Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

One in stone, one in sand

@brittarnhild

We have been to two very different castles today. The first one, Mont Orgueil Castle, is situated on the south western coast of Jersey, and is a landmark seen from the sea.

Built of solid stones, with stairs up and down everywhere and a very interesting history.

It's own falcon, or was it a hawk?

And a very nice place to have tea.

The other one was built of sand, by The Sand Wizard

There is a Biblical tale about building in, or is it on, stone. But no matter how stupid, it really has its charm.

 

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.

Harvest Sunday

@brittarnhild

It is Sunday and we have celebrated Harvest Mass in St. Brelade´s Parish Church on Jersey.

A mass filled with thanks, joy and prayers.
And flowers. Beautiful flowers everywhere.

St. Brelade´s Parish Church is an old, very beautiful stone church, and today it was filled with so many happy people, of all ages. How lucky we were to be included among them.

In my mind, inspired by Miss Marple and Dame Agatha Christie I guess, I can see old, charming ladies picking flowers for their church every Sunday, and today there must have been a whole gang of these flower ladies. When the mass came to an end I simply had to walk around to admire and to take pictures. I spoke with the organist, and he could tell me that their church was always filled with flowers.

I think I will move to Jersey :-)

May be we´ll meet there :-)

The amazing life of orchids

@brittarnhild

Jersey, one of the Channel Island. We came here this morning, with an early flight from the mainland, and will stay here for a week. We are travelling with friends, they have been here before, many times, and have treasures to share with us around every corner. 

First stop today was a visit to Eric Young's Orchid Foundation.
Eric Young was born in 1911, ands already in his teens he was fascinated by orchids. Unfortunately he lost his first collection during WWII, but after the war he moved to Jersey, and built up an amazing collection there.

Orchid lover as I am, it was amazing to walk around in the greenhouse which hosts the Foundation´s collection today.

I remember once, many years ago, I was able to make a visit behind the scenes in Kew Gardens in London to see the worlds largest orchid in bloom (you can see my post from this visit here). 

Today I decided to look for details in the many wonders we say, and a new world of wonders opened.

Looking closely, we could see birds, angels, a monk, an old lady, well, an unlimited number of figures shaped by the petals.

Try yourself. Next time you see an orchid, as for it's hidden secrets.

 

Icons of England

@brittarnhild

We flew from Trondheim to Gatwick, south of London this morning. Tomorrow we will continue, but as there were no opportunity to reach our final destination today, we will stay the night at a hotel here at Gatwoch, Block Hotel, with rooms the size of matchboxes (very nice though) We did not want to spend hours on the airport, so we work a taxi to the nearest town, Crawley, in West Sussex.

Crawley might not be the most charming British town I've seen, and I've been to quite a few. But after some walking we first found a very nice Memorial Park, then a few hold houses with cottage style flowers, and eventually the old church, St.John´s church.

Unfortunately the church was closed, but look at this beautiful handle and key hole!

And I found more, a Waterstones filled with books.
And, yes, I ended up buying two.

The book in the first picture, Icons of England by Bill Bryson is one I've had in my shelves for years. A perfect book to bring with me, I decided yesterday when I packed my suitcase. 

Our Icon of England today - riding a double-decker :-)

 

Preparations for new adventures

@brittarnhild

Tomorrow morning we are heading for the airport to fly out searching new adventures.
Today I am busy packing and making all the at home preparations which always are there before getting away.

I pack the most important things first of course.
A new travel journal, which I bought in Venezia back in June.
A book to read.
My my knitting.

What is your first priority when you pack?

I will of course bring my computer and my camera, and hopefully there will be time for travel blogging along the road.

 

 

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

 

A coleus and a knitted cardigan

@brittarnhild

Some years ago I designed a pattern for a knitted cardigan based in a coleus (plant) in the AirB&B we were staying in in Stockholm. These last days we've seen many coleus as outdoor summer plants in Sweden, and as I had brought my cardigan, which I have called #solistockholm (sun in Stockholm) I could not resist asking Terje to shoot these pictures in the garden of our hotel in Kalmar.

I often use nature as inspiration in my knitting, and the coleus leaf was a lot of fun to work with.

We are leaving Kalmar today, starting to drive north. But before we go we will do a hike out on Öland, the island in the Baltic Sea.

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

You can always find links to my most resten blog posts and videos on
brittarnhilds verden

 

A morning at the castle

@brittarnhild

Kalmar Castle, a renaissance castle in the city of Kalmar, Sweden. We have spent the morning there, eating lunch in the castle restaurant, walking around in every room in the castle, enjoying the view outdoors, guided through a Claude Monet exhibition, and

.......sitting down to crochet.
Haha, of course that's what you do when you visit an old castle, you crochet!

In a castle, or everywhere else for that matter.
Crochet. Knit. Or both.

::::::::::::::::::::::.

In my Norwegian blog I will write a post about the most amazing table which were set in the castles dining room.
As always you will find links to all my new blog posts and videos over at
brittarnhilds verden

 

Under a lucky star

@brittarnhild

I woke up under a lucky star this morning. As always I checked my Facebook wall before breakfast, and the first thing which met my eyes were a post from the Swedish knit designer Lotta Lundin/KnittingLotta. She has a new book out and would drive down from Stockholm to Norrköping today with all her patterns, her knitting collection and the new book. There she would be at Färgargården (and old outdoor museum and café) from 11am till 4pm. I checked google maps, and YES!, Norrköping was exactly on the way we were to drive from Nyköping (where we have spent two nights) to Kalmar (where we will spend the coming three nights). And it would be perfect timing for us to have lunch there.

I discovered Lotta a few years back and kind of fell in love with many of her designs. I started to follow her on instagram, she followed me back, we sent a few messages to and from, and two years ago she invited me and Terje to come and fika in her little garden lot outside Stockholm.

With my deep love for kolonihager or garden lots, and especially the many different ones we have explored in Stockholm together with our son Torgeir, who lives there, it was a dream coming true.

Then today, this lucky star fell upon me, and I met Lotta again.

Her patterns are amazing. You can look her up on Ravelry and see for yourself.

I bought her new book of course, and can't wait to explore it.

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

By the way, Torgeir, our son in Stockholm, came down to meet us today, and will travel with us for the coming couple of days.

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

You can always find liks to me most previous blog posts and YouTube-videos on
brittarnhilds verden