Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Reflections on being 8 years old, and with long hair........

Turning 8 years old is no small affair. Alot of planning to be done, alot of looking forward excitement to live through. Alot of house fun as well.

For me and Agust the day started with a visit to the sweet store. A house filled with 8 year olds needs a house filled with sweets.

While walking there we chatted. "You see," Agúst said, "so many people believe I am a girl because of my long hair. But now I have planned an answer to give the next person who asks about my sex. Now I am just waiting, waiting, waiting for someone to ask......."

"But someone has asked Agúst. In my blog Ardi saw a photo of you playing the violin, and she asked me in a comment if the girl in the photo was Embla. May be you can write your answer to her. I can translate it for you into English."

Back home we opened my computer, scrolled down to Ardi's comment, and Agúst and I wrote:

Good question. I am not quite sure, am I a boy or a girl, a human or an animal, a troll or an elf......or may be Micheal Jackson or John Lennon......What do you think my man....or may be you are a woman? Greetings from Agust

Wonderful Ardi didn't take long to write Agúst back:

Hello Agust,
I would say you are AMAZING! A sense of humor, a mischievious writer, and an actor as well. I think you should call yourself a Renaissance Boy! Oh, as to "what do you think my man - or maybe you are a woman". With a strange name like Ardith, I have been mistaken for a man, too, but I am a woman. A Mom, A grandmom, and a great-grandmom. So names can be misleading too - as well as appearances. I think it was the shoulder-length hair that fooled me. But I'm sure the moment I met you in person, I'd have known right off you were a BOY. Warm greetings back to you.

Agúst was thrilled by Ardi's writing back to him. Now both he and Embla have discovered the lovely way a blog works, first the actually blogging with photos and words, then the comments and emails coming in from all over the world........

Hey, did I only mention Embla and Agúst. My brother has been more or less glued to the computer the past two days, reading over and over again comments about him after I posted the photo of him in the theatre.......

I am now already working on the next post from the birthday preparations....how to make a Michael Jackson cake or something like that........it will be posted over in Britt-Arnhild's Blue Café.

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By the way, Caffe Avec, my travel blog, is now updated. 

One of my birthday presents was a party game for the boys to play, a dice and a gift wrapped in several layers of gift paper. Embla was my translator and the leader......

..........mamma Stina took part in the game as well, dressed as Fagin for the party :-) 

Agúst and Oliver Twist, my excuse for coming :-)

Many months ago Agúst took part in an audition with several hundred children from Reykjavik. He wanted to play in the Icelandic National Theater's Oliver Twist. Icelandic Television was there to report from the audition, Agúst, one of the youngest kids, was interviewed, Børge sent us the link through an email, and in Norway we could watch Agúst and the others talking about why they wanted to play. We don't understand Icelandic, but watching is a world language, and I was in no doubt. If Agúst got a role I would go to Iceland!

Then you know what happened. He got a role as the youngest orphan in the play. My brother Børge phoned me late one afternoon one week before Christmas to let me know, and half an hour later my flight was booked!

We were seated in the first row last night, which gave us an amazing view. I was not allowed to take photos of course, but sneaked in this one before the performance started.......

.......and this one afterwards. I love the fabric in these theatre chairs. A few years ago the theatre sold some of the old ones and Børge and Stina has one in their kitchen.......making me green with envy. I want one!

After the performance Agúst came out though, and my camera finally got busy.

Can you see I am happy :-)

I didn't understand the words last night, but I have just read the book so the story was well known to me. And the wonderful acting, by Agúst and by all the other actors used the heart language which I very well understand!

Today is Agúst's 8th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY young man......

........and THANK YOU dear brother Børge for making my days here so very special!

A full day in Reykjavik

I have brought my cup of tea with me out on the roof terracce, memorizing yeaterday, enjoying the morning, the promise of a new day. No, as several of you mentioned in yesterday's comments, there is no snow here. Actually there is seldom snow in Reykjavik during the winters. We can see some white dusting on the mountains right over the fjord, but not here in the city.

