Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

On Our Way to Krakow

I did shop for a loooong time

I didn't tell you the whole truth the other day when I wrote that I sat at Bjerkebæk to write while Terje took part in the Birkebeiner'n Run. I did go to Bjerkebæk, I did sit there for a long time, I did write a whole chapter for my upcoming book...........but before climbing the steep hills up to Bjerkebæk, I did a very nice walk in the main shopping street at Lillehammer, the pedestrian street Storgata.

In Storgata they have a wonderful, fantastic, amazing store named Raabe-Gården, with clothes absolutely perfect for my size. I am a big, no sorry, I am a woman with a perfect size, Raabe-Gården has perfect size clothes. And they fit me.....yeah, you are right, they fit me PERFECT.

Friday night, after dinner, Terje and I walked, hand in hand, all the way down Storgata, all the way back to the hotel again. Outside Raabegården we stopped, well, I stopped and as Terje held my hand he didn't have much choice, did he :-) I oh-ed and ah-ed for a long time. I do think Terje tried to find out ways to hide his money and his credit cards there and then, but no use of course. I have my own money, I have my own credit cards. And when he was out running on Saturday he had no control. I went back to Raabegården, back to my shopping heaven. And I shopped!

I have no idea what Terje is talking about when he tells people that he will not take part in Birkebeinern next year. "Why not?" people ask. "It is too expensive" Terje replies..........Do you have a clue what this is all about?

Raabe-Gården's Website

Some phone calls are true blessings!

I got a phonecall the other day. It was in the middle of some heavy, busy time, I saw and heard my cell phone ringing, but I was glued to the office phone for several hours, trying to manage some kind of crisis and just had to tell my cell phone to leave me alone.....

Afterwards I almost forgot about it, or more true, I wanted to forget about it. I had been on the phone for so long, I wasn't sure if I had the energy to go through all the mesages left on the mobile. My better self won of course, and before leaving work, several hours late, I checked the messages.

I am so happy I did. Among several other voices, Solveig from the cathedral office left her note:

Hi Britt-Arnhild. This is Solveig from the cathedral. I want to ask you if it is possible for you to do a voluntary job for us. We need more people to help during mass in the cathedral, and since you are an ordained deacon and since you are Britt-Arnhild, we ask you. Do you think you can take part in the mass, during eucharist, readings, prayers.....2-3 times per semester. If you say yes we hope to see you in the cathredal already the coming Sunday for the mass at 11am.

My tiredness, my frustration after a long, busy day blew away. YES! I sang it out. My pleasure is too weak to say, MY BLESSING it is!

Yesterday doors, today old wooden houses, and a story important to me.

Yesterday I showed you doors, one here, alot over in Trondheim Through all Seasons. Today I'll show you a few houses I photographed yesterday. All photos are from a small area west of the city center.

I like to walk around among houses. Yesterday it was morning and already light, though it was quiet and looked like most people were sleeping in on a Saturday morning. The most chraming part of the day though is the blue hour, in the afternoon when light is fading and one by one the lights are turned on.

Did I say that all photos were from the area west of the city center? Not quite true. The next photo is from a small "veit" (street or calle) just north of Vår Frue kirke (Our Lady's Church).... I was invited to a concert in Vår Frue kirke last night, with the saxophonist Tore Ljøkjel.

And here are photos from Bakklandet, east of the city center, across the river Nidelven. A door, I know, but you can also see part of the beautiful house behind.

You all know that from time to time I wonder if I can keep up with my blogging. Blogging is an important part of my life, but it take time, and for the moment it is greying my hair that I don't find time to visit other blogs, don't find time to stay in contact with my readers. In church yesterday I met an old friend and she told me a story - a woman she know was walking through a hard time in her life, death, sorrows, climbing mountains. "But you know" she told my friend, "I have discovered a blog. It is written in English but I do believe that the blogger is from Norway, from Trondheim. I read it almost every day and it helps me through this difficult walk." My friend was quiet for a few seconds, and then asked "Is the blogger's name Britt-Arnhild?" "Yes, it is. How did you know?"

Thank you Eli for sharing this story with me yesterday. It gave me new courage to keep on with my blogging and even more important, it told me that the book I am writing, the book I am struggling with, is a book meant to be.

My walk though life is a walk where I look for signs of God, my Creator. In myself, in the people I meet, in nature, in time..........I feel blessed to be able to walk part of this way with you.

