Shopping

Went to Körmend for some stuff today. got onions potatoes and some meat for a Goulash on the weekends ('Gulyásleves' or "Cowboy Soup" as they call it here) The sky looked a bit threatening on the way to Tescos and, sure enough, it started raining on the way to the bus stop.

I had a thought on the way that I really shouldn't be buying bulky stuff from Tescos instead of the shop as any savings I make are eaten up by the bus ticket. So only rare or small items from now on. This would include beans and essentials like Guinness. Guinness, unfortunately, is colossally expensive so I really have to cut down on my once a month tipple. For the price of one 440 ml can I can buy three 500ml bottles of expensive local beer like Dreher. Put like that its a non contest really.

Got on the bus and... well I easily found a seat which after the past few weeks of struggling past kids who wont move out the way it made a bit of a change. Schools must be off again or something.

Had beans on toast for tea. I discovered what I'd bought a few weeks ago thinking it was chilli powder was in fact chilli seeds. I'll have to think about grinding them up.

Had some Guinness

Wednesday

Feeling under the weather today so no heavy work. Took my plants outside as it was pretty warm. I'm experimenting to see if I can grow beetroot and radishes indoors for winter. Would be useful I think. of course a greenhouse would be better but its a start.

I also seperated the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin mush I scraped out over the weekend then washed and dried them on trays. I got about 3/4 of a pint of seeds. If only half germinate next year I'll have pumpkin soup every day for decades!

Tuesday

Normally, these days, I seem to get up 4am and manage to fall asleep just as the alarm goes off at 5:30. Today was different. Woke up at 3am. Not an improvement, let me tell you. Pulled a back muscle or something.

I went to the shop about 6am for the usual bread and milk. The shopkeeper threw me by giving a choice of bread; half-brown or pink. Something may have been lost in the translation but I went with half-brown. I'd taken about 40 forints worth of 5 coins and this, by coincidence, was the amount the bill was over a round 100. 240 in all so the shopkeeper got some coins now.

Pottered about all day then went to the pub.

Oh, I finished off the last of the chicken. These days a chicken does me for about 4-5 meals before there's just the bones and whatnot left. This I freeze until I have 3 carcasses and then I make chicken stock of it. If I had pigs then I'd feed the solids after straining them out of the stock and I'd be wasting nothing from the chicken which is my long-term aim..

Shop

Went to the shop in the evening for a few beers. also I was wondering, from the pub episode last night, whether I'd set the clock the wrong way.

Shop was open, the clock showed the same time as mine so that was OK.

The woman said she didn't have any 5 forint coins but I said that wasn't a problem. Normally I have hundreds of the things but must have left them at home. must remember to bring them to the shop tomorrow.

GMT+1

The clocks went back here as well. I wasn't too sure if they went back the same time or not. The real bad thing is that Hungary is so far east it should be in a different time zone to, say, Madrid. the result is that sunset at 3pm or 4pm is likely after November.

Today mopped the floor, salt scrubbed the wooden table and then set about converting the half a (huge) pumpkin into soup. I had only a couple of small onions so used a leek as a substitute.

I quartered it and put half in the freezer.

Thought I'd update the blog while its cooking.

I went up the pub and got there about 7:45. The owner was already stacking the chairs up! An unintentional dry night, not my favourite kind!

Cider

I don't think I mentioned that the apple juice was a different colour and smelled different to the 1st batch I did. The apples looked different too. This means I can get a different variety to the ones I already have by having some of the local trees. I'll need three.

Today I re-racked the cider into a new demijohn. Well, not new exactly but a different one that I'd sterilised. I strained it though some nylon netting which I've brought over with the intention of using as "cheeses" in an apple press. Got about a double fistful of pulp out of it.

Of course, siphoning does mean you get a mouthful of whatever your siphoning but at least this was Cider rather than, say, petrol! This batch tasted rather sweeter and less dry than my previous batch.

Should be ready in about a fortnight.

Oh yes, before I forget. Today was a bank holiday and anniversary of 1956. I think it was this time last year I accidentally took my parents to the middle of a riot, as you do.

Wash Day

Spent most of the day washing up as I now seem to have recovered from the cold. Went over the house with the cleaner and, at some time over the weekend, I'll need to go over it with a mop and bucket.

Shopping

Decided to go to Körmend today and restock the vegetables. This is the worst part of coming out here so late in the year instead of May, when I wanted. I now have to buy all my food until I can harvest my own next July onwards. I'm burning through about 40,000 forints a month which I certainly cannot keep up forever.

I recognised the bus driver and he obviously recognised me as he simpy said "Jó napot, Körmend?" so I didn't even have a chance to practice my Hungarian and just said "Igen, köszi". (Yes. Thanks)

Anyway, went to Lidls this week. Unfortunately, the only spuds on offer were in 25Kg bags so that was out. Got some eggs as I was low and some milk. The veg looked good so next week I may do a "pickle" run and get the ingredients for a huge piccalilli cook off.

Still felt rough when I got back home so haven't fully recovered yet.

Powercut!

It was expected today as I had a word with Steve in the pub last night. We were supposedly posted notices but I don't remember seeing anything other than the normal Lidl/Tesco adverts. I'll have to start paying them attention again rather than bunging them straight in the compost.

Oh, I didn't mention but while cooking I had most of the windows open but the house still smelled rather industrial after all the cooking.

Cold

As well as the weather being cold I seem to have caught one. I simply pottered around the house most of yesterday.

Got up late today and about 8am all the power went off. Rather unexpected that. Around about lunchtime I started getting concerned so I dug up my paraffin cooker out the garage and started assembling it and filling it up.

