One hundredth week of the pandemic

Nice round figure: 100th blog post since the start of the pandemic for us. I'm beginning to appreciate how wartime years must have gone past, finally people internalising them as the new normal. Omicron is still raging, one of the old hashers has got it and it will be interesting to see how many of them he passed it on to last Sunday.

Brigi with me on a hilltop last July

My very good friends, Feri and Brigi have gone down with Covid too, thankfully quite mildly, so they are in a week's quarantine, but fairly cheerful. A mutual friend of ours, probably the one they got it from, has also been in quarantine last week, but he is OK as well.

Feri in the undergrowth last July

My frustration with being stuck indoors, especially when it is beautifully sunny outside, is beginning to be unbearable. Time is dragging, I wish it was spring. One of the soothing exercises is planning. I think I have already planned enough geocaching trips out and away for the next decade.

My lovely Danish tea mug

A lot less exciting, but equally necessary activity is filling in Roy's application form for Hungarian citizenship. I haven't yet finished it, but it should be done by tomorrow. The certificates that need translating are with the translators and hopefully should be finished by next week. In the meantime, the lovely lady in Pásztó sent an e-mail that we need a recent copy of the house deeds and a declaration from me that Roy can live with me here.

The Nespresso machine

Can you imagine a more idiotic requirement from a man in his eighties, who had lived here for over 15 years and had a registered address card  for the last 12? Well, flexibility has never been the Hungarian state's strong point. They can't cope with anything out of the ordinary, and the forms have been designed with refugees and repatriated Hungarians in mind. So when we next visit the Government Window and the translation office, hopefully ending up submitting the application, we will also have to go to the Land Registry, for a copy of the deeds. 

 

My mineral water

I suppose I shouldn't complain, as this lot of frustrating form filling and bureacracy is not compulsory, as it was me who decided the lumber myself with it. On the other hand, the fact that I am doing it has a lot to do with the quasi-fascist Hungarian state, which is totally unpredictable in its regulations, especially with regards to foreigners. I'm doing this, as I have mentioned before, to try and safeguard Roy in the future. Hopefully, they will not be able to chuck him out of the country, once he is a Hungarian citizen.

Clause 9 and the protesters

Unfortunately, I have listened to a Guardian podcast this morning, and if that is anything to go by, I'm an idiot thinking that even citizenship would safeguard anyone in any country. Although, who knows, the way things are going in the UK, Hungary might be a preferred location for our dotage, if what the coming Borders and Immigration Bill in Westminster proposes is true. Stripping citizens of the UK of their nationality has just become easier to do. I was wondering, listening to statements that white people have nothing to fear, this is a purely racist subclause. Hmm. Pastor Niemöller comes to mind:

" First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."

 

Dictatorial regimes, and the UK is definitely heading that way, will sooner or later come for everyone, so let me tell you, even as a white woman, I do not feel too safe myself.

 

My favourite kefir

You may remember that sometime last year, when Alex discovered that we have a glass of wine with our dinner every day, he exclaimed that having given up alcohol himself, he is now forced to watch his parents' descent into alcoholism. Well, I don't think that is a real danger, especially that I realised that the largest amount of drink that I consume in a week is that of herbal tea and water.

As for Roy, I am not that confident, he drinks more wine than me, drinks a lot of pálinka and some beer. So, in his case there might just be some justification, although I am sure he's nowhere near dependency. If I couldn't reform him in his first 8 decades, there is not much hope for doing it now. I did a list, and in order of quantity, (going from most to least), my liquid intake is as follows:

herbal tea

mineral water

dry white wine

decaffeinated coffee

kefir

port

fruit juice

beer

The first two items constitute about 85% of my intake, with the rest adding up to about 15%.

 

Roy's full English for lunch

Food this week has been plentiful, amazingly it is lasting. The other day Roy had a full English breakfast for lunch and it looked gorgeous. I usually  call these things "cholesterol cocktail" and while I had leftover salmon with salad, I couldn't resist to have some of his stuff too. I added a fried egg, fried bread, some mushrooms, fried tomatoes and a very small bit of bacon to my lunch and enjoyed it tremendously. Fried bread is definitely an indulgence, but I am allowed it just now and again. Even though it is fried in pork dripping.

And my lunch

 

With the lovely sunny weather continuing I thought the birds would stop feeding or at least come less often. Well, that has not been the case. I suppose the temperatures have been low, due to wind and rain this week, but the number of birds on the bowls has been exceptionally massive. The main reason is that the finches, who have been missing for a long time, have returned. There were times when I could count at least a dozen birdies on and in the bowl this last week.

Four Lives cast

TV watching was mostly British TV and Netflix, although CBS's FBI's have had one episode each, which I enjoyed. On UK TV I loved Call the Midwife, Trigger Point, Wild Bill and Four Lives. On Netflix I have finished watching 5 series of the Good Witch and discovered State of Play as a movie, rather than a TV series. It was very good indeed.

I rang Nelly, who has moved into BP for the winter, and she was most uncharacteristically chatty again. If only she could be this nice face to face, rather than just on the phone, I'd be really happy. Talking of telephoning, I rang Sheila this week, on her 89th birthday. She is definitely in her 90th year and she sounded quite upbeat and chatty. My impression is that she gets on very well with Carmella, her granddaughter, who has moved in with her a couple of years ago, but what she seems to worry about now, is what is going to happen should she decide to move on. I hope she doesn't, as Sheila would become very lonely again.

Must go now. It's well gone teatime and I have to find something to eat for both of us. Taraa!!! Next post hopefully on Wednesday of next week.