[Photos taken 14 – 31 January 2024, posted online 28 June 2024. Bjarki is now 17 years old!!]
Yet another eruption started shortly before 8 in the morning, and this time around I decided to drive to Kópavogskirkja, where I knew I’d have a bit of a view, and take a few photos. Unfortunately I didn’t realize just how freezing cold it was, and was severely underdressed.
Hilariously, some photographer there sold a photo to the Getty Images that had me and my tripod in it. There went my 15 seconds of fame!
Preparations for the much anticipated fancy-annual-sewing-club-party-with-spouses took up a lot of energy, as we rarely host those kinds of parties. But, the party was a success, and we could relax a bit!
In between all that there was a lot of snow, and snow-shoveling, as well as three whole days spent at a hotel on a whole-company event. There was also a bit of gymming, jogging, and dancing, where I completely busted a calf muscle. Ouch.
Sunday 14 January 2024
There was a freezing cold wind blowing… brrr.
My setup.
A screenshot from the Daily Mail in the UK. I did notice a person with a big camera standing by the church and taking photos, but they disappeared as quietly as they’d appeared! Ironically, my big camera is pointed towards the sunrise and not the eruption! Also, my boss at the time happened to walk by with his dog, so that was quite a coincidence as well.
Zoom-lens being zoomy.
On the left in the sky, the sun was rising.
Phone panorama. Since I neither had a hat, nor gloves, being outside wasn’t really sustainable, so I all but ran back to the warmth of the car!
That afternoon, a crack in the ground opened inside the protective walls around Grindavík town, and three or four houses were destroyed on live tv. It was eerie. Thankfully, this eruption burnt itself out quickly, and had basically stopped the following day.
Close up of a house being destroyed. It was still under construction. I think the lava reached at least two other houses before stopping.
This is what the earthquakes leading up to an eruption (or lava moving underground) look like. As the crust got weaker and weaker as time passed, the lead time shrunk to tens of minutes…
Anna making key-lime-pie. I think her school was starting the following day?
Monday 15 January 2024
A fancy party loomed, so I went over just how many fancy plates we own. Yup, that’s our “wedding” set from 2000. For posterity I decided to hunt down a couple of dinner plates, and was pleasantly pleased to find them on Ebay.
We also moved the outside patio couch into the living room, for additional seating. It actually fit so well that it hung out there for many months afterwards!
Anna’s key lime pie ready!
It was very good!
Tuesday 16 January 2024
Morning gym session, and then a 2 minute drive to…
… the Hilton hotel a few blocks away, where my company was hosting a three-day company-wide gathering, dubbed LOV week!
Putting my feet up during a snack-break from all the presentations.
It was a device-free event, so I brought some left-over yarn and a crocheting needle. I totally blanked on how to crochet, so I just made something up. That evening I hunted down a YouTube video or two for a refresher.
Wednesday 17 January 2024
The festival of LOV continued… I always appreciate a good bit of organization!
The food was excellent!
Here’s hoping!
Turns out we had a DJ among us!
In listening mode.
Thursday 18 January 2024
There was snow on the ground at 07:30.
At my table for the start of the last LOV-day.
Workshop results being introduced in a swanky room.
By the end of the third day I had completed my wonky cotton table-rag, and we’d all been issued a candle from Sólheimar.
The ending was a bit borderline emotionally manipulative, but also nice.
I drove on over to another nature-running practice, trying to ignore the temperature number. That’s 11 F.
Warm-up during sunset.
Turning the headlamps off and enjoying the environment for a minute.
My partner in crime!
The main part was practicing jogging up and down a slope. At this point my strained calf muscle started complaining, so I said early farewell, grabbed a shower at my gym, and…
… joined my co-workers (aka ‘my team’) at a nice restaurant downtown!
That lemon was not a lemon…
… It was dessert!
We walked down the hill to downtown proper, where the yule-cat was still up and about.
