more peaceful winter recuperation

... but this time at home. It was around a few degrees over or under zero since we've been back. Alan manages to fidget outside a couple of hours a day, he is feeling better and better mostly. Erzsi is chopping the ducks and cockerels that are ready and planned for the freezer. We had the Mikulás celebration in the culture house yesterday, the communal workers put on the show, managed to grab the kids attention, with elaborate self-made costumes. Santa was forgetting his lines, he's a bit senile but a nice chap. With the grand finale, 10 of the kids all performed a little santa-time poetry and grabbing enormous looking bags of selected chocs off the sometimes unwilling santa. They also received "virgács" that is a small tree-branch only bad behaved kids supposed to get. Watching the youngsters is just entertaining in itself, every time. The village received 40 "forest meter" fire wood to distribute amongst the poorest, 3 times more than last year, but the council has to fork out load of money for the transport of it to the village. Here it will get delivered by the communal tractor+trailer the council managed to purchase, due being successful winning big grants. It includes field plowing and snow plowing attachments. We'll have an early and an in-time xmas this year, as Szonya will be here only for a few days, spending xmas home with Drew. Martin is arriving the same time, but stays a bit longer, till 29th. So we'll have duck-dinner with relevant trimmings (steamed red cabbage and special flavoured potatoes) on the 18th and the turkey on the 25th, just the 3 of us, unless somebody drops in... So we'll have to have the trifle, xmas cake, mince pies, beigli, xmas pud continuously from the 18th. Don't worry! We'll be careful and as health-caring as we can. As times will be hectic - will go to Budapest to meet kids etc - I might not blog for sometime - if so - happy everything for everybody!!