The reason there are so few female politicians is that it is too much trouble to put makeup on two faces. ~Maureen Murphy

So some of the political stuff has begun, I had to go and get my photo taken - I thought to just put a dash of makeup on and show up.  No, apparently I needed more work done - so I was booked in for a facial - the works.  I showed up and said NOOOOO that's just too scary, so instead I got the eyebrows dyed (took some convincing) and some makeup done - I asked for a natural look.

See that look of a rabbit or kangaroo caught in the lights... yep thats me!

There has been so much happening in  the last week and a bit.. so. Tuesday was the picture taking day, after that work took over - it's tax time here, so was busy at work on Wednesday, Thursday was a day off - excellent - it was the first day of summer according to the Icelandic calendar and as there was snow on the ground and frost in the air there is a saying about winter freezing into summer. However, what this actually means I have no idea and google isn't helping.  I think though, that it is a good thing as the first day of summer was spectacular.

Freyja benefited from the fact that the weather was so nice... we took an extra long walk up the hill.

Such a great day.  My brother Helgi and his wife were here for a long weekend so it was great that the weather was so nice.

The weekend has been action packed, the local businesses, schools and community council set up an exhibition of all that is happening in the fjord.  There were 70 booths with over 100 exhibitors - not bad for a community of just over 3000!  I showed up at 10 on Saturday in my role as hopeful candidate for the local elections, then changed name tag to go to the booth that my work and the local farmers were hosting - to show local production in sheep, horse, crop, fur, milk and cattle farming.  As well as what I do there - book keeping.  The atmosphere was so good, everyone very positive and at the same time surprised at what is actually happening in our little fjord - so much diversity - I think that this exhibit was a major boost to morale here.  Am so glad to have been a part of it.  Just found a link for you http://www.feykir.is/archives/22599 some photos from the exhibit - including a nice one of mum.

Also on the Saturday, there was a party for Bjarni Har - he turned 80 a few weeks ago but invited everyone to his birthday party on Saturday, for a while there he was worried that no one would show up - as the exhibit thing was happening - however, am so glad to report that the turn out to his little birthday bash was very very very good!   Which was wonderful he really deserved to have a good day.  For those that don´t know who Bjarni Har is - he is a local store operator - he works in the shop that his dad set up 90 years ago.  If you can´t find it - Bjarni will have it - it´s a general store that sells everything (so long as it's not fresh ie no milk or perishables - but everything else - he is also what used to be the local BP - British Petroleum - now Olís)  He also had the privilege of taking mum to hospital when I was born, and the 5 times after that when I needed stitches to my head - so all round great guy and I probably owe a bit of my life to him.. He is now my major supplier of vitamins as he calls them (cigarette supplier)   He stopped drinking many years ago have said that he had filled his quota.   I really must remember to take my camera to his shop to share his image and his shop with you. 

At four there was a funeral that I attended, a very very good friend of the family passed away - Dista,  Before we went to Australia she was our neighbour across the way,  Her children were our friends as we were all born at similar intervals.  Her eldest Valgeir is still one of the best friends of my elder brother Jon, Steini - Unnurs friend, Soffia - Hilmars and Guðný mine..  It was a beautiful service with some of the nicest psalms I have heard at a funeral to date ( mind you I tend to avoid funerals whenever I can)   After the funeral mum and I went to the wake - Icelandic wakes are all about food, and there is always lots of it - savoury and sweet - usually more cakes than you can deal with and talk about choice anxiety.  It's not about the food though is it.... however, I think that it's a part of the grieving process and good that it is institutionalised in it.  It also gives people an opportunity to meet and reminisce. 

After that we went straight up to Maggi's for dinner - well, we had half  an hour or so to let some food go down.. There we had a grilled leg of lamb, done superbly!  

The night ended up being a long one -  cousins met up and had a few beers and sleeping time on Saturday night was ummm.... 5 hours.. as I had to show up at the exhibition on Sunday.

So I turned up looking probably not so good at my political posting.. .which happened to be opposite my old workplace's booth Holaskoli - which was good as I could cross the walk way and no one thought anything of it.   I went and got mum at around 1 as she had to sit in for the red cross from 2 to 3, met lots and lots of folk that I had not seen for a while and tried my hardest to seem semi acceptable as a local poli.  We left just on four as we had another appointment.... the kammer kór - chamber choir was having a concert at 5 and as their number one groupie I just had to be there!  They sang like the angels that they are - I thought about, and should have, filmed on my crappy camera at least one bit.... but I knew that it would not do them justice.

After the concert we rushed home as we had dinner and theatre tickets.  Not knowing how good Ólafshús would be in their dinner service we went straight to dinner, we needn't have rushed as we were finished with our three course (wonderful) meal by seven thirty.  Had a lie down at mums for 15 minutes and then we went to the local theatre - It was the first night for the production - called "the people in the block". Surprisingly about people living in a block of flats, that get together to create a musical - so given....  the play is a musical and it is about people that live in a block of flats in Reykjavík.  It was good, actually very good, given that this is amateur theatre in an area that has a population of 3000.  I really have to keep reminding myself of how small the community is here and how rich it is of talent and ideas.... So lucky I am to live here.

That last sentence was influenced by the fact that as I write this Star Wars episode 4 (ie the first Star Wars) is on TV in the background.  Once upon a time I never realised how bad the acting was - and boy do I wonder how much wine old Sir whatshisname was drinking when he agreed to this...)  Chewy so far is the best actor of the lot!

So, even though I had an action packed weekend - I did miss a major event - the Tekið til Kostana horse show which was apparently AMAZIJNG.  one of these days I will make it to see it.  

Tomorrow night is the first of the community meetings to try and create some sort of political agenda for the coming elections.. Whoooppeeeee............will report later much later