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.