Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

I am not a shopper, really........... (with update...)

 

While Terje enjoyed his 5 hours in sun and snow over the mountain, I had time to enjoy myself. First the long drive around the mountain, then time in Lillehammer to be a touri....I mean a traveller, my favorite pasttime. It took me some time to find a place to park the car. A small town invaded by thousands of extra cars and busses give some challenges, but in the end I found a parking house and the car could rest while I "travellered" (I had to create a new word, but I am sure you know what I mean).

Sigrid Undset's Bjerkebæk was my goal. Lillehammer is a steep town, and somehow all the roads seem to go upwards. It was nice though to walk in the sun and to enjoy the lovely old wooden houses and snowfilled garden. Unfortunately Bjerkebæk was closed during the winter months, not even the restaurant where I had planned to have my lunch, was open. So I walked back to the town and its main street, Storgata. I love this street. Back in 1994, during the Winter Olympics, it was promoted quite alot, and it even sent American friends to visit us in Norway. Rich, my friend Kathy's husband, watched this charming street in television and told his wife "I am going to visit Norway, I am going to walk this street". They came, a family of five, and we took them to Lillehammer. How I got to know Kathy is quite another story, a story of destiny, and should be told here some day.

 

Back in Storgata (the photos are from the ski race, not from Storgata.....) me feet first took me to the three bookstores there, but then somehow they lead me to a small place where they sell women's clothing, my size. I have been there before and knew I would find something, and this time I really needed new cloths! Except from books I am no shopper. I wait as long as possible, actually longer than possible, to buy new cloths, something I fully realized last week when I was packing my suitcase for a three day's trip. Nothing siutable to back! And I mean it! Nothing! I solved that problem by running out from work during my lunch break, but the solution was only temporarily. I needed more cloths.

 

So with Terje somewhere out there, enjoying nature, I burned my credit card, buying new shoes (the best and most expensive I've ever had) trousers, a sweater and a tunica. I will be travelling with my bishop next week. Now I know what to fill my suitcase with.

 

Photos: the first one is from Sigrid Undset's Bjærkebek, the others are from Birkebeinern. At The Olympic Park at Lillehammer 15000 skiiers met after the race and after their showers to find their skis and their bags.

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It is snowing heavily again here today. I have planned to go to Granåsen to watch World Cup Biathlon, but I might change my mind and stay indoors with my books and my letter writing.

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Finally downloading photos from both cameras and thought you might like to see the small log cabin where we spent the night:

    

My Super Hero :-)

At the age of 52 he decided to take part in a bike race, Birkebeinerrittet, 50+ kms over the mountain from Rena in Østerdalen to Lillehammer in Gudbrandsdalen. He loved it, and now, aged 53 he keeps on. Today he has changes the bike with a pair of cross country skis. Still over the mountain from Rena to Lillehammer, still 50+ kms. With almost 15000 others.

I am his personal driver and his favorite supporter. Driving with him for hours, spending the night in a tiny log cabin, primitive, without water, without bathroom. Padding through deep snow in the night to find the toilet. Driving around the mountain while he bikes, skis or runs

 

He is my super hero, my lover, my best friend. Good luck over the mountain today Terje!

I am writing this at a road cafe, very low internet connection........More later.

She came to the church

 

Happiness, sorrows, joy, worries..........she takes it all to the church. She takes it all to her Creator.

 

A candle lit for a resolution to be taken, a prayer prayed for a friend in need.

 

"Holy Father, take my hand and lead me. Show me the path you have prepared. Give me of your courage, your strength, your love."

 

When life set a steep road in front of her, she seeks nature. Nature created by her Heavenly Father.

 

Some roads are damaged, some are closed. Her Father shows her how to penetrate, how to climb over, how to walk around. Her walking shoes are called prayers, silence.

 

Photos: a small wooden church at Solastrand.

