This old house once knew its children
This old house once knew its wife
This old house was home and comfort
As they fought the storms of life
This old house once rang with laughter
This old house heard many shouts
Now it trembles in the darkness
When the lightning walks about
(from Shakin' Stevens' - This Old House)
Well... at least there is not darkness there... this is taken at the time of eternal daylight :o)
This is what is left of the abandoned farm of Hof, near the volcano Hekla. It was probably abandoned after one of the volcanic outbursts which made the land surrounding it poisonous for the livestock.
This would have been a typical Icelandic turf house, more on that on Wikipedia ;o)
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Johnpro says:
Was this built with rock walls?
Pixiepro replies:
I've added a link to the description of the Icelandic turf houses under the photo :o)
AbsoluteShowerpro replies:
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Esterpro says:
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Hafdís Eygló Jónsdóttir says:
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Berny27pro says:
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Oddur Jonssonpro says:
Pixiepro replies:
Takk Oddur, alltaf gaman þegar fólk gefur sér tíma til að skoða fulla stærð :o)
Janick DELANNOYpro says:
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SBH says:
Bravo Pixie ;)
Pixiepro replies:
Angela says:
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Brin says:
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Franz L. Kesslerpro says:
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Teutzzzza says:
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Franz L. Kesslerpro says:
" The consequences of Laki's eruption for Iceland were catastrophic. An estimated 25% of the population died in the famine and fluorine poisoning after the fissure eruptions ceased. Around 80% of sheep, 50% of cattle and 50% of horses died because of dental and skeletal fluorosis from the 8 million tons of fluorine that were released.
Outside Iceland
Gilbert White recorded his perceptions of the event at Selborne:
“The summer of the year 1783 was an amazing and portentous one, and full of horrible phaenomena; for besides the alarming meteors and tremendous thunder-storms that affrighted and distressed the different counties of this kingdom, the peculiar haze, or smokey fog, that prevailed for many weeks in this island, and in every part of Europe, and even beyond its limits, was a most extraordinary appearance, unlike anything known within the memory of man. By my journal I find that I had noticed this strange occurrence from June 23 to July 20 inclusive, during which period the wind varied to every quarter without making any alteration in the air. The sun, at noon, looked as blank as a clouded moon, and shed a rust- coloured ferruginous light on the ground, and floors of rooms; but was particularly lurid and blood-coloured at rising and setting. All the time the heat was so intense that butchers' meat could hardly be eaten on the day after it was killed; and the flies swarmed so in the lanes and hedges that they rendered the horses half frantic, and riding irksome. The country people began to look with a superstitious awe, at the red, louring aspect of the sun.”
Benjamin Franklin recorded his observations in a 1784 lecture:
“During several of the summer months of the year 1783, when the effect of the sun's rays to heat the earth in these northern regions should have been greater, there existed a constant fog over all Europe, and a great part of North America. This fog was of a permanent nature; it was dry, and the rays of the sun seemed to have little effect towards dissipating it, as they easily do a moist fog, arising from water. They were indeed rendered so faint in passing through it, that when collected in the focus of a burning glass they would scarce kindle brown paper. Of course, their summer effect in heating the Earth was exceedingly diminished. Hence the surface was early frozen. Hence the first snows remained on it unmelted, and received continual additions. Hence the air was more chilled, and the winds more severely cold. Hence perhaps the winter of 1783-4 was more severe than any that had happened for many years.”
Not to be repeated soon, I hope... Cheers Franz
Pixiepro replies:
Here in Iceland this was called "Móðuharðindin" which literally translated means "Fog Hardship" because of the poisonous gas that resembled fog. In their despair, those who governed even discussed moving all Icelanders to Denmark and settling them there... luckily for us they abandoned that idea :o)
Franz L. Kesslerpro says:
Pixiepro replies:
Global warming... isn't it just a part of nature's own cycles?