see the beauty of life, why can we not also let them see what our city really looks like, both the beauty and the more ugly parts?" Back to my office I had some work to finish and I sent her out with my camera. I am amazed by all the good photos she shot, and what she was able to see and reflect through the lense. I am showing you one example. The lawn around the cathedral is not perfect, and on the worst spots they have put on some new lawn, grown outside the town. Of course you are able to see the difference, which Marta did, commenting that this is not the real Trondheim she would like to show during the coming days:

Garden inspirations.

Small garden inspirations can be found everywhere. I passed this little paradise several times during my days in Sigtuna, and every time I stopped to shoot another photo.

My garden is my muse, where I find strenght and beauty, where I can work hard and where I can sit down just to enjoy peace. Where I can invite handfuls of friends or where I can spend days in solace. Everyone should have a garden, big or small, several acres or just a few pots in the kitchen window. A garden is where life and beauty grow hand in hand.

What is your dream of a garden? How do you make it come true?