May 31, 2005-2011

2005: We celebrated our 7 years anniversary in our old apartment.

2006: We celebrated our 8 years anniversary in our garden and Sølve proposed. He had built this bench a few days earlier and carved a heart on it. I sat on this bench, in beautiful evening sunlight, when he popped the question. You already know my answer ;-)

2007: We celebrated our 9 years anniversary at home with cheese and rosé.

2008: We celebrated our 10 years anniversary at home with Champagne, snacks, roses and diamonds (to wear for our wedding day August 9 the same year).

2009: Caption written on Flickr: How to celebrate 11 years of love. Shopping at the garden center, spend the whole day working in the garden in the bright, warm sun, champagne and dinner al fresco with candles. Bliss!

2010: We celebrated our 12 years anniversary with tulips from the garden and dinner with my sister (who stayed with us for a month doing research for her master thesis).

2011: We celebrated our 13 years anniversary with dinner out followed by sunset and dessert at home.

This post is inspired by Sandra's similar posts.

1 + 1 = 3

I'm four months along and we are super excited! Can't wait until around November 12 to meet this little piece of magic in person.

May 17, 2006-2011

2006: A low key Constitution Day celebration for just Sølve and me + celebration of me finishing my master thesis a couple of days before. (Photo by Sølve.)

2007: Constitution Day celebration in our garden with family and friends. This is my sister-in-law wearing her bunad from Rogaland.

2008: Constitution Day celebration with friends at home. This is me wearing my bunad. It's a beltestakk from Bø in Telemark (my mother's family is from Telemark).

2009: Constitution Day dinner with friends at home.

2010: Constitution Day celebration in Sølve's brother's garden.

2011: Constitution Day celebration with friends at home.

This post is inspired by Sandra's similar posts.

Gratulerer med dagen!

Kodak Portra 160vc, Canon EOS 500N, photographed at Åsly in May 2010

Today is the Norwegian Constitution Day.

Hei from Bergen, Norway

Early April spring bling by the Citadella in Budapest, Hungary.

I'm back in Bergen and it's raining. Big surprise! Budapest was SO sunny and springy. Luckily it seems like the weather will be better here in Bergen during the weekend, which makes me happy because we have two guests arriving from Paris today. These last couple of weeks have been pretty eventful and I plan to tell you more about it later, especially about Budapest and of course Artist Diner. In the mean time I wish you all a fun filled happy weekend!

the weather

11:17 am (part of the Saturday diptych)


11:38 am


4:24 pm


5:15 pm

All these photos were taken out our kitchen window on Saturday March 5. How can you not love watching the weather when it changes like this within hours?

new Blurb book: 30 days of winter

Finally, here is the project I mentioned before; a new Blurb photo book called 30 days of winter.

In December 2010 I received a package from Mallorca, Spain. It was a Christmas card and a film from my friend Lorena Arance, whom I’ve met online through Flickr and blogging. We share a passion for shooting film and Lorena sent me one of her favorites – a German film called Müller 200. In return I decided to do a special project of everyday life journaling, which I know Lorena adores.

I loaded this Müller 200 iso film in my Minolta SRT 101 camera on December 29 and took one photo every day until the film was finished. Each day I made a note of what I had photographed and wrote a few words about that day. The result is a record of 30 days of winter on the west coast of Norway.

The book is 36 pages, square format, soft cover. It is available here in my Blurb bookstore. You can view a little preview here and I have uploaded a few of the photos from the book to this set on Flickr.

Edit: Lorena wrote a very sweet post about this project.

look what I found!

This week we have seen it all, weather wise. 14 C below, bright sunlight and blue skies, bare dry streets, 10 cm of fresh snow, heavy rain and wind, +10 C and not a sight of snow in the garden, and then snow again. It's been fun.

Yesterday was one of those mild, no snow days. I actually did a tiny bit of gardening; I cut down the dead irises. (Here they are in full bloom.) It felt like spring - especially when I found these little guys in one of the flower beds. It's coming, you know. In a couple of days it's actually the first day of spring. It will be time to close the winter set on Flickr and open the spring set. Are you ready for it?

6 pm dusk

the view from our kitchen window

This photo was taken just a few minutes ago; a few minutes passed 6 pm. It's not yet dark! Days are slowly getting lighter and longer. Have you noticed?

solbriller på*

I feel like I've become a master of seeing beauty in different tones of grey and brown lately. Today has been super sunny for a change, and it was a welcome relief. We have just had a nice Sunday stroll, soaking in the bright winter rays. It felt great.

*Solbriller på is the title of Bergen artist Lars Vaular's song, meaning wearing sunglasses.

friday bliss

Friday February 4 outtake

Tonight: Home alone, cointreau on ice, sofa and a movie. How about you?

today is beautiful

Voss, 1:50 pm

15 C below, sun, blue skies and perfect snow conditions in the slopes. By the way, this is were we got married. To say I like it here would be an understatement.

How is/was your Saturday?

