''..ahh!..brumm!..ring-ring!..''

..the soundtrack to our daily lives per chance?...well, it certainly is now...
Elijah is quite simply following his Daddy's obsessional lead (:-/)and is now so obsessed with cats and vehicles that our daily trips out are chararcterised by many, many ahh's (at any passing cat) and brumm's (at any passing driving, flying or stationary vehilcle that catches his eye)..it really is very cute although this morning when I took EBB to his dagmammas house, he was clearly in a major dilemma..cuddle with Huldur?...stroke the fluffy cat on the doorstep?..cuddle with Huldur?..nope! the cat won..albeit temporarily..he loves Huldur just as much...and of course, these obsessions come nowhere near to how much one small Burton worships our very own jolly Burton :-)...
..and the other soundtrack?..well, yes, we now have the phone and the internet (albeit not at the same time as the router that has been working quietly and efficiently all the time we were connection-less packed up the day the phone started working!)..so its no broadband at the mo'..but hey! you can't have everything ;-)..
Take care all you happy, fluffy folk..lots of love from J,T,J and E xxxx
PS enjoy the picture of our 'Ahh'..sorry..I mean 'Joy B(urton)', who not only keeps Elijah and I company on our daily walks and meets us when we return from any trips out with a very jolly and joyful walk and miaow, also endures all those cuddles from a certain EBB..he couldn't reach her this morning and she very kindly put her head down so a cuddle could be had..ahhh!...

''...girl, interrupted...''

...or a life, interrupted maybe?...thats certainly how it feels to me at the moment...
..as tóti writes in his daily blog its been a rough few weeks for us all, added to a rough few months since our arrival in Iceland and at times it just gets too much...
we are in a state of flux again..planning a move back to UK, hoping and praying that this is the right move and my almost constant worrying about everything and anything..primarily the safety of my children but also about teaching, work, isolation..in short (and as my dear friend Deb pointed out to me yesterday) I simply have too much time on my hands and little quality of life to enjoy...and all this in a land where we felt we could thrive and our children blossom in a safe and supportive environment...which makes me feel as if this year will have been a failure, despite the rational side of me being able to recognise all the positives..
..but Deb is right..my quality of life here is not one of fulfillment and whilst the safety of ones children is of paramount importance, a happy, secure, content life ultimately breeds emotional security..I want to be able to use the skills that i have worked so hard upon...I became a community nurse when Jolyon was born (actually securing the post when I was very pregnant) and went back to a new job with a new baby, new house and then started studying again, which was no picnic... completing my Batchelors degree in a year was certainly a challenge..I was a single mum working full-time, with a full caseload and studying and working over 5 days per week (JT said she didn't see me smile at work for a whole year!!) and then 2 years later I set off on the study trail again..still a single mum with a Master of Philosophy degree on the horizon...pleasantly interrupted I might add by meeting my future husband :-)...but a challenging and fulfilling time...giving birth pain-relief-free twice (!!), raising 2 happy children, completing that Masters degree, working with a great team (hi! girls!)...and that is where I want to be now... this girl, interrupted wants so desperately to be back into a life of family, friends, gym, happy children, happy marriage, challenging career...and that, I guess, is what Deb helped me to clarify yesterday...so not a failed year but one where we have been able to become a true and genuine part of our viking family, where my children have made all sorts of achievements, from learning a new language to surviving without satellite tv (!)and where tóti and myself have realised that we truly are each others best friends...
...girl, interrupted 'tis true...but this interruption has been one of challenge and achievement and, upon reflection, it will be always be good to look back on this time and remember all the things one has learnt about oneself when faced with adversity...take care dearest ones...we love you all...from J,T,J and E xxxxxx

''...any Westlife fans out there...?''

..cos, I know one who would never actually admit to taking his wife to one of their gigs (and enjoying it) but also who burst into song this morning when Boyzone came on the radio...funnily enough, this same person then promised his wife lots and lots of money if she didn't tell anyone about this..but hey! whats an overdraft between loved ones ;-)...
its been good for the said husband and wife to spend some time together over the past week and my dodgy knee has certainly had some positives..my knee is slowly mending and I am going to try to walk home today as I feel its strong enough now..I have to wrap up though as the winter has definitely arrived in Iceland now..funny how in the UK we often talk of indian summers at this time of year and enjoy long sunny days until well into October, whereas move that bit further towards the arctic circle and it is getting dark in the mornings and rainy and cool..its been an eye-opener to see how different the seasons really are between two geographical neighbours...
..good to be able to report that Jolyon has had a better week (although still struggles endlessly with looking after his belongings) and he is looking forward to saturday school starting this week..his teacher, on the other hand, is a tad nervous :-o...and EBB is starting to excel at tantrums, often charaterised by throwing himself around and then glaring at the perpetrator of such terrible things as putting on his shoes or changing his nappy..for those of you in the viking clan, let us know when you are next party to these outbursts and tell us who EBB takes after with his cute-but-grumpy face..my lips are sealed!!..;-)
Anyway, off to practise my walking soon..hope you are keeping well and happy..lots of love from J and boys xxxx

''...hands up who remembers Jake-the-peg...?''

