And so it's rolling on again.

I'm back in Iceland again, have been for some months and staying for another few days.

A few months ago, immediately after I arrived here again, I decided to stop this blog I had started 3 years ago (actually the day after I came to Iceland for the first time) , on account of 1) having little of interest to say and 2) just finding it harsh to express things in a light way

The other day, I was, as often on a week end, at the local fleemarket with a friend, when who should I bump into but some other friends from France, Iceland fans who are here on their 3rd visit.
They are both extremely talented artists in their own way: Corinne works glass and Philippe works metal, a good combination for a great couple :o)

Anyway, they have a blog also, and looking at it the other day made me want to post a few pictures again.

Incidentaly, yesterday I went on a trip to Snaefellsnes, so here's some food for the blog.
First stop next to Raudamelsölkelda The car I was renting in the foreground. A big bugger, and it looks tiny on the pic. Serve it right. As I got closer to where the glacier Snaefellsjökull stands, I tried to get out of the car several times, and you know what? Seriously it was SO freezing and windy I had to hop back in immediately! At some point it even took me a couple of MINUTES to close the car door, it was blowing so strong.
Incidentally, I wonder if the glacier is not trying to send me a message.
Last time I went to S. it was the same story (see end of post on the link).
Car almost flew away.
Maybe I should eat more breakfast and weigh myself down.

24 March

Well well well.

Today I have made a decision which has been pending for quite a while: it is time to stop this blog.

I started it 3 years ago when I first came to Iceland. Now that I am here again, the circle is closed.

Today also marks the first anniversary of Flo's murder, and to be honest, ever since then I have found it very difficult to write, or at least write light-heartedly on this blog: it's pretty hard to bullshit after an event like that, huh... :o)

Anyway. It was nice to write, and I'll probably find a way to keep you posted elsewhere (I do have an idea or two) if anyone is actually interested.

Take care, all of you, and thanks for reading for so long, especially you, Officer Pirate!
Emma

Fresh it's so fresh!

Since one can't and certainly musn't spend a whole lifetime pining and dwelling on the same things, here is a selection a few pics I took this year and like, to refresh the atmosphere.
You may click to enlarge...One of the good sides of Zürich I discovered just before leaving. Will explore it more when I go back! :o)
I love that sign. For those who don't understand German, it reads:
"Wildlife must remain untouched here. Please do not enter."
HaHa! So the Swiss DO possess a sense of humour!!

INTERMISSION

About an hour later:
I am currently learning to use the program IRFANVIEW.
For those who know me and my computer skills, you may rofl at the idea of me fuming and not getting very far, despite spending precious (very many) minutes trying to be proactive.FYI, (Einar, for example) the only reason why I am not utterly brilliant at computering ... is just that I never learned.. (as Lady Catherine de Burgh said wink wink mum!)
*sigh*, and consequently, the path to computer science seems as clear to me as this signpost.Also, talking about fuming, about a week ago, I decided it was about time for me to stop drinking coffee (I usually drink a minimum of two pots a day, culminating at around 5 litres (just kidding))
But still.
So for the first time in over 10 years probably, I have spent more than two days without my daily dose.

"But why?" I hear you ask... "Does it make you feel any better?"
The answer, as of now, is a plain NO. Sorry, but not really.

However I feel free as a Breton flying deer Yeah right.

However I am taking the opportunity to test the measure of (my) psychological dependance to coffee, versus actual physical dependance to coffeine.

Conclusion so far: since I haven't bitten anyone's head off so far, but am slowly starting to act as a monomaniac, mentionning the C word a minimum of 20 times a day, I guess I am proving to be slightly psychodependant.

Oh well, could be worse.
I'll just have to switch to air coffee.

This week, on January the 6th, a press conference was held in Perpignan by my father and stepmother with the purpose of alerting the media about (our case and) the inertia of the Guatemalan police regarding the investigation into the death Flo, and trying to mobilize both the public and the French government to provoke side effects in Guatemala (a.i to try and get the investigation to go a little further than where it's at now=nowhere)

One might have thought it obvious, but I am now forced to observe - and believe me it makes me mad- that the murder by asphyxiation of a young woman nine months ago is already much too outdated and not glamorous enough to mobilize frenzied mobs.

I'm afraid of being taxed with cynicism, but it appears (understandably) that the two French who were murdered by firearms in Niger 5 days ago have stolen the headlines.

I am disgusted for all of us.
For my sister, who certainly did not ask to return to France in a box her two feet in front,
For these two French whose lives were stopped in their track at age 25 in conditions as filthy as possible. Peace to them and their families.
For the French state who advised my family not to alert the public nine months ago and seems to drop us now that something more interesting has turned up,
For all of us, the public, who love to feast on flesh.
I feel sick.

To paraphrase Lucy, I hope 2011 will bring Justice for Flo

A few articles in French about the case
L'Express 07.01 2011
Le Figaro.fr 07.01 2011
L'Indépendant 07.01 2011
France soir 14.02 2011


VF
Cette semaine, le 6 janvier, une conférence de presse a été organisée à Perpignan par mon père et ma belle-mère, pour alerter les média sur (notre cas et) l'immobilisme de la police guatémaltèque relativement à l'enquête concernant la mort de Flo, et essayer de mobiliser à la fois l'opinion et le gouvernement français pour qu'il y ait des retombées côté guatémaltèque.

