Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Marshland transformed

@brittarnhild

Originally marshland, but in the 1920´s millionaire philanthropist Sir James Knott turned the area into a unique plant collection and botanical gardens. The Botanical Gardens at Samarès, just outside Saint Helier, the capital of Jersey. It is late September and I was afraid we were too late to enjoy a blooming garden. But I was wrong. Here we found flowers ands colours and beauty everywhere.

Even a few magnolias, huge ones, were in bloom.

We did a beautiful and very interesting guided tour of the Samarès Manor (no photographing allowed) but before and after we walked the garden.

Zinnias in different colours,

cosmos and a lot more.

We were lucky. The sun was out and made photographing a game.

Next summer I plan to grow cosmos in every colour available, in my garden. And zinnias.
And a lot more.

Play on natures team

@brittarnhild

We have visited the art center Vandalorum today, in Småland, Sweden. We found this place quite by chance last year, while driving to Denmark. Then we only had time for coffee and some sweet (the center is situated along the main road between Sweden and Denmark) and for us it was time for fika just there :-))
But we knew we wanted to come back, and today, was our perfect chance.

As soon as we parked our car, I knew that something was different. Where there had been "only" a parting lot last year, there were now huge areas with flowers. Beautiful flowers, playing on nature's team.

It took me a little while to realise what I really saw, actually I had to go inside the center to the information desk where I found a book about many, a book about the international well known dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf.

I will write about one of the exhibitions we visited in my Norwegian blog, Britt-Arnhild´s dagboksblader and when we came out again, after feeding ourselves on art and food, it was raining hard.

Terje ran over to our car at the new parking lot,

while I had a shower walking around with my camera.

I have no rain shower to offer you, but I have all these lovely images.

I have followed Oudolf on instagram for many years, and I know that his signature is to make gardens look like nature.

And this is something he does with style!

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

You can always find my newest blog and video updates over at
brittarnhilds verden

 

With little Vida to the Royal Castle

@brittarnhild

Our little princess walking though the rainbow, into the Princess Ingrid Alexandra Sculpture Park.

It took us about 20 minutes to walk from our AirB&B down to the Royal Castle and its surrounding park. Oslo has had a problem with droughts this spring, with prohibitions concerning watering gardens and parks. But, lucky for us, and for everybody else I guess, rain came a few days ago. Still no water in the fountains around the city, but the parks are green and flowering.

Here is a huge rhododendron in front of a statue of Camilla Collett, an early female Norwegian author.

Look at the beauty of this rhododendron. I wish I had one in our garden, but as we live further up north I doubt it would give much flowers there.

The first image in this post was from Princess Ingrid Alexandra's Sculpture Garden. The rest from The Queens Garden, just behind the castle.

 

Spring colours in the botanical gardens

@brittarnhild

A long winter is coming to an end.......almost. Well, yes, I know we can have snow yet for at least one month, probably more, but trying to forget that, I am enjoying the more the lovely mild days we are experiencing for the moment.

With our own garden still at least party covered in snow, I decided to go for a walk in the botanical gardens today,

my main goal looking for spring colours.

Here, there and everywhere, I found  spots of colours. Some yellow eranthis here,

some purple crocuses there.......all while the thrushes were singing their heart out.

 

I took some footage for my next episode on YouTube, and after my walk I drove up to my parents, to have lunch with them, and to tape some more of mum´s piano music, for the YouTube-videos of course :-)

 

The botanical gardens here in Trondheim

@brittarnhild

Some years ago I did a monthly post through the whole year here in the blog from our botanical gardens here in Trondheim. Terje and I drove over to the gardens this afternoon for a hike, and I decided to see if I can do a monthly post this year as well.

We have had a period with little snow, a lot of cold and deep frost, so everything was dead, colourless and the paths and the lawns hard as stones.

Still, if you look for it, there is always beauty to be found.
And to know that the soil you work on is filled with roots, send and bulbs which will overwhelm you with beauty and life in a few months. That's magic!

 

Winter in the Botanical Gardens

@brittarnhild

Saturday, and while Terje went out cross country skiing after breakfast, I drove over to the botanical gardens. Winter as I remember it from my childhood, snow, frost, blue sky, sun. These days are too rare now, but even better when they finally arrive.

Most of the garden was covered in snow, but under the huge trees birds and squirrels could still feast on seeds and cones. This little critter looked curiously at me when I took out my camera.

There is a special bird feeding are in the gardens. Today a group of bull finches let me watch their lunch.

