Dagbók Hrefnu og Finns

Yule 2021, Anna’s 18th Birthday & Self-Quarantine

2021-12-24Christmas, Finnur's family, Hrefna's family, Us Standard

[Photos taken 24 – 30 December 2021, posted online 01 May 2022. The past week included two 20+ km e-bike rides and two hikes, and I’m still mostly standing, if a bit stiffly.]

Finally, finally (!!!) yule arrived! To lessen tensions while waiting for the clock to strike 6 pm, and the formal start of Christmas, I took Emma out on a walk up to the observation point on a nearby hill. It was a little colder out than we expected, but it was a nice walk.

Mom and baby-bro Bjarni joined us for Christmas dinner, and opening of presents.

The following day we met Finnur’s extended family at his parents’ place for a yule day feast, and celebrated Anna’s 18th birthday! Late the following day one of the guests tested positive for covid, so we went on a self-imposed quarantine, with Finnur and Emma hunkering down at house #2, while the big kids and I whiled away the days in town. (85-ish images total)

Friday 24 December 2021

Kids in front of the tree floating on top of presents.

Annual Photos, Birthdays & Gingerbread Time

2021-12-18Family, Us Standard

[Photos taken 18 – 23 December 2021, posted online 24 April 2022. Attended a 25 year (1+covid year) reunion last night and am sincerely hoping I didn’t make too much of a fool of myself.]

Out of some weird compulsion, the annual photo-shoot of the kids happened again. This time I experimented with a light from below, with mixed results. As usual, patience ran thin with some (most) of the participants, but a few decent images emerged.

Gift distribution was made super easy by birthday parties in both our families, I managed to keep gymming, the tree got decorated, and the annual ginger bread baking took place just in time for Christmas. (40-ish images total)

Saturday 18 December 2021

Bird Feeding, Forest Visiting & Sewing Club Hosting

2021-12-08Us Standard

[Photos taken 08 – 17 December 2021, posted online 23 April 2022. Our first family trip abroad in three years has come and gone! Copenhagen was niiiice!]

December is always busy, busy, busy. Covid-19 reared it’s annoying head again, so we worked from home a bit, but then I got fed up with that and returned to the office for a bit. Schools remained open.

The days passed doing work, feeding the birds, hosting a sewing club, going on a Christmas forest-adventure, and running Christmas related errands. (40-ish images total)

Wednesday 08 December 2021

According to my December photos, my December purpose in life was feeding the backyard birds.

Tenerife Lady-Trip: More Golf, Shopping & Departure Jog

2021-12-03Tenerife Standard

[Photos taken 03-05 December 2021, posted online 03 April 2022. Spring rain outside, yesterday I cleared out the bonfire-sized heap of stuff that seems to collect in the garage every winter.]

In an attempt to “lock in” some of the golf-info we’d gotten during golf lesson #1, we booked another lesson two days later with our very patient teacher. Unfortunately for me, I’d probably injured something when I struck the ground two days prior, so hitting the ball became an exercise in ignoring a flaring pain in my right forearm. I’m stubborn like that.

Later that day we ventured into a shopping mall, for a bit of last minute shopping. The morning after my shins had finally stopped threatening to split, so I ventured out with Hildur on a morning jog. Then we finished packing and took a taxi to the airport.

It was clear that Tenerife authorities weren’t too concerned with infections among the departing population, as hand disinfectant was hard to find in the terminal, and the food and waiting areas were packed like sardines. Masks kept being required though.

The 5 hour flight home was uneventful, but upon landing we had to get a PCR test (free), and then quarantine until the results came back. Finnur had therefore taken the kiddos to house #2, and Adda stayed overnight with me. Around 2 pm the following day we got the all-clear, and that was the formal end of our absolutely wonderful & glorious lady-trip to Tenerife! (70-ish images total)

Friday 03 December 2021

Our view every morning at breakfast. Every time a guest vacated a table, the serving staff put down a new table cloth.

Tenerife Lady-Trip: Golf Lesson & Resting

2021-12-01Tenerife Standard

[Photos taken 01-02 December 2021, posted online 02 April 2022. Spring is making moves towards dominance, the snow is finally gone, and temperatures have moved upwards a smidgeon. Went to see a comedy show last night in a packed auditorium, was fun!]

Us ladies got tempted by all the golf-bags that tumbled off the luggage conveyor in the airport, and booked a golf lesson at a nearby golf-course. We biked there, and then spent an hour whacking at a small ball with varying degrees of success.

