Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Stiching up her life

Text and photos Britt Arnhild Wigum Lindland

There is a silent room at St.Olav Hospital. Sometimes used as a chapel as it was the other morning, also used by muslims and other religions.

A huge wallhanging covers the front wall. It caught my interest as soon as I walked into the room, then, the more I looked at it, the more details, symbols, meaning did I see.

Stairs symbolizing your walk through life, some were easy to climb, some were too steep, a small door leading into a room filled with darkness, a bird, a plane (or could I see a cross instead).

The blue from heaven (in Norwegian we have the same word for heaven and sky - himmel) embracing the wallhanging. Framing life. A woman stiching. Stiching up this life. Her life.Then I saw it - the woman was me. The woman is me.

I looked at the wallhanging again. Yes. This is my life. The himmel, the flowers, the boxes, the dark room, the blue lonely square wanting to spread out, the colours, the bird, the plane, the cross......the sticher's deep wish to fill her life with flowers.

Dear God. Thanks for being the needle of my life, thanks for giving me the threads I need for creating the perfect design. Help me to keep my threads smooth, to unknot the ties. Help me to stich my life.Today and every day. Amen.

The new entrance......and a mirror

Text and images Britt Arnhild Wigum Lindland

 
Over the last months Terje has been busy renovating our entrance. He has magic in his fingers this man of mine.

 
A huge wardrobe now fills a long wall.

 
Space enough to our coats, still a lot of space left for guests to hang their jackets, leave their scarves, hats, mittens and boots.

And a mirror, a huge mirror, where I can watch my growing gray hair.

Lys Våken - Wide Awake

Text and photos Britt Arnhild Wigum Lindland

Thousands of Norwegian 11 year olds have spent the night in their church. Sleeping over. Preparing today's service, eating, playing, having fun.

Coming to church this morning we were met by the colour of advent, purple, and a rainbow of sparkling children.

 

Lys Våken (wide awake) is a concept by the Church of Norway to let 11 year olds get to know their church better. I wish I had been invited to a sleep over in my church when I was a child. I know I would have loved it. Now I rejoyce with the thousands of children who get this opportunity today.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and one of the girls who had slept over, lit the first candle. In church the candles are white, though the textiles are purple, in our homes we light purple candles. Christmas is still almost four weeks away. Now let us live in Advent.

A baby girl, little Tuva, was baptised during the service.

Mathias priest led us in prayers.

The "sleep overs" illustrated the reading from the gospel, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem at Easter.

Advent - we are waiting for a Saviour to be born.

The boy scouts were in church teaching us different ways of communications.

Have you ever tried the Morse alpabeth on a church organ?

 Advent is here. My prayer is to stay awake with my candle lit, waiting for the King.

A meeting with my 12 year old self

Text an images Britt Arnhild Wigum Lindland

I had a meeting at St.Olav's hospital yesterday,with a deacon and a priest working there. The hospital is under a total renovation. Many old buildings are disappearing, new modern builtings to be seen everywhere. "Meet us in the old 1902-building" was the message I got, "the red brick one".

I came there early was instantly set back 40 years, I was twelve again and spent time in hospital.

 

Nothing serious, today  no one would have dreamt of keeping me in hospital for two weeks. Life was different back in 1970. Somehow they never found a bed for me in the children's department, so for two weeks I lived in a four bed's room with grown up women.

I remember long, boring days, looking out the window down on the park with the huge old trees, walking over to the small kitchenette to find myself something to drink, but most of all reading, reading, reading. I know I have told you before that I discovered Mary O'Hara's books about Flicka during these weeks.

Twice a week a woman came to the rooms with a wheel chart filled with books. No spesific children's books, but still she did her best to find something for me. Yesterday I saw that there is now a library in the building. How I would have loved that 40 years ago. I guess I would have spent all days there. Browsing the shelves, smelling the books, reading, dreaming, flying with wings of words.

I am not sure what I want with this post. Just a short walk down memory lane.

It is Saturday morning in The House in the Woods, and as so often I am awake and up too early, way too early. King Winter has a strong grip on us and I have made a fire both in the huge wood stove down in the basement, and in the open hearth here in the livingroom. I've had my cup of tea and my two pieces of bread with Bosnian honey in front of the fire. Later Marta and I will go downtown for some Christnas craft shopping. Now I open a children's book I've wanted to read for a long time, a book sent me by a blog reader (I do get quite a few books from you, mostly as wonderful surprises, and love every single one of them); The Winter Child by Wendy Froud and Terri Windling.

