Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Just a little appetizer......

 

We are spending the day on Ponza island, a small island out in the sea west of Terracina, north of Napoli.

I look forward to blog about EVERYTHING :-)

Sun, sea, food, friends and some writing.....

SORRY DAILY READERS: I am having a short break from blogging. The days are too filled with sun, sea, food, friends.....and I try to squezze in a little writing time as well.

I will be back soon, soon, soon though, with baskets filled with stories to share.....

Some words about writing

 

From time to time I get emails from readers - when will you write a book about life in The House in the Woods, about The Blue Garden, The Blue Café? When will your book about Lent be translated into English? Will you write a book in English? What wil lyour next book be about?

 

How I wish that I could say - Yes, I wil lwrite a book about The House in the Woods, yes, I will write about The Blue Garden, The Blue Café, my Lent book will be translated into English......... I have so many books written already........in my head......

 

I am on my way to Italy to write!!!!! I am not sure yet what the result will be, but I will write. And I will enjoy every minute.

 

I'll bring my laptop and hope to be able to blog during the coming weeks. See you :-)

The key to Nati House

 

The key to Nati House came in the mail today.

Have you ever seen an envelope like this? Adventurous, isn't it. Just looking at it sends me fast down the adventure lane.

Nati House, "my flat" in Venezia, where we can cook our own meals, where the first thing we hear in the mornings is the singing from the glass workers right across the street.

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Follow this link to find my previous Venezia posts.

When girls have fun, you can hear their laughter though the forest

 

 

 

 

 

A cabin recipe and some pot holders

 

Cooking at the cabin is always pure pleasure. Simple tools, but never simple meals as love is always one of the ingredients. I have a beautiful blue notebook where I write down my favorite recipes. Who knows, may be it can be published some day.........

 

A colourful vegetable soup is a favorite sunny lunch. To sit on the terrace with the view in front of us, a pot of hot soup,  fresh bread from the baker (I have always dreamed of an outdoor bread oven, but.......)

  

Braise onion, garlic and cellery in olive oil. Add sliced carrots. Let it swim in water for 10 minutes. Add sliced tomatoes, salt, pepper and bouillon. Let boil a little longer while you set the table. Be sure you don't forget the pot while admiring the view.

 

Let the meal last for a long, long time. There is never any hurry.

 

These beautiful potholders? Oh, they are made by my dear friend Carolyn in India. I love handmade potholders, I have a collection, and these are my favorites :-)

 

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It is another sunny day here at the cabin. We have just had breakfast and will soon be leaving. Need to go home to start packing for Italy. We are leaving Wednesday morning, and have long workdays before we leave.

 

I hope you find pleasure in my cabin posts. Who knows, may be you will come for a visit some day.......

Lily of the Valley and a few nature notes

 

As a girl I had a secret place where I picked "liljekonvall" (Lily of the Valley). I grew up, we moved and I forgot my secret place.

 

 

As I grow up I learned that liljekonvall is the typical 1st of May flower in France. I have a dear friend and penpal living close to Paris, and when I discovered these beautiful white bells growing wild right in front of our cabin, I started to dream that they would bloom in time for May1st. Then I woud pick one and send down to MN in Paris.

 

They say that spring is two weeks earlier now than it was 20 years ago, still May 1st is too early for the liljekonvall. But give the flower a couple of more weeks, and it blooms playfully.

A nice bouquet is on our dininroom table today, and I am thinking of you dear MN.

 

We visited friends at their cabin last night. Came back here around midnight and were greeted by the owl. Marta and I started to talk with her, and she answered us back every time. Bats flew over our heads, it was still almost light enough to read......at midnight. There is nothing like a Nordic summer.

This morning as Terje and I had breakfast on the terrace, Marta was still asleep, two squirrels were playing in the huge pines .

 

Tomorrow I have a cabin recipe for you.

Up in the skies....and a winner

 

A day for watching the sky. for watching the blue, blue sky and the few silk clouds around.

 

I am never poor as long as nature is around. I am never poor as long as I have time availabe. Time to live. Time to see. Time to smell. Tme to listen. Time to love.

 

What is your description of a perfect day?

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Yesterday's flowers:

 

Already in the first comment Caterina B guessed that the photos showed my cherry blossoms. You were right, these are the faded blossoms starting to knot up into small cherries. Soon I wil have my first harvest here at the cabin. (I have no idea why the flowers turned out pink in the photo. It real life they are more grey. It must be the macro lense I used.......)

The small "Aure-gift" will be a handwritten letter written out on the cabin terrace. I already have your address, don't I?

The randomly picked comment...........the lucky wheel stopped on Leslie Garcia. A letter will find its way to you as well.

 

Thanks for playing around. The comments here is what makes me never tire of blogging.

Tomorrow I plan to show you our wild lily of the valleys.

Guessing game, a kind of.........

 

Can you see what this is? A little gift from beautiful Aure to the first one to tell, and another gift to a randomly picked commenter.

 

A photo gallore from "17 mai"

 

I love trying new stuff. Right now I blog from our car, on our way to the cabin. A two hours' drive in beautiful spring landscape. Life growing. I never knew there were so many different shades of green. Blue sky decorated with clouds in a rainbow palette of grey and white. The fjord is always aive.

The coming days will be filed with cabin posts, but right now I have a series of 17 mai-photos to show you.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Half the drive is finished. We just stopped to buy icecreams.

I wonder how my cherry tree is doing?