Be the Change

Be the change you wish to see in the world...

...have you ever read the bumper sticker? It is originally drawn from Ghandi`s mouth but has been changed/twisted a lot over the years and can nolonger be referred to as coming from him. I love the bumper sticker version aswell as much of Ghandi`s unchanged quotes. My surprise was therefore great when I discovered that some people understand the bumper sticker version in the way that one only needs bother about one's self and one's own doings and let the world and all in it fend for themselves. 

That is not the way I interpreted it.

My interpretation involves getting out of the couch and seeing what I can do, here, in my little corner. How does what I do and how I choose to live my life effect others? In my own country and beyond? 

We are all different and have different experiences and possibilities. We all lead different lives and our cultures vary, from little to much. Regardless of this, we can all do something. For ourselves and for everybody in a small or big way.

In my own life I have always wanted to do something "for the greater good" klisjè i know, but yet valid. My problem has been I think, that I have had too big plans, too large a perspective in my situation and for my own abilities and it has left me feeling a bit hopeless at times. 

(homemade butter)

Then I got sereously ill and ended up having to make "my home my castle" so to speak and I discovered that I had been missing out on the obvious in the everyday life. The personal environmental aspect. My footprint on this planet. How destructive was I going to let it be?

I began looking at my consumption and my waste. Why do I buy what I buy, what do I really need and what ends up in the bin. I took a closer look into what I was teaching my children and working on teaching them to think for themselves and not swallow everything the media serves. We have legalized boredom in our family, meaning that the children don`t need to be shipped around and activized 24 -7 , it`s a good thing to be bored sometimes. Through being bored in periods, we learn to use our imagination and find creative solutions to problems. We also find time to think for ourselves, someting today`s modern society does it`s best to prevent. We are told what clothes are "in" what cars, holidays and diets are "in". We are richer than ever in this country, we have dozens of gadgets to help us get things done.

Yet, we have never had so little time to spare.

Now what does all this have to do with my cake pictures and talk of footprints on the planet? Consumption. Overconsumption. I am reducing my consumption step by step, I am reducing my amount of waste step by step, I am trying to raise environmentally aware children brave enough to be themselves and come to their own conclusions about the world around them.

We are trying to make more and more of our food from scratch, grow fruit and vegetables and use natures` resources such as wood, different berries, fish etc. In doing this we hope to reduce the amount of packaging and thus reduce waste. Fruit and vegetables without pestisides, free exersize, recreation for mind, body and soul from nature...the list goes on.

There is a large number of lonely people in our modern society. Senior citizens sitting alone all day, hoping that someone will take the time to pop in for a cup and a chat. Charitable organisations organize visitors for lonely people. They need more volunteers, a little of our time makes a big difference.

Take a rest at the side of the road sometimes and smell the flowers...

or just have a chat with someone who needs it.

Wish you all a lovely weekend and apologize for not translating today. 

Pam xx

Summer sewing, thrift bargain and car boot sale, Sommer søm, brukt kupp og loppe salg.

I have finally become brave enough and have cut into my stash of pretty retro fabric. These colourful squares are going to become a retro quilt.

Endelig har jeg mannet meg opp og våget å skjære opp mine nydelige retrostoffer. Disse fargerike lappene skal bli et lappeteppe.

I have been playing around with lovely Tilda fabric too. A big soft pillow for the kitchen. The backing is a piece of lovely rose fabric from the sixties/seventies.

Litt lek med Tildastoffer i sommer ble en stor myk pute til den ene slagbenken på kjøkkenet. Bakstykket er et nydelig stykke rosestoff fra femti/sekstitallet.

A quick visit to the local charity store presented me with this bargain. More than three metres long and very cheap. I will be making it into two mats I think.

Bruktkupp! Gammel fillerye over tre meter lang til den nette sum av kr 60,-. Den er litt slitt et par plasser og siden den er så lang i tillegg, vil jeg gjøre den om til to ryer.

Car boot sale coming up. We are going though every nook and cranny of the house and doing some extensive decluttering. House is feeling "lighter" somehow and I must say that giving away or selling some of our stuff always feels like letting go of a burden. Too much stuff can weigh one down and letting it go makes life flow easier somehow.

