Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

A flame is lit

@brittarnhild

A flame is lit in my heart. A dream is born.

Mauro has changed his studio from a shop and exhibition area to a workshop. A place where he can give classes to one, two or up to six people.

While we visited, Mauro had one student. A Norwegian! (though now living in France)

The student had to wait though, while Mauro made a small red heart for me.......my old one had broken.

Now a flame is lit in my heart. I want to take one of Mauro´s class.

 

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May be you are interested as well?
You can contact Mauro at www.glasshandmade.com
On his facebook page
Or by email: [email protected]

 

 

This last photo is from June 2009, when Mauro steadied my hands on my very first attempt to make flame art.

 

 

 

When God created Burano

@brittarnhild

When God created Burano he lost his crayon box.

He reached out to pick them up, but then he saw the beautiful way they were laid out.

People made the crayons their houses.

And in the afternoons the woman sat outside with their lacework.

We met two of them; Italia and Carmela.

Italia. What a perfect name for a woman.

We visited Burano yesterday afternoon.

This tiny little island crayon box in the Venetian laguna.

 

The anniversary

@brittarnhild

An anniversary. 36 years of love and friendship (38 if you count the two years before we married) and we are both ready to start on the next 36.

We started the day in Sirmione, a beautiful town on a narrow peninsula of Lago di Garda in Northern Italy. A nice walk after breakfast took us to The Grottoes of Catullus, and archeological park with a rich history.

A walk in the colours of life.

A walk where we could share glimpses of nature, of life. Of love.

On our way back to Venezia we had lunch in Desenzano.......

.......and then dinner on Murano together with our friends Mauro and Barbara.

 

 

Memories

@brittarnhild

In 1972 I was 14 years old, my brothers were 12, 9 and 2 and my parents were brave! They had bought a caravan the year before and took us on a four weeks roadtrip from Trondheim to Lido de Jesolo, not far from Venezia. The trip has been a family tale for life! I have a lot of vivid memories from the month on the road and in my mind I remember a long list of places we visited. But not every single one of them.

Terje and I took the train from Venezia this morning, up to Lago di Garda, and while we sat at the shore of the lake, waiting for the ferry to take us over to Sirmione, I knew I had seen this place before. I called my mother: "Mom, can you remember if we visited Lago di Garda on our trip? And if we did, do you know where?" "Wait a moment" my mother replied. "I will ask your dad." And he could confirm my memories. We had indeed visited the lake, "the southern part" he said.

Sirmione is situated on the tip of a long peninsula. The main focus is a huge ancient castle. We have been walking around in the town today. We had a swam in the lake.......

.......and we have been watching soccer with the Italians.

First Italy won.

THEN ICELAND!

The chefs let pizza dough be pizza dough and came to the kitchen window to cheer :-)

 

Back in Padova´s Orto Botanico

@brittarnhild

In the autumn of 2007 I spent a week alone in Venice. One day I took the train to Padova, and there I discovered the Orto Botanico, the botanical garden. Since then the memory has been kind of like a fairytale in my mind, and now it was finally time to go back. This time with Terje.

So much has changed over these almost ten years, and still also so many things were the same. Plants live for a long time :-) This Goethe Palm for example, from the 16th century, ten years is noting more than the blink of an eye.

One change for me and my blogging though is the possibility facebook is giving me to have "my own tv show" ie: I did a live video while I was in the garden. As I did it on my facebook garden page, which is in Norwegian, I did the video in Norwegian as well, but even though you don´t understand what I am saying, you can enjoy the flowers :-)

 

A modern, huge greenhouse has been built since I was last there. The air inside was hot and humid and gave life to exotic palms and a lot of other plants.

 

The way I see the details of plans has changed.

Here are the links to my two previous blog posts from Padova:

Visiting Padova

Orto Botanico in Padova

Carpe Diem.......

.......just like this guy does.

 

 

To go for a swim

@brittarnhild

The young boys of Murano fight the heath by diving from the bridges into the canals.

Terje and I took the vaporetto out to Lido and spent the day there.

 

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On Britt-Arnhild´s House in the Wood´s facebook page I have posted two live videos from Venice. Hopefully there will be more. Like the page and you will know when I post live.

 

 

Il Vetro a Lume, Glass from the flame

@brittarnhild

We walked home to our hotel last night, just when darkness had started to dress the little island in the Veneto Laguna. Our minds and bodies were flled with impressions. Of an early start of a long day, of the heath, of prosecco and spaghetti vongole, of the beauty of the Murano architecture and canals, but most of all with impressions of the opening of the exhibition we had taken part in a few hours earlier; Il Vetro a Lume, "glass from the flame" by il maestro Mauro Vianello at Museo del Vetro, the Murano Glass Museum.

Mauro is in his art inspired by the father and son Blaschka (you can read more about them following this link) and with flowers as their speciality, Mauro takes us deep down into the seas.

"Mauro Vianello does what art does, stopping time, movement, the very flow of water, to make us see and remember. He takes us where we do not go, deep into the seas, to come out with his visions, our new memory." Joel Arthur Rosenthal.

We have known Mauro for 10 years, ever since we were in Venice with our youngest daughter Marta who was then 10 years old and wanted the glass artist in the tiny little workshop we visited to make her a glass squirrel. At the vernissage yesterday we  saw the unfolded art of a glass maestro.

Yesterday´s vernissage was filled with people. We know most of the members of Mauro´s family by now, and when we "spoke" with his father, who speaks only Italian, a language I would love to know, we managed to understand that he told us two of the great glass maestros of the island had come.

Both of them wanted to discuss glass with Mauro of course.

Here is Mauro´s father, discussing the magnificent pieces of art with two of Mauro´s daughters.

The exhibition will be open until October 23rd, so if you come to Venice/Murano the coming months, well, you know where to go :-)

 

Feeding is not an easy task

@brittarnhild

The newborn great tit babies are out, and hungry!

"Food, food, food! I am hungry and I want food NOW!

"And don´t you ever think that one time is enough!

 

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Thank you for your love filled comments on the previous post.

 

 

My creative window

@brittarnhild

For many years Britt-Arnhild´s House in the Woods has been my crceative window. Where I look out to see the world, where I let people look in, into my world. For many years, for many, many years, I blogged every single day here in Britt-Arnhild´s House in the Woods. I don´t anymore. And I miss it.

 

I miss the way I used to see the world differently because I was looking for blog tales.

I miss the close contact I used to have with you, my blog readers.

 

 

Well, I am still blogging. I still love the comments I get from you. I still look out my window, looking for the surprises of the day, of the life.

 

And while I seek to find again my first love of blogging, I am happy to know that I have many years of blogging ahead of me. Deo Volente.

 

To be my own garden apprentice

@brittarnhild

For many years my main garden inspirator has been the British Gertrude Jekyll. Over the years I have a long line of inspirator names on my list, but the queen is still dear, old Gertrude.

This summer I have decided to me my own apprentice, and my summer home work will be to play with colours in my flower bed. And not only play with them, but to paint with them.

The photos are from my main perennial bed as it is today.
I will keep you updated.