tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3139274599371858052024-03-05T12:58:35.628+01:00The Doll HouseNordic modern country style, design, interiors and the good life in my Scandinavian Doll House.Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-9434758934005909622012-06-29T11:49:00.001+02:002012-06-29T11:49:19.184+02:00Gøteborg Sweden and the tale of two sons<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8m8h_JJbWAJymGuQ03r53m37jFOdoiNIPlIqZ4ksvSGqdvM8aWYtQIWXiTTcRlaDY32RmUKWZ1eA_DxhCIzqAzQoiGgs5WUxh5dxuo0sDAcKEWn_Yp1xsllac0NAK0yFqZPlkHO4xTw/s1600/Gothenburg+1794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8m8h_JJbWAJymGuQ03r53m37jFOdoiNIPlIqZ4ksvSGqdvM8aWYtQIWXiTTcRlaDY32RmUKWZ1eA_DxhCIzqAzQoiGgs5WUxh5dxuo0sDAcKEWn_Yp1xsllac0NAK0yFqZPlkHO4xTw/s640/Gothenburg+1794.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gothenburg in the 1790s</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have been revisiting Gothenburg in Sweden. I go several </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">times a year and am always charmed by its wide boulevards, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">green-banked canals, busy river, lovely shops and </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">relaxed pavement cafes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On this occasion I was struck by the tragic fate of two </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> sons who were born into wealthy Swedish families. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A short drive from the city, in Mølndal, lies Gunnebo.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKiU0_v8zfwTA7DcphnjRiSaaf3YR-vxo4RjlUEZb9MDOcyxU986_f0eEM-YXru-AKJCPVTEAKov5ziSNNufJk7i_cf24pnSLPfj4dOH_RUBUzThGudRnC3y6J1DmH_Lwbxshp4eDKXs/s1600/Gunnebo+painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKiU0_v8zfwTA7DcphnjRiSaaf3YR-vxo4RjlUEZb9MDOcyxU986_f0eEM-YXru-AKJCPVTEAKov5ziSNNufJk7i_cf24pnSLPfj4dOH_RUBUzThGudRnC3y6J1DmH_Lwbxshp4eDKXs/s640/Gunnebo+painting.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While staying in Gothenburg in the summer of </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1795, Mary Wollstonecraft was taken on a day-trip to visit </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">the newly built country house of Gunnebo. It was the dream </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">project of Scottish born</span> <span style="font-size: large;">John</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Hall who was, by the late </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">18th century, one of the richest</span> <span style="font-size: large;">merchants in Sweden.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3SMeAOevB1zdpCLY5OcgIzpiS5Om9VLr_86l8MP0GWYM4t6OvE-V9joJIS7MAYAZmmHnyMiVI-DC5vDGE850OTkzMhRrixyASLmAfanSXG9Or635nlnlBKqnZ8neBpLHTFWyasCrBtyI/s1600/Driveway+to+Gunnebo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3SMeAOevB1zdpCLY5OcgIzpiS5Om9VLr_86l8MP0GWYM4t6OvE-V9joJIS7MAYAZmmHnyMiVI-DC5vDGE850OTkzMhRrixyASLmAfanSXG9Or635nlnlBKqnZ8neBpLHTFWyasCrBtyI/s640/Driveway+to+Gunnebo.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mary Wollstonecraft, however, failed to be impressed by </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Gunnebo. She disliked the pretentiousness of the French and </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Italian-styled wooden building and the </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">classical formality of the grounds. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kpOMzpIRSmiPhyphenhyphenQkgF0tJP-RCjTky_48bjisFX6sUK42pPIArfDDoz_R9RiPx9qCzs-CHah0AiMBfgsapGYM61XameacKf91VG3FMQ2GrNv8WyuL0myTABVTn0RqHnc0IyfMkU_jaHc/s1600/GunneboJ.F.+Weinberg+1809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kpOMzpIRSmiPhyphenhyphenQkgF0tJP-RCjTky_48bjisFX6sUK42pPIArfDDoz_R9RiPx9qCzs-CHah0AiMBfgsapGYM61XameacKf91VG3FMQ2GrNv8WyuL0myTABVTn0RqHnc0IyfMkU_jaHc/s640/GunneboJ.F.+Weinberg+1809.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nevertheless, Gunnebo was very much admired by </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Gothenburg society and it became the jewel in the crown of </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">John Hall's empire. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZ5rWXt5UYGlSQkcNN0Shyphenhyphenwietf434gfiwp_UlZlC5xlxvvIa80FgW5tXGxlh2Zs0IweF2th9xr_U2vd_Jax5DTckGOsK36iE6q9IGSRKrLDzE7WZnpTzMqTjuLMdgJnC3HxBwcLu9C0/s1600/Gunnabo+south.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZ5rWXt5UYGlSQkcNN0Shyphenhyphenwietf434gfiwp_UlZlC5xlxvvIa80FgW5tXGxlh2Zs0IweF2th9xr_U2vd_Jax5DTckGOsK36iE6q9IGSRKrLDzE7WZnpTzMqTjuLMdgJnC3HxBwcLu9C0/s640/Gunnabo+south.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When John Hall died, in 1802 this empire, including </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Gunnebo, passed to his only son whose every whim had </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">been indulged since childhood by a doting father. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">John Hall the younger had no head for business and </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">only three years later the family firm was declared </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">bankrupt. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhW4oOpwYUh4t2V6bC9TGvV_69AEv2YKzA2uWy_FfzUEbkyVyS4AtFOLQE7vj3gWKTnrb1z3R6UJZuZ0KsEZG0LC5_79wOIMaURzunJs43RLzdJWkshU6sMkMGnXGdmVHnmmWO250KkZI/s1600/Gunnebo+front+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhW4oOpwYUh4t2V6bC9TGvV_69AEv2YKzA2uWy_FfzUEbkyVyS4AtFOLQE7vj3gWKTnrb1z3R6UJZuZ0KsEZG0LC5_79wOIMaURzunJs43RLzdJWkshU6sMkMGnXGdmVHnmmWO250KkZI/s640/Gunnebo+front+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I first saw Gunnebo two hundred years after </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mary Wollstonecraft's</span> <span style="font-size: large;">visit</span> <span style="font-size: large;">and unlike her, I was </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">enchanted by the house and the gardens.</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Like a sleeping </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">beauty, Gunnebo has been rescued from years of neglect</span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">and today it is possible to take a tour of the house; wander </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">freely in the grounds and admire the immaculate kitchen </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">gardens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">..................... </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Raoul Wallenberg was born into one of Sweden's </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">wealthiest families. While working in the Swedish </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Diplomatic Mission in Nazi occupied Budapest he issued </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">protective Swedish passports to Jews, saving thousands of </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jewish lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, in 1945, he was captured and imprisoned by </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Soviet forces. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl81KiuvQfUEV5HS0bKbJXPEtWqUXUTtIeHORTRbXbx1fgaA6j8fYrRH0YvEreD74-LUIKRKT1fYx0lkvMwYA-55W2trBWCn__6m0zVzCz5OUr00dEsphiM28sxkS54pavkF1pXr-lR1Y/s1600/DSCN1800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl81KiuvQfUEV5HS0bKbJXPEtWqUXUTtIeHORTRbXbx1fgaA6j8fYrRH0YvEreD74-LUIKRKT1fYx0lkvMwYA-55W2trBWCn__6m0zVzCz5OUr00dEsphiM28sxkS54pavkF1pXr-lR1Y/s640/DSCN1800.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This monument, in the grounds of Haga Church, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Gothenburg is a photo-based work in bronze and graphic </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">concrete</span> <span style="font-size: large;">by artist Charlotte Gyllenhammar.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It is a very moving memorial to the man and his </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">deeds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2012 is the</span><span style="font-size: large;"> centenary of the birth of Raoul Wallenberg. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, his fate still remains a mystery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As for John Hall the younger: he died in 1830, a broken </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">man. Having lost his fortune, his wife divorced him and</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> he ended his days as a ragged tramp on the streets of </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Stockholm. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anna</span><br />
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<br /></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-36159092495830146432012-05-13T12:42:00.000+02:002012-05-13T12:42:02.000+02:00"A Ghastly Parody of Spring"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">May began with such promise but then came snow, wind, frost </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">and rain. So, we had returned to our winter woollies, but today, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">the wind has chased away the rainstorm clouds and we </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">have dusted-off the garden furniture and taken it out of </span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #444444;">winter storage in the outbuilding. </span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> We have been told that, during the war, a cow was kept here. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The climbing hydrangea</span> <span style="font-size: large;">on the east wall is just coming into leaf</span> <span style="font-size: large;">and</span> <span style="font-size: large;">the magpies are foraging for those special finishing touches for the enormous nest they are building in the pear tree.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiCfFFDJEM83sLdQ6QP4G0siSLagoMlimkRrTr9uLpYk-JW-cOa7k8EiZKVrtBm5fTf0mVEvtmaiXmnrOkWVmg-gCkgV8jpIz1gczIeJnRtSzA-jCJmARaVO88mm24M1km5QmTLRuEEk/s1600/May+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiCfFFDJEM83sLdQ6QP4G0siSLagoMlimkRrTr9uLpYk-JW-cOa7k8EiZKVrtBm5fTf0mVEvtmaiXmnrOkWVmg-gCkgV8jpIz1gczIeJnRtSzA-jCJmARaVO88mm24M1km5QmTLRuEEk/s640/May+2012.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Torrential rains have made it impossible to mow the grass and the lawns have grown into wild meadows with drifts of tiny mauve, pinky flowers which, I'm sure, any cow would consider a delicacy. I don't know what they are but these wild flowers, (some might call them weeds), are now prettily decorating the whole house.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My geraniums have survived a long, cold winter in</span> <span style="font-size: large;">the Doll House cellars and now deserve plenty of sunshine and heat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">However, the evenings are so cold that we still crave the warmth from the wood-burning stove in the chill of dusk.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I found this decanter in a second-hand shop: it beckoned me from a distant shelf where it stood, forlornly ignored by the many "treasure seekers". It is stamped with the mark of the Bergdal Glass Studio and on closer examination, is etched with the signature of Mats Theselius who designed this for Swedish Glass in the 1990s. So, I decided it deserved this little silver Danish wine label.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">The very spindly blue glass</span> <span style="font-size: large;">candlestick was made by Wedgwood and considering the thinness of the stem, it is a miracle that it still survives. It's twin, sadly didn't. </span> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBTdx0E5056OMhCXskYwwr0Rqg7nUMcmxVlHs1RNsSg0o0bGUPezXz01XQrNDiXPOjYlcqrwEQBVBTK5dZlwI80MC2u42xNymHLCs8FPKDoBIiSgZgltXp6CG9ASS3p5qDRWFcHzbyAk/s1600/12+May+20122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizBTdx0E5056OMhCXskYwwr0Rqg7nUMcmxVlHs1RNsSg0o0bGUPezXz01XQrNDiXPOjYlcqrwEQBVBTK5dZlwI80MC2u42xNymHLCs8FPKDoBIiSgZgltXp6CG9ASS3p5qDRWFcHzbyAk/s640/12+May+20122.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;">So,</span><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #444444;">while "</span><i style="color: #444444;">rough winds do shake the darling buds of May</i><span style="color: #444444;">" I sit toasting my toes in front of the fire, reflecting on </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_6741nq86xlKETbJxRkkzsZqyvQjOuYXoyz2ca93H39rHknEea0WCU6N-pDFZNGI15ahdy2HjlRvTZovpbOhxDwMXXE9KGPou2G20BjK5OAtgDMbOOe5imQzYGkZMFW85ALbJ1HVJ6Y/s1600/DSCN2356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_6741nq86xlKETbJxRkkzsZqyvQjOuYXoyz2ca93H39rHknEea0WCU6N-pDFZNGI15ahdy2HjlRvTZovpbOhxDwMXXE9KGPou2G20BjK5OAtgDMbOOe5imQzYGkZMFW85ALbJ1HVJ6Y/s640/DSCN2356.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">May 2012 - <i>"A ghastly parody of spring"</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anna </span> </span></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-85841164200261905852012-04-03T16:54:00.000+02:002012-04-03T16:54:27.632+02:00Spring outside Spring inside<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">The exuberance of the birds in springtime is contagious. I </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">cannot remember a March when<i> </i>the dawn chorus has </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">heralded such sublime days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The woods are only a few steps from The Doll House. Here,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">it is possible to walk for miles, skirting the banks of the </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">man-made dams and the small lakes</span> <span style="font-size: large;">that are strung together </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">like a string of pearls</span>. <span style="font-size: large;">Now, in spring, shafts of sunlight </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> illuminate the brown carpeted forest floor</span> <span style="font-size: large;">and beyond lies </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">the glittering ice blue water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the garden, even while the last snow-pile melted away like </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">the foam on a cappuccino, the snow drops gathered with </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">demurely bowed crowns. Then, the crocuses brashly </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">popped-up in both expected and unexpected places. