tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33488301403024126222024-02-07T15:33:58.480-08:00Skagaströnd Revisited A second promenade around the northern Icelandic town in the deep winter. Two months of reflection, photography and exploration.Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-31006532836487257982017-02-24T12:34:00.000-08:002017-02-24T12:34:21.975-08:00Last night in Skagaströnd<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I should have been in the car today driving to the airport at Keflavik and picking up Tom and Linzi, then driving off on our big adventure. This was not to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A storm warning was given last night which put paid to our travel plans and I waited to find out if the flight would even take off. This was sent to everyone last night:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So basically the whole of the 1 road - Iceland's equivalent of the M1, was closed today, all buses cancelled as well as lots of flights.I have been in the studio all day and the wind is not that strong at all. We often miss storms as we're in a bit of an odd place. Watching the Westfjords from the water, it looks terrible over there and it's probably coming this way now!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So Tom and Linzi have landed safely and are comfortable in their last minute accommodation in Reykjavik, having just managed to get on the Grayline bus from the airport. The buses started running again at 5pm. There might even be time for shopping.... They are travelling up north tomorrow on the Straeto bus and I will pick them up from the hub of the north.... Blonduos. Then off we go - somewhere to be fully decided once we are sure of the weather. This is Iceland!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the benefits of the worry of flights, not having to get up early and being spark awake at 1am this morning was the amazing aurora show. I had packed up the studio, turned the lights off as I was last in and was just about to leave - looking like one of those donkeys in Greece with piles of stuff attached to them (camera bag, tripod, massive shopping bag, other camera stuff, drawings etc etc), the this happened. The sky was moving so fast and the lights were dancing for about an hour. Truly magical.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 steps from the studio</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tower of doom, studio on left (old fishing factory)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a beacon lights the foreground, hence the lighter grasses</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some pink in there </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the whole sky. Stunning</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was one of those magical times when you can only stare upwards in awe. I have spent ages setting up the exposure of these by going outside in the light and checking focus distance etc. It's amazing, but to focus on infinity manually gives a slightly out of focus image. The sky is nearer than I thought.... Maybe not, but my focus ring seems to think so.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pressing the shutter and then running into position... Blurry, but I was there!<br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmI65UUhssPafeTpKOZvNUpcaR6sK7UmQYQAtuAcERjrEI-qhJm0GLsWVOH1tRfWZUgfAEn6giMvWgcv-qrg92vs1CYgq-6GS6o_CeejB8M2cwWrDT-3gtmH3JqaJBgTEx5NuoMqWFHsQ/s1600/IMG_9403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmI65UUhssPafeTpKOZvNUpcaR6sK7UmQYQAtuAcERjrEI-qhJm0GLsWVOH1tRfWZUgfAEn6giMvWgcv-qrg92vs1CYgq-6GS6o_CeejB8M2cwWrDT-3gtmH3JqaJBgTEx5NuoMqWFHsQ/s400/IMG_9403.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is my studio space before I started to take things off the walls. I couldn't quite face doing it and it took me a good hour of sitting, looking forlorn before I could bring myself to take things off.There was also a pile of 'didn't make the wall' stuff and as I was going through it I felt that this was another place, another time. The mono prints and images I made in January seemed ancient. I do feel as though I have a plan of sorts for when I return, but it will take effort to make sure I don't stop finding time to make art.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are my wonderful fingerless and thumbless gloves, loving made by Rhona. She even made them quirkily different to help me to remember which hand was which.... I love them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the naked wall. A very sad looking place indeed.The mono prints on the left of the image have been photographed for layered work and scrapped, the shelves are now empty. The desk has been scrubbed and the floor swept. Another NES experience is over and I feel sad.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdb1Lf-m_6AlKG_oFDaDR8k3kYJJIhKHgbQzGSd8kHVlXxZkiWm_E-JYDDhUrCK2kimXhaJliEFEH7B0PqHWke4YGXHLzN2fHQVEiQGTxBdIZYrKoKmeb82bfjDzlFP2y14VbfEWvraOo/s1600/IMG_9404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdb1Lf-m_6AlKG_oFDaDR8k3kYJJIhKHgbQzGSd8kHVlXxZkiWm_E-JYDDhUrCK2kimXhaJliEFEH7B0PqHWke4YGXHLzN2fHQVEiQGTxBdIZYrKoKmeb82bfjDzlFP2y14VbfEWvraOo/s320/IMG_9404.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is something about this places that draws me so much. It's not the prettiest, or the biggest (still only around 400 residents). It doesn't have lots of shops or entertainment (currently 1 shop - recently refurbished and excitingly new, 1 garage and a cafe which only opens in the summer. Oh and a folklore museum) BUT, it is a place where you can totally lose yourself, walking along the coastline, not seeing a soul, the sea disappearing into the black sand as it crashes in. The sea cliffs, my temporary thinking place are only about half a mile out of town, but they could be at the end of the earth. So peaceful and colourful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The valley through the mountains with the river that no-one even seems to notice as it's 'just a little river', with the sides of Spakunafel covered in snow promising the top, but always teasing with another peak to go. I still haven't managed to get to the top. Maybe next year?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love the electricity pylons here - much to the amusement of my fellow artists. There's something about the way they stretch through the landscape with no trees in sight to compete for height. People say that the weather changes often here, and it's true, within half an hour there can be so many types of weather and the light changes every five minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's an odd experience, especially as a person who usually only cohabits with close family, to share a house, studio and live as a community with around 12 other people. There was a big blip last month, but that was more to do with people being ill-prepared for this type of existence. The people I have spent time with are wonderful and have such individual talents, that I am in awe of many of them. I know I have made great friends which will be sustained long beyond this Iceland experience, and others, I will remember fondly, but we will probably go our separate ways until we meet in a gallery or event along the way. This takes nothing away from how fabulous they are, but perhaps there is less in common with some, as with all of those we meet in life. The richness of my time here is down to everyone within NES and I am so thankful for the opportunity. Who could forget Ollis chips, moving plastic horses, naked mountain climbing, juggling, the tower challenge, tarmac, green tights, dinghy drills, and plumbers who take a shower during working hours.... Thanks guys.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will miss this view. Every time I walk outside of the studio I am met with this. Calm, stormy, grey, pink blue - beautiful blue. This is exactly what it looks like in reality at least once a day. So peaceful and thought provoking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I will finish up here. I think it is unlikely I will complete another blog as I am on the road until the 28th when I leave Iceland. There are many people to thank for contributing to my second NES residency, so thank you ALL, both here and at home. It's been a blast and I want to come back, perhaps in a late summer. If there are any artists reading this who haven't done a residency at all, apply, just go for it. It's an immersive experience that is impossible to replicate at home. I was a month in England in an artist residency and although it was wonderful, there's no comparison to moving into a different culture and country, even for a short while. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to believe we did this, actually swam in the sea in Iceland at 2.7 degrees.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is one of my favourite memories from here. Getting undressed on the beach and walking into icy cold water, not being able to feel my toes or fingers (one finger for an hour afterwards..) but going under anyway. Brilliant, invigorating, stupendous....</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So long, from the desk at the bottom of the studio.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bless Bless,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aly x</span></div>
Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-49644890078098099552017-02-21T09:42:00.001-08:002017-02-21T09:42:46.065-08:00Northern lights and poo stewed lamb. From the sublime to the ridiculous...<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well today is exactly one week before I am back on UK soil, to Birmingham airport. I am both happy and sad to be leaving. The time is right, but I have had such a wonderful time here and two months is certainly better than one to immerse yourself into the Icelandic way of life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The past few days have been eventful in terms of weather, people, work, food and the sky, oh the sky.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where to start? - backwards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last night Caroline and I decided to invite Michael and Rhona to dinner for a traditional English roast lamb, roast potatoes, turnip, veg, pudding and lovely chat. This is a tried and tested recipe - one of Jamie's, where you put the lamb directly onto the rack in the oven and let the juices drip onto the roasties, making the most delicious potatoes on earth (really!). Well, I went to the supermarket and purchased the ingredients, an expensive joint of lamb (even by Icelandic standards at £37ish and headed home to cook. Without the obligatory glass of wine while cooking, it felt a bit odd, but I was relishing the chance to cook something different and have meat for the first time in ages. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I should have known as soon as I opened the plastic seal around the meat - a smell reminiscent of putrid dead animals, offal and something I couldn't quite place. I put it on the rack, thinking that lots of things smell bad raw - such as liver - which I love cooked. Anyway, a smell began to pervade the house - and outside the house and everywhere really... I quickly messaged my one Icelandic friend, sending him the label and asking what I was doing wrong/how to cook it? He said it should be boiled. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aha! I thought, that would release the saltiness and perhaps create a wonderful dish instead. So I transferred the meat to a massive pan and put it on to boil. Cleaned the rack and the cooker as the smell was so bad. Waited for it to come to the boil. This made the smell transfer even more quickly and it got into my nasal hairs so that I just couldn't get rid of it. Caroline politely said it could be fine once cooked, but she had gone green and looked really sick. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We decided to put it outside and run to the supermarket an hour before the guests were arriving, to find chicken. This was cooked and the meal was gorgeous. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The pot of lamb is still outside the bin and I can't face lifting the lid, hence the lack of a photograph at this point. I put a message on the Skagaströnd Facebook page asking for advice and got this response:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"It is dung smoked lamb"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">followed by:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"It tastes like lamb smoked over faeces"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"you have to cook it for hours or it's awful"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is a link to the process involved, but I'm sorry, I could never get past the cooking stage as it makes everything smell of death. My nostrils still have the smell and I have washed them out with soap - twice.</span><br />
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http://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/traditional-smoked-lamb/<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, what else?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Significant excitement came to Skagaströnd a couple of days ago when the supermarket was revamped, rebranded, closed for a day (aaarrrgghhhh!) and reopened to free cake, coffee and discounts. I am not exaggerating when I say that the whole village was out. I counted 25 cars in the carpark and some even had to park at the garage opposite and walk the 40 or so steps to the supermarket. Now usually, there are around two people in at one time and I have never waited to be served, except when the staff are multitasking and doing other things. The opening day however, was something else. Queues of up to five people, lots of fresh fruit, although no spinach, new lines, a bakery section (not a bakery - that would be asking too much) and Tunnocks caramel wafers for the equivalent of around 20p each!! Amazing. The other artists didn't understand, unless you were me, Rhona or Michael, and we were in British heaven.... Little things. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caroline and Rhona, stunned at how busy it was</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Free kafi and cake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every time it was eaten another one appeared</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Honestly, so much excitement for one day. Everyone spent so much more than usual and there was a sense of bon ami and joyous celebration. Really, promise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Caroline and I had a great walk to the mountain valley and found snow and stunning views. I had been there before but it changes every time the weather changes, which is every five minutes.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The track to the mountain Spakonufel</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living dangerously</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love Icelandic pylons</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjHRdGTcRiARXr9hdbxk0MKlvYEzjEMWcb3fGBT7laSB5p01BBdWg8KC9gjXsc7gQ2llmu4BHQqiSo3_Q4KR0StVobCRPJw3I4BXlDhaacPjWKACZQOgj3tSHcKbImo94qXfIG_TodLs/s1600/IMG_9348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjHRdGTcRiARXr9hdbxk0MKlvYEzjEMWcb3fGBT7laSB5p01BBdWg8KC9gjXsc7gQ2llmu4BHQqiSo3_Q4KR0StVobCRPJw3I4BXlDhaacPjWKACZQOgj3tSHcKbImo94qXfIG_TodLs/s320/IMG_9348.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">more pylons</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great pylon..</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzYtn1S1k2g9owMZ45RwGXZskzWLQ1qMyVxGEQ20CJKs8JSsNk0GLyiQkd7ny610_HY3t9ixvdZA6Rr7shxVSjcOsoi33oTwIgW2Bau_TyQA8sFAYvlnJFrcPDRjXH-biwyk6QLKnrJw/s1600/IMG_9354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzYtn1S1k2g9owMZ45RwGXZskzWLQ1qMyVxGEQ20CJKs8JSsNk0GLyiQkd7ny610_HY3t9ixvdZA6Rr7shxVSjcOsoi33oTwIgW2Bau_TyQA8sFAYvlnJFrcPDRjXH-biwyk6QLKnrJw/s320/IMG_9354.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">on the track with the valley below</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaFxdqIhNoypFrHbhi1yBtd9qXoHsBVR1YrmbFivEQjzscp4vV3niblMCNFXQznFryT4iDZ0TwLEL-UnrJnsnWiVUFND5vzv2XC0hnmob4HeQJ66oI2MlbKIEpHdaz-3S-CdgfzsYrSM/s1600/IMG_9356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaFxdqIhNoypFrHbhi1yBtd9qXoHsBVR1YrmbFivEQjzscp4vV3niblMCNFXQznFryT4iDZ0TwLEL-UnrJnsnWiVUFND5vzv2XC0hnmob4HeQJ66oI2MlbKIEpHdaz-3S-CdgfzsYrSM/s320/IMG_9356.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mountain</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEm_HhQKqPL3Y-U4QyNvA4y9yStCPJ4Qk5oQPGXPzqgCmS2DmBDQ3fxWiye9RG34WQcx_Lp3jLy7ALFhyphenhyphenh-TeOE_7buJljM-zcKLgAx81-ePQxkpFSWcnyY0y2oQIqYm_ob3azOB-FxoE/s1600/IMG_9361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEm_HhQKqPL3Y-U4QyNvA4y9yStCPJ4Qk5oQPGXPzqgCmS2DmBDQ3fxWiye9RG34WQcx_Lp3jLy7ALFhyphenhyphenh-TeOE_7buJljM-zcKLgAx81-ePQxkpFSWcnyY0y2oQIqYm_ob3azOB-FxoE/s320/IMG_9361.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last of the Dutch explorers</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I haven't spent all my time walking, going the supermarket and getting excited about free cake and coffee. I have been making art and looking at gallery spaces for an exhibition back home. If you remember from a previous blog, I spent a day on a piece of work and then lost it. It's definitely gone, never to be found, so I made absolutely sure to save every one of the 18 layers of the next piece I am working on. This is not finished but gives an idea of where I'm going with it:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm quite pleased with the progress and hope to make another 5 pieces within the next few weeks back home. I can't really work on the MacBook as the screen is too small. Really looking forward to getting back to my big mac and spending lost hours and days layering images.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The last thing I wanted to share is the wonderful experience of happening upon a wonderful Aurora show a couple of nights ago. I popped out of the studio and saw green in the sky. It became the most beautiful display and we were there on the hill watching for well over an hour. The camera settings I usually use were wiped out by the brightness of it so I was able to use finer settings to capture the lights. We were all in awe. There was much shouting and whooping and it was brilliant for those artists who hadn't seen anything yet.