A Happy Birthday for us all to share... :-)

Hello all and wasn't yesterday such a special day as our Littlest Burton reached the grand ol' age of 1! We all had a lovely chilled day and Toti's parents came over in the pm and we all feasted on chocolate cake (dipped into yoghurt, for some of us!). Luckily, just on time, Grandmum and Pops present arrived from England too and Jolyon received a few presents also, to celebrate his first year as the very best Big Brother.
And this was good for J as he has had an extremely difficult week, which started by him finally telling me how unhappy he is at school and how he feels bullied and as if he 'doesn't belong in Iceland'. We have tried to sort this and other difficulties with school but to no avail so today J and I went and looked at 2 private schools in Reykjavik and tomorrow he is to spend a few hours at the Christian school. So the 3 of us have decided that this will be better for our Biggest Boy but that it will be worth it, despite having to put this house on the market and move to the capital. It is almost an hours drive to this school so it is not practical to consider commuting and, indeed, J feels socially isolated here anyway and we don't feel that will change. So it will be all move again..and just after I've unpacked all the boxes and Toti's disposed of them at the bloomin' tip!!! As Fiona said earlier this pm though, it'll keep me busy!;-)
Today has been positive for another reason too as we are now sharing our little life with two feline friends..Kleopatra (a 7 year old Siamese) and Joy (an 18mth old ginger-and-white lady). T collected them from the cats home this pm and they are the most chilled cats I have ever had and it is fab!And they have definitely cheered up J, when he really needed it.
Tomorrow Deb and Jackie arrive too and we are all looking forward to their visit-luckily I managed to convince JT that Deb really did need that extra large suitcase as we Burtons really do need those essential supplies...ready brek, sudoceme,cheap-n-cheerful wrinkle cream etc etc!!
So off to put ladies of all varieties to bed..assuming, of course, that a certain newly-growing tooth doesn't cause too much wakefulness this pm? I hope Eve eventually settled Fi (we were comparing levels of said wakefulness only a few hours ago and Eli B was still awake until half an hour ago...mind you, if the UK is an hour ahead of us, does that mean that newly-growing teeth in England have been growing and causing grief for an hour longer...?hmm...)
So love and peace to all of our dear friends and family across the world..hope to see some of you soon. Take care everyone. With love from Joanna,Toti, Jolyon Isaac and Elijah Benedikt.xxx

summer arrives in Iceland complete with snow, wind and hail..

hello all! Last Thursday was officially the first day of summer in Iceland and it was very sunny for that day at least..T says that the day after was the first day of winter and as I look out at the snow that seems a little less of a joke than one would imagine! On Sunday J and I had to get out of the (outdoor) swimming pool as we were being attacked by rather sharp hailstones!!Apparently, so I'm told by Helga, who is Toti's aunt, this is an unusually cold winter... ;-)
We are all doing fine despite the rather changeable weather-J spent Friday pm with his Amma K and Grandad F and the two boys went to see Ice Age 2 and ate popcorn, nachos,sweets, fizzy pop etc etc. It was good for J as he is missing his time with his Grandmum and Pops and wanted time alone with T's parents. We had a nice lie-in on Saturday as Eli B def has the Freysson genes and was quite happy to sleep until 8.45am!!(only when his big bro is not around).
And I am actually going out tomorrow as I have been invited by the aforementioned Helga to an english-speaking book club. I am really looking forward to getting out and meeting people and am busy reading the chosen book, which is Lady Chatterleys Lover. Amazing that it is famous for all the adult-bit but that it is actually a great story about social and economic change.
Book club aside..of course the biiiggg social event of this week is our littlest Burton and his first birthday on Wednesday. We are all looking forward to seeing Jolyon's little brother turn 1 year old-how time flies..only a year ago and I was busy redesigning our back garden in Princess Close, awaiting impending arrivals..and now here we are, four of us enjoying a new life and me having to start again with another garden!
Anyway-J will be home soon (he finishes school at ten past one!!) so will be off now. Love to you all and see you on friday Deb and JT.Love J and boys xx
PS will put some leaving pics on family album this week xx

the sun is shining..and the wind is no longer blowing..(at least for the moment!)..