Down in an outer basement room and outside the playhouse in the garden I know there is enough wood to keep us warm though the winter....

......and tomorrow the first advent candle will be lit.

Advent is about to start

Text and image Britt Arnhild Wigum Lindland

  
Sunday is the first Sunday of advent. I will buy purple candles today, the first of four will be lit on Sunday, and tomorrow I'll start filling my advent basket.

My favorite time of the dark seasons. Advent. And then in a few weeks - Christmas!

Will you follow my advent posts this year? Do you have an advent story to share?

Theme-texture

Text and image Britt Arnhild Wigum Lindland

Since summer Ihave posted one photo a day on a page called 365 Project. A great way to challenge myself, a great way to make new photo friends around the world.

Every week there is a theme on 365 Project. I've never taken part (what are my photos anyway?), but today I posted a photo according to the theme texture. It had to be something frozen......this winter seems like it will be the coldest ever up here and I simply can't dream of walking barefeet in warm sand all the time. I am learning to love thje beauty of the cold. Learning slowly though :-)

What do you think of my photo?

What is the weather like where you live?

We woke up to minus 18 degrees Celsius this morning. That is COLD here, so close to the fjord.

Reflected

Text and image Britt Arnhild Wigum Lindland

 
Let the reflections of my life show your glory God.

A snowman and a missing story

Text and image Britt Arnhild Wigum Lindland

I had breakfast at Nidaris Pilegrimsgård the other day. Outside the front door I was greeted by a cute little fellow, a snowman.

"Hello" said the snowman, "have you seen my story?" "Your story, which story?" I couldn't quite get what he was talking about. The snowman looked at me with sad eyes: "I have lost my story" he cried, "now I don't know why I am here, where I have been or where I am going. Please, will you help me to get my story back?"

"Of course I will. Listen, I have a wonderful group of blog readers out there. I am sure they cam help you"

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So, the challenge is yours. Can you please help the snowman to get his story back............but he and I are trusting you ;-)

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I do have a few miniature felted snowmen to share. May be some will be sent out to creative story tellers.

The blessing of brothers

Text and images Britt Arnhild Wigum Lindland

 
I was tired when I came home from work Friday afternoon. I sat down, wrapping myself in the comfortable thoughts that I had a whole week-end ahead without plans.

 
Then a message came on my cell phone: "hello sister BA and brother B, I have two tickets for a concert I am conducting tonight with Trondheim Sinfonietta. Do you want to come?"

I have three brothers, the youngest one Torodd is a conductor travelling the world, living in Trondheim with wife Kristin and kids Mathilde and Benjamin, then comes Børge, he lives in Reykjavik, Iceland with wife Stina and kids Embla and Agust, then Frode who lives up north in Lofoten with wife Rita and youngest daughter Kamilla (the two oldest have moved out to build their own nests). I am the big sister, proud of my three "small" brothers.

Børge works both in Iceland and in Norway and was in Trondheim on Friday. A few hours after we got the message from Torodd we met, first at a coffee shop downtown where we had coffee (with Terje, but he couldn't come to the concert), then as audience and huge fans of the conductor at Byscenen.

 
A varied concert with contemporary music, first a piece by a local composer, Odd Johan Overøie....

....then the rest of the concert with the composer and musician Susanne Lundeng......a firework of a lady.
 
Traditional Norwegian folkmusic played in a contemporary style. Stunning. Breathtaking.

Thanks to Susanne, to Torodd and to Trondheim Sinfonietta.

 

Ane, with a cellphone photo, thanks to two of my three best brothers in the whole wide world. 

....and then I could finally walk with Terje

Text and image Britt Arnhild Wigum Lindland

Don't think that all my walks are solitary ones. I do love to walk alone, but walking with Terje is a very good number two, or even a number one......it depends on my mood :-)

The ski tracks are perfect here right now and I know Terje is longing to start his cross country skiing season. I am not much of a skier, my arms protests too much, causing pains and even inflamations. Walking is what I love, walking is my way to keep fit and also my way to keep up with myself and my life. Terje could have gone skiing today, but came with me instead on a walk. A walk up the steep brook Ilabekken, a brook which only recently has made its way out in the open, it used to be lead underground. Now it is made into a beautiful area where you can follow the seasons along the path close to the brook.

Our walk ended with coffee and fresh homemade pastries in Bagel Cafe ate Sverresborg Museum. Now we are back home, my cheeks are red and hot from the fresh walk, my fingers warm, glowing after walking hand in hand, Terje is preparing his cross country skis for another day, I am enjoying a book

It is Sunday. Life and love is good.

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