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ntUzzKhWPtDQCgoX0Axym2rwEAv8TELf2BP1Vxtu6VRa6yN__kGsML9k2pCm2GKgeIKG-zsPFjkeT4EPj-j9sdLpz_-upYhVzkeGebhWCfEkXYEpOz7eCnKA7xpm2bvOW7thXS89DrE/s1600/DSC_6018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ntUzzKhWPtDQCgoX0Axym2rwEAv8TELf2BP1Vxtu6VRa6yN__kGsML9k2pCm2GKgeIKG-zsPFjkeT4EPj-j9sdLpz_-upYhVzkeGebhWCfEkXYEpOz7eCnKA7xpm2bvOW7thXS89DrE/s400/DSC_6018.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">just outside the studio</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MrkJYdYZCH4NJjogaBWOvtRa0DQWtvlLLaAVrPokpkhNi_YnSQybuCGqtzeQkN4nENihqenVuvO7YCLgzqGEPhqpZOPQ52UxKuC4C99rMr837bqQcfgY-UcAWHgPGEjOWl6XQQvVFQc/s1600/DSC_6021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MrkJYdYZCH4NJjogaBWOvtRa0DQWtvlLLaAVrPokpkhNi_YnSQybuCGqtzeQkN4nENihqenVuvO7YCLgzqGEPhqpZOPQ52UxKuC4C99rMr837bqQcfgY-UcAWHgPGEjOWl6XQQvVFQc/s400/DSC_6021.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">someone said 'it's like death eaters, only positive ones"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdndJDyipE1jcfNF3LaPNc-6U1uutdqswSc00VFp2nc18a_4W5I_8ylqPsKsrP9HMr8J_jY30QxnALcPhVnYrLQ2ZPgxIDMAvjQ7dKRgctJEkECw9tDgQ6DnH2odNBWSXuau-6DskM2Y/s1600/DSC_6037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdndJDyipE1jcfNF3LaPNc-6U1uutdqswSc00VFp2nc18a_4W5I_8ylqPsKsrP9HMr8J_jY30QxnALcPhVnYrLQ2ZPgxIDMAvjQ7dKRgctJEkECw9tDgQ6DnH2odNBWSXuau-6DskM2Y/s400/DSC_6037.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">so lucky to be working 10 steps from here</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wonderful artist and friend, Michael Coppolov, staring transfixed at the sky<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I just found out that the last remaining member of my mam and dad's siblings has died. Feel very sad as I remember spending so much time at Aunty Vera's house as a kid. They had the best toy cupboard and I was jealous of my cousins because they got loads of cast off toys from the family their mum, my Aunty Vera worked for. I never saw the fact that she probably worked her socks off cleaning for someone, as I was too busy being envious of Kathleen's hand me down ice skates..... I forget how lucky I was having my mam and dad there all the time. The funeral will be next week, so I hope I am back in time. It will be really odd going 'home' straight out of Iceland, especially after talking about the North East so much while I have been here. I had a big conversation at dinner last night about childhood stuff in Whitehall Road and it's been on my mind ever since. It's really odd that I should get the message this morning about her death.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think that's about it for today. I have tomorrow and Thursday before Tom and Linzi come to visit, then I'll be on the road for 3 days. Not sure if I'll manage another blog, but I'll try. I won't, therefore do the whole 'what a privilege' thing yet, although it is. Always, every day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have the best of days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Leaving you with Jane Austin: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;">“When I look out on such a night as this, I feel as if there could be neither wickedness nor sorrow in the world; and there certainly would be less of both if the sublimity of Nature were more attended to, and people were carried more out of themselves by contemplating such a scene.” </span><a class="authorOrTitle" href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1265.Jane_Austen" style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Jane Austen</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aly x</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1249716109"></span><span id="goog_1249716110"></span><br /></span>Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-88402988540816525462017-02-16T12:40:00.000-08:002017-02-16T12:40:08.309-08:00Melancholy, tower climbing, gin and French Plaits<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi Hi!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have exactly 12 days left before I touch down in Blighty and the last few days have been a real mixture. For starters, the weather (sorry it's the English person in me - starting with the weather) has been what I can only describe as 'English' with a smattering of magic thrown in. Yesterday was dull, drizzly and tepid - really reminded me of Chesterfield on any given day in February, however, as often happens in Derbyshire, there was amazing light in the sky which was breathtaking. Sunset a couple of days ago was so beautiful and so pink that we all stood outside for ages watching it. This is Rhona, from Scotland, entranced, who, by the way, gets on a bus in Edinburgh, whose livery was designed by my multi talented nephew David Cook. Small world...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little studio by the sea</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There has been no more swimming yet, but today was the perfect weather for it. Instead we decided to have challenges. Riding around the studio on bikes is a bit tame now, so the tower it was. This is a 10m steel structure outside the studio, set in concrete. You can go up the inside, where you would only break an arm or leg if you fell, or the outside, which would be a much more dreadful outcome if the handhold didn't in fact, hold.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are now up to 4 people having scaled the tower. It's very scary as you climb up, worse coming down...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">victory wave on an outside climb<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">victory lap</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a setting though! The weather today was spring like. Icelanders talk about the weather all the time now as well as they have never had a milder winter in memory.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday was different. It stated with rain, moved into drizzle and ended up dull. I did however stand in the same spot watching the mountain when this happened:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also walked further along the coast from the studio than I had been before trying to get to an outcrop of rock which I thought would be interesting to photograph from. I walked for an hour to get there and found this massive fence - to keep me out? or to keep something in?</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">if I go around to the waters edge, does that mean I can officially keep walking?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUSqDw3Z_KQAEjV6Y7VosQ_1V2rjnA1DVZK3CrIbTKnfLN6BNp8jXthtIf_G78qPlufxKIxTguC_NbCxYCkXw0KRG0hhfOhHvZrkGClnt3vpDQivUvJ74v_1SspET0_MQf1M51jT_EUI/s1600/DSC_5910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUSqDw3Z_KQAEjV6Y7VosQ_1V2rjnA1DVZK3CrIbTKnfLN6BNp8jXthtIf_G78qPlufxKIxTguC_NbCxYCkXw0KRG0hhfOhHvZrkGClnt3vpDQivUvJ74v_1SspET0_MQf1M51jT_EUI/s320/DSC_5910.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stretching all the way to the main road</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a bit disappointing and I can't understand why the fence was there? No livestock at the moment, but perhaps it was for sheep in the summer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also found a brilliant blue box on the beach which I played around with, moving the camera around the subject.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqzxaf_mrTe7I1omdl3_v95XwvZUgfZEsry79DryCLGP6tMG606s6jNkJen6V2fSqMUD6Gg0c8ngv_P_N57_mxdRn8lmrE42aKqlmRyylmgLbtdRXNKsM5rWt0MixRtZtUGFMY2qb_Bo/s1600/DSC_5848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqzxaf_mrTe7I1omdl3_v95XwvZUgfZEsry79DryCLGP6tMG606s6jNkJen6V2fSqMUD6Gg0c8ngv_P_N57_mxdRn8lmrE42aKqlmRyylmgLbtdRXNKsM5rWt0MixRtZtUGFMY2qb_Bo/s320/DSC_5848.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">abstract blue box</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNVyHBAPolv4xERi1s434ubAgojEu9tIPuR9Wu0KcvaH-I0sN30aeKwyxMyQwW_ehauDyeOozhYU7iu90OUKiwVaOCppjgt3yTpv_jRT0WYDw35PrlnKX8nW5sB7-GdriGZBzdIdEKBw/s1600/IMG_9238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNVyHBAPolv4xERi1s434ubAgojEu9tIPuR9Wu0KcvaH-I0sN30aeKwyxMyQwW_ehauDyeOozhYU7iu90OUKiwVaOCppjgt3yTpv_jRT0WYDw35PrlnKX8nW5sB7-GdriGZBzdIdEKBw/s640/IMG_9238.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My studio wall</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other thing that happened today was an impromptu hairdressing salon. French plait tuition for Sophie and I had a moment of thinking about Lizzie and doing her hair, which made me get a little emotional. I then listened to Chiquitita and had to go to get a tissue to blow my nose #notcryingmuch...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sophie is an amazing writer and one of her poems really moved me. Here's a line or two:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"But my hands are white starfish and I've never broken a bone." The whole poem is wonderful and will be out soon for release. I will let you know when. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOFJlvgNfuBpcS5_xpf93S2CYNMb54bvzUnTuGLC8Pfly_KEbRpcbUWkbL29lRZR3hpvtZ5zlfMhMPiKSpOIVhwwF9tpOuqqfIphGe141YbTKTxTZtsUAje4ZvaZKbwbDX3p765kt64U/s1600/fullsizeoutput_814.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGOFJlvgNfuBpcS5_xpf93S2CYNMb54bvzUnTuGLC8Pfly_KEbRpcbUWkbL29lRZR3hpvtZ5zlfMhMPiKSpOIVhwwF9tpOuqqfIphGe141YbTKTxTZtsUAje4ZvaZKbwbDX3p765kt64U/s320/fullsizeoutput_814.jpeg" width="228" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't remember Tess this young, but came across this picture and went 'ahhhhh'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I'm going to finish this as I'm tired and need to eat and sleep. Sorry it's short, but I was soooo happy about climbing the tower, I wanted to share the euphoria.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be in touch soon, promise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bless Bless,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aly x</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-64800171094562994962017-02-13T15:18:00.000-08:002017-02-13T15:18:20.238-08:006 Days since the last blog.... Sorry folks. It's all go here.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am currently keeping warm indoors after braving the Icelandic waves and plunging into the surf for a swim..... Well, the surf was none existent as the water looked more like a millpond. Also, the water was so shallow to such a distance out, that it was more of a crawl on my stomach along the rocks and slimy things of the sea bottom. I call it swimming because I was submerged, except my head and wooly hat, I moved my arms in a breast stroke kind of motion and tried to kick my legs, resulting in a cut foot. From a distance it probably looked like Sharon Davies or Rebecca Adlington, obviously. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBtbZ3-OOttjs0ei7IdMJrYyl60DRJvoZbWprf2UQqzqQHbVcxdv3zwYcYlSl1C5bay9VkfVqZ1_xAm23G9CHOC1x2qJwvuR5hE1zQPfW-fA2kVuRQ2udC5xSr4EqyD9DTiMoZYBqUVs/s1600/IMG_9185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJBtbZ3-OOttjs0ei7IdMJrYyl60DRJvoZbWprf2UQqzqQHbVcxdv3zwYcYlSl1C5bay9VkfVqZ1_xAm23G9CHOC1x2qJwvuR5hE1zQPfW-fA2kVuRQ2udC5xSr4EqyD9DTiMoZYBqUVs/s320/IMG_9185.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the harbour on the way to the 'beach'</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a lovely day today, around 4° air temp and colder sea, no wind, so we decided that we would do it. It has been the topic of discussion virtually every day since getting here with lots of brave people saying 'yes yes, I'll do it'. Well, 4 swimmers and one photographer made it to the beach and got on with the task of deciding how quickly it would be possibly to take clothes off, go into the sea, swim, get out (across the rocks) get dried, get dressed and walk the 10 minutes home for a gin. In fact we stood in our swimsuits after getting out of the sea as it felt so warm in the by now 2° air temp. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I haven't got any photos of me yet, but will post on f/b, Instagram tomorrow. These are a few from my phone of Sophie, Luccia, Caroline and Marija.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvsnJsGz8kYpXxjlasHVC_boaoSle6nEhEfZhPdxcn4ZYRELFq0QmPS9BFi-N2IrB1QX0R9T073SCHfVzD1ah6X9mpsPdQKJPUPb5AasRXT_lcND2Ji-WgSrhM0jfrlYp4AePArbrHJA/s1600/IMG_9169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvsnJsGz8kYpXxjlasHVC_boaoSle6nEhEfZhPdxcn4ZYRELFq0QmPS9BFi-N2IrB1QX0R9T073SCHfVzD1ah6X9mpsPdQKJPUPb5AasRXT_lcND2Ji-WgSrhM0jfrlYp4AePArbrHJA/s320/IMG_9169.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High Five - Sophie and Luccia</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1a-RqhAKZtPBBSe7kOh5w0hJY1__aHYiw034n-5ml1ruRTFi5zsLjXzJXpIvLrInmx-NjGBZPIL_P_Dk00h6ghOUlqfKbZCp2QOEKdcPBP8ljMHQ5bIUb0lKyzP8cl30MElDiKmHMe7I/s1600/IMG_9175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1a-RqhAKZtPBBSe7kOh5w0hJY1__aHYiw034n-5ml1ruRTFi5zsLjXzJXpIvLrInmx-NjGBZPIL_P_Dk00h6ghOUlqfKbZCp2QOEKdcPBP8ljMHQ5bIUb0lKyzP8cl30MElDiKmHMe7I/s320/IMG_9175.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sophie with bright red freezing legs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YRMdw4cRY9TarjJm8A1A71cHomxi7vvacTVqvCSr7M1ReugkZ2iIQunQ-53JcWbkiip5sO58wU8Cu8CtRjVXik3XvzZ5C-0p4126j4z78NY5v3l0y3zWDDYS35NAP1m3_r9T5iYMjco/s1600/IMG_9176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YRMdw4cRY9TarjJm8A1A71cHomxi7vvacTVqvCSr7M1ReugkZ2iIQunQ-53JcWbkiip5sO58wU8Cu8CtRjVXik3XvzZ5C-0p4126j4z78NY5v3l0y3zWDDYS35NAP1m3_r9T5iYMjco/s320/IMG_9176.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marija - Photographer!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ESqyMxpAJRK5R5XunPU1wOLy-Tbha72Hqt8SaQiOAZLFuQZXHw9Ed8MmyeGWWUIOh8wtvp7AWtmGrgqOtIzM4GeIgzDbh3YJ4ur1uT2ibblqZTvb5xW9e3763jR9F-hzYCtWOuVUCx0/s1600/IMG_9180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ESqyMxpAJRK5R5XunPU1wOLy-Tbha72Hqt8SaQiOAZLFuQZXHw9Ed8MmyeGWWUIOh8wtvp7AWtmGrgqOtIzM4GeIgzDbh3YJ4ur1uT2ibblqZTvb5xW9e3763jR9F-hzYCtWOuVUCx0/s320/IMG_9180.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sophie - Apres Swim</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYv4ujGmuz1kpCcTvP0LktqgeDE_awuVf7vM-y_SGzrVnszXRhjUHnmoRQ2jCaSH5b2De9OXlduO6GwG-Bw0jzTEVFrCZjBjgvfb2o_mlcR0Q0g8axy5QZYT7t_Xj-Twa80BqMC9aEQs/s1600/IMG_9181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYv4ujGmuz1kpCcTvP0LktqgeDE_awuVf7vM-y_SGzrVnszXRhjUHnmoRQ2jCaSH5b2De9OXlduO6GwG-Bw0jzTEVFrCZjBjgvfb2o_mlcR0Q0g8axy5QZYT7t_Xj-Twa80BqMC9aEQs/s320/IMG_9181.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and Luccia Apres swim</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyjJWIUyLwKA6CIpiZv3tsEXCJCAbNheiud9cfVgFp5ZINL5TBx0L1dEK2IOC1AG4vRMtLnmSEbMfjYGgWmt-R4P-z_A0MrxKjw6FVNdsP2K6kahejoze2e9NT7PCyAa4rXTa6p1wEAI/s1600/IMG_9182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyjJWIUyLwKA6CIpiZv3tsEXCJCAbNheiud9cfVgFp5ZINL5TBx0L1dEK2IOC1AG4vRMtLnmSEbMfjYGgWmt-R4P-z_A0MrxKjw6FVNdsP2K6kahejoze2e9NT7PCyAa4rXTa6p1wEAI/s320/IMG_9182.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caroline, trying to get warm</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What an amazing zingy wonderful experience. Loved every second. We are planning to go again but I only have 11 days before Tom and Linzi come to visit me before I leave Iceland.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yesterday I made a photographic studio in the freezer at NES with some old lights that were lying around. They are fluorescent tube lights that are supposed to hang from the ceiling and I wanted them to stand up on their ends, so I tied them to a chair each. The chairs in question arrived a few days ago for the artists to 'use in some way'. They were from a trawler and not only weighed a ton, with metal chains to hold them down on the boat, but they also stink of fish. Really badly. The whole place now stinks of fish. Anyway, I took some images of my house mate Caroline, who is very beautiful and has stunning bone structure and eyes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Caroline is an author and has described her previous works and current novel to me. I am desperate to read them, but she is Dutch and they haven't been translated into English. I don't think Google translate could cope with a whole book, it struggles with single sentences... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Apart from swimming in the sea - did I mention swimming in the sea? - today was another photo shoot day with Marija who is equally stunning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what else has been happening in the 6 days since last we met...? Well, I made the initial stage of a layered piece of work which I am happy with. There's a lot to do, and I can't work on these here as my computer screen is too small. But this is the work in progress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I left the blog to find the layered image and have now spent the last hour searching for it on my computer.... to no avail. This is a photo of it from my studio wall. I'm a bit upset as it took me a day to make it. I'll have another look in a minute.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ah well, the file is gone. I will attempt to recreate it, but it won't be exactly the same.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What else??</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have been living on veggie curry for much of my stay. The reasons for this are 1) spices keep me warm, 2) the veg is often a bit limp and wouldn't look great 'au naturel' as it's often travelled a long way to get here from across the sea and 3) I am trying to be healthier in general. That's working if you don't count the bars of chocolate and half price pick and mix at weekends. Oh and the chips at the Ollis Garage. I haven't had any normal potatoes since I got here - except the chips!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The whole village were out today - which is unheard of. Why? because Samkaup is being transformed. What is Samkaup? I hear you ask. Samkaup is the 'supermarket'. It's about as big as a normal sized Lidl and serves the whole village for everything from knitting needles, through light bulbs, to chocolate, veg and cous cous. (called Kus Kus here). Anyway, it is being renamed, revamped and refitted. It is actually closed on Thursday for the WHOLE DAY. People were saying goodbye to their favourite aisles, they're all changing. No longer will one be able to walk in, turn right, then left and find the praline salted chocolate on a shelf with other chocolate. I went in today, DAYS before the change around and the chocolate had been taken off the shelf and replaced with some air freshener. Not an appropriate transformation methinks. What if a visually impaired person goes in and grabs the air freshener and starts to eat it......? Or what if I go in and grab the air freshener and eat it because it's the nearest thing to my salted praline???? It's all so stressful...... They have a new freezer too. I wonder if they will keep the little customer satisfaction machine? It has happy green faces moving to sad red faces that you press to say how satisfied you are with the shop and the service. Well I'll not be pressing Mr. Green if the chocolate doesn't reappear.