Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Kind of a - booktalk on a Sunday 36. Dervla Murphy and two fearless ladies.

I was on my way to meet Terje, Ingrid and Marta and enjoyed a late lunch in a small, charming Italian restaurant near Royal Geographical Society. The meeting with Dervla Murphy was still what filled my mind.

The door to the restaurant opened and in walked two elderly ladies. Both with walking sticks, the first one came in and headed for a corner table close to mine. The other bent almost double, could hardly walk. From the door there was a tiny little step up to the main floor, and the lady was unable to climb it. Trying a couple of times without luck, she looked up at me with a smile, blinking her left eye as she reached out the hand without the stick, calling for the young Italian waiter. He came running, helped her and led her over to the table where her friend already sat studying the menu.

I had finished my lunch, Terje and the girls were waiting, but I still sat for a few moments, reluctant to leave the two old ladies, listening to their conversation with the waiter about what to order from the menu.........we come right from church, we need a real meal, no plain bread but alot of garlic please, and pasta with alot of chilli.........yes please, two big glasses of wine........

"Certain interludes seem quite separate from the rest of one's life. They have the simple perfection of a Tang lyric, a Chopin étude, an Inuit carving. And they do not drift away, becoming blurred by time; mysteriously they continue to give sustenance. For me that first day of our trek was one such interlude. I experienced pure happiness - something quite different from the everyday underlying contentment which is my fortunate lot"

The first lines of chapter 3 in Dervla Murphy's Cameroon with Egbert.

The morning with Dervla Murphy was a highlight, a dream coming true, something I never will forget. The few minutes with the two elderly ladies was an interlude, the simple perfection of a Chopin étude, something which will not drift away but giving colour to every corner of my heart, telling me not to fear. When I turn 100 I want to be like them, still globetrotting the world - east of the sun, west of the moon, or from an armchair or a bed in some home for elderly people.

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• thank you Dervla for your words which follow me every day, one of your books is always on my bedstand or on my studio desk
• thank you dear, old ladies of South Kensington
• thank you Kelly for the comment you left at Greetings from London yesterday. I can't tell how much I am looking forward to hear about your ferry ride and about Anderson Island.

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Photos from Portobello Market. The same musician as I met last year was still there when I came there with Terje and the girls.

Happy 14 dear Marta

 
Last night we celebrated Øystein's 26th birthday, with dinner, cakes and yet another Norwegian Gold Medal in Vancouver.

Today is Marta's day, her 14th birthday.

"Don't forget my birthday tradition" she reminded me yesterday. "Skoleboller and hot chocolate for breakfast. You know I've had this every year except the year you left me on my birthday to travel to Venezia and Austria to write on your book. I missed you so much then"

I am not forgetting Marta, neither your 10th birthday when I was in Austria with Dagmar and her family, having a lovely time with them but missing you terrible, nor to bake skoleboller.

I was up early to make the pastries. Now they are ready, the table is set, but where are you????????? How can you be still asleep at noon when it is your birthday?????

I know Marta will be reading my blog today (I've promised her to post no photos of her), you can leave her a congratulation comment if you want :-)  She will love that.

Finding a treasure when hunting for something else.

Terje and the girls had gone back to the hotel to rest before the Afternoon Tea and the musical. It was our last full day in London and I had no time for resting. There were still so much I wanted to see. 30 years ago, when Terje and I visited London during our honeymoon, we stumbled upon The Old Curiosity Shop quite by chance. I am reading Dicken's book with the same name right now, and wanted to see the charming house again. I had a vague idea where to find the house and after waving goodbye to the others at Picadilly Circus, I started to walk.

Walking in an unknown part of London without a map.......yes, I know I am crazy. But craziness pays off. Suddenly I had to stop and grab my camera. Right there, among high, grey, boring buildings I found a piece of paradise.......

Sarastro Restaurant...........how inviting it looked.

I had already had my lunch at Bella Italia with Terje and the girls, we had an Afternoon Tea planned (which meant no need, no money for dinner later) and it was our last day in London. Well,, I could always look though the windows and dream of a late, romantic tete a tete dinner......

I took some more photos and then continued my hunt for The Old Curiosity House...........

but I couldn't forget this piece of paradise......and let my path pass by again after finding the old Dickens' House......

The place looked to inviting. I opened the door carefully just to get a glimpse indoor and was met by a smiling young woman; "hello, welcome in". "Og thanks, I've had lunch already, I just wanted to have a look.........eh, can I sit down for a glass of white wine??????"

"Sure" was the smiling answer, and all of a sudden I found myself in a theatre fairytale.

The glass of wine came, and also a bowl of black olives, a basket of breads and a plate of tomatoe paste. "No food for me thank you, I've just had lunsj. Just a glass of wine is fine" "Sure madam, this is just a complimentary starter"

Sure. I was in heaven.

A perfect place to write in my travel diary, to dream, to enjoy the wine.....

 I wonder how many unexpected corners there is in paradice. Do you know any?

  Next time I come to London I'll have dinner at Saratro. Do you want to join me?

Afternoon Tea, with Style! The Goring Hotel.

"I would like to invite you to Afternoon Tea while we are in London, what do you think of that?" "Afternoon Tea???????" Terje and the girls looked at me, three pairs of eyes filled with question marks. "Yes, come here and have a look at The Goring Hotel website"

While they looked I did my best to teach them about the lovely British Afternoon Tea tradition. Not that I've tried it very often, as a matter of fact, the only real experience I have of it is from The Plaza in New York, where an online friend took me for High Afternoon Tea, with champagne, harp music and everything, in 2002. I do have alot of reading experience though, from Jane Austen, Beatrix Potter, Anthony Trollope, Susan Howatch and their like.

