ALL WORK AND NO PLAY

I know I know,your all out there waiting, watching just hanging on my every word [ in my dreams] wanting to know just what 'holiday cake is like' Well now let me see if I can put it into words----
 But before I try I'll just fill you in on the last two weeks and why the delay in bringing the latest from Upes Iela.
On the 13th we had friends from England visit, Mark and Alison came for ten days R and R but for some reason insisted on working [ MBM] so the kitchen and dining room got a fresh coat of paint,cakes and pies were baked, the washing line was repaired and a new fence was started, the chimney swept from the top down, and that was all in the first 24 hours!!!! no not really we did spread it out over the days they were here. Work here has taken on a whole new meaning, oh yes there are jobs that have to be done like the potatoes,or the grass has to be cut on a more or less regular basis, but we have found it is more important to spend time relaxing and just being ourselves with friends, having fellowship round the meal table is a time to catch up on the news from the UK , sharing the needs of friends here in Stelpe, laughing at good memories, encouraging each other and enjoying each others company. Of course one must not forget that all these things are made much better with the obligatory cup of tea.

Before setting out for our walk we just had to stop for a cuppa

We were able one day to get away from work and take Mark and Alison for a walk round the lakes in Vecumnieki the day started cloudy and overcast, but soon the clouds were gone and we enjoyed clear blue sky and warm sunshine.
















However there time with us went all to quickly and before we knew it we were saying goodbye at the airport, them to their busy lives and us heading back for more of that hard work I keep thinking about, well there is always tomorrow. I jest of course, we were reminded just this last week of how we should value our time as we heard news from a friend that her husband had  passed away. Although many mile away our hearts go out to her 

pictures do not do justice to the real thing

The Autumn colours are now with us and as we travel about we never cease to be amazed that what just a few days ago was a tired dull dusty green is now transformed into the most vivid red ,yellow and orange colours which will make a carpet of colour for the children young and old to kick through.
We are hoping to buy ourselves a smaller car soon as running a large seven seater for just the two of us seems a bit OTT, someone in the village has a VW Golf which is the right price and has a full years technical test [MOT] to you and me, Gaston our local mechanic says ' for the price they are asking I think this is a good car' so watch this space for more news.

The best ever

Now I have kept you to long so what is Holiday cake like. The words like gorgeous, tasty,scrumptious,yummy and mouthwatering come to mind but you would have to taste it t really know what it's like, Whats in I hear you ask well there are hazelnuts,raisins,cherries, white and brown sugar, cloves cinnamon and allspice butter and 1cup of thick apple sauce, no one flavour over rides another they just all blend together to make the best ever. The complete recipe is available on request from the Stelpe Kitchen, 


Go on live dangerously ask for it [Bet you don't]
We have a busy week coming up and rumour has it we will be entertaining guests from several different countries including some people from the British Council. Better check the batteries are all charged up in the camera.

 

A sharp dig in the ribs

Do you know that  feeling as you just begin to wake up in the morning half awake half asleep,warm, snug and just aware that the day is beginning, the question arises shall I get up or shall I have another five minutes cocooned under the duvet. I was in the said blissful state the other morning when I received the 'sharp dig in the ribs' Edward's starting his tractor Valerie said and in a flash I was up and dressed and unsure if I was coming or going.

Now there is no missing a Latvian tractor starting up as it sounds just like a motorcycle with no exhaust very loud and harsh, yep Edward was on the move and he was going to lift our potatoes  Now!!!!!!

Potato picker  Valerie

It was 8.00am, a gorgeous morning clear blue sky fresh and crisp with the promise of a warm day to come,and so it started, only ten 40 metre rows to pick this year it wont take that long

I'm reduced to my knees

How wrong can you be we finished at 4 o'clock,warn out but happy that the job was done and just as the first spots of rain began to fall. The crop? well we finished up with about 400lb of spuds and at 25 cents per kilo well worth the time and effort.

Cranes heading south for the winter

                                                                              There is a definite change in the temperatures these mornings, making the duvet even more tempting, but the signs are there,the storks have gone,one day they are here the next they are gone just like that, we see the cranes high up flying south to warmer climes. While the swallows and house martins start to gather on the power lines and house roofs,warming themselves and getting ready for there long journey

It' nice to see the great tits back

But as we see these summer visitors leaving a whole host of different birds take there place, blue and great tits, nuthatches,woodpeckers,jays and magpies come to take there place.

