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

 Hope that you have all had a fantastic Christmas time, I have!  It begins as usual with a trip up to dad to leave a candle on his grave on Christmas Eve.  I miss him so much, it seems amazing that next year it will be 20 years since he left us.

 Had the Aussies over for Christmas Eve dinner - Vicki, her sisters Kerry and Donna, Kerry's man Steve, and Donna's daughter Bella - along with ma, Olga, Ross and the main man Henry!  I think that they enjoyed themselves - I know I did.  The day started with the rice pudding at 4, then mum and I went to church at 6 and then the meal just after 7 and then

 Presents!.... Henry helped in handing them out - did an excellent job!

 I went for a late evening walk with Freyja - there was not a soul on the streets.  So peaceful - so beautiful.

 The last few days have seen a massive storm hitting the west coast of the country, the westfjords have been particularly hard hit - with some homes without electricity for the last 40 hours, hopefully this will be fixed before tomorrow night.

 But the snow makes the town even more beautiful.

 All the fishing trawlers are home for the holidays - something I think is so important - that the family has this time together.  That the fishing can wait till after the new year.

 So as the fisherfolk are home they have a mini Christmas do.  I got invited this year - twas a good night - but I do not have the stamina that I once had.  Andri Kára and Gísli Þór provided musical entertainment whilst Eiki was mc, main music man and stand up.

 Tonight - or rather today is Olga's 29th B´day, she invited us all over for curry - yummy!!!!  Nina was delightful - as usual. Henry was almost edible in his sweetness and cuteness - made sure that we all got a little bit of Henry time.

 So good, family - it's the best....

And to top the evening off - my sister arrived!!!!  No photo as the camera battery had died - promise to post again very soon!
Love and hugs to you all!  and a joyous New Year.

Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance - each beautiful, unique and too soon gone. ~Deborah Whipp

OK it's been a while.... but we had snow... snow is an excuse for everything... here is the proof - the mountains of snow that have been scraped off the streets and taken to sites like the one by the harbour. 

 This sailing boat is going no where in the near future.  In other news my cousin Jóhanna's daughter Rúna Birna and her partner Helgi Páll christened their son.... Rúrik Helgason.... A wonderful name for a beautiful little boy.  The picture below is of Jóhanna the proud amma holding him with Helgi Páll just making sure that everything is ok.  The church was decked out with Christmas - and to make things even better it was Jóhanna's 60th birthday.

 To celebrate both the christening and the birthday the family got together for a great feast of coffee and cakes and other stuff...  Here are my cousin Rúnar's daughter Þórdís and Jóhanna's eldest Steina....  Such good looking and wonderful women.

 Both sides of the family were there ofcourse, but the wonderful thing about this small place is that the connections are multi-faceted...  Mum is talking to Gunni Valgarðs.... he and I share a common great grandmother on my mother's side.  His wife is Helgi Páll's sister..... Rúna Birna is related to me through my father... the circle is complete.

 Jóhanna's cake... marzipan... yummmm

 I tried to take some night shots. . . but am still learning how to use my new camera.... but as you can see the cross is lighting the night sky above the town.   It's a view that I will always find peace and solace in.

 Most folk have started to put lights out - in windows, on trees, around houses.  This time of darkness calls the inner need to put lights... lights ... more lights - everywhere.

 Four weeks after the storms the snow mountains are not disappearing - instead they are freezing over and are now hard as rock.

 Last weekend was the Christmas work do...  We went to Akureyri - 1.5 hours away.  Árni drove (just as well - as the weather on the mountain pass was to put it mildly - shit - a total white out) anyway we made it to Akureyri and took a small bus to the local micro brewery - Kaldi.  Where we were given a tour of the brewery - a small talk about how it all started and how it has evolved.  Kaldi is probably the most successful of all the micro breweries here in Iceland and the product is excellent - probably due to the fact that they managed to get a third generation Czech brewer to come over and do the brewing and is in total control of the production.  The first attempts were apparently not working the way that he wanted so he sent water samples to the powers that be in the Czech republic and the response was - don't clean the water so well (they were using spring water - straight out of the ground.......) So now they need to add some minerals to make the water less "clean"

