Stephen had taken the car, so he can get to the Ozora Festival there and back in one go. He didn't want to stay over, as the accommodation prices were ridiculous. Had he asked me, I could have told him that, as inflation is still going up in Hungary, unlike in the rest of the world and also B&B's have the habit to double their prices with a Festival nearby. He told me that the gig went very well, they were situated in a far corner, where there was no sound pollution and the tent was filled with about 150 punters who enjoyed themselves.
 |
| Our laptop repair shop |
On Thursday I had to take my laptop to the usual place where we take anything electric or electronic to be repaired. I didn't recognise the guy from last year, but I am glad to say that this one was just as clever, patient and very helpful, like the last one. He fixed it in about 30 seconds and wouldn't accept any money for it. Long may that shop last!!!!
 |
| An almost full barrel of plums |
Once Stephen brought the car round we departed to Bér again, as the plums needed picking up off the ground for the pálinka mash. I was right, judging last week that the blue plums were going to drop in large numbers. Unfortunately, this week it became obvious that a quite thick branch of one of the biggest trees has snapped and looked likely that a lot of the fruit on it won't get ripe. I am still hoping, that as it was still half attached, it might get enough nutrients to ripen up the remainder crop.
 |
| Roy whizzing up his mash |
With the lot that had fallen in the last week, the first barrel was full. Roy sat about whizzing it up, like the week before and it started rotting instantly. Now we only need another 3 barrels full of the stuff and we'll be happy. Obviously, even if the fruit on the half broken branch still manages to ripen, we will need to buy quite a lot of plums from our Galgaguta orchard. I do hope he had a good crop and we can still buy at a reasonable price. After all this picking, collecting, putting into the barrel and whizzing, we returned to BP on Friday.
 |
| A lovely tea of broccoli etc |
On Saturday morning I ceremonially took my last Zinnat tablet and said good bye to the antibiotics that made my life quite difficult lately. I hope that when I get back to dr. Lakos in mid-October, my lab results will be good. In the evening we went to one of Stephen's gigs just round the corner and saw him with some new material which was really good. The rest of the comedians were awful, or at least I couldn't find them funny.
 |
| They felt at home straight away |
On Sunday evening Lucy and the kids arrived and we were very pleased to see them. It was nearly midnight when I got to bed, which usually makes me zombie-like the following day. Amazingly, I was quite OK on Monday morning, but the rest of them slept or pretended to sleep until about 10:30 am. Roy and I could not wait for them with breakfast, as we were starving by 9:00 am.
On Monday Lucy was going to take both boys into town for a bit of shopping and fun. Unfortunately, Elian didn't feel very well, so he stayed behind. Lucy and Xander had a lovely time in town and came home on an electric scooter together. Around 4:00 pm they all left for the Balaton and we will only see the boys on Saturday, when their father brings them back, as Lucy would have gone home by then.
 |
| Prawns definitely make Roy happy |
A very interesting thing had happened on Monday, namely I started Chair Yoga exercises. I have done it three times now and they are really good. I am copying what somebody does on the video and I can stop early or go back and do it again. I usually start getting tired after 15 minutes and that is where I stop. I have exercises for 30 days on this video, so I will report back here every week how it is going.
 |
| A geocaching hike - that makes me happy |
Another interesting and fun that I got involved in on Sunday and Monday was posting two photo albums on FB about what makes me happy and what makes Roy happy. The idea came from an online friend, who suddenly put up a few photos about what makes her happy. I thought that that was a brilliant idea and followed her example. There were items that were the same between Roy and me, like each other, and the family, but there were also many that didn't tally, and showed our hobbies and interests, which are definitely diverse. It was fun doing it, and that is the main thing.
 |
| Stephen |
And today I had a fairly upsetting moment, as well as something really fun. The bad bit was related to Stephen, who has ambushed us again, like he has been known to do in the past. When I mean ambush, it is rushed, hurried and is full of assumptions which are incorrect. He is having the car until they go home, so we thought that we will not see him now until he brings the children back on Saturday, after having taken them over from their mother today at the Balaton.
 |
| And this is a bunch we both like |
However, he was asking about if the inflatables were somewhere in the flat and we found them. Also, Lucy left a few things, so he came over, already en route to the Balaton to pick those up. And then, with no notice he presented a scenario that it is our fault that Elian has an allergy, as he never has it anywhere else, just when he is in our flat. Would I mind if a person who does thorough health related cleaning came before Saturday and clean the flat? And without thinking about it for one second I said that I would mind and the answer is no. This was followed by a tirade, which didn't surprise me, because that is exactly what he does. He will not accept a no and go on and on and on. At the end I was close to tears.
 |
| The two Americans and Colin |
I have no idea what will happen, but there is no hope to make him understand where we are coming from. Neither Roy nor I think that it is our flat that is responsible for Elian's allergy, but even if that was the case, there is no way we will upset our routine for an assumption, especially when we have to leave for Bér by public transport at 5 o'clock tomorrow morning and will not be back until just before they arrive back from the Balaton. Ideas like this should have been properly discussed, without rush, but he only had 15 minutes before he had to leave, otherwise Lucy would have missed her flight.
 |
| Same side, but this time with Roy |
I must admit, I was half expecting something unpleasant from Stephen sometime, as the really nice, chatty, reasonably unhurried version of him that we thoroughly enjoyed of late, was too good to be true. And it was. I feel very old. I need a bit of kindness and nurturing now that I am closer to 80 than 70. I have had and still have some health problems and I am sure that everybody would say that we have done a great deal in terms of our time, money and consideration for Stephen and the boys in the last few years. If he is going to take us for granted like this and have no sympathy for our age-related and other problems, then the number and length of our meetings, either in Hungary or England will have to be reduced.
 |
| Józsi, Günther, David and John |
That's enough of this misery, and now for the good bit. Roy has been lately going out for a drink and lunch on the odd Wednesday with his mates, most of the time we were in BP. As this was a Wednesday, he was due to go today as well. But having seen how upset I got, he didn't want to leave me alone. So, he asked the boys, - this being a boys' lunch and drink out - if they would mind if I came along. Nobody did, so I went. And that was definitely what the doctor ordered for forgetting this morning's crisis.
 |
| Colin, Józsi, Günther and David |
The final number was 9: 8 fellas and me. The average age was definitely on the wrong side of 70, but they were still great guys and I had a good chat with quite a few of them. I knew the leader of the group, Colin and another couple of the guys, and was enjoying getting to know the rest. It was definitely a wide range of nationalities round the table: 3 Brits, 2 Hungarians, 1 Austrian and 2 Americans. It was John, who was sitting next to me and went fairly soon after he finished his food, whose nationality I didn't find out, but it was still a smashing group and they have already decided that they are going to the Punjabi Tandoori next Wednesday, which Roy is already looking forward to.
 |
| Józsi, Günther, David and John |
Currently Roy is still fast asleep, I suppose a fair sized fish and chips lunch, and 2 pints of beer does that to him usually. I am finishing this, so I can post it, followed by another deep study of the trolley bus, tram, bus, Metro, and coach timetables, to work out how we are going to get to Bér tomorrow morning by 8 am. Next post is to be written and posted next Wednesday, while Roy is chomping away on his curry with the boys.
No comments:
Post a Comment