Latibær

The past week here has been quite cold for October (yes, even by Icelandic standards, I'm told) which has meant snow in the morning, slippery streets, and hats and coats making an early appearance.

It also means that the weather is generally clearer, so we have been able to appreciate one of the joys of living near the Arctic Circle- the Northern Lights. I thought I'd seen good ones before but nothing has quite compared to the recent shows. I know the people who live here are somewhat accustomed to it but I am still not used to the sky glowing luminous ghost-green. The sheets of color leap upwards, disappear, then reappear to loop back on themselves, and with our expansive north-westerly view, we are able to see the whole show perfectly. It stretches the full expanse of our windows, and we have set up our bedroom so we don't even have to get out of bed to see it.

This is the ultimate in laziness, to have the explosion of eerie beauty there above the dark sea, and be able to experience it in the dark, secure comfort of our own bed. Ensconced in a feather duvet, it's a great place to be.

Ship report: Stefnir is out of the shipyard at work again on the seas, and Guðmundur has arrived. This ship looks to be the biggest one yet, although this is an informal assessment since I have not yet figured out which numbers are the length on Skipaskrá. Otherwise the docks seem quiet, although I have seen plenty of ships on the horizon at all times of day. I think I actually saw the Danish coast guard ship as it was leaving, and then fishing boats in the early morning or evening, when it is dark. I am getting quite good at identifying the configuration of lights on a fishing boat now.