Dinners, Gymnastics, & Staining in the Sun
[Photos taken 06 – 15 June 2019, posted online 12 January 2020. It’s been a over a week of storms, they just keep coming, with wind/rain/snow.]
We kept having crazy fantastic weather, with barely a drop of rain. It was very conductive to walks and staining wood, and there’s So. Much. Wood.
Bjarki competed at a gymnastics meet, dinner was outsourced, we visited the farm animal & family park, the guest-house at house #2 got some attention, and Anna prepared starting her first ever summer job (45-ish images total).
Thursday 06 June 2019
Anna Graduates 10th Grade
[Photos taken 05 June 2019, posted online 27 December 2019. The rain is taking all our snow away. New Year’s Eve fireworks weather is not looking promising. ]
After eight fine years at our local school, it was time for Anna to graduate from 10th grade. Two days prior, the whole graduating group (70-ish kids) had gone on a graduation/team-building trip to the north of Iceland.
The trip was a roaring success, and they arrived sleep-deprived and weepy with emotion a few hours before the formal ceremony. At the graduation ceremony itself, hardly an eye was left dry in the house, as parents and past-and-present teachers talked, gifts were given, hugs were exchanged, lovely words were written in yearbooks, photos were taken, and food was eaten. (35-ish images total)
Wednesday 05 June 2019
The Blazing Sun of June
[Photos taken 01-04 June 2019, posted online 26 December 2019. Happy Holidays to all! Been a month since the last update as yuletide-prep ate my blogging time.]
Being six months behind on blogging means that at the peak of darkness, I’m rediscovering life near the peak of brightness. There could be a worse fate!
Apparently, walks around the neighborhood loomed large in the everlasting sunshine, and ongoing drought. We also managed to visit house #2, where more progress was made on the guest-house, thanks to crafty friends! (35-ish images total)
Saturday 01 June 2019
Team Building, Gymnastics Show & Graduation
[Photos from 29 May 2019 to 31 May 2019, posted online 24 November 2019. After a warm spell, we’re back to slightly freezing temps. Finnur heads back to Iceland from California today.]
My group at work has gone through a lot of managers in a short amount of time. As the third manager in four years took the reins (and Excel duty), it was, yet again, time for a bit of team-building. This time the fun-committee decided we should go fishing on a boat, and finish off with a darts competition!
The next day was a public holiday, with all three kids participating in the annual end-of-school-year gymnastics show. This year the theme was superheroes, and what they do is have all the different groups do a particular hero and then rotate them over five shows, so that everybody gets to participate.
The third busy day in a row, we (the adults) attended the graduation party of Finnur’s nephew from junior college. I took some photos of them out in the grassy field behind the church, and got my first insect bites of the season! (45-ish photos total)
Wednesday 29 May 2019
Plants & Graduations While Solo Parenting
[Photos from 18 May – 28 May 2019, posted online 10 November 2019. There’s a huge storm heading our way, disrupting Finnur’s plan to fly to California today…]
Every year I pay a tariff to the gardening gods, and buy a bunch of summer flowers, because I’ve never managed to get my $hit together enough to grow my own. This year we got flowers from Ikea.
Finnur went off to work in London for a week, missing Emma’s “graduation” ceremony from daycare. That also meant I was responsible for dinner, sigh. Emma went to visit her school-to-be, Anna tackled her last exams at her ex-school-to-be, random spring walks continued, we attended a junior college graduation, and basked in the sun, not knowing there would be zero rain for six weeks! (50-ish images total)
Saturday 18 May 2019
Trampoline & Spring Walks
[Photos taken 11 May – 17 May 2019, posted online 09 November 2019. We’re having our bathroom renovated, and there is dust everywhere!]
We took a trip to house #2 with friends to finally erect the trampoline we bought last year, and have a generally nice time. The rest of the week was apparently spent walking! (40-ish photos)
Saturday 11 May 2019
Outside, Finally!
[Photos from 01 May to 11 May 2019, posted online 07 November 2019. It beginning to get dark outside well before dinner now. So far only a bit of occasional frost, but no snow on our corner of the country.]
May brought visits to the farm animal & family park, a walk or two, down-town date-night, various sports practices, parties with family and friends, lots of gardening, and no more studded tires!
Bjarki also had his spring guitar recital, the video from that is on the very bottom of the page. (40-ish images and 1 video total)
Wednesday 01 May 2019
Easter Remains, Hair-Cuts & Spring Growth
[Photos from 22 April – 30 April 2019, posted online 13 October 2019. October seems to be speeding along faster than September did. Time is weird.]
The kids got their Icelandic chocolate Easter Eggs very shortly after we arrived home from the airport, having just returned from the UK.
Life-as-usual returned abruptly the next day, with the added dimension of hair-cuts for the kiddos, a birthday party, and kiddos going outside after dinner to play with the other kids in the street.
My ‘actual’ camera even got to go out to play a bit! (30-ish images total)
Monday 22 April 2019
UK Easter Break
[Photos from 18 – 22 April 2019, posted online 07 October 2019. Hey, it’s a brand new week!]
Early on a Thursday morning I made my way to Keflavik airport, and flew to London, arriving early enough that I could take the kids to a trampoline park in the afternoon!
The following days, Anna and I went shopping, and the two of us also journeyed to London where we met Pétur & Signý for lunch, and saw Hamilton!
On Easter Day, the kids got huge chocolate eggs, we ate fantastic food, and also took the younger kids on a walk, and to two playgrounds. Anna claimed she was too old for those outings!!
On the Monday after Easter Day, we hugged our hosts goodbye, and flew on home to Iceland, where happily the weather had turned for the better. (80-ish photos total!)
Thursday 18 April 2019
Easter Approaches
[Photos from 09 April to 17 April 2019, posted online 05 October 2019. Lots of strong wind overnight, now it’s pouring with rain. Fall is here!.]
With Finnur in Toronto, it was survival mode for most of the week. Shortly after Finnur arrived back, the school Easter break began, and that Sunday he took the kids to the UK to visit and stay at their granddad’s place for the week, while he worked at the Google office in London.
I remained in Iceland, as I didn’t have any vacation days left, but used the peace and quiet to tidy up two kiddie-rooms that had completely gone over to the trashy-side. (Side note: Why am I solely responsible for the kiddie rooms? How’d that happen?!) (45-ish images total!)
Tuesday 09 April 2019