I lit it on the cooker to start of but since its rather tall and with the pans on top coming up to chest height I thought it an accident waiting to happen. I moved the whole edifice to the floor near the door. Lots of stone flooring in case of spills!


Disassembled.

.
Time for Coffee!

Managed to make myself a toasted bacon and cheese sandwich so not all bad :)

Shopping

Got it right today!

Bus was full again. Seems to be the school run or something. Felt a bit under the weather and had a sneezing fit when I got home.

I went to the pub, its been nearly a week so I was expecting people to forget who I was.

Nearly Shopping Day

After 3 days inactivity caused by installation of new kit on PC I decided it was high time to get some some shopping done done in Kormend.

% minutes before the bus was due I realised I didn't have my ATM cards so went on a hunt for them. Found them 10 minutes after the bus had left!

The weather has also dramatically cooled going from the low/mid 20s to hovering just over 1C in just a week! Global warming my arse.

Shopping day tomorrow.

Had a go at juicing the apples Steve gave me and put it in a demijohn. I woefully underestimated how many apples I needed and should have got 2 buket at least. If you have to much you could always just drink the juice but having too little is a disaster. I reckon theres about 2-3L of juice so should be OK

Apples

I was up fairly early and had my semi regular breakfast of porridge oats. Started the washing machine on its "endless cycle". Every other setting does something unexpected so I leave well alone.

Went outside and sprayed some more weed killer on the Knotweed. Since your supposed to leave it for a week I'm taking that as "spray every week". I expect to have cleared after the 1st frost at this rate!

Went over to Steve's at lunchtime and got a bucket full of apples and some turps/spirits for the brush. I got a bucket full as that roughly works out to about 5L of juice, more or less. So more cider in a couple of weeks times :)

Opened the windows to let the paint fumes clear and examined my handiwork. Seems the later painting is better than when I started but the paint coverage is fine so I'll touch it up tomorrow.

Ran out of washing up liquid so my blitz on the dishes came to a grinding halt

Painting... again

This morning i opened the blinds and tied up the netting and started the actual painting. Covered quite well so I may be quite pleased with the result.

When I finished I then realised I had a problem and have probably just lost a brush. I forgot to get spirits or similar to clean the brushes with! Damn! Well, i'll have to get some Monday and just have to hope for the best.

I did notice that the outside windows were in a worse state that the indoor ones. So thats another job I'll have to try and get them done this week too. The forecast doesn't look good, rain all week :(

The tin says it takes 24 hours to dry so as the bedroom stinks of solvent I'll sleep in the other bedroom tonight.

Painting

Got woken up at 8am by "helper" knocking at my door. He had one of my ID cards in his hand. Apparently it had dropped out of my pocket while I was fishing out my Hungarian phrasebook last night in the pub!

I was trying to explain that I had made some pickle but I think I gave the impression that I was after some (more) cauliflower. Will probably find out Sunday whether thats the impression I gave as I may get taken to someone selling cauli in the village..

When I'd come to, about 3 hours later, I did some preparatory work on my window sills. Sanding them down then giving them a bit of a scrub.

repotted the radishes. Hope to have a couple for winter.

Painting

Another hot day so no gardening but I did make a start on preparing the windowsills. As well as the paint peeling, it doesn't look as if its been cleaned for years so after I've sanded it I'll probably give it a wipe down or something.

Thinking about it, I should have taken a photo for a before and after comparison!

Summer again

According to the forecast it was going to be a scorcher today but as it was overcast I pottered about inside and by the time I got out it was Summer all over again!

Caught the bus to Kormend. This is the second trip of the week and mainly so I could get some paint and stuff so I can do the windowsills in the main bedroom. As the paint is peeling all over the place I though best do it now before winter well and truly settles in.

I managed to get through asking for gloss paint without using my phrase-book or dictionary. Admittedly I'd written it down but i must have said it right as the woman in the shop didn't sneak a peek. Looking at it its "high gloss" or possibly "tall gloss"

While waiting for the bus, some bloke come up to me and proceed to pull some wool or something out of a briefcase. I thought "He's either gonna sell me something or he's a nutter." (I tend to attract both for some reason)

So I stopped his spiel in mid sentence by saying, "I don't understand, I'm English"... well I didn't actually say that as I said it in Hungarian but there you go. He said "Excuse me" and off he went.

I really need to learn some Hungarian swear words.

Gardening

Had another go today, raked up the grass I cut yesterday and put it on the haystack. Cut another lawns worth before calling it a day. Heres the famous Japanese Knotweed.



Its starting to die off at the edges enough for me to work my way to the centre.

Non Bin Day Monday

Did about a half hours scything today. Not much, but I seem to be slowly catching up on the grass. Added more material to my haystack and collected some walnuts. I have some photos which I need to sort out before posting.



I went to Kormend and got some vegetables and spices. The idea is to make some piccalilli for the winter. Spent the rest of the day cooking and washing up. At least I have Guinness to look forward to when I put my feet up.

I noticed all the beans have died and the peas have started drying out/ dying off for winter. I'll probably dig them in tomorrow.

2 Projects to do before the end of the month: Measure out and dig some holes for 3 more apple trees; and open out a plot for over-winter onion sets

End of Summer

Pretty cold in the bedroom this morning so I decided to switch the heating on. That was fun. While the technology is late 20th early 21st century the language is German. I've twiddled more knobs than Cynthia Payne trying to figure it out. Eventually got it sorted and turned the thermostat up. Success!