post-xmas pre-New Year

we were too busy having a lovely time with the kids, sorry for avoiding you, dear reader.
Pictures will come next time, when I figure out where they are. So, all was well, my little trip to Budapest to meet Szonya, with nice evening with Juci eventually and a little bit of Márta while having a peep at Juci's groovy new apartment. Then we had walks, meals, lots of drinks in Pécs, got our xmas meal ready - this year to Szonya's initiative, we made proper stuffing and proper yorkshire pudding, none of your instant rubbish - first time! Cake, tree, all just perfect really... We played the new games - the Discworld looked at first a bit complicated, but it turned out very enjoyable. The Banana wordgame is more intense, I wouldn't have minded a few more goes...
anyway, time to get ready for the new year's party in Újpetre, retro with virsli and lentils we were promised... so I left a few things out, but I am not yet back in blogging mood.
Happy New year!!! B.U.É,K,!!!

sunny winter pictures

so we did have the sun out, which I'm sure the goats approved of, too. We are taking them up the field every morning, Hannibal and Cassandra are tied, which more or less ensures that they do not jump fences to the neighbours. The electric fence battery is charged via a solar thing, so at the moment the system is down. The Sheep is back, keep your fingers crossed for little sheep.

The mayor resigned. Not publicly, I only got to know about it because we had a meeting with the chief administrator of the Ujpetre office, where all the 3 other surrounding villages belong. And she told us. We had this committee meeting about the grant application of this company, that paid more than 12million in car registration tax to the village, but had the right - apparently to claim 40% of it back - doing useful things in the village. Well, the useful thing will be a concreted and fenced depot area - which will mess up the view of the village. I failed, not checking the law and the minutes of that meeting - I am sure I told them to put in the condition of application that the village view cannot be compromised. Well, we'll see what happens. It is a big firm with lots of trucks - that's why they could pay us so much tax...

Anyway, I am glad the mayor is disappearing in the mist, but what next? I can't see anyone decent surfacing. Tried to convince Nora, the minority council activist to stand, but she wouldn't. Well, maybe there will be a last minute new face - we were lucky that way the last few times - up to a point...

We checked up with Tibi the ping-pong tables,and he promised to fix them during the holidays. Still no bats and stuff - the deputy really promised this time - but hasn't delivered again, so I have to figure out how and where one find decent sport stuff myself.
We wouldn't have had time with sis, we were too busy looking round again at the Croation market, and other shoppy places.

Jenny - it is really nice to hear from you, thank you for the compliments - please send me your e-mail address again , because I can't find it

Had the Santa do for the children of the village, and while the clown did his bit, 2 of the present bags of sweets were stolen. I think it was an over 14 kid, who felt bitter about not getting any... Still - a nasty crime in anybody's book... the village is appalled.

Pali's newest quotable: he couldn't come today because his van was glued in the mood...
(= stuck in the mud)
Pictures show the first ever sauerkraut we made - we were so frightened to look at it, that we had left it for 2 months on its own to do its thing - and it turned out ok! Just had to skim the top, and it is good! I bottled 8, I haven't he foggiest how it keeps, but one would think it did all the maturing there is to do, and it is salted after all.
the others just made while walking the goats/geese/sheep up the hill, and the winter clothes of the fig trees.

winterish

mild weekend is promised - just a change would be nice from this foggy, damp dark cold we've been having for weeks and weeks.
Unfortunately, we had to give up the experiment of milking the goats over the winter, the little bit they produced, was not worth the energy spent in washing the milking cloths and the work itself. But there are 4 pieces of cheese made waiting for the kids judgement when they arrive in a couple of weeks. We cannot even get the delicious local cow's milk, as Erzsi said, two of their beasts are off milk, and they need the rest to fill their quota, they are not selling to individuals until sometimes in mid-January. However, we do have fresh, unpasteurised milk delivered in the village by a local dairy, it is nice and cheap, I tried it last spring before we had the goats.
We just have to make sure we catch the van, in lunchtime, playing the Boci boci tarka - popular Hungarian nursery rhyme about little cows and milk.
Slowly we are making things tidy, we trimmed the figtrees, the roses, the raspberry, the grapes. The houses are a bit tidier, but not exactly sparkling...
I am busy with council stuff - more and more murky, it seems, with that comparison of our mayor to Tony Soprano having been unsurprisingly apt... The Télapó celebration is on Sunday, with that fairly dreadful clown doing a show again, and every under 14 will be given a decent bag of chocolates. The giant tree in the bus-stop wont be decorated - there aren't any mad people risking their life climbing it to put on decorations, so we are buying a modest tree with roots, it will stand in the front of the council buildings.
Our sheep is visiting a ram in Újpetre, but the sheep keeper chap there doesn't think it very hopeful, it was too late in the season.
The second table-tennis table was found and allegedly taken down to the culture house, so we do have them now at last, all is needed some decent net and bats and balls, but the second disappointment is the deputy mayor, who is - how shall I put it - thick. He keeps wanting to do everything - like this purchase, for about 6 months, but he just doesn't do it. So when my sister comes this weekend, I'll buy the lot and claim money back.
No photos today - I don't want to depress you with all that gloom...