Hiya!
just a quick and sunshiney hello. Hope you are all ok-we enjoyed a happy day yesterday pottering aroung the house and garden in the sunshine. T took down the wall that has blocked off the terrace at the back of the house. It has made the lounge much brighter and we will have another lovely spot to sit in, once T has built steps (so little people don't fall over) and put up the new fence (so the neighbours don't spy on us or teenagers take a shortcut thro to their house behind us). It finally feels as if we are making our new house our new home and that is a good feeling.
J has gone back to school today and T back to work. But Thurs is officially (in Iceland anyway) the first day of summer and it is a bank holiday so an even shorter week for those working or studying in the Burton-Freysson family. And it is lovely and sunny again today which always make you view things with a happier disposition. I miss the daffodils and spring flowers tho! I have the plants pots-now I just need the gardening tools, soil and plants and I will be able to introduce some plants inot this bare garden (can you believe that the man who used to own this house, used to drive his cars around the lawn??!!..yes, really!). Not gardening people then??!Luckily the garden has survived, much to our amazement.
Anyway, off to get the chores done before J returns home.
Lots of love and sunshine to you all on your little island from all of us on our sunny and wind-free (almost) island. xxxx

The snow fell, the wind blew, the sun shone...

Hello again and welcome home to us Anglo-Saxon Vikings from our lovely break in 'Whale fjord'. As we had intended, our holiday came at the right time and it was a wonderful opportunity to relax, enjoy the countryside and spend lots of chilled time together. We stayed in a wooden summerhouse in 'real' Icelandic landscape...hot tub at our own personal disposable, the snow-capped mountains around us and the deep blue sea to the front. The view changed everyday and as each day passed Toti and I fell more in love with the place, Jolyon fell more in love with the tub and Elijah fell more in love with the dishwasher!We have all returned much, much more relaxed and sharing an even stronger feeling of togetherness.
Good Friday has been a chilled stay-at-home day..a relief after last night for we returned home from our break and were getting Eli B ready for his bath when he fell backwards from the step by the bath. T and I both caught him but it was a few minutes before we realised he had fallen onto a radiator pipe and burned himself. So a mad dash to hospital but, thankfully, nothing too serious and he is recovering well.It has not stopped him making a beeline for the dishwasher each time it was opened or crawl around on the floor with a spoon tightly clenched in each hand.
J has enjoyed playing with Johann and and I am on the 4th load of washing today..beats cleaning the kitchen tho, so thats still T's job..phew!
I have been asked to help out with a new group being run at the Intercultural centre..it is a language/social group for parents and babies, something I asked about a while ago.The editor of the newsletter saw my eml and asked for my help and I am really pleased. Still not paid work but I am really looking forward to it. I an going to have to chase up my nurse registration application..I was asked by the Board of Nursing if I would go back to Uni and train as a general nurse (?!!), in order to become recognised by the Icelandic authorities. No surprise that I refused and my case went onwards and upwards to the dept of health a while ago..
Stiil frustrated by my very poor language skills-all my group work should help with that tho..but you know what I'm like-I reckon I should be studying at Masters level after only 2 months in the country!
On a bit of a sad note..the sale on our little house in Mossley was completed yesterday. It is a relief and we had no plans to return of course but don't you always feel emotional about your very first house? We ended up selling it for a ridiculously low price (don't ask?!) but it needed some structural work doing and it really was too much of a worry and too expensive to have it done and put it back on the open market. But I shall always remember it with fondness..I moved there with my Biggest boy, fell in love with my gorgeous husband whilst living there and gave birth to the Littlest Burton in our bedroom there. Cool memories or what??..
Don't forget to click on the link on the right hand side of this page, entitled family album in order to see some photos. I will try and post some of our holiday soon.
Take care and Happy Easter dearest friends and family.
All our love from Joanna, Toti, Jolyon and Elijah xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ready for a break...

Hello again to all family and friends..this will be the last entry for a week or so as tomorrow we go off to the country to spend a week chillin' in a summerhouse. It is on a working farm, by the sea and looks lovely..especially as it doesn't have any DIY that needs doing! T is going to be practising new songs on the acoustic guitar as he is going to be playing all alone when we return home-still playing with Menn Arsins (the band) but needs must and needs mean more gigs please!!And I am hoping to get up to date with my Icelandic practise..there won't be much to do in the evenings and hopefully we will have 2 tired boys in bed and a little time to ourselves(whats that then?).
The weather is pretty rough here at the moment-lots of blizzards and this morning I really was afraid of being blown over when out walking. For potential travellers, don't forget a hat and gloves, windproof coat and sensible shoes (Erika). Its all very beautiful but even Jolyons friend Johann commented on how cold it is so even Vikings are struggling with the elements..those hairy hats with horns on would be good at the moment..speaking of which, that hideous hat that my wonderful colleagues bought me when I left work is proving a really effective draught excluder for the letterbox. It has found it role in life clearly and is going nowhere near my head (Erika).
Still missing my friends very much and looking forward to everyones visits. I am longing for a chippy tea with a Hollands cheese and onion pie and have decided to have one every night for my tea when we come to England in July!! T is missing indian takeaways and J is fed up with pasta, curry (homemade) and chilli-can't afford to shop at the healthfood shop yet I'm afraid.
E just eats everything that is placed in front of him but burns off the calories with being on the move constantly. He often stands up without holding on when in the bath and immediately falls over when he realises!But he keeps practising and those chubby legs really are sooo cute!
So take care as always folks and keep those emls etc coming...We will be back on Good Friday so don't forget to buy enough easter eggs ready for the choc-fest..
Love from the Anglo-Saxon Vikings, Joanna,Toti,Jolyon and Elijah xx :-)

