THE END BIT !!!

Just a little bit more and then I am almost up to date. After the craft market in Riga, we were asked if we could help transport some children to a 'children's festival' in Barbele which is the next village down the road, no problem, so Sunday morning up bright and early we set off to collect the kids only to find one lad was now going with his father and a young girl failed to appear when we arrived at her house,where she was no one seemed to know. Ho hum never mind let's just go with the flow.

Darvis singing about chip's

If you want to sing you can no matter what age

Now just about every village has an open air stage where village entertainment takes place through the summer months, be it a children's festival, dancing, singing  or a theatrical performance. Some like Stelpe's are new some in need of some attention and some like Barbele's are just an area with a few seats for the audience,  Arriving we found a few children and adults gathering and performers practising on stage doing what might be called sound checks but really it's a time when kids can play with the mic's,if one arrives early enough it's possible to see the acts several times over and hey they are only young besides this they have got out of bed on a Sunday morning and are doing something. You don't find many kid's hanging around on street corners, kicking there heels looking for some mischief to get into over here, what you do find however as we saw yesterday three small girls hoeing rows of vegetables,or maybe a young lad mowing the grass around his home.
Anyway back to the festival Darvis the young lad ''who went with his dad took the stage and sang with great gusto a song about chips that's right chips of the crisp variety. To say that the day was cold would be a bit of an understatement, having had days where the temperature had reached the high 20s  it had changed and we sat huddled together for warmth and just after Darvis had sung the heavens opened and down came the rain. Now in a situation like this what do you do? that's right like any good English couple we got in the car and headed straight for home and a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

          Now the next day {Monday} we were due to join an excursion with folk from the village and it went something like this.
Up with the lark just after 6am feed the chickens walk the dog and then breakfast {not necessarily in that order} and then be at the school to leave at 7.30 outings start early so you can get the best out of the day.
First stop {well not really as we stopped at a petrol station {8.30} for toilets crisps coffee sweets cold drinks and a general stocking up on all the essentials needed for a day out {8.45} Half an hour later we
arrived at out first venue on our itinerary

Where to go and what not to do

 Vienkocu  where the sign at the car park told us,not to drop litter, pick flowers, cycle, light fires never go off the path or to sing as if we would. I did however half way round the park feel like bursting into a chorus of  'I love to go a wandering along a mountain track' { for those readers who are to young it's a golden oldie' {1953} I resisted the urge much to Valerie's relief. The visit was however very interesting with exhibits staged around a pleasant walk through the woods some captured the imagination more than others,

A Latvian summer kitchen

A bath tub

An  Eco house

Brings a whole new meaning to togetherness

 I thought the Siberian toilet deserved a special mention. Consisting of three poles and a hole in the ground, what I here you cry!!!! why I would feel a little exposed using it you say!!! but it's not a place to hang around, let me explain.

A Siberian loo

 One pole is to hang your coat on the second pole is to support yourself whilst {not to put to delicate a point on it} doing the business and the third stick is to defend yourself against wolf attack. See it's simple when you know how things work.
A hour and a quarter later we are back in the bus heading for Cesis {pronounced ' sey sis'} an interesting town with a castle  which is popular with tourists. Assembling us all together we were told now would be a good time to get something to eat and then meet at the monument at 12 ish for a visit to a hands on science exhibition this in fact gave us about 30 minutes to find a cafe and get something  10 minutes later seated in a small cafe choosing something the question was asked how long will the food take to cook ?

A quick snack

 Oh only 15--20 minutes now my maths is a bit rusty but even I knew time would run out before our food arrived so it was a flaky pastry { the kind that is all flake with very little filling  you know one little cough and you cover everyone at the table in tiny flakes } and a cup of tea, still at only 55 pence not bad value, perhaps we can get something later.

Back at the monument {at 12 } we set off for the science exhibition, down one road, round this  corner along another road round by the bus station, across the rail tracks {trains in the station}!!

The train now standing at platform one

Across some waste ground along to the traffic lights cross the road double back on the opposite side of the road round one more corner and here we are. We found a small hand's on science exhibition which was great for the children who were with us {there's a bit of a child inside all of us} and soon we were trying out the different exhibits
While everyone was still absorbed in finding how things worked Valerie and I slipped away to see if we could find a snack to nibble,,,,

Table and chairs for a small apartment???

