Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Happy New Year

@brittarnhild

We said goodbye to the old year celebrating a service in the Norwegian Seamen´s Church here in Tenerife. The best way to say goodbye. The best way to welcome the new.

Then we walked out to see the fireworks, to kiss each other happy new year and to walk back to our hotel. I am not a night person, and we are one hour behind Norway, so this was late. Very late!

We slept long today. Then we had a slow morning near the pool, swimming, sun bathing, talking, almost sleeping :-)

But we are not people who stay at the pool all day. So after a couple of hours we found ourselves out exploring.

This is our 7th visit to the small volcanic island of Tenerife and for every new visit we realise how little we know of the island, how much there is to explore.

Like the little remote village El Puetito. At 11am this morning I had no idea it existed.......

 

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Blogs updated today:

Blåklokkeveien

Britt Arnhilds dagboksblader

Med bøker på menyen

Fløy en liten blåfugl

Britt Arnhilds naturdagbok

 

Making resolutions

@brittarnhild

I love to make resolutions. On the last day of the old year, and even more on the first day of the new. Long lists, this and that and everything....... New Year's resolution lists inspires me, make my days and my life richer.

I will not go into details of my lists here and now, I have other blogs and journals for that, but one thing I want to share.......as in 2018, as in 20127, as in 2016 ands many years before that, I will look for beauty. And colours.

Beauty and colours, just like I found in these plants this morning, outride the Aloe Park in Tenerife, only a 7 minutes drive from our hotel.

 

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Here is the link to the Aloe Park.
I have no idea what the plants are, have never seen them in Norway. May be some of you are familiar with them?

 

 

Back in Tenerife

@brittarnhild

Our "in the darkest winter we seek the sun week" has started. Very early this year, or rather late as we still write 2018.......for one more day.

We were up before 4am this morning, when the world was completely dark. 10 hours later we had landed, we had our our card for the week from AVIS and we were on our way to "our" hotel, Los Alisios, up in the hills above Los Christians, in Tenerife.

We are sitting out on our veranda now. The sun has just set and the light is balmy and soft, the light I want to wrap myself in.

 

Sucking nectar

@brittarnhild

We see him every day, the tiny little Canary Island Chiff-chaff. As we were sunbathing near the pool yesterday, he, or may be it is a she, was sucking nectar from a blooming aloe vera close to my head. What a change from the other day when a talkative young man from Denmark was what I found close to my head.......the sunbathing area at the hotel is quite full these days and the chairs stand close to each other. That´s why we love to travel around, and lick the sun at more remote beaches. Like at the nudist beach, which has become our favorite over the years.......where we swim and sunbathe with our swimming suits on.

It is our last day today. Tomorrow we fly north again. To winter and snow, and according to what Terje reads online from our local newspaper, the most perfect conditions for cross country skiing. He can´t wait....... I can!  

We did a hike in the desert down by Montana Roja yesterday afternoon. Brought with us a late lunch, a very simple one. Bread, water and two bananas. Sat on two stones to eat the food, with of course tasted delicious. Looked over the Grand Canary, watching the whimbrels.

Life is like that down here. You don´t make any special plans. You sleep late, well, Terje does. You swim. You bathe in the sun. You drive up in the hills for a coffee and some local sweet pastries. You go for a hike. You find a new fishing village when your stomach tells you it is lunch time. You get to know the young waiter at the restaurant where you eat your dinner. You buy a new handbag. You walk hand in hand. 

You cameratalk with your grandson.......

.......and when time is due, you look forward to fly home.

 

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Other updated blogs:

Britt-Arnhilds dagboksblader - my online journal

Fløy en liten blåfugl - my birding journal, one new bird every day

Blåklokkeveien - trees

and later today I plan to write a post in 

maskerade - my knitting blog

 

 

 

Postcards from an island in the sun

@brittarnhild

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Blogs updated this week:

Fløy en liten blåfugl - my birding journal, one new bird every day

Britt-Arnhilds dagboksblader - my online diary

Blåklokkeveien - one new tree every day in 2018

 

New places to explore, Los Abrigos

@brittarnhild

Our sixth time in Tenerife.
Well, one of the sixth was quite short, only a few hours of waiting fore the ferry over to La Gomera.

Four whole weeks. 
This is our fifth.

Tenerife is not a big island and we feel we start to know it a bit by now.

Still, I am sure there are a million place we´ve not been yet.

We started today by the swimming pool. Sun tanning.
Too soon clouds came. Or may be at the perfect time.Too much sun the first day is not good for your body.

We have a rented car all week, Terje loves to study maps and make plans, and soon we were out driving.

First up in the mountains.
There the temperatures dropped fast, so we headed back to the sea.

There we found a fishing village where we´ve never been before.
Los Abrigos.

We had lunch. Amazingly yummy risotto with asparagus.
We went for a walk.
We had coffee.......

.......and we fell in love with another of Tenerife´s many fishing villages.

 

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My blog world today (will be updated):

Fløy en liten blåfugl - my birding journal

Britt Arnhilds samlede - my collections

 

We made it!

@brittarnhild

We made it!
Just before the storm hit Trondheim, our plane left the airport, and less than 6 hours later we were in Tenerife.

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My blog world today:

Fløy en liten blåfugl - my birding journal

Blåklokkeveien - where this year has the theme trees

Britt-Arnhilds dagboksblader - my online journal

 

 

Blogs updated

@brittarnhild

Three blogs have been updated dailøy during our Tenerife week.
This one,

Blåklokkeveien

and
Vandring gjennom året

 

 

Hiking in Malpais de Güimar

@brittarnhild

We had planned a day sunbathing near the pool, but the sun did not play on our team, so instead we drove east. Lunch in a small fishing village just like we love to do it, and then a hike along the lava fields in Malpais de Güimar.

Malpais is a nature reserve, and we had some challenges to find where to park the car and start walking. No signs were set up, so we drove around a little, but Terje was determined to hike and never gave up. Happy and thankful was I for that when we walked along the sea with its huge swells coming in.

I would gladly change this with all the fireworks in the world.

The land was mostly barren, but here and there you found a sparkling green plant. It must thrive on salt water, as I know some plants do.

Until a few decades ago these small bassins were used to fill saltwater in. After a few days the sun would evaporate the water, leaving the salt which was used for cooking and preserving the food.

There is a volcano crater in the reserve, Montana Grande. We would like to hike it, but did not have time enough, so it is put on our list for a later visit.

 

On a cloudy day

@brittarnhild

No sun today, but a very nice temperature. We have been out walking for hours and hours and hours. Only stopping for coffee, for lunch, for another coffee and so on.

It is amazing all the things you see when you walk around from morning till late afternoon.

Like sand art down on the beach.......