Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

A Man for His Moustache

Text and images Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

 

For a few days now Trondheim has been filled with men quite out of this world. World Beard and Moustache Championship took place a few days ago, and yesterday, on Norway's Constitutional Day,  bearded men from all over the western world took part in one of the parades.

 
Moustaches everywhere, and of course the men behind. I had a great time photographing.

 
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The men must have had the day of their life, with a whole city cheering them.

 

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Who is your favorite?

The Bunad. Part II on Marta's Big Day

 
"Mamma", Marta had undressed and we were talking about the day, "the embroidery on Ingrid's shawl is much more beauifully done than on mine?" "More beautiful? How can that be, they should both be the same." "No, they are not". Marta walked into her room to get the shawl of her bunad and came to show me. "Look here"

 
Can you see the differences? Marta had been wearing her shawl with the backside turned out the whole day, and none of us had discovered. It really say something about the beautiful handwork, doesn't it?

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The bunad are a traditional Norwegian costume. There are different ones from the different areas of Norway. Mine is from Trøndelag, where we live. Both Ingrid and Marta wanted to have one from Rogaland, the area where Terje was born.

Here is a link where you can read more about bunads.

 
It is very popular among girls to get their bunad for their confirmation, though it is an extremely expensive costume. Very few boys get one, or want one. One of the reasons might be that many of them are still not fully grown at 15 as most girls are. Neither Terje, Torgeir nor Øystein have one, or want one. I've told them all that as soon as they let me know they want one, I will collect my money and buy one for them.......

Men in bunad are SO STYLISH!

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Today is May 17th, Norway's Constitutional Day. We are ready for more big celebrations, starting with parades in town. There will be thousands of people wearing bunads, both men and women.

Here is one of two posts from last year's celebration.

 
Thank you very much for all your comments yesterday. hereby I invite you over for coffee and cake!

Through Marta's Big Day, part I

Text Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

Photos Britt-Arnhild, brother Børge and brother-in-law Arne

 
The house is empty again. First The Big Day on Saturday, then our house guests left after lunsh yesterday, and at last a big "left over party" for friends and relatives last night.

 
It felt strange this morning to wake up and there were only three of us left. Still the tables had white damask table clothes on, but during the day they will also be gone.

 
We do have the memories though.....and photos, hundreds of great photos.....

 

From early Saturday morning when my sister in law Lisbeth helped me decorate the marzipan cake...

 
...and niece Hilde helped Marta to dress in her new bunad.

 
To the service and prayers said for every youth.

 
Proud parents....
 
... beautiful daughter....

 
....and best friends.

 
Home from church, and the party is ready to start.

 
Is everything ready in the kitchen?'

 
Yes, everything is ready, and Marta can give a speach to welcome her guests.

 

 

 

Family

 

Teaching farfar to make sushi

Text and image Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

 

Why, oh, why do I forget to take photos of the step by steps.............I know the answer, of course I do.....the food making day has been way too busy....

....never in my life have I made so much food in one single day.....

I got a break though late last night when Ingrid and Marta prepared the sushi......with farfar as a very interested observer and apprentice.

 

The Challenge of the "karamellpudding"

Text and images Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

 
It was finally time to make karamellpudding, not just try to make it, but to make the real ones, for The Big Day. I have been occupied with this project for so long now, and so many of you have given good advices, cheerings and even recipes. To take care of the recipes, old inherited ones, new ones, local ones and from the other side of the world, I bought myself a new notebook the other day. Only for karamellpudding recipes.

 
I started with two molds, filled the bottom with sugar and put them in the oven on high temperature. While the sugar mleted I mixed eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar, milk and cream

 
I let the egg and milk fluid rest for a few minutes while waiting for the sugar to finish the melting prosess. Be careful, melted sigar is extremely hot......

 
My heart beated fast, would I nake it this time.........without time to plait my fingers I sent a prayer of help and blessing to my dear Father, and even managed to remember that it would be great to have photos, for my notebook, for the confirmation album......and of course for you.

 
Two karamellpuddinger in the oven, where they would warm themselves for 2 1/2 hours. I could breath again.......and I could start the paella.....our houseguests were soon to arrive.

 
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Karamellpuddingene are resting now, in a cold room down in the basement. I can't tell untill tomorrow, when I take them out of the molds, if they are perfect.

I am crossing my fingers.

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And I thank God for the rain which right now, at 6.30 am pours extravagant. The garden drinks thirstily.

 
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Thank you Mrs Steglich for your recipe from Mexico. One day I will try it, and then I will let you know :-)

Two Days to Go

 Two days to go and the lovely, sunny weather has gone. It started to rain a few minutes ago, and the weather forecast for Saturday is something I don't want to know about......prayers please.

