Just keep swimming!

Today mom took me to the Swimming pool. All swimming pools here in Iceland are always outside even though the weather is not always beach temperature. I think it’s because of all the natural hot water we have here in Iceland. Heita pottir is the Icelandic word for hot tube and its like small cups you are sitting into. There are always many different hot tubes with different temperature - warmest is about 45 degrees Celsius. I found it too hot but my mom loves it - at least for a while.

I have always loved the water and I am sprinkling as soon I realize we are heading for the pool. Mom put red "balloons" on my arms so I can float. I am not afraid at all for the water and sometimes mom doesn't understand that. She grabs me when I am trying to swim away and then I am sprinkling even more. It is so fun!

I think it depends on mom and dad brought me very early to the Swimming pool. Mom has told as soon as I was able to hold my head we went to the pool. I was 3 months then. This picture is from my first time at the pool.
See ya

Anna Björk

A rocking pony

They gave me a rocking pony for my birthday, a brown and white one – just like this brown pinto horses we have here in Iceland. I remember it from the day before when I had a try in the store. I found love right away and I remember how terrible it was to leave it behind me when we left. Dad could not understand my furious when he said we have to go home. I try to tell him about my newfound love and it was not possible to leave my new friend. He did not care, put me into the wagon and we walked away.

I had this bad feeling all evening – you know this feeling you can get in your stomach when you have received a bad news or something. Mom and dad tried to get me into better mode and we were playing with some of my books. It was alright but still I was thinking of this new pale how lonely it must be in this big store.

Then this morning I realized it was brought to me - my happiness was total. Jumping up and down for several minutes while dad was putting it together I finally could take a ride again. And I did... smiling. I had found my love again.

Anna Björk

ps. to my Pink Bunny: I love you too – always have, always will

Happy Birthday Anna Björk Benjaminsdottir

I am now 1 year old! Mom made this cake for me:

Strawberry Birthday Cake
Bottom:
3 eggs
3 decilitres of white sugar
3 decilitres of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 decilitre of boiling water For filling and topping
1 american cup of cream
c:a 1 litre of strawberries
White sugar

Beat egg an sugar until white and fluffy.
Add flour mixed with baking powder.
Finish with the hot water.
Put in greased and crumbsprinkled baking pan .
Bake in medium hot oven 200-225 C (400-425 F) for about 25 minutes.
Be careful, it easily turns black on the outside.
Cut the cooled cake in three bottoms.
Put strawberries mashed with sugar on each layer. It is good if it can stay and sap for a while before covering with whipped cream .
Cover with strawberries, whole or devided, over the whole top and around the edge of the plate.
Serve with coffee – for grown ups.
Have a nice birthday party!

Mom and dad woke me up very early this morning – I did not understand why they were singing this strange song and then I got lots of new presents. They told me I was 1 year old now!

From mom I got a singing book, a very nice white dress, a red jumper and a Winnie the Pooh dinner set.
From dad I got a playing horse. I think I loved that one best. I also got a puzzel in wood.
From Grannies I got a pink jumper, a red hat, one dalahest – which is a painted wooden horse from the county of dalarna in Sweden. I also got a singing book from my grand mother.
From my uncle and his fiance I got red hand painted wood shoes. Also from Dalarna in Sweden.

Well, much of nice things!! Thank you all very much!

Today we will celebrate midsummer and tomorrow I am going to have a birthday party!

See ya

Anna Björk Benjaminsdottir

Tomorrow is day D

One day left and my life will not only been counted in months... I will be one year! Mom can't really understand how time flies – soon I will be teenager, comming home with a boyfriends and moving from home.

Well folks, its a little bit time left for that. At the moment I am now practising my walking and basically I have become pretty good at it. At least what my dad says. I can also stand up and pick up things from floor with my enthusiam of course as then I can taste all things I see. Mom says I can taste and put everything in my mouth exept food. Food is still a very scary subject and I must say I have a confession there. Dad is much better in feeding me than mom. You see, I have a very small mouth and mom doesnt have same patient as my dad so she gives me always too big bites!! Of course I have to protest and then mom puts my plate over to dad and says: Now, you take over – I cant stand this. And dad is wondering why he always has to clear up the mess... I wonder that too, I think I will tell mom she is much better in so many other things – just not this so why doesm't she let dad always feed me. Hm, tricky...




Ok, so tomorrow is big DAY but it is also a big day in an other occation – it is midsummer.



Midsummer Eve - this year 2005 June 24 - is probably the most popular festival day in Sweden, together with Christmas. Midsummer is an old pagan celebration, dating back to the Viking Era.