From the balcony I look into the kitchen......and the bathroom.....

Memories of music, smiles and laughter from yesterday flow through me, I feel thankful, blessed, happy, for my family.

 
Outdoors, I walk around for hours, stopping for coffee, for lunch, taking photos. I don't need a map, I know the city well enough from previous visits, and anyway, the center is not very big.

I can take you with me on so many different tours, and might do so, eventually, but today I have some great wall art to show you. I don't think I have seen a city with so much wall art anywhere: on my travels around the world.

 

signs of spring in front of the wall.... 

My favorite.........

......and then the last photo today; shopping with Embla, which she and I did for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon. The Pet Shop wall was her favorite, she had a hard time choosing one box when I wanted to buy her a gift :-)

First morning, Hallgrimskirkja

From Lonely Planet: Reykjavik's most attention-seeking building is the immense concrete church Hallgrimskirkja, star of a thousand postcards and visible from 20km away.

I have visited the church before, for the baptism of Ágúst, for the ordination of Stina's father to become a preast, and have been looking forward to go there again for mass on Sunday. Then I learned that the whole of the inside of the church is being repainted and the church  is closed. So the exterior is all I will be able to see this time.

I went out right after breakfast this morning, ready to explore Reykjavik. It is many years since my last visit, and I have never been here in January before. It was still dark when I left the penthouse flat where Børge and his family live, good light for fairy tale photos.

 More from Lonely Planet: The church's radical design caused huge controversy, and its architect, Gudjon Samuelsson, never lived to see its completion - it took a painstaking 34 years (1940-74) to build. Those sweeping culumns on either side of the tower represent volcanic basalt

I couldn't go inside, but I got a glimpse of one of the painters through the window.

Outside the church is a statue of Leiv Eriksson, the Norseman (Norwegian and Icelandic) who was the first European to discover America. The statue was given as a gift to Iceland from USA in 1930, the 1000th anniversary of the Icelandic Allthing.

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I had my morning coffee right across the street, but that's a story for Caffe Avec. Now I am back home, watchng Iceland - Norway playing handball for the European Championship. Exciting to watch it on an Icelandic channel.

I can still see Hallgroms kirkjan though, from the window here where I stay:

In Reykjavik, ready to explore

I am in Reykjavik with brother Børge, his wife Margret Kristin (Stina), niece Embla 10 and nephew Ágúst 7 + 363 days. Came right after noon yesterday, and since then life has been a whirlwind of a dance.

It is morning, Embla has already left for work, Ágúst is playing harmonica while brushing his teeth.....yes, this boy can do everything, most of all stealing his aunt's heart.

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........the photo is from Børge and Stina's livingroom. I am now on my way out to capture tons of Reykjavik photos. See you later.

Beautiful Trondheim

I love Trondheim, I love my city. Several times a week I grab my camera or my cameras and go for walks. Along the river, up and down streets, down to the harbour, inside art galleries, along pedestrian streets. Every time I see something new, always I see the old and familiar.

I stop for a coffee. I continue my walking. And my photographing.

Yesterday the light from a low winter sun caught my eyes. Look at the way the sun plays with the green.

I have lived in Trondheim almost all my life and know every nook and corner. I know every nook and corner and I discover new treasures at every glance.

The "outside" Trondheim, the facades, are familiar like my own jeans pockets.

Do I know the people, the trondhjemmer, just as well? 

Last week we (my staff at work) spent a day with Trondheim Street Mission (Kirkens Bymisjon) to learn from them more about the people of Trondheim. Prostitutes, drug addicted, lonely people, incest and sexual abuse victims, people in need for special reasons.

When I walk around with my extra eyes, it is easy to see Trondheim's beauty. The people of Trondheim is part of the beauty. Beauty because they all are part of God's creation. But in this beauty there are challenges. How can I reach out my hand, meet the sad eyes, walk with the lonely, sit down to listen, share from what I have been given.

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The day with Kirkens Bymisjon taught me to open my eyes, my arms, my mind, my heart in a new way......to pray the old Birgitta prayer again, for every step I walk: God, show me the way, make me willing to walk it. 