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQhcJVWjAivhYzoPlTTbvdt_14OaMeTLRnp77muWVlKSRd7iL3xDndbl6YYfzwcbzNV_33tZ22NQjYiWaZvuE3_ethhZYnls09H-SOlxgLAumR4ZEmkzk9xWQaGVUXk4RGj4_Aeg16F-w/s1600/IMG_9161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQhcJVWjAivhYzoPlTTbvdt_14OaMeTLRnp77muWVlKSRd7iL3xDndbl6YYfzwcbzNV_33tZ22NQjYiWaZvuE3_ethhZYnls09H-SOlxgLAumR4ZEmkzk9xWQaGVUXk4RGj4_Aeg16F-w/s320/IMG_9161.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my walk to the studio every day</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I just put this in because every single day there is beauty in this place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Marija has just uploaded some images from our swim! Here they are:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZplIbKl88SrWN6vYOnrWUNWqSm1JArfe9uHVsgNBYrhu_DepJAv79KMRhmC6UXcpM7bb28Bd_9aKOSdNF8hWrjzbo_gw0TcU_UMHr6ZtXGwhDtjW9Yd1I8WDntb4RRqPdAZpU9QhLUk/s1600/IMG_6014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZplIbKl88SrWN6vYOnrWUNWqSm1JArfe9uHVsgNBYrhu_DepJAv79KMRhmC6UXcpM7bb28Bd_9aKOSdNF8hWrjzbo_gw0TcU_UMHr6ZtXGwhDtjW9Yd1I8WDntb4RRqPdAZpU9QhLUk/s320/IMG_6014.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading towards the black sand beach. That's me in the middle!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlW1Tm_LFOz-ViBT6akVZQG26atecVoNQZNfh6lSAPEKvjl8r5NTkRaTcDck-k1_OdlZtQHh-wLMqYalBmV8bJmo5exXpRRYIry5mzy9R4ryFMzbuH19LG0eNp16oOOsnRIn7eBQJW3ok/s1600/IMG_6087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlW1Tm_LFOz-ViBT6akVZQG26atecVoNQZNfh6lSAPEKvjl8r5NTkRaTcDck-k1_OdlZtQHh-wLMqYalBmV8bJmo5exXpRRYIry5mzy9R4ryFMzbuH19LG0eNp16oOOsnRIn7eBQJW3ok/s320/IMG_6087.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pointing, at something. Probably some ice floating on the surface....</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSKkHZw3OkMDQlaIsGWwx-3NqBRF1ysvxj0MbqBR_K0vtic16moj8EnQ0exmp0JEDVQRbh5amdP7qufGlmCix2vmlGcUUxdxK1_cL6M4D1nHd5iZzQ02biv0SOS5dyFTtowgvbO2-gp4/s1600/IMG_6022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSKkHZw3OkMDQlaIsGWwx-3NqBRF1ysvxj0MbqBR_K0vtic16moj8EnQ0exmp0JEDVQRbh5amdP7qufGlmCix2vmlGcUUxdxK1_cL6M4D1nHd5iZzQ02biv0SOS5dyFTtowgvbO2-gp4/s320/IMG_6022.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">getting ready. Woolly hat stays on obviously</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ImBU9Sz74UEiLff4p8k-Qvuzw-UFryGw9HqeHo1ExwgjNztHDIUqhlIC2H-tF9-IvZmd8ub4Hg7mwEpehVJ06BNlwnDnkRJdUFq5YbIPNaA0qyrJYRhRJDulucfp14-v06aKZbh6W3I/s1600/IMG_6025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ImBU9Sz74UEiLff4p8k-Qvuzw-UFryGw9HqeHo1ExwgjNztHDIUqhlIC2H-tF9-IvZmd8ub4Hg7mwEpehVJ06BNlwnDnkRJdUFq5YbIPNaA0qyrJYRhRJDulucfp14-v06aKZbh6W3I/s320/IMG_6025.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're in. We did all go fully in, promise but there is not <br />currently a photo showing this.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89gWHlv0dihXJtWucmWfIZCV6wvYZhJ6Wod3n-veaD6PfdZsFY6VMJOx0UlP19HsItC2hjSdw48T91qxe8kXxNWMYYq_GIypAPtU2pEt8_KiphLiPgopH4BqAp6sYdP_40w7GmodHu2o/s1600/IMG_6049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89gWHlv0dihXJtWucmWfIZCV6wvYZhJ6Wod3n-veaD6PfdZsFY6VMJOx0UlP19HsItC2hjSdw48T91qxe8kXxNWMYYq_GIypAPtU2pEt8_KiphLiPgopH4BqAp6sYdP_40w7GmodHu2o/s320/IMG_6049.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thinking of South Shields</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6_-ryBYKa1nTjOvRyDJ9qqsX9A7LfgLfZoFkxha38TctXwWU7tNQLfFYVVQbyuEeOc8nLTTfFmkV8zNmDdhDk7YHdFfuPSokFj5vomHkUoAgz-ohPgLzEqbOSPB5wv7TsBHUUxz6nkU/s1600/IMG_6119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6_-ryBYKa1nTjOvRyDJ9qqsX9A7LfgLfZoFkxha38TctXwWU7tNQLfFYVVQbyuEeOc8nLTTfFmkV8zNmDdhDk7YHdFfuPSokFj5vomHkUoAgz-ohPgLzEqbOSPB5wv7TsBHUUxz6nkU/s320/IMG_6119.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happily on our way home. We had a G&T</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What a way to spend a couple of hours. Already planning the next one. I have been searching and searching for my photoshop file but it is lost. I will have to start again....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxiGCsa9vnUlCRittuNf57_V4CYbdUxJidQ4QO6nvNslIoFF2eqevb8GaoCxor5r5IfjqOT_fGauWg1E27dAWqVJ7TwBJ4G46S700PFlHeu8dLOYysiGhqlqICkh8L8Z37CUWmu9NOgx4/s1600/IMG_9113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxiGCsa9vnUlCRittuNf57_V4CYbdUxJidQ4QO6nvNslIoFF2eqevb8GaoCxor5r5IfjqOT_fGauWg1E27dAWqVJ7TwBJ4G46S700PFlHeu8dLOYysiGhqlqICkh8L8Z37CUWmu9NOgx4/s320/IMG_9113.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our gorgeous little village. 350 people, one supermarket, one <br />bar/restaurant, bank, school, post office, old peoples' home, soothsayers museum...<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh I forgot, yesterday we had incredibly strong winds and nearly got knocked over walking to the studio. The sea was amazing and we kept running outside to take pictures and feel the wind. Michael, the only other English person went out in his t-shirt..... It wasn't actually too cold, around 4 degrees, but the wind chill made it freezing.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXNsJpeeYNz5fBc7Ixzltknas3dTUEyVawOZAe4RS9C4GZZ6vw8DaM6j1l0kk9GJAW9grCgirSPxllObsVjdTycR6fTYryz-Pc0d9PhWWo8V5JFhyphenhyphenOt8JLV-Mo5Z27kW_EtLlNA0SFQw/s1600/DSC_5553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXNsJpeeYNz5fBc7Ixzltknas3dTUEyVawOZAe4RS9C4GZZ6vw8DaM6j1l0kk9GJAW9grCgirSPxllObsVjdTycR6fTYryz-Pc0d9PhWWo8V5JFhyphenhyphenOt8JLV-Mo5Z27kW_EtLlNA0SFQw/s320/DSC_5553.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camera movement trying to keep still to take Michael's photograph</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silly English people...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ok folks, that's all I think. I need to try again to find this lost file. I don't hold out much hope but it's 11.10 now and I want to find it tonight or let it go......</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can't believe the time has gone so fast. I have been here for 41 days and I have 15 left. I've missed everyone very much, but I don't feel ready to go yet. I'll have to come back again, and again. And again. I love this place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bless bless</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aly x</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-71510982638064098492017-02-07T10:17:00.000-08:002017-02-07T10:17:28.843-08:00Only 18 days left in Skagaströnd....<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can't believe that I only have 17 days left in Skagaströnd.....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The time has gone so quickly and I feel that I haven't achieved enough yet. I am meeting with my friends Tom and Linzi on the 24th of February where we will spend some time in the South of Iceland before flying back to the UK on the 28th.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So today is Tuesday and we have had a hurricane warning! I'm so excited. I know I shouldn't be, but the idea of watching 110mph gusts of wind from the warmth of our little house is brilliant!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have walked quite a bit since last I blogged and had an interesting experience on the cliffs in what felt like the middle of the night, but was actually 2am. Beautifully still, with only the sound of the waves crashing below me. I feel so privileged to be here and have made it my spiritual home, for the time being at least.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The northern lights are very difficult to find sometimes, as you know they are there, but you can't see them fully as they are too weak. Enter the Nikon D810. A stunning piece of equipment which can capture what the naked eye cannot see. I have a routine of pointing the camera to the northern horizon and exposing for around 30 seconds. If there is green, I know they are there, and then I can focus and guesstimate the correct exposure. This is what I did to capture the following images. It's a bit of a cheat, as the eye doesn't see this, but it is there...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">very windy, but no green. The moon is stunning however</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-CGOcnrC99D3IgddT0N6HlX_6uCxUHKiwlNw_De8fOTMkPD-GSFagNXXRQm2eu9_-mfIL9GV_bWZpBp1-_JfU9lw75AgHgV8Xq9Aer0m5Xp0eHHzoiHhQ5Q5a0tM1yKvPw82FWDebeY/s1600/DSC_5483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-CGOcnrC99D3IgddT0N6HlX_6uCxUHKiwlNw_De8fOTMkPD-GSFagNXXRQm2eu9_-mfIL9GV_bWZpBp1-_JfU9lw75AgHgV8Xq9Aer0m5Xp0eHHzoiHhQ5Q5a0tM1yKvPw82FWDebeY/s320/DSC_5483.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">so this was my first look at Spakunofel with the tiniest bit of green on the right</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">just windy and nothing else</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My first foray into blackness was a tad disappointing but I stuck it out and waited, knowing there were aurora to be found...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The rewards of waiting and hoping, scared of bears and shadows, and axe wielding maniacs.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All of this was virtually invisible to the naked eye. But the aurora were going mad behind the clouds. Wonderful to get to the studio, pull up the exposure a little and find this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I find it quite sad that people come to Iceland to see the Northern Lights for 2 or 3 days and feel disappointed when they don't see them. It's not an everyday occurrence and we are lucky, so lucky to get the bright displays dancing around the sky. Tonight is a very good prediction, but there are also 50mph winds..... Decisions, decisions. I will be safe, but I can't promise not to go out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am playing with the idea of creating images, abstract images for large scale prints, which explore the idea of the sublime. Anyone who knows me, understands my fascination with pathetic fallacy, the works of Turner and Blake to some extent. I feet that I may have some images which could convey some of the emotion of this intangible thing. I'm probably delirious however, and will look more carefully when I'm back in Blighty. I don't want to work in black and white - which I usually do, because there is so much colour. I also don't feel like creating layered pieces as the abstract ones could look good as they are...... Oh decisions decisions. One of the main reasons I haven't experimented with layers, is the major difference between a 12 inch MacBook and the 27 inch screen at home. I'll have to be patient.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the meantime, here are a few of my recent car trip and around our own personal cliffs.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb120NF6N4FOoaM22Slvvm_BUt8BXdgZXZ5t-PAd5B12K9NaEB4rfufxtgDrFpj6_pFCiy6d7mC4BfEMcEUiKy3vIu8CScAyl8LY8jw6gl-rhHI0kSeKGXEzu-UPuk8NPB6eX-GyGCnl4/s1600/IMG_9104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb120NF6N4FOoaM22Slvvm_BUt8BXdgZXZ5t-PAd5B12K9NaEB4rfufxtgDrFpj6_pFCiy6d7mC4BfEMcEUiKy3vIu8CScAyl8LY8jw6gl-rhHI0kSeKGXEzu-UPuk8NPB6eX-GyGCnl4/s320/IMG_9104.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Caroline, one of my new housemates. She's fabulous and a writer from Holland</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7xUqBrO3Fs5M5LCgCscgcw4fuQByBvGb3iGKHtSOFbu3Zjtv9GPngiWhlmR9rpF_1OC4lTwTWDr-doScNxeGrIGVVRabb4wDbjVuUH7EYo_KbiubDbSdk8Jp4-X_DfJfsa7fhoe-SB0/s1600/IMG_9113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7xUqBrO3Fs5M5LCgCscgcw4fuQByBvGb3iGKHtSOFbu3Zjtv9GPngiWhlmR9rpF_1OC4lTwTWDr-doScNxeGrIGVVRabb4wDbjVuUH7EYo_KbiubDbSdk8Jp4-X_DfJfsa7fhoe-SB0/s320/IMG_9113.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The village, looking fine, from the sea cliffs</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh and in other news, the fallout from Thorablot, was that someone (not one of the artists) decided to go onto the roof of the community centre and the police were called. Everyone got ratted and ate all the food, danced and had great fun. There's a mantra of 'What happens at Thorablot stays at Thorablot' going around. Glad I wasn't there in some ways!! Can't keep a secret to save my life. Seems that the after parties went on until the morning. I was tucked up in bed, having consumed 3 G&Ts. Sad old git.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tonight we are having a communal meal next door. I have made a giant veggie curry and Caroline and myself felt we should have a bottle of wine while cooking.... so that's gone. I am now far more appreciative of wine (or alcohol of any type) as it is very scarce. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am now going to have a little sleep in preparation for eating, drinking and being merry, in a hurricane....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have a lovely evening.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">Night</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">Bless bless,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">Aly x</span>Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-66804424916586636972017-02-04T15:36:00.000-08:002017-02-04T15:36:56.438-08:00It's Þorrablót<h1 class="firstHeading" id="firstHeading" lang="en" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-bottom-color: rgb(162, 169, 177); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-size: 1.8em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; overflow: visible; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Þorrablót</span></h1>
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Thorrablot was a sacrificial midwinter festival offered to the gods in pagan Iceland of the past. It was abolished during the Christianization of Iceland, but resurrected in the 19th century as a midwinter celebration that continues to be celebrated to this day. The timing for the festival coincides with the month of Thorri, according to the old Icelandic calendar, which begins on the first Friday after January 19th (the 13th week of winter). </div>
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Origins of the name "Thorri" are unclear but it is most likely derived from Norwegian king Thorri Snærsson, or Thor the God of Thunder in the old Nordic religion.</div>
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On this occasion, locals come together to eat, drink and be merry. Customary, the menu consists of unusual culinary delicacies, known as traditional Icelandic food. These will include rotten shark’s meat (hákarl), boiled sheep’s head, (svið) and congealed sheep’s blood wrapped in a ram’s stomach (blóðmör)! This is traditionally washed down with some Brennivin - also known as Black Death – a potent schnapps made from potato and caraway.</div>
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After the Thorrablot dinner traditional songs, games and story telling are accompanied by dancing and in true Icelandic style continue until the early hours of the morning! If you fail to receive a personal invitation to a family feast, local restaurants will often add Thorrablot colour and taste to their menus.</div>
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So there you have it. A Massive festival all over Iceland and not least in Skagaströnd, which is currently a ghost town. Any burglars, not at Thorrablot festivals would have a field day.</div>
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So what have I been up to this past 4 days...?</div>
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Walking, photographing, sleeping, eating chocolate, musing, sitting and eating chocolate would cover it.... Oh and sitting in hot pots at 41° while the sea crashes just over the wall - in the dark - in my birthday suit, watching amazing Aurora, wandering around basalt cliffs finding the detritus left by mink and arctic foxes, considering 'The Sublime' and whether I can move forward some work, which looks at this sometimes ambiguous idea in conjunction with digitally made images, straight out of the camera and not edited post production. I'm working on it.....</div>
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I heard that sometimes there are Polar bears in Iceland and thought it was a joke.</div>
<h2 class="unit__title" style="border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.222; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="cta" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.5rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: 1.16667; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Polar bear shot dead in Iceland</span></h2>
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<img alt="" class="byline__blog-journalist-photo" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68386000/jpg/_68386559_blog_paper_internet_radio.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; color: inherit; display: block; float: left; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; height: auto; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 12px 0px 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible; width: 112px;" /><span class="byline__name" style="border: 0px; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.875rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: 1.28571; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">By News from Elsewhere...</span><span class="byline__title" style="border: 0px; color: #5a5a5a; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.875rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: 1.28571; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">...as found by BBC Monitoring</span></div>
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18 July 2016</div>