 If ever you are in Iceland I can recommend Kaldi - (also our own local brewery - Gæðing....)
This is the only photo taken after the visit to the brewery - I was banned from taking any more.... I was also too preoccupied with eating. After the brewery visit we went to a Christmas smorgasbord at the hotel.... where we sat and ate and ate and drank and ate and drank some more..... then we went to the only bar in Akureyri that sells Kaldi.... unfortunately the monopoly on beer production and bars has meant that it is only on tap in a few bars around the country.  Gæðing is here in Kaffi Krók, Kaldi in the bar in Akureyri and both are on sale in Reykjavík at Micro Bar (owned by the maker of Gæðing)

 After the bar we went dancing.... it was a Good night.

In other news - there is a new book out that is a must in all homes (well that's my opinion) - the book is called Eldað undir Bláhimni - cooked under a blue sky.  It features all our local restaurants, local cuisine, local produce and basically our fjord.

 Ofcourse my wonderful cousin Herdís has an opening about the coffees and cakes and hot chocolate and breads and other stuff that you can experience at her coffee house Áskaffi at Glaumbæ.

I will try and post again either just before or just after Christmas Eve.
If I don't and if I don't manage to get an email out then I wish ALL of you a very very happy Christmas!  I will wish you a wonderful New Year later...  love to all of you!

Oh... I almost didn't mention - I am SO happy - my sister is coming to Iceland before years end!!!!!  Mum is thinking of maybe going back to Aus with her - all we need is for someone to escort her back to Iceland......

To the aesthete it is an art form, an athletic ballet. To the spiritually inclined it is a religion. ~Paul Gardner

OK, so the bloke is away watching a soccer/football game in the UK... this is a big thing in the life of a soccer/football fan... the first time going to Old Trafford... seeing the bronze statue of Mr Ferguson..  I am really happy for him..  Honest!

In other news...  it did not snow this weekend - the first in a month!  so all the photos I have are old ones - and if you have a face book account you have seen them all - but i know my brother H doesn't so this post is just for him!

I have been now been told that I have overdone my storage..... will put photos on flickr brother dear...

The color of springtime is in the flowers; the color of winter is in the imagination. ~Terri Guillemets

 I've been a tad preoccupied with the weather....  there has been a little bit of snow falling here. As a result I have not been doing much driving.... My car will be dug out in the spring me thinks!

 My little house is covered in snow, at least three feet or more!

I also haven't seen the boy at all - we may live almost next door, the snow thing seems to make visiting a little hard.  As usually when I am outside I am with the dog and in a snow suit - not quite visiting material.

 Today's challenge was to remove the snow from the roof of mum's extension.  Easier said than done.  As you can see the first challenge was to get into the garden....  - first dig out the gate... then dig your way towards the back of the house.

 As you can (or rather can't see) mum's "skáli (extension with the hot pot) is totally covered in snow.

 I called out the troops - Maggi and Árni - well I called Maggi first and then Árni to drive Maggi down into town - a lot of the roads are impassable and up in their street the Golf may have found getting out a tad difficult.

 In other news last night was the yearly get together of my political party - dinner and dance and entertainment brought to you by your local politicians.... this year there was a meeting of the mid level management of the party - so lots of additional folk there to entertain and be entertained.  The weather made getting there quite difficult - one bus load took 2 hours to come 10kms.... The photo above is of the local "powers that be".  The one on the right (Gunni Valgarðs) is related to me through a common great grandmother.

 My house is seriously in threat of being stabbed by icicles.

 The dog loves this weather and would spend all day outside walking in the snow..... I think today was a major work out day for me.  Walking her and digging in the snow.

 This was mum's before we went in and dug the snow off the roof.  - her fence is probably six foot high (well higher than me).... I am standing on top of a snow drift between mum's fence and Ólafshús.

 My lovely neighbor Þorgerður dug the path past my house and through to mum's - she also dug the snow off mum's front steps.  The folk in this little town of mine are just amazing!

 This is mum's from the inside!  A wall of snow!

 Snotra mum's cat was getting a tad stir crazy - she hasn't been able to get out of the house for 3 days.  So she took her favourite hunting position at the top of the stairs.  That hole that she is looking through is where you put your hand in order to get up the (quite) steep staircase, once the hand is in - she attacks!

