People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy. ~Anton Chekhov

What a couple of weeks I have had.... 

I am now trying to remember what happened and for the life of me I can't remember everything.  However, the highlights were:

My great nephew Henry Thor came into the world on Wednesday morning, 8th of June, gorgeous ofcourse, with parents like his it would have been hard to be otherwise!  They came home on Thursday so the week was very much all about the boy!

Margy - a friend of Maja's arrived on Sunday, she had been travelling around the country in a hire car and was under instructions from Maja to come to Sauðárkrókur and check out where she lived whilst in Iceland.  Luckily, Monday was a public holiday so I was able to do "stuff", first we went horse riding, I forgot my camera ofcourse so there is no proof of this - although I do know that Margy got a few shots.  The route we took was up to the hill above town, I had not gone this way before so it was all quite new and exciting for me too.  We also had fairly good horses that were willing and were Töltarar, so the ride was smooth and well paced.

We then went to Glaumbæ to see the turf house and to have hot chocolate, breads and cakes at Áskaffi, the best little café in the Northern  periphery...  After this we went to a mink farm.... well, it's not everyday a girl gets to see where a fur coat comes from. 

As Margy is a geo and enjoys talking geology I invited Rúna Birna's partner, Helgi Páll, to dinner - I think Margy appreciated this - to be able to talk geo speak with another rock nerd.   It was great fun listening to them and most informative.  Helgi is really so knowledgable about the geology of Iceland and because he loves it so much he makes it interesting for those of us who know nothing (or very little).  For dinner that night we had foal... I think Margy not only likes to ride our four footed friends she quite enjoyed eating it to.

Margy really wanted to see puffins, Viggó called and said she could join a trip that was going at 1pm the next day.  On the Tuesday I flew down to Reykjavik for a meeting at the Environmental agency to discuss the proposed extention of a national park south of the glacier Hofsjökull.  I am included in this committee because a part of this glacier is in our municipality.  It was a good meeting, and was finished by 2pm, which meant I had till 8pm to do something - so I called the brother and asked if my sister in law would like to go shopping with me.  So, Sigga and I went and spent (well she came with and I spent) got some black jeans, work trousers, gym trousers (- for Zoomba) and a jacket.... was very pleased with myself.  My nephew Gunni took me to the airport (with his two sons - Ari and Aron) on the way we went a had a look at this new house - really nice!

I was knackered by the time I got home, mum and Margy had been at Olga and Ross' for dinner, her trip to the island had been cold and wet - but really really worth it!  Which was good to hear.  I trundled off home and got myself organised for the next work day.  Margy stayed with Thor and co and polished off a bottle of scotch - well done Margy!

Wednesday, started with a meeting and trying to do some work for my official employer, I left early to join the "twin town" meeting at Miðgarð in Varmahlíð.  The day was spent eating and listening to presentations on what each town is doing in terms of "drop out" prevention, twas quite interesting - although sometimes quite difficult and the speakers spoke either in English, Danish, Norwegian or Swedish.... my knowledge of Nordic languages is limited to Icelandic and so at times it was quite hard to follow.   This finished just after four so I went home and got myself ready for my 2nd Zoomba class, my God, I was knackered the week before and I wasn't much better this week.  Also, I thought that I had rhythm I was WRONG.  I have three left feet that keep getting in each others way - I do not know my right from my left nor can I shake my bum like I thought I could... Still it is great fun.  I left a little earlier as there was a dinner that night with our Nordic friends.

My God, this post is getting long..... am writing this all down now so that in years to come I can remember that once upon a time I was a woman on the go....

Dinner was just across the street at Kaffi Krók so I got there just in time for entré - smoked puffin salad.... YUMMMMM so nice, am ordering some for my brothers to have when they get here - may even get some sooner so Unnur and Thor can have some too..... so nice.

Main was the best lamb I have had in a very very long time and desert Skyr terta.  so good, also helped that the wine was a lovely Rosemount.

The next day I showed up at work for 2 hours before rejoining the Nordic folk here at the local college to look at the apprenticeship school and the fab lab area.  Then lunch - more great food from Skagafjordur - lightly salted cod, smoked arctic char and game paté..... 

Then we all went on the bus:

First to a dairy in Hjaltadalur - Garðakot where Ása and Pálmi were our hosts, here we had the new beer from Skagafjörður as well as cheeses made here from local milk in the KS production facility in Sauðárkrókur.

 This is an ultra modern dairy farm, the cows are indoors but able to move around freely between areas, they also choose when to be milked and head over to the milking station where they wait patiently in line for their turn. 

  The milking is done by a "robot" that has sensors to find the teats, hook on and milk, each cow has a necklace on with a computer chip so the system knows when it was last milked etc.  so if it comes too soon to be  milked it gets rejected and sent back into the open space.

 Next we headed to Hofsós where our Nordic friends could go and swim in our new pool.... it really is lovely.  A pity though that it was so overcast - you can barely see Drangey out there in the distance.

 The day ended with a big dinner at Miðgarð, the meal was grafin gæs.... grav goose on a bed of salad, followed by foal.... yummm, and then a skyr panacota.  So good, oh and ofcourse more local cheese and lots and lots of red wine.  Lots of speeches were made, a lot of back slapping and how great everything had been, the entertainment was the local mens choir and a young kid from the area who totally rocked the house.  Everyone went home very pleased....


Then.... yesterday - our National Day the 17th of June, birth day of our "new" nations "father" Jón Sigurðsson. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3n_Sigur%C3%B0sson He devoted his life to attaining nationhood again for his home country.  Iceland had been established as an independent nation but gave it up in 1262 to the Norwegian crown.  After this we were swapped between the Nordic nations - according to who was more powerful, ending up with the Danes as our rulers, then in 1944, Iceland took the final step and became independent again.  The Danes were not that happy that we took this opportunity whilst they were occupied by the Germans, but hey it had to be done.

 The main celebrations take place in and around our football/athletics oval.  Here the Mayor is trying to read a speech... it was so windy ....
and soo cold..

 Then we had a  little light entertainment....

 Twas a good day...


Ending with dinner - lamb ofcourse!


Olga and Ross bought little Henry over - such a sweety...

Olga and Ross are such great parents!