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????
Friday, 13 September 2013
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
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.
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.
Sunday, 1 September 2013
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.
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.
Thursday, 8 August 2013
Monday, 29 July 2013
Heat Wave!
The hottest day of the year in Hungary today at 40.2 degrees, and the second hottest day since 1902!
Steve Roly and I have spent the last week in the kitchen in front of an ancient old fan, glugging back gallons of water and doing as little as possible! Thank goodness for the internet.
My God its hot!!!
At 8.00p.m its still 28-30 degrees, and my rolling lawn is getting browner and browner, I go outside at around six o clock and start watering, we have had no rain for at least a month now, and everything is dry as a bone in this heat. Because I am watering from the well with a pump that does not have good pressure, a sprinkler is useless, so I have taken to watering with my sprayer sitting in a garden chair, with vodka and a book and moving around as it takes me about two or three hours, and this is "just" keeping everything alive.
We are expecting visitors this weekend, luckily we finished the spare bedroom two weeks ago, it looks amazing! Steve did a fabulous job completing the window, plastering, doing the edging and putting in a window sill and some new blinds. We painted, changed electrical fittngs, and polished the parquet flooring which came up a beautiful honey colour, the room looks really good we are both really pleased with it.
(Pictures to follow).
I am on the down hill run with my teeth! The two implants have apparantly bedded into the bone nicely, they were "liberated" from my gum last week, and I have two strange metal plugs there now. Tomorrow, I will have the actual screws fitted, and then impressions will be taken of the top teeth for the final bridge! Yay!!
(Pictures to follow)
Steve Roly and I have spent the last week in the kitchen in front of an ancient old fan, glugging back gallons of water and doing as little as possible! Thank goodness for the internet.
My God its hot!!!
At 8.00p.m its still 28-30 degrees, and my rolling lawn is getting browner and browner, I go outside at around six o clock and start watering, we have had no rain for at least a month now, and everything is dry as a bone in this heat. Because I am watering from the well with a pump that does not have good pressure, a sprinkler is useless, so I have taken to watering with my sprayer sitting in a garden chair, with vodka and a book and moving around as it takes me about two or three hours, and this is "just" keeping everything alive.
We are expecting visitors this weekend, luckily we finished the spare bedroom two weeks ago, it looks amazing! Steve did a fabulous job completing the window, plastering, doing the edging and putting in a window sill and some new blinds. We painted, changed electrical fittngs, and polished the parquet flooring which came up a beautiful honey colour, the room looks really good we are both really pleased with it.
(Pictures to follow).
I am on the down hill run with my teeth! The two implants have apparantly bedded into the bone nicely, they were "liberated" from my gum last week, and I have two strange metal plugs there now. Tomorrow, I will have the actual screws fitted, and then impressions will be taken of the top teeth for the final bridge! Yay!!
(Pictures to follow)
Monday, 15 July 2013
"A GRAND DAY OUT!"
We decided to have the day off on Friday! Why stress?? We were just a little bit hung over from the night before, as we had gone to the wine farm behind our house, and stocked up on 15 litres of merlot, and naturally it has to be taste tested doesn't it???
So the discussion over breakfast was, what to do with our precious day off?
Then we hit on the idea of trying out the buses.These run from the bottom of our street about 200metres away on the main Lake Balaton/Marcali road with some frequency. I wondered down to the bus stop, took a picture of the timetable on my phone and came home to mull over the bus times to Balatonmariafurdo, by the lake.
I asked an Hungarian friend of my to double check on the internet that I had the times right, and we caught the 1326hrs bus, it was a minute late!
The bus driver was freindly, and the journey cost us 250 florints each way, which is about 75 pence to go about 5 miles. Its well used by young and old, everyone getting on the bus greets everyone, there are no blaring ipods/phones, no hoodies, no bad, smelly dodgy people, no Indians, blacks, Pakistani's, bhurkas etc. Everyone is polite, well mannered and respectful.
It was a joy!
Steve and I wondered around the shops, had a great lunch, where we were both able to have some beers and vodka's, (no driver required!) we also managed to keep down a Palinka (Rocket fuel!) and caught the bus home again.
On the way home, the bus stopped at a designated stop in Balatonjulak, a female dashed over to the bus from her driveway with a bucket of peaches, these were loaded onto the bus, a chap got off, loaded another large tray of peaches onto the bus, there was much jabbering and chatting, then the bus driver, left the bus idling, got out the bus and went into this womans garden returning with another bucket of peaches, everyone, smiling laughing and joking all the while! No stress by anyone.....................
My son has always called the bus, "The Loser Cruiser!" referring to the service in the UK, but here its deffinately a winner!!!
So the discussion over breakfast was, what to do with our precious day off?
Then we hit on the idea of trying out the buses.These run from the bottom of our street about 200metres away on the main Lake Balaton/Marcali road with some frequency. I wondered down to the bus stop, took a picture of the timetable on my phone and came home to mull over the bus times to Balatonmariafurdo, by the lake.
I asked an Hungarian friend of my to double check on the internet that I had the times right, and we caught the 1326hrs bus, it was a minute late!
The bus driver was freindly, and the journey cost us 250 florints each way, which is about 75 pence to go about 5 miles. Its well used by young and old, everyone getting on the bus greets everyone, there are no blaring ipods/phones, no hoodies, no bad, smelly dodgy people, no Indians, blacks, Pakistani's, bhurkas etc. Everyone is polite, well mannered and respectful.
It was a joy!
Steve and I wondered around the shops, had a great lunch, where we were both able to have some beers and vodka's, (no driver required!) we also managed to keep down a Palinka (Rocket fuel!) and caught the bus home again.
On the way home, the bus stopped at a designated stop in Balatonjulak, a female dashed over to the bus from her driveway with a bucket of peaches, these were loaded onto the bus, a chap got off, loaded another large tray of peaches onto the bus, there was much jabbering and chatting, then the bus driver, left the bus idling, got out the bus and went into this womans garden returning with another bucket of peaches, everyone, smiling laughing and joking all the while! No stress by anyone.....................
My son has always called the bus, "The Loser Cruiser!" referring to the service in the UK, but here its deffinately a winner!!!
Sunday, 7 July 2013
June 2013 Phone Pictures!
Some Phone Pictures during June 2013.
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| This rose bush has been hack, ripped, cut, neglected and treated like a rubbish dump, and look how beautiful it is! Like beauty and the beast.... |
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| Oregbaglas! Wine, delicious, for pennies!!! Its like being in paradise.... |
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Our bedroom fire! Winter isn't looking nearly as bleak!
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| A rainbow over the outside shitter! I ain't looking for the pot of gold there! |
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| Those roses with my happy husband! |
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