Hazel Ósk

Just home from the hospital

Our daughter, Hazel Ósk, was born on 28th August. She is now a little more than 5 weeks old and is doing fine. We are learning how to look after and what her different squeaks and calls mean. We are very thankful that she is a calm, generally happy baby and sleeps well at night. We were both really delighted by the great support we had in the hospital and that we were lucky enough to have two midwives from Neskaupstaður helping us through the birth.

I am amazed how the details of her birth have faded and gone fuzzy already. I do recall though that the birth took longer than I expected and I was very tired since I was too excited to sleep when the contractions started during the night .. but all of us were fine afterwards. I was so glad Óli could stay with me and help with lots of support and affection. I am now amazed that our time is taken up with a small selection of little tasks which rapidly fill the day. However, we have been venturing out more and more and have been for several walks and taken Hazel with us to the music sessions, a lecture, a meditation class, Kólaportið and the library. Tonight we all head out to a concert in the Kópavogur Irish Festival.

Just before going for her first "walk", a few weeks old

I am delighted that we can get around outside now (with some planning) since today we are celebrating the first decent snowfall. Autumn lasted a week or so with beautiful golden and red leaves but now I´d say winter is here. Esja has been white for days and now Kópavogur is too. Tree and snow pictures coming once I next get a chance to come back to the internet!

One month to go

After a month of scorching sun the heavens have finally broken and I am actually pleased to feel rain in the air. At least for a little while.

News here is dominated by bank scandals and it fills my thoughts too often, leaving me feeling a great sense of indignation. There is little a foreigner with no voting rights can do, however. Although I think the economic future of Iceland will be distinctly gloomy for Iceland and for Icelanders (and those of us non-Icelanders who live here) for the foreseeable future I do think that these crises and bad times have brought a friendlier, more open attitude to the community. I hope things improve and that this togetherness feeling remains. I can´t comment much on the news since I don´t know much about economics or politics, other than to suggest that those of you who are not Icelandic speakers should keep your eyes on the Iceland Weather Report as a good source of updates, rather than on Iceland Review or IceNews which seem to me to be mainly aimed at keeping Iceland looking attractive as a tourist destination - which of course it is, and you get more for your foreign currency these days too.

My folks were just visiting and my Dad commented on how many Icelanders he had met this time and how many people spoke to him in Icelandic and were happy to let him try out his Icelandic. Perhaps the ratio of Icelanders to tourists is higher than usual, even though some say that there are more tourists here. Certainly, more locals are taking their holidays here instead of abroad. I´d say that the weather has improved everyone´s mood and perhaps folk are realising the attraction of the Icelandic nature which they have not appreciated for some time in their search for southern sun, beaches and cheap beer.

This summer we have enjoyed a camping trip to Strandir, blueberry picking already (all this sun has ripened the blueberries and crowberries far more than usual,... I´d say that they will be just perfect here in the south west in about 2 weeks, some 2-4 weeks ahead of usual) and barbecues on our balcony. I´ve also been to yoga classes with other women with bumps and taken a tour of the hospital with Óli.

So, this week is week 36 and there is perhaps only 1 month or so to go. Perhaps less, perhaps more. I´ve been washing baby clothes we have been kindly given and the cutest little knitted jumpers and booties my Mum arrived with in her suitcase. We are almost ready. Still no idea of a name, particularly for a girl but I suppose something will come to us. As an international family I had no idea how complex it would be to pick name(s) and to work out what might be best. For a start I feel I have to rule out all the Icelandic names that I can´t pronounce to the satisfaction of Icelandic ears, which doesn´t leave such a big choice!

Lulls in the reporting of the economic crisis and related scandals have been filled with speculation about the next eruptions of Katla and Hekla. Relatively small earthquakes around Eyjafjallajökull and in the Katla caldera have reminded folk of the linkages between the two volcanoes and that intrusions in Eyjfjallajökull might result in an eruption in Katla, its larger and more flamboyant neighbour. So far all is quiet. People are on semi-alert for the next eruption of Hekla and hikers have been asked not to venture onto the ridge. If you are thinking of going hiking of Hekla please don´t: the warning time of 30 minutes in the year 2000 was insufficient to allow people to make the 4 hour trek from summit to car and then to safety. Perhaps it was lucky that the last eruption was in bad weather in February, rather than on a glorious sunny summer day.