Same view yesterday afternoon | Åsly | the wedding (weekend) | winter

my everyday life 2010

Every year I make a set on Flickr called "my everyday life *insert current year*" and when the year has passed I make the set private. I'm closing my everyday life 2010 soon. Please take a last look if you are interested.

snowy

It snowed so much before the weekend! I love being outside in snowy weather like this. The air is thick with dancing snow flakes and everything is white. During the night most of it was washed away by heavy rain. The grass in our garden is no longer covered in a white carpet, but winter is absolutely not over yet.

winter

a tradition

Minolta SRT 101, Fuji Superia X-tra 800

I have a tradition of always buying red tulips for my mum and mother-in-law when we are home in Sandnes for Christmas.

Also, I just wanted to say hei. Hei! :-)

answers, part V

decoration on my mum's christmas tree

Here is the fifth and last batch of questions and answers from the giveaway:

41
Rita asked:
I love your "Everyday Stories" and the daily outfits. Do you care about clothes, style and fashion, or you just grab something to put on everyday?

I'm glad to hear that. I never thought of it as showing my daily outfits though ;-) I care more about style than fashion, and I always try to not just grab something in the morning to wear.

42
Lisa asked:
Where do you find the I shoot film participants?

Mostly on Flickr.

43
Janelle asked:
Astrid, what do you see yourself doing five years from now?

Hopefully I’m a mom, still working as a writer and maybe even more as a photographer.

44
Pernille asked:
If you were to choose one country you could visit, or go back to, which country would you choose?

I would love to visit India, where I have never been. And I always want to go back to Italy, where I have been several times.

45
Vigdis asked:
Who is your favorite photographer(s)?

There are several photographers I admire, for example; my sister Mari, Lori, Charlotte, Alison, Lars, Molly, Ashley, Brian, Lara, Michelle, Tom

46
Norma asked:
What do you consider the best part of any day?

Mealtimes.

47
Sonja asked:
I'd like to know if there is any place you could choose to live, where would it be?

I already answered this; number five here.

- - -

Thank you all for participating in my giveaway. I had fun getting to know you better and answering your questions.

answers, part IV

christmas beer tasting at my parents' place

Here is the fourth batch of questions and answers from the giveaway:

31
Shafina asked:
If given the chance to photography any subject, anywhere in the world - where would it be and why?

Good question! Light is my muse, so I would travel the world to shoot different kinds of light.

32
Delia asked:
My question is what the best meal you ever ate/made?

I already answered this; number 15 here.

33
Emily asked:
What has been your favourite 'moment' today?

Seeing the morning sun shine on the red poinsettia and the white and green amaryllis bouquet on the dining table in my parents' livingroom.

34
May asked:
What would you want as your very last meal on this earth?

I think the food itself would not be so important, rather the company.

35
Claudia asked:
I would like to know what is the trigger that make you take a picture? Do you plan your shots or is it a decision of the moment, a sudden inspiration?

I hardly ever plan my photos. Light is an important trigger, so are colors and random moments.

36
Emma asked:
What is your favourite thing about Norway?

The nature.

37
Julia asked:
Will you ever (well, not EVER, but in the near future) join a " A photo a day project" or "365days" or "Year In Pictures (YIP)" and start taking pictures on a daily basis and upload them?

Yes. (I did it in 2008 and made this book.)

38
Daniela asked:
What is the goal of your life? (I know is an hard question, but also a simple one..I will answer to this saying my goal is to FULLY LIVE my life...and you?)

My goal is to be happy.

39
Hege asked:
Do you have a secret hobby that you haven’t mentioned on your blog?

I don’t think I have mentioned that I love playing board games.

40
Lauren asked:
What is your favorite novel?

I already answered this; number 30 here.

answers, part III

my parents' livingroom

Here is the third batch of questions and answers from the giveaway:

21
Kitchu asked:
Do you have any regrets in life or is there one thing you wish you had done differently?

I wish I had done a student exchange year abroad.

22
Karlova asked:
What is the color of your garden now?

I’m not at home in Bergen right now, but I think our garden is pretty white of snow at the moment.

23
Tanja asked:
What do do like most about Bergen?

It’s a beautiful, charming city with close proximity to beautiful nature.

24
Frau CowTown asked:
If you could add 1 thing to your life what would it be?

A baby.

25
Anne Marie asked:
How did you and Sølve meet? And was it love at first sight?

We first met at a scout camp when I was 13 and he was 14, and had a very short fling. We met again later when he was on leave from the military service and I was a happy (and slightly tipsy) russ on May 15 1998. It was not love at first sight, but we became a couple on May 31 the same year, and have been together even since.

26
Ida asked:
Have you ever lived anywhere else than Bergen?

Yes. I was born at Ørland, then we moved to Randaberg, Moss (where my sister Mari was born) and Sandnes. I moved to Bergen in August 1999 to study, and have lived there ever since.

27
Lizzy asked:
I would like to know which artist or musician really inspires you.

No one in particular.

