A decidedly busy week

After last Sunday's successful hike/geocaching Monday was taken slightly more leisurely. I did manage to get hold of Dylan and asked him to finish building Roy's new computer early, which he did. Thus Tuesday started with fetching and then putting together the computer with the lovely, widescreen monitor. Roy has been getting used to it ever since, especially the quirks of the monitor and a few other innovations. Once that was done I went off with Laci to the City Park to check his planning for this weekend's TrailO. The course was pretty good, I did make a few suggestions, but basically it did not need changing in too many places. Unfortunately the skies have opened and while I was nicely warm from my head to about my knees, below that I was soaked. Foolishly I went in sandals and left my waterproof trousers behind, so by the time we finished we both looked like drowned rats. Still, we checked all but 3 controls and I was convinced that it will be a great success.

Once I got home, had a hot shower, changed, ate something and then tore off to the Opera it was gone 6pm. The performance of Hunyadi László was pretty good. Some of the modern ideas, setting, scenery and costumes needed some getting used to, but it was altogether a good production. The picture is of Miklósa Erika, who sang Gara Mária, the main young female lead. She was superb. On Wednesday morning we got going quite early. We had to go and fetch 20 litres of paint for the renovation of the Bunkhouse and Farmhouse, followed by some food shopping.

Hrncsjar, our painter and decorator, had been working on the outside walls since Monday. This paint was for the wood, but he and his assistant were still working on the outside walls. The one in the picture is the back of the Farmhouse, which has now been reinforced with some netting, then plastered and now is awaiting painting and/or liming. I think in the more exposed places he will put on paint, the rest will just be limed. He has unfortunately fallen down off his ladder earlier in the year, so he will never be able to do high work any more, which is why he now has an assistant with him to do all the dangerous stuff. I like him, as he is careful, fastidious and his work is of high quality.

Thursday was spent mostly in the garden. We repotted the lovely plant we got as a present from Alwyn last week. It now lives in the garden during the day and indoors at night. Roy put a circular wire around the plant onto which it can now climb. It is quite picturesque, I think. We also planted all the remaining rose bushes to replace those that died and a few new ones by the Kottage.

This takes us almost to the weekend. On Friday we came into town and then on Saturday we departed westwards for some orienteering and geocaching. My start time was not due until after 2pm, but we had to travel about a 100 miles, so time was of the essence. We managed to squeeze one cache in, which was well worth it.

We saw a XIIIth century recently renovated church which took my breath away. Its grand dimensions and its simplicity kept me spellbound. Unfortunately we couldn't go in, partly for lack of time, partly because there was a coachload of tourists trying to do the same. Never mind, one place to come back to in the future.

The orienteering was not exactly highly technical, but I enjoyed it all the same. There were very few entries, so the oldest women's course was W45. It has been some years since I ran in this class, but I have not only managed it, but ended up winning it. Not quite fairly, I hasten to add. A good friend of mine, Barbara won overall (I won on Day 1 and she won on Day 2 by a few seconds more than I did the day before), but then declared herself non competitive due to the terrain being her regular training ground. So this became the strange case of coming second and still getting a gold medal. En route home we did two more caches, both having had 3 parts to each. The prettiest bit was an interesting looking church, where the task was to read the numbers on the Western side of its dome. Finally I solved the problem by taking a photo of it and then enlarging it on the viewing screen.

We were at home by 5.30, watched the Grand Prix, had dinner and now I am going to bed.