Emma’s Birthday #2, Earthquakes Swarm
[Photos taken 24 – 28 February 2021, posted online 26 June 2021. As of today, Icelandic authorities have revoked all domestic Covid-19 restrictions, but border restrictions remain in place. The reason is high vaccination rates, with about 80% of 16+ year-olds having at least begun vaccinations, and 50% being fully vaccinated.]
After our fun ski trip, it was mostly back to life as normal, except for hosting Emma’s birthday party #2, going out to dinner, aaaand a sudden rise in earthquake activity close by (that would culminate in an actual volcanic eruption a month later!). (25-ish images)
Wednesday 24 February 2021
Akureyri Ski Trip
[Photos taken 18 – 22 February 2021, posted online 19 June 2021. These are super social days according to the hair salon ladies and news from the liquor store, they’re both super busy!! First it was the remnants of the confirmations, this weekend marks the end of the graduations, and then we’re moving on to weddings.]
One of the sewing club ladies had the organizational foresight in October 2020 to suggest the club go skiing in the north during the February winter school break. The club was up for it, and lodging was booked with the assumption that Covid-19 would be under control, and before we knew it it was time to go! This was essentially a repeat of the ski-trip we took with the club in 2014, we stayed a the same place, Lamb-Inn.
Covid-19 restrictions meant that the number of available passes was limited, and the ski area split the day into two slots. The demand for passes broke the booking system, but we got what we needed in the end. All in all, a good time was had by all, although it was super weird to be among so many people at the same time! (50-ish images total)
Thursday 18 February 2021
Emma’s 8th Birthday!!!
[Photos taken 12 – 17 February 2021, posted online 18 June 2021. It’s been a rather cold June so far, but thankfully a little wet along with the dryness. Also, Finnur and I have been a couple for twenty-seven years now, eeek!]
At long last, Emma’s 8th birthday arrived! She requested breakfast in bed with a little bit of chocolate, and I obliged. With Covid-19 momentarily mostly under control, we invited people over and had a proper birthday party (part 1)! Then we moved on to cream-puff-day, eat-till-you-explode-day, and ash-Wednesday-aka-second-Halloween, while preparing for an actual ski trip (with more people!) to the north of Iceland. (30-ish images total)
Friday 12 February 2021
Gatherings, Wacky Weather, Odd Jobs
[Photos taken 04-11 February 2021, posted online 13 June 2021. Covid-19 vaccinations continue apace, every last dosage that arrives is making it into people, and tourism is picking up again. Masks have mostly disappeared. The weather could be nicer, it’s currently pouring with rain.]
With Covid-19 numbers staying very low, crazy things could happen like a trampoline park classroom party, and an actual in-person sewing club! Mixed in were the usual walk-about-s, the shelves dad sent from the UK appeared just in time for Emma’s birthday, the weather was dramatically cold and/or snowy, and an actual ski trip north loomed! (25-ish images total)
Thursday 04 February 2021
Friends! Dinners! Increased Daylight!
[Photos taken 15-31 January 2021, posted online 05 June 2021. Vaccinations continue, and everybody born on or after 1975 has gotten a summons for at least one shot, as well as various priority groups. This is posted from an ice-skating rink, where the practice-year-end show is about to commence, and Emma is participating.]
Having seemingly dodged a post-holiday Covid-19 explosion, we began meeting friends again. My sewing club actually went out to dinner together (!), we went with friends to house #2(!), us old ones went out to dinner(!), we had someone over for dinner(!), etc… (60-ish images total)
Friday 15 January 2021
Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021!!!
[Photos taken 31 December 2002, posted online 22 May 2021. Attended an actual gymnastics competition this morning, there were people there. Yes, masked and sitting far apart, but still, people!]
As per instructions from the Icelandic authorities, the new year’s eve party at Finnur’s parents was a lot smaller than in past years, but good fun was had nonetheless!
We were all excited to say goodbye to the general shit-show that had been 2020, and the annual comedy hour that evening (see youtube with English subtitles, recommend 11:57, and I identified so hard with 33:52) was the best it’s been in years, in my humble opinion. (35-ish images total)
Thursday 31 December 2020
Haircuts, Other People & Frosty World
[Photos taken 01 – 09 December 2020, posted online 09 May 2021. We’ve had one gorgeous chilly day after another but no precipitation for weeks, and things are getting a bit dry out there.]
The hair salons got permission to restart operations as Covid numbers stayed “reasonable”, but with mask mandates etc. We used the opportunity and tidied up the family members. We also decided to visit people (!!!) and got visited. In general the world stayed pretty frozen, and my mental state began bracing for Christmas. (40-ish images).
Tuesday 01 December 2020
Frost Takes Over, Two Feet Keep Moving
[Photos taken 14 – 30 November 2020, posted online 01 May 2021. Spring is solidly in the air, and green grass has begun peeking out.]
All through November, Covid-19 infection rates kept decreasing, but slower and slower, until we reached a point of small-group-infection whack-a-mole, and Covid-19 just wouldn’t die. Therefore, our social life kept being close to non-existent, and about the only time I bothered taking photos was during walking/jogging outings… again.
We did make it to house #2 at one point, my work organized an online-event, yule-light got put up, and some tidying occurred, but aside from that, blergh. (80-ish images total)
Saturday 14 November 2020
November Walks, Workouts, & Bakes
[Photos taken 01 – 13 November 2020, posted online 25 April 2021. Spring and Covid wave #4 (still mild) are upon us, as a small fraction of travelers from abroad continue to disregard quarantine instructions. It’s enough a problem that parliament just passed laws to force travelers from certain areas into quarantine-hotels for 5 days. Thankfully vaccinations are ongoing, with 97.5% of 80+ year olds fully vaccinated, almost all 70+ year old have at least one shot, and we’re on to the 60000 people with ‘underlying health issues’.]
November began with covid restrictions tuned up pretty high, as wave #3 stubbornly stuck around, and big spreading events kept popping up. It was yet another month where almost all the photos I took were from a walk or a jog. Pretty depressing in retrospect but at least the weather co-operated. (65-ish images)
Sunday 01 November 2020
Fall Falls With Walks & Bakes
[Photos taken 18-31 October 2020, posted online 02 April 2021. Eloped to a cafe in Borgarnes for a bit of peace and quiet.]
Having escaped quarantine, but avoiding cafes still, I kept going out on walks just to escape the house. Anna’s final exams loomed (her school is unusual in that there are 3 semesters, each is 10 weeks long) and she began stress baking.
Halloween snuck up on us, but we did manage to grab a few pumpkins from Costco, and carve them. There was no trick or treating, although one household pinned candy to an outside wall! (70-ish photos)
Sunday 18 October 2020
