Iceland - Day One

In November Stuart and I packed up our suitcase and headed to Reykjavik. We had previously visited Iceland in 2010 and this was the first time we have ever had a second holiday somewhere we had been before. But what can I say, Iceland has enchanted me. The first time we visited everywhere was covered in a romantic layer of snow and ice but when we jumped off the plane this year we were surprised to be greeted with blue skies, snow free roads and no hint of the low temperatures of the previous holiday.

I have to admit, on our previous trip to Iceland's capital city, our time was mainly spent in the hotel, or in coaches shuttling us out to see the country. For this trip we had a little more time so it was exciting to be able to spend sometime outside, exploring Reykjavik without having to worrying about frostbite or slipping on ice. We arrived late on Thursday afternoon and I was surprised at how quiet the place was. The harbour was completely deserted and many of the buildings seemed to be in darkness. I think in the summer months the harbour would be buzzing with life, with whale watching trips and tours along the coast on offer, but in winter it seems people are more interested in heading out into the countryside to find the Northern Lights and enjoy the solitude of the island.

We wandered along taking in the beautiful changing colours of the sky, which leads me to one of my favourite things about Iceland; the sunsets. In the winter months, if seems like the sunrises and sunsets last for hours. Half the day is decorated with pink, red and dark blue skies. I don't think the photos I took on that first evening did the sunset any justice but hopefully as the week progresses you'll get an idea of the beauty of Iceland.

After pottering around the town for a while and competing to see who could take the best photos, Stuart and I headed off for a curry to warm us up (hey, it wasn't snowing but it is still cold in Iceland in November) but not before one last photo of possibly my perfect town house.

How time flies...

... when you're starting a new job, having a shared ownership flat purchase fall though and have move to a rental property all the way out in Zone 4! Another words I have plenty of excuses for not updating this for the past 6 months, but I am back now and have lots to catch you up with, including a trip to Amsterdam, an amazing Icelandic holiday, and some theatre reviews. First however let me start my introducing you to the newest member of my household.  The Dark Lord Sauron.

Sauron joined our family in October after our landlord, at that time agreed, to let us keep a pet cat. When we first met Sauron his name was Wiley, and he was living in a vets practice whilst a new home was found for him. Luckily my friend is a veterinary nurse at that practise and after seeing a picture of him on Facebook I decided we had to adopt him. Once we got him home it was clear to us he needed a more iconic name. After going through a range of one-eyed related names (Winky, Xander, Cyclops, etc) we finally settled on Blinkers, however somehow we had forgotten all about Sauron! This was a huge mistake on my side (having previously owned rats called Gandalf and Pippin, LOTR names should be second nature to me). Luckily this was picked up by John (of The Southsea Munch fame) and we rechristened him The Dark Lord Sauron.

He is one of the friendliest cats I've ever met and a complete and utter softy.  If I sit down for more than 5 seconds he is straight on my lap for a fuss. Due to flat issues, and the previously mentioned flat sale fall through, in the 4-5 short months we've had him Sauron has lived in three different places, but he is now happily settled in our new flat. We have a small garden and are quite far from the nearest road but I am yet to decide whether he will be an outdoor cat, but for now he is enjoying all the comforts of home!