It's good to be wanted...!

hello again..good news to start the day...today I went to the intercultural centre and agreed to work with them on helping other immigrants deal with 'culture shock' and maintaining good mental health. I am going to be offerring 1:1 sessions and running a group (on an educational-cum-support basis) and perhaps in the future running more (paid!) training courses. I am going to be in their newsletter so have to pull something together fast-I am looking forward to it and relishing a new challenge. It felt really good to have my skills recognised and valued and its a really cool place to 'work'. T also had his appraisal at work and his role is going to develop and enable him to use more of his management skills, so he feels more positive too. And J had a good day (''as hard as at Trinity!'') and E had his 10 month check (a little late) and passed with flying colours..and no injections til August!
T took annual leave and it was nice to potter around Reykjavik together-we met his Mum and we went shopping (thankyou, Kristin) and had lunch at one of the vegi cafes-it was great being able to choose what I could eat again and it was lovely!
Kristin bought me a lovely hat-I have realised that hats, gloves and rain/wind-proof suits are necessities, ralther than chosen luxuries here. The bitter northern wind has dropped (gone over to england I believe) but it is still cold and wet and snowy in the capital today.
We have new plans re a business opportunity so have more detective work to do..keep watching this space. We both still want to work for ourselves and continue to make plans. I want to do that and still work in my voluntary role and maintain my nurse registration (if I ever get it). It took one clinical psychologist 3 years to have his qualifications recognised!!
So all feeling good this p.m..the house too! Hope you are all keeping well, keeping warm and keeping in touch with each other. Lots of love from Joanna and boys xxxx
PS note the picture of our new home and my old car-very new and very nice but us honorary vikings don't drive anything with less than 32''tyres-thats much too girly!! ;-)

Deb would have been proud of me...!

Hello y'all...hope you are all enjoying the spring weather and not been 'had' by too many april fools??
Its windy here (nooo!) but the sun has been shining for the last few days and suddenly the wind doesn't seen half bad. I think Jolyon may disagree there, as it was a tad chilly walking thro' Keflavik this morning..we went exploring and had a chilled day altogether. And I got all excited because not only did I find disposable dishcloths last week, today I found a proper floor mop-the type where you can attach wet and dry cloths (Deb, you have trained me well!). So whilst Mum coped with all this excitement, J then played with Johann and Elijah helped Daddy with DIY and cleaning (no comments about gender-orientated tasks please!). The spare room is now finished and awaiting its first guests. And tomorrow we receive our first (non-resident) guests when Toti's parents visit.
We are also hoping to have 2 cats very soon-hopefully after we return from our week in the summer house..a house always needs a feline prescence to make it into a home and we are going to rescue 2 ladies (probably) from the cat sanctuary. I miss my 2 ladies very, very much altho I know they will be enjoying the life-of-riley at my parents. J is also patiently awaiting his promised rodent...
We are still thinking of going into business and Toti and I have agreed on the next steps..we both know that whatever we decide to buy or start, it is our way forward, especially important for oneself, currently out of the employment-loop. And whilst not nursing and not using all my skillls does bother me at times, I am hoping to continue to work with people in other areas, especially with people who are also coping with the culture shock that Iceland presents.
So, we are all doing ok, which is always good-J enjoyed talking to Cameron on the phone today and I always enjoy all your emls and texts, altho Erika's jokes often leave a lot to be desired! (Derrien, you need to crack the whip that bit harder and keep her under control..take lessons from Jackie-Deb tells me she has got right bossy in her Joanna-free age!!). And Fiona, sorry for lack of phone calls- but you are always in my thoughts and I will try harder from now on, especially now we are all much more settled. We miss you all but..
Love to you all, as always, from us all. Take care, Love Joanna,Toti,Jolyon and Elijah xxxx ;-)