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......