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<figure class="media-landscape has-caption full-width lead" style="background-color: #111111; border: 0px; clear: both; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 32px -54.21875px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="image-and-copyright-container" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="File image of a polar bear" class="js-image-replace" data-highest-encountered-width="660" height="549" src="http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/6E20/production/_90429182_gettyimages-95003456.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; border: 0px; color: #bdbdbd; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; height: auto; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 645.78125px;" width="976" /><span class="off-screen" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; height: 1px !important; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1px !important;">Image copyright</span><span class="story-image-copyright" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6); border: 0px; bottom: 0px; color: #ececec; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.25px; line-height: 1.33333; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 8px 1px; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">AFP</span></span><figcaption class="media-caption" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; visibility: visible;"><span class="off-screen" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; height: 1px !important; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; vertical-align: baseline; width: 1px !important;">Image caption</span><span class="media-caption__text" style="border: 0px; color: #ececec; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8125rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: 1.23077; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Polar bears are a rare sight in Iceland, and a danger to locals and livestock</span></figcaption></figure><div class="story-body__introduction" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin-top: 28px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
"A female polar bear has been shot dead in northern Iceland, the first such incident of its kind since 2010.</div>
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The adolescent bear came within 500 metres of an inhabited farm before it was shot by a marksman, <a class="story-body__link-external" href="http://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/nature_and_travel/2016/07/17/polar_bear_shot_and_killed_in_north_iceland/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: inherit; line-height: 1.375; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Iceland Monitor newspaper</a> reported, with people in farms near the north-west town of Saudarkrokur told to stay indoors while the operation to kill the animal was underway. Egill Bjarnason, who was first to spot the bear, said he was in no doubt that it need to be killed immediately, as it was close to a farm where children had been playing. It's the first polar bear to be spotted in Iceland since 2010, while another two were shot and killed in the north-west in 2008."</div>
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I was in Saudarkrokur a couple of days ago.... Apparently the last one found was in Blonduos, which is 20 minutes away. Oh how exciting!!!! Also, Amanda, one of the other artists and myself had a lift to the Lighthouse with Arnar, one of the locals and he told us that there had been a polar bear sighted up there (quite a wilderness area) a couple of years ago...... When I went there today again, I was a bit concerned, so carried my tripod in front of me like a dalek, in case I ran into a bear.</div>
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I haven't made any more of my abstract images as it's really hard to get it right. Sometimes I delete 20 after thinking I'd got something good. So I've just been wandering and capturing what I see and what's inspiring about this place. Here's a selection of the last few days:</div>
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This is the light that comes out of nowhere, often when it's been dull and then from inside, you see a glow outside and this is the view.</div>
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And then the sea, always the sea....<br />
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The colour is astounding. Even when the sky is grey, the sea is aquamarine or very blue. It looks so clean, but in parts of the village, especially around the harbour, it's less than pristine, with a few fish guts thrown in.</div>
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Then there's the sky.</div>
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The last two were last night when I had the car and drove out to a dark place to see if the lights were up anywhere. I got lucky.</div>
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Last night, I was sitting here, listening to the ocean crashing over the wall on the left:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think I am in this one at the end of the hot pot</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah and Rhona, basking in 41°</td></tr>
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I have lots of others from my adventures with a car for 24 hours but they can wait, as I am actually tired and must go to bed. The weather is really oddly warm. It's about 6° and all the snow has gone. I think it's time for a snowstorm.... and a polar bear.</div>
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Sleep well,</div>
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Love,</div>
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Aly x</div>
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Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-12516832029123478042017-01-31T15:18:00.000-08:002017-01-31T15:18:45.701-08:00Happy Tuesday!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't believe it's now Tuesday and I haven't been in touch for 4 days...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been a funny old time. Sharing a house with someone for a month, you do get to know their good and bad points. (I am certainly not immune from this and I'm sure Sofia and Ell have tales to tell about my washing up freakery...at the very least)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, Ell left on Sunday and it certainly left a big Bostonian shaped hole in my heart. I've never had such animated and detailed discussions about the USA and have learned so much about a liberal 20 something's views on everything. I have learned about:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gun laws and why (it is perceived) that they won't work. Particularly as the Americans take their constitution so seriously and think that if the police/army have guns, then so should they. (Oh and also, all the gangs and drug lords have illegal weapons, so would still shoot each other all the time...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a significant mistrust of those in power and most Americans certainly didn't vote Trump. (50% didn't even vote) However, if my friend is correct - and I wouldn't dare doubt her - people totally didn't trust Hilary, so the opposition was negligible. (Echoes of Brexit, anyone??)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Boston has the most wonderful thing artistically, where galleries have a party once a month on a Friday (with lots of galleries that means a party a week!) This not only means that artists get great exposure and the chance to network, but that the shy ones (obviously not Ell...) get to get a bit tipsy whilst attempting to schmooze curators and gallery owners. The 'do's' include wine and food and performances of music, dance and other general exciting stuff.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I now know that all the American teen films about 'Spring Break' are watered down. The truth is far far worse.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most important thing I have learned from the first month is that a 50+ year old English (Northern English at that) woman with 2 kids and a totally different life experience, can learn from everyone and can have a beautiful friendship with a 23 year old, opinionated, (in the best sense of the word) bright, beautiful, talented amazing artist from Boston MA. Watch out for Eleanor Mary Cepko. I believe she will be exhibiting in the MOMA within the next few years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, enough of the sycophancy. I'll pay you later Ell!!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EmjHkm7XrO5gNvZpYLUVo_LnqF9tK8hBgTuv1U-Kk5VWN0ShMT3VPrDy6FZjmUw2RJHXZ5hbrQshN-E9kj2fqww3-Lo1CVcnLLZ_169N2JDlZY34Isri3-YB1aIWMMwriirEUzMCCto/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_17e6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EmjHkm7XrO5gNvZpYLUVo_LnqF9tK8hBgTuv1U-Kk5VWN0ShMT3VPrDy6FZjmUw2RJHXZ5hbrQshN-E9kj2fqww3-Lo1CVcnLLZ_169N2JDlZY34Isri3-YB1aIWMMwriirEUzMCCto/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_17e6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, that was Sunday. I then moped around for the next 2 days, being a bit pathetic but loving having the place to myself. I cleaned from top to bottom (not difficult as it's a bungalow) and enjoyed a clean sink and washing up done as soon as made. I have the very annoying habit at home of washing up before sitting down to eat sometimes.... (OCD??)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't realise that the official cleaner was coming yesterday, so I made her job a lot easier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found an amazing rubbish tip, which reminded me of the rubbish dump on the Store field at Whitehill Road when I was growing up. I also remember that the children's home around the block would often chuck things away which were not needed, or the batteries had run out and I would go and take them. I remembered the time I found some Walkie Talkie phone (with a wire obviously....) and they only needed batteries. We played with them for ages until the street thief nicked them. anyway I digress. The thing that reminded me of that time was this:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6PT5vP_-3fK25ptOc0mcImfFCBrfg7GlT_XPlThaQR2GvptxAzjxJiM2yeYuKXmBv7332RT2uULugWCSQ1rPEqxF__kqOD7JOc_kthwNx4Fyu1_WneV96tRDyS_FT_ujvYLuWncjwZA/s1600/DSC_4761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6PT5vP_-3fK25ptOc0mcImfFCBrfg7GlT_XPlThaQR2GvptxAzjxJiM2yeYuKXmBv7332RT2uULugWCSQ1rPEqxF__kqOD7JOc_kthwNx4Fyu1_WneV96tRDyS_FT_ujvYLuWncjwZA/s320/DSC_4761.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It just looked so forlorn. A bit like how I was feeling.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nTSfp1mB8680dGi1QtnT2o5idKNUiXMcd59uncZI8l_GWOKZTUqQL83sTobHgw7S6JAUT37oOp9_TJ_lQJ6FiKrodHY-kMldL7vo4aLnW7BXsTKMV-9W98hIDGvG253ooX1Viwwor4I/s1600/DSC_4752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nTSfp1mB8680dGi1QtnT2o5idKNUiXMcd59uncZI8l_GWOKZTUqQL83sTobHgw7S6JAUT37oOp9_TJ_lQJ6FiKrodHY-kMldL7vo4aLnW7BXsTKMV-9W98hIDGvG253ooX1Viwwor4I/s320/DSC_4752.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">discarded nets</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lvwIfhn5TLtl6e1SumhfkX-paaZH0tmLRV5daPps3YVd7FjF5XmFvbWSR6AGzuP6bxGbzOwZUE_8Bpj3MHzLdhefqCfHeTCR5HF4lBZ3QUvvqvZvNKGHiJMnZWs1EVoecZM8BAiVpjg/s1600/DSC_4759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lvwIfhn5TLtl6e1SumhfkX-paaZH0tmLRV5daPps3YVd7FjF5XmFvbWSR6AGzuP6bxGbzOwZUE_8Bpj3MHzLdhefqCfHeTCR5HF4lBZ3QUvvqvZvNKGHiJMnZWs1EVoecZM8BAiVpjg/s320/DSC_4759.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No idea about this lot. There was assorts of stuff. No tellies or fridges though, which is what you find thrown away in the UK.<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also found this amazing shed, which is quite a way from the sea, but had bits of seaweed tangled in its door. It could be the wind blowing it about, but this also looks very forlorn.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW26gzgPm_FHPk4gICBNjADTyf-JxZFmno-KOkvNeMPzpiqc3UeAwdL4L8vn1CXpDP_G1c03ZilJur8O66OyyBMi5VD_AfrEVazYJuLeHe-O_mb6mnNmvMZsn0Px7X7q7J6Eajf2u7110/s1600/DSC_4750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW26gzgPm_FHPk4gICBNjADTyf-JxZFmno-KOkvNeMPzpiqc3UeAwdL4L8vn1CXpDP_G1c03ZilJur8O66OyyBMi5VD_AfrEVazYJuLeHe-O_mb6mnNmvMZsn0Px7X7q7J6Eajf2u7110/s320/DSC_4750.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48L2xJ6zIkiXbsk5QMWy9WTWVeizqui9QBc77NuZXkxAvnIGb3r5t-tw3_vEGu5ZAphM8wqlapYnvN7FxjFkPjwuhf2LIItgbf2NQtKEavxToAYZ1NTBQc5PHVLZNRtQ2hsMdHEccNu4/s1600/DSC_4751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48L2xJ6zIkiXbsk5QMWy9WTWVeizqui9QBc77NuZXkxAvnIGb3r5t-tw3_vEGu5ZAphM8wqlapYnvN7FxjFkPjwuhf2LIItgbf2NQtKEavxToAYZ1NTBQc5PHVLZNRtQ2hsMdHEccNu4/s320/DSC_4751.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So to today. The snow is completely gone now. It's quite warm outside - for Iceland. I took my hat off today and went without gloves for at least half an hour. Seriously though, all the locals are saying how unseasonably warm it is, but that the winter will start in February. That's tomorrow then. Better get the Long Johns out again. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpqTZ1AbY5SLHH9u3mbZiCqmudGNqSOnFN5hwvvFGJWVkufQLl0o91mFIhho_VxAHuxmIE7-LDsVLxglX5_8C223c3xa_v-WL8KPg9Z8zIb7458V834Dh8aUMqiJziB9G6o3tK0nmhIA/s1600/DSC_4653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpqTZ1AbY5SLHH9u3mbZiCqmudGNqSOnFN5hwvvFGJWVkufQLl0o91mFIhho_VxAHuxmIE7-LDsVLxglX5_8C223c3xa_v-WL8KPg9Z8zIb7458V834Dh8aUMqiJziB9G6o3tK0nmhIA/s320/DSC_4653.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the ice which comes down the valley and runs into the sea just along from the studio. Last time I was here it was walkable on. Now it's all cracked up and floating to the sea. You can't tell the scale from the photograph, but some of these were about 7 feet long. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not sleeping very well. Could be because of the vast amounts of coffee I'm drinking, but I generally stay in the studio until between 10.30 and midnight, then go home hoping to sleep. Last night I went to bed at 12 and was still wide awake at 4am. Then slept until 6 and back to sleep again until mid day. I can't seem to get into any kind of routine. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I forget to tell you that I saw the most amazing aurora the other night but didn't have my tripod as I'd left it at the studio... I stood on our porch and tried to hold the camera steady. Luckily, the lights were so bright, that I didn't need a long exposure:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8K-gNi4Grt6Et_3YUJ-VRquB_BWrdGrR8s2VZL8j_p8Oy4naC0ZEGzK-qO5eBxoPXMEX-uOn2GknVH1xwuekWdDSzLWDk4t-q8S6fxAmMvNyv0lVxifTylD-fitz1iaO4dnSOt1UiKog/s1600/DSC_5100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8K-gNi4Grt6Et_3YUJ-VRquB_BWrdGrR8s2VZL8j_p8Oy4naC0ZEGzK-qO5eBxoPXMEX-uOn2GknVH1xwuekWdDSzLWDk4t-q8S6fxAmMvNyv0lVxifTylD-fitz1iaO4dnSOt1UiKog/s320/DSC_5100.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this one. It's like an angels wings</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsa6M3JEWYwUqlby3N8pkxbxu7Lu1G9RE_D07vwzquLRPYgB1Ff6XLT10pCW3auR8zomQiK1S91929hg4cFRi6AwViVj0yESOS1zG4ROvLIg3Xu-w38hTCJvdRy-hhKhLlC9jgdhF1Fk/s1600/DSC_5102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsa6M3JEWYwUqlby3N8pkxbxu7Lu1G9RE_D07vwzquLRPYgB1Ff6XLT10pCW3auR8zomQiK1S91929hg4cFRi6AwViVj0yESOS1zG4ROvLIg3Xu-w38hTCJvdRy-hhKhLlC9jgdhF1Fk/s320/DSC_5102.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmQET9k8_afw_-Wq5clKa-c253T7LsYhaYMXF-L71g9jVwjwvoVJx3-3r2qPL0CEc-1cgtf8ssU4GwQZV5rzdD9cq13C8NUirR9uqRlQOljbnZk8NVInmq8HTa0HbQbBt-xL0N3ikTbo/s1600/DSC_5116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmQET9k8_afw_-Wq5clKa-c253T7LsYhaYMXF-L71g9jVwjwvoVJx3-3r2qPL0CEc-1cgtf8ssU4GwQZV5rzdD9cq13C8NUirR9uqRlQOljbnZk8NVInmq8HTa0HbQbBt-xL0N3ikTbo/s320/DSC_5116.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So today, I wanted to enjoy the 'me' time a little more so went to the cliffs. This is becoming my 'South Shields' here in Iceland. I spent time just sitting watching the waves crashing in and made some nice pictures. I miss everyone at home. I'm missing Steve and the kids so much. (and the dogs) Today has been the worst so far. I am also missing my Tuesday nights so very much with my best friend, and she's ill, so I would have loved to be there with her tonight. I've been sending the most positive vibes I can muster, but I think the fog and rain in the UK is preventing them getting through. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's my offering from today:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienK3grPhQwVgeftVfmcLg7oZ24n123NZWIWBzUC7-bM1arzfOCpwC6VIq0z4B90sqTO5InGlT9493DzrXUbYl5XsL8LgUx07oj1i5RnBWVcu1CmjFtAvWXsPR2t8vC1CNe69f4o6Wyoc/s1600/DSC_5129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienK3grPhQwVgeftVfmcLg7oZ24n123NZWIWBzUC7-bM1arzfOCpwC6VIq0z4B90sqTO5InGlT9493DzrXUbYl5XsL8LgUx07oj1i5RnBWVcu1CmjFtAvWXsPR2t8vC1CNe69f4o6Wyoc/s320/DSC_5129.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6a08WjbUqfEU6dfPrVQl1m2Nj_1GwLH6ZfGgx0TJCHv7H9xykacM2odN2oUVDGBVuaAtXCXJgMx66HHNVob7TuMSHh0-_v_c_npPZbdPohS-xxxDKs1yze884KAEKdnh5raKtS0BGWF8/s1600/DSC_5134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6a08WjbUqfEU6dfPrVQl1m2Nj_1GwLH6ZfGgx0TJCHv7H9xykacM2odN2oUVDGBVuaAtXCXJgMx66HHNVob7TuMSHh0-_v_c_npPZbdPohS-xxxDKs1yze884KAEKdnh5raKtS0BGWF8/s320/DSC_5134.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4owVei9rYRHncCWqiF5mOh5vAJcGbJWXmYrsYYiBVRbCX6vyI_Vb4Sk08Oru2VE57roE_L7IgAk6Dif-hsFvF_yW459c2z7Hrl5x397zp4U2Tmyc8g3_95jMZ5XbxVHKS0CquYxdSXYU/s1600/DSC_5153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4owVei9rYRHncCWqiF5mOh5vAJcGbJWXmYrsYYiBVRbCX6vyI_Vb4Sk08Oru2VE57roE_L7IgAk6Dif-hsFvF_yW459c2z7Hrl5x397zp4U2Tmyc8g3_95jMZ5XbxVHKS0CquYxdSXYU/s320/DSC_5153.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOgw0hrGoamzha4-msG8-MR4F3FKcjvCt_hn2E5kgC4cjTVypalax_k_ptIpB8fSUgUa2IS0hzcJyfOGGjmmNV6vu_Lkl47flZeLNUSjRRJfDUmUgtdZ788Kb0QPyeA8PZvW_c2hoPd0/s1600/DSC_5179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQOgw0hrGoamzha4-msG8-MR4F3FKcjvCt_hn2E5kgC4cjTVypalax_k_ptIpB8fSUgUa2IS0hzcJyfOGGjmmNV6vu_Lkl47flZeLNUSjRRJfDUmUgtdZ788Kb0QPyeA8PZvW_c2hoPd0/s320/DSC_5179.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And my two favourites:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dcfmJuEvDZQsspztEvgOff2qqNz7X6yZIZTQY5cE_ynNSMNS8MH_9rAY0bUWjm0C9O8WWdclf09txG-9fODJSKyC4XVue676tPDQz43RBKaFHWpZj_ESQehv4Ae7R9wTxwHrik0yF38/s1600/DSC_5132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3dcfmJuEvDZQsspztEvgOff2qqNz7X6yZIZTQY5cE_ynNSMNS8MH_9rAY0bUWjm0C9O8WWdclf09txG-9fODJSKyC4XVue676tPDQz43RBKaFHWpZj_ESQehv4Ae7R9wTxwHrik0yF38/s320/DSC_5132.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkg0MnNofqS_7vJbUE3fI1uCba2CFv9KBhyphenhyphenW-ClpUhDhhjh8p6ni3wS8M7u3HLJBdgsuA53GmsnqlP12r2Mq2vn5THj4rEiw3lAkw5OE3pXLZamwYaBXIvS_32EGSOHUgrDBkjG4xnT0/s1600/DSC_5136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkg0MnNofqS_7vJbUE3fI1uCba2CFv9KBhyphenhyphenW-ClpUhDhhjh8p6ni3wS8M7u3HLJBdgsuA53GmsnqlP12r2Mq2vn5THj4rEiw3lAkw5OE3pXLZamwYaBXIvS_32EGSOHUgrDBkjG4xnT0/s320/DSC_5136.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This goes out to anyone feeling a bit forlorn. (three forlorns in one blog - serious stuff) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Especially to Rachael Pinks, my brilliant Chris, Steve, Lizzie (especially massive hug coming your way) and the amazing Matthew Danger Jackson. Send me some positive thoughts as I'm feeling sorry for myself. I'm sure I'll be back to me tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love,</span></div>
