Photos From the Couch
[Photos taken on 27 January, posted on 27 January 2016. Good sign?]
I got Finnur to hand me the big camera, and took a few photos from my permanent position on the couch. Yes, I’m booooored! Only 8 more weeks until I can fully step on my foot.
Yesterday morning I went to the hospital and the nurse removed all the sutures. I took before photos (nothing much has changed), but she didn’t want me to photograph her working, and then the doctor came to chat, so I have no photos of a suture-free foot.
Instead, I now have a “walking cast”, meaning I’m allowed to put the foot down, but not put pressure on it. Four weeks from now the cast will be removed, and then I will be allowed to put my foot down a little, but not fully. Apparently there’s a screw in there which I can break if I’m not careful, and if it breaks, they can’t fully remove it. Oh joy!
But yes, photos from the couch. Here you go! (16 images total)
My new cast, with detachable sole.
New Splint
[Photos from Monday 18 January 2016, posted on 21 January 2016. Beware!]
On a calm Monday morning, Finnur drove me to the hospital, where I was scheduled to get a new splint on my foot. The one that was there was the one they put on post-operation, and it got split open and then patched up when it was time for me to go home. As a result, it was very bulky and heavy.
But, since my foot was out in the open I used the opportunity to photograph the incision sites, and count the stitches. There were 15 on the outside, and 8 on the inside.
Since this is my blog, I’m posting the grisly pictures of my foot, but they are under the fold. (6 images total)
So to repeat THIS POST HAS NASTY PICTURES OF MY FOOT. BEWARE!!!
Og á íslensku: MYNDIR AF SLÖSUÐUM FÆTI, MARGIR SAUMAR!! VARÚÐ!!!
Waiting my turn. The ER was thankfully rather empty. See how bulky the splint was?
Broken Foot
[Written on Friday 15 January 2016, accident happened on Monday 11 January 2016. Ouch!]
I (Hrefna) fell as I was walking towards the entrance to my workplace this Monday morning. I slipped on some newly snow-covered ice, but as I was about to land, my heel slid off the ice onto the hard surface, so my lower foot stopped moving, while the rest of me fell like gravity intended. As a result, I dislocating my right ankle, and broke multiple bones around it.
A lot of people were arriving for work at that time, so help arrived immediately as I screamed, and a coworker called an ambulance. It arrived 5-7 minutes later (although I have no idea, I was in a lot of pain), and I’m very thankful for the many coworkers who stayed by me, talked to me, held my hand, gave me support, and brought a blanket out to the parking lot.
In the ambulance, they managed to drug me enough that I don’t recall them popping the foot back, but I came to as we arrived at the hospital. Once there I got more meds, and got put in a temporary cast, so they could take x-ray images. Once those had been analyzed, I was drugged again, and a doctor realigned the foot (both upper pipes were broken), and another temporary cast was put in place. This one felt “right” and the worst of the pain went away. Still, to be sure, they took a second (smaller) set of x-rays.
I got transferred up from the ER to orthopedics, where I waited out the day. The day really went by fast, and shortly before 4 pm I was rolled into surgery. There a plate was installed, and some 9 screws. The plate will probably never be removed, but the screws might come out after a year has passed. There is one special screw though, which will be removed after 10 weeks, after which I will be allowed to put some weight on the foot again.
Since it was a open fracture, I had to stay in the hospital for two days, getting intravenous antibiotics. Oh, and the good painkillers, which they don’t give you at home! But yes, I’m home now, slowly getting better.
This is me today (11 images total)
What a lovely sight!
This is the first day I’ve had the mental stamina to open a laptop since the accident. I guess that means I’m getting better?
Anyway, some photos. Be warned that there is some BLOOD two images down!!!!
Archery
[Photos from Sunday 27 December 2016, posted online 25 January 2016. Or not. The kids are about to come home.]
Every few weeks, Bjarki will ask to go to the archery place, and usually he gets a “no, not today… ask again later” answer.
Now, since this was a holiday, we decided to stop postponing, and just do it, so to the archery three went, while Finnur fooled Emma into taking a nap. (Only he can get her to fall asleep indoors during the day. My only chance at putting her down is to drive her around in the car for a few minutes, but then we’re stuck in the car for an hour! Thankfully, the electric car is happy to provide non-smoggy heat when that happens.) (9 images total)
I won’t lie. I was incredibly proud of myself for getting us Out. Of. The. House. for once!
