silly me

I have been looking at the wrong places for you

where snow and winter shadows still remain

and all this time you were here

leaving graciously your footsteps 

on the side of my own house, passing by my walls 

and I didn't notice; silly me 

You've got my full attention now

a letter ( & a Garden )

Dear Greece,

I hung your flag outside this morning.

It looks nice.

Your white and blue against the white and blue Norwegian sky.

The sun is shining. Spring is here.

Now, the long dark winter is finally over.

How many times have I gone, on those darkest months,

with one thought:

Greece you fill me with light .... Ελλάδα με γεμίζεις φως

Yes. You are my mantra.

I hear you go through pretty lousy times.

They say so much about you.

So many insulting comments...

What do they now? What do they know...

It's really not that long ago you decided to be free.

It has cost you a lot. And still

you have a long way to go.

Κάνε Κουράγιο. Εδώ ήσουν κι εδώ θα `σε

Hold on. You have always been around and you always will be.

As for me I am fine. I'm loved.

My children is now my country

I don't miss you. I got you under my skin

Κι αυτό κάνει τη διαφορά 

That's the difference

 Is where I find you.

you will travel again, my dearest

this is your Garden

yours, always 

Nτέμη

joining Renilde and her Garden

on the Greek National day 

and then the clouds came

at six and something in the morning,

this almost half an hour,

alone with my cup(s) of coffee

I sat by the kitchen window

and the sun was rising

I should go out and take some photographs

but 

I don't go out in -4C in my pyjamas...

It looked as it was going to be one of those 

marvelous suns appearing 

I expected that 

and then, no sun, the clouds came

It's ok to dream

not ok with expectations

they might disappoint you ;)

nothing digital on these photographs,

just a shadow frame,

and a dirty window

© myParaphernalia

homemade ice cream... too early? no way!

Well, 

it's really sunny and springly here

(although it blows a sour wind -but we pretend we don't notice)

and

It's never too early for homemade ice cream!

  It is now a while ago since mama came from Greece

 with the easiest and best recipe for homemade ice cream.

 "I am just using condensed milk and whipped cream," she said.

 "Stir well and let it stand overnight in the freezer.

No problem!" 

μάνα μου εσύ : )

 It was a really good ice cream.... A little too sweet perhaps, 

but the important thing was: 

there was no need to stir while it was in the freezer! 

After a while, we saw on TV a cookery program with Arne Brimi.

 He had a recipe for homemade ice cream that looked like my mom's. 

He used condensed milk with sour cream instead of whipped cream.

We tried it. 

It was good but perhaps a bit too sour ...

just like this wind outside right now 

( no. no I won't notice!)

So the recipe for homemade ice cream, here at Ås is a new version of both

and 

it goes like this

1 can condensed milk

  (there are several brands)

2 cans of sour cream

1 can of dobbel cream (1/3 l)

Stir with the mixer for as long as possible and leave it in the freezer, 

preferably overnight.

It can be served with fruit, biscuits, chocolate sauce 

or simply as it is

It's really good! I promise!

på norsk

connection

What a subject

this weekend's theme... at Ariane's
(yes I'm early again!)

How do we connect?

With each other,

with nature, the world, the universe...
Ourselves

It's very personal, idomatic and 

sometimes simply incredibly impossible

it feels, it's only a thin red line

very softly holding us together

without a knot...

one must be so careful, so mild and tender

otherwise one might lose that thin red line,

when it's so windy out there...

perhaps it's also a bit like this:

you; spreading your golden dust,

all your sensibility -to somebody's darkness

and receive back sense- straight to your face 

and somehow you have to deal with it

or even 

when a fairy or a nymph 

is spreading her golden dust to you,

and you, silly you

(although you feel some kind of urge to touch it)

you just say:

"but you don't exist!"

...  that would definitely lead to dis-connection though

wouldn't it?

church ruins

Last Friday I took a drive.

To nowhere really just driving around... 

Of course I chose a day 

when the wind was howling

and the streets were as slippery as never before...

And as my friend Anastasia says :

I do drive like the Dukes!

-no no you don't have to be a sexy blond to drive like this ; )

Anyway

I ended up to a favorite place of mine; the Church ruins in Nes

Some facts:

A Gothic church from 1100 origianlly-

in 1697 build bigger in a cross shape

& in 1854 burned down by a lightning...

It looks prettier in the summer time

when everything around is green

but I think it has more personality at this time of year

Especially on that grey Friday 

therefor I thought it better with black& white photographs 

to express the tranquility of this place,  

still filled with strong vibrations

I like the fact that people get married here

with only the endless sky over their heads...

all photographs copyright myParaphernalia

joining 
rural thursday

I'll be joining Ariane for the drawing challenge Connection

during the weekend

see you then nice people

i elude myself

I elude myself

 disorientated by words

words dressed in riddles

 riddles consumed by words

words never to be told, they might hurt you

and when told a pointless thing to do

I elude myself 

disorientated by dreams

unrequited wishes from the past 

impossible to occupy the future

I am being compared 

with other people and their dreams 

unknown to my surroundings 

I am unknown to the ones who 

dare to compare

I elude myself 

disorientated by comparison 

joining

"Weekly Top Shot" - theviewfromrighthere

industrial

When Rachel decided "industrial" as the theme for this weekend's 

drawing challenge

I hesitated. Tuff; I said 

then I thought of Chaplin's Modern Times : D

And then I read this:

industrialism 

An economic and social system based on the development of large-scale industries and marked by the production of large quantities of inexpensive manufactured goods and the concentration of employment in urban factories.

  organization of society characterized by large-scale mechanized manufacturing industry rather
 than trade, farming, etc.

a system of social and economic organization based upon highly mechanized industry. 

— industrialist

and remembered that industrial scares the hell outta me. 

So I reached out ... 

see you soon 

my drums drums drums

There are times in life where 

 a crisis -any kind of crisis-

a middle age one

an early age one 

an illness 

anything that is experienced as a tremendous change

or a deep shock

can make us,
just like it says
 on that quote at the top of this blog,
no longer knowing what to do,

no longer knowing where to go

(metaphoricaly or as a matter of fact),

or simply it can make us 

realize

 that we never did know

anyway

when my turn came
for a crisis,

my art, my writing
this quirky, melancholic blog
 became for me a form of meditation;

a trip to the past; 

a challenge for the future;

a hand reaching for me

when

I wasn't waving I was drowing*

I see now, that's my way 

to find my real work and my real journey

my let me go

or maybe just my drums drums drums

*  paraphrase of a line from the poem"Not Waving But Drowning" by Stevie Smith

interior design ala Ås

I think people should collect things

from their path through life.

And then find a way to get those things

live together.

I like to shop from flea markets & charity shops.

( and of coourse ikea!)

I like to inherit, or be given furniture

and objects 

that have lived for a while 

without me...

( I know I've said that before... but it's simply the truth)

He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home

J.W. von Goethe

I'll sit in my library today, in front of the fireplace

going through books, love,

and lost dreams

make the best of your Sunday my friend

say yes

Under the early sun

the morning dew covers the forest.

The snow is melting.

Spring? Are you on your way? 

Please. Say yes

nothing digital about this photgraph. only her greatness the nature.




photo © myParaphernalia