I want to frame the sea

 

It is beautiful at evening to walk out along the bed of the sea - now all slippery hay coloured grass, with curving dykes, to Camber Castle, the grey trefoil which lies midway between Rye & Winchelsea. The grey of this old stone fuses the landscape, if, writing in haste and private, I may so outrage - is this sense or sound? - All the view that it has a lovely pallor - whites & silver greens - plae straw colour; the pearl white sheep make the highest light in the landscape........... "Travels with Virginia Woolf, Jan Morris"

 

 

A Traveller's Year, an unexpected travel

 

I knew there would be two busy days, two short nights. A travel down to Sola near Stavanger (south west in Norway) after work on Monday, dinner and a meeting in the night, a full Thursday, leaving Sola Wednesday morning to fly up to Oslo. I did know that I was going to stay at a conference center near the beach of the Atlantic Ocean. I did know had been here once before, years ago. I had forgotten how beautiful this place is.

 

It was still daylight when I arrived Monday afternoon, but it was rainy, misty. I went to bed late, and as usual opened my bedroom window. As usual I woke in the middle of the night (my nightly visit to the toilet). When I was back in bed I couldn't sleep. The dark, almost silent night sent me a two tune arie: waves rhytmically coming in from the deep ocean washing sand and stones. Seagulls and their many relatives praising life!

Suddenly the beauty of this place came back to me, full force.

 

I was the first one at the breakfast table, I ate fast, and when the others came down, I was ready for a walk. Just a short one in the early morning before the meetings, but long enough to be filled with nature's beauty.

 

After lunch it was time for a long walk. Fierce wind surrounded me, blew my hair, filled my nostrils with the tiniest grains of sand. Birds' cries filled my ears and my heart. My feet walked fast. Happiness. Pleasure.

  

    

Work travels can give time for unexpected pleasures. My busy travel scedule can be a challenge, over the years I am becoming an artist in finding moments to be a traveller.To see, to enjoy!

 

Where Women Create

 

Some time ago I read about Where Women Create over in Sandra Evertson's amazing blog. My curiosity woke up, but for a long time I forgot all about it. Untill This Sunday when I sat out in the( still snowfilled) garden with a cup of coffee, my laptop and my garden diary. Looking through some of my favorite blogs, I came over ULLA's "Behind the Scenes of a Photo Shot Story", and my imagination was tickled. ULLA's studio is a place where I could move right in, and with such surroundings I might even become an artist making pictures and illustrations. Take a look yourself, it is amazing!

 

The sun was bright, the air almost smelled of spring and my fingers danced over the pages in my garden diary. My mind wandered, where do I create? I have a studio. Nothing like ULLA's, nothing for the posh magazines, but a place where I love to be, a place where I love to create. A studio big enough for both me and Terje, and the kids as well if they want to come. A studio where I do alot of my writing, alot of my dreaming, alot of my working away from work.......

 

Most of what I create is not created in my studio though. Being a writer, all I need as tools are my notebook and my feltpen, and I bring my tools everywhere. In my backpack, in my purse, into the kitchen when I cook, in the garden, skiing, walking.....well, not exactly everywhere, not in the shower!

Most of my writing is done "on the road", often in the middle of everything. Airports, busrides, meetings.

If someone would like to make a photo session of where I create they would have to follow me through my day, living life!

 

Where do you create?

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I am at Sola, near Stavanger, for the momrnt. Staying at a conference center on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. I hope to find time for a photo walk later today, and will post about it tomorrow.

Yesterday I travelled the World, or - Do you want a handwritten letter?

 

She had asked her mother to keep her letters and was confident that the fat pile bearing exotic stamps was waiting in her mother's desk. (Passionate Nomad. The Life of Freya Stark)

I travelled the world yesterday, my ticket was a feltpen and handmade paper, some cards, stamps and imaginations on a flying carpet.

Deborah and Pam in US, Annet in The Netherlands, Anna in Norway, my dottore in Venezia, Margaret in Cornwall, Besserat in Eritrea, Jutta in Germany, Gerda in Denmark........their letters, words, photos, postcards bring the world to The House in the Woods. Their interest in my life makes me see clearly what I have, makes me want to share. Sheets are filled with words, envelopes are stuffed, stamps are licked on, letters cross from one country to another. 

