Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2011, a review

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It is early morning on new year´s Eve. We will have a full house party tonight, and a lot og preparations need to be done. But not yet. Now I am looking thought the around 400 blog posts of 2011, reliving golden moments.

January started with a week on Tenerife for Terje and me. Sun, long meals, hikes, exploring, cappuccinos, love shared.  

An icy cold February came with beautiful images of the city and the river.

 

In March I bought my very first camelia......which is still alive and spends the cold winter months in a cold room down in the basement

Easter was spent at the cabin. Weather not cooperating, but as good Norwegians we were outdoors anyway!

May was a wonderful months with a visit to Italy, both Roma and Venezia. Antonella and I spent a day along the Brenta River, but before that a ong time dream came true, a night in the opera in Venezia, La Fenice.

June, the anniversary months. This year it was spent with our guests from California, Jane and Lanny, at beautiful Wallaker Hotel.

July was a terrible, sad month in Norway, but before July 22nd, we had some very good moments. First climbing Bolten, at Kjærag......

then spending a week with Mauro and his family in Venezia

Searching for vongole in the laguna was a highlight which I will never forget.

August was the perfect month for my greenhouse. With fresh red tomatoes every day.

September came with more sunny cabin days.

October was a month of surgery, and then hikes in Bymarka to recover.

 

November sent us to Madeira

December is the sacred month of advent and the birth of a Saviour.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR from me to you.

See you next year.

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Picking out just one photo from every month was impossible. To see more you can go to the archives and then follow the months.

Christmas down along the canal, or a list of New Year´s resolutions.

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As so often my feet took me down to the canal.

It is quiet there now during the short days of winter. A perfect place for strolling with thouhts and dreams. 

This New Year´s Day, like every New Year´s Day of my life, at least since I learned to write at the age of five, I am going to make lists. Not that I necessarily follow my lists, but making them is so much fun anyway, and a great help to think back on my life, to set the course of days, weeks, months to come.

I am almost always the only woman down by the canal. Old men are working on their boats, chatting, sharing a cup of coffee, fishing, walking like me. A few middle aged men. No young ones. No women.

I walk with my own thoughts. Never saying hi, never talking to anybody, though sometimes I try to imagine what it would be like to start chatting with one or two of the old men. Listen to their stories, may be be invited over to their boats, share their coffee.

This will never happen I guess.

Befriending one of the fishermen.........yes, while walking and dreaming and reflecting I knew I had made a first bullet point on the list of things I want to do but don´t have the corage to, or lack the ability to, or...........

Several of the old boats along the canal are for sale. Next bullet point - buy a boat, move in there, at least for part of the year.

I start to play with my list as I walk, and dream and reflect. Soon the list is long. Some of it might come true, some will not. Never in a hundred years.

The list makes me wonder about the limits we set for our lives. And how we easily live inside the borders which line the limits.

Now I know what the headline of my New Year´s resolution lists will be: Climb the fence which frames my life, at least once.

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On my way home from the canal I passed an East Europen accordion player. His music was happy and quite good. I stopped, took out my purse and gave him some money. Not because he begged, just because he brightened my day. "Thank you and New Happy Year" he smiled in broken English. Walking on, a thought stuck me. My husband´s birthday is coming up in a few days and I am giving him a party. What if I ask this accordion player to come and entertain the guests................but then the doubt came.....what will the guests say, is the man clean, is his playing good enough, may be he is a criminal and will come back later to rob our house..............

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I am not going to invite him. May be I am wrong. May be I am a coward. Or what?

Dirty river after the storm, still filled with beauty

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The storm is over. There are other storms to come, but hopefully they will not be as strong and furious as Dagmar.

After staying indoors for a couple of days, it felt wonderfully refreshing to come out for a long walk. Terje went up to the hills behind The House in the Woods for cross country skiing. I headed downtown, for my favorite walk, along the river.

 

I must have hundreds of photos of the old ware houses, thousands. You have seen many of them already.

None of them are the same though.

The colours of the houses may be, but the river, the trees, the air, the sky is always different. 

The river is dirty brown now, after the storm. But when the ware house bend down to look at herself in the river mirror, the colour of the water changes.

Mirror, morror in the river.....

I am booking flight tickets and hotel for an upcoming travel with my girls. A big city of Europe. The travel genes in me sends rushes of longing down my spine. 

Deep down though I know with all I am that Trondheim is the city of my heart.

Of my love.

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Today Torgeir and I will take a book browsing tour in the city. And then Torgeir has promised me to take me on a sushi lunch.

Lucky me.

Wordfeud, a Christmas epidemic?

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Christmas is a time for games. Card games and board games. Monopoly used to be a favorite, then Settlers and Rummy took over.