28
Essi asked:
What languages do you speak? What language you'd like to learn most?

I speak Norwegian and English, and a tiny, tiny bit of German. I would love to learn Italian because it’s such a beautiful language and country.

29
Kathrin asked:
Do you have a pet? Did you ever have one? And if you had one, what would it be?

Here is my answer.

30
Nadja asked:
How did you and Sølve meet (I already know the answer, but it’s such a cute story.)
What is your favorite book and why?

I already answered this above (I didn’t leave anything out, did I Nadja?)

I’m not sure what my favorite is now (I don’t read as much as I’d like to), but my favorite when I was younger was Anne of Green Gables. I remember it as a fascinating story, I longed to have red hair like her.

answers, part II

my mom's collection of Santas

Here is the second batch of questions and answers from the giveaway:

11
Silvia asked:
Of the many things how the internet has influenced our life, what aspect do you value most?

Inspiration to become a better photographer. I joined Flickr in May 2005 and was overwhelmed with all the beautiful photos I saw there. Looking at other people’s photos has definitely taught me a lot and I think it has made me a better photographer.

12
Katherine asked:
If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would you live?

I already answered this; number five here.

13
Christine asked:
Is your house (flat) EVER messy?

Yes, of course it is. But I prefer a tidy home, so it’s not messy for long.

14
Inga asked:
Do you believe in god?

Yes.

15
Jenna asked:
What is the best decision you've ever made? And also, what's the best dinner you've ever had?

To become Sølve’s girlfriend in May 2008.

It is impossible to answer this. I have had so many wonderful meals; both because of the delicious food, but also because of the lovely company.

16
Danielle asked:
How did you get into photography?

My dad has always been an eager photographer, so I think he inspired me to start shooting. I got my first point and shoot camera when I was 10 years old, and ever since then I have been a happy snapper.

17
Whitney asked:
If you were going to move, where would you want to live next?

I already answered this; number five here.

18
Hanna asked:
What is your favorite food?

Pizza is high on the list.

19
Stephen asked:
What's your favorite childhood memory?

I don’t think I have one favorite; but I remember well the joy of being on summer vacation with my family in Denmark and having fun in the pool all day long.

20
Diana asked:
Which travelling you will remember forever? What place has impressed you ever so much?

Svalbard and South Africa were equally exotic and impressive.

answers, part I

Christmas Eve at my parents' place

Here is the first batch of questions and answers from the giveaway:

1
Gali asked:
Have you ever had what you would call "the perfect cupcake/muffin"?

The chocolate cupcake from Magnolia Bakery in New York was great, but I’m also pretty pleased with my own chocolate cupcakes. Still I think the best muffin/cupcake experience I’ve had was with the muffin I bought at Borough Market in London in June. It was some kind of berry muffin, freshly baked and lukewarm.

2
Hilde asked:
What are your Christmas wishes?

Well, now that Christmas Eve has passed, I know what I got and I’m super happy. But I didn’t really wish for much; I have most of the things I need and wish for.

3
Ana asked:
What do you do when you have a creative block (if you ever had it...)?
What usually makes you laugh?

Oh yes, I do have creative blocks, especially when it comes to my writing. I’m not very good at dealing with it actually, but I try to remove all distractions, get some fresh air, some good food and then just do it.

I’m a bit embarrassed to say this, but America’s Funnies Home Videos always makes me laugh.

4
Kevin asked:
Do you plan to have children? Why or Why not?

Yes, we do plan to have children. For me, having children is a natural part of life.

5
Reya asked:
If you had to move away from Bergen to any other city of your choice, where would it be?

New York was an amazing city which I would love to explore more by living there for a while. But realistically I think my hometown Sandnes or the neighbor city Stavanger is where we would move. Our parents live there and lots of our friends.

6
Camila asked:
When you think of Brazil, what is the first thought that pops into your head?

Carnival, samba and beach life.

7
Shokoofeh asked:
Have you ever had doubts about being a blogger? in other words; what is your biggest reason to own a blog?

No, I have not had any doubts. Well, by the way, I do. Sometimes I feel like I spend too much time in front of the computer and blogging (and Flickr) is the main reason for it. On the other hand, I love photography and I really enjoy sharing my photos with others. I also enjoy sharing random inspiring finds with others. I think those are the main reasons for my blogging.

8
Lorena asked:
You are one of those people that you give much importance to each of the elements in your home. I mean, at first glance. You think watching your home I can see the reflection of your personality? Or Do you think a home is to be comfortable and useful, but nothing else?

I think a home in general should be all of that; a reflection of the owner’s personality, comfortable and useful/functional. I feel like my home is all that. And yes, I do care about each element in my home.

9
Jodi asked:
Do you like winter?

Yes. But I do sometimes get sick off the darkness.

10
Satu asked:
What are you reading currently and which norwegian writer or book would you recommend your readers?

Right now I’m reading a book called “Gjeld” (debt) by Torgrim Eggen. I would recommend “Out Stealing Horses” by Per Petterson.