Day 118-Verkalýðsdagurinn

   May 1-Labor Day is a national holiday and is celebrated on May Day in Iceland, like in most of Europe.  No one had school today, so we all spent a relaxing morning around the house, doing housework and other work.  Alex and Spencer both attended birthday parties in the afternoon.   

Katrín, Sigurlaug, Ástrós, Eyrún,Grímur, Kristjón, Imba,
Brynja, and Alex (clockwise) getting ready for cake.

   Alex's friend, Katrín, lives on a dairy farm about ten miles northeast of Varmaland, so we got to see some new countryside by going out there.  Alex said that the party was a lot of fun.  They opened presents and ate a late dinner or early supper, which included an array of desserts.  Next were the party games: they went on a treasure hunt outside, finding lollipops at the end and then they were given a heavily wrapped gift that each guest could unwrap for a short period of time before passing it on.  Since Alex was the first person to break through to the licorice, she won it, but she poured it all  into a bowl and the group ate it up while they watched the movie Johnny English.  Afterwards, they played hide-and-seek, until Shan showed up to get Alex and Brynja and take them back to Bifröst.  On the way back, they passed a field with sheep and their baby lambs, so they stopped so the girls could watch them and take pictures. 

The parents organize Spencer (in orange) and
the rest of the kids for sharks and minnows. 

   Two of Spencer's classmates from Hraunborg, Clara and Arnþor, had a double birthday party here at Bifröst.  The kids at the party played the same
"heavily wrapped present" game and the Hays proved victorious again.  In this case, Spencer won
a toy car.  The kids played "spin the bottle," when Clara opened her presents.  In this case, Clara would spin the bottle and then open the present from the kid at whom the bottle pointed.  They ate cake and Spencer got to have some Coke, before they ran outside to play sharks and minnows.
   It may be hard to imagine, but both Alex and Spencer claim that they had a great time eating sweets and playing around with their friends.