Sound waves

Not sure if they have a licence for that crane

Just a short drive outside Cesis was the  next place on our itinerary a  visit to see exotic animals!!
Turning off the road we followed a winding track and arrived  at a small car park complete with an information board  but no gate to enter the place. Fortunately someone saw us and waved us down the side of a fence where we were able to gain entry and here to the delight of many we found  camels, llamas, sheep {well one}and alpacas.

Hey I'm a Alpaca not a poodle

I might look silly but somebody loves me

This is my new baby

Yep just had to be called Dolly

PS, I made a donation to someones jumper.

which had just had their annual poodle cut,{a professional shearer had to be brought in. The owner told us there were very few people in Latvia with the right equipment and experience who are able to do this task} 
One of the llamas had given birth that day and everyone was intrigued to see the baby who was just a couple of hours old when we arrived. Some of the animals were free to roam amongst the visitors and so we were able to get close up and personal with them. Fortunately there was a a small stall selling ice creams and more importantly cups of tea so we left refreshed and better informed about {exotic} the animals.
Our final visit of the day was to the eagle cliff which is one of the highest cliff's in Latvia overlooking the Gouja river, after a scramble down the most challenging wooden steps { H&S would have a field day with them} we found ourselves on a small sandy beach, this is one of the most beautiful areas in Latvia and is part of the Gouja National Park.

From the top

From the bottom

 All to soon we had to retrace our steps back to the coach and head for home, Travelling through Segulda we passed the Latvian bob-sleigh track which for £66.50 you can ride down in the winter.{ if you have the nerve} and so headed back for home, after a good day out.









 As promised in my last offering,the pensioners meeting was held at one of the members nursery where she grows Iris breeding new varieties each year Both Valerie an myself now have varieties named after us. {Orders can be placed but you need to be quick to get the best.} The day was perfect clear blue sky, light breeze so lunch was had alfresco and Valerie contribution this time was coronation chicken and a trifle complete with hundreds and thousands both dishes went down a storm.
So as I final catch up with all that has gone on I will leave you with some pictures of our visit

Starting our tour

Valerie with her Iris

The trifle

Our host's Ilga and Visvaldis

My Iris  tall, strong and well formed {just like me}

CATCHING UP PART 2

Well now where was I, ah yes telling you all the exciting things that have happened over the past couple of months.The memory ain't what it used to be! Sights, sounds and smells bring childhood memories back in full technicolour as if it were yesterday,but what I did yesterday is anyone's guess, now where was I, yep got it back to the beginning  In April, I had agreed a price and ordered 15 cubic meters of fire wood and the first load arrived, Jaseps arrived with a new {to him} timber trailer complete with extending arm grab and unloaded the first 3 cube

The first of five loads

This was the first of five loads, all placed neatly along side our barn, so much better than last year when it was just tipped in a great big heap. One different thing here is all trailers have to be tested and registered and have their own number plate, so if you have a tractor and trailer but the trailer's not registered legally you can't take it on the road.

Look no hands

                                                                                 

Talking tractor's sorry ladies, whilst visiting our friends nursery { More of that later}I found the tractor of my dreams. Now the Latvian for 'I want' is 'es gribu' So  es gribu one of these,it's a motor block complete with trailer and seat,a state of the art machine

My dream machine

Only trouble is when it comes to making a choice between one of these or a ride on mower, I'm afraid the mower would have to come first darn it!!!
Also Valerie could use the mower, but can't see her driving one of these.

Well now onwards and upwards well up to the bird box's at least, since we moved in I have taken the opportunity to put several box's around and we now have Pied Flycatchers, House Martins,Swallows Swifts, Starlings, House Sparrows and Blue Tits nesting that we know of, if I could find them, I know there would be Wagtails,Great Tits and several more varieties nesting in the hedges and apple trees. But the opportunistic prize has to go to the Blue Tits.  Among the fire wood I found an old woodpeckers nest so cut it out and thought it would make an ideal nest box for putting in one of the trees, I showed it to Valerie and left it by our fire pit fully intending to find a spot the next day.

 Next morning however when I pulled the curtains low and behold it was being investigated by a Blue Tit which duly took up residence and a pair have raised a family.

For those of you who like craft markets, let me tell you about the one we visited in Riga in the open air museum early in June, http://www.brivdabasmuzejs.lv check it out. Now the craft fair is all about Latvian made craft, {not one bit of tat from the far east} Its a wonderful celebration of all things Latvian from hand woven place mats, lace making, basket work, wood carving, pottery the list goes on and on, food stalls selling hot soup to soured cabbage, with not a burger stand in sight all at very reasonable prices. It would be easy to feed a family of four with a hot meal cooked for you while you wait, for much less than a tenner

Home made pickles

Hot soup

Pottery of all shapes and colours

Hand knitted hats

A rocker for the garden

Beautiful hand woven craft

A stone and iron rooster, heaven only knows how much it weighed

Wonderful hand made modern day hope chest's

A rocker for the sun lounge?

What a day, so much to see, all set in the trees, plus you get to look round the museum. That took care of Saturday.
This same weekend we had a children's festival on the Sunday, Then on the Monday a trip to Cesis, Sigulda and a zoo with {exotic animals} but more of that in Part three.

TIME FOR CATCH UP AT UPES IELA

Gosh!! I have just looked to see when I last published my blog and found to my shame it was the 8th of April,so I guess I had better bring you up to date with life here in Upes Iela. 'Don't time fly when your having fun'?? So here is a quick look at what has been going on


Going way back then to April it was out with the old and in with the new, for those of you who have visited us {shame on the rest of you} you may recall the grand curving shower cubicle in the bathroom, I had been having trouble with it leaking round the tray so it was decided to rip it out and start afresh with a walk in no frills one.The first job when the old shower was out was to chop a hole in the floor for the drain, now our floor is concrete and about 14 inches thick with reinforcing, so choosing my spot I started first with a small drill and then one 22mm diameter and about 18 inches long and wouldn't you know 'sod's law kicked in and I found that

The finished  shower

 the reinforcing rods came right in the middle of the hole, once they were out of the way it was plain sailing,
 waterproof lining up the wall waterproof cement on the floor with mosaic tiles and waterproof grout, I am proud of the results.Now we can walk in and out with no problems.

The first storks arrived in April and so we knew spring wasn't far away along with them came the cranes and geese.The weather however didn't play ball with us and on several occasions we found it so hot one day and  the next day found it necessary to put the central heating on,                

State of the art rail transport.

 The highlight of April though must go to the sighting of 'The train!!!!!!' a few kilometres away we have a small train track which appears to go from nowhere to nowhere, the track is as straight as a fiddlers elbow and as level as a switch back ride at the fair, and the only way we know it is used is when we see the wheel marks when it has crossed  the road and in four years we had seen the train only twice. When we approached the crossing  one day in April low and behold there it was coming down the track,it was one of the few times we had a camera in the car so we were able to record the occasion if for nothing else to prove to ourselves that the STOP sign is there for a purpose after all we wouldn't want to get caught on an un maned rail crossing.


Moving swiftly on,during the long dark days of winter we often thought that a jigsaw puzzle would be a good way of whiling away a few hours and had asked for one to be sent over from England,and so we received a very nice puzzle of tigers which rather took over our dining table for several weeks but with a great deal of determination we completed it minus one half piece which had been chewed by one of our sons dogs.

Taking over the table

The finished puzzle

Strange thing happen over here sometimes and one day we woke up and found that our car had been covered with a fine green yes green dust.which we discovered was pollen blowing from the silver birch trees and we watched it in clouds carried on the wind. People in Moscow were surprised by it as well and thought it may be some radio active fall out from somewhere { hope not!!!!! Moscow's only 350/60 km from us here}

Green dust everywhere

Sunday club is still going strong, and thanks to some friends in England who sent us a wonderful box of goodies we had a great time one Sunday decorating tee shirts and and another making a 'Thank you banner'

This make's it all worth while

All their own work

 We had been sent these things on a lorry along with some things for the pensioners collected by the lady who first introduced me to Latvia.

So happy with gifts from England

The scotch eggs

More gifts

Our times with the pensioners is always one of
interest and every time we meet we introduce them to different food from England last month it was 'Scotch eggs' and  it was interesting to watch every body's reaction, first a good look then a smell then cut open and finally a taste,after which much discussion takes place and in every case they have found our cooking to be 'very tasty We finished up by giving the things we had received, a sewing machine,kettle, blankets,a music centre,mugs and lots of other things.

Four teenage girls from school asked if they could come and learn how to make a cake, the results were wonderful six chocolate and orange cakes{with chocolate icing} one each to take home. one for their school teacher and of course one for us,mmm!!! very tasty.

Look what we have made!!!!!!!

Yes and when they had done they washed up put away and swept the floor,

To be continued

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Home sweet home

Hi there , well I am pleased to say, since my last post there have been no problems in the motor department. But the weather!! that's another thing all together, the snow all went and for a short while we had clear,albeit wet and mucky roads, but the snow had gone,then it came back with a vengeance, on the 2nd we had a fall of about 10cm and then two days later it was gone ,, phew ,thank goodness,  life resumed it's normal pattern, going to school bringing logs over, wander along the river with the dog and so on and on and on.
I could bore you all with the minute details  such as got up,cleaned teeth, made coffee etc etc etc yawn yawn, WAKE UP !!!!! you mustn't go to sleep just yet. 
What can we do? while the snow thaws and  the ground dries up. Well the one thing that has bugged me since we first moved in is the wooden wall cladding  Ugggghhhhh !!!!! I hate it. Well boredom had set in and so bad that it had to come off.   Yippee!!!!!!!!
I have learnt over the last four years,{yep it's four year s since we moved here, time flies when you are having fun} that is you can do anything in Latvia as long as you have  bit of wood and a pound of nails, size doesn't matter but the bigger the better.

Out with the old

And  the same the other end

Valerie, who had reached the same stage of boredom as I had, was willing to help remove the offending wood cladding, well that's not really a true description it was more just bits of wood 1mtr long x 9--12cm wide and12mm thick nailed!!! to the wall,with gaps big enough to drive a truck through
We decided to replace it with some new lighter colour material,so heading off to K Rauter {Latvia's equivalent of B&Q} we were determined to get the job done as quick as possible and it would be a one shop stop, we needed the panelling, and the battens plus clips for fixing, and some insulation for warmth,,,, easy peasy ! was it ????? not a chance,they didn't stock our chosen items,just a plastic alternative, and since we don't want to live in a plastic box ,so we left empty handed,
Girts will help us I said confidently to Valerie.Now Girts is a good man to know, first because he speaks English and second because he owns the hardware shop in Iecieva. 
Having discussed our plans, he gave us all the options open to us and we left {if truth be known more confused than when we went in}  to return home and decide what we would do,I returned the next day placed our order which would be delivered. When? 'Maybe next week or the week following after all there is a holiday weekend  who knows' , and so we wait and wait. Meanwhile we have one rather  bare  looking wall in our dining room  and no curtains are we worried no not a bit.

Cranes awkward on the ground but graceful in flight

'Que sera sera'   

There must have been over 500

We had the opportunity   yesterday {Saturday} to visit Sandra's parents who live a short distance outside a town called Dobele some 100 kilometres away. Leaving home at 9 o'clock we were looking forward to a pleasant journey and not forgetting the camera this time,,!!!  we hoped we might see some deer to photograph. 4 kilometres  down the road we saw a flock of geese just a few metres off the road ,so pictures were taken . and then a short distance farther on we saw some cranes so another stop.                                                                      
                                                                                              
I needed  petrol at the filling station in Iecieva, so another quick stop and then we must get on, wrong!!! as we pulled in Valerie said look there's an English number plate on that car, sure enough there was, with a man standing by it. Now you must appreciate this is not a common site over here and certainly one that would need investigating, pulling up I got out and went over to him and said good morning { well you would wouldn't you at 9.30} His good morning confirmed him to be an Englishman and after chatting for a while we found out that he and his wife had bought a house in Bauska, and were on there way to open it up for the summer. I am waiting for him to email me,we can then arrange to meet up and swap stories. 
One last stop for some gifts for Sandra's parents {we had packed eggs, jam,milk, chutney and some homemade chocolate cake from home} but some cheese and sausage we know are always welcome.

To say that Janis and Inta live off the beaten track is a bit of an understatement, the back of beyond is more like it.

We have known them since the first time Valerie and I came over in 2005. Of all the friends we have ,this couple would come in our top ten, they are such lovely folk and always make us so welcome. With so little of this worlds goods their home is just filled with love, that plus Inta's apple cake {which is to die for} make this a second home for us.                                                                                                                                                                       
  

Two fine ladies enjoying a walk in the forest

                                                                             
                                                                               
 Being so far from the main road, the peace and quiet are something else. A walk in the forest is always a time to stop and be grateful for the things we have been blessed with.
St Paul said 'I have learnt whatever state I am in to be content,' perhaps there is a lesson for us all to learn.

Unfortunately all good things come to an end and with a gift of some two year old dried fire wood we had to say our goodbyes and head for home, with only a quick stop at Rimi in Bauska for some milk.

                                                                                                          
                                                                                               

Good Friday and Easter Saturday were fine days,  the sun shining through some hazy cloud,although the wind still had a bit of a bite to it and we were looking forward to a good Easter Sunday. Perhaps a little gardening on Easter Monday?How wrong can you be, Janis said when we were at the farm if there is little or no snow at Christmas,it will come for Easter, this is an old Latvian saying, Well don't knock the old folk law, what did we find on opening the curtains this morning!!!!!! another 4'' of snow!!!!!!!!!!!!
                                                 HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE
                                                                                                                                                                  

Inta,  Sandra's mum

Sharing lunch Latvian style

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY IT'S THE WAY THAT YOU SAY IT!!!!

We had visitors for dinner on Sunday!!! I posted the comment on face book that I was unsure if we would have them roast, boiled or fried. sadly apart from one friend my attempt at a joke went unnoticed. Perhaps if I had rephrased it or said it in some other way, I knew what I meant, Our pastor would often say,' after church the congregation would go home and have the preacher for lunch'

A little bit of the green stuff.

Anyway moving swiftly on, our visitors arrived,  they became quite excited at the fact we had some of the green stuff showing in the garden, and they were still deep in snow. We had a good time together chewing the fat and generally putting the world to rights, and time just flew by as we compared notes on how life had been since we last met{ some two years ago} and the one thing we had in common was, that life in Latvia, was good ! despite the ups and downs we all experience,

The promise of things to come.

At the moment I am chomping at the bit waiting to get out and start getting the garden ready for planting, I have started pruning the apple trees and have cleaned the greenhouse ready for trays of bedding plants. The other day I tried to put the digging fork into the ground and the result was more like using a tuning fork it set up a vibration that shook my brains and I'm not sure what note it struck but it wasn't middle C  that's for sure.
School lessons came and went and on Wednesday while we were there ,Sandra told us that the next day it was Dagmara's birthday and to be at school at 10 o'clock, arriving on time we found the whole school assembled in the main hall awaiting their Principal's arrival, she had gone to get one of the dinner ladies who's birthday it was as well and when back in the hall she presented the lady with flowers, many of the children and staff also showed their appreciation with more flowers and gifts, a Latvian equivalent of Happy birthday was sung,then the attention was turned to the 'boss lady' I have spoken in my blog before of Dagmara's commitment   to the school and the children who attend. I have never ever seen such a show of affection as was displayed Thursday morning, from the smallest child to the oldest, all had flowers, ranging from just a simple bunch of pussy willow to quiet elaborate bouquets were presented and then the staff gave more flowers, so many it seemed that she could have opened a florist shop, old pupils were there as well as retired members of staff, from the lady who looks after the gardens, the men who keep the school warm to the top man from the village ,,all were there to show how much she mattered  to everyone. The Pagast was represented by the 'mayor' of Vecumnieki  , the whole proceedings were rounded up when the men brought a chair into the center of the room and sat Dagmara down, they then lifted her high into the air, up and down, up and down as the children shouted, one, two, three,four---------until they reached the right number for her age.  No way, not in a million years could I ever see any of the teachers I had at school being treated in such a special way. And where were our cameras!!!!! at home.
We have had to send our passports away as they run out this month, downloading the forms was easy, filling them in OK , new photos we could get , no problem, with all the necessary bits and pieces assembled  everything was posted to Dusseldorf, yep! that's right,, they are then sent to the UK for renewal and sent directly back to us here in Latvia, why we can't send them straight to the UK I don't know. Daft isn't it? still I guess it gives someone a job. All was well until I had an email  from the passport people telling us that the pictures were the wrong size, would we please send correct ones ASAP.
There are only two places we could get them done, one we had already used, so after the birthday celebrations at the school we headed off for Bauska ,it was a beautiful sunny day but a tad cold, parked in Rimi car park ,did a bit of shopping, and then back in the car to go to the photographer, that's as far as we got ,I turned the ignition key and    wrrrrrrr!!!! wrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!! looking at one another we said 'we ain't going nowhere'

The offending vehicle!!!!!!!

The key to overcoming minor irritations such as this it to prioritise, prioritise, prioritise and my first thought was lets have a cup of tea, but no we had far more important things to do. The photographer's shop/studio was only a few minutes walk down the road,  lets get the main reason for coming  out of the way,we had no problems with that and when we came out, I remembered an Auto parts shop just a few metres along from where we were. I'll go in and ask if they can recommend a mechanic who would look at our problem, fix it and send us on our way. I felt a little like the crew of the Star ship Enterprise, boldly going where no {English man} had been before,making contact was easy, understanding each other was quite another matter, But with a mime demonstration, followed by Wrrrrrrrr wrrrrrrrr , a hand drawn across the throat I got my message over.
There were three men in the shop, all suggesting things I needed, and one went as far as to say 'sorry I do not speak English'!!!!!!. However !!, after some debate it was decided,  one of them  would drive up and take me with him.to look at the  car,
Where you may ask was Valerie while all this was happening, well she was pacing up and down the pavement outside.As we came out of the shop I beckoned her over and told her the plan she replied !.' If you think I'm getting in that car you've got another think coming, I'd sooner walk!!!!!!' which she did , we left in a cloud of dust, and got to  the car in under 2 minutes.,,,,,I just kept my eyes closed as we came to a roundabout!!.
With signs to lift the bonnet and turn the starter, my now new found friend,  pushed wires, prodded connections and shrugged his shoulders,  then reached into his boot for a towing rope.At this point Valerie appeared in the distance,  by the time she was with us, we were about to go back to where she had walked from, so saying soothing things like,, it will be fine don't worry we've all the afternoon to get it fixed etc etc, I left her heading for the cafe and a cup of tea, as she flatly refused to go in the car especially being TOWED !!!!,,, I would join her as soon as I could  , the mechanic said he would phone a friend who would then phone me when the car was fixed, I was back with Valerie ten minutes later, where she was enjoying a cuppa and a free cake, great !! I thought I'll have some of that, only to find it was just the ladies who were entitled to free cake, it was International Women's Day, on leaving the shopping centre she was stopped by a well dressed young man who gave her a single tulip to commemorate the day. { When will it be the men's turn? }

Part of Bauska's main square

On leaving the car I had been told 1hour, maybe 2 hours, have a sandwich and your car will be fixed. Those of you who know Bauska will know just how hard it is to fill 2 hours there. We posted the photo's to Dusseldorf, checked the time of the next bus to Stelpe {just in case} wandered round the shops.{No word of the car!} Back to the cafe for more tea, no cake this time and  try and sort  our plan of action , A decision had to be made as the only bus would be leaving soon,  if we missed that we would be stuck!!!{ Still no word  of the car!!} So we decided to walk back to the car, see if it was ready. If not,,get our shopping [which was in the car] , and catch the bus home, I could then come back the next day, sorted.!!! Back at the car which had not moved an inch. I prepared for the worst and as we were taking the shopping out,our friend the mechanic appeared , phone to his ear ,he was actually making the call we had been waiting for,,,,,, and then apologising that he had  taken soooo long,,,,  'The car it is OK, you can go now, sorry, so sorry'. Rubbing my fingers together in the international language I asked 'Cik maksa' {how much} the bill was 39 lats which included the tow, labour and the parts used. What was the problem? a sensor in the inlet manifold, simple when you know. Cars like computers are wonderful when they work.

FUN AND NOT SO FUNNY GAMES IN THE SNOW.

"An hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again. Anything longer than that, and you start to age quickly." Author: Gene Perret

Standing at the top of Stelpe slopes

How true this is, we have just had the most enjoyable time with a family visit. Our son daughter-in-law and two granddaughters were over for part of the half term holidays,  first to visit Nanny and Grandad and secondly to play in the snow, {I am not really sure if that was the correct order of things}

Katie about to make her first run

Olivia deciding whether to give it a go{she did}

Those of you who have been following this blog will no doubt recall my lament about not having a great deal of the white stuff, however nature performed and just before there arrival we had a fresh covering of snow, not much but enough to allow some sledging and general messing about.

 

The highlight of there stay was Wednesday evening, both Katie and Olivia have just had birthdays so we thought it would be nice if we had a party,we invited the children who come once a month for a film evening, we could watch a film have pizza, popcorn and cake and introduce them to our family. At 6 o'clock eight teenagers arrived, some with gifts for the birthday girls and the evening got under way. To start with it was pretty typical of youngsters there was one group one end of the room and another  at the other end with not a lot of communication between the two.I decided that to move things along I would show the film I had chosen for the evening, 'Yogi Bear' well I thought it would be fine, funny, no bad language, sex or violence, a family film. Wrong!!! not a good choice apparently. Next time they can chose their own . 90 minutes later Valerie and Shelly produced the food and it quickly disappeared, my how teenagers can eat, but at least round the table everyone began to chat. Normally after having something to eat and drink I would take everyone home, but then someone asked ' can we stay a bit longer'? do you have any games we can play? Now thanks to some very good friends we just happen to have dominoes,triominoes, Phase 10 and UNO so out came the cards and everyone settled down for a game of UNO,