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fdn9Qgcmu4r6xvSnrI6WB_OMWfIUyeg-JWkmlDuLSjGnMNJUFxMRB_IGh86bm7JzHBAkBVQDlMA0tch4aU2HTOGV3y4pc3DJu7symkcy8-lm7twWrLTpaD0NT1ZIaEOeHhCK0i-JNNg/s1600/spring+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fdn9Qgcmu4r6xvSnrI6WB_OMWfIUyeg-JWkmlDuLSjGnMNJUFxMRB_IGh86bm7JzHBAkBVQDlMA0tch4aU2HTOGV3y4pc3DJu7symkcy8-lm7twWrLTpaD0NT1ZIaEOeHhCK0i-JNNg/s640/spring+flowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, in April, Arctic air has chilled the euphoric feeling of </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">spring and even the birdsong has lost its rapture </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">but the hardy snowdrops and crocuses are </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">blooming valiantly in the </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">wintery sunshine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, it seems that Easter promises evenings in front of the fire </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">as we find comfort in chocolate. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLbgy6fPg_vQwDf_DRcB4K9doGi3fKb6w-2fXrdZ-MAhZiu0R__Qoes9GOnwdihyl5l2UQnPWZXWsDbL4UaXIos0AvrpbcavK77QprgI3Uua0OCkLDggfMGMYzxMCaBzlF1KxMr3_gwY/s1600/_DSC0833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLbgy6fPg_vQwDf_DRcB4K9doGi3fKb6w-2fXrdZ-MAhZiu0R__Qoes9GOnwdihyl5l2UQnPWZXWsDbL4UaXIos0AvrpbcavK77QprgI3Uua0OCkLDggfMGMYzxMCaBzlF1KxMr3_gwY/s640/_DSC0833.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My thanks to Mariette</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">of <i>Mariettes Back to Basics </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>http://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/ </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">for her Blog Award</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">nomination.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Thank you Mariette</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am truly honoured.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Easter</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Anna</span></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-50250603986565032302012-03-31T11:08:00.000+02:002012-03-31T11:08:44.019+02:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gremlins have been tinkering with </span></span><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Doll House</span></span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, impishly moving things around. Texts and pictures disappeared and just as mysteriously, reappeared in haphazard places. When it no longer seemed possible to hold the </span></span><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">nuts and bolts </span></span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">in place and a crash </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">seemed inevitable I was ready to bail out. However, patience has its rewards and I am back online.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Anna </span></span><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></i><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></span><br />
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</div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-23154958405775007842012-01-16T12:39:00.000+01:002012-01-16T12:39:05.557+01:00Back on the white track<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">If I were to colour the month of January, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">it would have to be white,</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxSNe_e35s6hzJHXHR5WO8JZLYz8KvMDKNa6IKyq7qoZ1ELHI1rABkqyaept9jHXJ-XKup8IHahVhH8AluL4rL1yDJS-CkMphr5J91K4LgGZ6pQAJfkp9F7MYvSL3CO5vLMaCmHxHYFw/s1600/_DSC0711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxSNe_e35s6hzJHXHR5WO8JZLYz8KvMDKNa6IKyq7qoZ1ELHI1rABkqyaept9jHXJ-XKup8IHahVhH8AluL4rL1yDJS-CkMphr5J91K4LgGZ6pQAJfkp9F7MYvSL3CO5vLMaCmHxHYFw/s640/_DSC0711.JPG" width="428" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">even though some of you might argue that </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">white is not a colour at all. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I do not, however, spend January striving for the ascetic</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">life. On the contrary, I cultivate life's little pleasures to</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">celebrate the whiteness of this, most melancholy of months. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> A snow-like sprinkling of powdered sugar, a snowdrift</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> of tiramisu or the winter-white chocolate on the </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Ferrero mountainside. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgypIJV-QS311SggfldDoPUghnx0FBLYoW5Iq_DHxO4Tp6D1-oiH1zmQ4sCX-axhORNVifJFyUVT3XS7sSC3NRredxsQ1TPJoyBZWUOcqLEnbbhtHtkf6w8VIvuoRFFgG4g9KFvN1geiFg/s1600/january+whites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgypIJV-QS311SggfldDoPUghnx0FBLYoW5Iq_DHxO4Tp6D1-oiH1zmQ4sCX-axhORNVifJFyUVT3XS7sSC3NRredxsQ1TPJoyBZWUOcqLEnbbhtHtkf6w8VIvuoRFFgG4g9KFvN1geiFg/s640/january+whites.jpg" width="452" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes, the relentlessness of the white</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">January sky might feel oppressive. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Then, a certain slant of light</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">pierces the chandelier crystals projecting</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">ghost-like rainbows on the walls.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Or, a special visitor drops by. This deer came </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">to my garden on a cold, cold day and for a few</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">moments, out eyes met. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxuYC3pnTxAGxStl8RiakWfTFGD9oNprrYYTBNJRlYTPq4M98TebO3OpdQpMofBYtcWfV5AshCAsyhHqIL0k3-j5T_aqhXGG7Y4bYmKH7z8jLCEoNgrn-L49-hE0vrJ-GdT9M6p7MjE78/s1600/_DSC0205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxuYC3pnTxAGxStl8RiakWfTFGD9oNprrYYTBNJRlYTPq4M98TebO3OpdQpMofBYtcWfV5AshCAsyhHqIL0k3-j5T_aqhXGG7Y4bYmKH7z8jLCEoNgrn-L49-hE0vrJ-GdT9M6p7MjE78/s640/_DSC0205.JPG" width="520" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Now and again, there are some real surprises too.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZHwAABeUUyMOgYheXgTrgmF1Xa1kyR6Vz5PjmlOerNcpmANkhLkDCmJjfCmqFF8MB4tNdNqv1nSt-lLZ9FDnN5jGHysuZBgy-b0eHz20V6OhHGkXB7DhEcknGkldenHcvWd3SsDIoec/s1600/Trinny+%2526+Susannah+vinebroen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZHwAABeUUyMOgYheXgTrgmF1Xa1kyR6Vz5PjmlOerNcpmANkhLkDCmJjfCmqFF8MB4tNdNqv1nSt-lLZ9FDnN5jGHysuZBgy-b0eHz20V6OhHGkXB7DhEcknGkldenHcvWd3SsDIoec/s640/Trinny+%2526+Susannah+vinebroen.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo; Trine Sirnes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For instance, finding Trinny and Susannah, unexpectedly,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">here in The Old Town.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Anna</span><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-83118241481575689142011-12-20T21:09:00.003+01:002011-12-21T09:36:48.757+01:00Scents of the Season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6WqPodO4biQRajsfbNgX0lC7vr9QZcj110bjqM6UYi5ju7NeWmWQFx47842aIxGT0POqOnq8twi0CINS4sZW7A0_c8RqFA7gc3kk_ZAD5N1gAkWAVhR_Qunw84eZoizqLQOmwolgeKw/s640/_DSC0463.JPG" width="258" /><a href="http://secondhrose.blogspot.com/"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Advent: a time of waiting, and in The Doll House </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">a time of watching and waiting for the </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">hyacinth and amaryllis </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">bulbs to grow.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfPvQsWZCuQ0pBkBYPfYiehZxbCh6byGXxmH_oJkU-KYpYbADddxhmqS8VO0J0Myv4lFOCRCDVNDk-CsjvdPJ2SPrl-o4UxSuVkYp4Tx1brkcZxR7qscMhMzqFU64gk4FlN6Pks_hUGM/s1600/_DSC0457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfPvQsWZCuQ0pBkBYPfYiehZxbCh6byGXxmH_oJkU-KYpYbADddxhmqS8VO0J0Myv4lFOCRCDVNDk-CsjvdPJ2SPrl-o4UxSuVkYp4Tx1brkcZxR7qscMhMzqFU64gk4FlN6Pks_hUGM/s640/_DSC0457.JPG" width="614" /></a><a href="http://secondhrose.blogspot.com/"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGlMFVb-iZxCFTgigaJj0heij6UXBcFqDGT5_7SPObguHsrvNNlZk33I6l45UBKQlLjz1Zsfi2MIqqFFvYxmJHXmJCyPtltulLQ2cAO2ALfIin4tj764-aMf2Whzzu8tkL-rNxQNsdxo/s1600/01122011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Then, to wake one morning</span> <span style="font-size: large;">and find the whole house </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">perfumed with the sweet and slightly spicy scent of </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">hyacinth is one of December's greatest pleasures. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Eq6HaSUhPOWKyfU5HASOKCna2Kff6Ud0G7nugPHUtjuwV3ydEw0a7ljjTtRG7r9oaI7oJJVt_NP9sIUJ3fY1BM4w5Tgkd2onXm19tclCS5chII1MTeBseT4ldce0j-SUcCW00PyhUng/s1600/01122011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Eq6HaSUhPOWKyfU5HASOKCna2Kff6Ud0G7nugPHUtjuwV3ydEw0a7ljjTtRG7r9oaI7oJJVt_NP9sIUJ3fY1BM4w5Tgkd2onXm19tclCS5chII1MTeBseT4ldce0j-SUcCW00PyhUng/s640/01122011.JPG" width="462" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZa9SyPCvuR63BUFg1A8-pUBCPpTgs-Q2oSOLnluObSr61oCOQVUxLCano5bbDKYxn02-JzUyfQX3fiT-SVfoBXeH9SEorOagvKZ1NSYyjjbUqWNU7K1J08l7aoSDFlcaRAFu8uXAj-mY/s1600/17+Dec1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZa9SyPCvuR63BUFg1A8-pUBCPpTgs-Q2oSOLnluObSr61oCOQVUxLCano5bbDKYxn02-JzUyfQX3fiT-SVfoBXeH9SEorOagvKZ1NSYyjjbUqWNU7K1J08l7aoSDFlcaRAFu8uXAj-mY/s640/17+Dec1.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfPvQsWZCuQ0pBkBYPfYiehZxbCh6byGXxmH_oJkU-KYpYbADddxhmqS8VO0J0Myv4lFOCRCDVNDk-CsjvdPJ2SPrl-o4UxSuVkYp4Tx1brkcZxR7qscMhMzqFU64gk4FlN6Pks_hUGM/s1600/_DSC0457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, for me, the perfect Advent flowers are </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">the very red, attention-seeking amaryllis and </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">the glossy, starry-white hyacinth. </span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFc0tKI1bK458t4XcLEEtChAndgSp2kPUni96wThXUIx2ABQLrZK4v8rO9JIIJaGK42n9Ky-qW4JHCq0OFsZZl15PTxmV1W0VHk4dbFD9JTfGHye7pMOhm3knde3zDKN8zXv52RNTjVs/s1600/Kollasjer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFc0tKI1bK458t4XcLEEtChAndgSp2kPUni96wThXUIx2ABQLrZK4v8rO9JIIJaGK42n9Ky-qW4JHCq0OFsZZl15PTxmV1W0VHk4dbFD9JTfGHye7pMOhm3knde3zDKN8zXv52RNTjVs/s640/Kollasjer.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The dark, sweet and rich aroma of </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">baking gingerbread biscuits wafts out of the kitchen. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pepper is included in the Norwegian version and </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">they are actually called <i>pepperkaker</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">They taste their best with a glass of wonderfully</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">aromatic <i>gløgg</i> which is hot, spiced wine. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nxpFyhSBjWpHYi4Gt2wQlalVdNirJfn_XwrIg5JS35SwzVzIXWa70Du_Pq5jPhSa3XAgRrONw32ZQgwA_ywXWIa53-L5BwUZFDc2VdLGLpk4V4q2YhB-2dcHQGEKrXHXwcNzQ6QuLbk/s1600/_DSC0517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nxpFyhSBjWpHYi4Gt2wQlalVdNirJfn_XwrIg5JS35SwzVzIXWa70Du_Pq5jPhSa3XAgRrONw32ZQgwA_ywXWIa53-L5BwUZFDc2VdLGLpk4V4q2YhB-2dcHQGEKrXHXwcNzQ6QuLbk/s640/_DSC0517.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Indeed, I cannot think of a more appropriate </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> way to toast the season and send my best</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">wishes: here's hoping you have a</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> magical time. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yfxNIYjKvtIGwJt5ndlmEiW7_Ux13ALEn6Jvbxl71qfESt77d6eixjk2h9XZeWUrf21r20oJ5fzOhfGoe2GpulmhnG0ExYiJXfAGgliej_d9jgOTldsy_9NqXhGUSJx4EIP_v3I-EFg/s1600/011220112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yfxNIYjKvtIGwJt5ndlmEiW7_Ux13ALEn6Jvbxl71qfESt77d6eixjk2h9XZeWUrf21r20oJ5fzOhfGoe2GpulmhnG0ExYiJXfAGgliej_d9jgOTldsy_9NqXhGUSJx4EIP_v3I-EFg/s640/011220112.jpg" width="452" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Special thanks to </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Rose H (Uk) at <i>secondhandrose</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">http://secondhrose.blogspot.com/ </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">for nominating The Doll House for Liebster Blog award</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">and to</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Annie at <i>Moving on</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">http://chocolateannie.blogspot.com/</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger award</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I am truly honoured.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCV06y__kA7gBpsoIXRgUosHMbeGGI2oPkxQZTLF4icDtLvwEPOzR267W126J8wP_Uc00gnTS64bx48UOsQxJ1EbnkWhREIsujddu98qRiUragML0Vr9SjpDS0EWfLenjzk6O7vOCUHo/s1600/00000061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCV06y__kA7gBpsoIXRgUosHMbeGGI2oPkxQZTLF4icDtLvwEPOzR267W126J8wP_Uc00gnTS64bx48UOsQxJ1EbnkWhREIsujddu98qRiUragML0Vr9SjpDS0EWfLenjzk6O7vOCUHo/s640/00000061.jpg" width="370" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">God Jul</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anna</span> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span id="goog_357329843"></span><span id="goog_357329844"></span>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-10656696479075704882011-11-02T08:46:00.000+01:002011-11-02T08:46:07.128+01:00"Rage, rage against the dying light"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfR8osEYhnJl8Yeptgrc0HTW9-cLJrQbEwuysmXIWVa7ixapMg3SsbKpuDYCEAzeam_0iv5zJUILNUQbhDyiAP13QdrkFItyhHlqUkrrhh2I9KXD9x4nccef4ky0sYDENcKfc8jb92OA/s1600/_DSC0420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfR8osEYhnJl8Yeptgrc0HTW9-cLJrQbEwuysmXIWVa7ixapMg3SsbKpuDYCEAzeam_0iv5zJUILNUQbhDyiAP13QdrkFItyhHlqUkrrhh2I9KXD9x4nccef4ky0sYDENcKfc8jb92OA/s640/_DSC0420.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The close of October plunges us into a darker season of the year and already now, as November dawns, the darkness creeps up on us in the afternoons. Many of the trees and bushes in the garden softly succumb to the autumn and slowly, almost imperceptibly, the foliage disperses, reducing them to mere skeletal forms. Not so, the hedge that borders our garden.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgyTUo9ckOXIamOtTedeh-I8QS8IpPHOqH6VAIL4aFRyzeUoH45C45J_ljlG2LNT4czoLbw7mi6bR7Tx-xpJyODLAXJbYE8rpex5m_ZtaD0VQz78fKs0GiGK0k46p9eXOCyhd9_8hLlQ/s1600/DSCN2804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="465" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgyTUo9ckOXIamOtTedeh-I8QS8IpPHOqH6VAIL4aFRyzeUoH45C45J_ljlG2LNT4czoLbw7mi6bR7Tx-xpJyODLAXJbYE8rpex5m_ZtaD0VQz78fKs0GiGK0k46p9eXOCyhd9_8hLlQ/s640/DSCN2804.