Ryddesjau her i huset! I forbindelse med et stort bruktmarked rydder vi gjennom hele huset og legger bort ting for salg. Det føles befriende å eie litt mindre. Den grillpannen for eksempel, den jeg ikke har brukt på over fem år!!! 

Rydder videre og ønsker alle en flott helg

Keeping up my decluttering and wishing everyone a really nice weekend.

Pam xx

Summer shots 2013 - Sommerbilder 2013, 3 plasser absolutt verdt et besøk.

Summer night by the Seaside

Sommernatt ved sjøen.

Picture directly above and the two below:

Hunderfossen Familiepark. A wonderful place if you love old Norwegian fairytales and the puppets of Ivo Caprino. Half hidden by the mountains it lies, surrounded by forest. A great place for three car loving boys too with lots of opportunities to "get behind the wheel".

Soria Moria Castle, with fairytale ride inside.

The Trainmuseum at Hamar.

Great fun for big and small with a wide selection of big (huge) and small steam engines, displays, gadgets and working trains to ride.

Likner litt på noe av det min pappa hadde i kofferten, koselig bilde.

Løiten Lys. Dette er et gammelt akevittbrenneri som er gjort om til lysstøperi med fantastiske lysutstillinger over fire etasjer. Sakral stemning og en ro mellom de gamle murveggene som er vanskelig å finne noe annet sted.

Above and below: Løiten Lys. Akevittbrenneri/ Akvavit distillery.

This old factory is now filled with thousands of beautiful candles made on site. The atmosphere is quiet and almost sacral and wondering through the huge old building over three stories filles me with a peaceful feeling. The candles are beautifully displayed in suitable environment. In the cool cellar there is a year round Christmas display.

Lastly, we had a scary birthday party in July. Gluten and wheat starch free ghost cake. Lucky I still had a pack of Halloween serviettes over from last Autumn.

Ha en fin uke dere, enten det fortsatt er ferie eller jobb som venter.

Hope you all have a good week. Hubby is back at work but the schools still have close to a couple of weeks left.

Pam xx

(I am not being paid for my review of the above mentioned places, my review is my opinion alone and shared because I thought them well worth visiting).

Vedfyrt badestamp og Sommermarked - Hot tub and Summer market.

Vi bygger vedfyrt badestamp i sommer. Det skal være plass til mellom 6 og 8 personer. Ser frem til kalde høstdager og knitringen i vedovnen mens dampen stiger over den kalde høstskogen.

We are building a wooden hot tub this Summer. There will be room for 6 - 8 people. There is to be a wood stove to heat the water up. Looking forward to cold Autumn days sitting warm and cosy with my hat on, watching the chilly Autumn forest and smelling the wood smoke in the frosty air.

The Summer Market 2013 came and went and the day turned out very nicely. Above: Some of my mums creations, below: Some of my sisters and my own.

Sommermarkedet kom og gikk. Det ble en flott dag i strålende sol. Markedet var i en gammel låve og under epletrærne var det laget til stor cafe. Over: noen av min mors kreasjoner, under: noe av min søsters og mine ting.

Above: my daughters bisquits (she made gluten free and ordinary. They are big bisquits on lollipop sticks) and some more of my mums little animals and snowmen. Below: made by my mum, angels for hanging on a branch. 

Over: min datter laget store kjeks på ispinner som gikk unna. Hun laget både glutenfrie og vanlige. Under: engler til å henge på kvist, laget av min mor.

My boys and their cousins had their own stand downstairs in the big barn selling old toys. My youngest son bought himself a chair for the money he made on selling things he didn`t play with anymore :)

Sønnene mine og fetterene hadde egen salgsbod i første etage på låven og solgte unna leker de syntes de var blitt for store til. Minstemann kjøpte seg en stol for pengene han tjente :)

There will be a holiday update soon, and I am going to get round to visit you all and see what you have been up to. Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

En oppdatering fra ferien kommer snart og  jeg skal rundt og besøke dere alle og se hva dere har gjort i sommer. Ønsker alle en flott helg.

Pam xx