Sorting the cache at the Mill, negative smear result, the caching hike with Csilla and Heni in the Mátra and planning the next caching trip in Zala next week

We are now back in BP, but let's start with what happened in the last 8 days. In the village the weather was very nice, so Roy did another cut of the grass, this time down to 2 cm length. It looked like it was a golf course or a premier class football pitch. Unfortunately, the weather forecast  was rain for the weekend, but we kept our fingers crossed that it was wrong. One good news was that finally my smear results have arrived and seemed to show nothing too drastic. I had to chase after it, as it was very late and when I called the hospital they told me all sorts of nonsense, but all is well, or so it seems, so I am down to one more appointment, which is a follow up with the rheumatologist.  

Mill Court in Bér

On Thursday, the main event was visiting the new owner of Mill Court to discuss the fate of my geocache on the estate. She was a bit rude and uncooperative on the phone, but I am happy to state that during my visit she was fine. I showed her where the box was, she offered me a cup of coffee, which I have accepted and we agreed on the conditions that will have to go out on the cache page to make sure that cachers do not disturb her while they are looking for the box. This was also an occasion for me to try out my e-bike, so I cycled there and back, which was fun. Unfortunately, I do not seem  to discard my old habit of getting off the bike like it was a men's bike and during getting off it I bumped into the battery in the back. It didn't hurt, but later on the week the bruise got into a very funny shape, as it ended up under my knee brace during Saturday's hike. 

Csilla and Heni having a rest on a bench

In the evening we had a new discussion group, which have stopped in March, just before we went away for the cruises. This time we discussed "Morality and the Class Struggle", which was not my idea, but I read it dutifully, found that it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. The actual discussion was quite flat, I suppose that the article was quite simple, didn't raise any questions or disagreements, and once that is how you feel, the chat is difficult to maintain. I had an additional objection to the material, namely that its author had once done something that I cannot forgive for ever, but I managed to disregard it. The actual discussion with the boys, however, was very pleasant and I was glad to chat to them. 

Heni with the borrowed umbrella

And then Saturday came and I went to fetch the girls, after making my sandwiches and packed spare clothing, my hiking poles and all the geocaching gear one needs to find those pesky little boxes in the great outdoors.  This was a  long awaited geocaching hike, I have planned planned it for a long time, and it nearly got cancelled on account of the weather. The forecast was pretty bad, but we carried on regardless. My little outing with Csilla, became a threesome, as I invited Heni too. Thankfully, Csilla and Heni got on like a house on fire, so we managed to forget about the weather. It did rain a bit, but not too bad, which was quite lucky for both of them, as neither brought rain gear. The big red brolly, that lives in the car, was lent to Heni by me, although she found it a bit of a pain to carry it. By late afternoon the sun came out and it was a beautiful day after that.  

The beautiful spring Mátra

We started the day with a complicated set of travelling arrangements. Csilla came out first and went to get a two-parter multi in the abandoned quarry in Jobbágyi. Needless to say that she didn’t look at the cache page (yet again), so got completely lost. Thankfully, both Heni and I had the password, so she could log it. The next to arrive was my good self, I left Bér at 8 am and was waiting for her to come off the mountain by 8:45. She barely made it, without having found the cache, but we made it to the bus stop, where Heni got off at 9:07 am. 

A pretty view from the ridge

We now, all together, travelled by car to the village where we could leave the car and catch two short rides on two different buses, to get to the start of our hike. The first one was 8 minutes late, but we managed to catch the next one, only just. The hike started about 10 to 11 am, which is a late start, but this was the earliest we could do it with all those buses to catch. The good result of all these shenanigans was, that the car was exactly where we eventually finished the hike, so I could collapse into it. More about this later. 

Wild pansies on the forest floor

The girls went to their first cache, which I have already had, so left out this time. Also, I planned it, so that at any time where I could save climbing I would. This hike didn’t have a hell of a lot of climb, and it was not too long either. The weather held, so we pootled along quite happily. After that first cache, which was by a lookout tower, we met up where their path and mine converged. The next one was several kilometres away and it included bypassing a hikers’ hostel, which has been privatised and they made it private, where you cannot go. I am always totally pissed off at this sort of stuff. Not only because it made the route longer and we had to climb up, only to come down later, but by philosophically speaking too. The forest and the meadows are everybody’s. How dare they privatise my forest, I fumed. 

Another gorgeous view from the ridge

That cache was my first. I have been here 8 years ago with Roy, but I think the cache was out of play then for some reason, I do not recall what. The password was carved into a large pebble and was very cleverly hidden at the bottom of a big, hollow tree. The next cache was going to be visited by Csilla and Heni only, as I have already had it, plus it was so steep up to it, that I wouldn’t have attempted it, even if I haven’t already found it 8 years ago. As it happens, the girls decided to give it a miss too, as they were not in the mood to do that climb. And, even more, definitely didn’t want to do the steep descent back to the normal path at the bottom afterwards. 

