scorch

after a few days of gentler temperatures we are back to the heat of over 30Cs. The crowd has gone; mei's birthday surprise was her friend's arrival for a brief visit from Italy. We also had a couple from the UK, Patrick turned into a wwoofer for a day helping Alan getting down a big load of straw with the little tractor in the heat. While Heather was nursing her sudden unset weird allergy - got better eventually. just these brits cannot take the climate...
We braved it after some reluctance and went to pecs yesterday. Alan was disappointed with the usual Wednesday communal folk dance in front of the theatre; it was Serbian, and Alan expected the Kusturica style stuff, but it was the very best of kolo, which is very much like the Croation stuff in fact, hope I haven't annoyed any readers by this revelation.

By chance we found out that there was an (ancient) greek satyr play "Cyclops" at the Barbakan, where Timi's son Kristof (17) helped with the pyrotechnics. It was well done.
Meanwhile cucumbers and paprikas are doing well, though venturing into the poly tunnel is a nightmare, it has been taken over by very aggressive mosquitoes.

Goats were behaving badly, as per usual, breaking down a gate to get to Alan's prize beans, which we were really looking forward to harvesting (and eating), never mind.

We are expecting enquiries from adventurous and winter-loving people for looking after our place next winter (cca 15th Nov to 15th Jan) while we hope to be in the US, a first time for us in that fascinating and slightly frightening place.

sporty youth

made picture, thus blog. besides, what else can one do when it is 35C outside? I managed to get up and do a bit - well, not at 5am, but 6. attacked a few weeds and collected tons of cucumbers from the greenhouse.
Alan is feeling and looking better, so last evening we picked the apricots - unfortunately two of the trees did it differently and all the fruit fallen and finished without we noticing it... but the ones we picked were nice and a good few kilos... sitting in a basin waiting for their fate... which won't be jam, I think, just eating...
You can see our brave (mad?) bi(tri)cyclists, the 5 Stable guests. They rented the bikes from the nice Pecs company we mentioned before, and did lots of going around in the immense heat of the day... but they dipped in the brand new Siklos baths and seem to be having a great time. One of the girls arrived with a wheelchair and crutches - she tried to make the kamikaze slide of one of the Budapest aquaworld just a bit faster and landed heavier than expcted, twisted both ankles - she is the one in the front seat of the tandem - you can see that her feet are still terribly swollen - she so far refused resting them - "not on holidays" - she says - "when I'm back to work I'll rest them"...
We have quite a few "last minute drop in" guests who did not book through the internet sites, but contacted us via e-mail or telephone. Strange. A couple of such people arrived this morning, their e-mail only was spotted after a fairly late breakfast. Lucky I made the beds, bathroom and toilet are done at the moment by Alan.
While Mei is working flat out for hours now, preparing a proper chinese meal, which we'll eat for a late dinner tonight. Hm... well, pictures of that will have to be on the next blog. And now, let's think up something difficult to do for Zoltan's lesson... the next (last chance!) exam is looming... 9th of August if I remember correctly.

full house!

We have 12 guests, our maximum so far, I ordered 25 kiflis for tomorrow's breakfast. We have 5 english youngsters in The Stable and separate groups of 2 and 5 polish people, all happy, I imagine especially the compatriots who were taken to the Dark Dog and are watching the world cup final there on Pali's outside screen. The other guests arrived later or declined.
It is very hot, there is already some emergency alarm and people are warned to drink enough liquid etc, and it'll get hotter.
Alan has a nasty attack of the annual allergy, that happens when he collects hay in the heat, when he already has been feeling for some time the funnyness around the eyes. He started to take the stronger tablet, bit of self medication until we can see the doc.
otherwise we are upto the neck in beetroot and cucumbers, and Alan says we are having a search party to gather the onions at 5a.m. sharp, so that the temperature and the light is bearable for him. We'll see, how the Man of the Cool Dark of Manchester that Cannot Bear the Sun will cope, poor thing. I milked the goats this morning, and to my surpise I managed ok, I don't think I've done them yet this year.

cool morning news

cool morning here, we had rain and was a humid
under thirty yesterday, which seems being a clear under thirty today to get ready for real heat again tomorrow. Made nice cake with raspberries as well as rhubarb in it!! Got tons of basil frozen, mange tout and everything except tomatoes, they seem to be a bit reluctant this year never mind this is the randomness of nature.

bday and stuff

that was last Tuesday, very pleasant meal in the Minaret where hitherto had not managed to get to. Or dared to, as it somehow looked always sparsely peopled. But it was great - true, not many diners, but some, lots of trees all round, good service, nice food and not too expensive - hm - am I becoming the restaurant writer upper - maybe. Anyway, my harcsapaprikás was superb; (veggie people, jump this next part) Alan's veal sat on a bed of prunes in red vine, and we tucked into some foie gras for starters. Absolutely nothing to complain about.
Alan asked what I wanted for my bday, so I sort of jokily said: a laptop, and to my amazement it was taken seriously, and we might pick one up in the US when we make it there later this year all being equal... but it has to do for the next (rather round) bday, too, being a bit more pricey than usual ones.

Been to Bp to fill in some period without mum carers, had a lovely rest, for 2 days I did nothing but ate, read, talked to my mum, watched Wimbledon. (What crap finals never mind). A Hungarian lad won the junior cup, he has a difficult name with lost of u-s finishing with a -ics.
Struggled through the Zola book (The Earth) an other not-at-all idyllic description of village life... so I earned the prize to read the McCall books now, such a pleasure, they are just so bloody heartwarming, and real-feeling inspite of that...

Mustafa gave me a lift home, which was a tad more comfortable admittedly, than the bus. Which reminds me - can you help me to find for him a suitable girl for marriage? he is a lovely, intelligent chap, good husband material I'm sure, and he is well off... he suddenly decided that this lonely businessman's life is not enough... the lady has to be in childbearing age... any ideas how to find somebody, when he hardly ever lives what can be called social life? He speaks French, English and 2 types of the languages of Algeria. Loves dogs, music and reading, probably in that order.
I wonder on which web place did Pete find Bouli.

Two pairs of guests from England and from Sydney, all stayed extra days, which is nice, but yesterdays lot from Spain failed to turn up, which is always worrying... have they got lost and ended up in darkest Croatia?? We left the lights on, walked down to the last bus... Too much to drink in Villány? I enquired via e-mail, no response yet. They must have guessed that I forgot to vac the carpet in the living room...

Mei is processing and picking as well as clearing the paths nicely, it was basil and more mange-tout today.
Alan started to milk the goats at night, too. He opened them the top field where they can champ on what left of the lucerne and tons of other goat delicacies; being goats, they are convinced that they are there illegally and they jump panicky from one morsel to the other. Clover's belly was bigger than when she was pregs with 3 little goats.
I'm sure tons of other fascinating stuff happened, but I just cannot recall them at the moment... pictures show Mei fighting with vegetables, flower tub and our first success with roses, more bunchy than Julianna's professional beauties...

Aside

Just a little aside. It's surprising how disconcerting it is having asked the current WWOOFer, who's command of English is not the best, to pitchfork some hay into the loft, to find her some little while later looking worried holding a bucket and a somewhat startled chicken. (alan)