Wild About Iceland

Gulfoss - Iceland's most famous waterfall

I've wanted to visit Iceland for over 20 years but the opportunity has somehow eluded me. However recently the chance arose to go on a school trip being organised by one of Kevin's colleagues. I was to be the third 'responsible adult'. Ha ha.

Morning in Reykjavik - from our balcony

The dining area in our funky hotel/hostel accommodation

Our room in Hlemmur Square

We arrived late afternoon and only had time to get the 18 teenage boys checked into their hostel rooms and ourselves checked into the hotel part of the building, before venturing out for our pre-booked dinner at a local pizza restaurant.

It was already dark by the time we landed in Reykjavik, and raining, so we had the anticipation of seeing the place in daylight the following morning. Meanwhile, Reykjavik by night was charming with its mostly low-rise buildings cosily lit with lamps and candlelight. 

Our pizza restaurant - Hornið 

And so followed three full days of exploring this friendly, hip little city and its incredible surrounds.

The Golden Circle is a 300-kilometre loop from Reykjavik into central Iceland and back, and it encompasses some spectacular sights.

Geysir and its thermal springs - this place gave its name to the world's hot springs

What an incredible, ruggedly beautiful and wild place this is. I felt right at home, with the landscape reminding me a little of far north Norway from whence my father hails. Certainly the feeling of isolation and emptiness is very similar.

We had the sort of weather I was expecting - grey, drizzly, windy. Each morning we found the mountains were covered in a fresh dusting of snow, and there were times when we were pelted with tiny bullets of ice and gale force winds. Still, as the saying goes, there's no such thing as bad weather - just the wrong clothes. I've never been afraid of weather, and to me it just added to the atmospheric feel. Plus I was well prepared with waterproof clothing and plenty of windproof and thermal layers.

Skógafoss

Faxi waterfall

Vik church, perched above the village in the mist

Amazing rock formation off the black volcanic beach at Vik

Sea cave at Vik

Another shot of the incredible Gulfoss

Þingvellir National Park - home of the world's first parliament
and where the European and North American tectonic plates divide

Vibrant autumn colours in stark contrast against ancient stone

Myrdalsjokull Glacier

Waterfalls, mountains, glaciers - the place is one giant series of postcards. There's also the fascination of steam and bubbling pools of water rising out of the ground all over the place. Geothermal energy meets the heating and hot water needs of the entire country.

No visit to southern Iceland would be complete without stopping at Eyjafjallajökull, that pesky volcano that wreaked havoc across European airspace for weeks in 2010. There are pictures that show the area completely covered in ash. It's hard to imagine what it must have been like. The power of nature.

Skogafoss

In addition to Iceland's natural beauty, in Reykjavik the country has a very appealing urban environment with its mix of traditional Scandinavian and über modern architecturally designed buildings.

Interestingly a lot of the buildings use corrugated metal as their external cladding - this is rather a strange sight to Australian eyes, so used to corrugated iron buildings in our very different landscape. However, this being Iceland - a land of artists - the corrugated metal is often painted in vibrant colours.

As in Norway, alcohol is sold via state-owned shops called Vinbudin.
How groovy is this one?

Tourist shop just across the street from our hotel

The shopping in Reykjavik is a delight. Cute little designer boutiques, cosy cafés and sophisticated yet friendly bars abound. Even the tourist stores are really high quality. 

This town loves its sculpture!

And the Icelandic people have a really good sense of humour too...

Harpa Concert Hall - an incredible building, a tribute to modern Icelandic architecture

The Pearl - the most glamorous hot water storage tanks you'll ever see!
(there's also an exhibition space, shops and a restaurant)

Incredible views over Reykjavik from The Pearl

Our last stop was the famous Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa located on a lava field not too far from Reykjavik's airport.

This is one of Iceland's most popular tourist attractions and that shows in just how slick the whole process is. You're issued with coloured electronic wristbands to signify which package you've purchased, and which allow you to unlock your locker in the change rooms as well as order drinks and refreshments in the pool - meaning you don't have to carry money or valuables with you.