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Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-70924653052669205602017-01-27T13:10:00.001-08:002017-01-27T13:10:32.922-08:00It's all coming together now. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wednesday:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Good Afternoon on the most stunningly beautiful Icelandic sunny day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It truly felt like spring as I walked to and from the studio with no gloves.... yes, this may seem a small and unimportant detail in the big scheme of things, but it's the first time since I arrived that I haven't been out in thermals, hat, scarf, gloves, boots and with my hood up!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUEBtoCV_4tZuoif0ZRbglhEhOOITbFVMoSXvYMKc4sOciQoBi-f-bgnkEWv6b4FUC-wp74WYq4e9IGqly_aePlLO1zJOoslOuTwqNvmOi8PK4IL6T0INKMaDmEiw44itTrIPGYIxzXG0/s1600/IMG_8843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUEBtoCV_4tZuoif0ZRbglhEhOOITbFVMoSXvYMKc4sOciQoBi-f-bgnkEWv6b4FUC-wp74WYq4e9IGqly_aePlLO1zJOoslOuTwqNvmOi8PK4IL6T0INKMaDmEiw44itTrIPGYIxzXG0/s320/IMG_8843.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">last bit of sun today on the beach</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had a lovely lunchtime with 2 girls from the local school who are looking at some photography techniques over the next couple of weeks with me. After my dismal efforts at pronouncing their names (which I failed..) we decided to work on painting with light. They got the concept and method so quickly and were making images within half an hour of our initial discussion. I'll put them on here once I've asked for permission.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have spent the rest of the day walking and making abstract pieces using only my camera. I am trying to get it 'right' in camera so I am reducing and reducing the editing time. For both purist and aesthetic reasons. I'm not there yet, but I am happy with around 5 of those I made. Here's a couple. The only editing is exposure and crop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I really like these and would love to see them printed big. There's so much detail to bring out. Quite interesting to paint as well - if I could paint...! They are much compressed, but you can see the possibilities. Comments more than welcome...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Friday:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's jumped to Friday and I am just about recovering from too many wines.... Having hardly had anything to drink since arriving, the assault on my body, my mind and to be honest, every fibre of my being of alcohol by the truckload, has had, shall we say, a detrimental effect. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Firstly, yesterday began as a bright and beautiful day for walking. The mountain was glorious with a cotton wool halo moving around for most of the day on its head. Some artists walked virtually to the top, but alas, the ice was too slippery as they got above the snow level. I wandered for hours along the coast, trying to replicate the feel of the image above. I decided that the only one worth having is the third one. The others are not good enough. I wanted to recreate the detail, subtlety and complexity of it and that's what I walked and photographed for 4 hours. I got maybe 2 images I was happy with, but none that I feel matched this one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These are the best abstracts straight from camera yesterday:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These are just from my phone to give an idea of how idyllic it was yesterday.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQN_bFHmmiqjfVEps4f14v5Cjoi38TP-Sv6P7k5vgL7WeSGK4Yj65rL-LDwLvM1Ygg1InLOY3M8cdkGtKE2VFXWhqo6cNUFmvz7xRit7U5TN7MhY7-70mtLFTO3q-kLdfFqX0iPAyOPdI/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_177f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQN_bFHmmiqjfVEps4f14v5Cjoi38TP-Sv6P7k5vgL7WeSGK4Yj65rL-LDwLvM1Ygg1InLOY3M8cdkGtKE2VFXWhqo6cNUFmvz7xRit7U5TN7MhY7-70mtLFTO3q-kLdfFqX0iPAyOPdI/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_177f.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then last night happened......</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At 6pm I had a message that the aurora were out and they were amazing!! Really bright and not what the prediction said at all. I didn't have my tripod, but quickly grabbed a few hand held shots. This was one of those occasions where just watching them was enough. This is a picture from the back of my camera. It shows how bright they were.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Toti, the local (and only) restaurant/bar owner did a fish and vegetarian buffet for a group of around 10 of us. It started quite nicely around 7pm and the food was exceptional. For Iceland, the price of around £17 per head was very reasonable, but as we had to then pay for wine/alcohol on top of that, I thought I would be measured, careful and mature.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wasn't.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can't even begin to own up/work out how much it cost, but for those of you who know me well, imagine how many wines I can consume over a long evening or at a party, then throw in a few more for fun and then add into the equation the fact that I hadn't been drinking for most of January. So once you have this number in your head - of glasses - times it by 7, and that's the number of pounds..... Suffice to say I have suffered all day, even after drinking gallons of water once home and lying on the kitchen floor unable to move. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The highlights were:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sophie's singing (on her birthday!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Me beating the local Neo-Nazi (self declared) at pool (I didn't know this when I agreed to play)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">having amazing conversations with weird and wonderful people</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">hearing someone sing karaoke who had backed BB King and Stevie Wonder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">meeting a Scandinavian running an artist residency in upstate New York</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">spending good quality time with some fabulous artists</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">Walking back along the coast, freezing but happy</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gives new meaning to the old insult 'specky 4 eyes'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbTHREnBgZdePQrLUR7AkY8cYd7bRjVQ7gC_GwBqyLKRyzbg6UfIVNq4GtN7jModgELworXbkO7tHHBINieccKtWH5B5gCf5dnkiYlllhzJwWVCzzpvHrLWAzUSl6rBN_SqgIq909HlA/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_179d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbTHREnBgZdePQrLUR7AkY8cYd7bRjVQ7gC_GwBqyLKRyzbg6UfIVNq4GtN7jModgELworXbkO7tHHBINieccKtWH5B5gCf5dnkiYlllhzJwWVCzzpvHrLWAzUSl6rBN_SqgIq909HlA/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_179d.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wonderful Michael and Sophie. It was Sophie's birthday today</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4hJreUoTBs-cVhu10aS-7MK5cAkz2IfqH3WCbnAUO37Q2PaSMX9BhUMCSJYEALQcSFq_E6yROP3F43V4XWw51UiIz7MuZMXLJembUNsATS4LYnltk664x5CG6raP-W2UeFcRrni4VBQ/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_1792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4hJreUoTBs-cVhu10aS-7MK5cAkz2IfqH3WCbnAUO37Q2PaSMX9BhUMCSJYEALQcSFq_E6yROP3F43V4XWw51UiIz7MuZMXLJembUNsATS4LYnltk664x5CG6raP-W2UeFcRrni4VBQ/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_1792.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luccia beautiful and amazing Slovakian artist and me before I was palatic (as they say up home)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">It's always good to know that someone else is at least as bad as you....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">Introducing: Eleanor, room mate extraordinaire. Bostonian, minimalist, liberal, funny, mad, cat lady and all round good egg. Can't believe she's leaving Sunday....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today is another day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I will leave this here I think. Tomorrow we have Open House, which is an informal exhibition of work in progress. I can't put anything up as the ink and paper I ordered hasn't arrived yet. I'll probably project some images and just chat to people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank you for reading. Just as a ps, I'd like to add that drinking copious amounts of alcohol, also creates bad food cravings, and after being really good and eating healthily, so far today I have consumed:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3 slices toast with 3 eggs, avocado and feta cheese (with the mould cut off...)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5 cups of coffee</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5 cups of tea</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 massive bars of Milk Creme Caramel</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 large fries from the garage</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 bottle of tango</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and I'm not finished yet...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sleep well,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aly x</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-20346627759983141522017-01-24T13:51:00.000-08:002017-01-24T13:51:14.025-08:00Happy Tuesday!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Good Evening,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the grand tradition of the British, I will start by talking about the weather. It is miserable. Dull, rainy and snowless. This is not what people expect of Iceland. I'm not sure that I will have a very interesting blog today as nothing very much has happened these past couple of days. Much of it has been taken up with sleeping, walking back and forth between the studio and home and messing around with mono prints - none of which have yet led to any decent layered images. I have been photographing these in monochrome and will hopefully include them in something, not sure what yet. They are all based on what I have seen/am seeing around me, with a bit of artistic licence in the colours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After my jaunt up the mountain I ached so much the next day and today that I had a full body inspection in the tiny mirror at the house. I found a massive bruise on my leg and back so at least now I understand why I kept hitting pressure points when I was trying to sleep. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of the housemates (sounds like Big brother...) decided to leave early and went today. I feel that this may alleviate some tension and enable me to get on with things a little more. It's always difficult when there is any type of conflict. Anyway, tomorrow is another day....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am really looking forward to working with three students tomorrow who are able to access the artists at nes rather than do other school subjects for one lesson a week. I am working with them for a couple of weeks and am hoping to complete a short light painting project with them. If the weather holds, we can practice in the freezer tomorrow and then go onto the beach next week, armed with home made light sabres. I made one today to practice with , out of some old battery Christmas lights and coloured plastic. It is a truly beautiful thing...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You may mock, but look what it made....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Really looking forward to experimenting and getting the girls to make their own wands, ideally with the lights a bit closer together, then going out onto the beach, or even better, into the snow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had a fabulous trip to the lighthouse up the coast, thanks to Arnar and was able to make some great images. It was a bit like a horror movie for parts of it though as apparently mink and Arctic foxes are rife up there and we found a number of half eaten birds. Bypass the following couple of photos if you're squeamish...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZcO6ab2ui5wfULUAKG304DrRQa57Bs-yPdQQPtmFUMya1TQ3RtTklzyS6Hi6AEG5XOCgNTN1JyHwL8SUWtwn3oKwQDKOHFrdS9BtoGDXyvie3_AM2Da_WD0bbyJIxdYbQ1KfF_AvJfs/s1600/DSC_4530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZcO6ab2ui5wfULUAKG304DrRQa57Bs-yPdQQPtmFUMya1TQ3RtTklzyS6Hi6AEG5XOCgNTN1JyHwL8SUWtwn3oKwQDKOHFrdS9BtoGDXyvie3_AM2Da_WD0bbyJIxdYbQ1KfF_AvJfs/s320/DSC_4530.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of around 5 'wings only' remains</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of again, around 5 gored birds</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was very isolated and windy up there - no one around and could have easily been the set for some murder mystery crime thingy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I did also make some lovely black and white shiny ones....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: start;">The lighthou<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">se at Kalfshamarsvik, near Skagaströnd </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh, and the obligatory seal. Very friendly he was too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the way we were treated to a waterfall which is not visible from the road. It was so powerful, rushing into the sea. The only way to get a front on shot is to be in a boat as the coastline is inaccessible. It's difficult to get a scale from this, but the image of Amanda and Arnar in the foreground of the image after the waterfall gives an idea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am so very tired tonight, so am leaving the studio soon and getting an early night. sorry for the short blog, but I don't want to have too big a gap again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Night</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aly</span>Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-40568973128507339672017-01-22T14:02:00.000-08:002017-01-22T14:02:12.099-08:00Greetings on a 'warm' sunday evening in skagaströnd.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Hello again from the desk at the far end of the studio, at the far end of the village.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's become much warmer in Iceland over the past few days and all the snow has melted. Considering we were sitting in a hot bath with outside temperatures at -17 eight days ago, it's very odd. Today has been around 6° and there is vegetation appearing </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">from under it's icy blanket which</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is green and yellow . I didn't see anything like it last time I was here as the ground was constantly covered in snow as I remember.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been sleeping an enormous amount. I usually have between 6 and 8 hours at home but here, it's never less than 9. I'm not sure if that will change as the mornings become lighter, but it's a strange phenomenon to wake up at 9 am, nip to the loo and go back to fast asleep for a couple of hours. The sleeping patterns on an artists residency are weird anyway, with many night creatures doing their arty thing until 4am....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So to the last couple of days. I have slept, walked, fallen down, had a G&T, got half price sweets from the garage and been on a short trip to the elusive lighthouse. But, first. These were taken 2 days ago in the snow.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The walk back to Manabraut</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very calm sea and twinkling harbour</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea Cliffs about 10 minutes walk from the house</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">masses of seaweed, which Eleanor tried and found disgusting to eat</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The water is so clear and tempting, but freezing..... One of the artists, Sophie really wants to swim, but I'm not sure I have the bottle. Apparently there's a monthly sea swimming club...Hmmm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sunrises and sunsets are usually stunning. It's almost expected and I have become somewhat blasé about it. Well actually, no. I still get really excited and say 'eeeeee it's brilliant' in a higher voice than my usual one. But hey, I make no apology for gorgeous natural beauty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday I set out early (11am) for a walk to the valley between Spákonufell</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (our mountain) and some other less wonderful mountains. I had already wandered around this area a little bit before but hadn't discovered the valley, the river, the waterfall and the trail up </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spákonufell</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> .. I had stupidly decided to carry my camera bag with a massive extra lens, my tripod and a load of other stuff 'just in case'. Interestingly I forgot to bring any water and was so dehydrated by the time I came off the mountain that I was prepared to climb down the side of a gorge to get some from the stream - that was after actually trying the door on a house to use their tap..... (which I discovered later is a hireable venue for partying in isolation of anyone or anything). Anyway, back to the story....