Dagbók Hrefnu og Finns

Social Life Catch-up Begins

2022-04-23Birthday, Hrefna's family, Us Standard

[Photos taken 23 – 25 April 2022, posted online 18 September 2022. Two weeks left of my current job. Got two flat tires out in the country after a hike yesterday.]

Iceland had declared Covid-19 done and over with. Thus, in a fit of optimism mixed with blissful ignorance, I signed up for an e-biking group that would go on 1-2 rides per week for 9 weeks. It caused a bit of a scheduling mess, as in one week I was due to go on two hikes, and two e-bike rides… also known as couch-to-insanity.

The weekend before the first bike-outing set the tone with a lunch, a reunion, and a birthday-party! (25-ish images total)

Saturday 23 April 2022

I managed to arrange a lunch with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while, and had a nice open sandwich.

Easter 2022

2022-04-22Easter, Finnur's family, Us Standard

[Photos taken 17 – 22 April 2022, posted online 10 September 2022. Time has gone on fast forward again.]

After two years of non-standard Easter days, we went right back to tradition: Chocolate egg hunt at home, and late lunch and social whist at Finnur’s parents’ place with most of his family. There were two more public holidays in the following week, for weird reasons, but I’m not complaining!

We managed to complete a few spring-related activities, and kept going to the office! (40-ish images total.)

Easter Sunday 17 April 2022

Copenhagen Days 5-6: Planetarium & Journey Home

2022-04-15Denmark, Us Standard

[Photos taken 15 – 16 April 2022, posted on 21 August 2022. New little nephew named yesterday! In other news, I’ve resigned from my job (as seems to be fashionable), my last day will probably be in late October. No new job lined up, I’m open to suggestions!]

By the fifth day in Copenhagen, we’d sort of finished doing what we’d planned to do, so were a little at a loss on what to do with ourselves. After looking over the available Copenhagen Card attractions, we ended up walking to the big Torvehallerne food hall to eat lunch, and then took the train (not the metro! just a little confusion!) to the Planetarium.

That evening we played it safe with dinner, packed most of our bags, and got ready to leave for Iceland in the morning. The trip home was uneventful, but I discovered I was pretty exhausted upon return. The schedule had perhaps been a rather packed one? (40-ish images total)

Friday 15 April 2022

This was “Good Friday” (I’ve never understood that name), we call it “Long Friday”. Denmark had their flags at half mast.

Copenhagen Days 3-4: Aquarium & Go Monkey Climbing

2022-04-13Denmark, Us Standard

[Photos taken 13-14 April 2022, posted online 11 20 August 2022. The first part of this was composed in Colorado, USA!]

The Wednesday had been designated “shopping day” for Anna and myself, so Finnur took the other kids to the aquarium. On Thursday we took the bus into the suburbs to go on a tree-hugging adventure course, which was great fun. (65-ish images total)

Wednesday 13 April 2022

How very Scandinavian, a baby carriage OUTSIDE the cafe with a sleeping baby, while the parents eat inside the cafe. Yes, we do this in Iceland too. Also, the duvet cover is a classic, Finnur’s parents still have one from way back when!

Copenhagen Days 1-2: Tivoli & Experimentarium

2022-04-11Denmark, Us Standard

[Photos taken 11 – 12 April 2022, posted online 27 July 2022. It’s pouring with rain outside, the plants are happy.]

We hadn’t really planned what to do in Copenhagen before arrival, but thankfully a friend had told us about the Copenhagen Card, which gives you unlimited access to public transportation, and entrance to most of the main attractions in town.

With Copenhagen cards active in our phones, we spent the first day in the Tivoli Gardens. Day two was spent at the Experimentarium. (75-ish images total)

Monday 11 April 2022

Copenhagen was two hours ahead of us in time, so we we had a relatively late start. We began by eating brunch at the Emmery’s right next door.

Comedy, Spring, Birthday #2 & Denmark!

2022-04-01Birthday, Denmark, Hrefna's family, Us Standard

[Photos taken 01 – 10 April 2022, posted online 25 July 2022. The weather is calm.]

We took the big kids to see a year-end-themed comedy show that had been scheduled for late December. It was interesting that the audience-appetite for covid jokes was low, it seems like we kind of just want to be done with the whole thing.

