This last week was quite an interesting one from many points of view, There were disappointments, there were exciting developments and on the other hand some old frustrations were released. One of the latter was a farcical performance, which I couldn't make up my mind whether to laugh or cry at. I have two telephones. One is my normal one on a contract, and another one, which is the spare should anything happen to the first one. This one is a Pay As You Go, which I hardly ever use. It costs about £7 a year in call costs, whether you are using it or not, and I am quite happy. However, there is this insane legal requirement that those clients with PAYGo phones have to confirm their personal data once a year, or their SIM card will be switched off. Until now I have never managed to do this online, even though it is supposed to be very simple. Well, it had never worked for me, so I usually went in person, and it was OK.
This year, however, two things happened, which created a difficulty: 1. they forgot to send my reminder for this nonsense until 3 days before it was due; 2: Due to my freedom from Fáklya, we were in the country and were not prepared to go into BP just for this. So, I had another run at it online, and it was still probably the most primitive, badly programmed and useless bit of website I have ever had the misfortune having to use. Just as I thought I filled everything in, it would just cut out and go back to the beginning. No mention of why, no suggestion what was wrong or missing, it just abandoned you and that was that.
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| Me trying to sort Yettel |
So, in my sheer desperation, I tried to ring their telephone helpline and after various runs at it, finally I managed to get through. You will not believe what was the trouble. Something that with one line of helpful warning could be sorted in 5 seconds. The system was expecting you to fill in your details directly from your ID card. When it asked where I was born, I just put Budapest. Not Budapest 07 Magyarország. Which is how it is on my ID card, but how was I to know, with no mention of having to put it in exactly as it is on my ID card, plus no help suggestion that after the city, I have to mention which district, write it in a particular way (07) and put the name of the country too.
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| Phewwww! |
The young woman on the phone was an absolute sweetie, probably the only compensation for hours of frustration, and finally this bloody Damocles sword was removed from over my head. I should not have been celebrating for too long, as very soon after this a phone call came from Laci that they can't come for the weekend, as Márti's father is very ill and they have to go and visit him in Debrecen. Family comes first, no questions asked, but I was beginning to feel that this get together is cursed and we should give up the idea. As the rest of our summer is practically full, I can't see how we can meet them before the autumn.
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| Márti and Laci |
While all this was going on, Stephen arrived in the flat in BP for a couple of nights with Valéria and found no internet. I had no idea what could have happened, but as the heat wave was raging, I thought it probably had something to do with the heat. The following day I received no more messages from Stephen, so obviously the problem was solved.
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| The ubiquitous Adriam |
The first really sensational event happened on Friday, when finally Jack rang and I was told what had happened at the World School in Italy. I thought nothing would shock me any more, but I was wrong. Apparently Adriam has not only disgraced himself, but the name of the entire Hungarian organisation. He was sick all over his room, which he shared with 3 others and didn't clean up after himself. Then he called housekeeping and made a scene over them not cleaning it up for him. The whole thing started on the beach, even before the school started, with a panic attack and Zsófi wanting to call an ambulance. The Italian comrades had told her not to do that, as psychiatric services in Italy are medieval and they would probably lock him up. Jack had offered to Adriam that the organisation will pay for a taxi to the airport and the cost of a new airfare, so that he can go home and receive treatment there. He refused that and said he would pay for another hotel room for himself and stay, so he can travel home with Zsófi.
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| The Marina di Massa event logo |
A few days later he asked if he could attend a session somewhere else, that was also part of the school and Jack promised him to arrange it. There was a delay and Adriam lost his cool, complained and accused the organisation to have banned him. Then he started doing factional work with other Eastern European groups, who supposedly supported him and at this point he was inevitably laid into by Jack and told to cease and desist from these type of factional activities. Apparently after this he became calm and teary and apologetic, so the whole International leadership now knows exactly what is going on in Hungary.
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| The Fáklya logo in a dark version |
Not only there is a group that takes no instructions, suggestions or any help to put them in the right direction, but is lead by two sick people, and it is in the state of disintegration. All I could think of was that how lucky I was to get out when I did. I don't miss it, precisely because of people like him having inordinate amount of power and misusing it all the time. It is a shame, because with some normal, sensible and serious leadership, the group could go places. There is plenty of potential there being lost, as the resignations and total fall away of comrades in ever increasing numbers is proceeding at speed. Márkó is still in touch, asking my opinion on things, or for advice, which I happily give him. But I won't be able to do this forever. I told him he should leave too and take those that make some sense with him. I don't think he has the courage or confidence to do that, so they are doomed.
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| Muggins up a ladder picking Morello cherries |
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| The total harvest of 2 kilos of Morello cherries |
Back in Bér the wast majority of our time has been spent working in the garden, doing some Morello cherry harvesting, followed by some jam making. I personally, having finished organising two 4-day outings in July, doing some geocaching, had to start writing up the cache lists. The first outing, which starts next Wednesday, has been done, the other one, in the middle of July is in progress.