...cos' I know what he must have felt like...5 days on and I am still struggling although not quite as much..have to wear the tightest elastic bandage ever and have finally had to give in and take massive doses of brufen as directed by doctor on Friday (hmm)...the swelling is slowly receding but I am spending the day at Freyr and Kristins as there are no stairs here..still can't drive and climb too many stairs but we have had a breakthrough..I can now wear socks as my toe is slowly healing..J gives me a daily update on said big-toe..it is not a pleasant sight...
Now I know all us Uk nurses moan about the NHS but my experience with the Icelandic NHS was a eye opener, even for the unitiated like Toti ;-)...a woman with some sort of infection was not allowed into the dept but was quite happily treated in the open reception area, notes were left at the nurses station with names and injuries for all passing traffic to see and nobody asked me if I could be pregnant despite having countless X-rays (I'm not, by the way!)..Oh! and they dressed my leg in the waiting area for all to see...and the nurse had the cheek to ask me if I'd bothered to clean my knee??!All this and then we actually had to pay, despite Toti paying 40% taxes..it has been a learning curve...
That aside, we all had a nice, chilled weekend-J saw his friend Kristjan-Geir and we all went to Helgas house for chocolate cake yesterday and had a great time..which was good after the difficult week J had had at school last week..fingers crossed he is now back on the right path??
We all miss Kleopatra but have some great memories to recall-her adopted sister Joy has now assumed the favourite feline evening position..this involves laying on my chest as I lay on the settee..with about an inch between feline and human noses..no respecter of personal space these 2 ladies ;-)..
hope you are all well and happy in the UK-we think of you (and the free healthcare system!) often..lots of love from Joanna, Pórarinn, Jolyon Isaac and Elijah Benedikt xxxxxx
PS ...it was a song by Rolf Harris for you youngsters out there (Tóti) xx

''....what a week...''

...phew! one to remember for all the wrong reasons (except for finally getting to know about Ali's newest addition to her family of boys...congratulations!!)...
...if you read Totis blog (click on Consistently Inconsistent on the right of this page) you will know what happened with Kleopatra over the weekend..by Tuesday we had to take her to the vets as she was really struggling but despite our prayers and hopes, she died peacefully on Wednesday. It is a relief to know she is no longer struggling although she is sorely missed by all of us, including her adopted sister Joy. We buried her in Amma Siggas garden, under a tree that Toti planted as a boy, so she is in a safe place now.
This was all happening at the time that I managed to fall onto our stone path, breaking my fall (unfortunately) with my right knee. I've been largely immobile since and gave in and went to A+E yesterday (couldn't believe I actually had to pay for the privilege?!). The Dr diagnosed lots of fluid but decided against sticking needles into it and I think all his poking and prodding has helped to get the fluid moving and I feel finally on the mend..altho' J tells me its embarrassing when I limp around the shops, in his prescence ;-). T has had to keep the house and family moving and he has been my rock (an expression I've always felt is a bit cheesy before but one that describes how grateful I am, to a tee).
J and I start saturday school next week so am a tad nervous!!
EBB is happy at Huldurs and will remain so for the short-term as she isn't going to quit..hooray!He adores her and her cat called Knusi (which means 'big, tight cuddly-snuggle'!!). He has also been looking for Kleo, signing with his 'where' sign and looking for her basket and her tray..ahhh...
..so thats all the updates for now..Ts blog has been inconsistent cos hes been playing Flo Nightingale for me and I've been inconsistent cos I've been looking after poorly cats :-(
take care all..its always great to know how many of our dear friends and family read our blogs...makes it all worthwhile :-)...love from J,T,J and E xxxx

Happy September everyone!

Hello,

Joanna unfortunately still has limited access to the internet so I decided to write a little entry here ... don't tell her ... :-)

Day to day we plod along, weekends are best because we get to spend time together. Jolyon got some nine year old boy time with his parents as Elijah stayed with nana and grandad this weekend. Weekdays go a bit slower, especially for Joanna as she has discovered that being a stay-at-home wife is definately not for her ... but she is due to start her teaching in a couple of weeks, that'll be good ...

Other than that, don't worry too much about us, we're a tough anglo-saxon-viking lot and as long as we've got each other, we'll get by ...

Love,

T Freysson, J Burton, J I Burton and E B Burton as well as our pets Z Burton, J Burton and K Burton (that'll be Zack the hamster and our two cats Joy and Kleópatra)

PS. I think the Freyssons are seriously outnumbered in the household ...