09 August 2006

blogging backlog

I have been doing so many interesting things lately that I am finding it impossible to write about everything before the next fun thing happens. I did some great things over the weekend which got in the way of the final segment of the Belle & Sebastian pilgrimage, for example.

Not to mention that there have been some splendid days here, and all I want to do is be outside enjoying them. Yesterday evening I went for a walk by the sea in the glorious golden sunshine, and ended up in a new area of town that I'd never explored. The path went along the ocean on the southern side of the Reykjavík peninsula, passing some forgotten fish-drying racks (still containing a few samples, their fish-mouths permanently dried in a gory primal fish-scream), and along to below the domestic airport. There was a youth soccer team practicing there, the orange of the jerseys glowing against the thick green grass.

To the right, before the waves began, the wild angelica bloomed full, mixing wafts of licorice spice with the sea flavors. Further down the path there was a riot of rosebushes, the good kind that smell impossibly delicious.

I passed several others, couples on a leisurely bicycle tour, friends deep in discussion over their evening walk, and sporty rollerbladers. An evening like this is irresistable. Everyone was out, even if just to pull a few weeds in the garden or trim the hedges.

Past the airport is another section of postcode 101, a strange amalgamation of 70's architecture that looks like I'd imagine a California suburb would contain, some lovely classic old houses, and a few modern expressions of architecture that included details like a three-story "stone"-trimmed watchtower, another with seven-foot stained glass human profiles flanking the front door, and several grass-topped houses. Everyone's always saying how tiny this town is but I am still finding all kinds of new unexplored corners. Long may it continue.

Ship sighting: On my way back from the walk I watched the progress of a midsized fishing boat heading in. Today we also have the Vistamar arriving. I'm a little worried about its seafaring abilities after finding this picture of it though.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been waiting in excitment to see new blogs from you and voila! You just walked through the area where I grew up. The old fish racks!
When I was very young, there was an old lady with chickens and ducks farming them out of one of these huts. There was a tiny entrance on one of them where the chicks and ducks would go in and out, and I remember myself kneeling down trying to take a peak into their domain. I was always so curious to see what their home loooked like from the inside. The old lady who owned the chicks and the ducks was Guðrún Gæsamamma and I remember one of the ducks names was Prestur (The Priest) because he had a white collar around his neck.
There were still fishermen sailing out of there very early mornings every day of the week except Sundays, and they'd return late morning early afternoon with Grásleppa and Rauðmagi. The Seagulls would be flying low overhead in the hopes to catch a bite or two. The screaching sounds from the Seagulls or Mávar would be filling the skys, along with the chatter and laughter from the fishermen.
The men always looked happy, yet weathered in their faces as every time they returned they'd have a grand old welcoming commity with all the children in the neighbourhood.
My best friend lived next door to one of the fishermen and we always thought he was this mysterious guy. He looked weathered yet always happy, and we'd wonder about the sights he'd see when out at sea. How did the land look from the other side, off the enormous ocean, would they ever go out so far, that they'd loose sight of the land, how would they then find their way back?

Up the street from the fish racks there used to be a little old fish shop where we'd get the catch of the day and I loved plokkfiskur, fiskibollur, kinnar og gellur and all the other fishes for lunch. The owner of the fish shop, was Marius which is a name related to the sea. Mar=Sea

Those were such fun days, it was as late as during bell bottoms and gúmmískór.

This once was my neighbouhood for many many years

Love those blogs :D

E, on another note, little old dell died, the one you so generously gave me. Chipped out for a new one and now we're wireless :D I'll never forget the night when you tucked those lappies in a box, it was the heaviest snow in Beantown for years. You were concerned I wouldn't be able to carry them home because of the snow. I managed and they did a fantastic job for a good time. I also remember the nice laptop you had replaced those old ones with, and you showed me how you could pirate a connection from one of your neighbours. You left your :D mark on me. Very vivid memories!

carmen said...

The first sentence of your post is one of the most exciting things I've read in a while! I don't know which to root for---the interesting things to stop so we can blogcariously live them, or for ever more interesting things to keep happening!
Signed,
Torn Between Curiosity and Inspiration

ECS said...

wow, Sirrý.. I had no idea I'd hit such a chord with you by writing this little post. I actually took some photos of the fish racks and the view from along there. If they come out ok I'll post them to Flickr for you.

It's funny you should mention gúmmískór! My friend was just telling me that I HAD to have a pair because it's an essential here in Iceland. They'll be coming soon for sure.

As for the computer, I didn't actually GIVE them since if you recall, you did pay for them. Still, I'm glad it still had so many months of service left in it. I'm not sure what to say about the "lesson" in pirating I gave you though...

Carmen- I intend to continue with both, although I have a lot of writing to do before this next weekend, which is gay pride here. All the stores are putting out their most fabulous window displays already, so it looks like it's going to be a colorful weekend! At least the photos keep coming even when I don't manage to write, so check Flickr if you want the sneak preview.