Autumn joy

In September my sister and I went on a fabulous trip to Venice. We stayed there for four days and there was no sign of autumn anywhere! It was the most wonderful holiday I've ever had (since the one in Greece where I met my dear Yorkshire lad in 1989)!

What a wonderful place, no cars, no bicycles, just walking people, boats, hundreds of bridges, and no stress. Lots of  people go on a daytrip to Venice, travelling past it, going on a cruise etc. but I will recommend to stay there for a few days, then you will get to know it a bit better, you will have time to willingly get lost, and discover wonderful quiet charming places, away from all the tourists. 

Put Venice on your Bucket List! 

Back in Norway autumn has definitely arrived, it's raining, and clear crisp days, bright colors and dark evenings. 

It's time for comfort food:

Our lovely neighbour came by, bringing an applecake, (not on the photo, because it was irresistable and disappeared scaringly fast) and 4 pairs of socks with a typical Norwegian pattern that she had knitted herself! One pair each, lucky us! 

Hibernating is what I've been doing!

It's the season of hibernating.

My daughter is far up north going to school

My son is busy with his friends so I suddenly have much more time on my hands

I haven't been blogging much lately

I guess I have been on a break

Maybe I needed a little break, but now I'd like to

get on board again, alt least do it a bit more often

than I've done lately

I kind of miss it!

It's November but in my garden the Calendula officinalis

is still blossoming

and my dearest flower: Lupinus, My favourite!

I planted it this spring and at last, there is a Lupinus in my garden

I have special place in my heart for this flower.

Some people called it a weed and warned me not to plant it

but I've tried for years to get it to grow in my garden.

Autumn lunches

It is getting nippy outside

and even inside my office at work

it is a bit to chilly.

Today I made a load of vegetable soup

(with a bit of chicken, and made with home made chicken stock)

I put it in some plastic containers

stack them in the freezer

and they are ready to go.

Tomorrow, I'll put one frozen portion of soup in my bag

(no spilling since it's frozen)

and reheat at lunch time.

The Norwegian lunch is usually

openfaced sandwiches with salami, cheese or liverpaste etc

This is what we are raised on from kindergarden and until we retire from work.

Yes, we are a sandwich generation!

But tomorrow there will be soup.

I don't mind autumn at all!

To me, autumn is cooking time

These are some of my favourites

I can't cook or live without them!

These days

My parents are cleaning out their closets:

and handed over 1350 slides

from the sixties and seventies

everyday life from when I was little:

How am I going to transfer them into

the digital world of today?

This one was taken of the slide, by my mobile, on the wall...

happy girl at bed time, It's me!

Autumn is also relaxing time, wollen socks and sudoku at the cabin!

And a show with a plane from the forties

landing on a field by the national park.

It was good old fashion entertainment

out in the autumn sunshine!

Autumn sunshine

The life at the cabin is the life on the bright side

Sometimes symbolic

sometimes literally.

A sunny day is never brighter than on a a crisp autumn day

when the air is clear, the sun still warming and the colors fiery.

Dinkie loves a spot of sun

On a cloudy day, she keeps close to the fire,

and seeks the warmth from her good friend the blue monkey

Blåmann

Is it totally inappropriate

that I've got a Christmas carol stuck to my brain today?

Salmon says hello!

Salmon, I just love an oven baked piece of fish!

This is the trimmings

that goes well with my fish:

Potato, peas, carrots, quark and a slice of lemon

Every day the clouds are celebrating the drama of

autumn.

Is it here already?