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It does not go gently,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> but rages against the failing season. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The leaves blaze with a short, furious intensity until suddenly they have gone: dropped to the ground where they lie like embers after the inferno is extinguished.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I was just in time to gather some leaves, then, </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShsjBnR5jN8yTkv-E49ozXyq7FF59mYcPd0z8u3u6G-Qtb2t4RqE5MZPENaeJ14l5OFICqUH98dSbi0rMPFciZf4OTjP6_AuaMlog8cW3skPkQqpqt_32W42wTJCJnFBYJy2x7enRpPc/s1600/_DSC0424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShsjBnR5jN8yTkv-E49ozXyq7FF59mYcPd0z8u3u6G-Qtb2t4RqE5MZPENaeJ14l5OFICqUH98dSbi0rMPFciZf4OTjP6_AuaMlog8cW3skPkQqpqt_32W42wTJCJnFBYJy2x7enRpPc/s640/_DSC0424.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> pressed them to use as decorations and to sprinkle on the autumn table </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikFsGRybxignXj_167luRIJIPrAWq22aoA24dXBmKCq3adL8U2hqFP8I5-qAzBkd2H5Ec3KHG5Ekr01THwgIa1K_2Pg6cVk1foGgTAgk7DZelxMQ5EJhK4T3Q4jhPN9VMWIbYevWQ_2M/s1600/Angel+cakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikFsGRybxignXj_167luRIJIPrAWq22aoA24dXBmKCq3adL8U2hqFP8I5-qAzBkd2H5Ec3KHG5Ekr01THwgIa1K_2Pg6cVk1foGgTAgk7DZelxMQ5EJhK4T3Q4jhPN9VMWIbYevWQ_2M/s640/Angel+cakes.jpg" width="460" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">where angelic white chocolate cherubs rest atop voluptuous chocolate cup cakes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anna</span></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-25297491245742622592011-09-12T11:56:00.000+02:002011-09-12T11:56:35.592+02:00Shortening days<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66xkN2qXuOrD8wvXXevPLH2mT8YFu9K5eM6Lu8iurjDSEbkjHN1aFdpu_Pi-l7drvmqXaOfCewUZ5bM5F82RNMvEPKNvMYkkULhYH74tNK0FOg1kDz1ekWY9hdHQOnWQqNPFR5rBE-uE/s1600/_DSC0221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66xkN2qXuOrD8wvXXevPLH2mT8YFu9K5eM6Lu8iurjDSEbkjHN1aFdpu_Pi-l7drvmqXaOfCewUZ5bM5F82RNMvEPKNvMYkkULhYH74tNK0FOg1kDz1ekWY9hdHQOnWQqNPFR5rBE-uE/s640/_DSC0221.JPG" width="427" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Little by little </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">the hanging basket and flowerpot displays outside </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">have drowned or are giving-up on the lost summer.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhleuyu4Yq-XLu8sNrWWtCxTftA4vF5uJDhxKRg7ntS4XiNm2ekLcVUDERDEP2zk3Kiq_Cd1qo-feSaXA2JzaA2lVnk7xh7UvTJQXPCVDNDASOMNeONqCbDXJpd0kAT9l4K_vqqBBGh4L8/s1600/green+planters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhleuyu4Yq-XLu8sNrWWtCxTftA4vF5uJDhxKRg7ntS4XiNm2ekLcVUDERDEP2zk3Kiq_Cd1qo-feSaXA2JzaA2lVnk7xh7UvTJQXPCVDNDASOMNeONqCbDXJpd0kAT9l4K_vqqBBGh4L8/s640/green+planters.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, once again, the indoors beckons</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">with flowers and candles. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMG4p2FI1rQ6VX-AFkwJbnLefC0lWkE3Nwi2XMJEitD8qpzsdBsuouQDmw49KYxc-TNOoh1qHrnxx_gjDchi1G6PCr4saHUmSj1EKEwZ1HZMRiMMt_aEjMVNQV8lKwqBeH6omluTqx6UU/s1600/_DSC0225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMG4p2FI1rQ6VX-AFkwJbnLefC0lWkE3Nwi2XMJEitD8qpzsdBsuouQDmw49KYxc-TNOoh1qHrnxx_gjDchi1G6PCr4saHUmSj1EKEwZ1HZMRiMMt_aEjMVNQV8lKwqBeH6omluTqx6UU/s640/_DSC0225.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A little rose made of concrete </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">reminds me of June roses.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I love these Scandinavian minimalist candle holders </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">called Kivi, </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">designed by Heikki Orvola </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">and made at the Finnish glass works Iittala. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCRSab5PAvyGcuO4-zpASHID3-G5kCHUKa-q71P2IBgyz3HyyhCd68wzYNm0ycJQvVp_jGAN0atRCgvhkT0C-kaTKzKe3MQJO-gcrUaR1WBBk8i3FXhXX7HIHtBYhz5GPlrY6-DNLdRU/s1600/_DSC0201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCRSab5PAvyGcuO4-zpASHID3-G5kCHUKa-q71P2IBgyz3HyyhCd68wzYNm0ycJQvVp_jGAN0atRCgvhkT0C-kaTKzKe3MQJO-gcrUaR1WBBk8i3FXhXX7HIHtBYhz5GPlrY6-DNLdRU/s640/_DSC0201.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Crowns give me a fairytale feeling:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">there's almost something </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">theatrical about them. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwtE5dfyNCsCydXR0zemAKjZSRI39SPiEruHKbyq-_UQNkDbuGEsFJ35mMIJV3zMxly-nhidcZLCHm991-lWzddOX9ZuMRh5spT_ux97mvYff41189yKm6_MtI3KMg_JikviThD8beP8/s1600/_DSC0209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAwtE5dfyNCsCydXR0zemAKjZSRI39SPiEruHKbyq-_UQNkDbuGEsFJ35mMIJV3zMxly-nhidcZLCHm991-lWzddOX9ZuMRh5spT_ux97mvYff41189yKm6_MtI3KMg_JikviThD8beP8/s640/_DSC0209.JPG" width="428" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I haven't decided what to do with this heavy, iron</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">half-crown,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">so, it is just resting a while here.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFmlSxcARybQfjiLPFfBcuBtTifDi7Cgl-ZYs1QbFn9mhBI-pbykRFrHrNYVQOR3tAW6daUgHFfMA1sGdBBEFg32v9oI53yFeJK4-ybzoQcPGqVw_3p_dHyeT1SsM6uKDBS3DNIT-xGs/s1600/crowns+and+candles-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkFmlSxcARybQfjiLPFfBcuBtTifDi7Cgl-ZYs1QbFn9mhBI-pbykRFrHrNYVQOR3tAW6daUgHFfMA1sGdBBEFg32v9oI53yFeJK4-ybzoQcPGqVw_3p_dHyeT1SsM6uKDBS3DNIT-xGs/s640/crowns+and+candles-1.jpg" width="512" /><span id="goog_347014985"></span><span id="goog_347014986"></span></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Anna</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-30522151772543511732011-09-02T17:29:00.000+02:002011-09-02T17:29:13.993+02:00Some September blues and whites<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwh-2MxjVTPhplN7UEBf3U4EmcVNSFnJpYb3P9v26UIR3uI5wyRcDHMOnJpZT0tjTIjfDskAg2zQjKxUsgjVrUYtprcubev3VulSoRwF5aYeMUwlysrqd8zezcjWnnbdHgqYvFa1vh-8/s1600/_DSC0167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwh-2MxjVTPhplN7UEBf3U4EmcVNSFnJpYb3P9v26UIR3uI5wyRcDHMOnJpZT0tjTIjfDskAg2zQjKxUsgjVrUYtprcubev3VulSoRwF5aYeMUwlysrqd8zezcjWnnbdHgqYvFa1vh-8/s400/_DSC0167.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"Feeling Blue" is what we might say when we are in low spirits, sad or feeling melancholic: the blue devils, as George Coleman called them in his farce of 1798.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The colour blue, on the other hand, is cool and calm and often associated with inspiration and purity. It is my favourite colour to have around the house. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOJFjb1F-HYBgXMDD7gbyFly365hyWtWIWkPjxbYMdk35YEo193AaZPlCeFwVXc0GQOegpOZEG5sPJdNpO_N7qV8TOCEvhWrIqIcbyDLttT4O2ABlVfG_ne6BGr8NfB1tnnDOgo3KEBY/s1600/_DSC0165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOJFjb1F-HYBgXMDD7gbyFly365hyWtWIWkPjxbYMdk35YEo193AaZPlCeFwVXc0GQOegpOZEG5sPJdNpO_N7qV8TOCEvhWrIqIcbyDLttT4O2ABlVfG_ne6BGr8NfB1tnnDOgo3KEBY/s400/_DSC0165.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;">So, when I found this sweet little sauce tureen at a market last week, I had to have it.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_hz5P0hd14HlhKpVimmfJgQu-xGooBic7HmVblGV8l5ntyBVcmFzjKhdYmtmgZytnmlTc7kw-zVXMQF75heuHX3LfHEqXRh3DyGLSvtpotoD7OTscOv2kqa2tevbUxF6M6uEVd_1qzQ/s1600/_DSC0157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_hz5P0hd14HlhKpVimmfJgQu-xGooBic7HmVblGV8l5ntyBVcmFzjKhdYmtmgZytnmlTc7kw-zVXMQF75heuHX3LfHEqXRh3DyGLSvtpotoD7OTscOv2kqa2tevbUxF6M6uEVd_1qzQ/s400/_DSC0157.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It is complete with saucer and cover and has no chips or cracks, although, I suspect that it may have started life with a small matching ladle.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It has the look of Victorian transfer-printed wares but I think it is less than 50 years old. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzqEE0ntEcBy-UOwI_WvRQvpkxJlIWoSxGE2kqTM0TDY-vfHlHfM1qFs3XRRZX_hvE3DW3lXEsP_M9MRd7BtFX1exPo8ndnP_P4upHrNPr1DLvG4RObsEhlL9dMglVzPT_qYE_8i9G7k/s1600/_DSC0161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzqEE0ntEcBy-UOwI_WvRQvpkxJlIWoSxGE2kqTM0TDY-vfHlHfM1qFs3XRRZX_hvE3DW3lXEsP_M9MRd7BtFX1exPo8ndnP_P4upHrNPr1DLvG4RObsEhlL9dMglVzPT_qYE_8i9G7k/s400/_DSC0161.JPG" width="318" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It will give the gravy a little more distinction on the dinner table.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGJ59jUUeU9W7YLkZqmZZjRe6LXMnDFfo4Xm155H-yN3FtlRmROT_uL7hin4PoDfTxQ2SH1Qp9rIZ0TiUrxBXhCCHlUvG7bpnUkxUAHr6AxeQXLRzquFM7AWaxTbbNtMC4mn4NXQQHgw/s1600/_DSC0153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGJ59jUUeU9W7YLkZqmZZjRe6LXMnDFfo4Xm155H-yN3FtlRmROT_uL7hin4PoDfTxQ2SH1Qp9rIZ0TiUrxBXhCCHlUvG7bpnUkxUAHr6AxeQXLRzquFM7AWaxTbbNtMC4mn4NXQQHgw/s400/_DSC0153.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Anna</span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="goog_1406563040"></span><span id="goog_1406563041"></span></span></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-79321467739999780162011-08-16T20:32:00.000+02:002011-08-16T20:32:24.566+02:00Droplets of ruby red<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">We love strawberries, raspberries and even blueberries</span> <span style="font-size: large;">but there are no fanfares for the black and redcurrant season which</span> <span style="font-size: large;">slips by very quietly. So, today, I hope to make a case in defence of the redcurrant.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyHaWCGHiaG7c3labmGysalX8e0DRV022QYTRMd2hdyFZhJYGE9krBTX17eQUampw3UaQunI7YwIZ_BRdWk4EHrKUfOK0NVMORB3JXoQ1FkVcPsDwOEzi6TztNTkwBpWEF0oxqIO6kCM/s1600/_DSC0111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyHaWCGHiaG7c3labmGysalX8e0DRV022QYTRMd2hdyFZhJYGE9krBTX17eQUampw3UaQunI7YwIZ_BRdWk4EHrKUfOK0NVMORB3JXoQ1FkVcPsDwOEzi6TztNTkwBpWEF0oxqIO6kCM/s400/_DSC0111.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The redcurrant bush is very willing and fairly undemanding and in return for a modest-sized place to grow it will deliver a huge crop of ruby red berries at this time of year.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILUaSZReMtKx7ktpA3mdkmZFNplCo8z8GnMowyHFxHTg5IBWiEgyp_KgRw4SFtWzqJBFviDIMYenRULo9EWVmz14H2Zc1XluN-q1c9IgyDaIHu_XMvgp9nFcwCoyzQoxIRk5QiZfVfmM/s1600/_DSC0110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILUaSZReMtKx7ktpA3mdkmZFNplCo8z8GnMowyHFxHTg5IBWiEgyp_KgRw4SFtWzqJBFviDIMYenRULo9EWVmz14H2Zc1XluN-q1c9IgyDaIHu_XMvgp9nFcwCoyzQoxIRk5QiZfVfmM/s400/_DSC0110.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Little strings of glowing red berries hang in cascades beneath the leaves: ornaments ripe to be gathered.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9brdg3qdZuV1BhVQrVr_yHGyYQLIz0Ok-7gpPqA9ykZjkTYVftzkHElmUxpcPzqaEklHWOHSGiQWPOJAc5l4cEixpeXROUwqD0Y5VLi39unIV9bt9raMPq8ZN1iI_KaRw3uGgLlnGIM/s1600/_DSC0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9brdg3qdZuV1BhVQrVr_yHGyYQLIz0Ok-7gpPqA9ykZjkTYVftzkHElmUxpcPzqaEklHWOHSGiQWPOJAc5l4cEixpeXROUwqD0Y5VLi39unIV9bt9raMPq8ZN1iI_KaRw3uGgLlnGIM/s400/_DSC0112.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The fruit is not naturally sweet like the strawberry or raspberry, so, it's a good idea to sprinkle with sugar and leave for a while before serving. This sharp, slightly crunchy fruit is a perfect summer dessert served with a cold, pouring vanilla custard. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">or </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">with panacotta or a custard cream</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX52QL0G-3_kFy3wlQaUZv-Y5Ud0BnuZ81olzjrkdbmyuCoskzZamvUU-Heash62GANlg34ssIOpHkgK8-VfeiJR3MBmWYXmRm-Gc98ZtCkeecBAPsvdk5KeQcI7weoB9R0NOzssbB1p0/s1600/July+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX52QL0G-3_kFy3wlQaUZv-Y5Ud0BnuZ81olzjrkdbmyuCoskzZamvUU-Heash62GANlg34ssIOpHkgK8-VfeiJR3MBmWYXmRm-Gc98ZtCkeecBAPsvdk5KeQcI7weoB9R0NOzssbB1p0/s400/July+2010.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Redcurrant Juice </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMy9WMxBo_ghWzLuJpzh1fsM8Dw6uolsaoxR2i_W_jEXU__nyL6AIADfqcBmww_AbJ8tB5BvWyXraNn-FOPCzPYt66K0XvMAxLhOMxOpY2sSwu71OzJKxwJYZUD1gXqKwbyzsdRaqgMg/s1600/_DSC0122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMy9WMxBo_ghWzLuJpzh1fsM8Dw6uolsaoxR2i_W_jEXU__nyL6AIADfqcBmww_AbJ8tB5BvWyXraNn-FOPCzPYt66K0XvMAxLhOMxOpY2sSwu71OzJKxwJYZUD1gXqKwbyzsdRaqgMg/s400/_DSC0122.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Sweetened redcurrant juice makes a wonderful summer cordial. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0PtSgj_bERn0uFTdQSfhCbAwcjk_2A8S0DQG5vNzHy-jBGHXsPi0UYuM1ghg041hlJyXFV1zysSNwdzfMTxZAeWOKGe9Dwp_J1sU0A7Jj0sZxsOVruRYqMF8yA8ivR3lGRIhSNoSuRg/s1600/_DSC0119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0PtSgj_bERn0uFTdQSfhCbAwcjk_2A8S0DQG5vNzHy-jBGHXsPi0UYuM1ghg041hlJyXFV1zysSNwdzfMTxZAeWOKGe9Dwp_J1sU0A7Jj0sZxsOVruRYqMF8yA8ivR3lGRIhSNoSuRg/s400/_DSC0119.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's so light and fruity and really refreshing, served ice-cold.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQpd2_6EvebaCT52rhB2vXIHhqu8HIf0Iq2aGAAozJramo28kH95YEC9xM5azr22LnQCVCm8-h2GEF7hglu4bZo52gRbUUjRhD3HtzDOVa2RJGqqaDn_j3jOwmYdOpMe7LFsTAOPEPDc/s1600/_DSC0130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQpd2_6EvebaCT52rhB2vXIHhqu8HIf0Iq2aGAAozJramo28kH95YEC9xM5azr22LnQCVCm8-h2GEF7hglu4bZo52gRbUUjRhD3HtzDOVa2RJGqqaDn_j3jOwmYdOpMe7LFsTAOPEPDc/s400/_DSC0130.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">with something sweet:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rtFl88_pHJjnTGXQi3wL9UZQVAQxvwiXDRYOPgjfCyCzDl4G8Bum8HN_fxOFpueXEj1oYT-b3KBltZgnm3x8PS7URKZKNiVm-3xbqcEf54kVK7_YKi2Lq8EdHxBQJATampB4qPIVcEY/s1600/_DSC0135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rtFl88_pHJjnTGXQi3wL9UZQVAQxvwiXDRYOPgjfCyCzDl4G8Bum8HN_fxOFpueXEj1oYT-b3KBltZgnm3x8PS7URKZKNiVm-3xbqcEf54kVK7_YKi2Lq8EdHxBQJATampB4qPIVcEY/s400/_DSC0135.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">just a mouthful of meringue;</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">or</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">why not melt gelatine leaves into warm, sweetened juice. Set it aside in the fridge and wait for a perfect wobbly jelly.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiW0lWkIylDbISXl2TdQSuTZ-3qkHmYf_N-fjGgfAEVk25d9aw0EwPLfIfYaPp_KmHAKcEwSyvFSehKOiKXApQkOrYVqq6hXbYagEfR1N5HgtURiLpu6nI0p4Vd0kX70FPBqhRolNPH6A/s1600/rip+saft-jelly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiW0lWkIylDbISXl2TdQSuTZ-3qkHmYf_N-fjGgfAEVk25d9aw0EwPLfIfYaPp_KmHAKcEwSyvFSehKOiKXApQkOrYVqq6hXbYagEfR1N5HgtURiLpu6nI0p4Vd0kX70FPBqhRolNPH6A/s400/rip+saft-jelly.