Winter solstice today! Also making this is the shortest day of the year. We had our four hours of daylight which is bad enough at the best of times, but when it’s overcast and grey like it was today – pfftt! Can’t even call it a proper day.

WHO’S SORRY FOR US?

Probably not them 25,000 or so folks up in Akureyri (north Iceland), who only got three hours. Or the 115 people who make up the population of Grímsey (north north Iceland and incidentally one of the most magical places on the planet), who had to make do with two hours and fifteen minutes. But maybe the Australians who, I imagine, are all lounging about on a beach at this precise moment, feeling intensely sorry for all of us poor sods up here.

WE HAVE YULE LAD…

The Peeping Tom of the Yule Lad family: Gluggagægir, or Window Peeper. Contrary to his perv namesake, this dude was interested only in gawking at things he could steal. Maybe he was a drug addict. Or maybe I should get my mind out of this SAD* winter darkness and start thinking happy, healthy thoughts for a change.

AND FINALLY, THE WEATHER

It rained little Icelandic seals today (well, it doesn’t rain cats and dogs up here!). YT went for an incredibly refreshing brisk walk around the golf course and breathed some of the freshest, cleanest, most wonderful air this side of Antarctica. And got absolutely soaked in the process but it didn’t matter because I was watching the waves rolling in. They were amazing – big and robust and aqua-coloured, making that inimitable wave sound that is so incredibly huge and fantastically gentle both at the same time. So it rained and rained and then it stopped raining and got windy and very cold so all the rain froze on the ground and now we have an Iceland-sized skating rink and lots of slip-sliders. Temps currently right at the freezing mark. The sun came up at 11.23; the sun went down at 15.29 and tomorrow hopefully I won’t have to write that same annoying number again because it’s the winter solstice today, yay!

*Seasonal Affective Disorder. The greatest acronym ever invented.