Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

"Stiftsdagene" 2012

text and images britt-arnhild

For two days around 250 church workers from the diocese of Nidaros have been gathered in The Archbishop´s Palace, and the Nidaros Cathedral.

Seminars, workshops, lectures, music, food, meeting up with old and new friends.

"Stiftsdagene" has a tradition of almost 30 years.

These tow days I have been leading the program in the main hall, binding it together. It gave me an extra bonus when 18 years old Teodor Lyngstad played Dvorak for us yesterday. As I sat there, only one meter in front of the cello, all the others further back, it felt like Teodor was playing specially for me. The music hit me, softly, stronly, in a way I have never experienced before. Such force, such delicacy, such beauty.
Can you see the music coming from his right hand? 

We will hear more from this young man´s cello in the future, believe me.

 

Stiftsdagene is framed by an opening mass on the first day, a morning prayer on day two and then ending with the dispatch service.

No, not ending. Through the service we are all sent out in the world, back to our churches, back to the call we have been given.

 

My call? A wife, a mother, a daughter, a friend, a church worker, a  blogger, a writer..........

"God, show me your way, make me willing to walk it"

 

Do you know your way?
Your calling? 

One crave for spring, the other loves winter

text and images britt-arnhild

What do you do when the one love spring, the other winter.
How do you keep a marriage last in spite of the differences?

I am just home from a long day at work. We are having our annual Diocese Days, with 200+ church workers gathered for two days.
Today ended with a late dinner, a lovely opportunity for me to sit down with a best friends which I see too seldom.

We were a group of women siting together. Several of them divorced. One suddenly asked - how do you manage to make your marriages last?

I had no immediate answer to give.

How do we manage?

Love is part of it, but is that all? No other choice, one of the women said. Is she correct? If I met Terje again for the first time today, would I fall in love all over again?

I like to believe that I would.
But can I know for sure?

What if Terje met me for the first time tomorrow?
Would he fall in love?

But why all these questions.

My marriage is based on love. Love for each other, and also a love for spring, a love for winter. Terje is the winter lover and because I love him, I went skiing with him during the weekend. I am the lover of spring and because Terje loves me, he did a "let´s search for spring"-walk with me during the winter.

That´s what it is all about, isn´t it?

Sharing. Giving. Recieving.

Love.

Brocanting, the Norwegian way

text and images britt-arnhild

Back in October I blogged about an art exhibition at Aure, where we have our cabin. Through that blog post I met Synøve and her blog Tingstuo. Synøve lives not far from our cabin, in a tiny, remote village, Todal, with only 17 inhabitants, two of these are my second cousins.

In a small room in the old school house at Todal, Synøve has opened a thrift shop, or call it a brocante. 

She blogs about her shop in her charming blog, Tingstuo. Synøve blogs in Norwegian, if you don´t understand the language I have two suggestions - learn to speak and read norsk, or just look at the wonderful photos.

Ever since I started to read Synøve´s blog, I have dreamed about visiting Tingstuo. The shop is not open every day. Far from. With 17 villagers and a loooooong way to drive to Aure, even further to other villages or small towns, it is open mostly on Saturdays during the summer months.

Can you imagine I was thrilled when I read on Synøve´s blog it would be open last Saturday! ........I like to believe that part of the reason it was open, was because I had told Synøve we would be at Rastarbo (our cabin) and wanted to come.

Walking into Tingstuo was like walking into a fairy tale.

Already in the small hallway I could sense Terje´s broad smile; he could smell coffee, and hot, fresh pastries.

Synøve knows the trick. With Terje sitting safely with coffee and a basket filled with warm, homemade cinnamon rolls, I could walk freely around in the tiny room, picking out this and that, a small bowl with a green border, an Egersund fajanse coffee cup with the most beautiful rose, two bright yellow polka dotted egg cups, a travel memoire, two white and blue handwoven napkins.

When I looked over to the tabel where Terje sat, he had just discovered a dish with chocolate eggs.
His smile broadened.

And when more women walked in, one of them another blogger, (you find her at Tovepia), Terje never watched my buyings any more.

Though Tingstuo is small, I could never see all the treasures in one visit.

And as Synøve and I had so much to talk about, and I had to keep my eyes on the hidden tresures, my ears and my mouth on our chatting, my heart everywhere.........I know I missed A LOT!

I will need to come back.

Again

and again........

....to see more of Tingstuo

 

but even more to develop a new friendship.

And if you want to see the photo Synøve took, you find it here, the second one :-)

 

Lunch almost ready

......and the weekend is not over yet.....

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The start of a cabin season

Our cabin, our cottage, is a simple place. Small. No electricity. No indoor water. The outdoor toilet just a bucket.
Our cabin, our cottage, is paradice on earth.
Colours, textiles, china, glasses, books, egg cups, quilts, Easter eggs, magasines, parafin lamps collected though years, through generations.
Dark, cold through the thickest winter months. Now light is returning, the first deep purple primula is blooming in the stone garden. Spring is not far away.
A new season has started. Not winter, neither spring, nor summer, autumn. This is the fifth season. The cabin season.

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And then dinner

Darkness has fallen.
Supper is ready.
Then A.S.Byatt' Possession, which is nearly finished.

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Later

Light changes every hour. Every minute.
From my wooden chair, hands busy with knitting, I watch the sea, the mountains, the sky, the sun, the snow.

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Mid-day

Visiting a "new" old place. Filled with gems.
A lot more will come later.........

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Morning has broken

Cabin morning. Cold, crisp and beautiful. No internet on my computer, so therefore this morning photo from my phone.
Have a lovely day. I will be meeting a blog reader today :-)

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West of the Sun, East of the Moon..........

image britt-arnhild

The image of a swan in The Round Pond in Kensington Gardens follows me to the cabin.

May be I will post during the weekend,

may be not.

 

May be you will comment,

may be not.