Then spring began to really spring forward, and it was time for some gardening. Just before departing for Denmark, we managed to host the 2nd birthday party for Emma for my side of the family. Then we departed for Denmark as the Easter holiday was up on us! (50-ish images total)

Friday 01 April 2022

The coat-clan, heading towards the food-hall at Hlemmur for an early dinner.

Bowling, Hiking, Concert & Sewing Club

2022-03-21Us Standard

[Photos taken 26 – 31 March 2022, posted online 21 July 2022. Anna and I replaced our old oven last night, feeling very adult!]

Emma managed to squeeze another trip to the bowling alley out of me, I went on an organized hike around Meðalfellsvatn, saw Stína in concert with friends, hosted a sewing club, shuttled kids, remembered that I have a big camera, and told the kids we were going to Denmark over the Easter break! (45-ish images total)

Saturday 26 March 2022

Somehow bowling has morphed into bowling & shakes/snacks…!

Bjarki Plays @Nótan, Ion Hotel & Visits

2022-03-19Guitar, Hrefna's family, Us Standard

[Photos taken 19 – 25 March 2022, posted online 20 July 2022. The two living room walls are now painted, but I’m thinking the new white border around the little windows needs to go… Waiting for Finnur to opine. Have moved my focus to painting parts of the kitchen, and touched off by a broken dimmer knob, am replacing all the black electrical fronts with white ones.]

Every spring the music schools in the country host a series of concerts, dubbed Nótan (The Note), and each school sends an act to perform at one concert. This year, Bjarki’s school asked him and his play-together group (that had met like 5-6 times) to play. He was super nervous, but got through it in one piece.

Straight afterwards, Finnur and I drove out to the country to stay at a hotel out in the boondoggles, to make use of a gift-card I’d given Finnur for Christmas. It looked like 75% of the other guest were also there redeeming the same gift-card, hehe.

We managed to visit grandma on her birthday (very rare occurrence), there was some exercising, Emma got her classroom laser-tag birthday wish, Anna got started on summer plants, and people came for dinner, in our house!! (50-ish images total)

Saturday 19 March 2022

Bjarki outside the music hall, called Salurinn.

Concert, Gym-Meet, Hike, Dress-Up & Snow

2022-03-11gymnastics, Us Standard

[Photos taken 11 – 18 March 2022, posted online 19 July 2022. Still working on the living room, the white wall has now got five coats of paint, six if you count the wrong white. This was not supposed to take four days!! Meanwhile, Finnur & Emma are in Laugarvatn, he’s helping his dad build a new deck.]

Slowly but surely, the covid-postponed events started actually happening, and life in general got busier!

First up was a Damon Albarn concert in Harpa. I’d bought two tickets in January 2020 for a June 2020 concert with a gift card I got from work on my 5th work anniversary, but hadn’t really decided on who to take with me (Finnur is not a concert-enthusiast). Not surprisingly, the concert got postponed to March 2021, and then 2022.

Happily, my cousin Ríkey was up for a cultural outing, and we even tried the new restaurant Hnoss, on the first floor of Harpa, which is run by people that were/are in charge of the cafeteria at work (Marel)!

Then it was time for a non-masked team-gym meet, there was a bit of shopping and gymming, Bjarki’s hair got cut, I went for a hike by the sea, Anna got dressed up for an outing with friends, snow kept falling, but at least the days were getting noticeably longer. (50-ish images total)

Friday 11 March 2022

Celebrations, Ice-Removal & Recovery

2022-03-01Birthday, Friends, Us Standard

[Photos taken 01 – 09 March 2022, posted online 18 July 2022. Summer vacation has begun, and I’ve spent the first days painting the living room. Got the wrong white and ugh, lots of wasted work!]

We slowly but surely shook off Covid as the big domestic wave of infections began receding, and all restrictions were lifted. The vaccination campaign was a huge success, as very few people landed in hospital. However, the jury is still out on how Iceland’ll do with regards to long-covid.

We birthdays and our wedding anniversary, cleared away a lot of ice, went to house #2 in adventurous conditions, and I tracked my post-covid progress on the rowing machine at the gym. (30-ish images)