It was a fertility rite originally, where the May pole was a phallic symbol, "impregnating" Mother nature. It was hoped that this would help to give a good harvest in the autumn. The customs around Midsummer are many and very old. The May pole is still risen in all Sweden and people are playing old song and dancing games around it at nearly every village.Nowadays Midsummer is a national holiday. Family and friends meet, eat herring and fresh potatoes and drink schnapps and beer.The actual day of the celebration is also the longest day of the year (summer solstice), signifying that summer has reached the half-way point. In modern times, Midsummer Day is celebrated on the Saturday between June 20 - 26.This year - 2005 - it is celebrated June 24 new rule in Church of Sweden says that we celebrate St John's Day at the Sunday after Midsummer Day. The correct date of St John's day is June 24.

The Midsummer night is the night of the great and the hidden powers. Everything is filled with power: the dew, the flowers, the twigs of the trees, the water in the springs. Dew can heal sickness, the leaven gets better with drops of the dew of Midsummer night. Leaves can be used as dressing bandage and you can take away pain if you have some night leaves from the birches in your bath.In folklore there are many ideas about the Midsummer Night. In earlier time people assembled around the springs to drink "marrow into the bones". They did not drink just water....

A wreath or a bouquet with seven or nine (the traditions vary) is full of power. But you must pick the flowers all alone and in total silence. One flower from the churchyard increases the power even more. The ready bound wreath you may hang in the ceiling and let it remain there until it is time for the Christmas straw wreath. Your house will stay happy and healthy. A pair of young birches around the porch make happiness into the house, a twig of birch in the cornfield gives better harvest The bouquet of flowers under your pillow make you dream of your future husband, good if you can pick them at a crossroad from the roadbanks of three different roads . . .

Moms and dads horses

I thought I was going to talk about horses. Of course I am the greatest interest and best thing that ever happened in their lifes – but a part from that mom and dad share the same life style. It is build with horses. Even when mom gave birth to me she was thinking about her mare that also was going to get a newborn. And can you imagine - both mom and her mare gave birth at the same day!! Mom named her Isafold and she has told me I am going to get this when older. Isafold and I am born on a very particular magic day. We are born in "Jonsmess-midsummer" which is a very old tradition in the Nordic countries. Talking about vikings and their believes this day was magic and a lot's of traditions still celebrates today. The swedes are rising a leaved tree which they are dancing around. One magic thing is that this night you shall pick 7 different flowers and put them under your pillow then you will dream about your next comming husband.



this is Isafold last year when
she was only a couple of weeks old

This year both mom and dad got newborns. In an earlier blog you can see my dad's prince.




This is Isabella – moms latest newborn.

Totally mom and dad have 12 horses. In Iceland the horses is outside in big fields close to the mountains during the summer and fall. In end of december horses are brought inside the stable. Mom and dad have their own stable very close where we live. I love beeing in the stable and during all winter I had my waggon there. Very often I was sleeping in the stable while mom or dad was horse riding. Of course some one always look after me.

One of their gratest horse hobby is to go on long trips. As you know we were recently on a 9 days tour but very often they go on 4 hours ride. Then I have to be in the car. I must say I am pretty tired at the moment beeing in the car but still it is ok if I have my pink bunny with me.

Ok, now I have been talking about newborns. Mom says I have to show her golden mare: Princess or Snot – as that is her real name.

Snot from Selfoss

Snot is now seeing Bliki from Bergi. I was sitting on his back when we yesterday was bringing the mare to him in Bergi.

Bliki from Bergi – a very calm and nice stallion.

Mom also has her own youngster and she is dreaming this will be her 1 prize stallion when he gets older. He is 2 years now:

Feykir from Nordurgröf

ok, this was all for now. I have got a bad cold with fever so I am mostly sleeping nowdays

Anna Björk Benjaminsdottir

Just keep walking - just keep walking

Perfect timing for my 1-year day I have now finally understood the thing of walking... Until yesterday I had only been taking some few steps and always when someone stood in front of me. But then suddenly I surprised everyone and there I was walking and walking and walking. Mom went so exited she jumped up and grab the camera and let it flash for at least 15 minutes... I know she will put up some pics here very soon.

Yesterday it was one more evening in the car. I think I definitely can say that the car has become my second home. I don’t really get that why mom and dad is always driving and driving... my dad says I should blame mom for it. At least this evening as she had decided to bring her mare to the stallion at my dad’s sisters place Bergi in Grundafjördur.