Coke popcorn, crisps and UNO a winning combination

At 9.30pm some of the younger ones asked if I could take them home as they had homework to complete for the next day,  the plan was to drop four off and then return and repeat the journey with the older group. Shelly joined me and we set off dropping Karina home in the village, then Zane who is the farthest away,  next came Cynthia and Rita, down a track about 2 kilometres off the  road, all went well until we started up the small track to their home, which was about 500 metres off the main track, three quarters of the way up, the girls said this will be far enough just stop and let us out, there is a space to turn , simple enough. Second time this evening I was wrong, as I backed round to do a' perfik' three point turn, there was a bit of a bump as the car settled into a  frozen tractor track that had been made when the ground was softer, my back wheels settled into it perfectly and I was good and stuck again!!!!!! it was shades of getting stuck in the forest, only this time it was 10 o'clock at night pitch dark and freezing cold and well over ankle deep in snow. The girls ran off, returning with a snow shovel and an extra pair of hands to help push when ready. The snow shovel was great at moving the snow, but when it came to using it on  soil that is frozen rock solid, it's a bit like a 'tom tit on a pump handle'. I tried jacking the car up and puting some old carpet under the wheels, pushing shoving and generally muttering under my breath but would it  move?  not an inch.!!! One of the girls went off home and came back  with an  axe!!!!! and with this most essential of all winter tools, I hacked, chopped and generally battered a track forwards from the trapped wheels, and with everyone pushing we returned to the track and safety. The only thing left to do now was return home. While Shelly and I had been out, the others had  had a great time comparing music on phones and ipods and looking at family photos with Mark and the rest of the family.

Comparing play lists

 The remaining teenagers ,who thought it great fun that I had been caught out yet again , needed to be taken home as by this time it was gone 11pm so this  time with Mark, Katie and Olivia all suitably dressed plus a shovel, torch and mobile phone{just in case ha ha} we delivered them all home safe and sound. On the way back we stopped to do a little stargazing. 

With no light polution the night sky is a wonder to see the constelations, planets and stars are so clear it is as if you could reach out and touch them, { David the psalmist had it right when he said 'when I consider the heavens------ what is man that thou art mindful of him? Psm 8 v3-4}

{Note to self------ add an axe to the car tool kit}

But to start at the beginning of the week,first we had to take the little class of children at school and this week we decided that we would do a smiley maze and then play a couple of games,so armed with our school bag off we went, The temperature was around the -26c mark, upon arriving we were told that there was no class to take, as it was so cold.Quite understandable, well I ask you would you send your 6 year old child or grandchild to school in say minus 27c .So checking on if  we would be needed for Wednesdays lesson we were told yes, some of the children  would be there, our 7--8 year old's,we arrived with extra help in the form of Katie and Olivia  with our lesson all prepared and ready to go, we found most of our class children in the hall practising their dancing,Hi Valerie Hi Roger they chorus. Leaving them to finish we head for the classroom and wait and wait and wait only to find that the children are off to Valle for a competition or something similar,so there will be no class today!!!!!!!! so we all went back home, better luck next week.

 

 

Going down is great but it's the getting back up!!!

Even the big kids have a go

 

I can now announce that the Yucky!!!! season is upon us, something happens at this time of the year that just make you want to go Yuck. Let me explain. The snow has now lost it's once so sparkly brilliant white colour and has taken on a much more off white look { I just googled white as a colour and what a can of worms  my thinking is, if you can get it in a can it's a colour} Throughout the winter the ground has frozen to quite a depth, now as the days become warmer, the snow melts but the water has nowhere to go,  so it lays on top becoming very slippery, the dirt roads are wonderful,  puts a whole new slant on the Paul Simon  song 'slip sliding away' anyway back to topic Yuk so with the excess amount of water on the surface the ground begins to thaw slowly and the once hard as iron soil becomes very sticky and gets everywhere to coin an old phrase it sticks like!!!!!!! It won't last very long though as Spring is just around the corner .

'BUT BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE'

Judging from comments, pictures and news from England it would seen as though there is a little snow on the ground at the moment and temperatures are somewhere in the -degrees C.