So far, no eruptions.. but maybe we should be considering Hekla or Katla as baby names. Not the nicest of characters.. Hekla has reminiscences of Hell and Katla was a bad tempered witch with a tendency to murder. Good strong names for a child nobody will mess with at school?

The other bump

The bump somewhere around 26 weeks.. am now 28 weeks. Just before falling asleep she kicked so hard she gave both Ó and I a fright! Hehe. So, all well.

Things that go bump in the night!

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!

Or not..

Reykjanes earthquakes. Image from www.mbl.is, originally from www.vedur.is.

Reykjanes and the Reykjavík area got a good shaking this weekend. Our visitor, K, and I were just having a quite little natter and then this weird thundery feeling passed through the living room from one corner to the other .. and then again .. twice we were shaken and it was all very exciting. Óli, practising the fiddle in the other room and stomping around completely missed it! A day later we were all having a wee natter, a nice cup of tea and a sit down when we were treated to more of the same, though not travelling across the room this time. There is clearly something wrong with me because my instinct was to get all excited, check out www.vedur.is and see how big it had been and where the epicentre was, and think about whether it might mean an eruption could be on its way .. and Óli much more sensibly stood up and headed to the door.

So, of course, since then we´ve been waking in the night imaging rumblings and shudderings and saying "was that another earthquake?" and convincing ourselves that there were a bunch more of them during the few hours of darkness. Mostly though they must have been in our imagination - all wishful thinking.

So, it turns out there were a series of earthquakes near Grindavík, near The Blue Lagoon, ranging from very small up to 4.7 on the Richter Scale. They moved north-eastwards a bit with time and have now mostly died out. Curiously the first biggish one that we felt came a year to the day after the 6.2 South Iceland earthquake of May 2008 and on the day of an earthquake workshop held at the University. I imagine they had a great big Hammer-of-Eden-esque earthquake generator with them .. all the better for ensuring another year of research funding! Only joking dear colleagues. But, funny coincidence.

Nobody was killed, nobody was hurt, no buildings were damaged. So all okay. I imagine it was quite scary being in Grindavík where more of the earthquakes must have been felt and a power cut accompanied the largest event.

Along with shudders and shakes I am being kept awake by the dancing bump creature .. things that go bump in the night! Hurrumph. At least, this probably means all is well with baby-to-be.

Thankfully, there have been no sightings of ghoulies, ghosties or long-leggedy beasties.

And in other news...

We´re going to have a baby.. at the end of August/start of September. We are both very happy about this news and can´t really imagine how much our lives are going to change but are hopeful that it will all be for the good. All is going well so far.

I feel quite far from friends and family in Scotland and farther afield but Óli and his family are looking after me well and being so lovely. I look forward to seeing folk in the UK in just a little over a month.

Cakes and soup until you burst - you have to, it's a tradition

Dry ice and tropical birthday punch

Óli reached a big age this year .. 30.. he calls it a typo but I think it is true., Usually I forget that he is younger than me. I think it is because he is so much taller than I .. taller equals older. Grandad reached a little more than 3 times Óli's age also recently. He is also taller than me, though not three times taller. This reasoning linking height and age doesn't really work that well since most people, particularly in Iceland, are taller than me. My sub-conscious refuses this logic, however. I suppose I just don't want to grow up.

Anyway, they both celebrated with plentiful food I gather and were quite happy. Chocolate cake, berry shortcake, numerous puff pastry inventions, chicken, so much dry ice that the punch froze solid! I have decided that berry shortcake is the best cake ever since I tried my never-fail-fruit-cake last weekend and it, erm, failed .. well, I failed .. I forgot half the flour. I also tried a new chocolate and fruit cake recipe that was simply horrible. So berry shortcake was the first of 3 cakes that actually worked. It crumbled a bit and ended up in a dish but it still tasted good, even if I so say so myself. With my recent track record I don't care so much about whether it could hold it's own shape.

