Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Two angels are warming up their wings

@brittarnhild

What a joy this past week has been in my life as a blogger. To be a featured blog at typepad was not a big thing, at least not as big as I thought, may be it gave me a few new readers, but that´s all. To have all of YOU here though, reading, commenting here and on facebook, sending me emails, cheering me when we´ve met in person.........it has been wonderful.

We are spending the weekend at our cabin. I had planned to blog last night, but I had forgotten my camera with the images I wanted to use, in our car. The moon was shining, so the night was not too dark, but in the forest I would have to walk through to get to the car, you could not see a hand before you. And I was too comfortable inside the cabin to walk out into the darkness. So yesterday became one of the rare days in the life of Britt-Arnhild´s House in the Woods without an update.

 

Yesterday´s post will have to wait till tomorrow. Today is the day I promised to reveal who will get the angel I bought. But first let me tell you, somehow, I had not planned it, I bought two broken glass angels. I did not know why when I came home that day, but now, when I reread all your comments, it is easy to see why.

The first one goes to the one who won the drawing.......... Lilacrobin.....

The second one goes to......Bev.....who just lost her baby, halfway through her pregnancy.
Bev, as you can see from the comments, you have people around the world thinking of you, praying for you these days. May God keep his hands of comfort and joy around you.

Lilacrobin and Bev, will you please email me your post addresses.

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Today´s photos are from Aure, on the western coast of Norway, the village close to our cabin.

 

The seasons through the office window

@brittarnhild

My eyes took a break from the computer and found rest in the huge trees outside the office window. The cathedral park, with a glimpse of the river during the months when the trees are without leaves. While I sat there, my mind busy with the email I was working on, a crow came and sat down in one of the trees. "Ho, she is building a nest" I thought, and in a few seconds a million thoughs went through my mind......following the building, the eggs, the new crow babies. I bent over to catch my camera, and when I looked out the window again the crow had moved and there were no signs of a nest.

Nest or no nest, a blog idea was born.

So hereby I declare a new blog category for open:

The seasons through the offoce window :-)

 

I am looking forward to take you along.

 

.....and don´t forget to keep on posting on yesterday´s post. The drawing will be on Saturday.

The angel of the broken, an anniversary and a giveaway

@brittarnhild

Kirkens Bymisjon i Trondheim, The City Mission in Trondheim, works with the broken. To raise up. To make whole. They raise money for their work in many creative ways. But there is no doubt, my favorite way of fundraising is the broken glass angles. Out of the damaged, out of what can look like rubish, out of what looks worthless to the world, they make the most beautiful glass angels. From the broken pieces God makes whole. With the help of our hands and hearts.

For a long time I have twisted my brain, trying to come up with a way to say thank you to my blog readers, my blog family. Then, out of the blue, blown into my mind by the holy spirit, I suddenly knew.

A City Mission Glass Angel.

Kirkens Bymisjons premises are only a block away from my office, and yesterday, walking from work to the bus, I went in there to look for an angel. A broken glass blog angel.

 

The one I bought stands on my desk now, waiting for a new owner.....waiting for one of you. As I love, simply love each and every comment I get on the blog, I have decided that if you leave a comment on this post you will be part of the broken glass blog angel drawing, which will take part in a few days (Saturday night, may be) Two comments makes two chances in the drawing, three makes three and so on ;-)

So come on, leave a comment, tell me a tale.......

 

10 years!!!!!!!!!!

@brittarnhild

Today it is 10 years since I started blogging!
And today I have no time to blog!!

 

I took this "selfie" with my cellphone this morning while waiting for the bus.
Let it be my way of telling you that tomorrow I plan a very special giveaway :-)

 

A new bead in my necklace of life

@brittarnhild

Every day a chain of moments. Like beads on a silver string, like cloth pegs on a line. Today had a hard start for me. A bead made of ice.These days walking the road down to the bus stop feels like crossing the arctic. Slippery ice is covering my world. I have never dreamed of crossing the arctic, I have never ever considered it. If you invited me along on an expedition, I would start to talk about something else. About the botanical gardens of our world, about cathcing vongole in the Venetian laguna, about spending a day in Foyles in London, about sunrise in the Himalayas, about sharing a mug of sangria under the sun, about Chopin.

No matter my thoughts and dreams, the road down to the bus stop, which I have to walk twice a day, is like crossing the arctic.

I managed the morning arctic crossing, followed by blood, sweat and tears........well, metaphorically it was. The bus came, I climed in only to find it filled the the brim, and as we came to other stops, more people came, and more people came.

"Tomorrow I´ll take a taxi!" I told myself, "Or I will drive and pay the fortune for the parking house bill. Then I don´t need to cross the arctic again, and I don´t have to stand here like a sardine in a barrel"

Even more people came in, and I was sure I was going to faint. This was all too much for me.
Then a hand touched my shoulder. One of the many imigrant women on the bus  looked into my eyes, smiled and said:"Please, take my seat"

 

I don´t feel old enought to get someones seat on the bus! I am not old enough!! But this morning it was given me by an angle, and I did not have to say yes or no.