First we drove about an hour to Borganes where we had to grab the mare. Which I understood wasn't that easy as they have told me mares are very shy while they are having small babies. Mom has never been shy after she got me – but that's mom and everybody knows how she is...

Anyway, there I met a big girl with same name as me. She tried to feed me but you see at this particularly moment I wasn't feeling for it. Yesterday wasn't my food day and I did not eat much at all... my up coming teeth is acing and I can't understand why mom doesn't get this!

While I was playing with Anna Björk – feels quite cool to talk about some one else with MY name – mom and dad managed to grab the mare and put her and the little foal into a big wagon. It was much bigger than mine I can tell you about it! Then we had to drive for 1, 5 h more up to Grundafjördur. There I saw the horse with the big H. Wow he was gorgeous, magnificent and I don’t find words for it. This was Bliki from Bergi and the stallion mom has chosen for her mare. I can definitely understand why she picked this one, don't you?

So there suddenly at the living rooms floor I surprised every one. I was walking, walking, walking and walking...Very nice indeed. Time to go home, dad suddenly said and I had to sit in the car again. We weren't home until very late in the night and I was so tired. But at least I had my pink bunny with me.

Anna Björk

Back home again

It is a long time since I wrote now. Its because I have been away on my first horse trip with mom and dad. You can read about our trip http://www.bangsiland.com/photo_pages/horsetripjune2005.htm

Mom said I was an angel - stayed in the car the whole time - mostly sleeping. Which of course had make my day habits a bit different than before. I stayed up all night and slept until noon. I still have those habits and mom is now worried I will not go back to as it was before...

It is soon my first birthday!! I know mom has already some package ready for me. I hope I will get a play horse... well, who knows

This was all for now.

here some pics from our trip:

A new prince is born

Well, well, well... dad has got a new Prince! Yesterday morning his mare gave birth to a brown pinto prince and he is good looking too :)
It seems that the catastrophy with mom and dads mares - who suddenly surprised them by showing up pregnant with last years youngster - will come out like stars. I found this story quite amazing and maybe this is a gift from someone "up there" who like us very much.

See for your self:

Just go fishing

Alright! Then I have been on the big sea for the first time. We went out fishing with my mom´s collegues! Dad says he´s better than mom as he got bigger fish than her. Well, I don't know about that as he got sea sick and mom did not. Neither was I and I was crawling arround checking out the boat instead. Mom was running after me all the time but who cares? I mean when you are this small and haven't seen much it is very important to investigate such a thing as this big boat.

check out some pics from today

Here I am with Svala - one of moms work collegues




Look how proud dad was for his "big" fish
ps. mom started to say she got a really big fish - and then it was only stucked into the bottom of the sea. Ha ha ha








Winky winky, this was all for today /anna björk

My first step!

Finally - today I took my first step! I can tell you it was amazingly fun! Imagine that you recently drank some suger soda and all the bubbles goes up into your nose. This was exaclty how I felt and I was goggeling - like it wasn't possible to be quite. Mom said my eyes was glimmering by exciting. Mom and dad sat on the floor and I was walking from dad to mom - from mom to dad - all the time. I did not want to stop... until mom said that now time for dinner.

After this I was so tired I fall asleep at once. Mom liked that as she is cooking and baking all the time. She has told me we are going on a long trip. Something that is called sleppetour in icelandic - whatever that can be? We are leaving on Thursday evening.

This weekend was cool - mom designed her balkony with flowers, barbeque grill and new tabel and chairs. I found it quite nice to be outside still it looked inside...

chillewipp
Anna Björk

Whinkeling my toes

Mom has decided I have to wear shoes every time I’m going out and well, it is quite fun to walk around in shoes. It makes things easier… however there is one problem. My toes goes stuck so every time I take off my shoes I have to winkle so see if they really are there.

Even this morning mom’s wake up called early. These days she has decided to start early every morning and she blames me for it! She’s says it is because she was at home with me she does not have any paid summer vacation and therefore she has to work even harder to be able to get free together with me. I woke up at the same time as her but I didn’t tell anyone. I just sat in my bed hugging my pink bunny when mom glimpsed into my room. She gave me milk and a new diaper. And I thought she was going to put me into my dad’s room but instead she left me in my bed. Of course I fell a sleep again and dad had to wake me up! And he tried to give me milk – again! Puff, how can he believe I want milk twice in the morning!

Bangsiland goes blogging

Mom has finally found a page for my blogs.

My dad said I woke up in a really bad mode this morning - so what, man's can't always wake up with a smile. They need to know I too has feelings like all others... basta!

However it went away quickly and I was up and running like all days.

see ya
Anna Björk