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| 10 little jars of Morello cherry jam |
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| Roy with his trusty mower |
One day, when there was a bit of wind and lots of sunshine we did some mowing: Roy on the push you pull me machine, me on the tractor. I finished in less that an hour, this is how much difference a little bit of a breeze makes in drying the grass.
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| The renovated mining machinery in the park |
And then we arrive at the best bit of the last week: a day out doing some geocaching and a few other chores besides. I know the title is about geocaching, but we had more than one reason to go out. One, of course, was geocaching, as in the last six weeks four new caches have appeared within an hour’s drive from Bér. However, we needed to go out to get my medications, as well as to get some food, plus some DIY bits and bobs, as Roy decided that he would fix the exit pipe from the mobile AC unit. With all the mowing we had done lately, we had to fill the large jerry can as well, so this sounded like it would be a good, useful and active outing. As the weather is still tropical in these parts, the AC is somewhat urgent, and a nice meal out was also put in there by me as an incentive for Roy.
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| The front end of the mining machine |
We got up at 6 am and left just after 7 am. The first cache was in an ex-mining village, which I have actually visited, also for a cache, some years back, but I am happy to report that the place has definitely had a makeover. It seemed less drab, more colourful, with clean streets and happier looking people. The cache was by an old mining machine, that someone had in his collection, renovated and donated to the town. They made up a nice little park to surround it and it was all very lovely.
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| A strange looking tree on my hike |
The next two caches were in the Mátra and the GPS sent us through the hills, which was a nice route that was new to us. We found the parking space and I left Roy to have his morning nap, while I went on a two-mile little hike to two separate caches. The first one was by a spring, the second was a Virgin Mary shrine. To be honest, I have been to more springs since I started geocaching than I had hot dinners and as for the Virgin Mary, being an atheist, you can work out what my attitude to her must be.
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| The signature plant, a wild carnation, of the Mátra |
However, having written that, the main enjoyment in that small hike was the actual environment I was walking in. The Mátra is a beautiful mountain, with some nice trails, views, villages, lakes and some gorgeous forests. The topography tends to be quite steep, but this walk only had a small amount of climb and the rest was either on a level path, that used to be a narrow-gauge railway line, or downhill. I got back to Roy by 11 am, as promised and we took off by car to the next and last cache a bit further up the mountain.
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| The Virgin Mary shrine |
This is a place I have been many times before. It has a large and unfortunately paying car park, but as on steep mountains which are full of hairpin bends car parks are few and far between, we always paid. This time, however, having discovered a very nearby, completely free car park, we went there. The cache had four parts and it went along a really lovely study trail, which taught you about the forest, the plants, the trees, the animals, the springs and streams that you saw on your way.
This time round even Roy was prepared to do some of the study trail with me, which was great. We met a cute little group of two adults and eight little boys and girls, who looked like a kindergarten group, had a chat with them and went all the way to the end of the study route to the well. By this time, it was well past our lunch time, so on our return from the study route we jumped in the car and went for lunch in Mátrafüred.
Some time ago, when attending an orienteering event we did the same, and we thought we’ll try the same place again. Well, it was a good decision. The food was hot, plentiful, service was great and quick, and we both loved sitting out in the garden in the shade. Roy had a gypsy roast, I had liver in breadcrumbs and we also shared each others’ cucumber and cabbage salad with it. After this feast, the first thing we thought of was a nap, but as there were still lots of task to fulfill, we had to carry on. First visit was to OBI, which is a DIY superstore. I was a bit ailing from the high heat, so I spent most of that sitting on a garden chair which we had no plans to buy, while Roy was discovering all the pipes and stuff he needed.
Next stop was to Tesco, for some foodstuffs and, thankfully, the inbuilt pharmacy for my meds. Finally, we filled the can up at the Tesco petrol station, followed by a pleasant drive home. The air conditioning in the car is a godsend, I am sure I couldn’t travel without it. En route home, quite unexpectedly I had a phone call from a delivery driver, who was trying to deliver a parcel we have been waiting for for a month or so. Classic, we do not go out too much in this heat, but the one day we’re not in, is when he comes.
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| The fencing we chose in OBI and will be back for |
I asked him to wait about 15 minutes, as we were getting quite close to home, but he said he couldn’t. Then, I can’t remember whose idea it was, but we ended up agreeing to meet up on the road leading into and out of our village, so that he can deliver the parcel. So, there we were, practically blocking the road, while he shoved the parcel through my window. Surreal!!
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| The handsome birthday boy |
Once home, we unpacked, Roy had a nice long sleep and I caught up with my paperwork. As yesterday was also Elian’s 12th birthday, I’m afraid I missed my little chat with him, because by the time Stephen rang it was 10 o’clock, and by then Grandma has been in the land of nod for an hour. It was an eventful, exhausting, but fun day, with every task we set ourselves satisfied. You can’t ask for more than that.
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