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.

We learn geology the morning after the earthquake. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Conduct of Life, 1860

So the earth has been rumbling a bit in the last few days... as can be seen on the map above.  The action is all in the fjord to the east of Skagafjörður... For those not with the "knowledge" of Iceland the fjord is Eyjafjörður and the town that has been most aware of the earths movements is Siglufjörður - where the northernmost black triangle is to the left on the map (on land) The big green star means that the quake was over 3 on the richter scale... the other dots signify quakes less than three, the colours signify the time since the quake occurred red 0 to 4 hours ago, orange 4 to 12, yellow 12 to 24 and blue 24 to 36,  So as you can see there has been a bit of action here in the last few days.  All this information is available on the website vedur.is and like most things of good value in Iceland is also available in english.

As I have no idea (or rather can't be bothered to learn) the not so nice looking link is this one
http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/tjornes-large/  This is a slightly larger map of the area shown above and also includes my fjord - the one on the left on the image that you open.

Also on the site tonight is this:

The earthquake swarm in northern Iceland continues. Since this morning (Oct. 24) the activity has been consistent on three main clusters aligning with the Husavik-Flatey Fault system. No signs of change in activity have been observed today but the activity will be closely monitored. Large earthquakes  can occure in this area but it is not possible to predict timing of such events.Written by a specialist at 24 Oct 16:50 GMT
Now scientists have to state categorically about such things as that it is not possible to predict the timing of such events.... probably because the Italians have decided to jail a few for stating that there wasn't going to be a problem....

Six Italian scientists and a government official have been sentenced to six years in prison over statements they made prior to a 2009 earthquake that killed 309 in the town of L'Aquila.

A year-long trial came to a close today (Oct. 22) with the verdict, which alarmed earth scientists worldwide.  http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=italian-scientists-get to read more.

So in our óvissu (uncertainty) stage I sign out and say farewell and adieu till the next time.... when I try and post nice pictures of the aurora.... 

Take care folks... and remember live life like there is no tomorrow, with the caveat that what you do today will always come back at you tomorrow or in another reality!  love all!  be good!

Man's heart away from nature becomes hard. ~Standing Bear

 Went for a bit of a walk yesterday with the dog, to check out the improvements in the township.  We have been putting grass along the main coastal road and tidying things up around the old town.

 A view of the grass that was put down last year with additional seeding.... seems to have grown quite a lot over the summer.

 It was an incredibly beautiful day yesterday - so clear and crisp... and by crisp I mean frosty and cold - no wind though - which made it wonderful walking weather.

 We've also been fixing up the walkways - putting down bitumen on the main walking / running routes around town.

 And fixing things up around the light industrial area.... This was all done this summer.

 The other project which is very dear to me is the "new" river.  The river after which the town was named was diverted decades ago, instead of flowing north and through the town to the sea it was diverted to the south and east and flows into a small lake.... the diversion took the form of a canal... or really rather a ditch!  Now we have re-planned it - put in curves and tight turns, which are apparently, features that fish love.

 At the moment it is still looking pretty rough and "sore"   We won't be putting down turf as it is too late in the season - instead they will sow seeds in the spring and hopefully by this time next year this will all be green and looking like a "natural" river again.

 The river flows past the new kindergarten.... and I am sure that this will be a mecca for kids in the future - in fact it has already started.

 A new island formed in the middle of a diversion waterway - for when there is more water in the river so it doesn't flood it's banks.  As I said the kids are already attracted.  Due to the frosts, portions of the river were already frozen - there is nothing like playing on frozen ice.  Yes I know, it can be dangerous, but letting kids play also teaches them all about caution.  These guys were being super careful.... but they asked me if I was willing to walk the dog across - you know - to test the ice..... I politely refused and told them to take care as I was not in the mood to go and fish them out!  They laughed and a few minutes later went on their bikes in search of a new adventure...

 This bit still really needs fixing - we will be placing a stone wall around the pipes to hide them a bit more - but apparently the fish like the pipes if they have a few rocks inside for them to swim up to and hide behind... Fish, funny creatures..

 This is one of the roses that I got for my Birthday - so nice - they are looking good - a week after the day.

 And these my friends are my wine bottles.... doubt they will last very long....

Another beautiful day today - but I forgot the camera.... went chasing sheep with Árni and his dad.  Was really nice to wake up early on a Sunday (did I actually say that???? - must be age).  Walk the dog, in a town that seemed totally deserted - except for the party at the New Zealanders - it was the end of slaughter season party last night and they partied till 10 this morning!  Then head up to the farm, a walk in the paddock - helping choose the lambs and sheep for slaughter and then come home - shower and walk the dog again - this time at the harbour - which has seen a lot of transformation in the last year - some good - some not so.

Mum is getting better - is thinking of moving home - she went and had a shower there today - think I will let her sleep another night here..... I'll let her decide.  Well now I think it's time to put the lamb in the oven.  Till next week!

Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age. ~Victor Hugo

 It's been a while since my last blog so be ready for a long one - with lots of photos, hopefully not too wordy.  Where to start - well berries ofcourse as they mean autumn, this year the berry picking was a tad hap hazzard so the freezer is not full of berries as it usually is.