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the river running through a wonderful valley about 45 minutes from the village </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High up, looking into the gorge</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was down this gorge that the first 'happening' happened. I was setting up the camera ready for a artsy moving water shot when my bloody lens cap popped off and rolled down the rocks towards the water. My first thought was that I can do without a lens cap and that I shouldn't do anything stupid. I could always get another one. My second thought was: Take a photo of where it landed, then walk around and down to the gorge to retrieve it using the photo for reference (I knew I'd have to go around 200m to get down safely). This was the decided plan of action. I carefully left my camera bag and tripod on a rock and started down the ice covered and somewhat precarious side of the gorge - knowing that the features in the photograph would become my beacons for finding the precious Nikon cap. I managed to get to within around 30m of the spot and realised I'd taken the 'siting photograph' with my Nikon and not my phone. The Nikon was at the top of the gorge...... The next thing I did was to record a little 'sorry' video on my phone just in case I fell into the icy water and got carried away into the sea, never to be seen again. I was just about to go back up lenscapless, when I spotted it sitting there mocking me. Hooray!!! I felt a rush of happiness and satisfaction. Pathetic, I know. This is 'said' gorge:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAJBODFDxqg7DbY_vo77kmkY808KmbKS0-TzrTmhjIAILR1jP5x2yiIWu71sbP_k9m0EwYCSdWJSBxNxnNjnU4H_UgYizCtw_L3iD_KwWcb51xQ_heT6F9GpehZm15oxyhbscOcmLr78/s1600/IMG_8776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAJBODFDxqg7DbY_vo77kmkY808KmbKS0-TzrTmhjIAILR1jP5x2yiIWu71sbP_k9m0EwYCSdWJSBxNxnNjnU4H_UgYizCtw_L3iD_KwWcb51xQ_heT6F9GpehZm15oxyhbscOcmLr78/s320/IMG_8776.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very gorgeous it is too (See what I did there?) (tired now..!)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fe-xaaP_SPfOHz0PXY5hbDaxZDRIf9P3xi_guiKvT2x86ld7hyphenhyphenlg84boeJq2YubyiUj9j3UlusT3leE9rVjoAYRQNosNLCEeOXvOXdK7-k2zpb3ae-Och1S-9dWfbGOj05k8Kvv0OLg/s1600/IMG_8781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fe-xaaP_SPfOHz0PXY5hbDaxZDRIf9P3xi_guiKvT2x86ld7hyphenhyphenlg84boeJq2YubyiUj9j3UlusT3leE9rVjoAYRQNosNLCEeOXvOXdK7-k2zpb3ae-Och1S-9dWfbGOj05k8Kvv0OLg/s320/IMG_8781.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking up to <span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Spákonufell </span> summit</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> After the euphoria of finding my lens cap, I decided to climb the mountain. There was some snow still on top and it was relatively wind free when I set out. I didn't have a map, compass, water, walking boots, a head torch, whistle or any food of any kind. I'd had a coffee before setting out but realised that this probably wouldn't suffice for what was to become a 5 hour jaunt with no water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ah well, I was always within site of the village and I'm sure my green parka would have shown up on the mountainside if I'd got into any trouble, particularly against the - greenish vegetation.......</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve and the kids are now at this point thinking I was reckless and taking stupid risks, but I wasn't, promise gov. It's artistic licence, that's all.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKFXzcl7cydk_fj9vqdaB4BSenToPXJRCCJ0hpZaNLg9yt05FJ4az_bWPeL3RvHkgNVlaQQGoBuUEpQJZJQDV8kkeKRXQpCvIePMnw8AoVZGsQdEEQhxEdFU6nPadB9rfyIX1m_pcwG0/s1600/IMG_8769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKFXzcl7cydk_fj9vqdaB4BSenToPXJRCCJ0hpZaNLg9yt05FJ4az_bWPeL3RvHkgNVlaQQGoBuUEpQJZJQDV8kkeKRXQpCvIePMnw8AoVZGsQdEEQhxEdFU6nPadB9rfyIX1m_pcwG0/s320/IMG_8769.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me about half way up and having decided that I wasn't fully equipped to go to the top. Plus having just gotten over bronchitis, I felt a bit ill.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After this lovely sit down on the side of the mountain, I got up full of life and decided to try a few more steps up. Well I got to the scree and had in my sights the first 'false summit' (Helen Reed will </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">totally </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">get this), but alas, in the words of the Mighty Bruce Springsteen himself, I took '</span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One step up and two steps back'. </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was slipping down and couldn't get any grip - plus there was a distinct possibility that anyone below me (absolutely not a soul in sight all day...) would get bopped on the head by a big stone. So I decided that I had to come down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easier said than done. I found this fabulous strip of ice/snow, about 50m long and decided that the safest and most efficient way to get down would be to slide. I had even brought a carrier bag for this specific purpose - who needs a sledge who you have a carrier bag? Anyway, I got myself settled on the bag - my camera bag on my back, my feet out in front and my precious iPhone 7+ in my hand, ready to ride the exciting, dynamic ice path down the mountain. My phone was so excited, it decided to go without me - in video mode. I did capture it's journey, and it survived but for a few scratches. It's on my Facebook page if you want to see it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I also fell down a few times on the 'ride' back down, but it was worth it for the look on the Icelandic ponies faces....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found an iced up river and some pylons on my walk back to civilisation, where I rewarded myself with a large G&T.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQ9ujNOgGR1dVzvU7qetfp8UfmjXdoFduZ7iXlm_6OMgDtPk2i_BLSqjcVKDyHyhW2KMGQWYmNHdGwPYycvflySWnc3yHTarGoLYiuZTHhB22lCdUxtjefARkjYVv2e61Zl64vL447J8/s1600/DSC_4480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQ9ujNOgGR1dVzvU7qetfp8UfmjXdoFduZ7iXlm_6OMgDtPk2i_BLSqjcVKDyHyhW2KMGQWYmNHdGwPYycvflySWnc3yHTarGoLYiuZTHhB22lCdUxtjefARkjYVv2e61Zl64vL447J8/s320/DSC_4480.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">very icy river</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVo85KGq_FioJ8eapSc3sIS4Hnqe5-CG6h0nA-rlNYaxf2FWRZ_Sq-FxCRBta5sbpZMZFUbP3YypkY1Bo3a0aaPrIenX1AJYxlgpky3l-snVPeyC5Kz465s2DIrbtP6gAnqK3eu6BgsjI/s1600/IMG_8789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVo85KGq_FioJ8eapSc3sIS4Hnqe5-CG6h0nA-rlNYaxf2FWRZ_Sq-FxCRBta5sbpZMZFUbP3YypkY1Bo3a0aaPrIenX1AJYxlgpky3l-snVPeyC5Kz465s2DIrbtP6gAnqK3eu6BgsjI/s320/IMG_8789.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">very interesting pylons</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More exciting stuff today, including falling over in the bathroom this morning.... but you can wait for that. I have been messing with making 'Toytown' images of the village, These are from the sea cliffs. I will speak to you tomorrow, (possibly!) but until then, sleep well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Night night,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aly x</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-60634260068121418512017-01-19T15:01:00.000-08:002017-01-19T15:01:32.791-08:00Cold and calm in Skagaströnd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's Thursday at 21.48 as I begin todays offering. I have been in the studio since around 3.30 after a long walk on the cliffs in virtually zero wind - which is unheard of in Skagaströnd.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wanted to put a few more of the images from the trip up and to get back into some kind of routine regarding the blog, as it helps me to structure my days and end each one with a bit of reflection. The first 4 images are from the trip to Myvatn, the volcanic area where we went swimming in -18°. The moon was so bright and although we didn't get any aurora, the brightness and clarity of the air was stunning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Staying in a wooden cabin</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, we were hoping for clear skies and northern lights, but alas we had to be content with moonshine and wine (still some left over from the previous vinbudin trip).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The visit to the Westfjords was equally wonderful, if different. This is an area of Iceland which has difficult driving all year round, going there in the winter is often impossible so we were checking and re checking the forecasts every 5 minutes. We had a plan, we had booked a hotel and the car had studded tyres, however, we realised very quickly (well, after about 4 hours driving and seemingly going round and round fjord after fjord) that we were not going to make it to <span style="border: 0px; color: #4f4f4f; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">Ísafjörður<span style="background-color: white;">....</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #4f4f4f;">Looking at the 2 maps, in the first one, the marker is where we expected to get to within around 4 hours. (the journey started in Skagaströnd, on the western side of the far right peninsula on the map). Where we actually got to in many more than 4 hours, was Drangnes, which is on the eastern side of the Westfjords. It looks like a hop and a skip away, but it took ages and the wind was horrendous.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The experience of feeling that the car was moving with the wind was a bit frightening, but I was so excited! This is a bit of video of the wind whistling past the car, with the light from the sun coming through. If the video is not visible, it is on my instagram 'Alyson Jackson'. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> We had the most amazing experience of sitting in a hotpot on the edge of the sea, with the waves crashing in and the wind whistling around our heads. The pot was 41° and it was total bliss.... The first 2 images are to show what it looks like in the summer... The 3rd one is the lovely Sophie, a brilliant writer from Dublin, testing out the warmth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> When we got back from the trip, I felt tired and drained, not least because there had been some bad tension, but I also felt invigorated to get on and make some art. After a day to get my back sorted out and catch up on lost sleep, I made a number of mono prints which I know will form the basis of some layered work. I also managed to get some good walking in and made some nice images. These are a few of the mono prints:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last one is an impression of the lighthouse which we made a massive effort to get to the night before the car had to go back, but we were totally thwarted by the wind.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Collaborative piece made in anger but it's all ok now....</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The scary road to the Lighthouse, which was 30km along a dirt road. The wind was too strong to get out of the car</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, as I've said, I have had much to think about and be concerned about, both at home and here and it has really prevented me from getting into any kind of routine or 'groove' in terms of making work. Yesterday was better, lots of conversations and the healing of time, so as the evening wore on I was already feeling better, both physically and mentally. Then, to confirm that the universe has ways of just turning things around, this happened!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stunning Level 5 of 9 aurora show. It was extremely windy, so the positive is that they were moving and dancing like mad, the downside is that it's so difficult to get perfect focus. This was around 2am so I eventually went to bed at 3.30am.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I awoke at 10.30, it was still quite dark and so I managed to drag myself up and get clothed in many layers! I went for another walk around the cliffs and the wind was gone - totally gone. It was silent but for the birds and I loved it. I fell over a few times as it's difficult to see where the gaps are and often the snow is deeper than you think, but what a beautiful walk I had. This selfie is weird as I don't remember taking my glasses off.... Anyway, it was a lovely walk and again, I got some images I am hoping to work into some somewhat darker pieces in the coming days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think that's all for today. It's now 10.45 and there's only me and one other person left in the studio. I will start the walk back to Manabraut within the next half an hour or so. Thank you for reading and I'll see you tomorrow, or the next day.... or the next. Watch this space!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And finally:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The wonderful Taylor Swift!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aly x</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-22137531067057398642017-01-18T11:18:00.001-08:002017-01-18T11:18:57.978-08:008 days late....<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hello, from the Icelandic stranger...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have let you down and now can't keep my promise about posting for 5 in every 7 days. Ah well, here I am and I want to make up for it if I can.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The last blog was Monday the 9th and I had been told to stay in because of the wind. As you can see by the previous blog images, I did venture out and it was very much worth it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what have I been up to to prevent speaking to you for more than a week. Well firstly I had to complete a formal qualification to do with my other work and I did that solidly for 3 days. I'm sure I wasn't as efficient as most of my colleagues who said they took less time, but it's done for now, until I get the revisions - which I fully expect...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I finished that on Thursday after the usual procrastination and then picked up a car Friday morning for a 4 day road trip!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An image of my current desktop just shows the level of finding, copying, pasting and losing... Bearing in mind that I usually have a very minimal desktop don't you know! I've had to blur for confidentiality but it's obvious how much is on there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So to the trip. My 2 room-mates plus another artist set off on Friday morning for the mountain roads. After checking the weather, the road conditions and the wind direction, we set off for Akureyri. this is the second most populated place in Iceland and the intention was to drive there, have a quick stop and then go on to the volcanic area. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The weather always dictates the journey and I am so au fait with the key pieces of information I need before venturing anywhere. There are the road conditions, the wind/snow/ice/temperature situation and the Aurora forecast. All of these dictate each day, and they all need to work together to create the perfect environment for getting the most out of the very limited light. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The top left image shows the road conditions. Red is impassable, although the snowploughs are out all the time and they're massive! The top right is the aurora forecast, so tonight (Wed) is a 5 which is brilliant and the white bit over Skagaströnd says that at midnight, we should get a light show.... It will be the first time since I arrived on the 3rd of January, so I am hoping... The bottom right is the temperature/wind etc which changes all the time. There's a new landscape every 15 minutes in Iceland and that's one of the amazing things about this place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So to the trip. The weather was stunning across the mountains to Akyreyri with the most wonderful light - changing all the time. As always, it seems , the wind was strong and every time we wanted to stop for photographs (every 10 minutes...!) we were almost blown away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Every time the car goes around a bend, something sublime opens up ahead. No pollution or people, or buildings or cars.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We arrived in Akureyri and grabbed a Subway.... I know, pathetic, but remember the cost of food in cafes is extortionate so we were saving ourselves for later. The place is pretty and it feels busy, but to be honest I didn't want to stay long, rather preferring the loneliness of the empty road and the promise of even more vistas to die (or at least be mortally wounded) for. I also forgot to mention the stop at Vinbudin. The off licence in Akureyri is like the holy grail after no alcohol and it is even more tempting because of having to drive for 3 hours to a access it. I could have bought 12 bottles of wine - well I would have needed a bank loan, but the thought of having a cold glass of Sauv was too tempting and I bought 2 bottles of the cheapest chilean Sauvignon Blanc in the shop which cost 4000ISK. This is around £28. Say no more.... I have no idea how the Icelanders live with everything being so expensive. I know this is a bit of a theme, but I am shocked every time I go to the shop and pay £4 for an avocado.....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arty scene in Akureyri. -15°<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Setting off on the road again for Myvatn, the wind disappeared and it became very calm. So unusual in Iceland as the wind almost defines it. The temperature seemed to drop very quickly as we drove past the amazing Godafoss Waterfall and on to the Hotel for our one night stay next to the cows....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Godafoss at sunset (4pm ish)<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The hotel was very interesting.... The restaurant and gift shop had a window on the cows. The cows had big bras on - not sure why, but they seemed to have massive teats, People can watch them being milked and after our dinner - more on that later - we were brought a 'shot' of newly squeezed, non pasteurised milk. Very nice it was too, until I realised that not only were we drinking the milk, I was also eating a burger.....</span><div>