Terje and the girls were a little hesitant. "You know,I don't drink tea" Marta said, "This is quite expensive" - well, Terje didn't actually say that, but I am sure he wanted to, "If you really want to invite us mamma, I am in" Ingrid beamed at me.

"Yes, I really want" I looked at them all smiling, and then made myself busy booking online a table for four.

I had been on a "just me walk" to see The Old Curiosity Shop and to fill another bag of books from a special travel book store, and came to the hotel some minutes before the others. In the lobby I spotted a desk and some beautiful The Goring Hotel stationary. Just perfect to sit down and write a letter to Carolyn.

 As soon as the last word in the letter was written the others arrived, and we were shown to our table, laid with beautiful silver and china.

The girls felt a little awkward at first......this is not actually us, we are just an ordinary family, how do we do this....... The charming atmosphere, the friendly staff, the food,.......well, it all made them relax pretty fast and we could all sit back and enjoy a couple of very pleasant hours.

And who wouldn't, with food like this.......

We also started to enjoy looking at and listening to the party at our neighbour table. Five ladies, probably old friends, had tea together. After finishing eating they all brought out a parcel from their purse, all fancifully wrapped. "Will you please do us a favour" one of them asked the waiter,"take these five gifts and give them to us at random". The waiter happily did what he was asked, and then he was given a sixth small gift from one of the ladies. "Oh, why didn't they ask me to give out the gifts"  Ingrid shouted. "Then the sixth gift would have been mine......."

Back at our hotel, late at night, I showed the girls a brochure I'd found at The Goring. Together we looked at the bedrooms, the suites........together we agreed that we could easily, very easily, adapt to a life as tourists staying at this lovely hotel. At least for a week-end.........a week.......a month.........a.......

Soon, too soon, our afternoon at The Goring was over.......

 .......and we were off to Mamma Mia!

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I am back in Norway.......and I am dreaming.........of a week-end at The Goring. I am completely sure I would fit right in and I would love every single minute:-)

Thank you Staff at The Goring for your friendliness and your hospitality, you gave us a memorable afternoon.

PS or afterscript - when we flew home I asked Terje, Ingrid and Marta what was the highlight of the days in London. Blinking to each other they all shouted: The Afternoon Tea at Goring! I knew they were teasing me, just as well as I know that deep in their heart they spoke the truth.  

My favorite travel writer, an exciting meeting.

How would I know that twitter would send me out on this exciting trip.........Well, not actually send me, but it was because of twitter and quirkytraveller that I heard of the Travellers' Tale Festival going on in London the week-end I was to be there. As soon as I saw that Dervla Murphy would be there, I knew this was the place I was meant to go......while Terje and the girls did some sightseeing.

The festival  would be at Royal Geographical Society.......just reading the name sent me down a long memory lane of books I read in my childhood of early explorers........for more than 40 years I've been hooked to travel books.........dreamed my way east of the sun, west of the moon.....

I walked through Kensington Gardens early Sunday morning, my heart beating with joy and anticipation. A Travellers' Tale Festival in Royal Geographical Society......little me from Norway. I had studied the map in advance and cricled an area near Royal Albert Hall. Came in good time and walked around the concert hall, photographing the building from every possible angle.

Finally the time was there, the door opened, I walked in and got my ticket, met two totally new friends, both from twitter - quirkytraveller/Zoë and 1step2theleft /Simon. Simon had been there early and reserved tables for us, and then all I had to do was to wait.......

No problem to wait when you have two such wonderful people to talk with, share travel stories with.

Dervla Murphy, my favorite travel writer......I was so shaky my hands wouldn't keep still for the photo......

A memorable hour listening to Dervla sharing stories from her life, from her travels. Most of them were familiar for me from her books, nevertheless I wouldn't be without this hour for anything!

Afterwards it was booksigning time.

Thank you Zoë for handling my camera with steady hands :-)

 
I bought a truckload of new travel book during my five days in London. Dervla Murphy's newest was among them of course :-)

Back home......

......to an icy cold house. It is past midnight and if I want to get a few hours' sleep I must go to bed and try to find some comfort under my eider duvet. London stories starts tomorrow.

Greetings from London

Yes, we are in London, Terje, Marta, Ingrid and I. I hve so much to tell you, though limited time on the computer.....so many other things to do.

Terje and the girls have been up in The Eye today, while I..............

.....well, that will be a wonderful story to tell when I come home and get spome more time :-)

 

Longing......hope....

Fast....I mean feast........a day in my life.

I am dreaming.

In my dream all of you are here in The House in the Woods for a huge fast.....I mean feast. I am preparing the meal for all of us, and there are helping hands everywhere. We talk, we laugh, we pray, we cry. The meal is prepared and we all sit down around the table. While eating we share our stories. 

I am writing all your stories down, using my collection of colourful pencils, the colours of love and affection, deep friendship, cherries, chocolate, shrimps, vongole, blue cheese.......all sprinkeled with the salt of life.

After the meal the guestbook of the House in the Woods is open for everybody to write message.

What would you write?

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The photo: Terje and I had a tete a tete dinner last night. Fish steamed in white wine, a white sauce with shrimps and spring onions, carrots, potatoes. It is lent and I have said no to meat, at least most of the 40 days. I don't miss it. 

Flowers in my life......

During the past couple of years I've become allergic to most flowers.

Ever since I was a small girl I have loved to pick flowers. Out in the garden or the countryside during the summer months, from flower shops in winter. I remember picking bags of leirfivel as a girl, or filling bowls of rose petals, pretending to make rose perfume. The first Lily of the Valley,  I was a flower princess, an elf with petal wings, the small girl living in a world of flowers.

Yesterday your words were the perfect bouquet decorating my coffe table.

Today I want to pay you back with flowers from my life. Follow the links, most of them will take you to our cabin, filled with flowers.