Partial Eclipse / Ego-Lifting / Fireplace Arrives
[Photos taken 07 – 12 April 2024, posted online 24 August 2024. Last night the wind howled, and it felt like winter had arrived, minus the snow.]
I managed to scope out a jogging route amid trees on a windy Sunday, but had to admit that my left heel wasn’t enjoying life as much as it should. I therefore focused more on weight lifting, but then managed to strain my lower back during an “ego-lift” (defined as: “It’s when you lift weights that are too heavy for you, without proper form or technique. It’s about prioritizing your ego over your physical health and strength-building goals.”) Oh well: you live, you learn.
At one point I just barely remembered there was an ongoing partial solar eclipse, but I think I still managed to sort-of score cool-points with the kids. I took Emma mattress-shopping, and a new fireplace arrived for the summer house (Finnur’s project). Due to “the fireplace-guy” being swamped this summer, the fireplace was only just installed a couple of days ago (22 August 2024).
Finally, I went in for a very informal job interview (result: no job for me), and prepped for a confirmation photoshoot. I guess it was a pretty busy week?!
Sunday 07 April 2024
Post-Move Deep-Clean / Sarah Millican Show
[Photos taken 01 – 06 April 2024, posted online 23 August 2024. The elementary school doled out the schedule today, and the weather played along with blustery chilly autumn winds.]
After the last of my siblings moved out from mom’s place, a lot of space opened up, and the opportunity to deep-clean in “peace and quiet” before mom returned from Sweden was too good to pass up. (Mom’s health isn’t quite up to deep-cleaning any more, and she’s done more than her share of cleaning in life so far!)
My sister-in-law and myself showed up, ready to remove some dust-bunnies, and move some furniture, leaving the children with their fathers. (For jobs like this, it’s easier just to get on with things, rather than rope other people into it, if they need to be instructed what to do. Instructions take mental energy!!)
Aside from getting dusty, there was a birthday party, gymming, my workplace decided to move the offices to a new building, a Sarah Millican show, picking mom up from the airport, and dinner with friends!
Second Day of Easter – Monday 01 April 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
Sweden / Paradox & Vasa Museums / To Iceland
[Photos taken 29 – 30 March 2024, posted online 18 August 2024. Last night was decidedly chilly, fall is approaching.]
Black Friday is a public holiday in Sweden so everybody was available for a trip into Stockholm. We found a fun museum to visit, and once that was done, I dragged the kids and my brother to the Vasa museum, just because it’s cool.
The following day, we cleared out of our AirBnb, drove to the airport, and flew back to Iceland.
Friday 29 March 2024
Sweden / Technology Museum / Viewing-Farm
[Photos taken 27 – 28 March 2024, posted online 17 August 2024. It’s my father-in-law’s birthday, which means the weather will be good!]
One of the staples of our city-trips, is visiting technology museums. We’d visited the same museum eight years before, but it had changed a whole lot in the intervening years. There was really just one area that I recognized!
The following day we explored a bit around where we were staying, which included visiting a “viewing-farm”.
Wednesday 27 March 2024
Sweden / Mini-Golf / Uppsala / Electric Go-Kart
[Photos taken 25 – 26 March 2024, posted online 16 August 2024. Seems like we’re in for a lovely day after heaps of rain. School starts next week.]
Our first day in Sweden was a quiet one. I hadn’t really given myself time to formally organize the trip much before we arrived, much to the consternation of some of my “we like a schedule” offspring.
Looking around, it became apparent that the Swedes are fairly “mall-oriented”. Weird entertainment things lurk in the basements of malls, so on our first day we went shopping and mini-golfing! My brother and his wife were both working while we were there, so we mostly met them in the afternoons/evenings.
Monday 25 March 2024
Celebrations / Wacky-Weather / Helgafell Circled
[Photos taken 01 – 13 March 2024, posted online 25 July 2024. The weather continues being wet, wet, wet. The plant-life is loving it, but the humans are getting a bit miserable…]
March 2024 would turn out to be a very busy month. It kicked off with birthday parties, a confirmation, a mild eruption threat, wild weather changes, a new pizza oven, a programming competition for Bjarki, a hike, and work-wonderings. Phew!
Friday 01 March 2024
Emma’s 11th Birthday / Summer House / Krauma
[Photos taken 11 – 28 February 2024, posted online 03 July 2024. The rain keeps raining, but at least the weather is mostly mild.]
Emma’s actual 11th birthday was on a Monday, so we had a small family party the day before. So many people were away that we combined both families into one party, which hasn’t happened in a long time. The celebrations continued with a dinner at a restaurant, and then a classroom party at an ice-rink.
We visited the summer house repeatedly, and in one such journey I ended up being sent to Krauma with a girlfriend to relax, as it was “women’s day”.
The days got longer, and the outside temperature started swinging wildly, as thaws and frost battled for dominance.
Sunday 11 February 2024
Jogging Resumes / UT Messan / Endless Snow
[Photos taken 01 – 10 February 2024, posted online 02 July 2024. The weather could be nicer.]
Two weeks after seriously straining my calf “dance-jumping”, I showed up for the last session of the nature running course. It was a leisurely jog through one of the small forested areas.
I made it to a couple of other runs, but was clearly playing chicken with my calf muscle. An appointment with a physical therapist would reveal that one of my left butt muscles was essentially on strike, causing all sorts of havoc down below.
I also got to attend an annual IT conference in town on behalf of my company, which was a nice change of scenery. Aside from that, I seemed to shovel a lot of snow?
Thursday 01 February 2024
January Eruption / Company-Event / Fancy Party
[Photos taken 14 – 31 January 2024, posted online 28 June 2024. Bjarki is now 17 years old!!]
Yet another eruption started shortly before 8 in the morning, and this time around I decided to drive to Kópavogskirkja, where I knew I’d have a bit of a view, and take a few photos. Unfortunately I didn’t realize just how freezing cold it was, and was severely underdressed.
Hilariously, some photographer there sold a photo to the Getty Images that had me and my tripod in it. There went my 15 seconds of fame!
Preparations for the much anticipated fancy-annual-sewing-club-party-with-spouses took up a lot of energy, as we rarely host those kinds of parties. But, the party was a success, and we could relax a bit!
In between all that there was a lot of snow, and snow-shoveling, as well as three whole days spent at a hotel on a whole-company event. There was also a bit of gymming, jogging, and dancing, where I completely busted a calf muscle. Ouch.
Sunday 14 January 2024
