Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

New Year's Eve under a Southern Sky

@brittarnhild

The last night of the year, New Year's Eve.
Terje and I left Trondheim after breakfast this morning. A taxi picked us up and drove us to the airport. There we visited the airport chapel before flying south to one of the Canary Islands, Tenerife.

Leaving an icy cold Norway, though pretty beautiful. Arriving here 6 hours later, diving into another kind of beauty and much, much warmer. This photo is from directly outside the airport.

We arrived at our hotel in Los Cristianos just when the sun set, and could enjoy this amazing view from our hotel terrace.

We have had paella and sangria downtown, and now we are back at the hotel terrace, planning to greet the new year in solitude, peace and reflections.

 

On the 3rd Day of Christmas

@brittarnhild

The week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve is called romjul in Norway. It is a week when quite a few people get time off from work, or work shorter days, it is a week for cross country skiing, for sledging or hiking, but most of all it is a week for parties, for family and friends to meet, to eat well, to play games, sing carols, to be together.

Yesterday we had our daughter Marta, our son Øystein and his family here for brunch. Today Ingrid, Marius and their two boys came over for lunch.

As soon as they left (to go to the sport center to play soccer, it was snowing too much for cross country skiing) we drove over too my mum and had coffee there.

Mum of course brought out her best Christmas china, and served us homebaked Christmas cakes. Aged almost 94, she still make krumkaker every Christmas.

Mum doesn't have a Christmas tree this year. Instead her prestetre, Clerodendrum decided to bloom just when the festive season started.

Before we said goodbye, we as always, asked for, and got, our very own concert.

 

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If you want to listen to me mother playing the piano, you find it on all my videos on Britt Arnhilds verden on YouTube. The most pervious video is from Christmas Eve, and the last 6 or so minutes there, she plays one of the best known Christmas Carols there is, Deilig er Jorden. Watch. Listen. Enjoy.

 

 

Merry Christmas

@brittarnhild

On this 2nd day of Christmas I wish you a Merry Christmas from all of us to all of you!

The above picture is from our daughter Ingrid's living room. All of us, except our oldest son Torgeir who is spending a few weeks in Japan for the moment, spent Christmas Eve with Ingrid and her family. As always we followed the Norwegian tradition, with Christmas starting on Christmas Eve with the tradition Christmas dinner and then the opening of the gifts.

We are having the most wonderful White Christmas this year. This is what The House in the Woods looked like around noon on Christmas Eve. Terje went over to Ingrid's house then, to help prepearing the dinner, while I drove to my mom and went with her to the care home where my dad lives, to eat the Christmas dinner there. And afterwards I went back to the rest of the family, including the four grandchildren.

Not long before midnight Terje and I walked back to our house. Terje using this old spark (kicksled) It was handy earlier in the day when we brought all the gifts with us.

 

 

December 8th. Playing with ideas

@brittarnhild

I am spending the night playing with creativity up in my attic studio. Which means, more precise, looking through some old Home Companion Magazines, by Mary Engelbreit, and an old basket filled with felt, embroidery thread, needles, pins and buttons.

For several years an American friend gifted me with a subscription for this magazine. I have the December issues here at hope, all the others at the cabin. And I really can't get enough of them. They are so filled with colours and inspiration, and I see something new every time I look through one of them.

Unfortunately the magazine is no more, the more reason to take care of those I have.

Making a video every day during Advent, and also writing a daily post here, is quite a task. Some days I wonder what to talk about tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after, and all the way up to Christmas. 

Well, give me a few solitaire hours in min studio, and I am back on the creative track.

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Here is today's video:

 

 

December 7th, Christmas letters

@brittarnhild

And then there are days when I find no time for blogging.......
.......but the advent video us up:

 

 

December 6th Angels in my studio

@brittarnhild

Up in my attic studio I have a group of angels displayed all year long. Well, not actually displayed. They live there, and day and night, when I take time to listen, they sing the happy news, Joy To The World.

I talk about angels in my Advent video today. An easy topic. A difficult topic. Angels!  What are they? Why are they? Where are they? The Bible talks about them, but usually (or always?) in connection with a person, Jacob, Joseph, Mary, Jesus.......and the persons get out attention, not the angel. 

We find quite a few angels in art, in litteratur, in music. Do we believe in them, or are they a product of our fantasy?

A woman once told us that there are two light columns (angels) standing guard at the entrance of our house. Yes, she knew they were there, she could see them clearly.

I have never seen an angel. Or have I?

Do you believe in angels?

 

 

December 5th. A morning in the flower workshop

@brittarnhild

We had good friends coming over for lunch today. I was up early to bake bread and tidy the living room. And then had time, good time to spend down in my flower workshop in the basement, where I finally was able to finish this year's advent wreath. Two days late, but who cares. It was ready just in time to lit for the guests.

Advent is such a great time for inviting family and friends for a meal. The cosy preparations, the great time spending together and then  another cosy time to clean up. I love it. Now Terje and I are making plans for who to invite next.

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Today's Advent video:

 

 

December 4th. A new nativity

@brittarnhild

Monday, December 4th and the forth door in my advent calendar on YouTube is open.

I am spending the morning cleaning (after the bestebarnfestival) and putting up a few of my nativities. I have almost 200 now (still counting) so can't obviously display them all at the same time. Through the year I have them stored in two glass cabinets in a guest room down in our basement, and now it is such a joy to decide which ones I want to display this year.

The one shown in the picture is made in Nepal, of wool. I bought it here in Trondheim, during the  St. Olav Festival downtown. I love the bright colours of the wool. Now it stands on top of our piano, together with one from Norway and one from Africa.

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Today's question:
Do you have one or more nativities? Will you tell me about it/them?

 

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Here is today's video:

 

December 3rd. The Advent Wreath

@brittarnhild

It is early Sunday m morning here in The House in the Woods when I write this. It is dark outside, and cold, icy cold. The first snow is here, and the garden is filled with deer tracks. A doe with three fawns visit every night, searching for food. We often see them before we go to bed at nights. Wrapped in a red wooden blanket our two grandsons are sitting in the armchair in front of the telly. This is the weekend of our annual bestebarnfestival, grandchildren festival. A weekend of creativity, making Christmas gifts, baking, playing games and having a lot of fun.

We had our first bestebarnfestival last year, and hope to make it an annual Advent tradition.

Terje baked with the kids in the kitchen,

I took them with me down to my flower workshop in the basement, one by one,
and we did a lot more.

Vida three years old, had do go home last night, Milian soon to be 5 and Leander who will turn 8 in a few days, have spent the night, and we will continue the fun today.

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We have not had breakfast yet, but when we do, we will lit the first candle in the Advent wreath, and sing the first candle hymn.

Today's question:
When does your candle wreath look like?

 

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December 2nd. Christmas Carols

@brittarnhild

We went to our church the other day, for a concert with Trondheim Senior Choir singing Christmas Carols. What a blessing to sit in the church, listening to many of the old  and new hymns and carols.

I have always loved singing, but as the years have passed, there is less and less singing in my life. Unfortunately. This year, during Advent, I am planning to open my hymn book and sing (and may be even play the piano) one hymn every day. All of them are in Norwegian, most of them are made by Norwegian or Scandinavians, but there are also quite a few translations, from English, from German, from Latin and probably other languages as well.

How I wish I had an English hymn book. Then I could share with you one hymn every day during Advent. But since I do not have one, today's question from me to you is:

Can you share with me and the readers of Britt-Arnhild´s House in the Woods a favourite Christmas Carol? May be you even have a tale to go with it?

 

Today´s Advent video: