A BUSY WEEKEND.

We get very excited here when spring comes, every day we see migrating birds returning to their summer home and new life returns to what for the last  five months has looked like a barren landscape, dotted about are snowdrops, crocus and small iris reticulata showing up as bright splashes of colour in peoples otherwise dull gardens.

Snowdrops

Iris

  So far we have Starlings, blackbirds siskin,wagtails, redstarts and linnets even a solitary robin, not to mention two fat pigeons who landed on our front lawn the other day. Speaking of which reminds me of my mum when ever she heard a pigeon calling would always say it was saying "My toe bleeds Betty, my toe bleeds Betty". Try it next time you hear one the words fit a real treat.  For those of you who have not experienced the long winter nights and oh so short days, it is a joy to feel the warmth returning to the sun as it climbs higher into the sky each day.
April 1st we saw our first storks and no it wasn't an April fools trick, this year there seem to be many more crane's about

 and the geese are quite phenomenal, one day there were literally thousands flying over the village.It certainly is a time of hope, expectation and new beginings.

Just a few of the geese

there were thousands, eyes turned skywards and
jaws dropped as they all flew over.

Speaking of which Easter is a time of such anticipation, and I guess while some if not many children in England will still be munching their way through mountains of chocolate eggs, many of the children over here will never have heard of a Cadbury's cream egg let alone the scores of different flavours and fillings many manufactures produce and sell (one report I read says some 80 million were sold in the UK this year)
Easter eggs are treated quite differently by both young and old here,with children dyeing hen's eggs.
Maundy Thursday found us in school at 8.30am in the children's kitchen joining with different classes and some pensioner friends dipping wet eggs in Greki (buckwheat) or small seeds,tying leaves of different sizes and an assortment items around them and then wrapping them with cloth, then binding them with cotton thread ready to

Preparing of the eggs 

All done ( well some of them)

On to boil 15 minutes and don't take the lid off!!!! 

The unwrapping 

So simple

be put into a large pan of water and onion skins where they would be boiled for 15 minutes with the lid on. I went to lift the lid once before time and was told in no uncertain terms, DON'T !!! take the lid off. The different classes came and went and we must have dyed enough eggs to supply the whole of Stelpe.
After lunch we had prepared an Easter egg hunt with a difference, around the school grounds we had put 20 posters  of eggs all with different colour combinations on them and it was the job of the children to find them and fill the answers in on a sheet of paper, it all went as near as planned (they couldn't find two and we couldn't remember where we had put them) but it was great fun anyway and everyone finished up with a lollipop for their efforts.
The day was not finished as we all set off to visit a neighbour for tea and biscuits  where we took the opportunity to make small crosses out of   the wood I had from pruning an apple tree. Eight hours later we arrived home a little frazzled around the edges but content with our efforts.
Good Friday ( Quiet Friday as it is known here) found us visiting a friend who has s small church in Riga where we joined him and his family with other members of the church for a service revolving round the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus. None of the razzmatazz that is so often found in modern churches today but a time to reflect upon the suffering and price that was paid for our salvation.
Saturday came and went, time spent in the garden and whilst the weather was good there was such a cold wind it at times was unpleasant to be out. One thing I have learnt is that no matter how eager one is to get on with all that needs to be done outside in the garden is, you can't hurry nature she will be ready when she wants to be.
Easter day arrived full of promise and we had promised to support our friends who had prepared an  Easter concert in a small Lutheran church in a nearby village (Stelpe doesn't have a church)

Valle Lutheran church, very simple but peaceful

A time to reflect

and celebrate

 and then it was back to the school where we boarded a coach which took dancers and performers to three locations for easter celebrations finishing up with hot drinks and nibbles.

Easter bunnies and chicken.

With lots of dancing

With all of the comings and goings over the Easter weekend, Easter Monday found us tired but very happy to have been part of all that went on.