Dear Friends far and near,
As we write, Christmas draws close, and although its cold, cold, cold outside we are still waiting for the snow to fall and complete the scene. Still, at this time of year, we look back at all the busy days we have had and wonder how on earth it is possible to pack so much in!
Rebekka graduated this year, with pomp and circumstance, from the Reykjavik Grammar school with a good grade point average and commenced her first year, (Freshman as they call it in America) in the University of Iceland studying biochemistry. University is very different from High school, as Rebekka is finding out, but thankfully there is a core group of MR friends that she can hang with. Rebekka is also, as all good students, working hard doing extra jobs, especially in the summer months working for Ishestar, which is a tourist firm that offers horse riding tours. For the winter, serving on the checkout in Nóatun is gone, baby, gone and has been replaced by working shifts in a book shop (oh dream job ! although it must be said that the reality is sometimes a little different from the dream.)
Eirikur was confirmed this year into the catholic faith and this marks a rite of passage for him. He looked so grown up in his suit and tie. It was a wonderful day marked with parties and presents, and a brunch in the highest restaurant in Iceland. Eirikur has had braces fitted on his teeth and we admire his stoicism. It can’t be comfortable wearing them. Eirikur is going for less acting this year but instead he has joined the swim team and, this autumn, has been training hard. Luckily, not all of the training sessions are in outdoor pools, his team has access to the brand new indoor pool in the Laugardalur sports complex. The real shock though, getting used to that fact that it is a 50 meter pool. Sleeping is also another (almost) fulltime hobby that he enjoys; it is paying off though, because that’s when he does his growing. He is almost as tall as his dad now.
The main event of the year was the visit of Dad to Iceland as part of his European tour, which included England, Ireland and France. He basically stayed the whole month of August with us in the valley and managed to hit the best weather of the decade. We did chillin´ and some day trips out into the countryside. One of the most memorable was a day trip out to Snaefellness glacier and the bird sanctuaries. Of course, we had a big coffee party to celebrate his visit and it was an opportunity to gather family and friends. Many cakes were baked and it turned out to be a great day. From there Anna, David, Rebekka, and Dad travelled in group formation to England to attend Rory and Laura´s wedding. It was a typical English wedding with hats, loveable vicar and picturesque church. All in all, a super weekend and an opportunity for the Lynch family to meet up… first time in a long time.
For David, there have been major events on the work front. What started out as a short 6 week mission to fill a position in the Headquarters in Geneva has lasted until the end of the year. There has been quite a lot of travelling attached to this position, but David has been able to manage camping out in Geneva and returning regularly to Iceland for refits of clean socks and underpants. Plans have had to be rearranged and then re-re-arranged but thanks to everybody’s flexibility everything has managed to work out fine. Some of the advantages of this trip though, have been a chance to catch up with old friends, do a touch of skiing and get trips into the Stockholm, London, Kampala and Amman.Sandra has been busy growing into her position as a member of the senior class in the school. She has tried to dodge the swine flu and might just have got away with it. Ballet is still front and centre in terms of hobbies, but Sandra is also part of an acting club and in the school choir. This year, Sandra spent most of the summer at the stables learning to ride Icelandic Horses. Sandra is also getting good with knitting needles.
We had a shock at the beginning of the year when Anna had an accident and fell downstairs. Anna had to take things slowly for a couple of months after that, and this included having to cancel a trip Africa, but from then on she has been at the centre of things as usual, making sure everything runs smoothly and that the garden in looking tip top. The bottom end of the garden has been cleared of ugly tree stumps and has been grassed over; new shrubs have been put in. Anna has also visited Geneva this year, to have a tour of the City, enjoy the Music festival and get her first taste of the après ski life in the Swiss Alps.
There has been enough to deal with in this particular year, not least of all dealing with the fall out of our countries economic meltdown. We felt compelled to pick up our pots and pans and to demonstrate, joining in the groundswell for change. Despite that we still are healthy, (not sure about sane) living in a lovely house surrounded by good people and making the best of what life brings us.
We, the little Lynch clan in Iceland, wish you all a merry Christmas and a very happy new year.
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