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Finally<span style="font-size: large;">,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Make redcurrant jelly preserve. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Yf6EdgGtIt9_a1EzQiDBU2Y2Y2qKKvY2pvY5xoUhsQnQo-WNxAiQqVw0E7f84lN4LBIsK08AiGtC75rI8Q9KYKi4yfw5HR40VjIHY02VgnFxney5LkMR4lpgms7TxKtfgL9CUkx_mLs/s1600/_DSC0151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Yf6EdgGtIt9_a1EzQiDBU2Y2Y2qKKvY2pvY5xoUhsQnQo-WNxAiQqVw0E7f84lN4LBIsK08AiGtC75rI8Q9KYKi4yfw5HR40VjIHY02VgnFxney5LkMR4lpgms7TxKtfgL9CUkx_mLs/s400/_DSC0151.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">It is luminous and luscious: </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlcVpSZ7UnCywLU3eiT-axZyyg7NlGRM6RJHc_84zkVAUL7yuo1w6fF-SPVyYCUOV3O91mKKOHCsvXs76bcGh6TYdGWSRSAFiIS437XbiHWTvuVHmyRYaeri8ayRIM2EmRYjTS_0QiLU/s1600/_DSC0147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFlcVpSZ7UnCywLU3eiT-axZyyg7NlGRM6RJHc_84zkVAUL7yuo1w6fF-SPVyYCUOV3O91mKKOHCsvXs76bcGh6TYdGWSRSAFiIS437XbiHWTvuVHmyRYaeri8ayRIM2EmRYjTS_0QiLU/s400/_DSC0147.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"> tangy and sweet at the same time. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It adds a zing to breakfast on the terrace.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy redcurrant days</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Anna</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-83166411564943860792011-08-14T11:21:00.000+02:002011-08-14T11:21:23.786+02:00Getting down to earth<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> When approaching my town from the sea, ships must first navigate through the archipelago. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwwQOeG9Ev6tjIucvFjOvNVEYpgPethmY7fKYG6fAQCB1Ebjops8n_3v_Sx3MZorpjS5LIeV2SyZDfRziV9ggLy9ggDXYVuzxOFTBELEct7AEZlJXoE9EDYa-XMSxuDzJN7ONqZAVp4U/s1600/_DSC0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwwQOeG9Ev6tjIucvFjOvNVEYpgPethmY7fKYG6fAQCB1Ebjops8n_3v_Sx3MZorpjS5LIeV2SyZDfRziV9ggLy9ggDXYVuzxOFTBELEct7AEZlJXoE9EDYa-XMSxuDzJN7ONqZAVp4U/s400/_DSC0010.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storm clouds gathering over the archipelago</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There are 830 islands: some are little more than bare rocks sticking out of the sea, others have been home to farmers and fishermen for hundreds of years. Today, the islands are home to about 4000 people but the population increases to about 30,000 at this time of year, when holiday-makers occupy their summerhouses. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlEmdkm9gggvjWrwiinhi_o01UvXqNjeNy8WMO2KqU2k1kcYDkS5pRLIZZMUs-I6I-YtoJM1aIC60AnGblcIvmM0guGw2-JaXRgapWKtHu2W-nHQkz8P0dVolc6i7cawpveingrqaNdc/s1600/_DSC0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlEmdkm9gggvjWrwiinhi_o01UvXqNjeNy8WMO2KqU2k1kcYDkS5pRLIZZMUs-I6I-YtoJM1aIC60AnGblcIvmM0guGw2-JaXRgapWKtHu2W-nHQkz8P0dVolc6i7cawpveingrqaNdc/s400/_DSC0018.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The air is fresh with the saltiness of the sea and the hardy vegetation struggles valiantly to survive in, this often, harsh climate.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZJTAEnlhsqAwy2b-lUodnRpAxMqfd5eohfalVaoJpeKefhINuy0s-066B8dwUC_mCuSOgozvJZbHkdjBw_Ve5-SBNy1-0tPB3H6c5agz1A84E0OUjj-oEkef0seyWxGeMu-RVZog8co/s1600/_DSC0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZJTAEnlhsqAwy2b-lUodnRpAxMqfd5eohfalVaoJpeKefhINuy0s-066B8dwUC_mCuSOgozvJZbHkdjBw_Ve5-SBNy1-0tPB3H6c5agz1A84E0OUjj-oEkef0seyWxGeMu-RVZog8co/s200/_DSC0015.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VDcnVtnf9uW4OmsKHuw3KWOmpGD1v2K6ppfm4iC8rnNJYzS9zfGds1R3jEzVDyuviHrYDFJQsGSqQhaMP57oH6484u0N7TkxikYoJ7ZZrWExQKtHTCOF4wRZi8dZSpes9o0K6iIrfxY/s1600/_DSC0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VDcnVtnf9uW4OmsKHuw3KWOmpGD1v2K6ppfm4iC8rnNJYzS9zfGds1R3jEzVDyuviHrYDFJQsGSqQhaMP57oH6484u0N7TkxikYoJ7ZZrWExQKtHTCOF4wRZi8dZSpes9o0K6iIrfxY/s200/_DSC0017.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">When approaching by air, the islands appear to float</span> <span style="font-size: large;">in a silken sea</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KoUvCUwuXVHzDMIPq7lbmK7XxkmydfDft5JNjAuLDDfttfj6f1vOP21R7b8tuldwMYQI-FD8ZBLuumULr7k4IJNxTIdu88YNWQByo4xnrDc3SnYdeCKMt8qohL2jmcDYjr-xh6d0cdA/s1600/DSCN2554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KoUvCUwuXVHzDMIPq7lbmK7XxkmydfDft5JNjAuLDDfttfj6f1vOP21R7b8tuldwMYQI-FD8ZBLuumULr7k4IJNxTIdu88YNWQByo4xnrDc3SnYdeCKMt8qohL2jmcDYjr-xh6d0cdA/s400/DSCN2554.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying over the archipelago on a sunny evening</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">and then, we reach the mainland and here is my home town. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bruuKw7Jd7zIXzFic2KLuMBeii2uK6Q4Pt_JyjUfl1p7k17CA-eki_kb5H6kYuv2UYNuhvFj888eO8sxcCW3ZBIZ_gtkztBQEcLbbJ5lKbmY_OX0pkmrQ38DgIAc4uq8Sr33fR7LVjg/s1600/DSCN2558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bruuKw7Jd7zIXzFic2KLuMBeii2uK6Q4Pt_JyjUfl1p7k17CA-eki_kb5H6kYuv2UYNuhvFj888eO8sxcCW3ZBIZ_gtkztBQEcLbbJ5lKbmY_OX0pkmrQ38DgIAc4uq8Sr33fR7LVjg/s400/DSCN2558.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My town</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the early years it clutched the riverbanks</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntiJv8Vc9QqRKJDQ4tJETXLCGfM8zWQfQbcfR2W7UEXGCwyUe-3IF-6vL7ZCvB2IkFa38MPEx9bqTx0BGWDC_-jGLn-Gy_BVQwpOBECcnFWJZ2xAVS7dxs9v1ArZQ66JY4Ka0L79leRs/s1600/DSCN2557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntiJv8Vc9QqRKJDQ4tJETXLCGfM8zWQfQbcfR2W7UEXGCwyUe-3IF-6vL7ZCvB2IkFa38MPEx9bqTx0BGWDC_-jGLn-Gy_BVQwpOBECcnFWJZ2xAVS7dxs9v1ArZQ66JY4Ka0L79leRs/s400/DSCN2557.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">but today, it has expanded in every direction.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLnnIscxBbG4oajaczR5wRqtGbKuVrNuxScBQH05YIb5rIcCGDln6qAgoEs87vSnahZ9JbVa9DwVu5pVPcR8enbP4SgXmkg5RYdQfD4rvfXlcei6b1ao6Z8sMKAbmqb_KU2U_p0clyQE/s1600/DSCN2561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLnnIscxBbG4oajaczR5wRqtGbKuVrNuxScBQH05YIb5rIcCGDln6qAgoEs87vSnahZ9JbVa9DwVu5pVPcR8enbP4SgXmkg5RYdQfD4rvfXlcei6b1ao6Z8sMKAbmqb_KU2U_p0clyQE/s400/DSCN2561.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can see The Doll House down there</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Home again and the Dronning Ingrid geraniums are blooming</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZbHMJoGZcYBB33OOVEUOJ0ECQOD5K7REZZ2nAmWZ4TsZgsAWfw_XlnLyIqA4T2JNXgWdMztUwIEm9arjs2m4ET44XfzL_RPwJHUmRreJdO8kWonFaXBybIu0PAsqcB8ClkXO4czAmIY/s1600/_DSC0085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZbHMJoGZcYBB33OOVEUOJ0ECQOD5K7REZZ2nAmWZ4TsZgsAWfw_XlnLyIqA4T2JNXgWdMztUwIEm9arjs2m4ET44XfzL_RPwJHUmRreJdO8kWonFaXBybIu0PAsqcB8ClkXO4czAmIY/s400/_DSC0085.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">and all is well in the secret garden.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEl-5I_7TrH6OHxIcSvEK7UZ35v-79A7VmOMgY8EeCoRdhk6-nQFSJYvaqVjCluumUKrZkRYw6NfLHy4ony3ieiI8MU38iQuRYZS2lAX53GOwyFKwK1XEvaAZIKxI9C1JEA52oWixXWYs/s1600/DSCN1683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEl-5I_7TrH6OHxIcSvEK7UZ35v-79A7VmOMgY8EeCoRdhk6-nQFSJYvaqVjCluumUKrZkRYw6NfLHy4ony3ieiI8MU38iQuRYZS2lAX53GOwyFKwK1XEvaAZIKxI9C1JEA52oWixXWYs/s400/DSCN1683.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It is good to be back home,</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtBvn24Z6Nlw1AzP2GHEaumOaJElg1zobuksurOLKLexAud-1_gj7E88uoDlVTlvndluXt55eJRqYPt6Pa74mgiffCQFG7aTWUcw64cUYBGJQm_5R6pkFwpHgeXHTXGjR5xZaC5b28dQ/s1600/DSCN1684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtBvn24Z6Nlw1AzP2GHEaumOaJElg1zobuksurOLKLexAud-1_gj7E88uoDlVTlvndluXt55eJRqYPt6Pa74mgiffCQFG7aTWUcw64cUYBGJQm_5R6pkFwpHgeXHTXGjR5xZaC5b28dQ/s400/DSCN1684.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> feel the warmth of the summer sun</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9yH0Ha8UBS8M6EnQ4E7QyI8lm_TuDGl72yym5IXBFslyZJkyyvUiQGT6xvT6WQH_PUlMaLtYkKFfYAEBq5qMfKy762jfZn-ZoAgT1heFkwSEyqv84dAKX-gXWrJp_moTVHZ0acj_s8A/s1600/DSCN1677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9yH0Ha8UBS8M6EnQ4E7QyI8lm_TuDGl72yym5IXBFslyZJkyyvUiQGT6xvT6WQH_PUlMaLtYkKFfYAEBq5qMfKy762jfZn-ZoAgT1heFkwSEyqv84dAKX-gXWrJp_moTVHZ0acj_s8A/s400/DSCN1677.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">with the earth beneath my feet.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anna</span></div></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-79332219232186964632011-07-30T10:51:00.000+02:002011-07-30T10:51:18.544+02:00A table-sized lilly pond<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The heavy feelings of last weekend have lifted a little. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yhgS7dityxgLRM6KtLWx6xVIPlKshMmjmtCqxW_5kcU4ZedSLES8k4NwF3h3hRYRpMhTBWNoS4w2pNvdSNfRT3wyyhiWYEQcFxzr3BH6jb7v2ZzTx1TmvoRC6KVf3EY0XU0-XN7myfg/s1600/DSCN1499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yhgS7dityxgLRM6KtLWx6xVIPlKshMmjmtCqxW_5kcU4ZedSLES8k4NwF3h3hRYRpMhTBWNoS4w2pNvdSNfRT3wyyhiWYEQcFxzr3BH6jb7v2ZzTx1TmvoRC6KVf3EY0XU0-XN7myfg/s400/DSCN1499.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Summer has,</span> <span style="font-size: large;">at last, smiled on us and it is wonderful to enjoy the heat of the sun.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1R9l9WuvL9hsYf3Rvkn0dcTqX_7nEGfnYluCcfQ5wUGANR6pfTp8N8qwWygieQocsBiVgP98lKk5sItYnu5xVF8gwgkUCXGMNcFD0whyphenhyphena57rvbq3cq_1mXPU3aXR_iec1RaKWPlV8pNE/s1600/_DSC0052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1R9l9WuvL9hsYf3Rvkn0dcTqX_7nEGfnYluCcfQ5wUGANR6pfTp8N8qwWygieQocsBiVgP98lKk5sItYnu5xVF8gwgkUCXGMNcFD0whyphenhyphena57rvbq3cq_1mXPU3aXR_iec1RaKWPlV8pNE/s400/_DSC0052.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Early morning is the most perfect time, before the hot and sultry heat of the day sets in.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVT811O_BcmmCyhQ2sJYDieRNQXkCSwnMtKNUI0r3zpCqiMZ2-RqKaQNjnS6CN4X2MQQtJqNPbdwALWUghiJytHgzzmmzui7iR1e9_RCxGmcA3uNb7GclAYIFc8PHG1xWEedkB4FNuG6s/s1600/_DSC0055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVT811O_BcmmCyhQ2sJYDieRNQXkCSwnMtKNUI0r3zpCqiMZ2-RqKaQNjnS6CN4X2MQQtJqNPbdwALWUghiJytHgzzmmzui7iR1e9_RCxGmcA3uNb7GclAYIFc8PHG1xWEedkB4FNuG6s/s400/_DSC0055.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The clematis likes the sun too and it is flowering its heart out.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1KQCysl_YQ_gpR3PYorZa23vNpp2LfWJqYnA8S008CLRLPa8kVAoAVDs42a53xdkQEu8d3Ast8vEg-vPRVnWRp_Mde-53f5Uc0dYGgRpdvLn6G9OK0OmIUnpl900BWllyJPxSkXwUJw/s1600/_DSC0056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1KQCysl_YQ_gpR3PYorZa23vNpp2LfWJqYnA8S008CLRLPa8kVAoAVDs42a53xdkQEu8d3Ast8vEg-vPRVnWRp_Mde-53f5Uc0dYGgRpdvLn6G9OK0OmIUnpl900BWllyJPxSkXwUJw/s400/_DSC0056.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I love to use flowers from the garden indoors but the clematis flowers are not made to be put into vases.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfNvd_zMstUYmuQwSjCL-Ey95_MAT_N5vXUzpqyVAEkc06H8JLW0CKfCpftBqDBd8WCZb6I5TsZ0wIcIKsebRDT-HgbZ_ToyaeolkhK5K2VD64eWOJ_YuXFOs5vE46fwy3p-jdE2QUI0/s1600/_DSC0060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfNvd_zMstUYmuQwSjCL-Ey95_MAT_N5vXUzpqyVAEkc06H8JLW0CKfCpftBqDBd8WCZb6I5TsZ0wIcIKsebRDT-HgbZ_ToyaeolkhK5K2VD64eWOJ_YuXFOs5vE46fwy3p-jdE2QUI0/s400/_DSC0060.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Even so, they are so beautiful</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcgLvjdGfoWhw-EHQOw9pu3ztc_1aM1WSYtkBwuav3MxH6M_4RwbCOa-Ugneqhpke-U0s-uLfoR9ddTYE5FeSLtq2pNrZ_lKfEEnzqL5ji493ox9kjGHpxm2pk2IjBs0EZgMoX0wDz0w/s1600/_DSC0059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcgLvjdGfoWhw-EHQOw9pu3ztc_1aM1WSYtkBwuav3MxH6M_4RwbCOa-Ugneqhpke-U0s-uLfoR9ddTYE5FeSLtq2pNrZ_lKfEEnzqL5ji493ox9kjGHpxm2pk2IjBs0EZgMoX0wDz0w/s400/_DSC0059.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">that I have found a different way to use them.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA06LJP3Kt-DxSgmj6hBiLfUu0E1zVRYueKNP0zyJoRHLdfFLlNyaFB5t3XgG-lmvBvpiwzTmIQCbmlQD0mNcyfIgxBOjudvH-PhWc9uZAOc2uh-5GECFFBaPo680jLMahoGwvRHrNvmM/s1600/_DSC0062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA06LJP3Kt-DxSgmj6hBiLfUu0E1zVRYueKNP0zyJoRHLdfFLlNyaFB5t3XgG-lmvBvpiwzTmIQCbmlQD0mNcyfIgxBOjudvH-PhWc9uZAOc2uh-5GECFFBaPo680jLMahoGwvRHrNvmM/s400/_DSC0062.JPG" width="400" /> </a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">I have floated flower heads in a wide, shallow glass bowl which is half-filled with water.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0dqyHp7bveraAyp9XQmTeOrp3JolKSwbIxRfQQK74c1x5EhnJkXZWwy_N-B74SZlHNBDS25a9diuaZps7f_Z-ZZkR_4eGD4QVPbZnKEshW3RZ6YElxlisQ2Zr3eetDrmYz-Vb75C5BU/s1600/_DSC0063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0dqyHp7bveraAyp9XQmTeOrp3JolKSwbIxRfQQK74c1x5EhnJkXZWwy_N-B74SZlHNBDS25a9diuaZps7f_Z-ZZkR_4eGD4QVPbZnKEshW3RZ6YElxlisQ2Zr3eetDrmYz-Vb75C5BU/s400/_DSC0063.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then, a glass balloon bobs amongst them.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcj2TgIa48sfCJIYDCLBo3ONJyNDtlqvw4iHAIMKE_aB23MP_Y2yyzTIjTmtqxWNSk3yGm7JWLOIn48CNt32rZg805TQc-J7L_oDZxuuZBtff5xdNuKK9hwXW1uVXeLypKp0iO9dP0-I/s1600/_DSC0064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcj2TgIa48sfCJIYDCLBo3ONJyNDtlqvw4iHAIMKE_aB23MP_Y2yyzTIjTmtqxWNSk3yGm7JWLOIn48CNt32rZg805TQc-J7L_oDZxuuZBtff5xdNuKK9hwXW1uVXeLypKp0iO9dP0-I/s400/_DSC0064.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Finally, when dusk falls I add floating candles that drift aimlessly amongst the flowers, twinkling like stars in the night sky.</span> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuoVGd1SnM2fnGRh0L7sTL3-Xhx07v0ArWYzQet7e9wIg9SfQKUYkXI3h-7Q6rfMsorIsbH_TgwSdHB7NBQgZ1Dv3bYgznue55t3bb__Ii3pBxDUfiG-C1LAejaSW5nPgfokcWfvOUFo/s1600/_DSC0065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuoVGd1SnM2fnGRh0L7sTL3-Xhx07v0ArWYzQet7e9wIg9SfQKUYkXI3h-7Q6rfMsorIsbH_TgwSdHB7NBQgZ1Dv3bYgznue55t3bb__Ii3pBxDUfiG-C1LAejaSW5nPgfokcWfvOUFo/s400/_DSC0065.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> A little <i>lilly pond</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anna</span></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-38286310206304368232011-07-06T15:09:00.001+02:002011-07-06T15:14:06.658+02:00July -<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> and hardly a day passes without some rain: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">sometimes, heavy and relentless, sometimes passing summer showers and sometimes the sky cracks open and shafts of brightness reach playfully through the clouds.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmL3oJurT55ekdGPlvrR-r0hEbTDeaWoHX1RZCL82Svbpu0fr0NMly3U4h24JiNxoTzOb7Tlt1DXNqN3cliXCMa8cnlQyCF5I_KcG14zNK1kkpQmHKywkCyGuEkDZd-LcMhtd__pLcGqM/s1600/_DSC0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmL3oJurT55ekdGPlvrR-r0hEbTDeaWoHX1RZCL82Svbpu0fr0NMly3U4h24JiNxoTzOb7Tlt1DXNqN3cliXCMa8cnlQyCF5I_KcG14zNK1kkpQmHKywkCyGuEkDZd-LcMhtd__pLcGqM/s400/_DSC0047.