Csilla on the ridge path

So, we all three then went to get the next one, which was near a really weird phenomenon in the forest. Exactly like a set of footsteps in the ground. Nobody knows for sure who did it, or perhaps it is natural, but I don’t think. The cache was in a very clever hide, but Heni found it in no time. The next cache was, again, quite a long way away. It was supposed to be a spring, with nice stone housing, inside the remains of a bronze age fort. We found, that after a while the path leading to the fort and the spring became overgrown, neglected, in places it sort of disappeared as well. 

Multitrunked tree

Once there, I found the cache, another stone with the password carved into it, but this time it was in the space between two tree trunks where the two of them met, at about 1 m high. Unfortunately, the spring housing was pretty elusive. A big storm in the past must have done all the damage that was around the spring housing. I had to wade through mud, swamp, enormous fallen trees and lots of rocks, before I found it. It was invisible behind the roots of an upturned tree right in front of it. After this adventure, we only had the descent into the valley to get back to the car. 

Old tree with big hole

It was pretty hairy, due to the steepness and the slippery nature of the dry hard forest floor. We got down eventually around 5 pm, but the girls wanted to go to another two caches up on the other side of the valley. I declined the offer and spent nearly an hour waiting for them to return. In the meantime, I put everything away and tidied the car, so once they were back we could get going straight away. I drove them to the bus stop on the A21, just outside Jobbágyi, and drove on to get home in Bér. Got home bang on 7 pm, while the girls waited for the bus for about half an hour, followed by an hour long bus trip back to Budapest. Heni was home about 9 pm and Csilla also around that time, or earlier, although because of the Champions League final footie match, she got held up too. All in all a lovely day, a new friendship was made and if all goes well, we will go in our happy threesome all over the hills and forests again.

With Csilla on the hike

The Sunday after the hike was mostly spent resting and awaiting the easing of my poor bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles. We walked approximately 10 km for me and about 14 km for the two of them. We had a marvellous time and it was my idea that we should do this again when our menfolk abandon us, which as far as hiking's concerned is no trouble for me or Csilla. Heni, on the other hand has a good boyfriend who is hiking and cycling with her, but he was visiting his mother this weekend, so she could come. I am very pleased that I invited he, so our little triumvirate could form.

In the meantime, my lovely roses started producing so many gorgeous blooms, that I had to take many photographs and post them on FB. Unfortunately, we no longer can do all the weeding and pruning and any other gardening care actions, so when one of them dies we do not replace it. We still have a good few of them in spite of this, and now it is the dark red ones that dominate. The other colours are white, yellow and pink. The lovely apricot coloured one hasn't flowered yet, but I hope it will. The climbers are great this year, the one in the front has produced dozens of blooms and even the one in the back is having a very good summer.

Heni and I started discussing the cache lists for our common little holiday to the South in county Zala, starting this Saturday. I think I made a boo-boo by only booking one night in the town they are staying, but I thought the rest of the caching will be a lot further South, near the Slovenian border. Unfortunately, by the time she raised this, we were past the last date it could be cancelled and rebooked somewhere  else. The next time, we'll have to have a finished cache list before I book accommodation, or at least by the time of the last day when I can make changes without extra cost.

Some of the caches we hope to find

The list is now almost done. We are going separately on Saturday, as they are going by train and taking their bikes. We are driving in the Duster. That day we'll be just the two of us, eventually arriving in Zalaegerszeg, where we booked one night. Days 2, 3 and 4 will be spent caching together with them in the car and I have just got Day 4 to write up. Day 5 Roy and I will return to BP, so we'll be caching together again on our own. Heni and Szabolcs are returning by train on next Thursday by train. For our Day 5 I dug out a cache list, which contains some boxes that we didn't do last October, when we were really beaten by the weather. It was the first time we absolutely abandoned a caching trip, it poured so hard and so without a break, that it was the only right decision to take. Let' s hope the same does not happen again!

Lángos

And after all that, yesterday we came into BP via the A3, not the motorway. The reason behind this change was trying to catch a nice big lángos at a place we know and love on the A3. It was delicious, although I must remember to tell her not to put salt on it next time. I have a very low on salt diet, so even a small sprinkling on it feels like too salty to me. Roy had the full toppings of sour cream and cheese, but he couldn't finish it, so brought a third back to the flat. He told me this morning that he had it for tea in the evening, long after I was in the land of nod.

The best rheumatologist I have ever had

Today I am due at the rheumatologist at 2 pm, so I'd better get on with it.  Next Wednesday my post might not happen, as that is the day we arrive back home from the South. It'll possibly be done on Thursday, but it might just go out on Wednesday if I need a lot of rest in bed. My lovely laptop fits on my lap, with a big pillow behind me for sitting up comfortably.