Back in Hilmar & Ragna's house: these tiny beads (in the little plastic package) grow into jelly balls when you put them in a glass of water. I must get some too...
In Hilmar's studio, we watch the rough cut of Reykjavík Whale Watching Massacre, which is hilarious - but Usakousa don't like all the blood and prefer to sit on Hilmar's old organ...

A J.S.Bach action figure on the bookshelf!
Then Steindór comes over and drive us to the monthly meeting of Iðunn, the traditional poetry chanting society, of which he's the chairman, at the community arts centre, Gerðuberg.

The meeting consists of some official businesses; a few members giving short talks - this time on the theme of þorrablót, the viking midwinter feast; people asked to write poetry on the spot, which then get recited (or chanted); and - of course - chanting old poems all together. Some of the poems, I find, are difficult to keep up with the rhytym (especially if your Icelandic is s**t), but others are easy. And it's a lot of fun!
Click on the image to view a short clip of the "chanting along" session (MP4, 380KB.)
There's a lot of laughter all the way through the meeting, and in the break, typical þorrablót dishes are served in the cafe. It's all full of meat, but they also have some very good herring and bread, which does me fine.

TO PART THREE