Azerbajan 2012

I am sitting in a hotel room in Heathrow, heading to Bristol tomorrow to attend Crimefest. As I forgot to bring the plug adapter for Britain I am in a great stress to write this before my computer dies out - so if I take liberties with my English spelling I am sort of excused.

I am really looking forward to Crimefest, having annually gone since it began 5 or 6 years ago. My blog today is not about the festival as Dan is also attending and will be telling you all about it on Friday. Which is just as well as I am only sort of peeking in as I must get back home to Iceland on Saturday. Super important.

You see, on Saturday the Eurovision Song Contest will be held and in Iceland this is a very big deal. There is hardly a soul in the streets while it is being shown, but given the rise in tourism there might be a few people of non-Icelandic origin wandering around with cameras and maps, wondering why there is no one around to show them how the map should turn and give directions.

We are always sure that we will win. Always. Even when we sent our first ever song in the early 80's, a band which weight consisted of about 80% of shoulderpads, singing a song about "the Happy Bank" - in Icelandic.

But Iceland never wins. No matter how confident we are and worried about the venue for next years competition. This year, when I first heard the Icelandic song competing on Saturday I had a surprising feeling that we wouldn't win. This made me think - we never win when I think we will win so now that I think we will not win we will surely win. So yet again, like most Icelanders, I am certain that we will win, meaning we won't. This is Eurovision logic.

Since Iceland is not among the few countries that get to enter the final competition without going through the tryouts, yesterday evening was also exciting for us and thankfully Gréta Salóme and Jónsi with their song "Never Forget" squeezed throught the eye of the needle. Here is their perfomance from that occasion. Please note that it starts off with a little ad for Azerbajan where the competition is held now, Azerbajan being last years winner. Oh, and you are not getting mixed up in your geography if you are thinking, I did not know Azerbajan was in Europe. It is not. But they get to take part in the song contest, Why I do not know, nor do I mind. Every country should get to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, it would be very fitting somehow.

Another song has been more on my mind recently, one called Næturljóð úr Firði by one of Iceland's most beloved authors, Böðvar Guðmundsson. He wrote the lyrics/poem and the song itself which is really an accomplishment. It is sung here beautifully by Kristjana Arngrímsdóttir and I have decided to have this played at my funeral. I am a bit upset with myself that I cannot seem to remember the lines. Not that anyone will expect me to sing on this occasion.

Yrsa - Wednesday