Doors in Trondheim

I've been out on my early Saturday morning walk to shoot photos for Trondheim Through All Seasons. I hadn't planned it, but today's theme ended up to be DOORS. The photos will be shown over in the Trondheim blog, but I wanted to share the funniest photo here. I wonder how many people have fallen out of this door :-)

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Jeg spandere en kopp Bella Bulldog kaffe til førstemann/kvinne som kan fortelle meg navnet på veita der denne flotte blå døra er:-) Forslaget må komme som kommentar her på bloggen.

On Sacred Ground

Working in The Archbishop's Palace means that I pass the cathedral every day, often several times a day. I walk on sacred ground. Life outside the cathedral changes all the time. Often quiet in the early mornings, busy during the day.......

One late afternoon last week I met a group of youngsters playing. Playing on sacred ground.

I wonder if they can feel the sacred air, reflections of millions of praying feet left on the pavement, joy, sorrow, pleasure, despair carried to the cathedral, to the house of God, the house of men through centuries, through almost 1000 years.

"Hey mam, you got a golden shot there" one of the young men cried to me. "Sure I did" I smiled back.

She leads us to her singing

With the city of Oslo behind her, the Opera House before her. Kirsten Flagstad, the Norwegian Voice of the last century.

Her position indicates that she leads her country, her world to the music, to a new sphere. Looking up, up, up..... I wonder if she is searching for the True Creator of Music?

Somebody has offered Kirsten a flower. I wish it was me......I would love to shower her in rose petals. A small thank for her wonderful music.

Photos: outside Oslo Opera House Monday morning.

A link to more information about Kirsten Flagstad

Going back stage

I spent Monday in Oslo. Usually when I travel it is for pleasure or it is for work, which is also a pleasure. This time was different. I took part in a work meeting, but I also had an appointment with a specialist at the National Hospital, Rikshospitalet. Nothing serious, but a health issue which needs special attention, special care....not found at the huge hospital in Trondheim, St.Olav Hospital. A health issue which will eventually need surgery.

I've never been to Rikshospitalet before, and though as I said, this is not serious, there is always a dread and an excitement connected to hospitals. A knot was tightening in my stomach.

I came to Oslo early, and as always whenever I have some spare minutes in Oslo, I walked over to the new Opera House. And as always I walked around the building, passing by the many huge windows where I could see the workshops.

I love these windows, love what they show me from the rooms behind, the window exhibitions, the artists, the designers working.

Slowly, slowly the knot unwinded..........

......an idea started to form......

.... I will have to go back to Rikshospitalet in a few months, for the surgery. The knot will come back. But now I have an idea. I will have to stay over night, and then I will take Terje with me. We can go one day early, and in the night go to the opera. I have never been inside for a performance....this is my, this is our opportunity. Before the performance, or may be afterwards, the next morning....I will take Terje "backstage", around the building. Then I will tell me how much walking around the Opera House means to me. Then I will tell him, again, how much his love means to me.

Writing time at Bjerkebæk

Sigrid Undset's home Bjerkebæk is situated right where the runners came down from the mountain. A perfect place for me to wait for Terje, a perfect place for writing. Of course I would love to sit down in Sigrid's old writing studio, but this time I didn't even go for a guided tour through Bjerkebæk, so the small cafe in a public builting had to do.

The atmosphere was good, I am sure Sigrid Undset herself was there somewhere, giving me a few words. The chapter I wrote had butterflies as its theme, and the words came flying on colourful butterfly wings.

Right after my first book was published, I took part in a book signing. A man came over to the table where I sat, bought my book and wanted me to write a greeting along with my name. When I had finished he looked at me, smiling, and said: I collect signed books. "Now I have two, yours and one of Sigrid Undset". It was easy to share the man's smile :-)

Roses in Stavanger

During my 10 tourists minutes in Stavanger I passed this lovely rose garden. Of course I stopped to take some photos, and while I was busy photographing, a young man came over to me (from his apperance it was probably one of the city's homeless)

"Hei frue, er du norsk,,,,,,,,eh I mean......are you Norwegian? Or where do you come from......?"

"I am Norwegian" I told him with a smile (in Norwegian of course). "What a lovely rosegarden you have here"

"Yes, we do. I love roses, I used to work in a rose nursery and still know all their names, all their fragrances, all their colours, all their textures" While the young man spoke he bent down, patted a rose with his yelow/brown stained fingers from years of smokinhg, soft, like a lover. "I was so sure you were a foreign tourists, so many of them come to take photos of the roses. I like it that you are a Norwegian and still find our roses worth photographing"

Our eyes met, smiles were exchanged and I had to run to get my taxi. My day had been deeply brightened, and I like to believe that the young man's day also got a new palette.

You only need a minute. Do you use the time you are given?