The following day was spent resting and relaxing (except our energizer bunny went out on a jog, because that’s what energizer bunnies do!) (65-ish images total)

Wednesday 01 December 2021

Middle aged woman attempting to hit a small ball in a gorgeous location.

Tenerife Lady-Trip: Lounging & e-Biking

2021-11-29Tenerife Standard

[Photos taken 29 – 30 November 2021, posted online 20 March 2022. Have just returned from a one-night date-stay at a hotel out in the wilderness. Had awful weather yesterday, but very pretty today. Oh well!]

On our third day in Tenerife we mostly just lounged, and planned things to do. On the fourth day we procured bikes, and biked about. As (mixed) luck would have it, one of the bikes had a broken computer, so they bike-renters had to go get a new one, and due to the delay we got the bikes for an extra day for free! (30-ish images total)

Monday 29 November 2021

Masks were required on the hotel premises, except when sunbathing, while in the swimming pool, and while sitting down at tables.

Tenerife Lady-Trip: Arrival & Walk-Abouts

2021-11-27Tenerife Standard

[Photos taken 27 – 28 November 2021, posted online 19 March 2022. There’s been So. Much. Snow. and So. Many. Storms. since February… and it’s still going. Also, covid has now claimed us all, and Bjarki probably spent a week battling the flu.]

In late 2019, my friend Adda asked if I wanted to join her on a ladies-only trip to Tenerife in March 2020. I was all sanctimonious, couldn’t imagine going without the rest of the family, yadda-yadda, and said no.

She then found a more willing travel partner, but as Iceland’s first Covid-19 case was discovered in late February 2020, that travel partner had to cancel, so Adda and her hubby ended up going instead.

Fast-forward to mid-November 2021, and Adda telling me that ooops, she won’t be going to that concert with me in early December as planned, because the original travel partner and her had made a last-minute decision to finally go to Tenerife. Being absolutely fed up with being stuck in Iceland for so long, I immediately asked if I could join them, and thankfully they said yes!

Thus it happened that in late November, three ladies boarded a direct 4.5 hour flight to Tenerife, where we spent an absolutely marvelous week! (60-ish images)

Saturday 27 November 2021

The view from my hotel room balcony in Tenerife.

Long Stóri-Bolli Hike & Haircuts

2021-11-20Us Standard

[Photos taken 20 – 26 November 2021, posted online 05 March 2022. All five of us have now had Covid-19 and are in varying states of recovery. All covid regulations in Iceland have been struck down. Oh, and there’s now a totally unnecessary war going on a little too close to us for comfort.]

My hiking group assembled a short distance away from the capital area to hike up to The Big Cup (Stóri-Bolli). The hike was a little weird because a road closure meant we had to begin walking on the road for 4 km before stepping off into the wilderness. The weather was cold but gorgeous, and it was a great day overall!

Then life kept chugging onwards, with the added wrinkle that I was preparing for a week-long trip to Tenerife with two friends (I basically invited myself to join them, as I was in desperate need to leave our rock in the ocean for a different rock in the ocean!). The preparations mostly entailed pre-yule haircuts, and scouting for yule-presents, along with buying a few items of clothing. (55-ish images total)

Saturday 20 November 2021

Gathering on a parking lot at 8:40 am before heading off.

Bits & Bobs in November

2021-11-01Us Standard

[Photos taken 01 – 19 November 2021, posted online 13 February 2022. Quite a bit of snow on the ground, and restrictions being lifted as covid blazes through.]

November saw more home-improvements, trips to the gym and into nature, a vaccination booster, living room re-arrangements, some social outings, a moon-eclipse, and a sadly dysfunctional car. (45-ish images total)

Monday 01 November 2021

I had a doctor’s appointment, had a tiny cold, and decided it would be prudent to take (my first ever) speedy-test. Was negative, yay!

Longest Hike Yet, Concert & Quiet Halloween

2021-10-17Us Standard

[Photos taken 17-31 October 2021, posted online 30 January 2022. Snow on the ground, it keeps coming and going, just a little here and there.]

The latter part of October was dominated by the first the thought of, then the doing of, and then the recovery from, the longest hike (16 km) of the hiking group yet, which just happened to end up quite close to house #2. Rarely has a hot tub soak been more welcomed!

There was bowling, Anna and I went to an actual concert, Emma went in for dental surgery, our internet was upgraded to fiber, shopping happened, farm animals were visited, we went ice-skating, and Anna discovered the power of driving her sister around to collect candy for Halloween (85-ish images total)