Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Unlocking a new travel

@brittarnhild

I am in the exciting progress of unlocking a new travel. In two days I am leaving for Ethiopia. I will probably be offline most of my 10 days there, but I will gather images and tales to share with you when I am back home.

I got a map in the mail the other day, a map of the whole country of Ethiopia. And also some books. Among them one by Dervla Murphy, who walked with a mule in Etiopia back in 1966-67. I have written more about this over in Books on the Menu. You are welcome over to take a look, to be inspired, and why mot share a book tale with me and my blog readers?

 

Today I am blogging from a coffee shop in Oslo, Bocata, on the Central Station. I have a couple of meetings in Oslo today, and I came down last night to be able to visit our good friends Estrid and Sindre. Estrid and Sindre are world travellers. The last time you met them was in Hong Kong last autumn. They spent a year there as senior volunteers for an organisation called Areopagos. I got to know Estrid and Sindre in Eritrea, where I visited in 1999 and 2001. The last time I came there Estrid and Sindre worked for Norwegian Church Aid in Eritrea, and as there was no water in my hotel room during my stay, they let me come to their home to shower. A perfect way to start a friendship.

 Estrid and Sindre have lived in several countries, and the keep on to travel the world, and fill their amazing home with memories from east of the sun, west of the moon. Last night and this morning Estrid and I wandered around in their appartment, Estrid showing me new and old treasures, telling me new and old travel tales.

 

I am unlocking a new travel.
And I am pretty excited. 

 

 

And YES, I know I am a lucky woman! 

 

Autumn colours in the mountain

@brittarnhild

 

A weekend in October. A weekend free to do whatever we wanted.
And we were in no doubt, we wanted to go up in the mountains to visit my brother in law and his wife. And an extra pleasure, Marta wanted to go with us :-)

Arne and Lisbeth, Terje's brother and his wife, live south west in Norway, at Moi, where my father in law also lives. But Lisbeth grew up at Røros, the UNESCO Heritage Site up in the mountains south of Trondheim. Lisbeth's childhood cabin is still at Røros and several times a year they drive the 12 hours up there. To live the perfect simple life.

Marta, Terje and I came up there Friday night, and walked from the car to the cabin under a million stars.

Saturday, after a long breakfast, we drove in to Røros for shopping and a visit to one of the multitude of charming cafes.

But the weather was lovely, and the colours of the autumn burning. The mountain was calling our names.

We packed a huge backpack which we let Arne carry,  and started our hike. Marta and dog Winnie in the lead.

 There are moments in life you can live on for a long time.
Mountain hiking moments are among them.

We are walking towards winter here in Norway. For the moment autumn is my favorite moment.
Will this change when winter comes?

 

My weekend friend

@brittarnhild

I have a new little friend, a weekend friend. He is 7 years old, his name is Winnie and he has the most beautiful eyes you van imagine.

Ever since I was a girl and was bitten by the dog of one of my friends, I have been afraid of dogs. But Winnie is an exception. He was wild when he was a puppy, as all puppies are, and made me feel uncomfortable, but as soon as he grew up, he became the most charming dog you can imagine.

Winnie charms us all. He loves to play with Marta, and Marta loves to play with Winnie.

Winnie does not like could water, but can´t say no to Marta´s games.

 

Winnie loves "uncle" Terje, and "uncle" Terje loves Winnie.

Winnie is Marta´s youngest "cousin", the dog of Terje´s brother and sister in law Arne and Lisbeth.
We have spent the most lovely autumn weekend with them up in the mountains, at Røros, where Lisbeth grew up and where they have the cabin of Lisbeth´s childhood. 

I will always continue to say NO to a dog living permanent in The House in the Woods,
but being Winnies "aunt", spending a weekend with him up in the mountains is close to heaven.

 

 

Autumn in the mountains

@brittarnhild

We are up in the mountains for the weekend, Marta, Terje and I. Visiting Terje´s brother and sister in law. The autumn colours are burning and I have hundreds of new photos on my Mac. But after trying for more than one hour to upload one single photo, I have to tell myself that it is no use. Blogging will have to wait till we are back home.

 

 

A gift repeated

@brittarnhild

There are several grocery stores close to where we live. We almost always use the same one, but yesterday I did a change and went to one of the others. I was walking among the shelves, picking my groceries, deep in some thinking which troubled me when I saw an elderly lady walking around with the same purpose as I had. She looked a little confused and she was talking silently to herself. Then she came over to me, without looking into my eyes she said with a strong, clear voice: "Jesus loves you!". Then she turned and disappeared.

On my way to work this morning an angel had left one of her feathers to repeat what the elderly woman told me yesterday:

Jesus loves you!

 

In the middle of my thoughts, which continues today,
I keep a smile in my heart.

 

Time to be

@brittarnhild

Sitting at my desk playing with editing some photos, images of leaves from our Japanese maple.
Together with me is my journal and a feltpen. Together with me is time. Is silence.

The need to be creative is deep rooted in all of us, but in our busy everyday lives we too easily forget to water the roots, to nurture them, to let them grow. The lesson I have given myself this month is to give creativity time. Time to grow. Time to strengthen. Time to florish. Time to follow the seasons. 

My pilgrimage lesson.

Time to be.

 

 

Autumn already

@brittarnhild

We had coffee with my parents last night. Enjoying the sunset, my mothers krumkake and fyrstekake, and Lanny, this time I remembered to ask for some piano music. I got as many pieces as I wanted :-)

For a long time now I have been trying to figure out how to post a video of my mother playing the piano, but I have no idea how to do it. Typepad, I need a "Blogging for Dummies"-book...........

 

 

The view from my parent´s appartment is fantastic.
I could move right in and I would spend a long time every day to watch the sunset.
And to dream.

 

 

::::::::::::::::::::::::

Thank you for the nice comments on my hat post :-)

 

 

Your hat is finished Ingrid. Come and get it :-)

@brittarnhild

 

 

 

Marta thinks I am crazy to share these photos with the world.
What do you think?