happy new year!!

We had the six monthly heart checkup for Alan in the Heart Centre in Pécs, with the running test, again very satisfactory results, better then last time. no need to go for a year and can stop one of the medicines. We had a celebratory dinner with some prawns on toast for starter - a mistake. Alan was sick as a pig till four am so not a lot of sleep last night, though of course he had a nice slumber now since 4 am (noon now) while I had to feed etc the bloody zoo. Erzsi helped though she had a fall and done her back a bit last night. With all drinkers needing defrosting for the rabbits, and carrying water from the kitchen, as water is switched off in the back so that the pipes won't freeze, and I have no patience with Alan's ingenious waterwheel to get the non-frozen rainwater out - it is a tad tedious. Also my tom is a bit off, too, but for me it means no appetite and a slight nausea/headache. and I have to cook the piece of lamb I got out the freezer and marinated for days. Put it in the slow cooker, hoping we'll be better eventually - well, otherwise I just have to freeze the curry... problems, problems... But otherwise, the holidays were lovely with Szonya and Drew, with only one outing I think to Siklós and Villány. They seem to be happily settled now in the apartment in Budapest, we'll have our first trip up end of next week all being well. The New Year's party was pleasant enough with good food and too much drink and competing fireworks in the middle of the street. Found a beautiful bantam chicken in the chapel next door, put it with the rest, this morning it sat with Bonzo, maybe the others wouldn't let it in with them being a stranger (poultry can be like that...) kind of Bonzo (who's been tied again, he seemed to be actually too warm inside, but when in his favourite place - in the gap front door, he was keep going out to the street - not very far lately, but still a nuisance and danger) to look after it... well - have a nice year, which is only possible if we overlook the reality of an even sadder, badder and madder world... We had the Dutch estate agent around - a nice youthful chap with a geography as well as a law degree and a Hungarian wife - he seems fairly enthusiastic, but don't know if we appeared on his website yet. We are not abating our breaths...