Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

In the midnight sun.......almost

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Poor suitcase of mine. He is getting so hot these days of too much travelling. Good for him we travelled north to Tromsø, into the land of the midnight sun, into the land of summer snow. An effective way to cool down any heath wave.

Nature up here is amazing. All year round. All 24 hours summer day round.

A young taxi driver drove us from the airport out to Sydspissen (the southern tip). A short drive, and in the middle of a snow storm, I oh-ed and ah-ed. The view, when the snowflakes took a break, was fabulous.
The taxi driver looked at me:"Fabulous? You really mean that? I have lived here all my life and never see the beauty of the land. Only the too long winters......"

While we talked, the snow suddenly stopped and the sun shone on the snowy mountains. I hold my breath, the beauty was so intense.....the camera was deep in my backpack.

It has been snowing on and off the whole day........on during our long meetings, off when I have been out walking.

A night service in Elverhøy church, and afterwards we came out to this snow and sun view.

Walking back to the hotel from the church, with a friend, we were both too busy enjoying what we saw, and got lost........remember Tromsø is a small city, and you can see the sea from everywhere.....Lucky for us a man was out driving his wife, she had had surgery in her knee that same day and needed to come out for air. "Jump in" he told us, and drove us back to the sea, a lot of laughter as we drove......."getting lost in Tromsø, that´s not possible!"

When paying the taxidriver yesterday morning, I told him to spend the day looking at the beauty of his landscape. He promised me to do so:-)
It is too easy not to see the beauty of every day life, isn´t it?

What beauty do you see today if you open your eyes and really look?

 An angle from the altar at Elverhøy church, will walk with me today.
To help me see the beauty of my day.

 

Emotions in the Blue Garden

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When my mind is busy, emotions moving around like pebbles,
I seek out in the garden.

My afternoon nap has become a "workinginthegarden-nap".

Planting out a few daisies
Weeding
Gathering stones for a dry river bed
Photographing a new Pelargonia with the funny name TexMex 
Chatting with the tulips
Sitting down in the greenhouse
Breathing colours

 

An hour in the garden resets my mind.

The emotions are still there. They feel right. I thank my Creator that I am born with this wide rainbow of feelings......

 ......and I put yet another stone into my emotion pot.

Thoughts

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Pentecoast weekend is over.
A whirlwind of activities and impressions.

Reflections along the road.

No time for church with our busy scedule.
I feel bad about that, then I feel bad because I fell bad.

Do you know the feeling?

No time for church, but the Holy Spirit was with us.......through every step.

 

No, I don´t feel bad any more.
Instead I rejoyce.

In the Father, in the Son, in the Holy Spirit.
The Trinity.

 

Come along, will you?

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How lovely to chat with you again. Thanks for taking time to comment. Without your comments it is like The House in the Woods lacks a wall or two.
Blogging has over 7 1/2 years become an important part of my life, and I know I will continue, no matter what happens.....
......but without your comments and emails it would not be half as much fun.

I want to reward you today by taking you on a trip to a small part of western Norway.
A part of Norway where the roads are built right out into The Atlantic.

So buckle up. Let's get started.....

Leaving Rastarbo, driving soutwards, means you drive over bridges and islands, you take a ferry, more bridges, more islands, a tunnel under The Atlantic, along the island Averøya, and there the majestetic Atlanterhavsveien, The Atlandic Road, starts.

Take a look at more photos by googleing Atlanterhavsveien bilder (images), they are really worth the view......
........and the drive

 
We did the drive yesterday, with a very spesific goal at the other end of Atlanterhavsveien.

The newly restored farm of a dear friend, Ståle

The farm, which is situated at Hustad, was the childhood home of Ståle's father.

When Ståle started the renovation a few years ago, no one had lived there for many, many years. Everything had to be done.

Everything had to be planned. Had to be taken care of.

 Old and new blend together.

Treasures from the old farm, finds from junk sales, IKEA gems.

 The result.....

.......you can see for yourself.....

a place I fell in love with
right there and then!

You can see me sitting there, can't you?
Writing my travel diaries. Reading Marianne North, Dervla Murphy. Frances Mayes, Freya Stark, Alexandra David Neel........ and all those other remarkable female travelers.

Ståle lives in Trondheim, but drives the 3 1/2 hours southwest to Hustad as often as possible.

The farmhouse is finished now.
Ståle's next project will be the barn.

This summer Marianne, Ståle's daughter will stay at the farm during her vacation from her life as a student. Down in the old farmhouse basement, behinf thick walls of stone, Marianne makes her own wine, and has plans to brew her own beer.

Hm, I think I will drive The Atlantic Road again........
......can't let Marianne stay alone at the farm all summer, can I?

Last photo: Ståle and Terje

 

Cherry tree in morning light

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I took a photo with my cell phone this morning and sent it to Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods......at least that's what I thopught I did......sent it to my blog I mean.

We have been away all day (may be a tale for tomorrow), we are back in the cabin and I open my computer to check your comment.....

What do I find?

No cherry tree photo.
No comments, or, well, very few comments on yesterday's post........

 

I don't miss my blog post.....as you see I have already made another one. With more photos of my dear cherry tree.

But I miss you, my always so sweet and supporting readers and commenters?

Where are you?
How can I get you back?

A writer, a singer,a blogger. A world

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From one world to another........or rather from one beautiful place to life goes on.

