Liverpool Trip & Tim Minchin
[Photos from 01 November 2019, posted online 13 May 2020. The weather has switched to full-on spring (chilly though) and Covid cases are declining rapidly, but one or two are still popping every now and then.]
Many moons and what feels like several life-times ago, I bought tickets to see Tim Minchin perform live in Liverpool. (Yes, it was an excellent fall show-wise for the nerd in me!) The grand plan was to go see his show on a Friday, then attend an Everton home football game on the Saturday (my first!), and fly back home to the kiddos on Sunday morning.
As luck would have it, the game got moved to Sunday, so the plan got changed. I would still go home Sunday morning (and miss the game), but Finnur would attend the game with a few other Icelanders, and then travel to London to work at the London office for three days, with a cozy room and board at my dad’s and Shirley’s house.
Friday 01 November 2019
Bathroom Remodeling Begins
[Photos taken 21 – 31 October 2019, posted online 23 April 2020. Spring is looking victorious over Winter.]
After many years of scratching our heads over what to do about the upstairs bathroom, which was in need of repairs, we finally contacted an interior architect to help us actually get something done.
She drew up a new bathroom for us, and agreed to manage the job as well, as she’s well connected into the world of contractors, while we have no clue. So, one Monday morning, a group of Poles arrived and started tearing down the old bathroom, and thus the fun had begun! (60-ish images total)
Monday 21 October 2019
Shows, Bathroom Items, Walks, & House #2
[Photos taken 03 – 20 October 2019, posted online 19 April 2020. We’re two weeks away from some lifting of Covid-19 social distancing.]
All of a sudden it was October. We spent quite a bit of time looking at options for the upcoming bathroom renovation. House #2 was visited frequently, as a new dishwasher was installed, as well as a networked temperature control unit. I felt very adult-y as I arranged for my car to be repainted, and cleaned, and walks happened.
The big theme though was shows: Professor Brian Cox’s Universal Show, Matilda the Musical, as well as Hannah Gadsby‘s Douglas. (80-ish images total)
Thursday 03 October 2019
Emma Reads, Walkabouts, & Impending Autumn
[Photos taken 17 – 29 September 2019, posted online 11 April 2020. The Covid-19 cases are getting fewer, and spring is in the air. Here’s hoping those trends continue.]
With Finnur back at home from Japan, but jetlagged, we lay pretty low for a while. Emma began learning how to read, there were walks in various types of weather, some of us tried a racing simulator, and we generally tried to enjoy the last of the nice fall weather. (50-ish images total)
Tuesday 17 September 2019
Finnur in Japan, We Chill
[Photos taken 08-16 September 2019, posted online 09 April 2020. Covid-19 might be peaking, time will tell if it’s a local maxima or not. Spring and winter have begun their battle over the weather.]
The first week of September was so blah that no photos will be shown. But on the second week Finnur took off on a worktrip to Japan, to meet up with distant colleagues. The rest of us plodded along as usual, managing to stay mostly sane.
The highlight was probably a quick trip to house #2, to take down the trampoline for the winter. Oh, and Bjarki finally got an electric guitar, after much begging. (90-ish images total)
Sunday 08 September 2019
August Plods Along
[Photos taken 12 – 31 August 2019, posted online 03 April 2020. The snow is finally mostly gone. Covid-19 is so not gone, with 1364 confirmed cases in Iceland.]
Life plodded along, as we tried to readjust to “regular life” again. We attended a birthday party, and met up with friends, Bjarki took a tumble but escaped surprisingly intact, I kept going to the gym, Anna kept being an ambitious baker, school started up again, and my workplace hosted both a Family Day, and a Hackathon!
The weather was lovely for the most part, and trying to get the kids inside in the evenings continued to be a challenge. But we all survived. (50-ish images total)
Monday 12 August 2019
Long Weekend at Laugarvatn
[Photos taken 04 – 06 August 2019, posted online 25 March 2020. Gatherings of more than 20 people per space are forbidden, and Emma is the only one actively going to school, the others are doing school work from home.]
Back in innocent times, we spent a long weekend at Finnur’s parents’ summer cottage by Laugarvatn. I will admit that it was a bit of a relief to not be hostess-of-the-house for a bit, just a guest.
We had a lovely time in lovely weather. Finnur kept busy helping his dad tear a part of the deck down, while I took the kids hiking, and practiced general chilling. (65-ish images total)
Sunday 04 August 2019
So Much Weeding & Staining
[Photos taken 01 – 03 August 2019, posted online 22 March 2020. Covid-19 is on a rapid rise, 568 cases confirmed in Iceland as of today. The news from all over the world is scary.]
We took advantage of the amazing weather to work in the garden (me) and stain the woodwork of house #2 (Finnur). As it happens, Anna had to work at the horse-camp and there is no staining decks with kids around, so it worked out quite nicely.
To enjoy the last remaining weekend on vacation, we then drove to Finnur’s parents’ summer house at Laugarvatn for the long trade-holiday weekend. (30-ish images total)
Thursday 01 August 2019
Horse-Rental & Hot Springs
[Photos taken 25-31 July 2019, posted online 14 March 2020. Covid-19 is pushing more and more people into self-quarantine, among them three teachers at the local school. Large gatherings forbidden as of Monday, Anna’s school is moving to online-only, and the elementary school is trying to figure out how to partition into 20-kids per non-intermingling groups. ]
Although Anna had spent weeks working at horse-camp, she’d not gotten to ride the horses much, as she spent most of her time walking alongside them. She therefore kindly asked if we could visit a horse-rental close to house #2 while we were there, which we did.
We also visited a nearby powerful hot spring, and a new (for us) swimming pool, before heading back to town, after a week in the country, to see family members that were visiting from New Zealand before they flew back. Then Anna went back to work, and we tried to find things to do during the daytime.
Finnur’s 45th birthday happened on a lovely day, and we went out to dinner to celebrate with friends. (55-ish images total)
Thursday 25 July 2019
Waterfall Trolls & Glacier Trip
[Photos taken 23 – 24 July 2019, posted online 08 March 2020. Very chilly but gorgeous day outside.]
Our second set of house #2 visitors, aka Adda, Halli and kids, were in an adventurous mood, as this summer was a stay-cation for us all, after we’d spent 10 days in Florida together in February.
We therefore used the time we had with them to check out nearby tourist traps and go snowmobiling on a glacier (!!!), as well as just trying to relax and enjoy a few days away from life as usual. (50-ish photos total)
Tuesday 23 July 2019
