Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

a blessed moment of eternity

He saw us sitting there, quietly, watching the ocean. Together, still alone in our thoughts. The stonebench had room for one more so he climbed up to us and sat down. A little apart. Not sure if he belonged.

"The tide has been exeptionally low this night. Gave the Coastal Line problems". His first words caught our interest, and soon we had a conversation going. Not deep. He was a stranger. He was lonely. He wanted to talk. Every morning he walked the same route as his wife prepared lunch. The route was so well known to him now, he almost forgot the beauty of it. But only almost. It was all too grand not to see, to enjoy, to want to share.

He often felt lonely. And when he saw a middle-aged couple sitting there on his stonebench, enjoying his view, his world, he couldn't stop himself from sitting down.

For some minutes, half an hour, an hour, we sat there together. In silence most of the time. Sharing something beyond words.

The hour passed. Time over. He went back to his farm, his wife, his lunch. We continued our walk. Touched by the beauty of a soul. Blessed by an hour of eternity.

(written from my htc-phone. photos will come later)

Don't forget yesterday's challenge.......

back in a few days, and a game

I am not able to post from Rastarbo right now. Will be back in a few days with a basket full of tales to tell.

A litt game while waiting (because I love your comments so much) Tell me which is your favorite post on Britt Arnhild's House in the Woods. And why?

I will pick a winner on Saturday, and a little gift is waiting.......a precious gift from my beloved Trondheim it will be.....for the winner I will pick at random.

Breadbaking Day

Text and images Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

Without an oven I have not been able to bake breads, pizzas, foccaccias, pies or cakes at the cabin. By the way, our cabin’s name is Rastarbo, a place where you find rest, so I’ll start using its proper name here instead of the most prosaic, “our cabin”.

An outdoor wood stove has been on my wish list for years, but Terje doesn’t always share my kind of oldfashion, romantic ideas. He is the one to chop logs, he would be the one to build the oven, so so far there is none…..

 

 

I miss fresh homemade bread at Rastarbo. We buy good bread at the store, but it is not quite the same as the ones made by my own hands.

Again I have searched my brain for breads to bake without an oven, and yesterday morning my sometimes slow working brain came up with the obvious solution – pitabread bakes on top of the oven.

A dough was made, of yeast, salt, water + white and dark wheat flour. Raised in the warm corner under the wood stove, kneeded out to round, flat breads, and oh la la…….Rastarbo could serve homemade bread for lunch.     

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::..

I have several photos to show, but the internet connection is too slow, I have to give it up. May be i can make a photo gallore when we are back home in The House in the Woods.

 

Spring Fever

Text and images Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

 

With rain pouring down from we woke up till we went to bed......well, a mountain hime or a beach walk was out of the question. Actually, the day was perfect for spring cleaning. And when we spring clean the cabin we do it properly, believe me!

That was yesterday. Now it is Monday morning and rain has gone.

 

We sleep in what we in Norway calls a køyeseng, one bed on top of the other. Terje sleeps in the top bed, and early, early this morning one of the bottom planks in Terje's bed fell down on me. A shock to me, and impossible to sleep afterwards. Terje didn't even woke up. Luckily for both of us the whole bed with my whole man didn't fall through..........

And luckily also, so early in the morning the internet connection is working, and I am able to write my blog for the day.

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

What plans do you have for the day, or for Easter?

:::::::::::::.

Friends are coming for dinner tonight. But this morning I'll read and listen to the birds. Last night I finished Lisa See's Peony in Bloom, a remarcable book from old China (I might write more about it later), now I have started Willa Cather's The Song of the Lark, written 100 years ago, about Thea Kronborg's awakening as a woman and artist. Yet another remarcable book.

Have you read any of them? What are you reading this Easter, this Spring?

If only.......or Spring at Cabin

Text and images Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

If only........I could invite you all to our forest where we have our cabin. To listen to the hundreds of birds praising spring, praising creation. What a feast we would have.

