Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

A few pages for you.......

 

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the book will be only in Norwegian (though of course if you all write to IKO (my publisher is the second one), they might think otherwise

it is my first book

it is hardcover and in full colour print

it can be ordered from IKOs webshop in a couple of weeks

The title of the book is "40 dager - fra karneval til oppstandelse" (40 days - from carneval to the rising <of Christ>)

yes, I have started my second book......more about that later.

December 20th. Joy

Our house is brimming with activity, joy and happiness these days. Torgeir is home from Australia, father in law has travelled 1000kms to celebrate Christmas with us, Øystein comes home for meal and chatters, Ingrid's boyfriend has not yet left to spend the holidays with his family, friends of Marta frequent the kitchen........

Terje and I gather our energy, count our blessings and feel thankful for every precious moment. I know I will be exhausted when January comes, but believe me, it is worth it.

My soon to be 85 years old father in law is the best cook I know, and he never wastes a chance to pass forward his talents. Sitting in my studio writing this, I have the door open, and from the kitchen downstairs comes the enchanting fragrance of fresh cookies. He, Marta and Marit are baking "brune pinner" ("brown sticks").

The Blue Café is busy these days, but there is always room for one more around our table.

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I got a message on my cell phone today from the custom's office in Trondheim. A packet from a bookbinder was there waiting for me. The packet is here with me now, and in it are the 25 first copies of my book! I might show you some photos tomorrow, right now I am too busy counting my blessings.

December 19.

Two men sat behind me on the bus home from work today. One of them had just finished his last day at work before Christmas.

"Lucky you" said the other one. "You will have some nice, quiet time before the holidays".

"Oh, you know," said the first one, "women! My wife has a looooong list of things which HAVE to be done before Christmas. Yesterday I tried to persuade her to slow down, telling her that Christmas will come anyway. Believe me, those were the complete wrong words!"

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I love to follow bits and pieces of conversation. I never turned around to look at the men, but have a funny inner picture today of a man with bucket and broom scrubbing the bathroom tiles with his wife supervising.

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Photo: from downtown Christmas market which was closed when I came there to buy Christmas presents today. But no problem, I will be back tomorrow.

December 18. Øystein's angels

When Øystein was 8, he came home from school one day in December with three handmade angels. I have collected angels as long I can remember, and have angels made by well known artists, angels made in Danish papercraft, tiffany angels, glass angels, wooden angels, wool angels......you name it. My most precious ones are these three though, made by my little boy.

Today Øystein is 23 and has his own flat. There are no angels decorating the walls of his home, and he is not sure if he believes in angels any more.

My faith is strong enough for both of us though.

For Christmas I will buy him a tiffany angel.

Capability Brown

While the Blue Garden sleeps under a cold blanket of snow, I enjoy reading about other gardens and garden designers. In a Danish Christmas magazine from last year, GARDEN Living, I find an article about Capability Brown, the Bristish garden designer who is said to be responsible from alot of what we today see as the typical English landscape. Lancelot "Capability" Brown was born into a labour family in Northumbria in 1716, he went to school and aged 16 he started as a gardener apprentice. Blenheim Palace is a place where you can see the result of his genius planning of a garden. Anwich Castle is another place. I have never been to Blenheim, but I enjoyed walking in the Anwick park last summer, enjoying the serene beauty.

December 17th. Coconut macarons.

The house fills these days, with Christmas colours and with fragrances of the season. I don't bake as much as I used to, life has taken other turns, but still several traditional cookies are made to fill our red and green tins. My husband and youngest daughter made gingerbread figurines Saturday morning, but before they startet I claimed half an hour in the kitchen - that's how long it takes to make these "kokosmakroner"- Oh, so simple, oh, so tasty. At least tasty for those who love cocos. Not my cup of tea, but the rest of the family can't have enough of these cookies.

kokosmakroner

250g cocos

180g powdered sugar

3 egg whites

mix the egg whites till they are totally stiff

add powdered sugar and cocos and stir carefully

use a spoon to make small cookies on the baking plate

bake at 180C for 10 minutes

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More Christmas recipes over in

The Blue Café

Nostalgia

I am nostalgic. I hate changes. Several changes is going on in my city Trondheim right now. They might be small, but for me they feel almost too big. Small shops and restaurants are closing. New huge chain stores open.

