Winter Break, Snow & Covid-19’s Second Coming
[Photos taken 17 – 28 February 2022, posted online 16 July 2022. I’m finally on vacation and celebrated by staying up until 4 am binge-speed-watching a whole season of a show on Netflix.]
With Covid-19 exploding around us, we didn’t make any grand plans for the two day winter-holiday, as I fully expected us to be sick in bed. Instead, we tried to do a few things locally with the kids: I was in charge of Thursday, and Finnur took Friday.
That weekend, three of us went to house #2 to hang out with friends (who’s children are also getting too old to want to tag along), but then Covid-19 caught up with Emma according to a home test, so I drove her to town for a formal test. She was all better the next day.
Two and three days later, both Finnur and I got Covid-19. Finnur was basically panting and horizontal for 3 days, while I experienced a slow decline, bottoming out at day 3 or 4 before starting to get better. All in all, every one of us had a different covid-course, go figure.
At this point in time the official PCR testing apparatus had gotten completely overwhelmed by the number of people needing tests, even as the authorities stopped asking people to test out of quarantine. Therefore it now took 3-4 days to get the result, instead of same-day.
This confused the whole health-system, because there had been a dedicated covid-center which had done telemonitoring and advice, but you only got into their system via the official test. Now it was taking so long to get results that the local health centers had to start taking on covid cases with what felt like very little preparation, and mid-week the covid-center essentially got disbanded. We muddled through somehow.
In addition, it. Just. Kept. Snowing. (75-ish images total)
Thursday 17 February 2022
Snowy Calm Between Covids
[Photos taken 01 – 11 February 2022, posted online 09 July 2022. Five working days left until summer holiday starts… to survive I’ve taken to re-reading trashy novels…]
I kept not getting Covid, while Bjarki and Anna recovered. Dad said hi from the parking lot for five minutes before dashing to the airport, and at long last, after I got the final negative PCR result releasing me from the ‘be-careful/quarantine-lite’, Finnur and Emma moved back home.
I went on walks in the cold while waiting on music school lessons to be over, we went to restaurants, but the biggest drama was my car not handling the copious amounts of snow that kept getting dumped on us. In the end I caved in and bought actual winter tires (not all-years), which transformed the car from useless to useable. Phew!
The hiking group resumed operations after the December-January hiatus, and I went on a nice walk in the dark. (75-ish images total)
Tuesday 01 February 2022
Parental Vacation: Víðgelmir, Húsafell & Krauma
[Photos taken 19 – 20 July 2021, posted online 30 October 2021. Pumpkins appear to be sold out in Iceland, might have to carve out watermelons this year!]
Our good friends, Adda and Halli, had a treasure trove of gift cards that were either expired or about to expire (but all still magically valid because of Covid-19) that all centered around the area of Húsafell. They asked if we’d be their (adults only) travel partners, and, after securing a sleepover for Emma, we said yes!
That Monday I hitched a ride with them to Húsafell, where we met Finnur, who’d packed up house #2. We drove over to the cave site of Víðgelmir, went on a cave walk, drove back to Húsafell, checked into the hotel proper, enjoyed the ridiculously good weather playing Rummikub on the patio, before eating dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Afterwards, I was so stuffed I desperately needed to move, so I went on an evening walk around the area in the gorgeous evening sun, while the others chatted and chilled.
The next day we drove towards the hot tub spa of Krauma, stopping on the way by the pretty lava-side waterfalls (Hraunfossar/Barnafossar). At Krauma we hung out in the hot tubs, and then ate a late lunch before driving back to civilization and parental responsibilities. (70-ish images total)
Monday 19 July 2021
Plants Grow, Grass Mowed & Horse Camp Begins
[Photos taken 08 – 16 June 2021, posted online 28 August 2021. Anna made it two school days before being put under a ‘be extra covid-cautious’ order due to her sharing a class with, but not sitting next to, a Covid-19-infected student. So far she seems ok…]
Life continued as usual mostly, aside from Emma beginning horse camp at a new horse-camp, as the other one up and moved to the north of the country!
The garden finally decided it was time to flower a bit, and grass needed mowing. A movie was seen in a movie theater, Finnur mastered making and fastening fly-nets, we attended a confirmation party, and I started a new psoriasis treatment. (50-ish images total)
Tuesday 08 June 2021
Gully-Walking, Bowling & Movie-ing
[Photos taken 21 – 30 April 2021, posted online 28 July 2021. The weather is silly gorgeous, and we just had an exterminator over to kill a wasps nest by the BBQ.]
By the end of April, the days had become quite long, and it became a battle to get the kids to sleep. I began having to wake the kids up pretty much every morning… that’s no fun for anybody.
We scored an extra public holiday in the First Day of Summer, and hung out at house #2 with friends (more impromptu planning). The two matriarchs went on a walk, and ended up scrambling down a long gully.
Restrictions were also lifted somewhat, so we went bowling and to the movies! Anna also tended to her plants and baked fancy cookies. (60-ish images total)
Wednesday 22 April 2021
Last-Minute House #2 Trips & Vaccination #1
[Photos taken 06 – 20 April 2021, posted online 27 July 2021. Finally, finally, there is sunshine and/or no rain predicted for five consecutive days in the capital area. Lets go stain some woodwork!]
House #2 kept playing a big part as multiple friends were desperate for human contact and two last-minute weekend trips happened. Aside from that, life chugged along as usual, with the kids returning to school, gyms etc opening up (but not the locker rooms), and winter and spring kept fighting for dominance.
Then, somewhat surprisingly, it was my turn to get the first covid-19 vaccine shot! (55-ish images total)
Tuesday 06 April 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
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
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
Covid-19 Wave #3 Begins
[Photos taken 16 – 30 September 2020, posted online 06 March 2021. Spring weather in February, as a volcanic eruption is possible/imminent. Zero active Covid-19 cases found outside of quarantine since 01 February 2021. ]
Mid-September, the percolating Covid-19 infection rate suddenly exploded on the heels of a few super-spreader events in bars, and at least one combat-gym. When it became clear we were heading into exponential-growth territory, restrictions began tightening.
In retrospect, they probably tightened too slow, as wave #3 ended up being long and vicious.
We participated in a few people-meetings (confirmation party! out to lunch! visiting cafes!), but mostly we began hunkering down, observing the autumn colors taking over the world. I painted yet another wall, the last of the veggie harvest was brought indoors, and we began prepping for winter. (55-ish images total)
Wednesday 16 September 2020
