Kevin's Watch

thank you av.

julie has another concussion. her third. got meds for the dizziness, expected that she will be better soon.

three days off!

HELP!

I am looking for my Sleep. Has anyone seen my Sleep? Please check under your beds. I think it is hiding from me.

Mine is missing too. Do we have a sleep thief in our midst?

Ugh hope everyone gets better. I've suffered two concussions as a kid, and neither was fun. Double-vision, retching, dizzy phases.


Back from Iceland and going to mainly sleep for a couple of days before heading elsewhere. Journey had its ups and downs: climbed mountains till my legs hurt, gazed into astonishing, otherworldly valleys, broke my camera which caused my bank account to writhe in agony due to the prices of electronics in that country (Even higher than the famously expensive Finland!), made a bunch of friends from a variety of countries, got my ear so badly blocked from the flight it opened up only a week later in a mountain road tunnel, hiked in sideways rain, and generally had much fun.

Was surprised by the fact that ruska (The autumn coloring of leaves; English lacks pithy words. In Finnish you can express so many things with just a single phrase, like "Juoksentelisinkohan?" ie. "Should I run around aimlessly?" Why the necessity for all those breaks? ) is much stronger where I live, even though Iceland lolls on level with Middle Finland. When I returned, all the birches on our yard had turned yellow. Much greener on the saga island.

Haven't sorted through most of my photos yet, but here are some transcendental sights from Landmannalaugar.





I believe Shaun would enjoy a stay there and make some Viking friends; sheep scuttle around everywhere and do whatever sheepish things they get into their woolly heads. Like walking on car roads.



Had many amusing conversations with tourists and about matters concerning them. Hilarious questions from Southern Europeans: "Do you have Eskimos in Finland?" and "Are you [Finns] heathen?" Someone told about a French woman on one of the guided tours that wrote down everything the guide explained. Some person had inquired about the white objects scattered all around the fields. Now, this is a form of hay packing utilized widely in Finland, and I would never have personally wondered about such matters. See the picture:



Anyway, the tour guide had joked that they are marshmallows for the giants to pick up, and this French woman had very seriously written even that bit down, and apparently asked more about it(!!!). Only then the guide had told that he only jested. Which merely proves one can blather whatever rigmarole to outsiders and they may very well believe it.

A tiny fishing village in Siglufjörður.



People pay a LOT of attention to what others wear, apparently. My Väinämöinen shirt, which I've worn countless times, constantly got comments, even from workers in Þjóðminjasafn Íslands (The National Museum). This staff person just kind of left her group and came over, and I assumed she wanted to confirm I had the little sticker visitors must place on a visible spot (mine was on the side of a zipper hoodie). Yet no, wanted to see the shirt. Over here, I don't think anyone has ever granted it a second glance.

Wow! Beautiful photos Frostheart. The fields here are covered in black marshmallows at the moment.

Thanks. I guess that would be salmiakki (licorice?) for the British giants, then.

Which reminds me of accent issues. Was on multiple occasions treated as Irish; beginning to wonder if it has something to do with the rolling R's. The English almost non-existent R causes me constant grievances.

Buuut I suppose it's okay, considering that Grueburn & co. were apparently given an Irish accent in the AATE audio book.

Yes, like large Pontefract cakes



I hope they had southern Irish accents. Not that I have anything against the north, but I love a soft southern Irish accent, like my mother-in-law's.

How can a country as tiny as Ireland have regional accents?

Great pictures, Frostheart! My father was stationed in Iceland during WWII. I've always had it in mind to go there someday, but I want to tick the rest of the boxes on my first-tier short list first.

Iolanthe wrote:Yes, like large Pontefract cakes

I hope they had southern Irish accents. Not that I have anything against the north, but I love a soft southern Irish accent, like my mother-in-law's.

I wouldn't know about the difference between those, I'm afraid. Unless sound files are provided.

aliantha wrote:How can a country as tiny as Ireland have regional accents? Rolling Eyes Laughing

Great pictures, Frostheart! My father was stationed in Iceland during WWII. I've always had it in mind to go there someday, but I want to tick the rest of the boxes on my first-tier short list first.

Hahaha, Finland houses 5,4 million people and every few hundred km's, the dialect changes entirely. I have a friend from America who studies (literary) Finnish, and she cannot understand a flying perkele if I speak on my regional dialect to her. It sounds almost nothing like the 'official' Finnish due to the simple fact that every word gets shortened to one half or two thirds of its original length and some letters get changed, like for instance D's become R's. Savo, Pohjanmaa, and Karjala dialects are entirely different matters, again.

Thanks, and you seriously ought to consider Iceland. It's the most beautiful country I've ever visited, the people there are astonishingly friendly, and, for Northern persons who cannot withstand heat at all (gaaads Hungary at this time of the year; bit of an ordeal on my last summer vacation...), very nice climate-wise.

aliantha wrote:How can a country as tiny as Ireland have regional accents?

Now, who might you know? Graham Norton and Dave Allen (deceased) are/were both Southerners (Dublin although GN apparently grew up in Cork), and you must have heard the Reverend Ian Paisley speaking at some point - he is definitely "NornIreland" as my husband says.