Untill this year that is.

On the morning of Christmas Eve Ingrid and Marta had occupied our two comfortable armchairs. Wrapped in their duvets they were ready for hours of watching television. All the films which are sent every year only on this day. A tradition not to be broken.

I was busy in the kitchen, and from there I had a good view over to where the girls sat. To my astinishment they both were busy with their cell phones, and from time to time looking at each other laughing.

I was curious: "Hey, what are the two of you doing?"

"Mamma, we are playing Wordfued, which is like Scrabble played on our android phones"

Playing games on the phone? A phone is for calling, for texting, and these days also for photograhing, for skyping, for reading emails, sometimes even for blogging. But playing games? No that´s not for me....

.....or rather, that WAS not for me.

I have started to play Wordfeud, and though I´v lost every single game I´ve played so far, I am hooked!

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At mass on Christmas Eve I sat together wth three young men, all of them unknown to me, all of them busy with their phones before mass started. I loooked at the one closest to me, and couldn´t stop saying: "I see you are busy playing the same game as my kids do". The young man looked at me, smiling; "Yes, we are playing Wordfeud. Everyone does these days. I even have a friend who plays Wordfeud on his mobile with his grandma. What do you say about that?

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Which games do you play at Christmas?

More storms on their way

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We went down to the pier yesterday to look at the damage caused by hurricane Dagmar. Stones, sand and glass everywhere. Peeled off asphalt.

 Impossible to imagine the forces of nature

Hurtigruten, The Norwegian Coastal Line, travels up and down the coast of Norway every day, every night, through the whole year. These days the ships are filled with tourists who wants to celebrate Christmas in Norway, who want to experience the Northern Lights.

Two ships, the one going north and the one going south, stop in Trondheim for a few hours every morning all though the year.

Because of the extreme weather two of them have been unable to leave. They have found a place in shelter where they are waiting for the storms to slacken. 1000 tourists are stuck in Trondheim.

I can´t remember this happening before. At least not for such a long time.

Fortunately Trondheim is more than storm peeled asphalt. We walked up to Bakklandet where we finally found an open cafe (Trondheim is also "everything closed for Christmas").

It is early, dark morning here in The House in the Woods right now. Another storm passed though the night. I woke at 5am, listening to the raging wind, unable to go back to sleep, praying for the huge spruces in our backyard.

Now, a couple of hours later, everything is quiet. The newly repaired greenhouse is still standing, so are the spruces. I am safe and warm indoors, thankful that I live in a land where houses stay, even during a hurricane like Dagmar.

My prayers goes to people in other parts the world. Where the forces of nature are fatal. My thoughts wander back to the autumn og 1998 and my visit to Haiti.

After the storm

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A couple of days ago I was out in the garden with my camera. I wanted to capture the peace, the whiteness, the serene beauty of the winter garden.

A winter walk in the garden always fills me with dreams. The sun has turned, the days are longer now, in a few months spring will arrive and the garden will come alive yet again.

I was out in the garden with my camera again this morning. The storm/hurricane Dagmar made us a visit during the night. Terje and I had gone to bed and were sleeping, the kids were still awake playing games, when one of the many trees surrounding The House in the Woods fell. The fall woke us, and when we went out to inspect, we also found the greenhouse partly broken.

 

The storm Dagmar has been a hard one for Norway, especially along the western coastline. Luckily we have heard of no human injuries so far.

I believe in angels.

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 Some years ago I was hanging angels in our livingroom window, humming happily and saying silent preyers for next day´s advent lunch with the deacons where the theme would be "angels", when the phone rang. A male voice, unknown to me, though I could see on the display that the number was local.

"Hello" the vopice said. He told me his name and where he lived, and continued: "Do you live in a red house at Huseby?" I was a little confused, but told him that yes, our house is red and it is situated at Huseby. Having this confirmed the man went on: "I have passed your house often lately. I can feel a very stron, positive force in the area. At first I didn´t know where it came from, but now I am positively sure it comes from your house. Don´t be afraid, I have no harm in mind. I am a healer, and because of this poritive force and thre light surrounding your house, I wonder if you are healers too?"

I was silent for a long time. The man waited patiently. Then, finally, I could say: "We are not healers. We are christians. When we moved in here a year ago we had a prayer for the house. I have never seen the light you are talking about myself, nor have I felt this strong power. But I believe you. It is easy for me to believe you. As a christian I believe in angels. I am sure the light and the power are the angels around us."

We continued our conversation for a long time. The rest of my family was at home and could hear my part of it. When I finally put the reciever down we sat down and had a long, very interesting talk. We see the world with different eyes in my family. Not all of us believe in angels. This afternoon we all met one though. Through a phone call.

