Tue, 28.May 2013
We do not have summer here in the West Fjords, which isn´t necessarily unusual, because the May is often still cold and uncomfortable. But we all have now enough of the cold weather: sleet, hail, cold winds and temperatures just above 0 degrees.
I not even like it to take a photo for you, to save you for the greyness view. Two days ago, but I could not resist to take a picture to record the new snow splendor. Everything had got white overnight, but after a half day was fortunately all gone, at least here in the lower elevations! I show you the picture, "Snow as a morning greeting."
But I know that even you, especially in Germany, just as we, now also the "fed up" of the bad weather.
Lucky that tourists who come to us are actually always satisfied with our weather, as it is - because we called Iceland - and no one can hope to find here warm and calm weather.
As soon as the weather has switched to summer, which here in Isafjordur in the years since I live here, always happens early in June, then sudden it's warm, sunny and dry. If you for example sit on my terrace in the wind shadow, it's really hot. If you book with me the plant hike, then you have the opportunity to visit my garden at the end and from there you can enjoy the wonderful view over the fjord with a cup of coffee or tea.
It is now already light all night, so that the plants, since the snow is gone from my garden two weeks ago, making photosynthesis 24 hours and are only growing. Of course the weeds too! But for me it's still too cold to go out plucking weeds, but for the plants it isn´t to grow.
Tue, 28.May 2013
Wir haben noch keinen Sommer hier bei uns in den Westfjorden, was nicht unbedingt ungewöhnlich ist, weil der Mai oft noch kalt und ungemütlich ist. Aber inzwischen haben wir alle einfach genug von dem eiskalten Wetter: Schneeregen, Hagel, kalte Winde und Temperaturen knapp oberhalb 0 Grad.
Ich mag Ihnen nicht einmal ein Foto aufnehmen, um Ihnen diesen trüben Anblick zu ersparen. Vor zwei Tagen konnte ich allerdings nicht widerstehen ein Bild von der neuen Schneepracht aufzunehmen. Alles war weiß geworden über Nacht, aber nach einem halben Tag war, zum Glück, zumindest hier in den tieferen Lagen, alles wieder verschwunden! Ich zeige Ihnen das Bild „Schnee als Morgengruß“.
Aber ich weiß auch, dass auch Sie, inzwischen genau wie wir auch, die „Nase voll haben“ von dem schlechten Wetter.
Ein Glück, dass Touristen, die zu uns kommen, eigentlich immer mit unserem Wetter zufrieden sind, so wie es ist – weil wir heißen ja Island – und Keiner kann dann hoffen hier warmes und windstilles Wetter vorzufinden.
Sobald das Wetter auf Sommer umgeschaltet hat, was hier bei uns in Ísafjörður in den Jahren, seidem ich hier wohne, immer Anfang Juni geschieht, dann ist es ganz plötzlich warm, sonnig und trocken. Wenn Sie dann zum Beispiel auf meiner Terrasse sitzen im Windschatten, dann ist es richtig heiß. Sollten Sie bei mir die Pflanzenwanderung buchen, dann haben Sie die Möglichkeit am Schluß meinen Garten zu besichtigen und bei einer Tasse Kaffé oder Tee von dort die wundervolle Aussicht über den Fjord genießen.
Es ist jetzt bereits die ganze Nacht hell, so dass die Pflanzen, seitdem der Schnee aus meinem Garten vor zwei Wochen verschwunden ist, 24 Stunden lang Photosynthese machen und nur am Wachsen sind. Natürlich das Unkraut auch! Mir ist es dann aber noch zu kalt, um Unkrautzupfen zu gehen, aber den Pflanzen nicht zu wachsen.
Thu, 23.May 2013
bb.is | 23.05.2013 | 07:45
Ísafjörður árið 1893
„Við erum mjög heppin með bæinn okkar að hér sé kjarni bæjarins mjög heill og hápunktur Skúlamálanna hafi átt sér stað á þessum tíma. Þetta er mjög spennandi söguefni,“ segir Helga Hausner sem er einn þeirra Ísfirðinga sem taka á móti ferðamönnum á sumrin og þjónustar farþega skemmtiferðaskipa sem senn fara að streyma til bæjarins. Helga leikur fiskverkunarkonu sem vinnur á fiskrei Ásgeirsverslunar en bregður sér frá vinnu í Neðstakaupstað til að fara með ferðamenn í göngu um bæinn. Að sögn Helgu er hugmyndin á bakvið ferðina sú að skýra út hvernig bæjarmyndin var og hvernig lífshættir voru hér fyrir um það bil hundrað árum, stóru hundraði ára (120 árum) síðan.
„Með þessu er verið að setja fólk inn í þessa hluti á rauntíma en ég skýri meðal annars út nöfn og örnefni á Eyrinni sem tengjast þeim tíma. Hversvegna Silfurtorg heitir Silfurtorg, og svo framvegis. Megin línan í þessari ferð er gamli bærinn, Miðkaupstaður, Neðstikaupstaður og Hæstikaupstaður en á endanum er farið upp Aðalstrætið og horft yfir Eyrina.“
Skúlamálin leika hlutverk í leiðsögn Helgu en hápunktur þeirra átti sér stað árið 1892. Skúli Thoroddsen og Þorvaldur læknir Jónsson voru aðalpersónurnar í því máli en fróðleik um það mál og stemninguna á Ísafirði í kjölfarið er miðlað á ensku, þýsku og íslensku á vegum Isafjordur Guide þjónustu Helgu en þessi nýungagjarni námsráðgjafi og leikskólakennari vinnur einnig fyrir Vesturferðir. Í ferðum eins og Helga býður upp á er fjallað um hjátrú jafnt sem uppgang lífs og atvinnuvega á Ísafirði í árdaga tæknialdar. Mikið er fjallað um þau umskipti sem urðu á lífsháttum fólks þegar sókn fólks úr sveitum til sjávarplássa eins og Ísafjarðar varð viðtekin kostur hjá fátæku fólki sem vildu freista gæfunnar á nýjum vettvangi eftir að lögum um vistarbandið var slitið.
arnaldur@bb.is
Fri, 10.May 2013
Believe it or not, yesterday it stormed and snowed heavily. It's not actually unusual to have snow in May, even though officially, the first day of summer is 25th April! But none of us really want any more snow. The European 
Golden Plover (lóa) arrived early this week and is inspecting nesting sites in the meadows. I have also seen a Common Snipe
(hrossagaukur) in flight nearby. These birds come to Iceland solely for breeding. If they are already nesting and it snows, which happens every few years, then it will be too cold for these ground-nesting birds if the weather does not improve quickly. Here is a photo of our white 'Spring Glory', taken yesterday at 22.30. Yes, it is already as bright as this at this time of night. It's no surprise that we, like the birds, are already in summer-mode!
Surely you must be wondering why I always talk about summer when of course spring comes first. This is because, as soon as the weather improves and the temperature rises, we head straight into summer. The plants are now already growing under the snow as the ground temperature has risen and the increasing daylight penetrates the snow. Once the snow has disappeared in the valleys, usually in early June, the wind dies down, the sunny days increase, and summer is here. The spring flowers are still flowering when the summer flowers are already blooming.
I hope you will be interested in visiting our beautiful country, and to include Ísafjörður in your trip. I look forward to seeing you!
Your Helga
