Last night a new virus scan update arrives, ping-ping. EPI and YT busily engaged in having a kitchen party. YT hears ping-ping notification from laptop and like a good primary caretaker goes off to see what’s needed. ‘We recommend you scan your computer for viruses,’ reads the message from McAfee. ‘Consider it done,’ is the subliminal message back from YT.
Cut to short while later. YT, dining on fabulous meal by EPI the should-have-been chef, hears laptop revving overtime, sounding like a plane about to take off. A quick check reveals that virus scan is frozen and a new message is in inbox. YT, loath to be separated from her meal a moment longer, cancels virus scan. Yet when she returns post-meal Outlook is all in a pickle, won’t open new message in inbox, and is generally being a supreme pain in the ass.
So YT shuts off laptop and goes to bed.
This morning YT gets up, breakfasts, and then proceeds to turn on laptop as usual. Laptop still revving overtime. Outlook still in a pickle. No-open-message. YT feels imminent dread creeping in as Powerlessness in the Face of Capricious Technology sets in. Outlook is indifferent to this sorry state of affairs.
Virus scan is set in motion once again. YT navigates away from Iceland Weather Report page to one of her fave blogs. YT hits back button and gets – not Weather Report page but Blogger Dashboard. YT considers chucking laptop out the window but decides instead to blog.
Since obviously that’s what’s being asked of her.
MEANWHILE WHAT I MEANT TO SAY WAS…
Those of you who haven’t already beat a hasty virtual retreat may be interested to know that today is the first day of summer according to the old Icelandic calendar. Back in those ‘old’ days they kept it simple – it was either winter or summer, no ‘spring’ or ‘autumn’ to complicate matters.
To illustrate the importance of this day, it is – ta da! – a public holiday. Meaning that most people [not the ones that work in supermarkets, or convenience stores, or the service industry, or are self-employed like our YT] get the day off to go enjoy parades, free museum admission, free swimming pool admission, fun family events, marathons, etc. etc. Plus little kiddies traditionally get a ‘summer gift’ which more often than not is conducive to enjoying the outdoors [a skipping rope, ball, new running shoes, rollerblades, etc.]
This is also our version off Groundhog Day, in that it was traditionally believed that if winter and summer ‘froze together’ – i.e. if we had frost during the night – then the summer would be a good one [read:warmish, without too much rain]. Personally though I think that was made up to make people feel better if they were still having sub-zero temps at the end of April. And what with global warming, it’s hardly something that anybody can take seriously any more. [Or maybe I’m just saying that to make myself feel better, because winter and summer did not freeze together last night so according to that premise we’ll have a shite summer].
Here a pic of my neighbour’s flag, drawn because it’s the First Day of Summer:
… and here one of the natives doing their celebration thing:
WHICH BRINGS US TO THE WEATHER
At the moment it is overcast but mild and pleasant. No wind, which for us makes all the difference, because as everyone knows the weather in Iceland is inevitably gorgeous when there’s no wind. AAH is off to sell hot dogs at an outdoor festival at our local community centre [where she’s a student member of the council] and if my friend the laptop decides to behave I can perhaps get my work done quickly and then head out to enjoy this first taste of summer. Meanwhile, daybreak was at 04.35 and nightfall will be at 22.20.