The company had rented a party space for the evening. The poor coat-collectors were totally overrun, so a line formed.
The parliament building on the far left.
It took a while to get the party started, but it got there in the end, especially after we started giving the DJ requests for something to dance to.
This photos is taken after I finally seriously strained my already slightly strained calf muscle jumping to Euphoria. After this I limped to the car, and there would be no running for a long time.
Friday 19 January 2024
My “chapter” at work walked over to the next building to have pizza for lunch. This became my preferred pizza place, I apparently love a wood-fired thin-crust!
Saturday 20 January 2024
More party planning brought me to Ikea, where non-slip rug-unders were totally sold out. I guess that’s what happens during sales!
My decorative haul after the day.
Sunday 21 January 2024
Anna decided to make a bread! It was huuuuge!
Adding moisture.
Perfect!
The birds were sad not to get any bread! They just got sunflower seeds…
Monday 22 January 2024
In the spirit of a Hollywood-party, I decided I’d had enough of my decidedly drab winter hair and got highlights at the local salon.
Blonde again!
Tuesday 23 January 2024
Snow came down with a vengeance, and the snow-scraper happily piled snow onto the drains. Mindful that snow often transforms into solid ice, I did my best to keep the drains clear for the inevitable thaw.
Wednesday 24 January 2024
New kitchen chairs! The old ones had dutifully done their duty for 15 years, their life continually extended with glue, and reinforcing screws…
The old chairs got piled into the garage, along with other non-party-approved things!
While in the garage I dug out my old Signals & Systems book from 25 years ago. It turned out Anna’s Signals & Systems teacher was using the same book!
Thursday 25 January 2024
Enjoying a bit of spa-time.
This is mostly to document Emma’s nightly braiding ritual. She got fed up with how hard it was to comb her hair in the mornings for school, and braids came to the rescue!
Friday 26 January 2024
Yet another fancy Friday breakfast at work!
One team member is a professional wine-tender, and enjoys decapitating cold bottles with bubbly with a sharp knife.
Lovely weather outside… ahemm!
Gym-documenting.
I got permission to borrow three chairs from work for the party. They were identical to the ones we’d gotten so I labeled them!
Shoveling snow, yet again!
Finnur fixing the legs of a table we borrowed from his parents.
All chairs and tables acquired for the party the next day!
Saturday 27 January 2024
The girls going to sleep over at their grandparents’ place. Emma was a wee bit insulted from being kicked out of her own home! Bjarki stayed over at a friend’s place.
I lucked out and managed to get a hold of the snow-plough-person, and he cleared the public parking lots. Yay!
I’d found vintage film photos at the “Good shepherd” store of used goods.
This being a Hollywood-theme, of course there was a red carpet!
We closed off the messy art corner with golden tassels. Emma insisted on keeping them, and they’re still there!
I also found a poster that fit the theme.
Candles always make things nicer!
The party was a great success, and we breathed a big sigh of relief. Assuming the pattern holds, we have 8 years until it’s our turn again!
Sunday 28 January 2024
Hangover-food.
Still loving the garbage-bin-shed.
It’s possible I forgot to feed the birds the evening before…
More “lovely” weather… I guess that’s par for the course in January.
Monday 29 January 2024
Emma agreed to try attending a tennis practice, and got a very warm welcome. She decided to keep attending, so that was a three hours not spent on a screen every week.
The snow-plough left massive chunks of extremely went and heavy snow, which was bizarre when even more frost was forecasted.
I cleared the way for a few cars before it all turned into solid ice.
Trying to document which books Emma had read from the library.
Enjoying the view over the fruits of my labor!
Tuesday 30 January 2024
Lazy sushi dinner.
My extra plates arrived, in the original packaging!!
Feeding the birdies, yet again.
Wednesday 31 January 2024
Blue skies at 11:42!
Snowstorm at 11:45!
The fruit subscription box helped remind us that winter will pass!!
