This is Iceland, some say it looks like some sort of a beast.
And I live almost on the top of the head of the beast.
In Bolungarvik, on a farm just outside the town.
Here is the town and opposite it you can just about see few houses, that's our farm.
So, if you look at the map on top you can see that when I drive to the city I can choose two directions to get to the main (circle) road, lots of high lands and very bad dirt roads on the Southern part of the Westfjords or drive in and out, in and out............. all the fjords on the Northern road. Which is the road we usually choose.
Why am I telling you this, well my mother fell and broke her arm. At first she didn't want me coming, but then she changed her mind a few days later and I got the royal summons. Up in my car I went and drove to the city in a bit of a hurry, I needed to get there before the weather turned bad. I ended up staying for a week as the weather was not cooperating when I meant to drive back home.
My mother is doing well and I used the opportunity to bring her the quilt I made for her 75 birthday. she likes it very much.
The back is the rest of a flannel duvet cover (double size) that I bought at a sale years ago and have been saving for "that" special quilt. Makes for a warm and cuddly throw.
While staying in the city I bought all the Christmas presents, I was so last minute last year and don't want that to happen EVER again. Then I did some hemming for my mother on her old Bernina.
This machine is 50 years old and had been deemed beyond repair (from much use) some 15 - 20 years ago. Two years ago I told my mother about the repair man I use (in the city) who had told me he (with no charge) looked at machines and gave people estimates of repair cost and if it would be wise to repair them.
So off my mother went and left her beloved machine with the man who later phoned and said the machine sure had some wear and tear, but that it had some year still to go. My mother got it back with little cost and I could hear the smile in her voice when she phoned to tell me she was sewing on her old friend again.
When I drove back home the weather was just beautiful and as I was unusually early on my way I decided to stop in Borgarfjordur (not one of the Westfjords) and have a look at the waterfall Glanni that I've wanted to see for years. I drove of the main road and parked at an empty parking lot and walked this nice path.
The land around me was beautiful moss grown lava, my favorite which I truly miss since moving to the Westfjords, they are the oldest part of Iceland and there is no lava there.
Moss and birch, beautiful any time of the year. Although I personally love it most when it's misting in the early summer.
Then I got to the place where you can view the waterfall.
Huh, I have to admit it was a bit of a let down, it's so small. But still quite pretty.
On my way back to the car I had this beautiful view of Baula, one of Borgarfjordur most famous mountains.
Luckily I had my "mittens" with me because it was rather cold, but the walk did me good and was worth it.
Here I am approaching another fjord, Gilsfjordur has a bridge over it near the opening of it and a BIG thanks for that.
Later when I was driving towards the highlands you have to cross to get to the fun in/out, in/out............ fjords it felt like I was driving into the sunset. Notice the hard packed snow on the road, there was much more than this on the high land road when I drove to the city.
So I was pleasantly surprised when I came up on the top of the road.
Here the sun had worked it's magic.
But as you can see it was cold up there. Ignore the dirt please but notice the time, it was getting dark and it's almost one and a half month until winter solstice.
This old hut was used by travelers of the old days as a resting place and shelter from bad weathers. The side walls are made of rocks, the front, back and roof of wood. On top of the roof is turf for warmth. This is how houses were made in Iceland and as there was so little of wood most roofs had only wood beams and then layers of turf. These houses didn't last very long so they were rebuilt over and over again. I don't know who takes care of this hut but it is in good repair, apart from broken windows. Some people just can't leave things be.
Okay, I'm down from the highlands before it's totally dark, which was what I'd hoped for, in this photo I was looking towards the bottom of Isafjordur (not the town which is in Skutulsfjordur) and this is the last photo I managed to take. It got to dark for my camera, but the weather was beautiful and my drive through all the fjords was magical, I saw a star crash as we call it and when it exploded there was one big red spark and one big green and then many yellow. Just WOW. And the Northern Lights. Sadly, not matter how I tried I could not get my camera to focus on them. I really need to learn to use it.
Update, sorry, but you can't click on the charts and the photo of Bolungarvik I uploaded from the net to make them bigger.
Sunna.