I came back to The House in the Woods around midnight, and after a few weeks sleep, Terje and I were out running together. 
Whitsuntime, Monday a red calendar day and perfect for a cabin weekend. Double perfect as our sister in law, Fabula, or Stina as she is for us, is in Norway at a festival in Surnadal, on our way to Rastarbo (if we drive a detour.......which we glad ly do to meet Stina).

Fabula performen at an outdoor concert last night, which we were unable to attend, as I was on the plane somewhere over the Atlantic......but today, as she would be singing at a booktalk with Mette Karsvik, nothing could stop us.

Mette Karslvik, a young Norwegian writer, her first novel gave her the Tarjei Vesaas debutant award, her fourth and  most recent novel, shortlisted her for Brageprisen, a Norwwgian litterary prize that is awarded annually by the Norwegian Book Prize Foundation.

Her lastest book, Bli Bjørk (Become Bjørk), is a three dimentioanl book about the history of the state of Iceland, the history of Bjørk's father, and about Bjørk herself. I have not read the book, and it was not on sale at the booktalk, but no doubt, I know what my next book buying will be!

Stina sang two songs, one with text by a famouse late Icelandic poet about an angel hidden in a stone. One by herself about a stone so sad because his most beautiful side is faced down to the soil and there are no one there to turn him around......we all want to show our most beautiful and to be seen, don't we?

Fabula and Mette Karlsvik. Two women with a message to the world.

Their messages hit me, stay within me, will makr their impact. Will free the angle in me, help me to turn my stone around........for the world, for those close to my heart, to see.

 

After the booktalk and some worlds and huds with Stina, Terje and I continued. A drive, a ferry ride, a slideshow of beautiful Western Coast of Norway......

 

Spring is Norway.
Nothing can compare.........

Promises of a good harvest to come.

An apple tree, a cherry tree, a friend with wildflowers and a tiny cabin. What more do you need?

 Well, what about a boathouse, and may be a boat?

Yesterday was great.
I love today.
I wonder what tomorrow migbht bring.

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Bli Bjørk

Fabula

The first photo is today's post is by Kalla Skrøvset, a late painter from Surnadal. I love her paintings, especially the one which used to be grandma Olga's which now hangs in my parent's home

New Art in London

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I was 16 the first time I came to London. I was attending a summer school in Hastings, and during my weeks there, we visited London twice. Then, three years later I came back with a good friend and stayed in an old Miss Marple-like hotel in Bayswater for two weeks, then again three years after that for my honeymoon.

I have been back many, many times since then. To my favorite metropolitan city in the world. This is actually my third time this year, though last time, two weeks ago, the only London air I breathed was running from Heathrow Express to the Tube at Paddington Station.

I don´t have much time now either, but on my way to Turvey Abbey I had to stay over night in London, and then the same on my way back to Norway.

Which has given me some wonderful hours of walking, walking, walking.......the very best way to explore.

I have spent most of my walking time in the parks, but Foyles, the amazing bookstore on Charing Cross Road is always on my list when I am here. And while walking from Green Park and St.James´s Park, I passed Trafalger Square, and there, together with the Nelson Column, I came upon this charming biy, riding his rocking horse.

The statue is made by two artists, Elmgreen&Dragset. The latter one from Trondheim, so I had already read about this statue in our local newspaper, but never imagined it to be so big, so beautiful.

 

I found other "new things" on my walk as well, like this Isis statue, near The Serpentine, in Hyde Park.

Or old stuff like this boy and his fish in the Rose Garden in Hyde Park.

A group of preschool children passed by when I sat on a bench enjoying the roses. One of the boys looked up at the fish, made a face and cried:" Argh! disgusting!!!"

:-)

London is bursting with activities these days, in preparations for The Olympic.
Near Whirehall hundreds of Queen´s Guards were practicing.

London is never boring.........you find at all here.

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life" Samuel Johnson

What would you do?

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What would you do if you had an English Cottage all by yourself for a few days. With a livingroom taken out of a Beatrix Potter fairy tale, with magnolia, roses and wisteria blooming outside in the cottage garden. With a blessed silence and with all the time you wanted at hand?

I know exactly what I would do. Work on the novel I started last year.........and which might be finished in a ten year´s time.

 

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And, well......that is actually what I am doing.......

....when I don´t walk in the Turvey Abbey garden, say prayers with the nuns, eat or sleep.

Internet connection! Unbelieveable!

 

Today´s retreat is over, and I have given myself another kind of "retreat".......a night visit to the local pub, The Three Fyshes, where they have free WiFi.
Ha, I couldn´t stay away from blogging longer than......was it around 30 hours?

Back at Christmas time I got an email from Sr.Miriam. She is a nun at Turvey Abbey north of London, and she told me that she, at least one other nun and many other people she knew of, are all reading my blog.
Long story short - we started to write a few emails back and forth, we became friends on facebook......and here I am, doing my own spiritual retreat at Turvey Abbey.

I am having very good days. Days for my heart, my mind, my body. Experiences which will be share with my diary only, or with my closests (Terje, I am looking forward to the weekend).

But a few photo from paradice can be share with the world of course.

Not difficult to sense why I love this place, is it?

Here is a  link to Turvey Abbey

My times in Your hand

For a few days I am on a retreat, without internet connection.

See you later!

 

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I already have pockets full of tales to tell......