Poor Kevin - he was looking forward to enjoying a beer in the pool but because he was wearing a wristband that signified he was with a school group, the staff were not permitted to serve him any alcohol!

I'm not a fan of hot water (37-39ºC) so I gave the actual bathing a miss and enjoyed a wee drinky in the café while I caught up on postcard writing. 

The famous Blue Lagoon

Kevin enjoying the thermal pools...

... while I enjoyed a solitary piccolo of Prosecco!

We are eager to return and explore the northern parts of Iceland which are apparently quite different geographically and even more spectacular. And I am particularly keen to visit Iceland without the company of 18 teenage boys, as nice as most of them were.

Perhaps we'll be luckier with the Northern Lights next time too. We weren't really expecting to see them - we realise you have to be fortunate with the weather. So no great disappointment, and something to look forward to in the future.

Until next time,

- Maree  xo

Falling into Autumn

Picture-perfect:
Autumn at Winkworth Arboretum, near Godalming

Autumn is my favourite season. I realise that's not unusual; even people who don't particularly like the cold will tolerate the increasing chilliness of this season as a trade-off for the glories of autumn foliage, golden light and atmospheric mists.

Each summer I await Autumn's arrival with impatience. At long last, it is here.

Rainbows of colour in the garden of The Homewood, a National Trust property
featured in my last post

My passion for winter's precursor is probably a little stronger than most people's. For as long as I can remember I've sought out places where autumn is in strong evidence. Whilst living in Australia that has meant jaunts in April and May to the Southern Highlands and the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, the highland regions of Beechworth and Bright in Victoria, and of course Tasmania where if one travels to a remote enough location, you are able to view Australia's only native deciduous tree (Fagus - nothofagus gunnii).

In 2007 we spent several weeks driving through the north-eastern corner of the USA and the south-eastern corner of Canada, following the turning leaves (which is known, a little cringeworthily, as 'leaf peeping' in that neck of the woods).

Early morning mist in a field in front of our home in Epsom

Here in England it's not just the leaves that turn on a show. There is a bewildering array of fruit and nut bearing shrubs, hedges and trees that fairly groan in abundance. Some of this bounty is ornamental, but much of it provides food for wildlife and of course humans benefit as well - it's fairly common in September and October to see families armed with plastic bags or containers, lined up along hedgerows gathering everything from blackberries to cob nuts.

I can't tell you how satisfying it is to forage without fear of pesticides. Back in Australia blackberry is an invasive species and vast tracts of growth are annually sprayed with chemicals in an attempt to thwart the spread.

Guelder Rose

Horse chestnuts

Rosehips

Crab apples

Acorns

Blackberries

Damsons

This year we are having a fairly mild season - we are yet to get our first frost, though we've come close a couple of nights.

However we've certainly had our fair share of misty mornings. It's like walking through clouds.

This young deer came bounding along the lane before suddenly spotting me
and doing a rapid 'Exit, stage right' into the field

We've made a concerted effort to make the most of the autumn foliage, visiting National Trust properties and the woods around our local area.

Vibrant foliage at Winkworth Arboretum

This is the end of a row of terraced houses in our street

A tunnel of gold, not green - at Horton Country Park,
just around the corner from our flat

For me, autumn is always way too brief. Already many of the trees are bare and soon the blazes of colour will be just a memory.

I'm not complaining too loudly, however. That means winter is almost here - hurrah!

This past week we've been in Iceland - stay tuned for a blog post on that very special trip.

Only about 15 hours after returning from Reykjavik I joined my good friend Roy in London to see Gary Numan perform. Whilst not counting myself a committed fan, I have always enjoyed his music and have very fond memories of a close friend and I, at age 15, driving the patrons of Pancakes On The Rocks in Sydney crazy by playing Are Friends Electric? over and over again on the restaurant's jukebox, until we ran out of money. Good times.