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I bring in flowers from the garden, even though they quickly wilt. Now, the house is perfumed with the heavy scent of Jasmine </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfHNZBt8ZqaL6W7RMT0JWKUE9G3GSWSV-whSaoSiUbK1Jd_jLI4COZOKHYnwdqFO5bMO1MjfZQovqHjeTtqWARZIYCFuwh5rJHUOXvzG9T50mCMJWeAQDMbGcyqIdDZ25l3gGcSZjUsc/s1600/DSCN1576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfHNZBt8ZqaL6W7RMT0JWKUE9G3GSWSV-whSaoSiUbK1Jd_jLI4COZOKHYnwdqFO5bMO1MjfZQovqHjeTtqWARZIYCFuwh5rJHUOXvzG9T50mCMJWeAQDMbGcyqIdDZ25l3gGcSZjUsc/s400/DSCN1576.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">and any time is a good time for cupcakes. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMvUav3WlvMwgvx0wmvrbJYVbHkfx6n2YCLmNCKAYVeXPkvS0DtP_wWx0Ey7ZirLfzsUncQ1YkOU7smsMtnlkc4WGG9EHbpDCleHFOsUjf7pq3Dry3cq81Zkn3c2Mo8jCc8u_qK1zsQU/s1600/DSCN1755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCMvUav3WlvMwgvx0wmvrbJYVbHkfx6n2YCLmNCKAYVeXPkvS0DtP_wWx0Ey7ZirLfzsUncQ1YkOU7smsMtnlkc4WGG9EHbpDCleHFOsUjf7pq3Dry3cq81Zkn3c2Mo8jCc8u_qK1zsQU/s400/DSCN1755.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anna</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-11118458631892258382011-07-04T08:52:00.000+02:002011-07-04T08:52:08.798+02:00The Empire House and garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There has been a house on this little island in the river since 1650. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyr_r4pY9mSanWPQN0jz_QsrMWoVEaDxAUBaSm4waPEidyihWZtGfnLbND9v4kbSz5_TGiEb8ZD3ck8fUoWvQIlkc9wxEkRK4LdX7hyjXecN5xxvb5cIsLbCmnPl2mssHoRXAHb9qfTWE/s1600/_DSC0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyr_r4pY9mSanWPQN0jz_QsrMWoVEaDxAUBaSm4waPEidyihWZtGfnLbND9v4kbSz5_TGiEb8ZD3ck8fUoWvQIlkc9wxEkRK4LdX7hyjXecN5xxvb5cIsLbCmnPl2mssHoRXAHb9qfTWE/s400/_DSC0040.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the 18th century it was enlarged and gained its present appearance</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzeLqQ2_ccIb3mev0ogFZZHWvluXfZJum0wNsBKQfvjgOlE5srbRJNL6j3a2ObZRttBHvG8s1C7T9t-PxZz8m6r7qluNH_2JMXzdiVq0bZH2dsxK2SOUDyAJjcD8O8E-ig7bYgwu0Kco/s1600/_DSC0039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzeLqQ2_ccIb3mev0ogFZZHWvluXfZJum0wNsBKQfvjgOlE5srbRJNL6j3a2ObZRttBHvG8s1C7T9t-PxZz8m6r7qluNH_2JMXzdiVq0bZH2dsxK2SOUDyAJjcD8O8E-ig7bYgwu0Kco/s400/_DSC0039.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> and is often, today, referred to as The Empire House.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1Xj5L9wuvM92DOQXEQKzpb5XcTDMbemNX5khqpl364fxgsXFLm-9iBEFSccuso3s88JfHKLBuIah7WNHZ2kk9CD7rSqLVh6Jztz8U4j9koQBZGwLwDcQccKWOUyCJsbS6b0GGZkThRE/s1600/_DSC0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1Xj5L9wuvM92DOQXEQKzpb5XcTDMbemNX5khqpl364fxgsXFLm-9iBEFSccuso3s88JfHKLBuIah7WNHZ2kk9CD7rSqLVh6Jztz8U4j9koQBZGwLwDcQccKWOUyCJsbS6b0GGZkThRE/s400/_DSC0041.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It lies, like a sleeping beauty on this little island, between the Old Town and the modern town. </span> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2O_gG23Dy99XGf86ei3HNoi1AbWtyj9gF2wlFTqaZaAmEy6daffUhLoIblcxl5PqCPQQQ-xu87LO4I9scwI3E1eGsUYO1LOoaOvpah4Ll2iiE3DAz95bLSjcSCfJV3yaCfHa31Pbipl0/s1600/Isegran+fly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2O_gG23Dy99XGf86ei3HNoi1AbWtyj9gF2wlFTqaZaAmEy6daffUhLoIblcxl5PqCPQQQ-xu87LO4I9scwI3E1eGsUYO1LOoaOvpah4Ll2iiE3DAz95bLSjcSCfJV3yaCfHa31Pbipl0/s400/Isegran+fly.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The plans for the garden were drawn-up in 1750</span> <span style="font-size: large;">and were faithfully followed when planting the garden we see today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the water's edge there is a tiny summerhouse. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwkxZpCus9GqwyXYdlWYnlHkhh80o8f1eYlYUXUPFGCWxh6NPyV3zBkR6Asf9jQRzjByAkgv08DlzH1M46HbrE2eZORyWJVohDaI7PdLkGcLeRGvF-NBjY10Hnf2maVl_y-hgQYnDKMA/s1600/_DSC0033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwkxZpCus9GqwyXYdlWYnlHkhh80o8f1eYlYUXUPFGCWxh6NPyV3zBkR6Asf9jQRzjByAkgv08DlzH1M46HbrE2eZORyWJVohDaI7PdLkGcLeRGvF-NBjY10Hnf2maVl_y-hgQYnDKMA/s400/_DSC0033.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The garden is planted with edible, medicinal and decorative plants</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIyHDJjbIBxSOGNkmF64hq_rilKzprDT1xI0qVvL-P91QotvcMaMluTGrIKIUkiNLY3n-PzSMKfYcTH58urLOeyrffUruaiiGY-fTNMyO-nI5yN-Btoh0HjAD7pxtPER-yfSomQb0pJ0/s1600/_DSC0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIyHDJjbIBxSOGNkmF64hq_rilKzprDT1xI0qVvL-P91QotvcMaMluTGrIKIUkiNLY3n-PzSMKfYcTH58urLOeyrffUruaiiGY-fTNMyO-nI5yN-Btoh0HjAD7pxtPER-yfSomQb0pJ0/s400/_DSC0027.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">and is an oasis of order and calm</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuBgN5sMe-93OAc1Mkj75B9z0BlSHCy1H8t_c_aO_Y2kVHQcibkw37Mt9upCYbmEJ8PAT6X39jCqrjp12e7Tv5lpblKtiJaatefA8HSLkkYgKUdMNqCgT8ubYB6-ZHKI5QOpVL4e0Eb0/s1600/_DSC0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuBgN5sMe-93OAc1Mkj75B9z0BlSHCy1H8t_c_aO_Y2kVHQcibkw37Mt9upCYbmEJ8PAT6X39jCqrjp12e7Tv5lpblKtiJaatefA8HSLkkYgKUdMNqCgT8ubYB6-ZHKI5QOpVL4e0Eb0/s400/_DSC0032.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> where you can hear the regular swish as the waterwheel nearby churns its paddles in the river</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8EJ2fGcl1cRUzXbrsjf_d5DYuVgV3dVhelUPcYtycfpnLKPWdP5dVzAYd3RcCtSgngBIv-J7Deq06h7YIfT48kgEDId51iIwqI-0FKmJzaa5fYg9sgr_tQmpQSU8wFAjZJ1ajdhtkyg/s1600/_DSC0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL8EJ2fGcl1cRUzXbrsjf_d5DYuVgV3dVhelUPcYtycfpnLKPWdP5dVzAYd3RcCtSgngBIv-J7Deq06h7YIfT48kgEDId51iIwqI-0FKmJzaa5fYg9sgr_tQmpQSU8wFAjZJ1ajdhtkyg/s400/_DSC0038.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">while sitting watching the boats pass by. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXcT-wU7CbfU-oBob7uKaJsEc8z-wCDGBCg3ACpkAFcPfheQncB59K0nLZ_cGujt6Drcz4L6i7JRY5BvN3wOBqqUza-AGp3C9pZf44QOwjqEMq7wqR0TZUZGLegWe8ZULTXcnz6Fgsu8/s1600/_DSC0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXcT-wU7CbfU-oBob7uKaJsEc8z-wCDGBCg3ACpkAFcPfheQncB59K0nLZ_cGujt6Drcz4L6i7JRY5BvN3wOBqqUza-AGp3C9pZf44QOwjqEMq7wqR0TZUZGLegWe8ZULTXcnz6Fgsu8/s400/_DSC0028.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The island can be reached by a small bridge and although the house and its surrounding buildings are used by the University of Oslo anyone can visit the garden. Surprisingly, few do.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anna </span></div></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-88844983065939091152011-06-27T20:24:00.000+02:002011-06-27T20:24:41.654+02:00Weekend Guests<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Guests for the weekend</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">so, there were flowers from the garden</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOuZSQanDzsyXXSOg_7Z-2bIi9v8YxXgMDxB7caJSmkzMAoS_4le6SBdheJAZQcUmjxmDIqvlXvJggNviqiFmrNYw16ZVLKFIRFZosDMDrk6jNREvmTT_rU69lBqbivusUzVouemT5vo/s1600/_DSC0122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOuZSQanDzsyXXSOg_7Z-2bIi9v8YxXgMDxB7caJSmkzMAoS_4le6SBdheJAZQcUmjxmDIqvlXvJggNviqiFmrNYw16ZVLKFIRFZosDMDrk6jNREvmTT_rU69lBqbivusUzVouemT5vo/s400/_DSC0122.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">and candles for the tables.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJ4rVPIDTjp57oGpXkDhDy1U_zv87v1qGecsDqVUspoAwkzhID8CXB9-nNRTZKScnvzHxRbmWU0EyMcTRtqcXrb8T6WqLhiwStILxDEur5ueSjR_SOVx-afN8ODdB2gCrqJjyuU-omAE/s1600/_DSC0124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJ4rVPIDTjp57oGpXkDhDy1U_zv87v1qGecsDqVUspoAwkzhID8CXB9-nNRTZKScnvzHxRbmWU0EyMcTRtqcXrb8T6WqLhiwStILxDEur5ueSjR_SOVx-afN8ODdB2gCrqJjyuU-omAE/s400/_DSC0124.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">a tour of the garden</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHu5twOe0HDwerGbbqL9G68DJ2MR2QAvufjh5A95FeWfaQmAZcuOSrNP_3IFiAiaznly44iDRjWtOU83vRPvVzLPTcKMjzb-PmXYVRuvzH8v0yHivI73apGid5TRzuCSsSuMV7L8Pb-z8/s1600/_DSC0116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHu5twOe0HDwerGbbqL9G68DJ2MR2QAvufjh5A95FeWfaQmAZcuOSrNP_3IFiAiaznly44iDRjWtOU83vRPvVzLPTcKMjzb-PmXYVRuvzH8v0yHivI73apGid5TRzuCSsSuMV7L8Pb-z8/s400/_DSC0116.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">even though it was a bit chilly</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjz1f7VNYzKKQVmq2VyuE5QG9PzIELAAUWKzx15mZ_Zk8SUtFoXykxUB2V8lV_i14ji1MS3fNL4H8pEF5q3YC1eUnyahbvumRIslwQRuzJAlP6leewRpbOL6tDBizRBGKtY8EhrvOiaEQ/s1600/_DSC0114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjz1f7VNYzKKQVmq2VyuE5QG9PzIELAAUWKzx15mZ_Zk8SUtFoXykxUB2V8lV_i14ji1MS3fNL4H8pEF5q3YC1eUnyahbvumRIslwQRuzJAlP6leewRpbOL6tDBizRBGKtY8EhrvOiaEQ/s400/_DSC0114.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">cake, of course</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDsLn7BaSQ4I77tWuvqSYfMbSjfShEDiUwuKuayNhxrDlgRXgSToIkS8xrJor7Tj0paTSYnp4j0kkVAWjSFLiSDotpq7BvZgMh__8bBubvEtO7Ew6R_FINvAHcM_UVlo2UN8ajoXMp3g/s1600/_DSC0106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDsLn7BaSQ4I77tWuvqSYfMbSjfShEDiUwuKuayNhxrDlgRXgSToIkS8xrJor7Tj0paTSYnp4j0kkVAWjSFLiSDotpq7BvZgMh__8bBubvEtO7Ew6R_FINvAHcM_UVlo2UN8ajoXMp3g/s400/_DSC0106.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">with sweet white wine and vanilla custard</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8yAa4EwDge4ljj5yMJHYEetme-H1wHrAzHwMSdE_M3Jr3j4e8unVJzeQpi-G-KAjm86be2iODJaa__OFgBfHut5mtei0RqLF4U6v4T_Wpxno-nhZL3iF7E20hucuYRnKWqKCT9HVQ3Y/s1600/_DSC0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8yAa4EwDge4ljj5yMJHYEetme-H1wHrAzHwMSdE_M3Jr3j4e8unVJzeQpi-G-KAjm86be2iODJaa__OFgBfHut5mtei0RqLF4U6v4T_Wpxno-nhZL3iF7E20hucuYRnKWqKCT9HVQ3Y/s400/_DSC0043.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">but today they have gone, and so has the sunshine</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42tc7LQ7M6bsArtf4cHbNvEr1hyphenhyphen0Ss304TXXTt79dWFfONAOjSo31AeuHAulE2YpuJaXv6lH9L6KVToZ0CDF8eK6XlU1q-h7kNy8_goohvFrui-0lswXM6vzJzKEP2W9hcHtkffaBhQ0/s1600/_DSC0140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42tc7LQ7M6bsArtf4cHbNvEr1hyphenhyphen0Ss304TXXTt79dWFfONAOjSo31AeuHAulE2YpuJaXv6lH9L6KVToZ0CDF8eK6XlU1q-h7kNy8_goohvFrui-0lswXM6vzJzKEP2W9hcHtkffaBhQ0/s400/_DSC0140.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">it has rained all day</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-gSFhFn9NCHFiDy4NdXd2jlckCB2WFqcX20Pv9pVtGoz4NrGRssoosJi_kxfBaVbu1KE9hZebei5xrgghVnGJ31KWhIoR23x8ARBHZWj674qUKSYhleS78xKBT-_NPS0GMBA39JR1CE/s1600/_DSC0135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-gSFhFn9NCHFiDy4NdXd2jlckCB2WFqcX20Pv9pVtGoz4NrGRssoosJi_kxfBaVbu1KE9hZebei5xrgghVnGJ31KWhIoR23x8ARBHZWj674qUKSYhleS78xKBT-_NPS0GMBA39JR1CE/s400/_DSC0135.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">and we are still waiting for the real summer to arrive</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jyfGRBDQWdoOvwNF1r3JP2Hq83lbLurn_AeLd6h29i_htUh8vYduucG32LDl5-e6eQwN0cT0gYj109CRc93aqNgUQ38nt8sxyjdSX61oWNp6liwdYz5LHG5LFDJ-dfaAXE8RReNaaww/s1600/_DSC0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jyfGRBDQWdoOvwNF1r3JP2Hq83lbLurn_AeLd6h29i_htUh8vYduucG32LDl5-e6eQwN0cT0gYj109CRc93aqNgUQ38nt8sxyjdSX61oWNp6liwdYz5LHG5LFDJ-dfaAXE8RReNaaww/s400/_DSC0136.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anna</span></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-61994734715201179132011-06-19T15:57:00.000+02:002011-06-19T15:57:05.386+02:00Glass 2: In praise of the glassblower's art<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwIoaix9wta9MdG40UcfgB-ciUruwE1NCdCqKpoBiv5zthU-BbDWavXqwE6Hopfk2r0edRsIY4Z9OvBixWfRL7WoDqTzOKEpqmIyzMGF9If9Ap2VlTXvbxr1FPlPl3zWEWSOu8MzxWLo/s1600/DSCN2339-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwIoaix9wta9MdG40UcfgB-ciUruwE1NCdCqKpoBiv5zthU-BbDWavXqwE6Hopfk2r0edRsIY4Z9OvBixWfRL7WoDqTzOKEpqmIyzMGF9If9Ap2VlTXvbxr1FPlPl3zWEWSOu8MzxWLo/s400/DSCN2339-2.JPG" width="318" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I can never resist an opportunity to watch a craftsman applying his trade. So, I often visit the glass-blowing workshop in my town.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLxWRnZXTGa1p1gxWdwx3bTGja7t6CUG56nsjToTfzcZESgSx5JyNXZ_PosCaub2qXZwyMIglbERANbv9-W2cH5rBoa0jMkrt7ddmd7QduNVWRSYEyIusKmzLwBpUpS-GbC7rr75XJRw/s1600/DSCN2349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLxWRnZXTGa1p1gxWdwx3bTGja7t6CUG56nsjToTfzcZESgSx5JyNXZ_PosCaub2qXZwyMIglbERANbv9-W2cH5rBoa0jMkrt7ddmd7QduNVWRSYEyIusKmzLwBpUpS-GbC7rr75XJRw/s400/DSCN2349.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It was established in 1958 in an old military building and was the first in Norway to make Studio Glass.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgwqpt-4ZUrvN7er3Wk9pEFwyzor0Z9c9ypm1Mg1a_Jy5HDJ6PeMG1kIWw9oNXNIYsOx_MGpHcdAQegP4s8TqcOjyEIZip4IC8DhXDNEpZeWzX4ajIxFadLM_kdjWbq5NseUrhBkn_EE/s1600/DSCN2346-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgwqpt-4ZUrvN7er3Wk9pEFwyzor0Z9c9ypm1Mg1a_Jy5HDJ6PeMG1kIWw9oNXNIYsOx_MGpHcdAQegP4s8TqcOjyEIZip4IC8DhXDNEpZeWzX4ajIxFadLM_kdjWbq5NseUrhBkn_EE/s400/DSCN2346-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The designer, Benny Motzfeldt, was the artistic director here in the 1970s and today, examples of her work are highly-prized and collected.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOXOXQxgJT3T57lPC1pB_QVQnhx-5ZRPAln0Z4dpxbSxPaTdGUb8Dh-qioU2hdgIHZy_moiFSxPIGkdUARdeyWfMYeW1qmKLbIqhn2G9etI9_n5olBcyzsB8vxQO64i6Y8et7lTcXV1w/s1600/Pictures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbOXOXQxgJT3T57lPC1pB_QVQnhx-5ZRPAln0Z4dpxbSxPaTdGUb8Dh-qioU2hdgIHZy_moiFSxPIGkdUARdeyWfMYeW1qmKLbIqhn2G9etI9_n5olBcyzsB8vxQO64i6Y8et7lTcXV1w/s400/Pictures.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Glass designed by Benny Motzfeldt</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today, the workshop is owned and run by Kenyan born Abel Sawe.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVSvRWEJtAn_Dy8S30I-wRGaJWKhIQIdh-O9y993NkkoEykbVU-38pCznlGoYDcuPK6ZxzOE7iNsTkl6HfiF_Dy55Sm45WDlmy6Ea_xDQ3iNwBhEd9Sp8k4NfLRQhWNOQScC8pzu-L2I/s1600/DSCN2347-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVSvRWEJtAn_Dy8S30I-wRGaJWKhIQIdh-O9y993NkkoEykbVU-38pCznlGoYDcuPK6ZxzOE7iNsTkl6HfiF_Dy55Sm45WDlmy6Ea_xDQ3iNwBhEd9Sp8k4NfLRQhWNOQScC8pzu-L2I/s320/DSCN2347-1.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You can feel the heat, as soon as you step inside. Not surprising, considering that the smelting furnace melts the raw product and maintains it at a temperature of 1390 degrees centigrade. This is where molten glass is gathered at one end of a blowpipe. At this stage, the glass has the consistency of very hot toffee.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Then, the design elements are incorporated. In this instance, it is in powder form which the glass takes-up when rolled.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryLEVFNnr4iyNVtTn_P2rZEEjL9xFTapk4JnYwxBMK0ad3A9jnlbGQWYeKhMsuAn5hQPnTGLKU6o7sqJMiYWdEMM6o2r5I2hjjqqRK58gVafDJg2ZP0pZh66uPleFEBQgBLyUT5rARFo/s1600/DSCN2336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryLEVFNnr4iyNVtTn_P2rZEEjL9xFTapk4JnYwxBMK0ad3A9jnlbGQWYeKhMsuAn5hQPnTGLKU6o7sqJMiYWdEMM6o2r5I2hjjqqRK58gVafDJg2ZP0pZh66uPleFEBQgBLyUT5rARFo/s400/DSCN2336.