All I had to do was to meet her eyes, smile and take the seat.
I know she saw and felt my gratitude.

 

Every day a chain of moments. Like beads on a silver string.
I collect the most beautiful pearls and make them into a neclace of life.

 

 

A Walk Around Town

@brittarnhild

When our daughter was a teenager she was a very active handball player. And we were active cheering parents. When she stopped playing, it changed our weekends, suddenly we did not spend hours in sports centers any more. It felt strange at first, we missed handball. But of course it didn´t take us long to adjust and to fill the weekends with other activities. We humans are good at that. We adapt.

But when Ingrid came over last night and told us that she has stafted to play again, this weekend was tournament weekend, har team had won so far and were playing again Sunday morning, Terje and I looked at each other, smiling. "Yes, let´s go and be cheering parents again :-)"

Ingrid´s team won the first Sunday morning match as well, and was set up for another one a couple of hours later. Which gave us perfect time for a Sunday morning walk around town. And with the lovely weather it took me no time to make it into not only a Sunday morning walk, but a Sunday morning photo walk.

Long time readers of Britt-Arnhild´s House in the Woods know about my weekend morning photo walks in and around Trondheim. Walks with my camera where I have explored well known and well as hidden places in the city where I have spent most of my 56 years old life.  The hidden nooks and corners have often been what have filled me with most joy, but also to walk the well knows pavements in different light, different weather, has been pleasurable.

It is some time since my last weekend morning photo walk now. Time and mind have not been the right.

But today it was!

Even the weather cooperated as we walked down to the harbour. Then up along the river.

 

Along the way it was time for coffee.....

....but then we had to hurry back to the sport center.
They lost next game,

 

and we could go back home for other Sunday activities.

 

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My bookblog, Books on the Menu, is open after a break. Welcome over.
My Norwegian blog Blåklokkeveien is also active these days. The text is in Norwegian only, but with google translate, or another translate program, this should be no problem.

 

Two weeks ago

@brittarnhild

Another world. Another time.
We walked over to the black lava beach with our towels. I brought a book, Terje had some suduko to work on. The sun shone down on us, not too warm, but enough to meka my bones believe they were 20 again. A fishing boat came with the day´s catch. The music from the waves was like a symphony.
After a few hours we left our beach towels, put on some clothes and walked the few meters up to a little pizzeria.

 

It is two weeks since we came home from La Gomera, and it is time to start writing the travel tale.

 

Green Food on Green Days

@brittarnhild

 

We are not vegetarians. We eat meat and we eat a lot of fish and seafood. But because we like it, and because we focus on climate changes and want to take care of our Mother Earth, we try to eat as little meat as possible, as much vegetables as possible. At least (!) (though often a lot more) we have a vegetarian dinner once a week. And as I love cooking (when I have time for it), I also love to put time and love in as main ingredients in our meals.

Yesterday was a green dinner day, quiche lorraine, but with no ham, no bacon.
Starting with flour, butter and water, mixing it together with my fingers. I love to use my fingers when I cook. I love to smell and to taste. I love to look at the colours. Food for all senses.

The pie dough wrapped in plastic, and into the fridge it went. While I sat down with my book, waiting to hear from my husband when his plane landed. He had spent the day in Oslo.

Woops, I almost forgot. Before I could sit down I had to prepare the filling.

Broccoli, chive, garlic and squash. Olive oil in the pan. Fry for a few minutes. Eggs and cream mixed together. Salt. Pepper. Coriander. The pie dough in a pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then wait before I add the filling......oh my, writing recipes in English is not my cup of tea..........

......well, cup of tea, glass of water or whatever.

Just as the airport taxi stopped outside The House in the Woods, I took the quiche out of the oven, and when Terje came in I smiled at him, gave him a kiss and said: dinner is ready!

 

The Lifegiving Sun

@brittarnhild

Though our house turns its face to the sun, it is situated in a northfaced hill. Which for us means that for a few weeks every winter, the sun does not reach the house, nor the garden. We are south of the arctic circle, so we do have sun all winter, but not directly in the garden. It is a month since winter solstice, the days are much longer, even though the mornings are still quite dark, it is now almost daylight when I come back from work in the afternoons. Spring is still a dream, but slowly, slowly we will be there.

I have not been home during the daylight period for weeks. Not until today. When I saw the sun caressing the blue garden I did not hesitate at all, but grabbed my camera, put on some good winter boots (we are all iced down these days) and went out for a garden sun dance.

I can easily understand why our foremothers and forefathers worshipped the sun.

 

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Again my heart is filled with thankfulness for your comments and your suggestions about next week´s blogging. And to answer one of your questions - featured on typepad means that a link to my blog will be on top of this site, Everything Typepad for a week, from Monday till Monday.

 

Deep water……..

@brittarnhild

I´ve got another message from typepad.
The featuring of Britt-Arnhild´s House in the Woods will start on Monday and last for a week.

 

Monday. That´s only a few days away.
And I have no iead what to blog about!
Absolutely no idea!

HELP!
I need to learn how to swim.

 

 

Thank you SO much for all your comments on yesterday´s post.
I know I can count on you :-)