Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love! ~Hamilton Wright Mabie

I am sure that I have used this quote before... but hey.. it embraces what I think of this time of year - a time of love - being with loved ones - being relaxed and well fed.

 I have been so super slack with this blogging business so am going to try and give a run down in words and pictures of the events of the last month.  My cousin Guðný invited us over for a family dinner.... so good, always nice to be with the extended family here in S'krók... Check out Ross' jumper - from the red cross here in S'krók - Aussie cricket! Oi Oi Oi

 Maggi continues to be the best of the best and is seen here bonding with the latest greatest treasure in our family.

 Henry was a hit with everyone - well, how could he not be!  Ingvi and Þórdís enjoying a bit of his company.

 Christmas snow came and stayed - so lovely, this little almost lame fern is my Christmas tree, I will need to consult with the town council's gardener to see if there is some way that I can make this little tree's life happier and make it a little more respectable for next Christmas - not that it doesn't look alright - sort of...

 I know you all know that I love my little house, but at this time of year I think I love it that little bit more... so cute, small, cosy and warm.

 Here's ma having a chat with her great grandson... see how he is totally engrossed - there is a mutual love appreciation society thing happening there... It is so good to see how they have connected.  After this weekends bonding I feel the need to say that I love my mum so much... like all of us - she has her faults, but basically - she is the best! 

 My gorgeous cousin Herdís is coming to a cross roads this new year.  She has decided to sell / close down her handicrafts shop.  This shop has been a part of this town for over 10 years, it's a big step, but it was time.  She is making the right decision in that she is quitting the business at the top, the business is going well, but she now wants to dedicate more time to Áskaffi - the best little coffee shop in the fjord.  So if any of you out there want to buy a business plus apartment (so nice!) it's up for sale only 300.000 AUD all up... (including stock). 

 More of the beautiful people in my life, Árni - never thought this would happen, am still a bit reluctant to state too much, but hey I love him.  Rúna Birna - my cousin Jóhanna's daughter - a beautiful person through and through.. and her most wonderful partner Helgi Páll... - they are all looking rather serious on this photo... I am blessed with the people in my life.

 Then there is my beautiful little house... again, so blessed to have had the opportunity to buy it when I did and to have had the ways and means of fixing it up to make it the wonderful little home that it is.  I am so happy... (oh my god - this post is becoming so sweet that people will be in need of insulin - sorry)

 Then came Christmas eve... again.. so lucky was I that the family of Ross was willing to come and spend the evening with us.  The meal was actually pretty plain and traditional.  We made them eat the rice pudding first... this way ensuring that someone gets the almond and therefore the first present of the night.  The main was back of lamb - one fresh and one lightly smoked, with the usual condiments, Ora peas, red cabbage, beetroot, jam, caramelised potatoes, gravy and ofcourse salad...

 My niece Anna with her nephew Henry Þór, so cute - love them both so much.

 Mum in full present swing... she got spoiled - as she should be... as did I - note the amazing tardis decoration!!! that was Anna's present for me... next to it is an amazing home made bath salt/scrub that Olga made for me - they are so clever!

 As I said it was so nice that the extended family of Ross' came and spent Christmas Eve with us - as you can see from the above Henry Þór was the main attraction - as he should be.  It was a lovely evening with lovely lovely people.

 And the star of the night - Mr Henry Þór 

His dad's not bad either...


The bestest bestest thing was the present that Vicky gave me... She made me a book.... yep..handbound, with the quotes from this blog and the most amazing well thought out pictures to go with each.  Am hoping I can capture at least one for this blog.

 Hand sewn and bound, in Icelandic lamb skin...

Vicky took the quotes from this blog and added images to them, some from the blog and others off the net (which didn't have copyright - well done Vicky! - we may actually find a market for this amongst dog lovers....)

 and yes... I was close to tears when I opened this present - so much thought - so much work... these are the types of presents that last forever.... 

 Just the work that has gone into this is amazing... searching my blog for the quotes, then searching the net for the appropriate image... so amazing, Vicky, I will never be able to thank you enough.

And that you included my bestest bestest friend in the world ever.... 

Lust is easy. Love is hard. Like is most important. ~Carl Reiner

What a weekend!  But first, last week - was excellent - Maja and Jason are here with us and we have so enjoyed having them here - Maja is pregnant so not feeling all that good all the time, but being an absolute trooper, mum is so enjoying having them stay with her!  So good!  It has also been incredibly cold.... it's like winter just decided to happen all of a sudden, it snowed and then the frost came - it got down to -17°C one day last week... rather cold - even for me.  Today was a balmy minus 11.   Maggi has been amazing as always and taken the week off in order to be with Maja and Jason and take them wherever they want to go - they even managed a trip to Myvatn and the baths there - with only one dodgy bit where Maggi's car was bogged in the snow near the geothermal power station.  Am sure that Maja will blog about this at some stage.

 

 Now for the weekend, it started on Friday night with the "couples ball" - hjónaball in Akrahrepp.  My cousin Sirrí (the one on the right) invited me and ma to come, this is a yearly event where the people of the Akra municipality get together and have a dinner dance and entertain each other with reminisces of the events of the past year.  This used to be a yearly event in all the old districts before unification. (into one municipality Skagafjörður), but Akrahrepp did not unify and is now known as the free state within the fjord.  So in that vein they also tend to keep a lot of the older traditions that the rest have let lapse.

 There were 16 of us with Sirrí (she was also the foreman of the entertainment committee),  excellent little group of family and friends..., 103 people attended - most from the municipality but also others like us that were "invited in".  The food was good as was the entertainment.

