Incidentally, today is the First Day of Summer (yes, we capitalize it) according to the Old Icelandic calendar. Erratic weather conditions continue here on the Lava Rock, with everything from sunshine to snowflakes (with hail, rain and gale-force winds in between) keeping the past few weeks interesting, to say the least. This is a decent reminder that visitors need to keep themselves constantly updated when traveling out to the countryside as the weather can change at a moment's notice.

The First Day of Summer (sumardagurinn fyrsti) is an annual public holiday in Iceland held on the first Thursday after April 18. In former times, the Icelanders used the Old Norse calendar which divided the year into only two seasons, winter and summer. Although the climate in late April cannot be considered to be summer-like, after the long winter, Icelanders still celebrate this first day of "summer" with parades, sporting events and organized entertainment, held in various places around Iceland.