Esja

It's not every day that you can say you've climbed a mountain. But yesterday I did just that. And I have proof:


The mountain in question is Mount Esja, the one across the bay from Reykjavik. My friend, who is considerably more experienced in the hiking department than me, decided it would be too boring and crowded to take the main path. So we studied a map, and picked out a couple of likely-looking trails. I'm not sure if we ever found those trails. Our route up followed the ravine of a small stream. Which was fine, until we came up against a very inconvenient waterfall. To avoid actual rock-climbing we scrambled up a very steep slope on our left. I have never done this kind of thing before, and nearly gave up several times (newspaper headlines running through my head - Stupid Foreigner Plunges to her Death ...) But with a few helpful suggestions of promising foot and hand-holds I made it, overcoming my slightly bizarre fear of having a steep drop behind me (bizarre because I don't feel so bad if it's in front of me - only if I know there's one behind.) It was all worth it for the breath-taking views from the top. And on the way down I invented a new method of rock-climbing, which consisted mainly of finding a firm foothold, and sliding on my bum towards it. From the number of bruises on my bottom this morning, this is not a technique I would recommend to anyone. In total it took us over eight hours to go up and down - last night I slept like a baby!

spider

This little guy has decided to set up home outside my kitchen window. I've started to grow rather fond of him, he's the closest thing I have to a pet. Recently I saw him catch a daddy-long-legs in his web - it's wings were frantically buzzing up and down. But my little spider had no mercy, he sped down his web and curled it up into a tiny ball to savour later. It was fascinating to watch. Unfortunately I am an extreme arachnophobe, so the minute he steps foot in my flat I will have to either suck him up with a hoover, or maybe just scream until someone comes to my rescue and squashes the blighter. But for the time being I've learnt to put up with his little quirks. As he has learnt to put up with mine - every time I open my window his web vibrates up and down. After a few mishaps, including once when he was catapulted off his web, I've noticed he has learnt to brace himself whenever he hears me moving the window. So here we are, living in a happy state of symbiosis, with just a touch of mutual suspicion. My spider and me!