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Then, short puffs down the blowpipe inflate it into a small bubble which can be formed in a mould and/or rolled into shape. Time and again, however, it must be reheated in a second oven, to the left, as you see in this picture.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkmydJoK4qX3PBoc5KiqZt_U2eQZpKGJVK8Hopz8iyCx6UfWgdbKOpXYBwQVsBVRfKZisjW_RIPkzokpgdOBRyNjCCpg4Ua7Ybf9ONRrmrjzC3rhoVHWDfKA7x-aPOiR85XlGDEv1WX4/s1600/DSCN2333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkmydJoK4qX3PBoc5KiqZt_U2eQZpKGJVK8Hopz8iyCx6UfWgdbKOpXYBwQVsBVRfKZisjW_RIPkzokpgdOBRyNjCCpg4Ua7Ybf9ONRrmrjzC3rhoVHWDfKA7x-aPOiR85XlGDEv1WX4/s400/DSCN2333.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And so the glass is worked, re-heated and worked again. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiY1LKcBZP3FEXNP8AfD8umhKs9ivxO_dDKHAhr7TcF5J0M45mQiIOLTIhk8FCKOS2d8U_QtG6dKvYbKgKls-ZFE7IG8JPINvby9unzSjN5895pPo08a97tDtArwDX92y9lT0aDBPLlI/s1600/DSCN2337-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiY1LKcBZP3FEXNP8AfD8umhKs9ivxO_dDKHAhr7TcF5J0M45mQiIOLTIhk8FCKOS2d8U_QtG6dKvYbKgKls-ZFE7IG8JPINvby9unzSjN5895pPo08a97tDtArwDX92y9lT0aDBPLlI/s400/DSCN2337-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Each piece is unique.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKmBwVt4EfKmEhl-on3jrm0ttwehQmaf1qdc38MwoKF8tucX5v56_aoC_VWogab6vuub3ZWupHooCVOYeo5-th7_bnttF3y-NGjwV_TwNRD3zac_f-DYqcG1Jq_0Ed7FncGtssBHglxM/s1600/DSCN2345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKmBwVt4EfKmEhl-on3jrm0ttwehQmaf1qdc38MwoKF8tucX5v56_aoC_VWogab6vuub3ZWupHooCVOYeo5-th7_bnttF3y-NGjwV_TwNRD3zac_f-DYqcG1Jq_0Ed7FncGtssBHglxM/s400/DSCN2345.JPG" width="307" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, the finished glass is placed in a cooling oven where it takes six or seven hours to gradually reach room temperature.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYq5k0PFkrzgvsOkbREfb6y9e3D4aURSz_y1ZHyrVruQrDz6aoVN1eIV6VxCw8e1_xlePzAibJYpc8aO_eI3todJ3g_onTOD0rzLbk4F4TzUunXhaDGK1YPvdJcgV3JRBmndkSgOsXw0/s1600/Pictures1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYq5k0PFkrzgvsOkbREfb6y9e3D4aURSz_y1ZHyrVruQrDz6aoVN1eIV6VxCw8e1_xlePzAibJYpc8aO_eI3todJ3g_onTOD0rzLbk4F4TzUunXhaDGK1YPvdJcgV3JRBmndkSgOsXw0/s400/Pictures1.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here, in the adjoining shop there is an ever-changing exhibit of beautiful glass.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbUtHj12cMNA-brelPKlukKlg9aAxwcmsPLvd8lBVtJhc2dwso9gnRSqjNf7xmCtOzsonkgRoUJbPLwx3c71BnV3jYRGfXfCnQpF1GF2Fdq6lNL-V_1zKrKzqE8YKu314Jv5ucDLPkUc/s1600/DSCN2341-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbUtHj12cMNA-brelPKlukKlg9aAxwcmsPLvd8lBVtJhc2dwso9gnRSqjNf7xmCtOzsonkgRoUJbPLwx3c71BnV3jYRGfXfCnQpF1GF2Fdq6lNL-V_1zKrKzqE8YKu314Jv5ucDLPkUc/s400/DSCN2341-1.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> <span style="font-size: large;"> Precious jewel coloured glass </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Opaque and transparent</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7Gs6gUWi6b5kczXhkHgpTWAvzkfkZLpkyZHdPS7M3cR8GthV1OO4d7Gh_2tQKWzaeeYsE6JaHkCT7hwTt8EMrwBhYmvCpBEA7RzJ_D1l8SIvYp60YIdkXPkVNLAjK_3eDXrzbFIyAVU/s1600/DSCN2338-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7Gs6gUWi6b5kczXhkHgpTWAvzkfkZLpkyZHdPS7M3cR8GthV1OO4d7Gh_2tQKWzaeeYsE6JaHkCT7hwTt8EMrwBhYmvCpBEA7RzJ_D1l8SIvYp60YIdkXPkVNLAjK_3eDXrzbFIyAVU/s640/DSCN2338-1.JPG" width="152" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Something for flowers, cakes, salads and liquiours</span>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A perfect present to myself or someone I care about.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anna </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</span></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-30630585678882172762011-06-14T17:10:00.001+02:002011-06-15T11:01:38.224+02:00Summer, Shrimps and Strawberries<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Doll House is not beside the sea. Nevertheless, when June gets underway and the days lengthen, thoughts turn to shrimps and strawberries.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPi4roNYzchH2r-DezRPmiy1-niHumCuNgIWMzdTsvY3Nx6XDYOwXnSeR8BHoMVLt5QPOve6jxZbfsVqa3fi-KeW_AAeCQNN5dl-IKPLyJEO4C_DY-MxVQeCCXHhP2F3ngJCFuf2_cGQ/s1600/DSCN1543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPi4roNYzchH2r-DezRPmiy1-niHumCuNgIWMzdTsvY3Nx6XDYOwXnSeR8BHoMVLt5QPOve6jxZbfsVqa3fi-KeW_AAeCQNN5dl-IKPLyJEO4C_DY-MxVQeCCXHhP2F3ngJCFuf2_cGQ/s400/DSCN1543.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So, every year in the second week of June, the invitations are sent-out for our annual Shrimp and Strawberry Party. We plan for a long evening around the table in the garden; ready to light lanterns and candles when the light fades.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg773FpwmvUDsJZSFFluNWIoy3wfdIcViogOpYNg0Jqtddin6c5U5uw4uNzCq6vfOhq1FxP1qnaJiHwBNXT5bLQx_PxfD-pXFCA6L1pK4LSJ22KIoOsAeFBlWwO7yUHqcoP3K7dC0ouP98/s1600/DSCN1853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg773FpwmvUDsJZSFFluNWIoy3wfdIcViogOpYNg0Jqtddin6c5U5uw4uNzCq6vfOhq1FxP1qnaJiHwBNXT5bLQx_PxfD-pXFCA6L1pK4LSJ22KIoOsAeFBlWwO7yUHqcoP3K7dC0ouP98/s320/DSCN1853.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The shrimps are caught in the Skagerakk and cooked on-board the shrimp boats on their way into harbour. Then, they are landed on an island, not so far from us. So, we can find them in the shop, fresh from the sea.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIkVgAMUm-Ng_nh8WCnf2KiqJZwFoMRwpRKpTOpC1v2PdkUo3UbsibgHc71JLnpvsgunkZe25fZuO4G67Hc7cDV4h1r0n0ksMg_WudXY_4s0N0ITnV261zOKkwW3HQJgMaEpAISSwNw8/s1600/_DSC0064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIkVgAMUm-Ng_nh8WCnf2KiqJZwFoMRwpRKpTOpC1v2PdkUo3UbsibgHc71JLnpvsgunkZe25fZuO4G67Hc7cDV4h1r0n0ksMg_WudXY_4s0N0ITnV261zOKkwW3HQJgMaEpAISSwNw8/s400/_DSC0064.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This year, sadly, we were driven indoors by rain and a chill wind. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7MOngo0dechtNT3bzMDfgmHfF8FMAZ6Jz37SykTLpfnQao-mN7G05GILi4WR0OFABJbpzVxJk0iXXyo3polyztjXxeIDZmks2w0vekcHblacmw42RkO3VeK7B_N5xwMzI4mbtLkogNk/s1600/_DSC0066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7MOngo0dechtNT3bzMDfgmHfF8FMAZ6Jz37SykTLpfnQao-mN7G05GILi4WR0OFABJbpzVxJk0iXXyo3polyztjXxeIDZmks2w0vekcHblacmw42RkO3VeK7B_N5xwMzI4mbtLkogNk/s400/_DSC0066.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, much of the summer feeling was lost.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAv3VgjFEdjE5gS5lpAqAdPqFn8ehgaBfWr4jgUFKgd4NfOGMamOfP_9cjOIxLfod9EnUYpGqZ7pbHaPoy9AT8ubcMZolnRTIvNmjRmxY_f67wR4tb3xGlJXmcI-R_Zi-AEKlmyY-9NAQ/s1600/_DSC0075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAv3VgjFEdjE5gS5lpAqAdPqFn8ehgaBfWr4jgUFKgd4NfOGMamOfP_9cjOIxLfod9EnUYpGqZ7pbHaPoy9AT8ubcMZolnRTIvNmjRmxY_f67wR4tb3xGlJXmcI-R_Zi-AEKlmyY-9NAQ/s400/_DSC0075.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Even so, lighting the candles indoors has its own charm, even on a summer evening.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5sEQHreIUEcgDcwvSqcxNfCCtZCtusTpk5qUBX03ynFxh4ASbjA6RFCS0cg09AMzzY3VSBTU9pOzEkj_OXa83GijBXEIDNfQCokN_fmCubZTke30xSv6ytT6mzssQabwRMWP653CcAs/s1600/_DSC0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5sEQHreIUEcgDcwvSqcxNfCCtZCtusTpk5qUBX03ynFxh4ASbjA6RFCS0cg09AMzzY3VSBTU9pOzEkj_OXa83GijBXEIDNfQCokN_fmCubZTke30xSv6ytT6mzssQabwRMWP653CcAs/s400/_DSC0080.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> So, soon we forgot about the weather.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXRunWIJ7eYxjYYvPStT_1ipQHA0LVLqOE9xtx62Us_xeO1DVtzZ7Ml86Zmwo_P9k19h0-FsSQj4hWnjCJhQOAYxtZsGPHB0a-aEJv-f5TSxXkRYmBJ-TZximKxiaJbybHieDGKljJ6I/s1600/_DSC0082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXRunWIJ7eYxjYYvPStT_1ipQHA0LVLqOE9xtx62Us_xeO1DVtzZ7Ml86Zmwo_P9k19h0-FsSQj4hWnjCJhQOAYxtZsGPHB0a-aEJv-f5TSxXkRYmBJ-TZximKxiaJbybHieDGKljJ6I/s400/_DSC0082.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">These shrimps should perhaps be called prawns but I must confess that I I don't really know the difference. Perhaps, it is all in the size. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzz3LTyOTnYOSBr5t75hWA23QEupwUPZMifLWrZft_kwIDoxA7ifCtJYE30HXAnCQ6yg6oeh4_kUFriyyMoUaALN6kWhPubXJQINJZC-BlNQmbltNUlWIyCfpHdGJJJ-K1qHiqGxLtpY/s1600/_DSC0083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzz3LTyOTnYOSBr5t75hWA23QEupwUPZMifLWrZft_kwIDoxA7ifCtJYE30HXAnCQ6yg6oeh4_kUFriyyMoUaALN6kWhPubXJQINJZC-BlNQmbltNUlWIyCfpHdGJJJ-K1qHiqGxLtpY/s400/_DSC0083.JPG" width="378" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then, there were strawberries, as promised.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQ-TGg_6hfWdwL3QPUGpQPeUmz4aWadRochKrvYPIzLWNas9LdGDNT9-3QQ_hwjrIsJz4APgs-3iGGHuOziEkP2F8XfmmKqxAivVpZe8v7qS_9soWckSwDbQ7astyd7tcGSX9HSmP6lk/s1600/DSCN1409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQ-TGg_6hfWdwL3QPUGpQPeUmz4aWadRochKrvYPIzLWNas9LdGDNT9-3QQ_hwjrIsJz4APgs-3iGGHuOziEkP2F8XfmmKqxAivVpZe8v7qS_9soWckSwDbQ7astyd7tcGSX9HSmP6lk/s320/DSCN1409.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A taste of summer.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2v3Z4iLNRc9qydK4NqoZEuBkC4naZ-fTPXVcEWcFncthrJpv2lVxTWzowDn4bs1h9Uyo4kTdNoKqJ1C-O-hF_nxsw7hTTpPXvvA1fXkAv8v26Fj2eJVLdBm_JnC9Flln-Pp9pyi-s258/s1600/DSCN1408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2v3Z4iLNRc9qydK4NqoZEuBkC4naZ-fTPXVcEWcFncthrJpv2lVxTWzowDn4bs1h9Uyo4kTdNoKqJ1C-O-hF_nxsw7hTTpPXvvA1fXkAv8v26Fj2eJVLdBm_JnC9Flln-Pp9pyi-s258/s320/DSCN1408.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Finaly, a little apology: some of these pictures were snapped after we cracked-open the champagne and are a bit wobbly.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anna </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-56982887944703766932011-05-28T17:06:00.000+02:002011-05-28T17:06:01.230+02:00Been to Hell and back<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;">It was unexpected: the first time I went to Hell. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I was traveling north, on the Night Train but at Trondheim all the passengers were transferred to coaches and bussed passed a closed stretch of track. It was after midnight and one of those midsummer northern nights when the sunset and sunrise collide above the horizon in a blaze of fiery reds and yellows. The coaches stopped at a tiny railway station and we passengers obediently filed onto the platform. As the sound of the departing buses grew fainter we were left in the silence of the night which was only disturbed by the low murmurings of some of my fellow passengers. There was no train.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">That was when I noticed the sign: we were at HELL.</span></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRcA-n0dYusjHH341TEdsjMqzGd1UKpLTURF49ljMBpNCcp2_JfIYYNx_hv5Vc_0aRqr5L17OB4XCrvnm6odm5ym96u6stGIuTBaZs92lzzaNmH9WJ3LXbujdDiTwLeaZ3TanriMbfN8/s1600/Hell+station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyRcA-n0dYusjHH341TEdsjMqzGd1UKpLTURF49ljMBpNCcp2_JfIYYNx_hv5Vc_0aRqr5L17OB4XCrvnm6odm5ym96u6stGIuTBaZs92lzzaNmH9WJ3LXbujdDiTwLeaZ3TanriMbfN8/s400/Hell+station.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A favorite postcard image</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Surprisingly, a sign on a smaller building read: </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">GODS EXPEDITION</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">and at this point I had a brief ....Twilight Zone moment.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJ9QKZ0wGHeYoxe8dNaCnhlHMt1zs_ZNgFP-BD6FyP4Ub_bZSPeGbRieXPYmejub58OLBMpGP7ZcPJexwRnBLl6ajpKSDk58cKyvSLXwb9ItD8bDci7oQk_yNNs4fKdX786TTJU2qLIo/s1600/gods+expedition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtJ9QKZ0wGHeYoxe8dNaCnhlHMt1zs_ZNgFP-BD6FyP4Ub_bZSPeGbRieXPYmejub58OLBMpGP7ZcPJexwRnBLl6ajpKSDk58cKyvSLXwb9ItD8bDci7oQk_yNNs4fKdX786TTJU2qLIo/s320/gods+expedition.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;">Thankfully, a train did finally appear and it was with some relief, that I was able to continue my journey. However, I will always remember this first encounter with Hell.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeTZh-w3ftHR6vu6uN5pnEHpKYXhcvq_VXLjlGgnwTjccsuBv1qVwRTSgHOP6ytLrbgvAhyphenhyphenb0ntAol5gdG4oEsTSSgwL2qFuzngm1i_mvMalJ7GqcBMdTAqts7XKSXQDSxBOoPUkRrUY/s1600/Hell+clock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeTZh-w3ftHR6vu6uN5pnEHpKYXhcvq_VXLjlGgnwTjccsuBv1qVwRTSgHOP6ytLrbgvAhyphenhyphenb0ntAol5gdG4oEsTSSgwL2qFuzngm1i_mvMalJ7GqcBMdTAqts7XKSXQDSxBOoPUkRrUY/s320/Hell+clock.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hell time</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGwA6Gq06vQ_Ax5ugnuHSNAEYg_2pQbHaN6qi1ab69homScrX5u_FidA5TqowM5-G9bAkeq9h3riOqzywXJi5hhcMBW2eNFrS6f_weqEVYHu_tZZSjRHN44F6DkCadjJ5AEPcdwnb2mw/s1600/hell-postoffice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGwA6Gq06vQ_Ax5ugnuHSNAEYg_2pQbHaN6qi1ab69homScrX5u_FidA5TqowM5-G9bAkeq9h3riOqzywXJi5hhcMBW2eNFrS6f_weqEVYHu_tZZSjRHN44F6DkCadjJ5AEPcdwnb2mw/s320/hell-postoffice.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Did you know that Hell has a postal service?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I have since passed through Hell many times, but not by rail. Instead, the road to Hell is via Hell Tunnel.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-OoLkABZozeJq-nmPEaCYNgGFGmCu0YcC4kdsCy9v_-u7-b_A0iTm9e8bmILEAni2Qrg0RSdI0j5OJ50wAmUZimYTBKDucwhAl9dVB6i8BGoybWxp1sd4oPI1FXTg586k9WsFTlMmeM/s1600/DSCN1502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-OoLkABZozeJq-nmPEaCYNgGFGmCu0YcC4kdsCy9v_-u7-b_A0iTm9e8bmILEAni2Qrg0RSdI0j5OJ50wAmUZimYTBKDucwhAl9dVB6i8BGoybWxp1sd4oPI1FXTg586k9WsFTlMmeM/s320/DSCN1502.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUE0pAZFhlj6SwBG3Y7qeIAiuCTUa8kczw0Iga7FM5669nEF-VHpg-fvmDi5VY-C2TqLlsABEu4ePU5aoxNDFfMb1kUpQOEKKfemI7r_UUb-1DEuYpm1XOynJb80TB6KW3XHsqvXJXp0/s1600/Hell+tunnel+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUE0pAZFhlj6SwBG3Y7qeIAiuCTUa8kczw0Iga7FM5669nEF-VHpg-fvmDi5VY-C2TqLlsABEu4ePU5aoxNDFfMb1kUpQOEKKfemI7r_UUb-1DEuYpm1XOynJb80TB6KW3XHsqvXJXp0/s200/Hell+tunnel+sign.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It is very long and dark but it finally emerges in this unremarkable place.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiR69fWx-XtIlORMDNuEU-qxcOH4rz5X5sCg8emxET-QMIygZWmQkPD25HJuTO2ze-9oHbrnp3lT-rOQ1Er0AGVoSaHClaf6b_Kxzef7i1Pe0bxYBrV7LLEpadw4AdW5u-isq71QbjpuI/s1600/Hell+signpost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiR69fWx-XtIlORMDNuEU-qxcOH4rz5X5sCg8emxET-QMIygZWmQkPD25HJuTO2ze-9oHbrnp3lT-rOQ1Er0AGVoSaHClaf6b_Kxzef7i1Pe0bxYBrV7LLEpadw4AdW5u-isq71QbjpuI/s400/Hell+signpost.