Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

My camera, my weapon of happiness

@brittarnhild

Tonight I am going to give my first ever flower talk, for a botanical society in a small town just south of Trondheim. I will talk about botanical gardens around the world, and while doing the last touch on the power point presentation today, I found this photo.

And I knew that my camera will continue to be my best friend on my travel along the read called My best Years Ever.

The photos wer taken by Terje, in Dublin Botanical Garden, a year ago.

 

And this one is from the same travel ti Ireland.
Camera, travels and Terje <3 <3 <3

 

I´d love to paint.......

@brittarnhild

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of being able to paint.

I have tried again and again, and again, but the result is never what I want it to be.

On my way to work today I realised that I might have used the wrong tools. May be my brushes and my paintbox is supposed to be replaced by my camera.......

 

Summer night in the botanical garden

@brittarnhild

The night was so beautiful. I sat out in the garden, but when Marta suggested a night walk in the botanical garden, it was easy to say yes.

First we went down to the fjord to photograph the sunset, and then up in the garden to enjoy the beautiful light.

Motives everywhere.

.......and she kept the moments in her heart

A Thank You, and some summer photos

@brittarnhild

Thank you very much for your comments on yesterday´s post. Thanks you for your love and concern, and thank you for sharing your own stories.

My vacation started today. I am off work until July 20th, and have so many exciting things coming up, it is like being in love with life just now :-) Do you know the feeling?

The first thing I did when I left work today was to buy a new lens for my camera, a 300mm zoom.

The second thing I did was to go out in The Blue Garden, looking for birds and flowers to photograph.

Birds, and flowers and a squirrel.

 

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.

 

With camera in my beautiful city

@brittarnhild

 

As I try to heal my shoulder, there will be more photos than words the coming days.
I am stull fully able to read your comments and emails though.....;-)

 

My brother Frode

@brittarnhild and brother frode

My brother Frode, who is the oldest of my three brothers, who is 22 months younger than me, who is a pastor up north in Norway, is an amazing photographer.

My brother Frode often shares his photos on facebook.
And when he does, he always makes me want to leave everything and move to Lofoten.

My brother Frode lives in the most beautiful corner of our amazing world.

I have often challenged my brother Frode to start a blog, but he refuses, just as my husband refuses to attend facebook.....I don´t know what it is about these men of my life.......

Today my brother Frode refused again. But then I asked him: "Why don´t you send me some of your photos, and I can share them with my blog readers."

He did.
And here they are!

 

Don´t you agree!
My brother Frode is a talented brother!

And I am a proud big sister.

 

Five shots on instagram

@brittarnhild

 

Five days ago I was challenged on instagram by @arnhildklokset to do a 5shotchallenge. One photo each day, with the theme #mycity. I accepted and have proudly showed the world my lovely city these fave days.

Here are the five photos for you to enjoy also :-)

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Trondheim.
When you are here I am more than ready to take you on a photo walk.

 

…….how can I have missed this charm

@brittarnhild

 

Saturday morning I drove downtown for my almost weekly photo walk. I parked my car where I used to, but then I let my feet wander in a new direction, to a part of the city where I have never been before. I have known of the area always, I have passed by, by car, many times, but never actually walked there.

Svartlamon, Trondheim´s answer to Copenhaven´s Christiania. I am sure most cities have a Svartlamon, a place where the inhabitants like to follow their own rules, live their own free lives.

I could never live in a place like Svartlamon, I guess I am too bourgeois, but never did I know how the area charmed me. 

How much it made my heart smile.

How can it be that I have never walked these tiny streets before? How can I have missed this charm?

 

Now I know that I will be back, with my camera, to feel this special atmosphere through the seasons, through the year.

Do you want to come with me?

 

Macro Design

@brittarnhild

It has been a very active year for travels.
Here, there and everywhere.
I am still working on the Bascelona travel diary, and for hours every day now I am making preparation for the next trip abroad. And as always, the more I read and learn about a "new" place, the faster my heart beats and blood flows. 

But in between I need to nurture my roots,
and the best place to do that is in The Blue Garden.

The Blue Garden is painted in all the colours of the rainbow just now.
I sit down, I walk around,
and I let the beauty shower my skin.

Red roses, orange tagetes, yellow poppies, green a million shades of green, blue jacob´s ladder, indigo hostas, violet in a multitude of shades in the herb garden. And a bed is overflowing with blue, red and violet columbines and pink late peonies inherited from a neighbour, blooming for the first time this summer.

I brought out my camera to capture the rainbow,
and ended up with a series of macro photos of a fading dandelion.

Rain and sun creates the rainbow.

Without grey the colours would be hard to see. 

 

From time to time I need to live through the macro lens.