Rates & Taxes

Today we had to pay our six monthly local council tax. We had been told that it would be reduced if we registered as Hungarian residents, so we spent a day last week in Koposvar jumping through the silly beaurocratic hoops  (Forms, forms and more forms!) and got our residents cards issued there and then for the princely sum of GBP3.00 each!

The six monthly bill stood at approx. GBP132.00, thats about what we paid monthly in the UK! We wondered down to our local council which is at the end of our street, and the nice lady there introduced us to a young chap who spoke English in the council, we produced our residents cards, and were told by him, that yes we would get a reduction, wait for it.........................

Its now GBP31.00 PER YEAR!

5,400 florints every six months, and at an approximate exchange rate of 340 florints to the pound, its just ridiculously cheap!
The council do not collect the rubbish, that has been privatised and is run by a very efficient German company who collect our bins once a week for the princely sum of GBP3.00 per month, so we pay GBP6.00 per month council tax and rubbish!
How is it that this country has clean well kept streets, no litter, decent roads, sewerage, street lighting etc for that amount, and Britian charges more than 200 percent more, and gives so little back??

Makes you wonder doesn't it????

Patio Progress

We are getting moving with our patio, this is essential before winter, as we need the verandah to be enclosed and we cannot do that until the patio is done.

Yesterday Lotsi our local Hungary friend (Borat) told us he had dismantled an old outbuilding and had plenty of old bricks, and Steve got the brain wave to surface the patio with these bricks, so today it has been a frantic offloading of bricks, as Lotsi wants them off the property as a tractor is arriving tomorrow to rotavate and the bricks will be churned to dust.

New!

So, I now have my new Hungarian teeth, (see pic's) and Steve and I went and had new hair styles as well! We are both slimming down due to more physical excercise, and are also getting nicely tanned, when we are able to get out in the sun, luckily it has rained a little and cooled down to a reasonable 28-30 degrees, we are also acclimatising more so the heat is not hitting us nearly as badly.

Today, we decided to walk up the hill, and dragged Roly along, his nails are getting long as he is not getting as many walks as the UK as the property here is so big, he is puffed just doing a lap.

Our local friend Lotsi told Steve an interesting local fact, and Steve wanted to show it to me. I videoed it see the video.