Coughs and sneezes are still around, a morning in Pásztó and the new kitchen tops

Still in Bér in increasingly wintry weather, which definitely didn't help with my coughs and sneezes. They do not seem to want to disappear, if anything, they are getting worse. We are also minding the Santa Claus geocache. I am sorry to say, that having been out there for 6 days, we had nobody come and help themselves to sweets and gifts from it, therefore, nobody has popped in for a little chat with us. as they have been invited to do. Funnily enough, this is no surprise to me and, if I am honest, I have only taken it on this year, so next year I can decline doing it again, quoting the sorry experience of 2024, when it didn't have a single taker. I suppose I shouldn't jump to conclusions, as it'll be out there until the weekend, but I  would be very surprised if anyone came to it between now and then. I have no idea why, but Nógrád seems to be the Cinderella of all the counties when it comes to geocaching. And that, in spite of the fact, that some of its caches are in the much frequented Mátra and Börzsöny mountains.

Santa Clause boxinside

Last Thursday, the day after I last posted, we went into Pásztó for a spot of shopping. The fridge was getting quite empty, and the mobile grocery van has taken to come whenever it fancied and failed to let us know when that was. We chose Pásztó, as Roy also had a few other commissions in the town. I absolutely love Pásztó. It is a pleasant little town, close to the Mátra Mountains, full of useful shops, not far from home, with an excellent weekly market, although we missed it this week as it is held every Wednesday. Still, the main attraction in my book is the population. They are laid back, friendly, polite and ready to help anyone at a moment’s notice. Over the last 20 years I have not met any, even just slightly grumpy person there, never mind a really unpleasant one.

Pásztó church and medieval ruins

They didn’t disappoint this time either. We started with the farmers’ shop, where we bought a 35 kg bag of sunflower seeds. Just in case you are wondering if we have invited the Orbán family for the weekend, these are for our darling little tits and finches. They eat sunflower seeds at the speed of light, it is cold enough and there is, thankfully, still enough of them for the feeders emptying at a high rate. This place sells them at a reasonable rate, the owner is a chatty, friendly fella and he always puts the bag into the car, as we can’t lift it.

 

Our favourite farmers' shop

 

The next stop was Gigabyte, our favourite electronics shop, which is owned by an untypical Hungarian, who is not very chatty, but is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. We bought a new Bluetooth dongle and headphones, so that we can have one each in both the village and BP.

 

Way in to Gigabyte

 

Vodafone was next, where we had to wait a bit, but only because they dealt with a nice old lady without hurry and with the patience that required. Once we got attended to, it took 5 whole minutes to get our TV remote replaced, as it was going a bit wonky. The helpful young man even told us how to commission it, although it did turn out later that the new types do not need commissioning, but I suppose Vodafone failed to train him to know that, so it is not his fault.

 

Vodafone in the High  Street

 

Our next visit was to a timber and kitchen worktop shop. Roy got it into his head that he wants to renew all the work surfaces in our kitchen, and I had to admit, it was about time to do that. We decided the colour and pattern from the samples, paid for it and then drove the car round to the back to have it cut to size and have it put into the car. This took very little time indeed and Roy looked very happy at the end. The salesman was, again, very knowledgeable and helpful, so we also bought some aluminium edging and silicone for fixing it to the worktop. The total length of 410 cm was cut into 3 parts, so Roy didn’t have to muck about with his saw and it was also easier to manoeuvre the pieces into and out of the car.

 

The wizard of a machine cutting worktops

The two chaps carrying the stuff to the car

 

 

And finally, the main target of SPAR was reached, where we got almost everything on the shopping list, bar two, which is not bad going for a smallish country town supermarket. The special event came at the checkout, when I got a bit dizzy and pale, so the lovely lady behind the cash desk came out, asked if I was OK, and when I told her that this must be a sudden crash of my blood sugars, fed me with chocolate to get better. On our departure she wished us Merry Christmas, so you can see why I love Pásztó.

 

Before and after photos of the unit by the window

And the end result

 

 

Roy’s kitchen project has come about due to his admission that he is never bored as he always has a bit of DIY or gardening job on the go. I disagreed, I think it is the other way around, when he gets bored, he invents a project to keep him busy. Sometimes his ideas are a bit crazy or impractical, but this one was very good and I agreed for him to go ahead. He is difficult to live with unless he has something to fiddle with, so this project was most welcome by me, not to mention the amount of money we save when he fixes it, instead of an expensive professional.

 

The unit by the arch with its new top

The master perusing his creation

The extra bit of fun came when we went to fetch the stuff from the workshop where they cut it. It did say on the door “Entry forbidden!” but I walked in and nobody told me off. Fascinating massive machine did the cutting in a few seconds, that in the past would have taken ages. Technology, when used sensibly, is a real liberation. This place also confirmed my belief about Pásztó, as all the guys were friendly and helpful. So, after we have done everything we wanted, we went home, had lunch and needless to say, Roy started on his little project straight away. For several days the kitchen looked like a hurricane hit it, but it didn't last long and as long as he is happy, and busy, I am happy too. 

 

The finished unit by the window

The finished unit by the arch

 

 

The process was a lot faster than I expected. With the occasional bit of help from me, including carrying the massive over 6 foot long, extremely heavy worktop in from the corridor, he finished the whole thing in a few days. Of course, he has a treasure trove of bits and bobs in his workshop, so not only the two massive worktops got fitted, but the finishing touches were added and the kitchen now really looks almost like it was new.

 

The chicken thighs in special sauce

The rest of the week was less eventful, but some of it included a bit of interesting cooking, which always lights up the day. I made that online recipe with chicken thighs again, which was gorgeous, but we did realise, that all of it has to be eaten hot as leftovers, which are cold, are not nearly so nice. The sweetness seems to dominate, which is not good. I bought myself a chunk of tuna, which was absolutely delicious, we somehow managed to cook it just right: nicely seared on the outside while crumbling and underdone in the middle. 

 

 

Devrim Lingnau and Philip Froissant in The Empress

When household chores were not relentless, I managed to catch up with my TV online, including an interesting Netflix series about the Empress Elisabeth of Austria. I will have to check if some of the story line is true or not, but even if it isn't, it is well within the atmosphere and general nature of life in the Hapsburg court in the 19th century. I haven't finished all the episodes yet, but am enjoying the acting and the, by me, totally unknown cast.

 

The Grant fridge magnet on the fridge

All the magnets of the fridge

Another long awaited event has also arrived, namely an envelope with a nice little fridge magnet in it. You may recall that a few weeks ago I managed to finish my search for geocaches associated with narrow gauge railways. Apparently, there is a present that is due for all that found all 26, and that has finally arrived in the post. It is now up on the fridge/freezer's door, along with the grandsons, travel locations and a few ladybirds. 

 

 

The little train fridge magnet present

 

By next Wednesday we will be back in BP, and with a bit of luck, after the double trauma of a funeral and a doctor's visit. Details are, hopefully, in the next post.