Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Up North

 

@brittarnhild

 

Driving up north from Trondheim to Lofoten must be among the most beautiful drives you can imagine. We started from Mosjøen after breakfast, and drove all day. Not much time for photos, but shooting through the car window is a good alternative.

After a few hours we stop up in Saltfjellet, Salt Mountain, at the Arctic Circle line. this is how far the midnight sun reaches.

  

My crazy husband always know how to cool down......even on one of the hottest day ever for May in Northern Norway.

To get out to the Lofoten island you need to take a ferry.

From the ferry there was more amazing scenery to view.
In the background is Stetind, which is called "The National Mountain of Norway"

You can read more about Stetind here.

We are in Lofoten now, and at my brother´s, where we are tonight, I finally found some internet :-)

Without internet

For the monent we are without internet. ....almost. No wi-fi and the mobil net is too slow for blogging. But I gather tales in my travel basket, and will post them later.
Why not enjoy the midnight sun with us while waiting :-)
The photo is from 1.15am last night......or eas it this morning?
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Give me a chance to travel......

 

@brittarnhild

Give me a chance to travel.......

....and I´ll jump down from my chair and come......

 

First step: passing through the gate to Nord-Norge, North Norway.

 

We travel with my parents, and in Mosjøen, the tiny little town which is supposed to be in the middle of long, narrow Norway (if you turn Norway around, it will reach all the way south to Rome) we stopped to spend the first night.

Mosjøen is south of the Arctic Circle, so no midnight sun here, but the nights are light all through. And as an extra bonus, middle Norway is having a kind of a heath wave. And nature is exploding in colours, birdsong and fragrances.

 

Mosjøen has an old street down by the sea, Sjøgata, where they have managed to keep the small wodden houses from old time.

Today many of them contains small cafes or galleries, and in the middle of this people are still living their everyday lives.

 

In spite of the good weather, or may be because it was late, all the galleries and most of the cafes were closed.

So instead of looking at art, my mother and I were busy watching my dada and Terje.....

.....my mother and I, we really can´t understand what they are up to.

Can you?

Luckily we both have our secret, or is it charm........ and in the end we got our men back.

I can go on and on and on to show you charming houses from Mosjøen,
but now it is breakfast time at Fru Haugan´s Hotel,
and afterwards we contunie our midnight sun chase.

See you later.

 

Postcards

 

@brittarnhild

Every day when I travel I write myself a postcard. Lick a stamp, glue it on and mail it to The House in the Woods. When I come home there is a stack of colourful, exciting post awaiting me. At the end of the year I will make a small book out of the cards.

My family thinks I am crazy,
and I am sure the postman does as well.

I know I am not crazy,
I know I am just me!

 

Yesterday´s postcard from D..... gave me another idea. I will not only make a book out of the postcards traveling me sends to me, I will make another one of postcards from you during the year. With D.....´s World Atlas card as the front cover.

And while I am waiting for your postcards, I am ready to send you one as well. Today we are heading up to The Land of the Midnight Sun. Who wants a postcard from there?

(email me your address, and I´ll send you one)

 

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The photo shows this year´s "Dear traveling me, hug from traveling me"-postcards 

Part of my life

 

@brittarnhild

These days I am spending all my time out in the garden.
Today I am writing on my novel, and have brought out a stack of books I use as inspiration and knowledge base.
This morning I was "too busy" to write a proper post, and told myself that my readers would have to do with a photo of the blue garden´s blue shadows.

But......

once a hooked blogger, always a hooked blogger.

The mail came, and with it a "World Atlas" postcard from a blog reader:
Dear Britt-Arnhild. Thank you for sharing part of your life in your House in the Woods blog. Every day, for several years, I´ve enjoyed the news of family, home, cabin and travels. I got a tin of postcards with map drawings and thought of you. Bright blessings, D..... 

 

Thank you D..... for the postcard and your nice words.
You inspired me to share a tiny little part of todays pleasant chaos with you and my other blog readers :-)

 

 

By the way - note to all of you:
I LOVE POTSCARDS! 

Blue Garden Today

 

@brittarnhild

Morning Dew on the Roseroot

 

@brittarnhild

Late May. Sunday morning. Morning dew on the roseroot. Sun shining from a blue sky. Breakfast in The Blue Garden.

How I wish that I could invite you all over.

 

 

Thanks for comments and emails on yesterday´s post.
Thanks for helping me to see the beauty of our everydays.
Thanks for reading and commenting.

My blog is alive because of you. 

 

 

A primula walk and some thoughts on life

 

@brittarnhild

The Botanical Garden at Ringve has a special Primula Garden.
The day after the rain the sun shone again, a perfect day for a primula walk.

Unfortunately the primula garden was a sad sight, filled with weeds and huge, bare patches of soil. I have written a post in my Norwegian blog about this, and I have also sent an email to The Gardens (no answer yet), so I have now weeded my memories, and can concentrate on the beauty I found in between.

This is life, isn´t it?
Weeds, bare patches of soil.......and beautiful flowers in between.

How easy it is to focus on the weeds, the despair because of the bare patches.
.......I am sorry, this is my life, the weeds are not my fault, there is noting I can do about it, my seeds will not grow......or, there is no use planting seeds, my life is barren......

We do have a choice you know.
Instead of being blind because of obstacles,
we can open our eyes to the beauty.

 

Today´s challenge:
weed, plant, and
search for beauty.

Do you take the challenge with me?

 

 

I am curious to see what you find,
I am curious to see what I find:-)

 

 

The world traveler bird

 

@brittarnhild

Under the sky you find birds in all colours and sizes. 
Bright, shining, funny, sparkling, interesting.....you name it.
Some fight to get attention.
Others are shy, almost invisible. 

I am in love with one of the modest ones.
Every spring it is back in my garden, busily pushing its tail up and down.  

The wagtail.

Traveling the world twice a year.
Walking on water.
Showing off on waterlily leaves.

 

One spring, many years ago, I had just returned from a visit to Eritrea.
I sat out in the garden, working on my travel journal, missing my Eritreat friends when a tiny little wagtale came characteristically  jumping towards me, letting me mirror my longing in his deep, dark eyes, chirping "Don´t be sad. Your friends are not lost for you. I will continue to fly back and forth, year after year, to strengthen your ties"

Then he flew away.

 
And he has kept his promise.
Every year he is back in the blue garden:
Every year he comes jumping over to me, delivers his greetings,
and continues with his daily tasks.

 

 

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The photos are from a visit to Ringve Botanical Gardens yesterday.
More photos and words in Blåklokkeveien 

Raindrops

 

@brittarnhild

 

I walked out in the garden.
The rain had made everything fresh, lush, green, vivid.

 

The red leaves on the Japanese Maple drink  greedily.

Raindrops.

A whole universe.

 

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The drops can easily be tears of regret.
Regret of friendships lost.

Instead I let them be tears of joy.
Joy for love and friendship given.