12.26.09

Can’t keep up!

Posted in News at 21:19 by nikki

First of all, thank you all for your lovely condolences as well as your greetings for Christmas. We didn’t send many cards this year at all and I still haven’t figured out it’s Christmas really. There is no snow and it’s just been a bit “unreal” for me for some reason. We did try to send an email card to those we know and hopefully if I forgot anyone you got the greeting here. Still wishing everyone a great holiday!

Wow, it seems there is so much going on on chat lists lately that I feel like I’d like to send my 2 cents worth but I just can’t find the time to write emails or posts. I used to spend almost all my time answering letters and posts on chat lists and took time from other letter writing, or other things that desperately needed to be done around the house or with my dogs. I hardly got any feedback (although I was always greatful to the few souls who sent me privately thank you notes) or got my words twisted and heard rumours of things I’d said or written and decided that my time was better spent keeping my foot out of my mouth. Hehe

Maybe I should just let sleeping dogs lie and allow people to discuss things between themselves, my opinions  can get me in trouble sometimes. Hehe. 

Not much new, we had a very relaxing Christmas alone at home with the dogs. I took a bunch of photos of our Xmas but it seems the order is not going to come out right, it’s right in the file but when it gets put together in the album they get all mixed up. Oh well, can’t fix it so whatever, but you can see a photo of the pond in Hafnarfjördur where we walked downtown on the 22nd with Birta and Klói, it was beautiful, cold with very loud Christmas music and booths selling all kinds of stuff as well as Christmas trees decorated and fires going with a nice smell of Christmas. I unfortunately didn’t get any photos of the Christmas village itself because I had Klói and it was a bit too dark so the photos I got of Rúnar with both outside the village didn’t turn out.

More photos you can see are on Christmas eve. Klói very interested in the presents that we brought out to the couch to open, then they wanted to see what Rúnar got in one package. Klói with a toy on the couch but so much more interested in the toy that Skella had because that was the toy he “picked out” at the outside market in Hafnarfjördur that we went to the other day. He and Birta came with us and so he knew about that toy and has been waiting for it since. He got to play with it later in the evening and he had a ball jumping all over the bed with it throwing it up in the air and then chewing on it a bit. He can be such a goof ball and so cute you just want to hug him silly sometimes!

Besides us going to the Christmas village we also went into Reykjavík almost all day on the 23rd. Driving gifts to family, so we had a nice visit with Rúnar’s grandparents with Frigg and Hófi. We went to David’s and stopped for a short chat,  Rúnar’s mother’s and Rúnar’s sister’s but the dogs stayed in the car, we decided to take them into the garden store for a bit of a peek at all the stuff in there. They thought that was strange to be able to come into a store and we bought a stuffed Scrooge there for them as one of the toys they got for Christmas together. We got a new bed for Frigg and Hófi’s cage…a few days earlier, think I already mentioned that but maybe just on Facebook. I’m getting to be such a scatter brain never remember if I mention things here, on the phone or on Facebook. :-Þ  Anyway, it was on one of our dogless trips to Reykjavík for Xmas shopping and we stopped at Beggi’s uncle and aunt’s pet store, always love to see them, they are wonderful. Their store was closed but they were filling shelves and stuff and let us in so we didn’t have to go to the mall and try to find a parking spot. We were pretty much in Reykjavík every day for a week it feels like, luckily not too much ice or snow on the mountain (don’t know what it’s like today but I believe there is a bit now). In any case I’m really tired from all the driving or should I say from sitting in the “backseat driver’s seat”. 

Rúnar is at his Mom’s house in Reykjavík tonight for some Xmas dinner probably traditional Icelandic dishes. I don’t eat the smoked or salted lamb anymore…had chest pains from it quite a few years ago (we used to eat it every year) and haven’t had the longing to try it again since. Many people end up in hospital each year because of that tradition of “hangikjöt” (smoked lamb) although it is quite good it’s obviously not good for everyone.  I am alone with the dogs eating homemade turkey (leftovers of course) soup with garlic because I’ve eaten way too much sugar lately and woke up this morning with a sore throat and have been starting to cough a little, it’s is SO COLD outside it’s ridiculous. Must be that and also from hugging all the relatives and being in the stores. I haven’t been sick this year yet…knock on wood and I know many have already had the flu or have gone for the vaccination (which I will NOT do) and no doubt in such a populated place like Reykjavík many that are sick but don’t know it yet. Gotta fight off any bacteria before it gets a hold on me so lots of honey, garlic and cinnamon.   I thought the dogs have been alone at home so much lately and I’m thinking it’s not so good for Skella and Hófi being pregnant and being alone too much too long at a time because both of them get stressed alone especially Skella, she HATES being alone at home and doesn’t seem to be able to relax until we come home. The trips into Reykjavík take so many hours because of the drive so even though we don’t intend to stay away too long it always ends up being at least 4-5 hours when we hurry! I wanted to stay home with them a bit and decided to use a bit of the time writing an update because it’s been awhile.

I gave in and was going to be a good housewife and baked one type of cookies for Rúnar that I used to make all the time. Chocolate crinkles one of my favourites from the old days when I didn’t eat gluten free. It was hard work and the recipe made way too much (I’d forgotten how much it made) and needless to say he’s been too busy chomping on chocolates and too much food to want any of my cookies and I can’t eat them or pawn them off on anyone else. Oh well, I guess I’m not going to be baking next year.

Our stupid dishwasher decided it was going to give up for good on Christmas eve! I tell you it’s a good thing there is just the two of us here using dishes or that would really suck big time. I did get used to using it I can’t lie but at least we don’t have an army to clean for. Rúnar spent most of Christmas day trying to fix it and ended up having to declare it unfixable, it’s over 19 years old so can’t say it didn’t have a good run just not at our house. Hehe

I hope everyone had a good Christmas with friends and family, we still have a dinner with his grandparents left to go to tomorrow and we’re probably going to be a bit busy in Reykjavík too for a few more days during the holidays. Huh! It’s strange to not see Rúnar’s father at Xmas and Rúnar hasn’t been able to catch him on Skype either. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to talk to most my family on MSN.

Rúnar was his usual awesome self and his Christmas gift to me like every year was to totally do all the work of cooking, cleaning, decorating and I got to sit and relax and watch movies or be online. I wasn’t allowed to be in “his” kitchen while he was making the feast of turkey with stuffing and all the trimmings. He even insisted I watch TV while he did the dishes on his own. I just love him to bits…he knows exactly how to make my Christmas perfect!

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