On aurait pu s'en douter, mais force m'est de constater - et croyez-moi ça m'ENRAGE- que l'assassinat par asphyxie d'une jeune femme il y a neuf mois est trop obsolète et pas assez glamour pour mobiliser les foules en délire.

J'ai peur de passer pour cynique, mais les deux Français qui se sont fait assassiner par armes à feu au Niger il y a 5 jours lui ont volé la une.

Je suis dégoûtée pour tout le monde.
Pour ma soeur, qui n'avait certainement pas demandé de rentrer en France dans une boîte les deux pieds devant,
Pour ces deux Français dont la vie a été stoppée net à 25 ans dans des conditions aussi immondes que possible. Paix à eux et à leur famille.
Pour l'état Français qui a conseillé à ma famille de ne pas alerter l'opinion il y a 9 mois et qui a l'air de nous laisser tomber maintenant qu'il y a plus croustillant.
Pour nous tous, le public, qui aimons tellement nous repaître de chair fraîche.
J'ai envie de vomir.

J'espère, pour reprendre les mots de Lucie, que l'année 2011 apportera Justice pour Flo.

Quelques articles parus dans la presse internet cette semaine.
L'Express
Le Figaro.fr
L'Indépendant
France soir 14.02 2011

Christmas time has come again...

So Christmas time has come again...So many things have happened in one year, it's pretty overwhelming.

A lot of places visited, old and new, a lot of people met, old and young :P, a lot of thinking, same old same old...

A lot of this due to or related with the loss of my beloved sister.Of course not a day goes by without a thought towards her, but I do want to give her an EVEN MORE special thought today (and share it with you all), as it's Christmas Eve.Also a special thought full of TLC for all the faraway friends who are always close to my heart, despite being geographically far.A very Merry Xmas to you all!!

As customary...

Yes yes, as usual for me before any form of departure, I am heavily procrastinating.

Usually this is the moment I start a stamp collection, gathering all of the envelopes lying around my room (quite a few in general) and steaming them off etc etc.

Now whilst I was in Switzerland I only got one letter, so I can hardly use this as an excuse, however, it very conveniently snowed last night, allowing me to build a snowman instead.
Flying off to Sweden in a few hours to see some friends, yay! :o)

Ah yes, and just for the fun of it, this is the pic of (most of) the wool I bought here.3 cheers for compulsive buying :o)

Switzerland..

For the no doubt many of you who don't follow all of my mouvements, I have been in Zürich, Switzerland for the last couple of weeks, and leaving again Friday.

I have come here a few times before, since one of my oldest friends lives in this country. However, it's the first time I've spent such a long time here in one go.

There are quite a few things to be said about Switzerland, yet I will not expand on it here, since I quite like to keep my opinions to myself unless under 4 eyes or not too many more, and so I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves..

Zürich town sometimes and somewhat reminds me of Helsinki...Central Zürich

Handcarved skateboards from Nepal. Yeah.
Gassen in der Altstadt

Because the beginning of November is almost Christmas time... (I have to say the decorations are really nice...I especially like the idea of recycling old plastic bottles and turning them into street art)
This is not a decoration it's actually for sale and costs the eyes out of your head. Now I come to think of it, maybe this is one of the last customers who went and got something from the shop.


Yep, there's money in town, and always two sides to a medal. "Money stinks...." This actually stinks too. There are some really good sides to CH, but one of the bad ones is the hardly latent racism. This is an extremely shocking campaign (from a right wing party of course) for a referendum where people are going to have to vote for what is called the Ausschaffungsinitiative, a.i. "explusion initiative" which consists in expulsing all the so-called foreign criminals out of Switzerland and back to their respective unrespectable countries.
Now of course everything is debatable, and again there are always two sides blablabla. However I think the slogan in this one is really shocking, and not only meant to campaign for the initiative, but just downright racist and xenophobia enhancing. It reads "Ivan S., rapist, soon to be Swiss?"
I'll leave you to think on that one, but I think it's just disgusting.

They also have another poster which shows a nice clean little white sheep kicking a black sheep over the border and out of Switzerland. Cute.
Politics...
Apparently (though I haven't researched it thoroughly so again it is simplistic), in Switzerland the power is really with the people, since it is they who determine such issues through referendums and direct voting. Which has advantages and inconvenients.
Démocratie, quand tu nous tiens...

Anyway... the weather has been very clement at times, and even allowed for one grand day out cycling along the Zürich See through the countrysideand on to Rapperswil.

And the rest of the time when the weather is bad and I'm not keeping my friend's two kids (which is in effecto what I came here for) I knit, as usual.

It is lovely and a terrible thing to have turned into a knitter.
For the one it's great and entertaining, for the second, I can't help but feeling that to others I look or appear totally neurotic, throwing myself on balls of yarn as soon as I've got spare time and compulsively buying wool every time I see a shop. Added to that, considering the value of the CHF, it's kind of dangerous for the porte-monnaie, being a compulsive knitter in Switzerland...
Hlakka til ad fara aftur til Islands!!! :o)

However, these are the latest:
A tweed hat for Claudia (my friend's other half) and a first lopapeysu with sleeves for me...