[Photos taken 12 – 24 July 2025, posted online 28 June 2026. Today marks Bjarki’s 19th birthday! Also, after mostly dry days for weeks, we’ve switched to intermittent showers, and the plants are grateful.]
The seemingly never-ending source of tasks that is our backyard got a little bit of extra attention for a few days. Flowers bloomed, bringing happy colors to our life. We upgraded our tent, summer vacation began, we visited Finnur’s parents, I kept going to the gym after tearing my calf so no more running for a while, we had social dinners, and I started prepping for my weekend-trip with 9 other ladies.
Saturday 12 July 2025
The outside seating was not used very much because we always had to pack the cushions up under the balcony, and unpacking was a little bit of a hassle. I found this garden shelter-roof thing at Ikea, and figured it would save us a bit of hassle, and also provide shelter from the sun.
Before assembling the shelter, I went out for my planned Garmin run. However, I got slightly too greedy, didn’t listen to warning signs from my calf, and tore something in it some 2 minutes before the end.
I spotted Emma and her friend waiting for the bus!
A pretty nature-path as I limped back home.
After feeling sorry for myself for an hour I began building the Ikea roof-shed.
After building the structure, I randomly decided to clean the innards of the BBQ.
Making progress! I had randomly bought at little plastic tool/scraper which turned out to work quite well.
With a little help from Anna and her friends, we moved the frame into position and strapped the roof-fabric in place. Unexpectedly, it feels a little warmer in that spot now.
Sunday 13 July 2025
Lo and behold, the roof-fabric turned out to be mostly waterproof! Success!
Anna’s flowers were doing quite well in the pots.
Anna made fluffy pancakes!!
A game being played!
Finnur prepping the potatoes as Anna’s significant other’s parents came over for dinner.
A fine-looking leg of lamb!
A group photo! We managed to put together “a battle plan” for escorting the new graduates to their chosen foreign location for graduate studies!
Monday 14 July 2025
A gorgeous flower still blooming!
The weather insisted on me biking to work.
The bike path to work goes by a lovely area.
The lunch menu was quite unappealing, so my group mates, who all happened to have biked to the office, decided to bike into the “Pool-valley” (Laugardalur) to eat lunch at a cafe.
Pretty good salad!
The cafe is in a greenhouse!
A funky “water fountain”.
The cows were sunbathing.
Anna used to work in this area as a gardener.
The temperature on our patio, in the shade.
So nice!
Lots of blooming flowers!
One of Anna’s being quite pretty.
Anna and her friends were planning to go camping, so we excavated our VERY old tent to see if it would do.
A little small for four people…
This tent is almost 30 years old (it has a camping tag on it from the late 1990s). Not surprisingly, some parts were not in great shape.
Peas getting ready to form!
Finnur’s birthday sunflower got a little added support for keeping upright.
Tuesday 15 July 2025
My gym buddies had all disappeared into the land of summer vacation, so I got to play all my my lonesome self at 8 am. That looks like 130 kg.
I decided to use Anna’s camping trip as motivation to finally update our tent situation. I’d always wanted a tent I could fully stand up in, so I visited a tent store.
Bought a tent! It’s the same brand as our old one.
It’s quite a bit bigger, but not crazy big, about the size of a full-sized sports-bag.
Emma got permission to help out with a two-hour post-work session for young kiddos hugging animals.
Fresh fruits!
Anna’s broccoli plants doing well.
I found a couple of (mostly) whole strawberries.
Wednesday 16 July 2025
Our new tent!
It does fit four people, if they’re ok with being snugly packed.
One day I’ll buy a heater…
Found a blooming rose.
Thursday 17 July 2025
One other crazy person showed up for a morning sweat.
Friday 18 July 2025
Friday desserts at work. Yes, it was Friday again!
At home, Emma had made her own version!
Good stuff!!
Saturday 18 July 2025
More of Anna’s flowers bloomed!
These were getting ready…
The top flower starting to open up.
Emma and myself went downtown to pick up books at the library.
The library building. It’s looking pretty dated, but apparently there are big plans to update it.
Near-obligatory hot-chocolate stop downtown.
It was warm enough for people to sit outside.
The book-haul.
Sunday 19 July 2025
The day was foggy/smoggy?
We drove on over to Laugarvatn to visit Finnur’s parents.
Friday desserts at work. Yes, it was Friday again! I think this was my last day at work before summer vacation began!
There was slightly less (sandblow) fog there. We could sit outside and play a game around dinner.
Dinner!
The second seating round!
There was no wind.
Mount Hekla hidden from view by the sandy air.
I dragged Bjarki out for a short walk.
The only photo where he wasn’t trying to wave flies away from his face.
Always fun to light a fire.
Card game in progress.
The fire kept burning.
Three people then piled into the infra-red sauna, before collapsing into bed.
Monday 21 July 2025
A new day, and there was less sand in the air.
Quite romantic!
The swings are still there, but both the trees and the kids have grown!
Emma swinging.
The lady of the house, as we said goodbye.
The blue sky peeking through.
We stopped to grab some ice-cream. Sadly, they no longer have a machine, only pre-made cones.
The weather back home was not very inspiring.
Tuesday 22 July 2025
At the gym at 14 because vacation!
I got back into knitting my sweater…
Anna started clearing out her room, in preparation for her move abroad. She left this Monster High doll and horse to Emma. The amount of dust on them was impressive!
Dusty lady.
Fancy dust! Emma then cleaned them up, and installed in her room.
Wednesday 23 July 2025
Saw a bumble bee in a tree.
Went swimming…
The town has an excellent flower master.
Emma went in for a haircut…
No more side-part!
I needed to buy a few things for the garden, and stopped at the adjacent cafe.
The sunflower kept growing.
We went on a dinner outing with good friends.
Soup!
Meat!
Downtown has a surprising number of somewhat run-down houses.
A yacht was sailing close to shore, with a helicopter on its back.
Thursday 24 July 2025
One last gym squeeze before heading out of town with 9 other ladies for a gander.
Stocking up on frisbee discs for the ladies.
Starting to pack…
Finnur went to judge a soccer meet for youngsters!
Anna made dinner!
Emma depositing a critter out by the playground.
Another critter hanging out outside our bedroom window.
