Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

It is official. I can't say no to chocolat.

Ok. I have to admit it. I lost. I am eating chocolate. And I am enjoying it. Immensely!

I have tried, and tried, and tried. I was so sure that writing about my denial of chocolat through Lent here would make me strong enough to resist.......

It all started out so well. I smiled when I passed the chocolat section during my grocery store visits, I looked at people eating chocolat, still smiling and feeling very content with myself....Ha, I could do this.......

Then I started to cheat myself. Of course I could eat chocolat on Sundays, after all Sundays are not days for fasting, and you all helped me along.... of course it would not be polite to say no to the benedicts offered by my colleague........my smile became thinner and thinner. I said no to some extra sweet bites when we celebrated my father and I felt good.....yes, I was on the tight rope again.....I can do this!

......untill yesterday. I will be on the road today with two colleagues and I promised to bring a lunch basket for our long drive. On my way home from work I stopped to buy some fresh yeast for baking pastries......and next to the yeast was some dark, dark chocolate.......Mmmmmm, the smell was so tempting, I had to stop, I had to put some in my basket......and the rest is, well, you understand where this is leading, don't you.

Coming home, the smell of dark, rich chocolate filled the house, and soon bites of the chocolate filled every single of the 36 pastries I made...........and it filled our hearts and minds when we ate two well, at least two pastries each for coffee in the late afternoon.

And me? I am happy about life. It is the third week of Lent, my yellow week, I do my best to walk the path God has laid in front of me, in prayers, in silence, in laughter and.......in enjoying my daily bite of chocolat!

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Photos: a few of the pastries I made yesterday. I promise to make a few for you as well when you come over to The Blue Café.

There is something about words

There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts.........

I started a new book yesterday morning. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I am spellbound.

The words are flowing into my mind, I forget everything else, I live the tales of Margaret Lea and Vida Winter.

It is some time since a book has taken me so hard, so deep. It is like falling in love. I need more, more, more. At the same time I want to save the words. I don't want to book to end.

My hunger for reading started when I learned to read, somewhere around the age of five. Since then books have followed me everywhere and through every hour of the day. It is a deep and lifelong love. My love of books is a garden I grow. Fresh and colourful. My sanctuary.

There is something about words......

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Photos: shots from Lindisfarne

My Year. Updated list of Living Life

Every month this year I will update my list of "Living Life" during my 50th year. I started to work on the invitations for my "big party" today and ordered personal stamps for the envelopes - yes, I'll use my self portrait.

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I will be 50 this year, in a couple of months. And I've got my first pair of glasses.

Turning 50 - is it a new beginning, a totally turn around or is it just a keep going?

I am looking forward to being 50. I find myself looking at older women, thinking - they are filled with lived life, the lines in their faces and on their necks comes from having loved through decades. Sorrows and happiness, it is all about living the life you are given. Age is beauty.

Turning 50 means "keep going", and again I pray with St. Birgitta "God show me the way and give me the willingness I need to walk it."

Turning 50! Keep going also means that I will continue giving myself challenges!In my diary I make a list.....

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• travel to India (I bought the tickets yesterday. YES!)
• plant roses
• read a book in a foreign language
• say hello to a stranger ( a stranger is a friend you don't know yet)
• climb a mountain
• love

The list will grow throughout the year.............................

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Update in January:

• Read Henrik Ibsen's plays.

Update in February:

• Buy a new paintbox before flying down to Italy for Easter.

Inspiration

I woke up this morning believing it was just another day, like every day. Ok, it was Saturday and I slept long, longer than I have slept in months, early morning bird as I always is, but.......

I dressed and had breakfast, and had just finished reading the newspaper when I realised that this was not an ordinary day at all. Because of some changes in my life, this week-end has been given me as two completely extra days, two days streching out for me to fill.

I have walked through today, in activity and silence, capturing every moment. And suddenly, after months of bursting activity I found myself in my studio tonight, searching for my old paintbox, my blue and white checkered mug filled with feltpens, a stack of art notebooks in different colours, a glass of pure water..........it was time to paint. Not a piece of art for the galleries, but bright colours meeting a white sheet of paper, loving strokes making lines and bows.

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Photos:

Women living out their artistic dreams in Venezia.

Venezian greens ready to be painted.

Red strokes transformed.

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Blog of the week: A friend through many years, and a source of artful inspiration through all these years, months and days.......do you know Roz from Autumn Cottage? Take a look and be inspired.

Celebrations

My Second Week of Lent is Orange

My second week of Lent is orange. Two candles, one red, one orange.

Juicy oranges offer me vitamins while I wait for even longer days.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

"Dance the Orange" Rainer Maria Rilke.

Photos: Do you see the angel?

The Wedding Day

She was young. For many years she had believed that she knew all about life. Today she realised that she knew nothing.

The young man, or was he just a boy, beside her, this young man she had known since her early childhood. Today he was a stranger. Not even his eyes had the same colour, or did they? She was unable to tell, just as she was unable to meet his eyes.

Did he still love her? Did he still know her? Did he feel the same as her, that everything slipped away today?

Even the church looked different. The floor and the walls were polished almost beyond beauty, fresh flowers from the nearby fields were made into beautiful bouquets decoration the church aisle. She wanted to memorize the beautiful leather decorations on the bridal chairs, but tears filled her eyes and she was unable to see clearly.

Only when looking up at the familiar cupid over the altar did her mind find some rest. Love was going to follow her into her new life.