 You can just about count all the teeth in my mouth - I really need to learn some sort of "photo" smile.  Normally I would attend the couples dinner dance with my good friend Guðný - but this year she is in a summer house in the south, with her sister, writing her Phd.  I took the other half....  I think he enjoyed himself....

 Mum and I certainly did.... I

Last night Maja invited us to Lay  Low - a great band headed by Lay Low herself - Lovísa Sigrúnardóttir.... really good, but I drank too much and am feeling a little fragile today... but, the weather makes up for it - clear skies and cold..... Christmas approaches.

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

The big new of the week is that Maja and Jason arrived in the fjord and the tree was lit on the town square...

 Olga and mum heading down towards the tree celebration... it was a very cold day.  My toes were totally numb by the time I came home.

 Our Mayor Ásta Pálmadóttir doing the speech thing before turning the tree on.

 Not the best of photos of any of them....but the next one makes up for it...

 Such lovely people.

 Most of the town turned out for it - which was nice.... this is my cousin Þórdís wearing the most amazing hat... seal and fox - bought in Greenland... so nice, so warm.

 After the tree thing we had a roast lamb dinner at mine... so nice... Freyja so happy being pampered.

 Henry was ofcourse the centre of attention - such a sweetie.

 Love him to bits.

 Shoulda done something about the red eye... oh well.... his cuteness makes up for it.

 Tonight we had cod for dinner and again I was lucky enough to have them all over.... Henry getting all readied up to go home!

 Is he not the cutest thing ever.

Yep, this post was for my sister... I know she misses not being here with him.... 

No matter how carefully you stored the lights last year, they will be snarled again this Christmas. ~Robert Kirby

 The first of the lights went up on the weekend.... yep, Christmas is approaching, the first week of advent starts this weekend.... the town is starting to change, lights are being put up in windows and on balconies.  At this time of year it is so amazing what this addition of light in life makes. 

 Candles are an important part of Christmas tradition in Iceland, in the days when money was tight you could at least expect to get something new to wear (thanks to the tradition of the Christmas cat) or candles and cards.  Something to light up the darkness.


So tonight mum, my cousin Herdis and Maggi were over for dinner and as I was clearing up I noticed my cupboard was leaning to the right, which had to be fixed... as you do ... which lead to cleaning and bringing out the Christmas stuff, so here they are:

The "bad guys" of Christmas, leppa lúði, Grýla and the jóla köttur, leppa lúði is the husband of Grýla - she takes the bad kids in a sack and eats them (according to tradition) the cat comes to get you if you don't have any new clothes (he was created long before materialism took over the Christmas spirit).  I kind of like the fact that he was there - he ensured that even the poorest of the poor tried to make sure that kids got something new to wear, whether it be socks, jocks, or mittens.

Meanwhile in Europe St Nicholas became the symbol of Christmas.

 He took on other forms, usually with a white bushy beard and a nice jolly face.

 But for me Christmas is still about the "birthday" of a very special person, if only we actually all truly lived according to his teachings.  Love thy neighbor as thyself, don't judge others, be thankful for what you have and  if the wine runs out at the wedding, make sure you can provide the necessary...

 In other words, live life, enjoy, love all you can for as long as you can and basically - be nice!

The only difference between men and boys is the cost of their toys. ~Author Unknown

 Went for a walk with the dog on the beach today.... twas another great day in the fjord...

 She was really really happy with this as I had been a bit slack yesterday - had other things to do

 She so loves being out and about....  So what was I doing on Saturday... something that if you had told me a few years ago - I would have scoffed..... Well yesterday I was the designated driver for some men that needed to check out other mens toys.  This weekend in the equestrian centre they had a showing of the toys that belong to the men of the fjord.

 There were cars... lots of modified 4 x 4 vehicles.  They even had a mini theatre showing a dvd of their adventures in the mountains and on glaciers... looked like there was a little bit too much adrenalin for me (by the way I borrowed these photos from a facebook friend - who remembered to have her camera with her.... thanks Sædís)

 Then there's the snowmobiles or ski-doos...... these were of the racing variety..... also watched a video of some extreme ski-dooers that jumped off the side of cliffs on their ski-doos and managed to survive.... the bottom of me feet were tingling - my fear of heights is getting rather uncontrollable.

 In the foyer we had the gun collections - this is apparently only a small small percentage of the guns owned in the fjord.... so I reckon if we get invaded there is not a problem to arm the natives..... my goodness me..... 


Yesterday I proved how patient and loving a person I can be - I spent five hours (yes 5 hours) at the show.... wandering around - but at least these days I know enough people that I can stop and have a chat with just about everyone.  Then I continued on in my role as driver and went to a house just outside of town where I ate svið (sheeps head) - as I hadn't eaten anything all day - it really hit the spot and tasted quite yum... Still don't eat the eye though...


After dinner more and more folk arrived and a typical Icelandic party ensued - lots and lots of landi (thanks to moi driving back into town to pick up some more)  lots of singing and general frivolity.  Twas a good night - and knowing that I can be a designated driver and still enjoy myself amongst the drunk, very drunk and very very very drunk was an added bonus.  It was also good to see that Icelanders still do the old traditional thing and party at home and sing and talk and sing and talk.... 


The week that was, was a good one, I have moved desks and there are no longer 50 files on the floor - they are now in shelves and the whole office looks so much better.... I had created a pit of paper work all around me.  In EXCELLENT news my cousin Beta had a baby girl this morning.  Today was her first wedding anniversary and the birthday of her grandmother Beta, whom she loved dearly - good all round!  My niece Anna has booked her ticket and is coming in December - and my niece Maja is expected here in less than two weeks..... 


Love my life, love my family...... yep folks... life is brilliant as usual