Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

1-0 to me

text and images britt-arnhild

Life has its seasons, just like nature.
From birth, through youth, adolecence and old age.
But also periods of new spring growth, florishing summers, blue autumns, cold, dead winters when life is completely hidden under a thick layer of snow.

 

 Autumns here in my corner of the world are often very beautiful.
Sunny. Crisp. Bright.

God´s generous palette.

This year is no exception.
Nature, the best autumn exhibition you can ever visit.

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In the middle of this painting,
in the middle of all this beaty......

......I am struggling with a game I don´t like to play right now.

An autumn game. Where days are darker than they used to be. 

The game is called Motivation.

And it is playing hide and seek with me.

Usually I am a good seeker.
Very good.

But just now I seem to have forgotten too many of my tricks, of the game´s secrets.

I still do have one weapon though,
which works.

Nature.

A day off. A backpack with coffee, water and bread with butter and brown cheese.
Hiking boots.

Out to pick beauty!

1-0 to me!

Can you help me name this starter

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Sunday. Cabin. Fishing.
Partly to get fish,
but even more to enjoy nature, coffee, silence and each other.

We did not get much fish.
Actually we did get none......almost,
only one tiny little herring.

"Do you want me to throw it back into the sea?" Terje asked after he had helped me to unhook the fish. "Oh, no. It is hurt already, and anyway, I can fry it and serve it as a starter."

Sure, the poor herring was tiny.
Filled with taste, no doubt. But would it be enough for a starter for two?

Of course it would.
Near the cabin I knew I would find a few chanterelles.
I have never eaten herring and chanterelles mixed together as a starter,
but why not? 

So I fried the fish and the mushrooms in olive oil,
added salt and pepper......

Just as simple as that......

...a starter was born.

But it has no name yet!

 

May be you can help me name it?

Everything has an end.....

....even a beautiful autumn cabin weekend

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A place to find myself

By now you all know the cabin view from the terracce and the main windows. Sea, mountain, sky, trees, change of the season colours.......my favorite view in the whole world.
When I sit at the big table, which I often do, that is what I see.
But there is also another view. If i look not southwards but out the window facing west. During mornings and days my eyes seldom look that way. But when late afternoon arrives......my eyes are drawn there.
Like last night. Terje was still out, working as long as there was some daylight. I was inside, reading.....I am a Reader this weekend, reading and commenting an upcoming book for a friend/publisher. At some point I had to take a break though. Grandma Olga's old lace curtains and trees in the process of changing from summer to autumn outfits were the perfect frame of the sunset.
For a long time my mind, eyes and heart rested in silent prayer.

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Good morning

Good morning :-)
So tell me, what are your plans for today?
I am soon going to eat breakfast....as soon as Terje has finished the preparations. Then I am the chosen one to be his little helper on the cabin building project.
Wish me good luck. I might need it :-)
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Change of season

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I have a project, a hobby, a goal.
I am still an apprentice, still learning.
Sometimes one step forward, two back,
other times two forward, one back.

Or one, two, three forward,
standing steady.

Writing a journal helps me to find the path.

So does blogging.

And photographing.

Gathering images, collecting memories.

Learning from the past, being taught by the present,
 looking forward to the future.

My apprenticeship, you ask?

It is easy,
 at the same time so hard, so hard.

It is about life.
Of course it is.

It is about living. Here. Now.

And right now it is about living with the seasons.
Walking happily through autumn, into winter.
I saw the first migrant birds when I drove to work this morning. A plough of birds. Flying together, Helping each other on a task which seems impossible. Flying half the world.

The first migrant birds, a sign that winter is on its way.
Too easily it could make me depressed, make me see only the dark threads of yarn.
But I am learning.
Learning to live the seasons. Learning that here and now is right. Is good. 

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Too easily I look back, look present, look forward,
and see all the problems which might happen.
Why don´t I instead focus on all the good things which might happen.....eventually.

"Don´t dream" you say, "Don´t build castles in the air?"

"Why not?" is my reply. Why not find your paintbox and paint a future in colours. In bright pink, sparking green, burning orange, playful red, sweet, romantic purple.
Why not paint yourself into the picture, dancing.

Why don´t we dare? Are we too afraid to be disappointed? To meet closed doors.  

I am wlking into autumn with a smile.
I am living.
I am here.
I am now! 

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Can you see me in the images?
I guess I can say I have a collection 

:-) :-) :-)

"Oh mamma, you are acting like a pre-teen" is what Marta says when she sees me taking a photo of my own image
:-) :-) :-) 

The best listener

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The other day I filled the last page in my old diary. Purple Italian leather, so smooth it felt like a beloved´s skin. Page after page filled with my life. Words from the deepest of my heart. Lists. Sketches. Notes. Smiles. Frustrations.
Easy words to find to capture the best moments,  harder those words which helped me come to terms with frustrations.