It is not only words. It is lifelong friendship travelling from east of the sun, west of the moon.

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I collect stationary when I travel, handmade paper from India, beautiful crisp sheets from Italy, hotel stationary from around the world, recycled Norwegian paper. Let me know if you want a handwritten letter, and I'll write one for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I'm on the road again (are you surprised?). On the plane I read Jan Morris' Travels With Virginia Woolf.

.......we would probably have taken her for an unusually clever but by no means extraordinary example of the English lady traveller, exchanging the usual pleasantries with compatriots before going to the escritoire in the corner to write her holiday letters home.....

Out in the snow cheering Petter Northug

 

When we bought The House in the Woods, in 2001 (actually on September 11th!, but how could we know.....) it was important for us to live close to the woods, the fields and paths of summer, the skitracks of winter. I could have prefered something closer to town, but my vote counted only as one against the rest. Øystein and Ingrid both did biathlon at that time, shooting and cross country skiing, Terje's love in life (well, except for his love for me and the kids ;-)) is cross country skiing. As soon as I saw The House in the Woods I had no doubt though, this was OUR home. A taxi driver drove me home from the airport a couple of weeks ago. When we finally arrived here he bursted out "oh, this must be the dream house" - and there is no way he said that because our house is huge, rich or sparkling. The House in the Woods has its own, simple charm, and people feel it.

 

Yesterday came up with the very positive side of living on the edge of the ski tracks. We can grab our skis and walk for 2-300meters and there are the tracks. The ski tracks used by Terje and his likes every day during the winter season, used by the ski elite for competitions and World Cups. This week-end there has been a World Cup in Nordic Skiing going on, and yesterday Terje, Marta and I packed our backpack, grabbed our skies and sunglasses and went out to watch Petter Northug and the others.

 

People of all ages were having fun outdoors. Close to where we sat down with our lunch, a group of students, a student's choir actually, had spent the night in a tent. They were busy preparing their breakfast, coffee, eggs and bacon, bread and orange juice, when we came, and when the skiers started to come they had a long singing reportoire for their cheering.

 

Terje made alot of noise with his bell, Marta and I cheered waving our flags.

 

    

    

It is another lovely day today, and I am tempted to go out for more skiing. But have decided to stay out in the snowfilled garden, with a book, my garden diary and my dreams of a coming spring.

 

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The Blue Garden blog opened for the season yesterday.

The Spaghetti Vongole recipe is now up in The Blue Café

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How do you spend your Sunday?

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Tonight I will give another speach about Lent and its traditions.

Information for Norwegian readers:

More Lent reflections at fasteblogg.no

Link to "40 dager - fra karneval til oppstandelse"

.....and English speaking readers can flip through the book here. (and enjoy the photos)

My Third Week of Lent is Yellow

 The third week of Lent, which I have coloured yellow, is coming to an end. Among animals yellow meals danger. "Don't come near me" laughs the bee.

"There are painters who transfor the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, thanks to their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun" Pablo Picasso.

 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. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

 My Lent table is still yellow, but tomorrow green will be added.

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Photos: My Lent table.

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Information for Norwegian readers:

More Lent reflections at fasteblogg.no

Link to "40 dager - fra karneval til oppstandelse"

.....and English speaking readers can flip through the book here. (and enjoy the photos)

Women's Night and Spaghetti Vongole

 

Talk, laughter, friendship, food.........a women's night

 

The girls I work with came here last night. I have been preparing the menue for days, testing it out on Terje and the kids. I did the table the night before. Everything was ready when we all came here directly from work. We did the dinner together. Food never taste as good as when it is the product of shared wor. When it is eaten from a table where you sit down for hours.

I wish I could share the flow of chatting, laughter, smiles, friendship and love.............

    

 

 

 

    

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Note: recipe will be up in The Blue Café soon