Amazing light show at The Forum

Gary has continued to write and record since the heady days of his early success in the late 1970s/early 1980s, and his recent work is absolutely brilliant, heavily guitar based stuff. However this series of concerts - over three nights each in Los Angeles and London - saw him play his three most successful albums in their entirety. Roy and I went to the final concert, with Gary performing the highly successful album Telekon as well as some of his best-known hits including the aforementioned, We Are Glass, Cars and Down In The Park.

Gary Numan sizzling on stage

Oh boy, what a cracker of a gig! I was in awe. He is an incredible performer, the sound was great and the light show superb. Quite seriously one of the best live gigs I've ever seen, and I suppose it helped that his loyal fans were out to have a great time. Chanting, singalongs, clapping, arm waving - we did the lot.

All in all, I've had a fantastic precious week off work. Not really enthusiastic about returning to the office tomorrow, but trips to Iceland and Gary Numan concerts have to be funded somehow.

Until next time,
- Maree  xo

The Homewood - Magnificent Modernism

Back in the summer of 2009, not long before we left our Frensham life behind and returned to Australia, we visited The Homewood, one of only two modernist buildings in The National Trust's portfolio.

Entrance to the house

This delightful property was designed and built in 1937-1938 by Patrick Gwynne, a young architect who at the age of 24 somehow persuaded his parents to demolish the family home, a Victorian villa, and replace it with this very fine example of 20th century modernism. Three cheers for the Gwynnes and their parental indulgence.

The swimming pool, adjacent the outdoor entertaining area.
This must have seemed very 'Hollywood glamour' in the 1930s

That creeping vine obscures an external spiral staircase that leads to an
entertaining space on the roof of the building

This glorious home made a deep impression on me. As much as I love grand historic buildings and cutesy cottages, there's definitely something to be said for the modernist way of living - far more practical in many ways, and it's a style of architecture that makes the most of surroundings, characterised as it is by expansive glazing. 

The Homewood is no exception to this, set in a beautiful woodland garden in Esher, only about 30 minutes from Epsom. The windows that run the full length of the front of the building provide breathtaking vistas across the garden and it must be wonderful to watch the seasons change throughout the year.

View from the landing atop the spiral staircase

View from the main living area

What a groovy pad this is, and oh! can you imagine the hoo-ha from the neighbours when it was built? Of course being surrounded by woodland it's not visible to neighbours or visible even from the road, however at the time of its construction it contravened all the standard building regulations - too large, flat roof etc. The rules had to be torn up and reinvented to allow The Homewood to be built.

The house was designed to provide Gwynne's mother with adequate space for entertaining (she was something of a socialite), and the main living area boasts a sprung maplewood floor intended for dancing as well as a fully fitted bar with tables and shelves that magically extend. There are cleverly designed niche cupboards in wall cavities that ensure clutter is kept out of sight. 

It's filled with furniture designed by Gwynne himself, as well as iconic pieces by Saarinen, Eames, Le Corbusier, Bertoia and Mies van der Rohe.

Image: cafeurbanite.yuku.com

Photo: Dennis Gilbert

The property has featured in two excellent ITV series from 2013/14 - Endeavour ('Rocket' episode) and Agatha Christie's Marple ('Endless Night)'. 

This is truly a house for living in, which renders its history a little sad. The Homewood was completed in 1938 and the family only lived here together for just over a year. When war broke out Patrick and his sister joined the forces, and the house was let to tenants. Gwynne's parents both passed away during the war.

However Patrick returned and lived here until his death in 2003. Being a true modernist, changes were made throughout the decades to embrace technology and new ideas - this is not a museum from the 1930s.

Deck area leading from the dining room down to the pool

The Homewood was bequeathed to The National Trust under the condition that it be open to the public at least one day a week for six months of the year, and that it be tenanted to a family. Oh lucky, lucky Scott family, who successfully made it through five rounds of interviews in 2007 and have lived here ever since. 



The Homewood merges the light and functionality of modern architecture with the beauty of the Surrey countryside. It is perfection.

Me want  :-(

Yours truly enjoying the gorgeous colours of autumn in The Homewood's garden

Until next time,
- Maree  xo