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Indeed, the most interesting thing about Hell is its name. There is an airport there but, I suppose for obvious reasons, it is called Værnes. After all, who would chance boarding a flight to Hell. On the other hand, you can stay the night at the very modern Hell Hotel where I'm sure the staff are under great pressure to make their guests feel that they are in paradise - the alternative is too hard to contemplate. </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">As for that sign at the railway station: </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">GODS EXPEDITION </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScQFOQzTuJ9kBDT44-ZIZRHrUct6wfu91Kl_bLRYB4keEIJklXOAqzaITS4ZTgpJBLrbN90W8JJq90NEp55apSOUEHGyIGkZu_QepNe3fIB_Hsw-9IcdAWZ3eRwlM8c3LjXRxw8mFdY8/s1600/expedition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScQFOQzTuJ9kBDT44-ZIZRHrUct6wfu91Kl_bLRYB4keEIJklXOAqzaITS4ZTgpJBLrbN90W8JJq90NEp55apSOUEHGyIGkZu_QepNe3fIB_Hsw-9IcdAWZ3eRwlM8c3LjXRxw8mFdY8/s320/expedition.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the winter - Hell freezes-over</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">It simply means: cargo handling.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anna </span></div></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-13407634525338886452011-05-23T11:55:00.000+02:002011-05-23T11:55:29.645+02:00Good Weather Shops<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCQjmwHyu9dkf08IBDAYdaagGfJgE0B810JpUv3dfTSZMWq7PKWAPv0QTLBldydyo1iZjC9zMSPjZ-Aa2ncgb_2NNnUkABc4dYMYk-BVvFJ5CkMOzPTTgRUJke9YaB1jM84XAhCy_QPk/s1600/DSCN2361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCQjmwHyu9dkf08IBDAYdaagGfJgE0B810JpUv3dfTSZMWq7PKWAPv0QTLBldydyo1iZjC9zMSPjZ-Aa2ncgb_2NNnUkABc4dYMYk-BVvFJ5CkMOzPTTgRUJke9YaB1jM84XAhCy_QPk/s320/DSCN2361.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I am the first to admit that when the pavements freeze to polished ice and an arctic wind nips the nose, it is very easy to drive into a shopping center and wander in the bright, warm and dry "streets".</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuDWsvWvo7Lvy-HNG4z-TWQHby_imwL4_zT0f7TerSYD2DRvI0gMKpt6ZGGwiv_Tqy6yJJ7Evz6TUWVybaMllokQLVctfJ-QDREGX2I7v06nHPGuruI5P-g8hFxAT4qWdLz1LkqdD3cE/s1600/DSCN2360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuDWsvWvo7Lvy-HNG4z-TWQHby_imwL4_zT0f7TerSYD2DRvI0gMKpt6ZGGwiv_Tqy6yJJ7Evz6TUWVybaMllokQLVctfJ-QDREGX2I7v06nHPGuruI5P-g8hFxAT4qWdLz1LkqdD3cE/s320/DSCN2360.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> However, when looking for something special, unusual or unique rather than the ordinary and mass-produced, then, the places to look are the small independent shops which are not found in shopping centers.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1PBbJYgeO4XYom9aF8N1TpCPp6Y7320Txh_NAPbUjmL5k_DJ7NYFrM8zbl38r3ojQ2j-c4mmUHPtgRmbU4yVcNVS35wwrqdHM_DMTVgV5VqrMy9F5J9oeezyWObfoTCrI1Xq7HjVaB0/s1600/DSCN2362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1PBbJYgeO4XYom9aF8N1TpCPp6Y7320Txh_NAPbUjmL5k_DJ7NYFrM8zbl38r3ojQ2j-c4mmUHPtgRmbU4yVcNVS35wwrqdHM_DMTVgV5VqrMy9F5J9oeezyWObfoTCrI1Xq7HjVaB0/s320/DSCN2362.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> At this time of the year, it is so easy, for me, to walk or cycle to the center of our little town where the shop displays spill out onto the pavements.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Or, take a ferry across the river and wander the cobbled streets in the Old Town and search out hand-made glass, ceramics, chocolates and jewellery. There's also olive oil from Greece, chairs from Milan accessories in modern country style and fashion shops with that little extra.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmnoqaSXogmAGJw_xC8BY6oOCmtvA1piETOx9uYuFVBt_72l5fZXs3hidf-UmmXGeYxnKgZrPmxwGCsaRf8R2vBl2O9-iF8ZFRZ2exKInC89k1kjASDYGtuIoxTibT_D-AcxV_5WPNpg/s1600/DSCN2313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmnoqaSXogmAGJw_xC8BY6oOCmtvA1piETOx9uYuFVBt_72l5fZXs3hidf-UmmXGeYxnKgZrPmxwGCsaRf8R2vBl2O9-iF8ZFRZ2exKInC89k1kjASDYGtuIoxTibT_D-AcxV_5WPNpg/s320/DSCN2313.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">These shops are all privately-run. So, there's not a chain-store in sight and there's always a friendly welcome.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHz33bcuj6G2vTeya_PBZxcEISJeykh7qaYiT30a05JDzdOx9XZkkaKs8-kq3hfuwfOmgf2Y1Qd1kYiKel9jPlMy_SIMaafzB1O6izz0AN7jvvBSB4tkNqgMrRN0wOEh70Kw624a4HQw/s1600/DSCN2352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHz33bcuj6G2vTeya_PBZxcEISJeykh7qaYiT30a05JDzdOx9XZkkaKs8-kq3hfuwfOmgf2Y1Qd1kYiKel9jPlMy_SIMaafzB1O6izz0AN7jvvBSB4tkNqgMrRN0wOEh70Kw624a4HQw/s320/DSCN2352.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> On a sunny day, the town and the Old Town attract lots of shoppers. However, when the storm clouds gather and the rain bounces off the pavements, the streets and the shops become empty.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcPWyz-6RVhw1YIijhTpglJWIimFbjNIKBHHYlunzoeCV_9JJpwzcB0CVdL2HHZ0uBDPu4BGgRG-a5rrMarUAURrt72c8O_MnBoI0y6_XSqEEFShQUtgSo6TcnqfZRPl3_lXGI5jVKnI/s1600/DSCN2312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcPWyz-6RVhw1YIijhTpglJWIimFbjNIKBHHYlunzoeCV_9JJpwzcB0CVdL2HHZ0uBDPu4BGgRG-a5rrMarUAURrt72c8O_MnBoI0y6_XSqEEFShQUtgSo6TcnqfZRPl3_lXGI5jVKnI/s320/DSCN2312.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <span style="font-size: large;">So, guess where everyone goes: the shopping centers, of course.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jZgyDmMjTfxXJO1JZRHOn5xYC8g2DHCBlxiu_MHvk2IF8P8l6tpCJibAJwghyAm_86HZxC9fcgTzf9XELfnFTZebUb6jC5dzcFy32qFd-lbql8j4qZm85IajEquWStsSiw4jT-zJi8g/s1600/gamlebyen+Nov+08+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jZgyDmMjTfxXJO1JZRHOn5xYC8g2DHCBlxiu_MHvk2IF8P8l6tpCJibAJwghyAm_86HZxC9fcgTzf9XELfnFTZebUb6jC5dzcFy32qFd-lbql8j4qZm85IajEquWStsSiw4jT-zJi8g/s320/gamlebyen+Nov+08+006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Many of these Good Weather Shops struggle to stay open. So, the best way to make sure that in the future there will still be an alternative to shopping centers, is to brave the weather and support the local shops.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWz-2-s1udP3gkUyyBmlud8bZ0C_dvLK08eMRZXXC3L6jgLNMwATL57td6j7nGMoU5bTwvwcWavv81lfcFD2rLcJ92RhISUAhgEnQTYAn38VVyVYbvNf0nRhQhfqn4YFLIBufWetqr1jU/s1600/DSCN2353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWz-2-s1udP3gkUyyBmlud8bZ0C_dvLK08eMRZXXC3L6jgLNMwATL57td6j7nGMoU5bTwvwcWavv81lfcFD2rLcJ92RhISUAhgEnQTYAn38VVyVYbvNf0nRhQhfqn4YFLIBufWetqr1jU/s320/DSCN2353.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, this is what I bought: </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8nI3h3y1gXSNWgZv4OWVVaXvZxqvh5ZHRrnT-eC5rTe_9Nc61tqsnN4MWv0d8sq06S14T1dnliT4hr1qDIL29gx_iF5g-Q85bnW9mEUSpnfCqw6Ov2nbw6XleiqDuOZofxFoPfPe3v8/s1600/_DSC0039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8nI3h3y1gXSNWgZv4OWVVaXvZxqvh5ZHRrnT-eC5rTe_9Nc61tqsnN4MWv0d8sq06S14T1dnliT4hr1qDIL29gx_iF5g-Q85bnW9mEUSpnfCqw6Ov2nbw6XleiqDuOZofxFoPfPe3v8/s320/_DSC0039.JPG" width="320" /> </a> </div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Zinc baskets and flowers.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_Ofof5kmVugxwZOf_KYRyx4x9mzm_U98-KX1D4GITL7fawociTedQ8VO3v2_HypRGoaqt9AiV-lgrlGelANKRrV8Sb8fzfXBZ4WW2k2gOnzmz8IqtjXAQu82Gthl6AcBHojlxJ9E1w4/s1600/_DSC0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_Ofof5kmVugxwZOf_KYRyx4x9mzm_U98-KX1D4GITL7fawociTedQ8VO3v2_HypRGoaqt9AiV-lgrlGelANKRrV8Sb8fzfXBZ4WW2k2gOnzmz8IqtjXAQu82Gthl6AcBHojlxJ9E1w4/s320/_DSC0040.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Happy shopping</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anna </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-35411204764861428782011-05-15T15:48:00.000+02:002011-05-15T15:48:29.293+02:00Beautiful Transparency: Glass part 1<div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr align="center"><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2KsEHb_yEab0GVE5wm_zBFZilnFdErQ9iF-eagucGZi3gzJqJaowScpbwrNKPEk9I8EhEMASNF9ZAUJSW9O-8wMImUKEYt-H-PUAI7hpXuhDA4xjVZ62CL1FVjXOOz7yjzuc7SJkhbc/s1600/_DSC0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2KsEHb_yEab0GVE5wm_zBFZilnFdErQ9iF-eagucGZi3gzJqJaowScpbwrNKPEk9I8EhEMASNF9ZAUJSW9O-8wMImUKEYt-H-PUAI7hpXuhDA4xjVZ62CL1FVjXOOz7yjzuc7SJkhbc/s320/_DSC0001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The light-transparent quality of glass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>It is light which gives glass its shimmer and sparkle, so, I love to place it where it can be seen to its best advantage. Add colour to glass. and it can take on jewel-like qualities. <br />
In the early years of glass making, cobalt blue was the pigment used to achieve the colour I so much love. However, cobalt ores contain arsenic and the processes of crushing and smelting the ore produced a highly toxic compound. So, the beautiful old examples of blue glass have claimed a heavy toll on the health and lives of those producing the blue pigment.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rrCYwo_aoWt_7iAVmUkbM-aVMixHONQUBhU1WHBX8JsN0CrOhdXs8yQJgxM8cIt1-V_CXasEC4n0e9JQv4PhZf5JQfF3rJuMZxYMaCi15TleHy7DfXZAHqcYqQ-HAwOJ981RF4EKV_M/s1600/_DSC0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rrCYwo_aoWt_7iAVmUkbM-aVMixHONQUBhU1WHBX8JsN0CrOhdXs8yQJgxM8cIt1-V_CXasEC4n0e9JQv4PhZf5JQfF3rJuMZxYMaCi15TleHy7DfXZAHqcYqQ-HAwOJ981RF4EKV_M/s320/_DSC0002.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue marbles </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDSjN72SZLXhB6M12Fbc-z7lapq4ugyku-D7ETLeiz4ue4bCizTP4-IApdM77hd1FM2TebiTDysro2ytaXyPw0B7-RrYk8HT-DmvBa3UUxVC0S5YEvr5WjQq20eh7gck7mqA48UWFiWo/s1600/_DSC0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDSjN72SZLXhB6M12Fbc-z7lapq4ugyku-D7ETLeiz4ue4bCizTP4-IApdM77hd1FM2TebiTDysro2ytaXyPw0B7-RrYk8HT-DmvBa3UUxVC0S5YEvr5WjQq20eh7gck7mqA48UWFiWo/s320/_DSC0004.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glass ballons</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eIv6JUkaS3yBRK1kO7J0xXTx7TPqp_rQw9PO3MCjuZUSsGKc7lO93SoWr-psB6pQbyRaijMl-Dr3ITAmS4TMztk4_uwF89gKNoTzdixALvp3IXBTKUNhgtnRJJsepxOgngwTJVEthRc/s1600/_DSC0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4eIv6JUkaS3yBRK1kO7J0xXTx7TPqp_rQw9PO3MCjuZUSsGKc7lO93SoWr-psB6pQbyRaijMl-Dr3ITAmS4TMztk4_uwF89gKNoTzdixALvp3IXBTKUNhgtnRJJsepxOgngwTJVEthRc/s320/_DSC0006.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painted balls</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Soda, silica and lime are the basic ingredients in making glass.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">It is not known, for sure, when or where glass was first made but it is believed to have originated in Syria. From there the knowledge spread to Egypt, where the oldest known glass artifact is believed to be 7000 years old.<br />
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Here, in Norway, It was King Christian 1V who initiated the terms for glass production and in the 18th century 7 glass works were established.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bJdslzEMSaL5Vkyx5f4dLWDyI1vEze3hdBnJNJ7a8dI_Z8flkPvtDRLKCE_xOCLj3jBtZgjI9jTz1uFAxr3x_25otkPk-9F-le_JdkqlN7RwTwkilQoDphz8AGKfeaWIx0qM7eiH7aE/s1600/Hurdal+decanter+%25281790-1820%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bJdslzEMSaL5Vkyx5f4dLWDyI1vEze3hdBnJNJ7a8dI_Z8flkPvtDRLKCE_xOCLj3jBtZgjI9jTz1uFAxr3x_25otkPk-9F-le_JdkqlN7RwTwkilQoDphz8AGKfeaWIx0qM7eiH7aE/s320/Hurdal+decanter+%25281790-1820%2529.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hurdal glass 1790 - 1820</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4He4SBoCU74FRMrQUyH7DlwhuYRezm1p7ibzcAFEan85x4720pKgVrg4hmWyjVfDsi4e6Oz_CVZTUhWq4oIbIIlJY2bdJdke5Bi-gwpljoJqSTtbJ15-KTinwTW2s1qpKuGQVa1xm6k/s1600/nostetangen_glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU4He4SBoCU74FRMrQUyH7DlwhuYRezm1p7ibzcAFEan85x4720pKgVrg4hmWyjVfDsi4e6Oz_CVZTUhWq4oIbIIlJY2bdJdke5Bi-gwpljoJqSTtbJ15-KTinwTW2s1qpKuGQVa1xm6k/s400/nostetangen_glass.jpg" width="165" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nøstetangen glass</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
In 1773, The Royal Blaafarvevaerk was founded to process the cobalt ore extracted in nearby mines.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRProcX4xpHubdnSzShPQTv64Bmy95XTjRLod-a3llKl9HmbNz3H32aNAVyXYRzOqoLL7fxdm3TkQN1RX5XPFTufzdRDOiyHg5hyphenhyphenxzIiXZvGuyB68pRj7WUXlKgWI4vk1M_n8s-qvBFWs/s1600/cobalt+mine+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRProcX4xpHubdnSzShPQTv64Bmy95XTjRLod-a3llKl9HmbNz3H32aNAVyXYRzOqoLL7fxdm3TkQN1RX5XPFTufzdRDOiyHg5hyphenhyphenxzIiXZvGuyB68pRj7WUXlKgWI4vk1M_n8s-qvBFWs/s320/cobalt+mine+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the old cobalt mines</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The cobalt blue pigment used in glass and porcelain production was made here and by the 19th century 80% of the world's demand was supplied from the Blaafargevaerk. </div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0n_QlxWk3-0vYmw03C07jNVCuBlJ0ATUMzMBU6iDQdfnon6g8sjkoEWuznmFcyjklOIe-JE0cUxj7d02jPuQl4SOhZVHIEMbSQ05SpYExhQKg8_oOeGFCfxfvS9Ac1NZ4cDDaLYvO0gM/s1600/Bl%25C3%25A5fargeverket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0n_QlxWk3-0vYmw03C07jNVCuBlJ0ATUMzMBU6iDQdfnon6g8sjkoEWuznmFcyjklOIe-JE0cUxj7d02jPuQl4SOhZVHIEMbSQ05SpYExhQKg8_oOeGFCfxfvS9Ac1NZ4cDDaLYvO0gM/s320/Bl%25C3%25A5fargeverket.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blaafarvevaerk</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">Blue Glass was also made in the Norwegian glass works.</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Cz8Equ_p3a3jvW2f_IwS-Qb6ro_W3Xrp-a3cjx9IDJ8ICAnUQLhSKV6IMqutzLbYxyq93bd4neYLx0oh8CUuYm0uuYCKN_7NOzPmPV4yzmMMjM7x8DWrGlZ85b9N0td-BiXx3m4Y32Q/s1600/gj%25C3%25B8vik+1807-1843.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Cz8Equ_p3a3jvW2f_IwS-Qb6ro_W3Xrp-a3cjx9IDJ8ICAnUQLhSKV6IMqutzLbYxyq93bd4neYLx0oh8CUuYm0uuYCKN_7NOzPmPV4yzmMMjM7x8DWrGlZ85b9N0td-BiXx3m4Y32Q/s320/gj%25C3%25B8vik+1807-1843.gif" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gjøvik glass 1807-1843</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Glass made in the 18th and 19th century is now sought-after by collectors.</div><div style="text-align: center;">However, modern designs recapture earlier shapes.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">DECANTERS </div><div style="text-align: center;">I love the shapes and designs of decanters. I like them first and foremost as beautiful objects but, of course, they can also be put to good use. However, older glass may become grey and slightly cloudy and decanters are notoriously difficult to clean. So, I prefer not to keep the port and sherry in these.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiWYdZHGOYE6sjDN5OWVq3r4grje4uebuqLI64HMZ3t_ZhdqNqnRL4mjwW1sWQUOqNHr-k4Gm8iqZpT9iXKQgbsGD6rpyGeK9TqxpPkaWuT5KUyp-wAVD7TB9t_h_B-bfCTI6J6sk41A/s1600/_DSC0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiWYdZHGOYE6sjDN5OWVq3r4grje4uebuqLI64HMZ3t_ZhdqNqnRL4mjwW1sWQUOqNHr-k4Gm8iqZpT9iXKQgbsGD6rpyGeK9TqxpPkaWuT5KUyp-wAVD7TB9t_h_B-bfCTI6J6sk41A/s320/_DSC0009.JPG" width="214" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Hurdal- style</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhauzm5fLBr8_gO37wh5HqbDxRg-rSkD2oH-jsScnFKla5syYXd5X_FxeT7dXRIYxaLMbDwzVLLBHnvDRdp4Qz3KwKBCCexTORjT9RZRqC9gYD3URnPyO87MpHskk9IfObY9sKL7yRkPBE/s1600/_DSC0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhauzm5fLBr8_gO37wh5HqbDxRg-rSkD2oH-jsScnFKla5syYXd5X_FxeT7dXRIYxaLMbDwzVLLBHnvDRdp4Qz3KwKBCCexTORjT9RZRqC9gYD3URnPyO87MpHskk9IfObY9sKL7yRkPBE/s320/_DSC0012.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early 20th century</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotbUMKwsYczTmlbLmGmAhsiHDHgDGEgIR-TZlfaKjM3LxkpJ8cN_IcJeEi62sjdGWBApt2ESXidRfWNFL8aSzJnfjUTAjHJvVe2bikojbeVt5rIvIywy9YOC4zpWr6uhGRNJ16azT_Fk/s1600/_DSC0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiotbUMKwsYczTmlbLmGmAhsiHDHgDGEgIR-TZlfaKjM3LxkpJ8cN_IcJeEi62sjdGWBApt2ESXidRfWNFL8aSzJnfjUTAjHJvVe2bikojbeVt5rIvIywy9YOC4zpWr6uhGRNJ16azT_Fk/s320/_DSC0010.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late 19th century</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1H7szdCgnUr-iIfJP2myQAXoYBhU2ptJktVkOeYqFSVyEed4ZN0AoFw7Zyv7gcXpjhjv48XfdG6xqZYm2H5GF3fJTf42KTgf4eCkAMQU_SBhlrsCPtMvYCoNvFomzJvcge5Hbv8G-LQ/s1600/_DSC0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1H7szdCgnUr-iIfJP2myQAXoYBhU2ptJktVkOeYqFSVyEed4ZN0AoFw7Zyv7gcXpjhjv48XfdG6xqZYm2H5GF3fJTf42KTgf4eCkAMQU_SBhlrsCPtMvYCoNvFomzJvcge5Hbv8G-LQ/s320/_DSC0015.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old and new decanters</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGcdnxedv5T9B5sh3_PTsDi35NFyDHhD6Aghi-OVoHfiC_FWGAORLaTfIo5PAYw6gmCEyZbRt1rfdtx9muwNNfBOFjg0aMFHGemlbNWEcoJIGYUO1a5uhzn34_611qT9DlHRL61zEk90/s1600/_DSC0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGcdnxedv5T9B5sh3_PTsDi35NFyDHhD6Aghi-OVoHfiC_FWGAORLaTfIo5PAYw6gmCEyZbRt1rfdtx9muwNNfBOFjg0aMFHGemlbNWEcoJIGYUO1a5uhzn34_611qT9DlHRL61zEk90/s400/_DSC0018.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I have been visiting our local studio glass-blowing workshop. So, I'll show you those pictures in a later post.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Anna </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-74624444645165247152011-05-07T11:00:00.000+02:002011-05-07T11:00:21.868+02:00Two wrecked homes and an apple tree<div style="text-align: center;">There used to be a pretty little old house with a glass veranda in our neighborhood. There was a romantic charm to the tumbling outbuildings, neglected orchard and rose-tinted flower garden. <br />