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Link to my Trondheim blog

The Cod from Lofoten has arrived. Lofotmølje, YES!

My oldest brother lives in Lofoten, a group of islands up north in Norway. The area is famous worldwide for its light and beauty, and its fish. The Lofoten cod, skreien, is the best you can get, and when the first cod, with spawn and liver, is on the fish markets and harbours in January/February, the feast can start.

My brother, my sister in law, my sister in law's mother......they all wrote on facebook during the week-end about Lofotmølje, the name of this special dish, and my mouth watered.

Trondheim is situated a long way further south, 1000kms by car. Could the Lofoten cod have arrived here yet? At work yesterday I couldn't stop thinking of Lofotmølje, and after lunch I took a short break to visit Ravnkloa, our fishmarket. I was lucky, the wild Lofoten cod had arrived the same morning :-)

 At home I made the table with our best dishes while I prepared the food; boiled potatoes and carrots, I boiled the spawn wrapped in paper in salted water for 40 minutes, steamed the fish, fried liver in olive oil with onions, salt and pepper 

   Monday, and a feast. Even Marta ate the spawn, the liver and everything.

I look at the photos now and don't know what to write, can't find words to describe this gourmet food. It is early, before breakfast, I am right out of bed, it is still dark and quiet outside.........and I am dreaming of another meal of Lofotmølje.......

I do have the salted water from the steamed fish left though.......tonight we will have The Blue Café's Fish Soup. The table is big. Welcome over.

Booktalk on a Sunday 34. Writing, and Iceland & Oliver Twist in planning.

I had planned to read alot today, but wanted to work a little on my writing first. I plan my coming (some day) book to have 40 small chapters and thought I had finished almost 20. I read through it all today, and all of a sudden I lost confident in what I have written. Now I have only 7 chapters which I can honestly say are finished. That makes 33 to go!!!!!

Oh My!

Well, I guess I am not the only writer with an experience like this........

 
I have not given up though, and more writing means more travels to Italy, doesn't it........... and Austria............and.......

 But first my days in Iceland are coming close. I leave Trondheim on Wednesday, and Friday night we are going to the National Theatre to watch Oliver Twist where my nephew Agúst will play (I think he will be little Dick, though I am not quite sure). I haven't read the original story in a long, long time and as the performance will be in Icelandic, I want to read the book before Friday night. So far I have read only 200 out of 600 pages, so I might have a problem here :-)

I have filled my travel book bag for Iceland now. One of the old sagas, Njålssoga, one Halldor Kiljan Laxness the Nobel Prize winner, a Lonely Planet and crime by Arnaldur Indridason.

And as always, some female travel writing. This time probably Ella Maillart's Turkestan Solo.

And my Moleskin of course, and also a little more......

How do you fill your book bag before a travel.

Crazy things to do in Norway.......a kind of repost

I just found out that I have reached my post #1500! really, this one is #1502. How crazy is that????

I have had so many emails from you the past days and weeks. I love, love, love that, and will spend some time today writing you all back. And I will work on my 34th Booktalk on a Sunday post. It might be posted tonight, or may be not untill tomorrow. Meanwhile I am reposting this lovely post from the beginning of July 2009. It is one of my favorites.

I came back to it now because one of my new blog readers said in an email that she had heard that Norwegian men were kind of stiff. I had to prove she is wrong of course. My DH is far from stiff.....he has just the right amount of crazyness that I love. We were in town with Marta yesterday, it was her day of shopping, we followed her around (to pay and to carry the bags,ha), and while waiting for her to try things on, I looked at Terje and the thought suddenly hit my mind: if I met this man for the very first time today, I would fall in love all over again.......

Here comes the repost. You can celebrate with me by leaving your comment :-)

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In several souvenir shops we've visited I've seen the book "50 crazy things to do in Norway". Crazy thing #51 was the prize of the book, so I didn't buy it, though I would love to have it.....

......but really, I don't need his book. I can make my own list!

