text and images britt-arnhild
This must be one of the coldest winters I can remember.
And also the most beautiful.
When I was out with my camera yesterday morning, ice started to form on the floating river. The river Nidelven is affected by the tide, so twice a day salt water from the fjord finds it way up the river, runs out again when the tide goes out. The movement and the salt water mean that the river hardly freezes, still it happens once or twice a year.
The freezing, the movement of the ice, the river, a symphony in the air.
A man passed me when I was standing there with icy cold finger tips (remind me that I still haven´t knitted the photographer´s mittens I have in mind)
"You like this?"
"Sure, I do!"
"Yeah, aren´t we lucky to live here, this most beautiful city with the most beautiful river. You are doing the right thing, to photography, to listen, to see, to be"
I had no words to give back. Only a broad smile and a thank in my heart for his awareness.
Blogging.
Photographing.
Living.
Sharing with a stranger.
It is life, isn´t it.
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Thank you for your comments, your recipes and your tales on yesterday´s blog post about my old recipe book. I have read and cherished them all.
And I have had a hard, a really hard time picking a winner.
Susan, thanks for sharing your fundue tale.
Evelyn, writing comments in your cookbook is a great idea. I am doing it in the Christmas section of mine, but will do it more in the new one I am starting about our dinner parties.
Jaz, good luck organazing yours.
Granny, I know that you cook the most delicious fish soup :-)
Thank you for the egg cake recipe.
I might come over to your farm for a taste some day.
Vonnie, your kringle must be very good.
Lucky grandchildren.
Pam, I also do so much of my cooking, baking and dinner parties on memory. That´s why I want to start this new dinner parties notebook.
Thank you Anne for your kind words.
Pondside, I´ve never made walnut cream.
Tnanks for the recipe.
Emily, haha, you made me laught by your "bad" comment :-)
Anna Bluebell, you have such a treasure in your kitchen.
Lucky boy to have a grandmother he knows to call Barbara.
Marilyn, you book of tea recipes has a special place in my kitchen and in my heart.
Annie writes: I recently took out my mother's old recipe box. A plain essay style b/w note book would be the ideal background for her many old recipes. And little doodling and some old stamping and I've got the beginning of 2013 Christmas gifts for my brother and sister. It will be like a kiss from our mother. Isn´t that a lovely idea?
Mrs. Steglich, creamy cornmeal cake!
My mouth is watering.
Lorrie, so you not only have all your recipes neatly organized, you also have beautiful boxes created my your husband.
Lucky you :-)
dq, hahaha.
But you should really make the cake again.
WITH sugar :-)
Canadian Chickadee.
Good luck!
Kristi Jalicks,
I´ll make something for all four of my kids....
....someday!
In the end there was no doubt who was to be the winner:
There are few things I treasure more than my mother's recipes in her own handwriting. You remember her, I'm sure -- Alice Kelly. Since I didn't live close by, she frequently sent back home with me recipes of the foods we enjoyed on our visits. Some are recipes for special Norwegian foods, but most were the comfort foods I most associate with her. She's been gone several years, but my memories are held closer through her recipes.
Phyllis Person,
my distant relative in South Dacota.
Of course I remember your mother Alice.
I grew up with long, handwritten Christmas letters from her to grandma Olga every year.
And in 1997 we were lucky enough, me, Terje, Torgeir 15, Øystein 13, Ingrid 8 and Marta just a toddler, to visit Alice´s farm. We stayed with Alice´s daughter, your sister, all six of us, and we were invited over to Alice for a huge family dinner.
Thank you Phyllis for bringing back this memory.
Email me your address and I´ll send you the handwoven Icelandic bookmark.
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Originally I had planned to started the first booktalk for The Blue Studio Reading Group today. But to give you time to finish our first book, The Unlikely PIlgrimage of Harold Fry, we will wait till next Sunday.
Here is some information so far:
Book to be discussed:
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce
(BrittArnhild)
Will be discussed Sunday February 17th
The Jewels of Paradice, by Donna Leon
(In the Silence)
Will be discussed Sunday February 24th
A Month in the Country, by J.L.Carr
(Kay)
Will be discussed Sunday March 3rd
Suggestions for further reads:
The Shoemaker´s Wife by Adriana Trigiani
Suggested by Jane
Other books mentioned:
The Cat´s Table, by Michael Ondaatje
(Pondside)
Eight Girls Taking Pictures, by Whitney Otto
(Marilyn)
Major Pettigrew´s Last Stand, by Helen Simonson
(Linda)
The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson
( Pondside)
If you have a reading suggestion, please leave a comment in one of the posts, or email me. Every reading group Sunday we will vote for a next read for our list.