I was told that the owners had inherited the property and were renting it out and, indeed, tenants came and went. In time, the outhouse was torn-down, the apple trees uprooted and the hedges grubbed up. Denuded of its surroundings, the house remained but appeared increasingly forlorn until even the tenants fled. Finally, the no- longer pretty house was left abandoned: a ghost of the home it had once been.<br />
Then, exactly one year ago -<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfz-20v0YJehS2_ye-BgGuwQ-eNf_l0PNLzto8Wi3PgnrCMA-1vPqRK6HIPHDy76vjBm02BXXWZcwLNm3VER1h8zHE_SEVZ2BXLCBOPSSeX_oTLOzN_mwP2-IKczNSvDjU7C-yvJmWao/s1600/DSCN1315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfz-20v0YJehS2_ye-BgGuwQ-eNf_l0PNLzto8Wi3PgnrCMA-1vPqRK6HIPHDy76vjBm02BXXWZcwLNm3VER1h8zHE_SEVZ2BXLCBOPSSeX_oTLOzN_mwP2-IKczNSvDjU7C-yvJmWao/s320/DSCN1315.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
the bulldozers arrived and, in no time, half the house had already fallen.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGIoTbL61GyV0lZpj7cNgC1-9FB8Enxpc9JJy5BEE1sCpCdr47yc881H42nbak439d_tBjhvd5IvAUZD9V-TGcupH1KdukAOkh47k2FHgp6dr3JcFzMzFh7jdAPdmQGZc7X8UBFpB2JU/s1600/DSCN1312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGIoTbL61GyV0lZpj7cNgC1-9FB8Enxpc9JJy5BEE1sCpCdr47yc881H42nbak439d_tBjhvd5IvAUZD9V-TGcupH1KdukAOkh47k2FHgp6dr3JcFzMzFh7jdAPdmQGZc7X8UBFpB2JU/s320/DSCN1312.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
The machines grabbed, smashed and battered down the tired old walls<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWccmPoMz8voC70sZz9XDt0DncsmNud6vkS_SO7eURzdl_B4cG0RqoAq24MK4DULxDWbhyphenhyphen74uql3dgYLcaWt96cn9cCHEtv4akiEl9lsBLvuNSO8VC1JW8N2zRt__IDkzpb6O-XUakMbc/s1600/DSCN1311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWccmPoMz8voC70sZz9XDt0DncsmNud6vkS_SO7eURzdl_B4cG0RqoAq24MK4DULxDWbhyphenhyphen74uql3dgYLcaWt96cn9cCHEtv4akiEl9lsBLvuNSO8VC1JW8N2zRt__IDkzpb6O-XUakMbc/s320/DSCN1311.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
shredded the interior<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-xpGZ6BIxF4k0BX32ahrnonczwvBJWrYWtfCr6jW9VnekA9nerju_F0qvQMyXw8wzVWHtx4PBNrHZvAi8Vi5CIQrprbjS1wrP8FktdZ0w05GwPe7-3MUuTwntPqEXx37Qb7n1Wn2SRE/s1600/DSCN1318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-xpGZ6BIxF4k0BX32ahrnonczwvBJWrYWtfCr6jW9VnekA9nerju_F0qvQMyXw8wzVWHtx4PBNrHZvAi8Vi5CIQrprbjS1wrP8FktdZ0w05GwPe7-3MUuTwntPqEXx37Qb7n1Wn2SRE/s320/DSCN1318.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
then, it finally collapsed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5P3EirzFH8qDzJ4zqJuRy3Yx_o-4pL5K3Yh1ptmwJ12OPpq2KMQU66RK0_SHXR4T7JNSZXBkUYW-WvnIJVfXldlOhpm8tlqKvQAktf2PRBTB4pcYxBapRHLAATWj57F4ryDVpjqTwYjg/s1600/DSCN1317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5P3EirzFH8qDzJ4zqJuRy3Yx_o-4pL5K3Yh1ptmwJ12OPpq2KMQU66RK0_SHXR4T7JNSZXBkUYW-WvnIJVfXldlOhpm8tlqKvQAktf2PRBTB4pcYxBapRHLAATWj57F4ryDVpjqTwYjg/s320/DSCN1317.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Which brings me to the apple tree.<br />
At this point, I must confess that I am sometimes a reluctant gardener, particularly when it comes to pruning. Consequently, the old apple trees had been allowed to grow as they will. This resulted in monster trees where every egotistical twig and branch twisted into an impenetrable mesh. <br />
Nevertheless, for a few days every spring the trees were magical. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsE4c6_psrShQUTyuK39tnNk6lCx9gw5mBVWUfhux8OhBzF8Iufq_UGv8LIqsknRoXlzkdUUrGc-qiUKKSaF1asw7BqsuDjvuEDkIkYDh32ikY1wYsWlp5GO9UnoJwEPmzjz3ZxLMCiU/s1600/spring2009+036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsE4c6_psrShQUTyuK39tnNk6lCx9gw5mBVWUfhux8OhBzF8Iufq_UGv8LIqsknRoXlzkdUUrGc-qiUKKSaF1asw7BqsuDjvuEDkIkYDh32ikY1wYsWlp5GO9UnoJwEPmzjz3ZxLMCiU/s320/spring2009+036.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-JNknirtwKVBvUmStgRe5JJLZIMBwjqRRaPUPwKVYtfkNie2GRSUANFSPCJhrhJHsCioRwkkxU89lvl8h9cnw3DCzH-Fksxnh4I8SxwGcE9ajEVP57eJM655IK32aoe5INFpN2EyDag/s1600/spring2009+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-JNknirtwKVBvUmStgRe5JJLZIMBwjqRRaPUPwKVYtfkNie2GRSUANFSPCJhrhJHsCioRwkkxU89lvl8h9cnw3DCzH-Fksxnh4I8SxwGcE9ajEVP57eJM655IK32aoe5INFpN2EyDag/s320/spring2009+033.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
However, this is the way they were.<br />
This year, we decided to take back control, so, a gardener was called in and he was ruthless with his saw. Wood was creaking, splitting, groaning, splintering and from among the crashing branches, a little bird nest tumbled out of a nesting box.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8mimFXAq1sXi1dO_zC-8ORI4Qk5Wcy9nxGO6qVUT8FJNdENCTR7crTwolHuENz05Knkr8zB7L9LZkbYIKFqTCOqN3P2btDC5yWZOYczhds_XwGb0XTniwU6Bmc-I84mFrNM2Cslktt8/s1600/_DSC0444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8mimFXAq1sXi1dO_zC-8ORI4Qk5Wcy9nxGO6qVUT8FJNdENCTR7crTwolHuENz05Knkr8zB7L9LZkbYIKFqTCOqN3P2btDC5yWZOYczhds_XwGb0XTniwU6Bmc-I84mFrNM2Cslktt8/s320/_DSC0444.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Embedded within was a perfect little speckled egg.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_aZOcNrdaLj-XryQ0i0P4Toqw2p19hN2rVmL8BF7CMsZnH-u1nfgapd2ZuJVYOfhVsN_80-My5lO74G2L8EVnSjgmZNn5OGXwRk3C1O4eIL3eYrxwdxv38MnDrsajwI84KNPQe1Z9N8/s1600/_DSC0445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_aZOcNrdaLj-XryQ0i0P4Toqw2p19hN2rVmL8BF7CMsZnH-u1nfgapd2ZuJVYOfhVsN_80-My5lO74G2L8EVnSjgmZNn5OGXwRk3C1O4eIL3eYrxwdxv38MnDrsajwI84KNPQe1Z9N8/s320/_DSC0445.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We were so sad to have wrecked this perfect little home and although we tried to make amends and find a new site for the nest, the birds never returned.<br />
Next year, hopefully, the apple trees will be on the mend and delighting us once more with blossom, and who knows, perhaps the birds will build a new home.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, one year on, a new house has been built on the ruins of the demolished house and is almost ready for occupation.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Anna. </div><br />
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<br />
</div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-52007288661939921042011-04-28T12:17:00.000+02:002011-04-28T12:17:12.693+02:00Books Books Books<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We are book-lovers in The Doll House, books ancient and modern:</div><div style="text-align: center;">literature, history, design, architecture, poetry, topography, philosophy, politics, cookery, art, crafts, antiques, biography, gardening...............When we're out and about every antiquarian, second-hand or high street book shop draws us inside. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExekSgjkyNCO5xdi4BQbnjCAZCTZzGomSS2LCpQgChYb21OOZ9YYJE8_AOQPOnYPWCafVwDhpOgI3uu9fzyFI4kPSCe3qmkHPeXfYKmWm-nTazkjWPDkqvwOiTQtn_U3uR6ufW-RtjFQ/s1600/DSCN2046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExekSgjkyNCO5xdi4BQbnjCAZCTZzGomSS2LCpQgChYb21OOZ9YYJE8_AOQPOnYPWCafVwDhpOgI3uu9fzyFI4kPSCe3qmkHPeXfYKmWm-nTazkjWPDkqvwOiTQtn_U3uR6ufW-RtjFQ/s320/DSCN2046.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> Consequently, finding storage for the books is an ongoing activity. They are to be found in almost every room of the house, including, of course, the attic. In the living room, however I have decided to hide them behind curtained glass cupboards. People seem to either love or hate this solution.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDD9DiF5sGDO0PzPn1silGo7Ek0-RvlXnJNR3kmOQdFhIuvMGhELRQKmjVnAAfEr5beX1JbZQq9kDORvMzkVCut5Ikj7e_lxNY6TqEXt6WaA3L0I21TueSOk3ihGzmrTHGGCF712aQFo/s1600/_DSC0455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDD9DiF5sGDO0PzPn1silGo7Ek0-RvlXnJNR3kmOQdFhIuvMGhELRQKmjVnAAfEr5beX1JbZQq9kDORvMzkVCut5Ikj7e_lxNY6TqEXt6WaA3L0I21TueSOk3ihGzmrTHGGCF712aQFo/s320/_DSC0455.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I am quite happy with this way of presenting a calm exterior while hiding the interior chaos.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Anna</div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-10613354428946234832011-04-27T10:30:00.000+02:002011-04-27T10:30:28.248+02:00Good Morning Sunshine<div style="text-align: center;"> The Doll House is quiet this morning: all the Easter visitors have left.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vT7MQ74tb5SYjjQgfLWwrIlqBFEylQGciM8vAY-VlUiQEIagvXJ3PAwqV9fjAFPM5LpqYY6bwY8W9Qfuj4hncQko-lRzi9UmhKpoV80aAYGvm13sP3SaH5leDcSYyYnoaGCxZQmC-4o/s1600/DSCN2235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vT7MQ74tb5SYjjQgfLWwrIlqBFEylQGciM8vAY-VlUiQEIagvXJ3PAwqV9fjAFPM5LpqYY6bwY8W9Qfuj4hncQko-lRzi9UmhKpoV80aAYGvm13sP3SaH5leDcSYyYnoaGCxZQmC-4o/s400/DSCN2235.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
Joy, oh joy, the sunshine has returned.<br />
T.S. Elliot wrote <i>April is the cruelest month</i> and just when I had begun to slide into a summery feeling I find the morning bright but chilly with the heat all gone.<br />
Gusts of wind get behind the dead leaves in the Hornbeam hedge and launch them into the air. They come flying, like flocks of little birds, only to fall to the ground and clatter, crisply across the gravel.<br />
Wonderful April: a month to delight, surprise, mislead and confuse our bubbling expectations of spring.<br />
<br />
Anna <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-31597675896253393142011-04-26T07:09:00.000+02:002011-04-26T07:09:48.900+02:00Oslo on a cloudy morning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuI2z08O9L_gGjTzI-govL1w8Qlwbyg27WbdBqcXKpMnQpMmb-myqvKissiLA4T79y_WWiwt56MSMAmLDVUThgjSI2ZesUGwBR9aIO6HMwDcwM4_ZZmbdyA_gT3wEj5qR9-nQvWoN4QI/s1600/DSCN2247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuI2z08O9L_gGjTzI-govL1w8Qlwbyg27WbdBqcXKpMnQpMmb-myqvKissiLA4T79y_WWiwt56MSMAmLDVUThgjSI2ZesUGwBR9aIO6HMwDcwM4_ZZmbdyA_gT3wEj5qR9-nQvWoN4QI/s320/DSCN2247.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Taking a stroll on the roof of the Oslo Oprah House</div><div style="text-align: center;">can be quite challenging on a bright and sunny day.</div><div style="text-align: center;">The reflection from the white marble surface can</div><div style="text-align: center;">induce something akin to snow-blindness. So, some</div><div style="text-align: center;">cloud can almost be a blessing. </div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">On the other hand, the fjord would have been at its most beautiful in sparkling sunlight.</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> I have left The Doll House and, as you can see, am here in Oslo for a day.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gUjZnEZhABEUXrUMvO6j6q0BvK8BjyrRFk7sbwMgmkP6kIPt5FFPupEIvaCdVeW-C6lpYSJ8NwXQPJh4jwjTKT7SJHasAUQrMzWD1nqnnIHKCUN7ld_VA1JIjiTW0PwBeHzQA7BnGok/s1600/DSCN0102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gUjZnEZhABEUXrUMvO6j6q0BvK8BjyrRFk7sbwMgmkP6kIPt5FFPupEIvaCdVeW-C6lpYSJ8NwXQPJh4jwjTKT7SJHasAUQrMzWD1nqnnIHKCUN7ld_VA1JIjiTW0PwBeHzQA7BnGok/s320/DSCN0102.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioO3bTnF4Nj5y15xisocBCBPlTYzhAPI1PQ1QkoQKkwmKQMaLTN-MnHfKprGRGu0GSoLBV0X0xYIm1TqJalQGl-XS1EbDYDdiMcW6lR3zzw1lBZd3yW6n9uimQmzLykCMKhOSVzpHbyfw/s1600/DSCN2245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioO3bTnF4Nj5y15xisocBCBPlTYzhAPI1PQ1QkoQKkwmKQMaLTN-MnHfKprGRGu0GSoLBV0X0xYIm1TqJalQGl-XS1EbDYDdiMcW6lR3zzw1lBZd3yW6n9uimQmzLykCMKhOSVzpHbyfw/s320/DSCN2245.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-313927459937185805.post-20372100640083969022011-04-13T12:34:00.000+02:002011-04-13T12:34:44.706+02:00No planning permission needed: keep your house in a jar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4KM9sydXQgqQCaI7H8Qmb5JoVEXJmXuGZ41rvqJGfmaoXILAE-x0kSQHUJNE991C1dA_M4rD1M1IM6mrOJ5M-NrCyQZHtbiGyRcAwGznL_kwUBgGZC5pLcyIeDJwTsV-am5rZd3BtiI/s1600/_DSC0391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4KM9sydXQgqQCaI7H8Qmb5JoVEXJmXuGZ41rvqJGfmaoXILAE-x0kSQHUJNE991C1dA_M4rD1M1IM6mrOJ5M-NrCyQZHtbiGyRcAwGznL_kwUBgGZC5pLcyIeDJwTsV-am5rZd3BtiI/s320/_DSC0391.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Jars of potpourri and pebbles are the perfect location for these condemned buildings I rescued from a second-hand shop </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLbEmCKUEOXesZcyCpjXHHRyzArbajiFHugwtUxJlwqPO9sik0UWC_M2ruwVSx5iC0NSge3vJ7Fr1WtBrfWfcXiNB-7dZ48bJNOULHv4Im80fVgLtP18E2Cba2VuY66qttxsv0I3O2Z4/s1600/_DSC0384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLbEmCKUEOXesZcyCpjXHHRyzArbajiFHugwtUxJlwqPO9sik0UWC_M2ruwVSx5iC0NSge3vJ7Fr1WtBrfWfcXiNB-7dZ48bJNOULHv4Im80fVgLtP18E2Cba2VuY66qttxsv0I3O2Z4/s320/_DSC0384.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The pottery buildings are stamped <i>Philip Laureston </i></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Each one is also stamped with a number</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">So, I expect it would be possible to build a whole miniature town</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Have a good day</div><div style="text-align: center;">Anna </div>Anna at the Doll Househttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18282617177491266907noreply@blogger.com2