This was the last day of her old life.

This was the first day of her new life.

This was her wedding day.

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Happy Valentine!

This post was originally posted in November 2006, inspired by church art in Gildeskål church in Norway.

She was young. For many years she had believed that she knew all about life. Today she realised that she knew nothing.

The young man, or was he just a boy, beside her, this young man she had known since her early childhood. Today he was a stranger. Not even his eyes had the same colour, or did they? She was unable to tell, just as she was unable to meet his eyes.

Did he still love her? Did he still know her? Did he feel the same as her, that everything slipped away today?

Even the church looked different. The floor and the walls were polished almost beyond beauty, fresh flowers from the nearby fields were made into beautiful bouquets decoration the church aisle. She wanted to memorize the beautiful leather decorations on the bridal chairs, but tears filled her eyes and she was unable to see clearly.

Only when looking up at the familiar cupid over the altar did her mind find some rest. Love was going to follow her into her new life.

This was the last day of her old life.

This was the first day of her new life.

This was her wedding day.

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Happy Valentine!

This post was originally posted in November 2006, inspired by church art in Gildeskål church in Norway.

God, show me the way.......

In front of the bathroom mirror I have a blue bowl with three red roses. The sight of these roses is the first thing I set my eyes upon in the morning. A reminder of the Holy Trinity.

In cold water I wash my face with my hands. Three times. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

And I pray with St. Birgitta: God show me the way, and give me the willingness needed to walk it.

I am ready to start my day.

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This photo and these words was the start of my speech yesterday. Taken from "40 dager - fra karneval til oppstandelse"

Thanks for your prayers. My father is still in hospital, seems to be doing fine. He will be 75 on Friday!

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Photo: Roses at our cabin.

You never know the day.......

It was in the middle of the conference and I was giving a speach about God's creation and our sacred task of aministering Mother Earth. My power point presentaion showed a photo from Lindisfarne and the thin film between us and heaven when I heard my mobil phone getting busy in my small purse. The sound set to reach my ears only.

I tried to overhear it, but the phone kept on, and as soon as my powerpoint presentation was over I passed the word to a friend of mine: "Berit, can you please tell us about the Lutheran World Foundation and it's General Assembly coming up in 2010. I know the theme they have set for this assembly is very interesting for what we are discussing here today". I slipped out of the room to check my phone - My father was sent to hospital.

I felt my word come to an abrupt halt there and then, my autopilot taking over.

Somehow I managed to finish the speech, and then decided to tell why I had left the room. Silence. Then one lady raised her arm. "I want all of us to gather now in a prayer for Britt-Arnhild's father and her family". The others agreed. "Dear God. You know what has happen today. You know Britt-Arnhild's father and what he is going through. We pray that you keep him in your loving, healing hands. AMEN"

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A thin moment happened there and then. God's presence was close. We all felt his blessings.

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I've been to the hospital to visit my father. They are doing all kinds of checks, but he seems to be doing fine. My prayers continue.

Photos: Nidaros Cathedral

-----------------------afternote---------------------------

I also got another call during the conference. The main radio station here in Norway called to ask me a few questions about my book. My mind was not present, so I politely asked the woman to call back tomorrow. Now I am crossing my fingers that she really does..........

Another repost. One of my favorites from last year

"Yes, I am coming, just let me re(d)fresh my lips first!"

We have been hosting a conference at work for two days for 250 church workers in the diocese. It is a challenge to find a place to feed so many people, and two of the meals were in the County House's restaurant. Imagine 250 people invading a lunch restaurant, sitting down and starting to sing a prayer for the food. (It is a Norwegian tradition to sing prayers before we start our meals :-).)

The other workers who had lunch in the restaurant sat dumbfound, wondering who all these pious people were. Then I overheard: "Church-workers, oh, you mean pastors, vicars, deacons, organ players, grave diggers and so on? Oh, yes, I can see that now because the all look so happy and none of them wear makeup!"

Give me a challenge, and I take it. The first thing I did after I heard this statement was to go out and buy a lipstick. My old one was bought 10 years ago and is hardly used. I am not going to change my happy smile, but I don't want to be put in a pigeonhole! I am a church worker! I use makeup! At least from today.......;-)

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I promise I'll write a totally new post tomorrow. Probably with a series of photos from Roma! And I plan to visit a few favorite blogs tonight - after the conference is finished.

"Yes, I am coming, just let me re(d)fresh my lips first!"

We have been hosting a conference at work for two days for 250 church workers in the diocese. It is a challenge to find a place to feed so many people, and two of the meals were in the County House's restaurant. Imagine 250 people invading a lunch restaurant, sitting down and starting to sing a prayer for the food. (It is a Norwegian tradition to sing prayers before we start our meals :-).)

The other workers who had lunch in the restaurant sat dumbfound, wondering who all these pious people were. Then I overheard: "Church-workers, oh, you mean pastors, vicars, deacons, organ players, grave diggers and so on? Oh, yes, I can see that now because the all look so happy and none of them wear makeup!"

Give me a challenge, and I take it. The first thing I did after I heard this statement was to go out and buy a lipstick. My old one was bought 10 years ago and is hardly used. I am not going to change my happy smile, but I don't want to be put in a pigeonhole! I am a church worker! I use makeup! At least from today.......;-)

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I promise I'll write a totally new post tomorrow. Probably with a series of photos from Roma! And I plan to visit a few favorite blogs tonight - after the conference is finished.