My father is coming out here on Wednesday, and then he can help me to find the tunes of Vivaldi, Verdi, Chopin, Beethove, Grieg and all the others, made alive by the different birds. My father is a master to know the different composers, and also the different bird songs.

Spting has come. We can hear it through the bird songs. WE can see it through the nature growing. Crocuses, primulas, rhuburb, chives, mint, daffodills.

My absolutely favorite time of the year.

The time when God bring out his palette to try his colours yet another time.

But bring wellingtons and a thick raincoat. Nature is having a shower today and shares her water generously.

Welcome to yet another Easter Cabin Time.

testing from cell phone

We are at our cabin, it is early morning and I am up to work on a blogpost. I have a mobile internet connection but today it refuses to cooperate. So now I am teaching myself to post from my cellphone. If I am lucky I might even figure out how to add a photo.....

Where I solve the challenges of our world

Text and image Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

 

Where do you solve the world's challenges? I guess we all have a favorite place to do that. Or several? I do it in the kitchen. In the afternoons when I come home from work. I am often very tired then and long to lay down on the coach for a nap. A nap will come, eventually, but not untill after dinner.

Dinner is our main meal. We usually eat it around six, some days earlier, a few days later. Terja and I share the house work. He really takes his share and even more, but preparing dinner is something I do. Or we do it together.

Cutting vegetables for a soup, baking a foccaccia with dark grain flour, frying garlic, cooking pasta, preparing fish or meat. Doing the table. At week-ends I share a glass of white wine with the soup.

I am often tired when I start. As the cooking unfolds I regain my strength, as I solve the problems, both my private ones and the world's, the strength grows even more.

Later, at the dinner table I am fully myself and as soon as the meal is over I am perfectly ready for a nap, just long enough to be awake and ready for coffee when the news starts on television.

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

Yes, the kitchen is where I solve my world's problems and challenges. Where do you solve yours?

I'm in love!

 Is it possible to be in love......with a green house?

A crooked green house?

 
I think I am.

Or is it just spring?

Thoughts and Adventures on an Ordinary Day

Text and images Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

 
An ordinary day. I had a meeting with a small group of Sami people and had to drive three hours to get there, three hours back again. Driving for six hours gives me great time for listening to music, but also time for thoughts and time to get tired. Very tired.

 
Time for thoughts too easily means time for worries. I start a chain of thoughts and somehow it starts to knot itself up, picking the wrong colours. My shoulders start to ache, I still drive safely but I forget to see, to really see the beauty of the world.

 
I started to wonder about God today. Asking all those whys and hows and ifs and if nots.......I am sure you know what I mean. How can I believe in an invisible God? How can I believe as long as I have all these questions?

 

I am not going to share all my thoughts here. I never do. I never will. These thoughts are for God and me only, or for a close friend and me, or my diary and me..........but when I stopped along the road to have a cup of coffee I picked up the book I am reading right now, Orhan Pamuk's Other Colours, and one of his stories spoke directly to me. Or rather, God, from his invisible state, became visible through an old Turkish tale.

 

My eyes opened. God was there with me again and I could rejoice in his creation.

 

Photos: reindeer along the road

My last week in blog world

Text and inages Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

All my blogs have been active lately, and today I will take you on a tour in my blog world. Let us start in Caffee Avec, the coffee travel blog I started a couple of years ago. I had so many plans for it, but not all plans come true.....all the time... Last week though I wrote a blog post from Tønsberg, "at the bottom of the castle hill" Click on the link to come over.

 

When you are tired of walking, you can sit down in The Blue Cafe, for a broccoli souffle, a soup, or may be a fresh homemade pizza?

Over in The Blue Garden I am busy these days, preparing for spring. We still have some snow left out in the garden, but it is melting fast now, and the first bulbs are coming up, and so are the first leaves of the primulas.

A wheel in My Year in the World

A Saturday morning walk over in Trondheim Through all Seasons

The first blue scillas in Life Close to the Cathedral

And books, always more books in The Blue Bookshelf