People seems to prepefe huge malls. I always prefere a living town center with small shops and cafés with charm.

In an old part of Trondheim, behind Our Lady's Church, there has "always" been a small Italian trattoria, Zia Teresa, run by Italian Benito who came to Norway "at the dawn of time". A warm and cosy restaurant where you always have found the very best, thin Italian pizza, the most tasty pasta. Now the trattoria is closing. The owner of the house needs it for other purpose. Benito says that he will open his Zia Teresa elsewhere in Trondheim, but will it be the same?

We were out Christmas shopping the other day, and had our last family meal with Benito. Already in the entrance Torgeir and Marta were welcomed by Benito, painted on the wall. Inside the trattoria he was live, like he always is, walking from table to table makeing sure that people are fine. Singing opera for his customers, playing the trumpet, telling stories. Life at Zia Teresa is never boring.

Benito looks like Pavarotti. Benito sings like Pavarotti. There are stories about people coming to Tronheim believing that they have met Pavarotti.

I have taken international and local guests to Zia Teresa many times, and have been well fed, with food, music and tales. Now I have had my last pizza there. Benito, I will miss your Trattoria.

I am nostalgic. I hate changes.

December 16. Booktalk on a Sunday 31

Sunday mornings are for reading.

Chapter 16 in Jostein Gaarders The Christmas Mystery(one chapter for every day during advent)

Chapter 3 in Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol (always one chapter for every Sunday during advent, the last one for Christmas Eve)

Torbjørn Færøvik's India (I am sorry this book is in Norwegian only, it is a treasure chest about this huge country)

Susan Howatch's Glittering Images (every Christmas I focus on rereading a series of classics - Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Anthony Trollope....... this year it will be Howatch's Starbridge series, historical novels about the church of Englans, a reread I look forward to)

The Illustrated Virago Book of Women Travellers (once a traveller, always a traveller)

........and What the Heart Already Knows, stories of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany by Phyllis A. Tickle (a wonderful little book sent me by one my my drear blog readers. Thanks Laura)

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Never a bored minute in the House in the Woods.

December 15. Morning greetings.

Who says that all angels are white (or black)? Of course they are in all colours.

A rainbow angel choir in front of the bathroom mirror greets me every morning. A reminder to let the colours flow through my day.

My book was supposed to be ready in good time before Christmas. Then I got the message that it was delayed. The printing press had problems handeling all the colours in it. I am not worried. It is better with too many colours.

God has created all colours. Don't limit them.

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Recipe for lussekatter is now up, white cookies will soon be there too.

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Blog of the week: A place where I love to find colours is over at Maria's The Woodpecker Cottage in Finland. She never stops to send inspirations along the rainbow westwards from Finland to Norway.

A Traveller's Year. December

December is a month when I try to avoid travels. All other months I feel the traveler's blood run through my veins, but when the month of advent and Christmas comes, all I want is to hibernate, to lit my candles, play my Christmas music and prepare for the season. This year was different though. I had a meeting in Stavanger, south west in Norway, 1 1/2 hour by plane from Trondheim. And since my father in law lives near Stavanger I invited Terje and Marta to travel with me and we could go to Moi,the village of Terje's childhood.

Near Moi there is the city of Flekkefjord. I have taken you there before, but only at summer. Last Saturday Flekkefjord was all dressed up for Chrismas, and Marta, Terje and I spent a morning there letting the spirit of the season fill us.

In the summer we have a few favorite cafés where we love to go for a cup of coffee or a snack. December opened our eyes in a new way and we saw coffee houses we had never seen before. One of them was especially tempting and we opened the corner door to see what was inside.

  Vaffles, coffee and a touch of oldfashioned Christmas charmed me, and so did the worn furniture and interior, even the other customers looked worn, though kind of cosy like life itself.

Marta was eager to finish her sweets and get out though. Her main reason for coming to Flekkefjord with us was that the winner of Idol Norway 2005, Jorunn Stiansen was in town and an outdoor concert would be held at the market place at noon.

Of course we went there. I, Terje, Marta and all the pre-teenaged girls of Flekkefjord. A highlight for Marta (you can see her with a pink beanie to the right in the photo, standing on a bench). And afterwards came my highlight when we visited the nativity scene outside the church.

Yes, I can pretty well become an around the year traveller. More travel stories will be shared here at The House in the Woods in 2008.