Distrutive little beggars arn't they

It was a surprise to us when we took Lilija for a walk yesterday to find that the beavers which live in the river had left their mark on one of the trees almost over night they have stripped the bark off of quite a large tree on the opposite bank and are making inroads in the trunk

One nights work

We were in a local market the other week and saw two beavers for sale in a cage, they are considered good eating here by some folk so guess these were destined for the pot.They are extremely destructive animals as we often see the damage they can do,all they need is a ditch and a bit of water with a few trees growing by the side and away they go beaver
heaven!!!

On the way back from the river we took a look at our apple crop and decided that it was time to pick some,  we wrapped some and have stored some under the bed in the spare room, and tried our hand at making apple juice with the rest, With all the fresh fruit we have one of the first things we bought was a juice extractor, Big Big mistake, and in our view a waste of money, to make delicious apple juice we found that if you half fill a preserving pan with chopped apples, top it up with 4litres of water ,and bring to the boil slowly, simmer for 15  mins strain through muslin twice and you have the best apple juice ever, and you can add  sugar to taste.

   We  have been very adventurous in the Stelpe kitchen this week,  apart from the apple juice we have made fresh cod fish cakes with  a Jamaican  twist, and even as I write this the house is filled with the smell of a Holiday fruit cake,   But you will have to wait till next week to find out what is in it and what it taste's like.                                                                                                        

That was the week that was

The band really were right at the top

Wow what busy people we have been this week, it all started with a trip to Ieceva our nearest town,just to get a couple of things. Walking down the main road which by the way is the 'Highway of Europe' we heard what we thought was a brass band playing, but then who would be playing on a Sunday morning? the salvation Army? we just had to find out, the music seemed to be coming from the trees where the Lutheran church is,our guess was that someone with a public address system was playing the music, but as we drew nearer we could see no sign of anything different and then again the music floated over our heads and low and behold high in the bell tower there was a brass band. Now the only brass band we know of comes from Skiastkalne which is 30kilometres from Ieceva and sure enough it was them they had come to celebrate the festival of the bells.

The church interior

Latvian style scaffolding

As with so many buildings in Latvia the exterior looks great, but when we were invited in we found another story all together















There was no floor, no ceiling well pretty much no anything except Latvian style scaffolding




We have been told that the church isn't a building but it'sthe people who gather to worship,we found this to be the case here as we were given the warmest of welcomes. People have been meeting here for 435 years keeping the testimony of Gods redeeming grace alive during times of extreme hardship. God bless them all.

Monday it was back to the mowing, picking windfallen apples, peppers and chillies which we set to and froze,

Our first chillie crop

Yes they really are pink apples

  Tuesday was more of the same,with a couple of indoor jobs thrown in. Gradually I am getting our winter fire wood stacked away in the barn,but the mountain dosn't seem to get any smaller

Only a small part of our winter fuel

The weather was not so good on Wednesday so I got to grips with the green house and cleared all the old tomatoes, peppers and cucumber plants out, ready for the winter.

Some of the new children

Gift packs of useful thing

Flowers for the teachers

          

Now Thursday being the first of September was 'First Day of School Day' and unlike any day I can remember of school children all arrive prompt at 9 o'clock dressed in there best clothes with bunches of flowers for their teachers,new children are led one by one into the school hall by the most senior class and introduced to all present, given a gift of things a 5 year old needs for school, and then school closes for the day and normal service resumes the following morning,

Friday, we were invited in the evening to a hot tub party for the teachers and so we spent the day in 'The Stelpe Kitchen' baking goodies like Cornish pasties and coffee and walnut cake to share we also took with us a jar of our apple and chillie chutney.      A  BBQ was lit and the table spread with all sorts of yummy things and the party commenced, a very good time was had by all. What did we have on the BBQ, well we had a little problem with translation but finally arrived at....................... wait for it!!!!   the only thing we all understood was.............Bambi

The venue for the hot tub party

 Latvians take there Hot Tubs (sauna to you and me) very seriously but only the very brave come out and take the plunge in the pond with the frogs and fish,

We saw this rainbow on the way to the party

 We are so happy to be part of the village now and feel that we have been accepted as 'Stelpians' we are so greatful to our Heavenly Father who made it all possible, and every day we are reminded of His love and care for us in so many ways.