Berry shortcake

For the cake:
125/4oz butter
125g/4oz sugar
2 eggs
125g/4oz self-raising flour (no such thing in Iceland so: 125g plain flour, 1/3 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, found next to the spices in the shops and not next to the baking things)

Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Or until arms ache too much or you get a headache from the electric whisk buzzing. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Fold in flour. Divide mixture between two 8 inch cake tins (will look like very little). Bake for 25 minutes at 180°C. Leave to cool completely before turning out, the recipe says, but this just meant that my shortcakes stuck to the non-stick cake tins and ended up as crumbled layers in a trifle bowl.

For the filling:
450g defrosted mixed berries (this is winter, I´m sure fresh berries macerated with sugar as original recipe suggests would be yummy too but finding blueberries and strawberries in Iceland in the winter that have flavour and aren´t mouldy is impossible and anyway I like the juiciness of frozen berries)
100-250 ml cream
icing sugar for dusting

Place one layer of shortcake on plate (or bowl if it fell apart). Cover with berries and then cream. Top with second shortcake layer. Dust with icing sugar. Leave to soak up some of the berry juice.

Adapted from Tom Norrington-Davies´ Strawberry Shortcake in his wonderful recipe book "Just like Mother used to make". Actually, most of these she didn´t - I don´t remember such British fare at home much really but that doesn´t matter .. I have some of Mum´s tasty recipes and this, my favourite recipe book, fills in any British childhood nostalgia gaps. I can almost see my continental friends shivering at my adoration of British cuisine. Ha!

To top of this past week of cakes and yummy food (and general disregarding of the kreppa), there was both Bolludagur and Sprengidagur. Unlike the UK which just has one feasting day (Pancake Day .. yum), Iceland makes up for the darkness and winteriness with two feasts until by Ash Wednesday you are clutching your stomach and actually looking forward to the strictures of Lent.

Bolludagur (Bun day) is a day of profiteroles .. giant profiteroles filled with cream and custard . and you can eat as many as you can manage. We started on Sunday, the day before Bolludagur just to make sure we could eat more than one or two. Óli's Mum invited us with his grandmother and great uncle to eat the lovely bollur she made .. I think I had four and she kept trying to make me eat more!

Vatnsdeigsbolla, image taken from here

Sprengidagur (or bursting day.. you eat until you burst) comes next .. on Shrove Tuesday .. with a soup made from split yellow peas, salted lamb, swedes, potatoes and carrots. It is so very tasty but half a bowl is enough to make you burst .. Óli disagrees . but then he did almost burst.. haha.

Saltkjót og baunir, image from here.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all. Actually.. Happy Hallowe´en, Happy Yule, Happy Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Burns´Night etc.. It has been some time since I wrote here.

Much has gone on here in the last 6 months or so.. for us.. work and exciting new projects, trips to Geneva and to Paris, a ceilidh, a Burns Supper, a couple of friends have had babies, almost the entire family descended on Reykjavík for Christmas and New Year (we missed Sigga, Barbara, Jane and Grandad though)... and for Iceland so much has happened .. bank crises, employment crises, protests (very non-Icelandic but folk are gradually getting the hang of it), soaring debt for the country and individuals with terrifying mortgages and loans (either in foreign currency or in kronur but with the capital linked to inflation), and most recently a fall of one government and the rise (hopefully) of another with quite different ideas (hopefully) and an election I can´t vote in (but hopefully many more people than normal will vote) in just a few months. Anyway, I will not comment much on the politics / crisis since really I have no expertise in economics or politics and we are both lucky to still be in jobs and have no terrifying loans .. however, if you want to read more about these things, and the changes happening in Iceland, in English with intelligent discussion have a look at Alda´s wonderful Iceland Weather Report.

After a delightfully blunt reminder by Christmas card I have decided to make time again for some Letters from Iceland. I think that this is no longer a little adventure north that became a bit longer but more like tales from my second home. I still dream of heading back to Scotland (as snow covers everything here I am thinking of snowdrops in the garden at home, though I hear there has been plenty snow to go around back home too) or moving to another country again but, I think, at least while we still have our jobs, we´ll be here .. a bit longer anyway. Lets hope that kreppa (depression / recession) means that it is cheaper for you all to visit - and realise that despite what you may read on foreign news websites protests and "riots" in Iceland could pass for "carnivals" in other countries so there is absolutely no threat to tourists; no offense meant to the protesters of course, I think they´re doing a great job!