Getting even more rustic...

Well, it's the last week of Farmen (see previous blog entry!) so things are getting exciting. My husband and I are gearing up for finale-week, but unfortunately we won't be able to see the finale! Does anyone want to record it for us?

This weekend was pretty calm but full of housework, along with making food from scratch: black bean soup, brownies and lasagne. I figure that whatever proper food you can't buy in the stores here must be made by hand at home! I use the Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks a lot, along with The Enchanted Broccoli Forest and other Molly Katzen cookbooks. Thank the powers that be for that woman! The internet is also great for when you can't remember what 350 degrees Fahrenheit is in Celcius. (Answer: approximately 175-180 C.)

I've also been enjoying our "new" hytte this weekend. We are renting it for the year from some local people who own it and don't need it, so they rent it out. It is only big enough for two people (and maybe a cat or two). It is called "Raudbrekk". I asked my husband what that means, but he doesn't really know. Any ideas? The hytte (cabin) has two rooms: one "living room" with a combined kitchen, a table with benches, two chairs and a wood-burning oven/stove, and a bedroom with a built-in bed. There is an outhouse with a toilet, which actually has a real toilet seat! Luxury! So far we've stayed there only two weekends, and we come back home to shower, etc. It is only about 10 minutes' drive, so it's no crisis if you forget something or have to rush home to feed the cat.

I wasn't too sure about the idea of paying money for the use of a place without electricity and water...but it's not as bad as it sounds. Even though the cabin is very rustic, it is nice to be somewhere without distractions. However, I brought a smidgen of modern times into the place with my Ipod and small speakers for listening to tunes. It's a great place to learn tunes on hardanger fiddle without anyone to listen in!

There is a bunsen-burner type thing for cooking and boiling water, so you can do the dishes and wash your face/hands, and there are paraffin lamps for reading which have an absolutely lovely golden color and warmth to their light.

Today I brought our cat Pus along, and he seemed to like it. He sniffed around and then settled down with some food and water, then rested on one of the rugs. We went outside for a while and he sniffed around and was very interested in the birds making angry, hissing noises (probably protecting their nests). He didn't try to run away, so that was a plus. He wasn't fond of the car ride, but maybe he will get used to it after more visits in the future. Fortunately it's not far from our house just in case he tries to find his way home sometime...