I have already started a new diary. Black this time, in a green cover with dragonflies. I found it in a tiny, remote town in Western California. Too expensive, but Terje saw my eyes when I looked at it, my fingers when I touched it, and for two months now it has been on my desk, wating for my words.

Several pages are already filled.
Again some memories. Something I had to have to come to terms with. Questions I am trying to answer. Life must go on....

........

Ever since I learned to write at 5, my diary, my journal has been my best listener. I still have the first diary I wrote. Then there is a gap for almost 15 year, but from then on I have saved them all.

 

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I am up early this morning.
Too early.

The black book with the green dragonfly cover is my early morning companion.
I have something to come to terms with.
It will take longer than one early morning,

but the thoughts formed into words right now helps me to find the right path to follow into the day,
into days to come, into the rest of my life.

 

Cecilia Samartin and The Ladies in White

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Cecilia Samartin is back in Trondheim.
I am blessing the day two years ago, when she was here for her 3rd or 4th trip (I don´t remember) I do rememner though that it was the first time I met her,
and I do remember that I had forgotten my camera that day, and Cecilia´s husband Steven offered to take a picture with his own camera and email it to me.

Destiny?
No, I like to call it an angel playing her heavenly game.

Since Steven had to send me the photo I got Steven´s email address, and when I had written my blog post about meeting Cecilia, I emailed the link to Steven....
.....and a friendship was born!

The rest (so far) is history, and you all know it!

- the dinner in The House in the Woods

- visiting Cecilia and Steven in Los Angeles

- meeting Cecilia´s parents, they both found their way into my heart that night 

- sailing with Marta and Steven as captains

- dinner with Cecilia and her publisher in Oslo last Sunday

And then today,

introducing my parents to Cecilia.

 

Knots tied across land and ocean.

Photo: Cecilia and our son Torgeir

 

Cecilia´s most resent book (so far only published in Norway) Dona Maria, is about a group of women in Cuba, The Ladies in White.

The book is making a storm here in Norway, the ambassador of Cuba is accusing Cecilia of lying. At the same time The Ladies in White is nominated the get Nobel´s Peace (we will know who gets it in a month, and two days before that there will be an interview with Cecilia on the main Norwegian television chanel)

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Inspired by a The Blue autumn Garden

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I am not supposed to blog. Not to search words for my novel either.
I am actually supposed to work.......

I have a very busy week, and when I left my office today, I took with me a stack of papers, and forwarded an email with a powerpoint attachment to my private email inbox. The powerpoint presentation needs to be finished tomorrow, and there are not enough hours in my days.

I will work on my power point presentation, eventually,
but when I looked out the kitchen window after doing the dinner dishes,
the Blue Garden, the sky, the world out there was so beautiful.

All of a sudden I found myself out there.
With a camera in my hands.

Treasure hunting.

 And while shoting photos I knew I had to share with you.
Share the faded beauty of a summer, a summer which have been cold and wet up here. Its faded beauty soon a memory, but though the overall impression is umbrellas and sweathers,
there are still springs of moment to gather,
to collect,
to dwell in. 

 

Blogging through almost eight years have taught me to take care of the moments. To live them here and now. To let work wait for another hour because the moment is more important.

 

I am still an apprentice along this road. I am still teaching my heart to see, my eyes to love. My mind to rest and to rejoice.

If you are a regular reader of Britt-Arnhild´s House in the Woods, you know that colours are imporftant to me. I want my life to be framed by the rainbow, The Creator´s personal sign that he love us, always.
I want to live the rainbow. In colours which the eyes can see, yes. But also the colours of our feelings. To live life fully.
Here. Now. 

 

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Along this rainbow path it is not enough to walk in pre-walked paths.

Better still it is to walk your own way, and make your very own paths.

 

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I might not blog every day anymore.
But I am not able to quit blogging altogether.

I guess I am addicted :-)

 

My little mascot and I

text and images britt-arnhild

 

This charming fisherman and I have spent two mornings together at the cabin.
As always I am up and out of the bed long before the rest of the family. For years I have spent these early mornings blogging.

But not so this time.

My "travels" are taking me into a writing project,
my creativity and my energy are traveling into a world which asks to be known,
and I am the one chosen to find the
colours to paint the picture.

 

What a fascinating travel.
To follow a woman,
through childhood, prime, adulthood.
Being shown her special moments,
what has shaped her into what she has become today.

Her world unfolding in my heart and in my mind
as we walk her memory paths together.

Walking this road has to take focus from blogging.
I will not stop,
but may be not blog every single day,
like I have done for years now.

I will miss it.
I am sure I will miss it,

but I will still be here,
probably ALMOST every day :-)

 

And when I am not, you know I am busy seeking other words.