Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Difference makes a perfect match

         They both have cameras. Walking hand in hand, in silence or on conversation, the cameras are there and easy to use when something is for remembrance. 

          She looks upwards, flowers and balconies, a lonely chair creating images of hours spent in reading or reflections. He looks downwards, a manhole, a litter box, a line meant to show blind people their way. He wonders about the people working in the community, what are their workdays like.

              Two people in harmony, yet two people with minds drifting different ways. You live close day after day, chained in matrimony, yet you never know the ways of your other self's mind. Two people in harmony, and to get the harmony perfect, complete, you play the instrument you have been given.

          A week-end in Copenhagen and they are never two steps away from each other. Still they see life from different angels.

They share, and two halves make a whole. Difference makes a perfect match.

              I love the way Terje and I see different things when we travel together. I am the dreamer. He preferes reality. We share and we both get the best of two worlds.

Looking out the window

          I am back home, inside, looking out, not flying the world again and again, east of the sun, west of the moon.

I will turn my head inside, to look at my home, to be among my own belongings, my own family, my own flowers and books. To sit down with Marta to learn more English words, to have a mother/daughter chat with Ingrid, to phone my boys, have a cup of afternoon coffee with Terje To be. In my own home.

Photo: from our Copenhagen walk

I have fallen in love with you

          Late one night 30 years ago Terje looked into my eyes and said the most important words in my life: "I have fallen in love with you!"

Two years later we were married, and four kids came as beads on a string.

Live has gone on during these 30 years, our love has been and is the air we breath to live. Our love is giving us health and blessings.

This week-end we are in Copenhagen to celebrate our lifelong love. I took Terje to Tage Andersen's shopto show his this amazing place, and there Terje bought me the book Tage has made about camelias.

Colour your food.

 Autumn is the perfect time of the year to colour the food. My garden is filled with colours right now, late roses, sweet peas, calendulas, sunflowers, blue borago and alot more. Many of the flowers blooming right now can be used in the food, to be eaten, or to decorate. A white rose is beautiful in a white califlower soup. Sweet peas are beautiful everywhere.

A califlower soup is easy to make, staring with melted butter and flour, adding milk or water, salt, a little white pepper, and some creme fraice. But be careful with the cream, it might be too heavy to digestive.

 I seldom plan our menus far in advance. I love to shop on a whim.

I got my visa. I will go to India!

              A year of planning........and now it will soon be a reality. I am going to India for three weeks this autumn. Wednesday I did my second visit to the India Embassy in Oslo, and now I have my visa. 

Eating in an Italian  restaurant in Oslo Wednesday night, I overheard the group at the next table. They were talking about an old lady, aged at least 90. "And can you imagine! She is still travelling the world!" I hope this can be said about me in 40 years:-)

               I have a map of South India, and a pile of books about the country, history, art, nature.........Is it possible to be prepared for the unknown?

Home to an empty house

          Late last night I came home from yet another travel. As I parked the car in the carport, everything was dark inside the house. A totally new experience to me, as I am so used to be greeted by cries of Hi, and Welcome back, lights on everywhere, often a ready meal. I felt an emptiness as I locked the car. Is this what it is like to be alone? My next thought followed - How blessed I am with a big, loving family embracing me through happiness and through sorrows.

When I opened the front door an empty feeling was starting to fill my body. Then I heard from the basement - Hello Mum. Welcome home!

The house was not empty after all. Ingrid was there, on her way to bed, feeling much better than she has done the past weeks. She has a terrible cough which nothing seems to cure, and we are worried.

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Marta is at camp with her school all this week, and Terje is in Malmö, the Swedish town right across the sea from Copenhagen. Tomorrow morning I will be flying down to Copenhagen and we will spend the week-end together there. 

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Photo: a bench in the city of Tromsø. I would love one like this in my Blue Garden.

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Both The Blue Garden and The Blue Cafe have opened, after long breaks.

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Thanks to Balisha I googled Rosekyrkja (the Rose Church), and found this link.

The Rose Church

          Somewhere along the western coast of Norway there is an old church called The Rose Church. It has got its name because of all the rose painting inside. All walls and the whole of the roof covered in colourful paints.

          We passed this church on our way to Hjelle hotel. Driving from our cabin in the morning we were sure to reach Hjelle in time for dinner, in good time for dinner, in very good time for dinner actually. But Terje had forgotten to think of all the stops and detours on the road every time I found something interesting to see.

          Who can resist a Rose Church? Well, not me!

We did reach dinner though. The Rose Church was closed for the night when we passed. The detour came next day when we drove the long way back again. I had to see the interiors of the church.

We were not allowed to take photos though, so if you want to see it you must take the detour yourself.

Happy trails.

Oh, to be 12 again......

         To sleep long during Sunday mornings, to grab your eiderdown duvet and the book with the magic horse story, to creep out from the bedroom and wrap yourself comfortable in the old blue bed in the cabin livingroom, never to think of time or watches, to travel deep, deep into the fairytale, carried by the flying hooves of your horse........

Can life be better?

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Sunday morning at cabin.

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Two childhood reading memories:

For my 8th birthday I got Mary Norton's The Borrowers. After the party I sat down with a cousin to read the book. We co-read the first pages, then she had to go home. I finished though, and hardy put the book down untill it was finished. I knew for sure that relatives of the borrowers lived in our house, and even today I try to make egg sized woolen yarn balls like the old storyteller in the book did.

When I was 12 I was in hospital for a couple of weeks. My mother had a newborn baby at that time, my youngest brother Torodd/the piguin, and it was not easy for her to come for visit. My father came every day after work though, and on his way he stopped at the library to get me new books. Through him and his library visits I was introduced to Mary O'Hara's My Friend Flicka. The three books about the horse Flickan was read over and over again and was never forgotten. Yesra later I was able to buy the three books and now it is time to pass them over to next generation.

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Do you have any childhood reading stories to share?

 

How does your knitting grow?

 

A week-end at the cabin, alot of mother-daughter time. I found my knitting, and sitting down beside me, Marta looked through the huge knitting basket in search of old treasures. "Look Mum, here is the scarf I started to knit years ago. It must be the first I ever knitted I think. Oh, can you help me to finish it this week-end. I want to bring it with me when my class goes up to Røros on the camp next week."

 

So there we sat, both of us with the needles busy between our fingers, chatting about old days, (old days for a 12 year old is only a few years back). We talked about how we learned to knit, and she still remembered the old story I have used for dozens of children to help them learn knitting. (I used to work in a kindergarted 30 years ago, and I have four kids, all have had lots of friends coming to our home).

   

"How was this old story again?  A princess shut up in a cave, the prince coming to save her, creeping into the cave, embracing the princess, bringing her with him out into the light........." Yes, Marta, you remember the story still. And look, your knitting is perfect. Look at the difference between then and now."

 

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Photos. Marta at cabin terrace, Saturday morning. The scarf is finished, and Marta and her class drove up to Røros this morning for a week at a camp in one if the old mines there.

A Second Post Today - with UPDATE

                 Welcome over to my cabin for a cup of tea, a piece of cake and a chat.

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We are just back from a sunny cabin week-end. I have done alot of cooking and plan to finally update The Blue Café after months of ignorance (will let you know what it is done). And I have a new blog of the week for you. This time I want to send you over to my friend Darla in USA. Her blog is a mixture of creative ideas, reading tips and her living from sea to mountain, Bay side to mountain side.

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Back to chatting. How is your week-end? What are you up to today? What is on your mind? I have a quiet night ahead and would love to sit down for a friend's talk.

 

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            Both The Blue Café and My Year in the World are now updated.