What I've learned is that life is too short and movies are too long. ~Denis Leary

So I am watching Any Dream will do - which is the reality tv show about finding the lead for Joseph... so tacky but such great TV. So I went for a walk with the dog (having found the camera) As you can see it seems that the summer is over (well at least today and basically since the last Aussies left the country) - it snowed in the mountains a couple of nights ago and tonight there was a very strong northerly blowing.

Having found the camera I thought I would send some pics of what the filming folk have done to the post office... The old post office was once white - a dignified building in the centre of the "old" town.

For filming it has been reincarnated as a hotel and restaurant complete with wooden viking out the front. Typical of most film sets - it's just a front....

They didn't bother to paint the sides... still I kinda like the new colour - twould be interesting to know what my siblings down under think. To them the post office was always the post office and always white and pristine...

The film crew and actors are staying at the red house and the guest house next door.... maybe you guys should have left a cd... never know you might have had your music as a part of the film!

Other than that life is getting back to semi normal. Disa and kristjan are here. Aunt Guja (88 years of age) is doing the horse treck across kjöl - a 6 day ride.... She truly always does something to amaze the rest of us.

Never judge a book by its movie. ~J.W. Eagan

Well, as I can not find my camera there will be no photos with this post.

However, I felt that it was time to give you something new to look at.

So, whats been happening?

Anna and Dean left last Saturday, Kristin and Reynir came up from Reykjavik so the dinner table still had more than just me and mum sitting to dinner. Reynir and Maggi went rafting on the Austur á - apparently a major adreniline rush - one that I am quite happy to let go by me big time. Whilst they were trying to drown themselves in rapids, Kristin and I started looking at the web sites for accommodation for them in Germany. As usual the properties are really expensive and the nebenkosten very very variable. In Germany you pay a basic cold rent + this thing called nebenkosten - which covers the communal costs of the block plus extras, cable tv etc. Reynir is going over first so it is going to be up to him to find a flat for them asap.

Anna and Dean left Iceland for London on Tuesday and from all reports arrived safe and well.

The quote is in reference to the fact that there is a film company in town at the moment filming the movie version of the book Rokkland (windy land), which is set in Sauðárkrókur. I haven´t read the book, but I have heard that 1... it´s really really good and 2. it´s the worst book I have ever read... so, we shall see. The first day of shooting was outside mums - they were using the shop next door as a location shoot... the director also asked mum to take part - she declined.

Mum was also in the news this week - in Morgunblaðið - the main paper in Iceland, a half page spread where she retold the events around us leaving Iceland to move to Australia back in 1968 and her subsequent return. I get an honorary mention as the darling young one.... as to be expected... nah. I think that she may have exagerated a little, but it was nice.

I was alone at work this week as the office is still closed and everyone else had holiday days to take - as I had only started in jan I haven´t accrued enough days to take the whole three weeks off... Next year!

So, now it is the weekend, time to try and reclaim some floor in this house (ie muck out the crap) and basically take it easy. We may have visitors though - my aunt and uncle were thinking of coming up - hope so, we bought a leg of lamb and it would be too much for me and mum alone (mind you Freyja would be happy).

Politically and economically this country is still a basket case, we are being bullied by the Dutch and English - to sign the future of this country away in debt repayment for debts that were accrued by unscrupulous business men. It is so sordid - the way such a few people have managed to get away with corporate theft and the country and it´s people will be the ones to suffer. So so annoying, my blood boils thinking about it so I won´t discuss it - again I recomment the Iceland weather report for updates on the latest scandal.

later folks

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. ~Amy Li

Have I told you about the greatest most influential person in my life? Probably not, as I tend to take her for granted. She has always been there for me - more so than I for her. I doubt that I will ever be as good a sister to her as she has been to me. It´s probably a part of the fact that I am the younger one, and as such always expected people to react and do stuff for me rather than me for them.

My sister has been the red thread that has held us together, she cares more for family than any of us. We take each other totally for granted, we don´t stay in touch, we hardly ever pick up the phone. Probably cos we knew that she would do that... she would be the one to call to find out how things are - keeping a track of each of us to make sure that contact would not be lost.

In English "she" is the cats mother... in our family "she" is my big sis Unnur. A woman that I have always taken for granted all through my youth. Now that I think that I am grown up I probably never show her the respect and love that I have for her - I expect her to know this.

But there comes a time when you have to say or write for all the world to read the fact that she means so much to me. I need for her to be strong, to be the woman that I will never be, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a big sister...

Our brothers reading this are probably all thinking that I must be on at least the third bottle of the evening, but no, that is not the case, nor should my sister feel that I am writing this out of some sort of misfelt guilt... It is just the right time. Most would think that you could just say this face to face. But not in my family, talk about repressed emotionally, thats us. (ok Himmi maybe you are excluded from this).

My sis is the mother of three wonderful children.

And... she is my sister

A wonderful person in her own right!

Love one another and you will be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that. ~Michael Leunig

Get ready for a really really long post. this is the story of the last three weeks of my life. The best three weeks that I have had for a long time, and I do have a lot of people to thank for that. Flickr probably has hundreds of photos documenting it all, so I picked a few to jog my memory to document it on my blog. It all began with the first visitors. First came Kristinn, my nephew, shortly followed by his friend Troy (whose uncle tony was a school with me) and Troys girlfriend Liz/Lisa (do I need to tell you how bad I am with names??). Absolutely brilliant guests! Then came my sister Unnur and husband Thor.

