Frame-Staining / Confirmation / Spring-y Choir
[Photos taken 22 April 2025, posted online 8 14 February 2026. Still no precipitation, but it’s freezing cold outside. Brrrr…]
With Easter holiday all done and dusted, it was time for more spring tasks, as the sun kept staying up in the sky for longer and longer.
There were walks, some biking, gymming, a confirmation party, and a lot of wood-staining. I attended a spring-y choral performance, and we went out to dinner with friends.
Tuesday 22 April 2025
Easter Break: Summer House / Feasting / Yard Work
[Photos taken 17 – 21 April 2025, posted online 07 February 2026. The multi-week draught got temporarily halted yesterday when we finally had a bit of rain, which promptly froze on the freezing ground, and had people slipping all over. The weather systems have been locked in a strange configuration for a while, and the UK and mainland Europe have been getting all the tumultuous weather that usually hammers Iceland in winter…]
The five-day Easter holiday weekend went by in a blur of activity! After an epic printer-battle, we went up to the summer house with some friends, and used the lovely weather to put the trampoline together again, in between lounging and playing games.
Easter day was by-the-book, with easter-egg hunts galore, good food, good company, and social whist. The second day of Easter was spent in the yard, as spring was very much in the air!
Thursday 17 April 2025
HP Confirmation Party / Swedes Leave / Lake Walk-Jog
[Photos taken 13 – 16 April 2025, posted online 01 February 2026. At this rate I’ll soon end up a whole year “behind” myself…]
We had the pleasure of attending my niece’s Harry Potter themed confirmation party on a lovely afternoon. The Swedes returned to their home a couple of days later, and then it was just “waiting for easter holiday”-time!
Sunday 13 April 2025
Confirmation Photos / Sewing Club / Napoleon
[Photos taken 09 – 15 March 2025, posted online 26 October 2025. First snow of the winter season fell overnight, not nearly enough to cover up the grass, but the nights have been cold enough that it’s sticking around.]
This year’s confirmation season was relatively quiet, with only one cousin ascending to the halls of “being counted as an adult” (the wording is probably from when kids were big enough to participate fully in farm-work?). I was happy to take photos of the confirmed-one-to-be, although yet again I swore to one day really update my gear, so I don’t have to fight the lighting quite so much.
That same weekend, Bjarki and two buddies scored the third place in a programming competition, and each got $80/EUR70/ISK10000 for their hard work. The rest of the week saw warmer weather, a haircut, a swim, a ladies lunch, I hosted a sewing club, and we went on an outing to a theatrical production paired with wine.
Lastly, be warned that at the very bottom of the page are a couple of photos of a burst ganglion cyst…
Sunday 09 March 2025
Birthdays / Flowers / More Daylight
[Photos taken 01 – 08 March 2025, posted online 25 October 2025. Overnight frost has arrived, and thus bird-feeding has resumed.]
March is a birthday bonanza month. This time around I turned 48 years old, so I just have a couple of years to go until the big five-oh! We also belatedly formally celebrated Emma’s 12 year birthday, and mostly totally ignored our 25th wedding anniversary.
This first week of March was a mix of things, there was creme-puff-day, costumes for Ash Wednesday (now Halloween #2), an uncomfortable finger-ganglion cyst (mild yuk-photo warning), gym-sessions, and very suddenly a lot more daylight, but the frost held on.
Saturday 01 March 2025
12th Birthday / Increased Daylight / UK Winter Break
[Photos taken 12 – 21 February 2025, posted online 13 September 2025. It’s bright but windy day, the leaves have begun turning although the air temperature has been unseasonably high.]
Emma’s 12 birthday finally arrived, much to her joy! We had a mini celebration at home on the day, and she invited a few friends over a few days later. Further celebrations had to wait as a) I got sick and, b) we were headed to the UK for a school winter-break visit.
In the meantime, the days kept getting longer with the sun higher in the sky, which meant taking down yule-lights, and cleaning windows.
Wednesday 12 February 2025
New Year’s Eve / Party / Bonfire / Aurora / Fireworks
[Photos taken 31 December 2024 (into 01 January 2025), posted online 14 June 2025. We’re getting more really nice weather, it’s like a “summer”??]
New Year’s Eve is always a fun day. The day began with Anna making yet another batch of the ever popular “horns” for the potluck-party that evening. It’s a “newish” twist on tradition that Finnur’s sister now invites the family to celebrate the new year, and we got permission to invite our US visitors along.
Earlier that day I managed to convince two hyperactive souls to join me for some frisbee golf in the baby-sized forest up the hill (Guðmundarlundur). By the forest we ran into a lost shivering cold dog, which we pulled into our car. The magical powers of Facebook (advertising lost animals is about the only thing it’s actually good for) had the dog reunited with its owner in half an hour.
Our US visitors were very keen to see the northern lights, and had been following the expected conditions. The forecast for the evening was excellent, following a solar storm ejection two days prior, so they planned on driving out while the Icelandic “annual comedy hour” was in progress to go hunting for lights.
At the last minute, I decided to join them as a guide in the hunt so they didn’t get hopelessly lost, or drive too far afield to make it back for the insane fireworks at midnight. Let’s just say that we got very lucky in the aurora deparatment!
Happy 2025 Everybody!!
Tuesday 31 December 2024
Christmas Eve+Day+2nd Day / Anna’s 21st Birthday / US Visitors!
[Photos taken 24 – 26 December 2024, posted online 01 June 2025. Pouring rain today, and strong chilly winds predicted tomorrow after the absolute beauty of a May weatherwise. All the plants are fully green (way ahead of schedule), and here’s hoping they survive the next few days…]
Christmas Eve passed in a traditional manner… Finnur was in charge of the kitchen, while Emma and I went on a hike up to the overlook point, and mostly everybody stayed out of Finnur’s way.
Similarly, Christmas Day was as tradition dictates with Anna’s 21st birthday, her making “horns” and desserts for Finnur’s family gathering at his parents’ place, us going there, eating and playing the social-whist tournament (I won!!) before preparing for visitors at home.
The second day of Christmas (aka Boxing Day in the UK) saw our US visitors arrive bright and early. They got to sleep for a few hours, and then they got dragged to the outdoors swimming pool/hot-tub/slide-extravaganza up the hill. The five of us went to a lovely late-afternoon family-gathering on my side, before spending the evening playing games, and then some more games!
Christmas Eve – Tuesday 24 December 2024
Faxi Campsite / Flúðir Folf / Finnur’s 50th
[Photos taken 25 – 31 July 2024, posted online 14 October 2024. It’s chilly but beautiful out there.]
One day, Emma noted that she’d never slept in a tent, and we decided that was something we should probably fix. A few days later, we lucked out in getting invited to join some friends at a campsite by the waterfall Faxi.
We arrived just as the most recent rain-storm was passing, stayed for a couple of nights, and managed to pack up the tent just before the next rain-storm arrived. We tried Frisbee golfing (folfing) for the first time, and it was a resounding success for all.
We returned home in the rain, caught out breaths for a few moments before attending a multi-Christening/Confirmation, and then it was Finnur’s 50th birthday!
Thursday 25 July 2024
Easter 2024
[Photos taken 31 March 2024, posted online 19 August 2024. This might be a week without rain!?! Fittingly, the big kids start school today.]
We arrived back from Sweden in time for a very traditional Easter Sunday. Chocolate eggs were hidden at home, before we headed over to my in-laws for an Easter feast and social whist.
Easter Sunday 31 March 2024