BTW, HooRay - my copy of Fissured has arrived at last!!!!

Iolanthe wrote: and you must have heard the Reverend Ian Paisley speaking at some point - he is definitely "NornIreland" as my husband says.

Errr...who? I'm not sure even Finnish christians, and I'm not one, know this person.

Frostheart wrote:

Iolanthe wrote: and you must have heard the Reverend Ian Paisley speaking at some point - he is definitely "NornIreland" as my husband says.

Errr...who? I'm not sure even Finnish christians, and I'm not one, know this person.

Ah, he was on the telly (news) all the time a few years ago, as the leader of one of the parties in Northern Ireland during the "troubles". I couldn't think of anyone else from NornIreland that you might know of.

Iolanthe wrote: Ah, he was on the telly (news) all the time a few years ago, as the leader of one of the parties in Northern Ireland during the "troubles". I couldn't think of anyone else from NornIreland that you might know of.

Oh, ok. I haven't owned an actual telly since 1999. Perhaps some of those who watch one would recognize him then.

Frostheart wrote:

Iolanthe wrote: Ah, he was on the telly (news) all the time a few years ago, as the leader of one of the parties in Northern Ireland during the "troubles". I couldn't think of anyone else from NornIreland that you might know of.

Oh, ok. I haven't owned an actual telly since 1999. Perhaps some of those who watch one would recognize him then.

Ah, I think that would be the 1980s. Where does the time go?

Iolanthe wrote:

Frostheart wrote:

Iolanthe wrote: Ah, he was on the telly (news) all the time a few years ago, as the leader of one of the parties in Northern Ireland during the "troubles". I couldn't think of anyone else from NornIreland that you might know of.

Oh, ok. I haven't owned an actual telly since 1999. Perhaps some of those who watch one would recognize him then.

Ah, I think that would be the 1980s. Where does the time go?

Ow, would've been well under 10 back then. Do recall North Ireland often cropping up in the news, though.

Frostheart wrote:Thanks, and you seriously ought to consider Iceland. It's the most beautiful country I've ever visited, the people there are astonishingly friendly, and, for Northern persons who cannot withstand heat at all (gaaads Hungary at this time of the year; bit of an ordeal on my last summer vacation...), very nice climate-wise.

Twenty plus years ago a fellow train commuter I knew told me of living for a time in Iceland; when her husband was serving in the navy and was stationed there. She couldn't stand the place. To each their own, I guess.

aliantha wrote:Great pictures, Frostheart! My father was stationed in Iceland during WWII. I've always had it in mind to go there someday, but I want to tick the rest of the boxes on my first-tier short list first.

Ah, so we shall be seeing you in downtown Wollongong real soon. Don't forget to dress up nicely

Frostheart, damn straight I'd enjoy a visit there. That first photo blew me away. Though I am more a heat than cold girl so I would have to pick my time of year. Or gaffer-tape a couple of those sheep to my body. Would they let me on the plane like that? (Poor sheep would probably be cut open in the search for drugs!)

Lorin and Cag, Sorry to hear your Z's have wandered off. I would offer you some of mine - I have plenty - but when it comes to sleeping, I'm like a toddler in the pre-sharing phase.

Cagliostro wrote:Mine is missing too. Do we have a sleep thief in our midst?

Uh, you're not going to find it on the Watch, that's for sure...

--A

Shaun, Wollongong is right after Ireland and Alaska, which are tied for #1. It used to be a three-way tie for #1, but I'm sort of considering the Czech Republic a done deal since I'll be there in less than a week.

I would *love* to find some sleep, but I suspect it'll have to wait 'til I'm on the plane Tuesday night.

Iolanthe -- woot!

Re accents: I don't watch a lot of TV, so I'm not sure whether I've heard Ian Paisley speak or not. I did listen to a YouTube clip of Michael Higgins not long ago and found I had to concentrate to understand him -- but most likely it was because he was kinda het up about the thing he was talking about. (Hey, Wikipedia says Higgins attended my alma mater, Indiana University. He got there first, though. )

aliantha wrote:Re accents: I don't watch a lot of TV, so I'm not sure whether I've heard Ian Paisley speak or not. I did listen to a YouTube clip of Michael Higgins not long ago and found I had to concentrate to understand him -- but most likely it was because he was kinda het up about the thing he was talking about. (Hey, Wikipedia says Higgins attended my alma mater, Indiana University. He got there first, though. )

Ha ha. I just thought of two other Irish actors I could quote - the ones who played Pippin and Merry in Lord of the Rings - then I googled and found out that the actor who played Pippin is Scottish, and the one who played Merry was born in Germany.

However, you may have heard of actor James Nesbitt (Cold Feet, Murphy's Law etc.) who is definitly from NornIreland.

If you can get a clip of a programme called "Ballykissangel" (there are several on u-tube) you will hear some lovely southern Irish accents, and see some lovely clips of Ireland. The programme was partly filmed in Avoca and C & I visited there last time we went to Ireland.