A stroll in Lærdalsøyri

The streets are closed off for traffic,

they are pretty narrow,

and its a safer walk without cars anyway...

I love these cute little houses,

and I would love to own one.

Some of them are very well taken care of,

and some are a little bit older than the rest.

These are the backdoors of some of the stores,

and I think these are boat houses

that might have been on the shore line

at one point.

A Guest House

and a  beautiful hotel

are both in the Old Town area.

We made it this year too!

I was afraid we were running out of time,

getting down to the last days of vacation

in this part of the country.

My wish was to get to the Sæter.

Years ago herds got moved to higher pastures in the summer 

and to lower valleys in the winter time,

with the people necessary to tend them.

This was often some young girls.

It was hard work, 

and they would spend the time making cheese and butter

besides herding. 

The place belong to my daughter and son in law,

its quite primitive,

no running water or electricity,

with an out house / sheep shed and a small lake near by.

One can fish or swim, but the water is cold!!

We love it up here,

its nice and quiet,

- medicine for my soul!

Life at the farm

...is great!

Especially if you are a cat...

Finding the best resting position

is an on going thing...

Between coffee and knitting brakes,
I have been painting windows...

second floor.

The windows, frames and glass,

are all original from the time the house was built
 in 1843 - 46, in Biedermeier style.

Windows and doors are placed symetric
to each other,

but take a close look at this side of the house.
Click on the picture
and check out the the 2 lower right windows.
They are just painted on for looks,
but framed like the rest of the windows in the house.
I love it!

Time for another coffee and knit brake....

I met a Ravelry friend..

...yesterday,

here in Norway.

I drove through the most scenic countryside,

I crossed a fjord on a tiny little, old ferry boat,

where cars had to be backed on to get on board.

We met at the ferry landing on the other side,

went to see this beautiful old Stave Church 

(it dates back to the year 1130),

and enjoyed a gorgeous day in the sun.

We chatted... for a long time,

sitting outside an old barn, -made into a cafe,

and we had a great time!

We practiced Needle-binding (nålebinding),

we had coffee and home-made cake,

and we ate newly picked raspberries.

Could life offer anything better?

She signed her book for me,

and I really look forward to knit a few of her patterns.

The cafe sold some of her knit items also,

so I got a pair of socks for my son.

Hopefully we can stay in touch,

and maybe meet again some day!

" The littlest Viking"

This year, 

like last year,

and the year before last,

we went to the Viking Marked 

in Gudvangen, Norway.

It sure is a very special event,

they really try to make it as authentic as possible.

The marked had grown since last year,

possible doubled in size.

The camp ground is surrounded 

by high mountains.

It is on sea level,

the fjord, Nærøyfjorden,

cutting in to Gudvangen from Sognefjord.

Luckily the rain stopped as we arrived,

and the temperature was good.

We brought our own little Viking.

He was pretty worn out by the end of the day.

I found what I was looking for,

needles for Nåle-binding (Needle binding),

and a little bit of yarn,

- still wet from the coloring process.

Not knitting, but Needle binding (Nålebinding)

.

 

I found this yarn in a local yarn store, 

and it is great for a needle binding project.

"Incawool" by Hjertegarn .

My daughter like these colors

and I am making her a pair of mittens 

for the cold Norwegian winter.

Blessed with another grandchild...

....a little girl, named Tyra.

When mamma and Tyra was still at the hospital,

her 3 year old "big" brother

was at home helping mormor (grandma)

around the house.

We washed clothes

and hung them on the clothes line.

We picked weeds in the yard,

we swept the stair case,

and then we had snack time.

Before the day was over
we also had some playtime.
How do you like the view from my swing?

Say no more...

Could life be more perfect?

 

Peaceful.

What more could one ask for?