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So to dinner. 5900isk for burger, half a baked potato and some salad. That's around £40. Ok, I'm going on about the food again. Sorry. One of the other artists had the cheapest dish, an omelette. Tiny bit of salad and some ground baked (as in in the ground heat of the volcanic region) rye bread. That only cost 5000isk, so £35. We had tap water - which is truly delicious and free - and went to our rooms for wine. Did I mention that a glass of wine in the cafe was £21? No, didn't think so. </div>
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After eating, which we were advised to do prior to our thermal swimming session, we headed to the Myvatn Nature Baths for a soak. The main pools are around 38° and the hotspots around 42° Similar to last year, we went at night and it was truly freezing outside. There are rules about getting washed properly in the nude before putting on swimming costumes and attempting to stop yourself from running in. Good job we didn't as the ground was freezing and slippery. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice Crystals at -17°</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to the Nature Baths</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just in case you're unsure about the rules..</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frozen hair after an hour with my bottom half in 39° and my head in -18° at its coldest that night.</td></tr>
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The feeling of being in hot water and also outside in the freezing air is tremendous. Felt very privileged.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next morning was spent driving to the volcanic region where the centre of the earth seems to be spouting out all the worst smells in the world.... I'm hoping you can access the video of the bubbling sulphur and imagine the smell..... It's the first image. Can you tell me if the video doesn't work please?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think I'll stop there as I have the other 2 days to tell you about as the trip to the Westfjords was equally amazing. I have actually made some work today, based on the trips, feelings about stuff that's going on with my nearest and dearest, oh, and the gargantuan stupendous fall out that happened on Saturday night......things are never simple are they?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I want to get this posted as I am so aware of not having blogged for so long. Apologies again. I am hoping to be back on it as I move from morose through a bit sad and worried, to excited and optimistic about this big adventure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aly x (the paddling princess..... water temperature around 1°)</span></div>
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Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-40799718867716984342017-01-09T16:22:00.000-08:002017-01-09T16:22:42.872-08:00Thwarted by the wind..... almost.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's Monday evening and I'm sitting in bed in my extremely warm room having earlier watched 'Never Let Me Go' with my roommates. Last night the wind became cyclonic and kept us awake all night. At one point it felt as though the roof was coming in. No snow to speak of, just howling wind. Skagaströnd became a standstill this morning with no real movement anywhere, except a bright orange clad man who walked past the window twice and found it difficult to stay on his feet. We were told to stay indoors for our own safety which we did, counting the minutes and eating what was left in the cupboard. Pesto, Avocado, cashew nuts, feta cheese and pasta. By 3 o' clock it became too much to be indoors, so we decided to brave the relatively sheltered part of the village and explore....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reason for this decision was that the sun appeared from nowhere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a dull, windy and nothing kind of day, this sunshine appeared and the world lit up, albeit through the bathroom window...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, 10 minutes of putting on thermals, extra socks, hat, scarf, gloves and boots, we ventured out. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eleanor being a kid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinc69VLYtJG79baZn8uAkBkA66QjjjhheKxo9twIUbANql4GYya_CA18g9UeJY0TUmk7LCE8GwPcA4XLHLiPnNzOVqr-p5ifGAvnpVGNRL5IEXwhXfukZzhc173PM5RxcPIs9kJREU3mA/s1600/DSC_3845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinc69VLYtJG79baZn8uAkBkA66QjjjhheKxo9twIUbANql4GYya_CA18g9UeJY0TUmk7LCE8GwPcA4XLHLiPnNzOVqr-p5ifGAvnpVGNRL5IEXwhXfukZzhc173PM5RxcPIs9kJREU3mA/s320/DSC_3845.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abandoned boat far from the sea<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The wind was so strong that I could hardly hold the camera still, hence this 'impressionist' image of Sophia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sophia and Eleanor weigh less together than I do alone, so they could hardly stand up and Sophia retreated to the warmth of the house. Eleanor and I decided to go to the sea. As I was the one with glasses, I was designated leader so that she could completely cover her face and be led, blind, past the big hole from last year and down to the waters edge. Before we got to the big windy bay, we stopped just above the harbour where it looks from this image to be perfectly calm... (fabulous hat)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So to the wide bay.....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's impossible to get a feel for the wind from these, but bear in mind that the 'white horses' were a long long way out and seemed to go back to the horizon. Such a sense of insignificance against the elements. Luckily, we had fought the wind against us on the way to the bay, so we were pushed back home again with the wind on our backs - safe and ready for the next storm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomorrow should be ok to get to the studio, so I am hoping to do some drawings. Until next time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bless bless</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aly x</span></div>
Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-20297539384055564172017-01-08T13:41:00.000-08:002017-01-08T13:41:43.082-08:00Happy Sunday!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good Evening on this pretty nondescript Sunday.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have had an odd weekend where I have moved from room to room, coughing and wheezing, and then, desperate to get out, wrapped up for the weather and lasted 30 minutes before having to come inside again. I haven't been to the studio all weekend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saturday was cold and a bit drizzly for most of the day so I didn't mind being indoors. It got to around 2pm and I was climbing the walls to get out. I went for a wander, anticipating a half hour walk around the bay, but ended up staying out for much longer and finding my way to the sea cliffs. I also walked around the harbour but cannot remember when. My excuse is delirium.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, I only took my phone as the wind was quite strong and I didn't want to carry the camera and tripod. I went with the anticipation of finding good spots to come back to with all the kit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This sums up the place for me yesterday until I got to the sea cliffs:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbKyiBo25cSEmvUa-4YAIyekdxfKH1P6p1ZVAxbFXwCla6jzkgjRjjmdZqPe0Uiknkd_vMaG6Bi1U6J59E16jWxJd1xSoVjGI9laqdV5bidrqJzgl4wzNr4eiYXUKUG5tAFS0X9lUJ2A/s1600/IMG_8323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbKyiBo25cSEmvUa-4YAIyekdxfKH1P6p1ZVAxbFXwCla6jzkgjRjjmdZqPe0Uiknkd_vMaG6Bi1U6J59E16jWxJd1xSoVjGI9laqdV5bidrqJzgl4wzNr4eiYXUKUG5tAFS0X9lUJ2A/s320/IMG_8323.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7sHzZffkUgvNZYwIqEskfryVqlcRynH2bOOf7hoVrXorX6NBZ52ioenYag7gvUM7_jaPaEJJcTumThrGWsmy2oy1_CTxHj9MTArjkxT6yJlU37LBHIsRv6x7Scox6amBejSZMKHf4y8/s1600/IMG_8326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7sHzZffkUgvNZYwIqEskfryVqlcRynH2bOOf7hoVrXorX6NBZ52ioenYag7gvUM7_jaPaEJJcTumThrGWsmy2oy1_CTxHj9MTArjkxT6yJlU37LBHIsRv6x7Scox6amBejSZMKHf4y8/s320/IMG_8326.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyLiO6_fNbFyX7kE37uG_sMabeCvhDn4sb-2jTCAdp34cr64NmdB0u_AxOeG5T7Pt07tBrfZC9b4HdZygM2jHg-aKjlQPIVRqYaBImIyFu-3MZ_skXTw-xKJXyL7NrlP0_D5K8tiRpUc/s1600/IMG_8328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyLiO6_fNbFyX7kE37uG_sMabeCvhDn4sb-2jTCAdp34cr64NmdB0u_AxOeG5T7Pt07tBrfZC9b4HdZygM2jHg-aKjlQPIVRqYaBImIyFu-3MZ_skXTw-xKJXyL7NrlP0_D5K8tiRpUc/s320/IMG_8328.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Slightly unfair, because you don't have to look very far to find stunning natural beauty, but this was my pathetic ill mood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The harbour reaped another type of reward. I love the broken down remnants of human activity.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CBAjqjAtmr_taUVQToiIJmEAFEPTL2rR6qQeIQoIvlWtxb0S3GNSqaOjjnltvzd1RNcoTDYVdAJDEUKKpdptrc_lzk-TW9zmJl_E4wOrH-LIz4t5TTtEs8GePpS5Rjc41-9glCWZuRQ/s1600/IMG_8342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CBAjqjAtmr_taUVQToiIJmEAFEPTL2rR6qQeIQoIvlWtxb0S3GNSqaOjjnltvzd1RNcoTDYVdAJDEUKKpdptrc_lzk-TW9zmJl_E4wOrH-LIz4t5TTtEs8GePpS5Rjc41-9glCWZuRQ/s320/IMG_8342.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKyTAUcd7JgLjh0OFSSvbJMaGAc_tcIMn4GKNrDmNwgE4OtjNPNrOxMNxxUrq6uTqUKf-DR1R-RLV9_IyIZkVCLoFw7zjuryMOW-JU201RO_VZQAHPv7gTUiYAKJrAyvycgQtK8LaqGA/s1600/IMG_8344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKyTAUcd7JgLjh0OFSSvbJMaGAc_tcIMn4GKNrDmNwgE4OtjNPNrOxMNxxUrq6uTqUKf-DR1R-RLV9_IyIZkVCLoFw7zjuryMOW-JU201RO_VZQAHPv7gTUiYAKJrAyvycgQtK8LaqGA/s320/IMG_8344.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQ6uI4J4yWkZhXq5T8Ei9PxqmrMEsPhFhLgDN7Yqi08xVkgwKXc-D0VC2eCzTTTZnlQKuFeVT0aFawTeDWAV465aO9k0qlsaHG4K-UkIKHjD1qZzT-W7dK5dNZgkMp9_fPQMyBcTxT0c/s1600/IMG_8354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQ6uI4J4yWkZhXq5T8Ei9PxqmrMEsPhFhLgDN7Yqi08xVkgwKXc-D0VC2eCzTTTZnlQKuFeVT0aFawTeDWAV465aO9k0qlsaHG4K-UkIKHjD1qZzT-W7dK5dNZgkMp9_fPQMyBcTxT0c/s320/IMG_8354.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZ8tz-xnc1UcyPK1ilwzr9PowAw_GlQNx4LBkd4g0askXnbNbJBeRwonliN2OfCOp0mmUoVIthZP2nRHzp_QDPbxCc70E-eYJx-WQGu3nVE0jMREyNLd4kV_TAFBDjVFBdmTKFX5xwW8/s1600/IMG_8357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZ8tz-xnc1UcyPK1ilwzr9PowAw_GlQNx4LBkd4g0askXnbNbJBeRwonliN2OfCOp0mmUoVIthZP2nRHzp_QDPbxCc70E-eYJx-WQGu3nVE0jMREyNLd4kV_TAFBDjVFBdmTKFX5xwW8/s320/IMG_8357.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That ladder looked so inviting.... Maybe tomorrow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I then wandered into the odd mid area between the houses and the beginning of the countryside and found an odd stream which had a peat like colour. It reminded me of the water in the stream towards Buxton after a big rainfall. There was also an attempt to plant wind breaking bushes. These must have been planted in the autumn as they were single stalks - very young. There is no tree cover in Iceland that I have seen and very few bushes. The wind just rattles across all open areas and gains momentum to knock you off your feet. (into the sea...)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tree planting Skagastrond style</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rusty water</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a plant stand....</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you can see from this, I am a little short in the actual making art department.... Well I have excuses, nay reasons. However, I did have this lovely wander around the sea cliffs and took quite a few images of where I would like to go back with my proper camera and make something. These are from my phone but I loved the colours - considering it's mid winter, the mosses and grasses are so green and there seems to be colour everywhere. I still miss the snow, as do all the other artists, especially the ones who are only there for one month, but it's inspiring to be able to walk in places I couldn't get to last year and its also good to not be falling over all the time.!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got back exhausted and had to sleep! I have been in all day today and am desperate to feel better tomorrow. I am still feeling a bit sorry for myself but promise I will turn it around and get back to happy, optimistic me as soon as possible!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just finally, opposite the house is a pile of rubbish which is very pleasing. This is what I leave you with tonight. It's obviously been pitch dark for hours, so I will be in bed for 10pm. Tomorrow is another day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bless bless</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aly x</span>Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-47821273523058386222017-01-06T13:47:00.000-08:002017-01-06T13:47:05.952-08:00Feeling sorry for myself...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's Friday and I don't expect that this will see the light of the internet until Sunday as I think I will have little to show for the weekend. I had bronchitis before leaving the UK which was virtually gone after antibiotics. It's come back with a vengeance and I am trying to stay indoors, drink lots of liquids and rest, hence the lack of art work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will begin this now and add to it as the weekend goes on. I didn't go into the studio yesterday because of feeling ill, but also because the wind was very strong. I stayed in trying to make sense of the Wacom Intuos Pro Tablet I bought to bring here with me, but ended up having to leave the room in case I threw it out of the window. I will try again tomorrow but it feels really alien to me. It has become a personality that I detest and I am shouting at it all the time. Maybe I should give it a name??</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still haven't gone accustomed to the light patterns yet. It's not even a tiny bit light until 10.15 and that's a kind of dull, horror movie type of half dark. The sun rises over the mountain around 12.10pm and is amazing when it does as the whole place changes from dull grey/blue to yellow/orange. It's remarkable and everyone becomes aware of it. The light starts to disappear soon after 3 and by 5 it's completely gone. Evenings haven't been too bad as it's so similar to home, but not having any light to wake up to is weird and disconcerting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I packed my camera bag today and began the windy walk to the studio armed with backpack, tripod bag and Tesco Orla Keily bag (filled with various art materials, computer, tablet with no name - yet!, coffee, milk, baby wipes and loads of other stuff I didn't really need. This was at 12.20pm and the sun was beginning to rise above the mountains across the Fjord.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was a welcome meeting for the January artists and I met those I will be sitting next to/avoiding storms with/collaborating with/travelling with. There are 11 of us, 10 women - I am the oldest by far! and 1 man from the UK. A mixture of nationalities including Americans, Australians, French Canadians, Israeli, Irish, Greek and UK. Watch this space for ongoing dramas and the inevitable excitement of putting a bunch of artists in one studio with the distinct possibility of being snowed in at some point. Speaking of fireworks (see what I did there?) there was a celebration of sorts in the village tonight with lots of fireworks going off. It seems to be the marking of the end of the Christmas with epiphany - 6th of January.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been playing around with making some charcoal and paint pieces which I intend to layer up with photographs (I Think...). This is work in progress, but it does show that I've done something other than cough all day.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have played around with one image so will keep playing until I get something. Also the photographs are taken with my phone which is not high spec enough to make big images.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've decided to post this after all so that I can sleep comfortably knowing I am not going to renege on my 5 out of 7 days of blogging promise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sleep well this Friday night. I am about to walk from the studio back to Manabraut, across the windswept gap in the houses where the gale attempts to blow me off my feet. Send me some positive thoughts to get better! I need to go out and make photographs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bless bless</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aly x</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-28139837837834435192017-01-04T14:05:00.000-08:002017-01-04T14:05:33.184-08:00The Journey North<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well here I am, after one full day in Iceland. I got the bus this morning at 9am from Mjodd Station in Reykjavik in the pitch dark. It stayed dark until around 11.30am when a sliver of light began to speed very slowly above the mountains. This is a pictorial record of the key points! The Netto at Mjodd station where I bought a barley and avocado salad in a plastic carton and some orange juice for later, This cost 1300isk, which is about £10......</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Getting towards 11am and still dark</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fabulous Knitting ladies all over the bus</span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fantastically filthy window at exactly 12.20pm. Sun just popping over the hill to say 'morning'.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