The view from our boilerroom window and yes it is double glazed

  
This morning our thermometer read -32c so the UK is positively tropical.
These low temperatures do tend to bring a different attitude to life. For a start getting up now falls into a pattern, first prepare the mind, then out from under the warm duvet and into the dressing gown, next check outside,{only looking out of the window ha ha} we can tell how cold it is now by counting how many chimneys have smoke coming out of them some in the far distance { the most we have seen is 18, that's a sign it's really cold}

Just some of the chimneys we see from our window

then downstairs, fill the kettle and  put it on, then through the dining room and down into the basement to check the boiler,fill it with wood, open the flue and set the water pump to go,back to the kitchen where the kettle has boiled, make coffee and return to bed, This routine I now have off to a fine art and it takes 6 minutes from start to finish.{ Oh and!! somewhere in there is visit to the bathroom and cleaning my teeth} Oh it's so much more fun than setting a timer to come on half an hour before you wake up.
This last Tuesday  we had notice that there was a parcel to be collected from the Post Office, The weather was beautiful a positively balmy -20c just right for a stroll in the sunshine, so suitably dressed {2 pairs of socks, pants,long johns,trousers, thermal vest, thick warm shirt,and pullover and long scarf all under a windproof,waterproof jacket a beanie hat and to top it off a fur lined hat with ear muffs, My Hands? in a pair of hand made Latvian mittens} looking some what like a Michelin man I set of to collect said parcel.A great walk, a round trip of about 45 minuits  I had a stretch of main road to walk only about 100yds, it seemed that three cars had chosen the same time as I had to travel this particular piece of road and as they passed me they were followed by a great cloud of powdery snow. By the time I reached the Post Office the cold was just beginning to penetrate my nether regions, so it was just as well I could warm myself in the post office before my return home. Of course I couldn't just slip in collect the parcel not a chance, and as I entered I was viewed with some amusement by those already there, one elderly lady made a comment about my trousers being perhaps a  little lightweight, so pulling a trouser leg up just a little I flashed  my long johns she laughed and I got her ok as to wearing the right clothes for the weather. With my parcel safely in a bag my return home was much easier as the wind was at my back
Starting the car also takes some time when the diesel starts to get thicker, as the temperature drops the oil in the sump becomes more like treacle,  the battery just doesn't like the cold. So now the battery lives in the boiler room {the warmest room in the house} while 45minuites before we plan to go out a small fan heater is placed under the bonnet set at maximum to warm the fuel pump and fuel lines, then the battery reinstalled some quickstart sprayed into the engine, a quick prayer and hopefully success.

The lady's have a go.

The best part of the week must be the pensioners club, which met this week at the Stelpe Kitchen { Friends on face book will  have seen the results of this now famous kitchen} the reason of the visit was to have a workshop on English style pastry, please note the modern terminology for what was just a great get together to chat, laugh, drink tea and coffee and enjoy each others company. One lady introduced us to a new cake which she had made for the last meeting. Valerie demonstrated making pastry and introduced everyone to Quiche.It seems pie's and pastry dishes are not done here, so they were very interested in how everything went together, pastry here is quite different, and when our marble rolling pin appeared everyone was facinated by it and it had to be passed round.There was then an oppertunity for anyone who wished to have a go, the results were then put together with food that had been brought and we then shared a meal together.

.We're always more comfortable round a table

Suggesting that we all move into the sittingroom where we would be more comfortable Valerie was firmly told no we are fine here round the diningroom table, and that is where we stayed, drinking more tea and coffee, as for the quiche's, they were eaten before Valerie and I got a chance to try them.
As they were leaving one lady asked,how is your Latvian going? so then there was a discussion in the hallway, and I think they were suitably impressed with the amount of phrases we now know, our pronunciation made them chuckle, but little by little we move forward, and hey! Rome wasn't built in a day was it?
Each time we meet with these lovely folk we feel more and more a part of the community,  it was such a joy this week to see them come and feel at home, altho with thirteen in the kitchen it did at times seem just a tad crowded. Our next meeting is on the 7th of March can't wait!!!! Next time we are back in the village room.


We have had a light dusting of snow over the last two nights, but the temperature this morning is just -11c so it would seem that we are enjoying some of the UKs tropical weather, standing in the sunshine whilst getting logs for the boiler it was really warm and as I said to someone yesterday Spring is just around the corner and the days get longer.
Next week we are looking forwward to a visit from Mark, Shelly, Katie and Olivia  we are keeping our fingers crossed that this weather continues so they can enjoy the winter climate.