 

On our way down from Dalsnibba, Terje suddenly stopped the car. "What is it now?" I asked. Terje didn't even look at me, opened the door, ran out and shouted: "Look at all this lovey snow. I want to have a run......"

 

I grabbed my camera and ran after him.

Crazy husband!

 

I really believe that my crazy husand is kind of looking forward to winter, and skiing......Myself, I dream of 7 years of midsummer days.

 

Norwegians are born with skis on their feet. In Norway there are polar bears walking around.

'

What is the craziest thing you know about Norway and Norwegians?

How long will our list of crazy things become?

 

I just found out that I have reached my post #1500! really, this one is #1502. How crazy is that????

I have had so many emails from you the past days and weeks. I love, love, love that, and will spend some time today writing you all back. And I will work on my 34th Booktalk on a Sunday post. It might be posted tonight, or may be not untill tomorrow. Meanwhile I am reposting this lovely post from the beginning of July 2009. It is one of my favorites.

I came back to it now because one of my new blog readers said in an email that she had heard that Norwegian men were kind of stiff. I had to prove she is wrong of course. My DH is far from stiff.....he has just the right amount of crazyness that I love. We were in town with Marta yesterday, it was her day of shopping, we followed her around (to pay and to carry the bags,ha), and while waiting for her to try things on, I looked at Terje and the thought suddenly hit my mind: if I met this man for the very first time today, I would fall in love all over again.......

Here comes the repost. You can celebrate with me by leaving your comment :-)

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 

In several souvenir shops we've visited I've seen the book "50 crazy things to do in Norway". Crazy thing #51 was the prize of the book, so I didn't buy it, though I would love to have it.....

......but really, I don't need his book. I can make my own list!

 

On our way down from Dalsnibba, Terje suddenly stopped the car. "What is it now?" I asked. Terje didn't even look at me, opened the door, ran out and shouted: "Look at all this lovey snow. I want to have a run......"

 

I grabbed my camera and ran after him.

Crazy husband!

 

I really believe that my crazy husand is kind of looking forward to winter, and skiing......Myself, I dream of 7 years of midsummer days.

 

Norwegians are born with skis on their feet. In Norway there are polar bears walking around.

'

What is the craziest thing you know about Norway and Norwegians?

How long will our list of crazy things become?

 

Three winners and a skein of black yarn

Soon I'll start using my new yarn, I will knitt Selbu mittens. But first I want to finish a pair of mittens I started about two years ago......and then the craziness started. I am missing a skien of black yarn......I start searching......

What happens while searching though is that I find an old unfinished project.....and one more......and one more.....

My son often borrows books from me, and has discovered that often he finds a bookmark after the first few chapters.....

 

While looking at  one unfinished project after another I wonder if this is what I do with knitting also.....stop after the first few chapters I mean :-)

The first few chapters can be pretty to look at though, don't you agree :-)

The first winner is Carol, She wrote:

Do you remember when you were pregnant how you would notice all of the other pregnant ladies? That's how it was for me yesterday, when I saw two other pictures of knitwear with Selbu roses on them. Guess my eyes are now opened to seeing them. It was so funny! Now I need to go back to your entry about the mittens Terje made for you and see if they are the same pattern.

I would love to be a winner of the miniature mittens and would give them to my granddaughter for her American Girl Doll.

Next one out is Willow. I couldn't resist her words:

Pick me, oh please, pick me!

This sweater is almost finished. I wonder if it is time to do something about that now.......

 A football (soccer) sweater for one of the boys, from many years ago. A memory of their soccer playing childhood may be. Is it possible to keep unfinished projects as memories only? Or may be as decorations??

The third, and last winner is Kristi Jalics:

Oh, Britt-Arnhild, these little mittens and hat are so darling. I would love to have them. Would they be on my Christmas tree? Could I find dolls for my grandchildren that could use them? I hope you will put me in the mix to pick from.

Well, I had a good time with my unfinished projects and my memories down in my basement craft studio......

....but did I find my missing skein of black yarn?

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Carol, Willow and Kristi, please email me your address and the little miniature gift will be on its way.