The Sofa Project
[Ongoing in December 2015, posted on 25 January 2016. After dark!]
This post chronicles a little project I began in December to fasten two sofa pieces together, that kept falling apart. (10 images total)
On 14 December, I posted the following on Facebook:
Went to the hardware store yesterday, with a specific idea in mind that I wanted to implement. Asked a young guy if he had any hardware that might work, drawing up what I had in mind, since he was having a hard time grasping what I was on about. Once we’d found two pieces that had a potential to work, and I’d demoed how I’d envisioned it working, he asked “Did you come up with this?”. I answered “Yes, I did. I’m an engineer.” He did a double take. “You’re an engineer?!”. I answered “Yes. Actually I’m an electrical engineer, but I’m still an engineer.” He looked a bit shocked. I may have broken his mind. #middleagedwomencanbeengineerstoo
The day after, I posted
So, I had questions regarding just what my hardware idea was. I’m sorry to say that it’s not very exciting, it’s just two pieces to fasten under two sofa pieces to hook them together. I’m sure it’s googlable in three seconds flat, but I didn’t do that. The nice thing was stumbling on a hinge and an L-bracket that hooked together very nicely. Also, huge kudos goes to the mechanics guy [at work] who agreed to help me out and dismantle the hinge, and smooth down the sharp L-bracket ends.
and the following photos:
The stuff I bought, after one of the mechanical dev guys at work had dismantled the hinges, and smoothed down the L-bracket edges.
Quiet Time
[Photo and text from Sunday 25 October 2015. It’s proof that I’m alive!] Yesterday was a day of catching up with family and friends, we hardly spent any time at home! Today’s been more quiet. I spent the morning finishing up my homework for an online course I’m taking, helped the kids go out toRead more
Work-trip to Canada in October 2015
[Photos from 10 to 17 October 2015, posted on 6 April 2016. Nostalgia-time!]
I returned to Canada for a week-long work-trip in October, a loooong loooong time ago. As before, I flew with my colleagues to Edmonton, to work in a factory close by. (31 images total)
Saturday 10 October 2016
Selfie, as we wait to board a bus to the plane at Keflavik.
Airport, Dinner, Art (FFF-style), and Kids
[Photos from 01 to 05 October 2015, posted online 26 March 2016. Yup, that’s the wrong year.]
My digging into the photo-vaults continues. This time it’s October 2015.
This post has me driving my mom to the airport, us visiting friends for dinner, me going downtown to look at some art and hanging out at a new cafe, and the kids being cute. (27 images total)
Thursday 01 October 2015
Dropping mom off at the airport, as she goes to visit the Bournemouth-ers.
Super-Short-Notice Work-Trip to Denmark
[Photos from 15-18 September 2015, online on 24 November 2015-ish. Joy!]
On Monday I was asked if I could travel to Denmark the day after for a four-day work trip (very Icelandic planning!). The job was a relatively simple one, daytime-hours only, so it turned into a wonderful me-time trip.
Yes, I’d just returned to work after a five week long summer vacation, but the vacation apparently only lowered my stress levels, but didn’t replenish much energy. I blame the constant chorus of mommy-mommy-mommy!
So, after I’d gotten over my initial nerves over the job at hand, I had a lovely couple of late afternoons, and evenings, where I could wander around in peace, do some shopping, eat dinners in silence, and read a book I’d been putting off reading for a month. Did I tell the world I’m an introvert already? (54 images total)
Tuesday 15 September 2015
Me walking along the terminal at Keflavik airport.
Tour de Marel Fundraising and Family Festival
[Photos from 11 September 2015, began online posting process on 22 November 2015. Harhardeehar!]
At some point in the not too distant past, Marel began hosting a fundraising/family day in the fall. This effort is called Tour de Marel, and the current theme is raising money for an SOS children’s village on the Ivory Coast. The timing for fundraising for a fairly regular charity was a bit unfortunate, because this was right about the time where the media was awash with (the first wave of) images of death from the massive migration over the Mediterranean Ocean.
Still, the fundraising happened, and went pretty well. For no real discernible reason, except that it sounds cool, it was again decided to “collect km” to travel to the village in question. The km could be collected by either running or biking a mapped circuit. I decided to bike, and made it almost the entire 17 km before I managed to bust my tire, meaning that was the end of my biking exploits.
The route took me into the back-country a bit, and it was beautiful. Later in the day, the whole family showed up to do fun stuff. (16 images total)
Hrefna (me!) biking a 17 km circle for Tour de Marel.