I believe in angels. I have never seen one. 

Or have I?

In rereading The Bible in its new translation, I will especially look out for angels.

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Photos:

Madeira, Nidaros Cathedral, Paris, Vemezia

The Pillar of my Life. A Saviour is Born

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A Saviour is born. Joy to the World. Merry Christmas.

I fill my life with colours and happiness. Food, parties, songs, tinsels, santas, candles, cookies, desserts, gifts............and in the middle of all this joy I easily forget.......

why do we celebrate Christmas?

After years of work and studies a new translation of The Bible was introduced in Norway a couple of months ago.  This "new" Bible is a gift to me this Christmas from my employer. In it I will find out more about why we celebrate Christmas. I know the stories, but with the new translation I am looking forward to rediscover the Pillar of my Life.

I wish all my blog readers a Blessed Christmas!

 

Photos: from a garden walk on Madeira

Lillejulaften, Little Christmas Eve. Through the Day. December 23rd

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Finally. The Day is here. Lillejulaften, Little Christmas Eve. The Day before the Big Day. The Day when we decorate the Christmas Tree. The Day when we have out annual lutefisk party.

Our family got a new member late last night. Pat Scraper from Iceland, travelling to The House in the Woods from Iceland via Mo´a in USA.

Together with him I plan to let you follow the activities in The House in the Woods today. So come back, there will be updates all through the day...........

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1st update at 09.25am. Lemon Mousse

Dinner on Christmas Eve is the most important meal of the year. Filled with traditions. "What will we have for dessert on Christmas Eve", Marta asked some time ago. "Why,moltekrem of course, as we have every year" I replied. "Oh mamma, can´t we have karamellpudding this year".........Of course I could not resist the pleading eyes. Yesterday I made karamellpudding.

"What will we have for dessert on Christmas Eve" Ingrid asked when she came home from Bali. "Why, moltekrem of course, as we have every year" I replied, and continued "and this year we will also have karamellpudding". "Oh mamma, can´t we have sitronfromasje (lemon mousse) this year".......Of course I could not resist the pleading eyes and the pleading voice. Today I have made sitronfromasje

  

Today Torgeir is coming home for the holidays, tomorrow Øystein will be home as well and The Lucky Four will be complete.

Please don´t tell the boys that there might be a dessert option......Three different homemade dessert for a family of six should really be enough!

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2nd update at 10.03am

This jolasvein knows more than scraping pots. A good gift wrapping helper he is :-)

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3rd update, delfiakake

Not only desserts, but also cakes have special traditions.

Like the very rich chocolate cake.

Delfiakake

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4th update at 12.26. The Christmas tree

Finally!!!! The Christmas tree!!!!

Terje is back home from a traditional lillejulaftens - breakfast at his old work, and from pivking up the lutefisk at the fish market. The girls are both awake, making fun of their mother and her camera.

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5th update at 02.30pm. Doing the table

Guests will arrive at 6pm for the annual lutefisk party.

Table is ready.

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 6th update, 4.15pm. Preparing the fish

Lutefisk needs a lot of salt. Now it must rest for one hour before I bake it in the oven.

Potatoes, carrots, peas, beacon, white sauce.........

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Last minute update.

Guests will soon be here. Remember to refill salt and pepper.

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Chaos update.......

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Last update.

Party is over, so is lillejulaften, almost.........and tomorrow Christmas is here.

Thanks for your visits through the day. It has been a pleasure to have you here.

Good days like beads on a silver string. December 22nd

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Every day now is a favorite day. No stress, though a long list of things to do......if time is there. I make krumkake using Guri´s recipe (my dear friend who passed away last August). I dust the livingroom. I set up yet another nativity scene.....this one in olive wood from Betlehem, bought there last week by a friend. I open the letters which came in the mail today. I listen to a Christmas cd. I write some letters at work, I make coffee for work meetings and place a box of delicate chocolate on the table before my colleages arrive. I take a break to go out to buy a few extra Christmas presents (the favorite ones for the stockings). I pass a coffee house and stop for a caffe latte and I smile broadly when a colleage comes to join me. I read a chapter from Jostein Gaarder´s The Christmas Mystery. I have afternoon coffee and a taste of the Christmas cookies with Terje......why is it that the cookies always taste best before Christmas? I look forward to a Christmas party. I open the door for a flower delivery. I cherish a beautiful handmade ornament which comes in the mail from a blog reader in Holland. I share a smile with Terje when we hear laughter from the kitchen where the girls are baking.

I lift my eyes to see the towers of Vår Frue Kirke (Our Lady´s Church) and The Cathedral and share a smile with the moon. Can you see the . moon smile?

Good days like beads on a silver string