Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

December 17th. Morning in my flower studio

@brittarnhild

I had such a nice morning down in my basement flower studio
I took some of Terjes Christmas cookies with me, and a book with Christmas hymn.

December 15th. Angels watching

@brittarnhild

Some days turns out different.
My mother had a fall this morning and I spent all day in the hospital with her, doing all kinds of checks. It seems like she might be doing fine, but she has to stay in hospital over night for more tests.

I pray and believe that angels are watching her.
Please join my prayers.

 

I finished the angel wrist warmers the other day, and wore them all day in the hospital.
The 100 years old book is about angels. I inherited it from my grandfather Benjamin, my mother's father. He died when I was two months old Of cancer. He met me only one time and I have always been told that he laid his hands on my head then and blessed me.

Remind me that one day I will tell you the tale when Benjamin met the angel watching the gates to paradise.

December 14th. Books trough Advent

@brittarnhild

I am a reader. Have been one all my life, ever since I discovered letters and learned to put them together when I was five. Both my paternal grandparents were teachers, and readers. I can still remember grandpa Johannes reading bedtime stories to me, and every birthday and Christmas I got a new book. Grandpa Johannes and grandma Ragna Josefine ended up with 21 grandchildren, still they manage to give us books meant especially for each one of us. I still have many of the books I got, my favourite a flora I was given to my 8th birthday.

I have been a reader for more than 60 years now, and as a senior I read more than 100 books every year. And I love it.

This advent I am doing a literary advent calendar on instagram, where I each day talk about a favourite Advent or Christmas book. Today the book is The Life of Our Lord (you see it in a Norwegian translation in the picture above) handwritten by Charles Dickens to be read for his own children to teach them about Jesus. What a treat for his children, to have their own bible story book made especially for them.

How I would love to do something similar.......
.......and then I remember that's what I do, in a much smaller scale though. But some years ago I wrote a tale about a small angel and her way to Bethlehem to sing in the angels choir 2000 years ago. The tale has 24 small chapters and I have meant to make it into a book to give to the grandchildren. I have even crocheted angels to illustrate the book

Next year I will make sure to finish it in time for Advent!

December 13th. Santa Lucia

@brittarnhild

It is early morning on Santa Lucia Day. We are in the kindergarten to watch the parade. Grandson Milian is one of the kids, our daughter Marta one of the teachers.

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A new episode is up on YouTube today:

 

December 11th. Christmas Market in town

@brittarnhild

Yesterday, in the afternoon, Terje and I went downtown to visit the annual Christmas Market. Trondheim has a quite big and very popular market, going on for almost two weeks during December.

There is quite a big variety of stalls.
I prefer the local ones, and bought a few Christmas gifts from this woman. She loves on a farm outside Trondheim, braiding sheep and is an amazing artist making things out of her sheets wool.

     

Inside the huge lavvo  (Sápmi tent) we had dinner. Local food of course.

And then we continued with coffee and a sweet pastry in a bakery in a corner of the town market. 

The bakery opened just a few days ago, and I can already see it will become a favourite of mine.

 

 

December 10th. An ordinary day

@brittarnhild

10th of December.
I slept long this morning (I usually don't) and then, after breakfast and the reading Terje and I do together while having our after breakfast tea, I shot some pictures for blogs and instagram. 

I love mornings.
All year round.
Mostly in December.

Now is lunch time, and I'm having a break at a café next door to the care home where my father lives. My mother is there now, having har feet done (sorry, I don't know the English word for that). We will visit my father after she is finished, so just now the moment, the time, is all mine. 

I'm having a cappuccino and a laupe (pastry with caraway seeds) an old, traditional pastry I love from my childhood. 

 

The café has a big table filled with Christmas cookies you can buy.
Temptations. But I don't need any. I have my own baker at home :-)

 

December 9th. An old nativity in the greenhouse

@brittarnhild

 

The oldest nativity in my greenhouse is from my husband's early childhood. Here is a picture from the greenhouse this morning. Together with a Swedish book about the history of nativities.

 

December 8th. The old recipe book

@brittarnhild

Back in Spring 1980 I bought a green notebook with blank pages. In June the same year we married, we started our lafe together as a married couple and I started to fill the blank pages with handwritten recipes.

Opening the pages from start you find all kinds of recipes. Turn the book around and start from what is actually the last page you find my Christmas recipes. Cakes, cookies, salads, mutton ribs, turkey, sweets.......you name it.

Yesterday our oldest grandson, Leander, turned 9. He was busy playing in a soccer tournament then, so the celebration will be today. With a recipe from my book I am baking him a chocolate cake.

Do I have a favourite among the hundreds of recipes in the book?
No, it depends on the day, on the occasion, on my mood, on the seasons.

Do you have a favourite Christmas recipe?

 

December 7th. Advent reading

@brittarnhild

Advent and books, hand in hand.
I have a special basket during Advent where I keep a stack of favourite books. I am an early bird and morning are my very best time for reading.

As a literary Advent calendar I pick a new book from the basket every morning. They are all different, many of them are  somehow connected to Christmas (and Advent), but that's not a must. Some books I read every year. Some are a "one in a lifetime".

Yesterday I picked up Julefortellinger/Christmas Tales, by Astrid Lindgren. A collection of her famous and beloved Christmas stories.

It is still a couple of hours till breakfast. A deer was out in the dark garden when I woke up. I've had a mug of tea made of ginger, lemon and honey and I've read one of the tales in Astrid Lindgren´s book. Today's tale is about Lotta, the little girl who knows about everything. I love the way children in Astrids universe and strong, they master life, not because of, but in spite of! It is still dark outside and I am sitting here feeling blessed, looking forward to yet another day.

 

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Here is my Advent video from yesterday. If you don´t understand my Norwegian, you can especially enjoy my mother's piano music:

 

 

December 6th. The Granny Mice on the shelf

@brittarnhild

Do you know know the story about The Elf  on the Shelf? It has become very popular here in Norway, and our two grandsons have had the Elf visiting every morning during Advent for several years.

The grandkids stay over night with us a few times during Advent, and this year I wanted to do my very own version. of "the elf", two mice named Bestemus Josefine and Bestemus Torgrim has moved in to my basement flower studio. Bestemus can be translated to grandmouse, Josefine has got her name from my grandma Ragna Josefine, Torgrim was Terje´s great grandpa.

The tales about these two mice are "under construction" for the moment. I'm really having quite a lot of fun with it. And, being a bit busy today, I promise to tell you more about them later.......