[Photos taken 11 – 28 February 2024, posted online 03 July 2024. The rain keeps raining, but at least the weather is mostly mild.]
Emma’s actual 11th birthday was on a Monday, so we had a small family party the day before. So many people were away that we combined both families into one party, which hasn’t happened in a long time. The celebrations continued with a dinner at a restaurant, and then a classroom party at an ice-rink.
We visited the summer house repeatedly, and in one such journey I ended up being sent to Krauma with a girlfriend to relax, as it was “women’s day”.
The days got longer, and the outside temperature started swinging wildly, as thaws and frost battled for dominance.
Sunday 11 February 2024
By the tall cake Anna made.
Before the party, there was an opening of presents!
Anna putting the finishing touches on the massive cake, while Bjarki photobombs.
“Horns” being made.
Cake ready!
Emma found an old dress of Anna’s to wear.
Height check! Bjarki’s still not quite as tall as his dad.
Table filling up.
Candle blowing in progress!
Three layers!
Working on a new Lego set.
After dinner it was time to make cream-puffs for cream-puff-day!
I remembered to use the machine this year! I keep forgetting, and growling at the eggs that need to be individually incorporated with a wooden spoon.
Lifting?
Yes, they lifted! Phew!
The cream puffs were ready by 22, and I left them for the others to fill and decorate. The school invites kids to bring these in on creme-puff-day.
Monday 12 February 2024
For Emma’s birthday dinner, we headed to the local imitation-Hard-Rock-Cafe.
Emma trying to not be concerned about the sparks.
Happy dessert-ers.
Tuesday 13 February 2024
Maybe this was when I realized what the true clogging problem was?
Much to my joy, the town sent big machines to remove the piles of hard-packed-snow on the otherwise impassable sidewalks and road-sides. I think this was the first time this has happened? You can see by the whiteness of the snow how far our pile extended into the road.
Anna’s crazy sugar cookie dough!
Excited to excavate the cats.
Wednesday 14 February 2024
The baked sugar cats.
Emma’s Ash Wednesday costume was as one of the Chipettes. Apparently one of her friends brought glasses for her. The bag was useful for collecting candy.
Documenting maximum weight while doing 3-5 deadlift repetitions in the weight-lifting gym class. Looks like I did 3 x 120 kg, and then added one 130 kg lift. Names have been erased for privacy. That week I also did 3 x 57.5 kg bench-presses, and added one 60 kg one. Shoulder was getting better.
Saturday 17 February 2024
It seems so pointless to wash the outside of cars in winter, but in this case the front windshield really needed it.
Finally we got a thaw! And of course, a large puddle in front of our house.
Thankfully, I’d managed to keep one drain mostly uncovered, so it was easy to break the ice on top of it and open it up. So satisfying! (The other one was hopelessly lost under a thick pile of solid ice, and I quickly gave up trying to open it.)
Then it was time to drive to the summer house!
Sunday 18 February 2024
Finnur color-matching the pillow-cover.
Making pancakes.
Chilling!
Anna’s peace being disturbed.
The crow flying.
Later that afternoon, I attempted to go jogging with my partner-in-crime, but the path was a soggy disaster. We moved on to the paved portions of the adjoining golf course.
We made it up the hill.
I slow-jogged home, and about right there is where my calf-muscle suddenly strained/snapped again, and I limped home.
Monday 19 February 2024
Emma was on a two-day winter break, so she stayed on in the summer house with Finnur. Meanwhile the older kids got fish!
We’d run out of toilet paper, so to CostCo we went.
The weather was very blergh!
Tuesday 20 February 2024
Occasionally I’d sit down at the piano and try to very slowly work my way through a Bach-book I own. I stumbled on how to do staccato on one hand, and not the other.
Wednesday 21 February 2024
Trying somewhat extreme mono-vision. I’m naturally near-sighted, but with older eye-balls, reading with was getting really tricky as well. I went in for an eye test, and the guy gave me this strength to try out in my non-dominant eye. To put a long story short, this one didn’t work, but the next one I tried worked, and now I see far away with my right eye, and read with my left eye!
Exiting the gym at 18:15 and the sky wasn’t black!
Thursday 22 February 2024
Emma getting ready to skate on the freshly resurfaced ice, as she and a few other girls from class held a common birthday party at the ice rink.
Yay, they had reusable plates and cups!
We’d forgotten that another town had a school-winter-break, so the ice-rink was pretty busy. But a good time was had by all!
Friday 23 February 2024
Hmmm, the big plate means we went to the pizza place for dinner. Lazy, lazy, me!
The face of a not-very excited university student needing to do homework on a Friday night.
Saturday 24 February 2024
I was asked to buy meat for dinner at the summer house. Took a photo to ask remote others to choose!
Hmm, not great. But thankfully, no damage.
Summer-house sunset at 19:19.
VERY bright moonshine at 22:43.
Sunday 25 February 2024
That day was “women’s day”, and the hubbies sent their wives to the hot tubs at Krauma, promising to pack up the summer-house in our absence. It was quite cold outside!
The steam rising from the hot-water stream was also freezing the grass up the hill.
There were quite a few people there, but it was quiet and nice.
We had a late lunch/coffee.
The sky had clouded over by the time we left.
I spied a little waterfall.
Please don’t try to touch the water!
Each wife found their way to the correct car, and Emma joined me in my car.
Mmmm, cake!
By the seaside.
Once home, I spent a few minutes taking the yule lights down.
Ugh! But, there was a bit of order in the seeming chaos.
Tuesday 27 February 2024
The time of year to yet again notify the town that there are gaping holes in the roads.
I hosted a “sewing” club, and served a bunch of mostly-carbs.
Wednesday 28 February 2024
After straining my calf yet again, I’d caved and visited a physical therapist. Upon examination he found a butt-muscle on strike, and gave me a whole essays of exercises to wake it up from its slumber. This was one of them… My position is a little off because I’m taking a photo, but I was to lean forward at the hips, push the bent leg into the ball, and sure enough, nearly kill my weak-left hip/butt muscles.