When winter is like this, I almost forget that I long for spring.......

 

A Secret Garden

@brittarnhild

For more than 35 years I've spent part of every summer at Moi, a little village south west in Norway. Every summer I have passed the old, white painted house, knowing that behind the walls five sisters were living. All five are dead now, the house is sold and for the first time I was able to see behind the scenes. Both the house and the garden are under renovation, the house and its four floors a treasure. But the most charming gem is the garden behind the house, a garden which you cannot see from the street.

An old green house. A dam with a single yellow waterlily, huge yellow alchemillas.

A real secret garden, for sure!

 

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

In my blog world today:

Britt Arnhilds dagboksblader, my online journal

A new episode in my vlog:

 

 

Sweet, sweet honey

@brittarnhild

I booked a later plane home from Tromsø, just to be able to visit the arctic-alpine botanical garden again.

I have been to many botanical gardens around the world. Visiting botanical gardens is something I love, really love to do when I travel,

and the one in Tromsø is among the best.

May be even The Best.

I am working on a blog post in Caffe Avec, and will let you know when it is up.

 

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

Thanks to those of you who has visited Caffe Avec, and an extra thank for the comments left :-)

 

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

In my blog world today:
(might be updated.......)

 

A botanical garden with her own legend

@brittarnhild

The beautiful walled town of Lucca is situated less then 20 kms from where we spent our family week. I had read about the botanical garden, and when we drove in to explore the town one afternoon, I left the others for an hour. I couldn´t just pass the garden, could I?

The garden was a small one, and not especially amazing, but still I fell for it. You see, the garden has her own legend. The legend of Lucida Mani.

Here is the information I found:

Lucida Mansi was born in Lucca on March 7th 1606, into one of the richest and most powerful families in the Lucca area: the Saminiati. When she was still very young, she married Vincenzo Diversi, but soon she was widowed and then married the old and rich Gaspare di Nicolao Mansi.
Fully devoted to luxury and to an exciting life, she was adored, courted, and extremely proud of her looks; people said she was even hiding a mirror in her prayerbook.
So time went by thoughtless among parties ands lovers, till one morning, admiring herself in the mirror as usual, she noticed a light wrinkle on her extremely beautiful face. Lucida was desperate and wept bitter tears, till a handsome young man appeared in front of her. He was the Devil. He promised her thirty more years of youth, but after this time he would come back again to get his payment for this privilege: her soul. Lucida accepted with no hesitation, and the bonus years ran without any apparent ageing. But one summer afternoon, at the end of thirty years, the Devil came back to her. Lucinda turned desperate and prayed him to save her soul, but the Devil lugged her on his flaming carriage and, after a full tour on the City Walls to allow Lucca´s inhabitants to hear her harrowing screams, he sank with the chariot into this pond, the wonderful gem of the Botanical Garden.

 

The legend says that, if we dive in the pond, it is possible to see the face of Lucida Mansi sleeping in its depths. Besides, the same legend says that, just before midnight on every October 31st, in an absolute silence, a strong wind arises, a noise of horses´hooves resounds in the air and it is possible to glimpse the burning carriage sinking in the pond, launched in an unbriddled run towards the hell.

A lovely legend, isn´t it :-)

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

Lucca is a walled medieval town. Well worth a visit, even without a tour in the garden.

 

 

The arctic-alpine garden

@brittarnhild

Can you imagine a botanical garden at latitude 69? Well, you find one in Tromsø, the Tromsø Arctic-Alpine Botanical Garden. And in many ways my favourite botanical garden.

I have been there once before, three years ago, in May 2015, and when I had a few hours between the end of a conference and my plane leaving to fly back to Trondheim, I knew where to go.

To the arctic garden of course :-)
I called for a taxi, three other people heard where I was heading and came with me, and off we went, with our suitcases and everything.

Luckily I met a young Swedish man when we arrived. He was working in the garden, and locked our suitcases into a room. Last time I was here was also a visit between a meeting and a flight back home, I met no young Swedish man and had to drag my carry on suitcase all through the garden.

 The primulas are the highlights in the garden just now. There were hundreds of them, and they were just amazing.

I had already read on facebook, and were met by a poster when we arrived, that there would be a special guided primula walk at 7pm, just when I had to be at the airport, to catch the 9.45 plane. What a pity.

Well, you can never get everything. The art of living is to be content with what you have.

 

Yes ARR, a new blog. About nature, about my love of Creation. Here it is:
Britt Arnhilds naturdagbok

The words are in Norwegian, but the pictures are international :-)