March 2013
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1st March 2013
Well, I have made a pragmatic decision that I am taking a blog holiday for March. You know, even JMG takes one month blog holiday every year. I have been blogging more or less daily for five years. I am all too well aware that I am now a whole month behind, and to be honest see not much prospect of catching up. So what you will get is very brief high (and low) lights under this one entry for 1st March and I will start over with 1st April. We will see, gods willing, if I can go another five years without having more or less to drop a month. That will do for now - keep watching the page for updates over the next couple of days.1st March - lows. Hobó contacted electrician that fixed last time. Did not show up! Hobó and Lajos had a slanging match in the pub in the evening.
2nd March - lows. Dead baby pigeon. Highs. A young man from Nádasd turned up and fixed the electrics.
3rd March - lows. Lost the house keys whilst feeding the goats. Highs. Found them again - in the litter in the goat house.
4th March - lows. Had to rod out the drains from the house, if you know what I mean.
7th March - highs I suppose. This from the Simplicity Institute. Eight page PDF and worth the read.
8th March - lows. Electric off again. I got it back on by unscrewing and rescrewing the main fuse. Fortunately, by an astute bit of observation on my part I also noticed that when it came back on something went on fire behind the fuse board in the meter cupboard. I killed the electric and the fire immediately went out.
9th March - highs. Hobó and "How Do You Do" Laci fixed the electrics. Hobó salvaged a fuse assembly of a different pattern to the one that was causing the problem but which fitted the mounting box. It had been previously salvaged from the wreckage of the cellar outhouse. Laci fitted it. As I write (3rd April) the problem remains fixed.
11th March - highs. Mrs. Pigeon No. 3 presented me with an egg. I know that I will forget to say, so I will say now - a couple of days later she presented me with another and as I write, her and her mate are sitting two baby squabs. They had their eyes open today.
12th March - highs. Hobó shuttered up the house drainage manhole preparatory to putting in a new concrete lining.
13th March - highs. Hobó put in the new concrete manhole lining.
14th March - lows. Terrible weather. Much snow and high winds.
15th March - highs. Well, I suppose you can call it a high. The shuttering came out of the manhole and the concrete did not fall in a heap in the bottom.
18th March - highs. Five years since I arrived in Hungary.
19th March - definite high of the month. At evening goat feeding time Suzy had presented me with twins. I could only have missed the kidding by minutes. Both the kids were still wet from the birthing and one was not yet on its feet. I helped it to its feet. A bit of a low - both boys. I have since decided that one will follow in the footsteps of the wether who will be turned into human food sometime this year, and the other will follow in the steps of Rudy who will become dog food as soon as I can arrange it once the goats start going out. I have a penchant for having his head preserved and mounted as a trophy above the doorway into my big room. Hobó tells me that there are only a couple of places in Hungary I can get it done, and it is not cheap. Don't much care. It would give me much satisfaction to look up every time I went in the big room and think "Yes, you bstd - I beat you in the end"
That will do for now. More Highs and Lows tomorrow.
20th March - highs. Another pigeon egg. Vas Lajos finally turned up to look at what needs doing to the outhouse wall. I thought he had forgotten about it. Lows. If I do not soon get in the goat house and do some repairs Rudy will smash up the other gate separating him and the girls.
21st March - highs. Helmut turned up with Hobó and we went into Körmend for me to buy a new ladder. Aluminium, good make. It will give me huge pleasure to saw up the old wooden one for firewood, which is all that it is fit for.
22nd March - lows. Computer problems, lots of.
23rd March - highs. Two hens now sitting four eggs. A birthday party in the evening in the pub for Helmut's wife Silvia. Our good friend Sándor, the musician, set up and played all evening. We had more than a little extension - it did not finish until nearly ten. Lows. Pickly dog managed to get out of her collar and go walkabout. Not for long though. As soon as I called "Do you want some food?" She was back at the gate.
24th March - lows. Miki came pestering. On his way out he managed to let Blackie loose into the village. Goat house gate mending, not good - half done. The baby goats were missing. Highs. I found them doing what baby goats do. They were hiding in the pig trough in the sty, both well.
26th March - Highs. I was sawing firewood in the afternoon when a robin appeared and came and perched on the other end of the piece I was actually sawing. It came back later and stood on the edge of the wood basket in the wood house whilst I was chopping acacia. Highlight of the day - what an exciting life!
27th March - highs. Good weather - sunshine all day. I think that lifted everyones spirits.
28th March - lows. A clear day as yesterday, but a biting chilly wind had sprung up. Snow still lying everywhere and it was going nowhere fast.
29th March - lows. I missed the doctor. Miki managed to let Blackie out in the street. A lady of the village saved the day. She was wheeling her bike, heavily laden, along the footpath. I was approaching from the front and Blackie approached her from behind. She stopped the bike, spoke gently to Blackie and gave him a little fuss. It was enough for me to approach, collar him and clip on his lead. And that was March.