The light did become glorious once the sun appeared and the saturation of colours was beautiful. Hardly any snow to be seen - even on the tops of the mountains, except when we caught a glimpse of the Westfjords, which were pretty white all over. After a 4 hour journey we arrived at Skagastrond to Manabraut 1. My room is spacious and warm - everywhere inside in Iceland is toasty but it's a bit of a pain getting in and out of thermals, gloves, hats, coats etc. every time you want to venture outside.</div>
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The best thing about being here without snow for me, is that I can walk to places I didn't manage to get to last year. I also managed to find the hole I fell down and it's really scary. I went for a wander with my phone, rather than the camera and caught a gorgeous sunset as well as managing to get to the trig point with a view over the village.</div>
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My very spacious room in Manabraut 1</div>
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The view from the back window in my room<br />
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View from the front window in my room</div>
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If you follow the ditch left to the sea, this is the hole I fell into last year which was covered with snow. Looking at it today, it's at least 7 feet deep and is actually a stream.</div>
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These next 10 are simply images from my phone whilst I was wandering along the black sand beach near my house. It was sublime. I'd forgotten how much pink there is.</div>
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After the beach, I climbed onto the sea cliffs for the last light and saw the village from a place I could access last year because it was too dangerous.</div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">I then finally managed to drag myself to the studio, got my paints, charcoal and bits and pieces out and did a quick refection of what I'd seen throughout the journey from memory using charcoal and watercolour paint.</span> Linzi will be proud of me (I think!)<br />
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I am hoping that I can get back to layers throughout the residency and build some work from a combination of digital and hard copy. We shall see.</div>
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Night night.</div>
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Bless bless</div>
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Love</div>
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Aly x</div>
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<br />Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-69132207760441658832017-01-03T09:36:00.004-08:002017-01-03T14:46:28.899-08:00deja vu<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here I am again. After an uneventful flight, during which I nodded off and probably dribbled.. I have been in the speedy Grayline bus (sitting waiting for stragglers for 50 minutes) into the metropolis that is Reykjavik. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still lots of Christmas lights up and some air of festivities. The sunset was beautiful but there is NO SNOW!! The countryside is brown. Different shades of brown, but nevertheless, totally brown.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's interesting that in a similar way that I expected my second child to look and 'be' exactly the same as the first one, I expected Iceland to be a duplicate of what I saw last year as I was flying over Keflavik airport and during the ongoing journey to Reykjavik.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is February last year:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And this is today:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am off to have a walk around Reykjavik and buy some chocolate. The no drinking and diet starts in Skagastrond!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did I mention that I don't really have any kind of plan for this trip. It's an artist residency, so I want/need to be creative but it is clear case of 'watch this space' as I have no idea what it will become.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part of the sense of deja vu is that I have the same room in my little Igdlo Guesthouse (hostel). There is still free food and drinks and shared bathrooms, but it is sweet and tiny...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will try take pictures and make notes on the long journey north tomorrow and if I can't send a blog update from my phone, I will sort it out tomorrow night. Missing this lot so much. I bet you're having a stress free evening for the first time in a week!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've just arrived back in my room after meeting up with a new fellow artist in town. As I haven't got to Skagaströnd yet, I had 2 glasses of wine.... Reykjavik was busy and still very twinkly. These are just wobbly snaps from my phone. I really am off to bed now. Tomorrow the journey north begins, away from people, tourists and buildings! It's very odd without the snow... I'm not sure if they have much in the north but it's seen as having its own climate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bit of a pedestrian start to the blog, but I'm hoping to get into what I'm making and the processes involved. I'm setting myself a target of 5 blogs per week, so let's see how that goes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bless bless</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aly x</span></div>
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Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-3748203662971344112016-12-27T05:39:00.001-08:002016-12-27T05:39:59.680-08:00Mum goes to Iceland: 7 days and counting.....<a href="http://alyiceland.blogspot.com/2016/12/7-days-and-counting.html?spref=bl">Mum goes to Iceland: 7 days and counting.....</a>: www.neslist.is I can't believe a whole year has gone by since my induction into Icelandic winter life. At the moment, I cannot get off...Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348830140302412622.post-71580542118878792692016-12-27T05:34:00.001-08:002016-12-27T05:34:27.551-08:007 days and counting.....<a href="http://www.neslist.is/">www.neslist.is</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't believe a whole year has gone by since my induction into Icelandic winter life. At the moment, I cannot get off the sofa to plug in my computer, never mind go upstairs to begin the process of packing, unpacking, weighing, repacking and screaming in frustration because the case won't close.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am off to the far north again, Skagaströnd, a small fishing village </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">on the east coast of the Húnaflói bay. Last year there were around 450 residents, although this changes dependent on whether the fishermen are out at sea or not. If they are, that reduces the population temporarily for a month. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">I was there in February last year and the light was short but beautiful. I've </span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">just looked up the January sunrises/sunsets and this is what I'm in for:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Wow!!! 3.5 hours of sunlight......</span><br />
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<h2 class="mgt0" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important;">
Sun in Akureyri - Next 7 Days</h2>
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<table class="zebra tb-sm tb-hover fw va-m" id="as-monthsun" style="background-color: white; border-spacing: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 10px; vertical-align: middle; width: 643.328125px;"><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<tr class="bg-wt" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13px; padding: 5px 9px; vertical-align: bottom;">2016</th><th class="sep c" colspan="2" id="h_a_3_0" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13px; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: bottom;">Sunrise/Sunset</th><th class="sep c sep-l" colspan="2" id="h_a_5_0" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13px; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: bottom;">Daylength</th><th class="sep c sep-l" colspan="2" id="h_a_7_0" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13px; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: bottom;">Solar Noon</th></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th rowspan="2" style="background-color: #fefcf1; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13px; padding: 5px 9px; vertical-align: bottom;">Dec</th><th class="sep c" rowspan="2" style="background-color: #fefcf1; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13px; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: bottom;">Sunrise</th><th class="sep c" rowspan="2" style="background-color: #fefcf1; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13px; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: bottom;">Sunset</th><th class="sep c sep-l tr" rowspan="2" style="background-color: #fefcf1; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13px; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: bottom;">Length</th><th class="sep c tr" rowspan="2" style="background-color: #fefcf1; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13px; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: bottom;">Difference</th><th class="sep c sep-l" rowspan="2" style="background-color: #fefcf1; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13px; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: bottom;">Time</th><th class="sep c tr" rowspan="2" style="background-color: #fefcf1; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13px; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: bottom;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" title="Million kilometers">Mil. km</span></th></tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: border-box;"></tr>
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<tr data-day="27" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="background-color: #fefcf1; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: inherit; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">27 Dec</th><td class="c sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">11:38</td><td class="sep c" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">14:49</td><td class="c tr sep-l" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">3:11:03</td><td class="c tr sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">+2:16</td><td class="c sep-l" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">13:14 <span class="small soft" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #777777; font-size: 13.5px;">(1.4°)</span></td><td class="tr sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">147.121</td></tr>
<tr data-day="28" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="background-color: #f1efe5; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: inherit; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">28 Dec</th><td class="c sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">11:37</td><td class="sep c" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">14:51</td><td class="c tr sep-l" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">3:13:42</td><td class="c tr sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">+2:38</td><td class="c sep-l" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">13:14 <span class="small soft" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #777777; font-size: 13.5px;">(1.4°)</span></td><td class="tr sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">147.117</td></tr>
<tr data-day="29" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="background-color: #fefcf1; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: inherit; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">29 Dec</th><td class="c sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">11:36</td><td class="sep c" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">14:53</td><td class="c tr sep-l" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">3:16:42</td><td class="c tr sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">+3:00</td><td class="c sep-l" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">13:15 <span class="small soft" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #777777; font-size: 13.5px;">(1.5°)</span></td><td class="tr sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">147.113</td></tr>
<tr data-day="30" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="background-color: #f1efe5; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: inherit; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">30 Dec</th><td class="c sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">11:35</td><td class="sep c" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">14:55</td><td class="c tr sep-l" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">3:20:02</td><td class="c tr sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">+3:20</td><td class="c sep-l" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">13:15 <span class="small soft" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #777777; font-size: 13.5px;">(1.5°)</span></td><td class="tr sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">147.109</td></tr>
<tr data-day="31" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="background-color: rgb(221, 221, 221) !important; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: inherit; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">31 Dec</th><td class="c sep" style="background-color: rgb(239, 239, 239) !important; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">11:34</td><td class="sep c" style="background-color: rgb(239, 239, 239) !important; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">14:58</td><td class="c tr sep-l" style="background-color: rgb(239, 239, 239) !important; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">3:23:41</td><td class="c tr sep" style="background-color: rgb(239, 239, 239) !important; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">+3:39</td><td class="c sep-l" style="background-color: rgb(239, 239, 239) !important; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">13:16 <span class="small soft" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #777777; font-size: 13.5px;">(1.6°)</span></td><td class="tr sep" style="background-color: rgb(239, 239, 239) !important; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">147.106</td></tr>
<tr data-day="1" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="background-color: #f1efe5; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: inherit; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">1 Jan</th><td class="c sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">11:32</td><td class="sep c" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">15:00</td><td class="c tr sep-l" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">3:27:39</td><td class="c tr sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">+3:57</td><td class="c sep-l" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">13:16 <span class="small soft" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #777777; font-size: 13.5px;">(1.7°)</span></td><td class="tr sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">147.104</td></tr>
<tr data-day="2" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><th style="background-color: #fefcf1; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: inherit; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">2 Jan</th><td class="c sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">11:31</td><td class="sep c" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">15:03</td><td class="c tr sep-l" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">3:31:53</td><td class="c tr sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">+4:14</td><td class="c sep-l" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 2px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: center !important; vertical-align: middle;">13:17 <span class="small soft" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #777777; font-size: 13.5px;">(1.8°)</span></td><td class="tr sep" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204) !important; border-left-style: solid !important; border-left-width: 1px !important; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; text-align: right; vertical-align: middle;">147.102</td></tr>
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<tr style="border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 13.5px;"><td colspan="7" style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 5px 9px; vertical-align: middle;">* All times are local time for Akureyri. Dates are based on the <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/gregorian-calendar.html" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #176db3; text-decoration: none;">Gregorian calendar</a>. </td></tr>
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I'm not sure yet what I want to do while I'm there. I had a plan last year but I had no real idea what was in store. This year, I may take some materials with me and play it by ear. I did make some very abstract images which played with the available light so I may work with that idea some more. Anyway, watch this space, book mark the address and I'll try to blog every day from the 3rd of January until my return on the 28th of February. Wish me luck!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuv3DO6HongKchYx7581XGbIFhgUR1Fah2KTrkrw_GGEmzd0mFcIFTExsx__1uxE5bhQjxWxNJrE1TextF4Lku-XfPhM_qWRvEHYPnhZDH9Kv3V6jWepEvbf4WI7sjDwv_3lUbgRpmVk/s1600/IMG_4469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuv3DO6HongKchYx7581XGbIFhgUR1Fah2KTrkrw_GGEmzd0mFcIFTExsx__1uxE5bhQjxWxNJrE1TextF4Lku-XfPhM_qWRvEHYPnhZDH9Kv3V6jWepEvbf4WI7sjDwv_3lUbgRpmVk/s320/IMG_4469.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ps. Just found this picture of my poor knees, which still haven't fully recovered after falling on ice soon after I arrived last year. This year I have mega brilliant grips x 5 in case I lose any.</span></div>
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Aly Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02119619535783155008noreply@blogger.com3