 My lovely sister Unnur and her husband Thor came for an extended visit and with them came Isabelle and Kerry.... Kerry is Unnur's friend from teachers college - so basically I have know her forever and her daughter Isabelle I last saw when she was around 5.... time flies..

 Autumn also means the gathering of the sheep - the first gönger were on the weekend before the big snow storm.  Some sheep as still being found - alive - buried under 1 metre of snow - it's been 31 days since the snow storm.... the report is that there are around 4.000 sheep missing from this area alone - not good for sheep farmers that are already battling hard times.  Mum came to the round up and a sheep decided to deck her..... She broke a bone inside her knee and was first in hospital for a few days, while Thor fixed things here so that she could move in with me......  I am so grateful for the fact that big sis was here - she really made things so much easier for me!

 In other news I went with Árni as designated driver to feed some men that were building a road for ski-doos to use in winter..... three legs of lamb for 8 men - I think it was a little over catered - a good evening though.... Nice guys and quite entertaining.

 During the last month I also went to the Westman Islands to attend the bi-annual conference of harbour masters and harbour managers.  I am the forman of the committee that oversees the harbour here in the Krók, tis always fun.  I haven't been to the Westman Islands since I was 17 so it was great to visit this unique island group again.  This church gate sits the the memory of most Icelanders that remember the eruption in the Westman Islands in 1973.

 Another thing that the islands are well known for here in Iceland is the puffin colony.  Just google puffins and Gordon Ramsay.... it's a hoot.  Anywho, this is a photo of a baby puffin - it still doesn't have its colourful beak nor does it yet look as dignified as it's parents...  Apparently this takes two years.  The young puffins often get lost and go towards the lights of the town when they leave the nest so the towns folk gather them up and take them to isolated beaches where they let them go - to start their long journey in life.

 One night of the conference is devoted to eating and drinking - the local harbour is the host and provides the food, drink and entertainment - this was probably the best conference I have ever attended - the people of the Westman Islands are such such good hosts!  These are our hosts singing a local song that demands that people jump onto chairs during the chorus.

 We stayed in a guest house that belongs to a local politician... the story behind this arrangement is a long one - one of these days I may relate it here on the blog, but not today....

 This is the house - rather cute don't you think?

 This is the view from the front door!  Pretty special - the rock in the foreground also has it's own story - it's an elf stone....

 As I said Kerry and Isabelle came over with Unnur - so nice to have them here - missed them heaps when they left.

 My darling sister and her beautiful grandchild Henry - I so feel for her having to say goodbye to such a wonderful wonderful child....... still it means that she will visit more often - which I like (alot), I think that this visit was one of the best.

 As I said autumn is here and winter approaches with rapid speed, snow on the mountain, leaves falling off trees and the sun is setting sooner and rising later.

 Thor busied himself with concreting up holes in Olga and Ross' shed.

 Northern lights have been really really really impressive - not like my photography!

 Other things that have been happening in town - painting of old buildings - finally Bifröst is no longer orange but a semi art deco green and purple.  Mixed feelings in town over the colour choice made.... still anything is better than orange....

 My good friend Björg turned 60 in September and had a party to celebrate it on the 6th... We went to Hólar and had a wonderful time - great food - goose (smoked and grafið) followed by Puffin, yummy

 She is a member of the left green party - here's me with the foreman Bjarni Jóns and Úlfar.... all good in local politics here...

 Another meeting I had to attend was on the southern part of the west fjords at Reykhólarhrepp about water safety.  Twas actually unlike many meetings rather interesting and worth while attending.

 It's cancer month... so our church is lit with a pink floodlight... rather nice during this month of transition - the darkness is descending upon us.

 Thor and Árni chopped down the tree that was breaking the wall in Olga and Ross' shed..... good job and done rather quickly.

 Henry not happy - but wearing his new jumper that mum knitted - here you can see the thing that she needs to wear on her broken leg.  Having to sit all day in front of the tv means that there has been plenty of knitting done, jumpers, socks, mittens, you name it she has been at it.

 My birthday day.... yep 50..... will I cope - I think so... My wonderful cousin Sirrí came to the early coffee with the oldies - she and Herdís were heading south as they left the land on Sunday to visit the black forrest region of Germany.

 My brother Hilmar phoned - here I am promising that I will blog!

 My uncle Þóri and his sister my aunt Maja.

 Siggi, Þóri, Mum and Guja the eldest of the clan.

 Henry and his new jumper on his favourite new toy - mum's walking frame.

 On Saturday night I had a dinner party for the people that I remembered to invite...... pre dinner drinks a'la Árni - green for the folk that vote for the party that I represent... blue for those that are further to the right - orange for the people that would rather not get blotto...

 The room before the people came.... I think I did ok in the decorating

 My wonderful friend Guðný was master of ceremonies - here she is telling a whole heap of lies about what a wonderful person I am......  love her to bits!

 My cousin Herdís made not one but two cakes...... we are still eating cake number two - in the background a pavlova and an afmæliskringla.....

 Cake two which is still being eaten.....

 The stayers!

 oh, and here is me making  a speech - doesn't happen often and the 16 year old me is in the background watching..... who would have thought I would have made it this far.

 and the aftermath.... my kitchen on Sunday with the left overs and other crap!