Think this was taken after dinner, obviously concentrating on something...

Then came Lummudagar - a celebration in the town for no reason - but a great weekend, where different sections of the town took on different colours, here in the old town the theme colour was blue, but before then we went down to the beach on a spectacular sunset night. We walked the length of the rock garden -'twas great.

On the Friday night there was a fire down at the beach and entertainment put on by local bands and theatre artists. The aussies - shown above on the rocks provided further entertainment by playing a game of kick footy on the shoreline below the rocks. This was when Dean (my niece's boyfriend discovered that he had probably broken something in his leg three weeks before getting here...)

This is Tryggvi - he has a great face - you can see that he has lived a full life - such a happy chap. and he is also my life saver when the storeroom is too full of bottles and cans and I haven´t made it to the recycling place...

Troy became a hero (his nickname is danger troy) and went out into the fjord to save the ball that had been kicked out onto the water. He tells me the water was fine - cold - but fine

After the fire we went back home and enjoyed a few drinks by the side of the house, by this time Olga and Ross had arrived as well as Anna and Dean.

The next day there was a mini festival in the town which included a procession into town that re-enacted the olden days when farmers came in with wool and other products to sell for goods such as sugar and coffee. They were just brilliant.

Bjarni and Laufey getting into the swing of things. (they are old co-workers from my time at Holar)

Then we went fishing, and met with my cousin Þórólfur, who promptly caught a trout on arrival. Thor assist with the landing. We ate it for dinner....

Each street was to have a street party - us being us - changed things and made it a party in the lane with friends and family who were not too worried about pissing off the neighbours. Here is Silla (my neighbour) and Steina (cousins daughter) enjoying the post dinner cool breeze.

There were a few of us, my cousin Johanna and I took care of the cooking, during which she commented that we may not have enough food.... This is not possible... we had plenty of left overs. Was a really good night.

Anna looking worried, Olga looking like she is interogating Ross and Ross obviously concentrating on something else...

As the week progressed more and more people began arriving. Thankfully the weather Gods were smiling on us and made it possible for us to eat outside on most nights.

France Nick and Eva in the foreground, Jess, Ross, Joe and Andy standing behind, sitting Maja, Bridget, Jade and Olga

Getting ready, mum Vicky doing some ironing for her boys, for some reason Ross is on the computer - I think he was getting the music ready for the reception. Which by the way never worked and they still have the discs there.....

The reception was held at Mælifell and in the morning my cousins Johanna, Guðny, Steina and Þórdís took care of things - the theme was simple nature so the vases were tin cans with fish leather stuck on them and wild flowers that we had picked the night before. It was amazing.. just so pretty.

The wedding, Ross asked his mum to be his witness and Olga asked that I be hers, (yes I teared up).. Vicky is just such an amazing person. and as you can see she loves her little boy so much and like me knew that he was marrying an amazing girl.

Being in the front of the church I could take this snap of the Priest Sigga blessing the ring and joining them in marriage. Icelandic wedding ceremonies are just so nice, they are simple and heartfelt. Ahhhh, I smile everytime I think about this moment. Just so precious.

My cousins arranged to borrow this VW to take the bride and groom for a spin before arriving at the reception.

Mum helping Olga take the top off the cake, there were probably around 80 people there - who knows, anywho mum did a great job on all the cream cakes, I did the mayonaise sandwich cakes and Robert the baker did the wedding cake, Herdís cousin the sherry cake, her mum the special fried bread (served with salmon) It was all very nice, even if I say so myself.

After the cake reception we headed to Reykir for a grill party - The bride and groom and anyone else who felt like it were to spend the night there. Above are Guðný and Sirrý - my most favourite folk in the world.

Herdís and mum appropriately attired in Icelandic wool. The wind came up and made things a tad cool.

The children of Sigurþór - Kristinn, Anna and Olga... they are the greatest!

The children Di Blasio - Jess, Ross, Dom and Eva - they are just such wonderful beautiful people - my life is so much the better for having met them and for having Ross now a part of my extended family!

After the grill some of them went for a dip in the hot water spring. If you enlarge this you will see heat lines on some of the people sitting in the pool. Hot water, cold air - it is a special look.

Next day was left overs here at my place, then the following day Franca (pictured) with Nick (the father of Ross) and Ross' help made the best pasta sauce that I have had for well ever. Which we served along with salmon, whale and the cod that Jess had caught.

Excellent brothers, Jess and Ross

An excellent couple - Ross and Olga Di Blasio

On the Tuesday night my work went for a walk and had a grill party out in the country to say goodbye to Vesteinn (pictured) who is retiring. The photo shows the country over which we walked - it was a perfect night and a great walk

We also went horseriding, poor Dean (pictured) felt major pain in his broken leg when he got on the horse - but he sucked it in and came along with us. My camera was misbehaving hence the shutter did not open properly... Still thats him on the horsey.

By this time most had left and so Jade, Olga, Bridget, the dog and I went to see the sunset down on the sands.

You can just barely make out the moon rising in the back ground.

We then went to check out the dried fish racks... my favourite photo frame

Then to top things off today was the 90th birthday of a local shop - the shop where you can get anything and everything - so long as it is not fresh, from clothes, to food, to shoes, to decorations, to petrol, gas whatever. Bjarni Har is the son of the original proprietor and he has been working at the shop since he was about 10, the whole town turned out and it was again... a great day.

As you can tell, life has been busy, full and obviously wonderful. thanks to everyone that came and made it so.

I love my family