House cleaning has top priority today and tonight house guests are arriving. The Blue Cafe will serve paella and two types of homemade bread made by good friends.

 
Busy days. Friends are coming, with gifts for Marta, flowers (for me ;-)), food and cakes for The Big Day. "Lucky you" I tell Marta. "Yes, I am, but so are you. You got to meet your friends an extra time because of me :-)"

She is so correct this growing baby girl of ours who has become a grown woman in no time.

 

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A repost of Marta from September 2007, when she was a flower girl, giving flowers to our Crown Prince Haakon:

Marta phoned me as soon as she came home from school yesterday:

"Hi Marta. How did it go?"

"Oh. mom, it was fantastic. He talked with me!Not only to me, but with me! He asked me about my name and when I said Marta he said that I had the same name as his sister, then we found out that I and his sister write our names diffferently, I write Marta, she writes Märtha" .Marta had hardly time to breath and kept on: "He then asked me if I was going to take part in the conference and I said no, but a woman who was there (the County Governor) said that my mother, that's you mom, played a very important role in the conference. He asked me the name of my school and if it was situated far away, and in the end he told me to give greetings to my class. And we will talk about this at school tomorrow mom! Then I will show my class our photos."

My daughter has got a memory she will remember all her life :-)

The security is strong when the crown prince is visiting, and since I took part in the conference I had to be in the conference room 15 minutes before his arrival. Terje was out with my camera and got as close as he could, and in the photo I love to see Marta's eyes as they meet Crown Prince Haakon's.

The Moments

 

 
The days are busy right now. The common everyday tasks, the preparations for The Big Day, and then yesterday came with a double birthday - Torgeir 29, Marius (Ingrid's boyfriend) 22. I made foccaccia, a huge bowl of fresh salad and carbonara, and we had a double birthday party out in the garden.

Too easily I look at the list of things to be done, and I tell myself......we will never finish in time.....

.....too easily I forget to enjoy the beauty of the day, the blessing of every moment.

 
I did enjoy a blessed moment of beauty the other night. The sun leaves our garden just after nine these days, hiding behind some huge trees in a neighbouring garden. The last sunrays played in the water drops while i watered the herb garden.

When I came in I met a "wall" of laughing people. Terje, Marta, Ingrid and Marius were busy polishing our silver cutlery but had taken a break to laugh at the way I balanced the water pipe in one hand, the camera in the other.......

Krumkake

cText and images Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

 
Last week I struggled with karamellpudding, a traditional dessert kind of like the French creme brulee. My mother has always made the best karamellpudding, so has my father in law. I have tried several recipes over the years but never made it "like my mother's". Marta was sure, she wants karamellpudding for her confirmation dessert, I am just as sure, I want to make the karamellpudding myself.

So I started to make karamellpudding. Of course I did. Wouldn't you have done the same? We couldn't eat too many ourselves, the main ingredients in this special dessert are calories, so I even took one to work one day. Made me very popular of course.

Several tries later, now I know how to make the world's best karamellpuding.........yes, I will make you one when you come to The House in the Woods and The Blue Cafe.

 
My mother and my father in law also make the world's best krumkake. Mine are quite ok, but never get six on the dice.

I make krumkake on Sunday night. Perfect tast, but did they look good enough for Marta's confirmation?  Yesterday morning I decided I wanted to give it another try, and while flipping though my old, worn recipe book, I found a krumkake recipe I'd never tried before. Guri's krumkaker. Guri is my dear friend who died of cancer in August. Guri was a witness at Marta's baptism and should have been one of the honored guests in the confirmation.

Here Guri came to me, offering her recipe. I tried it, and all of a sudden (well, hard work included) I had boxes filled with the world's most perfect krumkaker.

 
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Still four days to go. Still a lot to learn in the kitchen.

Today I will make more cevapcici (bosnian meatballs), for the tapas buffet. We had some for dinner last night. Oh my, they tasted good!

Five Days to Go

Text and images Britt-Arnhild Wigum Lindland

 
Already last year Marta declared that she wanted the colours on her confirmation dinner table to be white, pink, black and silver. "And as soon as the snow comes mamma, I want you to take a series of photos of me, for the invitations"

 
Obedient mamma as I am, I followed her out in the garden late last autumn when the first snoe came. A wonderful series of photos we now have and it was not easy to choose which ones to use for the invitations.

 
I have made the place cards for the tables now, and will do the last touch today - writing names on the cards.

26 guests.

 
Five days tillthe big day. I will make krumkake today, and also more cevapcici (bosnian meatballs) for the tapas lunch.