We returned from Iceland to a clean house and happy pets. All thanks to our 'Trusted Housesitter' Ruth. We may even give that another go next year.
Once the washing was done I set off for a few days in Bonn. Along with a plane full of MCFC fans. Mostly drunk. On an 8.05am flight. I think I was the only person who ordered a cup of tea on the flight. Returning from Germany was the best return-home ever. I had missed everything so much (probably mainly due to the fact I was travelling alone and staying in what can only be described as cheap student digs - and I had a pot noodle in my room every night). So returning home to Spring in February. The birds seem very busy. Every day we see several buzzards and Red Kite. And at night the Tawny Owls haunt the dark skies (which sounds like the first line of a ghost story). Of course the bliss has to be marred. By the neighbours. This time they chose to deliver a message by snail mail. Tracked and Signed For. I won't go into the detail. It's taken me three days to calm down. But I do intend writing back at some point - asking them to please maintain their hedges and trees as they are causing distress (distress = tons of bloody leaves and overhanging hedge branches). Back to the better side of life... Our nice neighbour, Rick (from down the hill) decided that this weekend, just gone, we would take the solar water heater panel from our roof. Of course this put the fear of Dog into me. Our roof is high. But Rick had it in hand. He built the scaffold. Climbed it. Threw up the roof ladder. Shimmied around on the tiles. Passed down the huge glass tubes. Then the frame. Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt. Done. He even took a little detour over the ridge tiles to remove the TV aerial which was hanging by a thread. We owe him. Again. And finally... We're getting more hens. Thanks to Helen (living over the brush with Rick). I offered to keep some hens for her if I could borrow her old coop (made from a small trailer). The coop has been given a spruce up and some extra weather-proofing (necessary up here...the wind and rain can be harsh) and its now ready for some new guests. So our three girls (Dolly, Nanan and Gladys) could soon find their flock more than doubling in size. And..I might just get a cockerel. A bloody big noisy one. Today's photo... Rick (living over the brush with Helen) enlisted the help of his young son to climb the scaffold. Photo in order of most shit-scared... Me - taking the shot (a long way from the action) Stu - not allowed to climb (by order of Me) Rick's son - halfway up Rick - right up there (thankfully attached to a rope which was in turn attached to my car behind the house).
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After a frustrating and pretty much fruitless night of aurora chasing on Thursday night we tried again tonight.
Following a route we took during the day. The temperature had dropped to -8 with a wind chill of instant frost bite. Challenging conditions for us, the tripod and the camera. First stop - an arc of green over a frozen lake. Not spectacular (by Norway standards anyway) - but still showing signs of pinks. Not too shabby. Then we stopped near the sleeve chewing horses. Couldn't see them in the dark so I set up to grab a couple more shots. Christ on a bike - they can creep up on you! I nearly had a bloody coronary and knocked over the tripod when I turned round to see a large shape behind Stu. The leader of the pack had spotted us and come over to say hi. The rest were close behind. We didn't stay long as we were worried about them slipping on the sheet ice that had formed on the road. So we set off for some scenic foregrounds. Best laid plans and all that... Another few km on and the skies were dancing. We quickly pulled over, camera out, focussed on a handy tree and start snapping. Beautiful display that lasted around 15 minutes. The result is below (I have to say that that display would have looked just as nice shot over our cabin...) It's Friday and time for me to recap what we have been up to (it took us a while to remember tbh)...
Not quite as planned... Yesterday the plan was to drive to the glacier lagoon, stay until nightfall and get some photos of the aurora over the icebergs. Even if that meant staying past midnight. I don't think we're really cut out for 'proper' aurora chasing. We got bored very quickly. Around 8pm we decided to sack it and start the four hour return drive. After half an hour or so of driving the bloody sky went green. But: on the drive back we did have to slow right down for a tiny little white arctic fox who was crossing the road. That has made our holiday so far. Avoiding the crowds in the busiest area of Iceland... Today I was determined to say hi to some horses. It's a tradition. So we set off in search of less-travelled roads. Our route took us up to Gulfoss up into some beautiful snowy landscapes. We did stop. Briefly. A few clicks of the camera and back in the car. Straight past Geysir (it was absolutely heaving there) and back down a quieter road. There are horses everywhere in Iceland, though generally they are inaccessible, there is nowhere to pull over nearby or they are surrounded by bus loads of holidaymakers. We finally found some in a quiet residential area (massive farming area with around six houses in total). After a little encouragement they came over to say hello. Their coats are so thick this time of year - they're like cuddly toys (who nibble your jacket). A few bends later we came across a huge frozen lake and around 20 horses free roaming. And no (other) tourists to be seen. After half an hour of freezing cold, biting wind and having my sleeve chewed I finally decided it was time to head back to the cabin for a brew. Plus Stu looked a little bored in the car. Great end to our day. And we scouted out some potentially quiet aurora viewing spots for the next few nights. Today's pics:
It's so good to be back in Iceland. I don't think I will ever lose that tummy-flip feeling when we're coming into land, turning right into Reykjanes peninsula with views of the glaciers. Just stunning.
This year we've decided to stay on the South coast - not too far from Selfoss (decent sized town with supermarket, banks and a cafe). The plan is to get ourselves over to the glacier lagoon, Jökulsárlón, sometime in the week. Its a decent drive from where we're staying (decent means bloody miles). But that place never disappoints. We'll be packing enough supplies (and blankets) to stay into the wee small hours if there is even a remote chance of catching some green while we're there. I am determined to capture a shot of the icebergs and the aurora one day. Today's little adventure With the promise of a storm and road closures all along Road 1 in the South, to the east of our cabin, we had already decided not to take any risks today. We planned to drive inland a little, take a left turn and head back down towards the coast taking in some of the small historic towns en-route. The storm was predicted to peak around 3pm - so we set off around 10am, aiming to be back for lunch. I think fate does play a hand at times. And after the minor 'sliding off the road' hiccup we had on our last trip I thank the green gods we took that route today - at that time. As we got to within spitting distance of the left turn we spotted a car parked up, facing towards us. We could see at least three people - one waving frantically. I pulled over about 100m away. And we walked the rest of the way to check they were ok. They were fine. However their car was well and truly stuck in snow. And it was absolutely freezing. And the wind chill factor was freezer x 10. So after a little convincing they left the car there and we gave all four of them a lift back (really felt for the chap who had to squeeze in the boot) to the nearest petrol station / roadside cafe. Where they could at least stay warm while they tried to sort out a tow. So:
Their car was only the second we had seen on the road (the first had pulled in to check on his horses several miles back). Hopefully they got their car back before the storm settled and made it safely back to their lodge. There'll be no trips out tonight. The wind is strong enough to blow you off your feet. And if the aurora does make an appearance (not looking likely) - we'll be watching through the window. As I didn't get chance to take any photos today - here's one from last night... |
DebbieMe, my life, my family and my travels Archives
November 2022
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