sleep required

As from yesterday anyone passing my bedroom window will instantly know that a foreigner lives here. Why? Because I have plastered my window with aluminium foil:

Have I gone crazy? Yes, slightly. A few weeks ago we reached the stage here where it barely gets dark at night. This is very nice when you're on a short trip to Reykjavik with your friends, and whatever time you choose to go home after a night out it's still light. What a novelty! It's not so great when you have to live here, and you end up feeling bloody exhausted all the time. The problem I have is not insomnia - I'm sleeping 8 to 9 hours a night, it's just not the right sort of sleep. I noticed it especially when I went back to the UK last weekend, and woke up feeling refreshed after sleeping for 11 hours (well, okay, I didn't feel so good that day. Actually, I felt lousy. But the next day I felt just great). The result of all this is that my window now looks like a poor imitation of some futuristic design, and I've said goodbye to the idea of having any natural light in my bedroom for the next couple of months. But I feel this is a small price to pay for a decent night's sleep.