bye bye 2012

no, it doesn't mean that I think tomorrow is the end of the world. No, tomorrow I'm visiting my auntie Edit and probably do a bit more walking around the colourful Budapest Christmas kiosks and eat too much, just as usual. Housesitter Charlie seems a bit quiet lately, I mean he hasn't communicated for 5 days now, but a villager had spied him getting on a bus yesterday, so we hope all is well, he did his hermit- days while we were in Greece and all was ok at the end sort of. we made - well, Martin made a decent foto of the Újbuda market we visited today - building up our wine/veg/fruit supply and having a fish/sousage/főzelék lunch, very pleasant except for the carrying heavy stuff back part. We've seen two films, Monte something Summer pleasant enough if smaltzy, and The Hobbit - expected to be disappointed and were plus got a headache from the different definition. We might give a miss to the rest - how silly is it to make three long films from one thin book. We spent some time with my sister's three grandchildren, they are so beautiful and clever - but it was a bit of a shock to the system... even though it was only for the last hour they were all three present. Drew's apartment is warm and comfortable, and we are looking forward to the arrival of the rest of the company and the festivities. On the 31st everybody flies away - we'll spend New Year Eve with Marta

at a percussion concert, champagne included in the big new culturehouse (Müpa) and walking the streets of partying Budapest home. Happy holidays everyone! Foto of us from last christmas time in the Cellarium in Pécs if I remember correctly.

interesting times

we've done all that washing etc, wood was chainsawed, and other domestic stuff, and then the snow and the cold came, brrr. I think the idea of staying away for 4 months in the winter was a good one, we'd better stat to organize it properly for next year... and now just to catch up some stories such as the GPS - thank you Pali! So we used a borrowed GPS with outdated maps, however, after the initial "what's the point we've got a new map" it turned out to be a real help. We first used it when ending up in the middle of Novi Sad (Serbia) which turned out to me a much bigger city than expected, after the initial panic and getting lost - when switching it on, it worked in the dark and had taken us out of town in minutes. We used it after that all the way - and besides showing us flying when we passed new parts to the motorway, it was just great, and entertaining, telling us how much thousands of miles left to our destination etc... weirdly, the battery had run down faster when plugged in the cigarette lighter socket, we just charged it every night and then used it without plugging it in the pickup. on the last day home we were a tad worried as it took us on tiny Croatian roads to the boarder crossing that was nearest to us, if the battery had run out at that point, we would have been in a mess in the dark - as it was, it was the shortest and quickest way. Though the Croatian customs people insisted me taking off my coat - I still wonder what they thought I was hiding... and on the Hungarian side the boarder guide I'm sure I'd never seen before knew that we are going to Kiskassa... (we worked out that one with some help) -10C and big snow here now, Charlie, the Canadian housesitter seems ok, looks after the animals even while we're home (wow) a bit sort of untidy and sort of not into cleaning much, but we'll cope... he bought himself a guitar (he writes songs, and sings well) and discovered parts of the guest house getting the wi-fi we were not aware. He's the first person I know to get drunk with a friend on facebook - not even skype) So in Budapest we'll stay in Drew/Szonya's apartment, it will be so exciting spending more than a couple of harried days in my still favorite city . Also kids and partners arrive all on different days, which adds to the oddity and make this xmas -hm - special. But we'll have time to set things comfortably. so - if you won't hear from me, that means that I couldn't find wi-fi in that apartment or that it is too dark to blog from Szimpla...and now, let's see if I find a good foto I haven't shown you from our wonderful Greece...

snow...

yes, we are blamed for bringing the winter - the weather was very good with the exception of one short colder period, in Hungary, too. We had to believe it, as I managed to eat 3 raspberries (!!) that escaped Charlie's pruning by hiding with the grapevine - where also a small bunch of edible grapes were found. And we should attend the dill, cabbages, broccoli and - excitement - the first successful crop of brussels sprouts for xmas. The last two days of travel were long and eventful, we arrived about 8pm Saturday - house was in darkness, everything locked, we had to assume, that Charlie was out. Only after a pleasant evening at Jenő's and Guni's when the last bus had no Charlie, Alan climbed through the back gate like a gazelle - after all that fine wine of Jenő's, and made a more serious attempt to raise our lovely house sitter, this time with success. He was there earlier, too, but watching a dvd... anyway, we are back, all is well in the village, nobody died... the house was cold, but with leaving on the central heating over night and running the fire in the kitchen, today is more comfortable, even though there is a sharp North breeze. An other EU food donation was distributed, there was a successful bid for new furniture for the doctor's waiting room, and 4 people employed in the public works; the old people's club was run very well without me. We have to organize ourselves sharpish, as we are off to Budapest at the end of next week for the xmas - new year period this year, for a change. We did post office, Siklós shopping today, Wednesday bank and other tasks in Pécs. Just washing all the stuff from the trip is a awful. Animals are fine, the same numbers, and hardly any hay was used, as the grass was so plentiful all this time. I catch up on fotos

: the front and back views of the Hotel Ilion in Nafplio; the view of castle no 1 there , winter views at breakfast in the restaurant we stopped for our last night in Greece; and our last glimpse of Greece - Mount Olympos with snow...