 The other side of my house - my kitchen window under threat of snow and icicle attack!

 So much snow!

and some of us love it a little bit too much!

After I posted this I realised that I used the same quote as two weeks ago... hence a new quote from Terri Guillemets 

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher

 We have had an amazing weekend! Weather wise....  So much snow has fallen and it certainly is starting to feel a lot like Christmas.  I had a touch of the winter blues on Saturday morning - not nice.  Which means I need to start taking some vitamin D or something.

 But on Sunday the sun came out and the town looked so pretty, as you can see the sky was blue and as you can't see there is no wind.

 The church and the place on the right that where the Christmas tree is to be lit in a few weeks time.  Time will tell whether the council needs to move the snow or whether the weather will do it for us.  See those clouds... like puffy little lines in the sky.

 Henry - being Kilroy.... Ross - here's the wiki link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilroy_was_here  Boy did I feel old making the Kilroy reference...

 A little video of the man.  He is soo amazing!

 Big cheeks and her great nephew...

 Nina the most patient dog (except when it comes to food - if only she and Freyja could share some of their traits)

 Mum's house tonight.... looks warm inside.

Mine - see the trail.... my neighbour dug this out for me the other day - am eternally grateful!

In other news, life is pretty good, apart from the depression on Saturday - need to get this under control - definitely doesn't do anything for me!  It may also be a bit attached to stuff happening on the work and political front.  Hopefully, this will all become clearer in the coming weeks.  I guess I have reached my use by date on both fronts.

Till next time - take care - love you all!

Welcome, winter. Your late dawns and chilled breath make me lazy, but I love you nonetheless. ~Terri Guillemets

 Well, what has happened since last I wrote on this my online diary to remind myself of what I have done and where I have been.....  the little one got ill.... not a good time to be ill (is there ever? - but with the weather here some days are definitely worse than others).... I went with Ross to the hospital, where, the doc on duty and her supervisor both felt it would be better for him to be looked at by a pediatrician at Akureyri (2 hour drive over a mountain pass - the forecast was for snow and ice..... Olga and Ross - and me for that matter still had summer tyres on the car) Olga was working with Herdís at Áskaffi, so Ross picked Olga up on the way to the hospital in the North.  Just after they left my cousin Jóhanna phoned to say that she and her daughter Rúna Birna (and her man Helgi Páll) were on their way to Akureyri as Rúna's child had decided that now was the time to enter this world..... made me a little easier knowing someone was on their way North after Olga and Ross... you know just in case.....

 The little chap was not happy... it's amazing how useless you feel when a small child is unwell - or an animal - verbilisation is so so important...  Still all was well - We sent winter tires north with my cousin Guðný's husband Stebbi, so 24 hours later all were home and pretty well ok..  The dude still had a bit of a temp the next day - but I think all is well now (bad aunt.... haven't checked in on them for a day or so... not good - and they practically live next door.... )

 the dog .... what can I say.... since mum's accident she only gets walks when I feel like it - or she complains for long enough....  she usually wins.... but like the spoilt brat that she is the walks I am willing to give are often not the walks that she thinks she really really needs.


 Yep, we had a storm... a big storm.... lasted two days (I love the fact that I have the weather to blame for not wanting to go outdoors....)  But like most storms - it blew over and by Sunday the weather was beautiful...  The storm left me a little decoration that hung from the light outside the house....

 The dog loves the winter, loves the snow and would prefer to walk and walk and walk... usually with the wind in her back.... which makes for a problem when we need to turn around and go home....

 All around town you see small hillocks of snow... we need to have the roads cleared but they need to put the snow somewhere.  Sometimes it works out well as it creates small hills for kids to sled down.... a paradise for the young or the young at heart - I really need to go and buy a sled for me to use!

So nice, so peaceful and so perfect.   The aftermath of a storm.  (thoughts are with those on the East coast of the USA, hope they are also appreciating the peace after the storm and that life gets back to how it was - or even better!)

Have to say that I am quite happy with the election result in the US.  Wish that we had an easy decision here, the current govt has left me totally disillusioned with what is supposed to be the left, the other option - is NOT an option.  Woe is me.