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Hi everyone,
Well you have survived another Christmas, with too much turkey, too much Christmas pudding and too many mince pies. I hear that some of you even had a white Christmas. We have had some cold nights here down to -11C, if there is no cloud the days warm up. When I left you Wednesday the snow was settling, if you remember but the weathermen had said it would be gone by the morning ...
Thursday and when we woke up we hadn't had any more snow but what we had stayed all day, the temperature did not go above -2C, although it didn't feel cold because the sun was shinning. It was a beautiful day and the dogs and I went up the track to collect some maize husks for the fire and take some pictures for you. Then we went into town to do the last of the Christmas shopping.
Friday and it was up to feed but while I'm feeding John knocks on Sian's window. Can he borrow the car, he has just heard about a driving job in Constanta and needs to get there quick, he should be back by ten-thirty. We have a leisurely cup of coffee and get organised ready to leave on the Father Christmas run as soon as John gets back. John gets back at eleven, he got the job. He will be working for one of the fruit market traders delivering fruit and vegetables around Constanta. We tease him he will need a map, I know my way round Constanta better than John. But he is pleased, he wanted a driving job. After a coffee he is ready to go to work as Father Christmas, our first stop is the basement flat in Medgidia; Marion, Elenor, Georgiana and Emi are there but the others are out carol singing. Emi is fast asleep and when he does wake up, unfortunately, like most young English children, he is frightened of Father Christmas. But we do get a picture of Elenor and Emi for you and a picture of Georgiana and the Christmas tree. They have bought a bigger one since we were there last and Georgiana has decorated it. Father Christmas gives out the presents Marion and Elenor have a coffee set; Georgiana has a smelly candle set and a small puzzle; Madelin has a wooden games box set containing chess, draughts and backgammon; Roxana has a cat puzzle; Costel had a dog puzzle; Emi has a car and the family are given a box containing two board games. Sian has made them a Christmas table decoration and a cracker each which contains a hat, chocolate and balloon and we leave mum a supply of sweets that will see them over Christmas. We have juice and cake and leave them to get on with their day.
Our next stop is out at the village, we pick up two people who are wanting a lift to the village, they find it strange riding with Father Christmas. They didn't have any snow out towards Pestera, that is the second time we have had snow and they haven't. We drop Sian and John off at the start of the village, there were three children playing in the road, you should have seen their faces when John got out of the car. We went on to Nico's house and hurried Gelu inside. I gave them their Christmas cards and wished them 'Happy Christmas'; they were thrilled with the cards. Then 'Mos Craciun' (translates to Santa Claus) arrives, Mel's eyes light up and his mouth drops, John plays his part well. Gela plays her part well as most mums do and encourages him to recite his Christmas poem to us (our young translator hasn't had time to translate it for us yet but I will tell you as soon as I know). He tears the paper off his parcel to reveal a bowling set, we set it up and Gela and Mel have a game, he is thrilled. I know they only have the one room that they are in most of the time but I knew that there was always a space between the bed settee and fire and as I thought just the right amount of space for a game of bowls. Mel can play ball without going outside and the ball can't get too far away from him. Gelu is given a wooden box game set as well, he knows how to play draughts, Nico knows how to play backgammon and says he will teach him. Lew says he will teach them both how to play chess. We gave Nico and Gela a fancy candle holder, two fancy candles and two plain ones for every day use. I have been collecting odd bits of coloured paper for some time and I bought a block of design paper, some glue and scissors and when you put them all together you have a collage kit, which I gave to Mel and Gelu along with colouring books and felt pens. Well ... I thought ... I felt ... I thought that as they didn't have a television they needed extra Christmas presents to give them something special to do over the Christmas holiday period. The family also have the box of games, a table decoration, crackers, and sweets. Nico is still ill and is having difficulty just sitting. He trys to perk up, but you can see he is struggling. He and John talk and Gela asks some questions about us, that I think she would not have asked through John the Pastor. As Nico and John were talking John says vehemently several times 'No', and I wonder why? Nico wants to know what we want from him, for the things we had brought out. John assured him we wanted nothing, but, Nico insisted he ask, I say, with a huge lump in my throat, that the smiles on Mel and Gelu's faces were enough. We could see that we are tiring Nico so we say that Father Christmas has a long night ahead of him and leave them to play.
Next stop back in Medgidia; Daniel's house, he has to rush off carol singing but Father Christmas digs in his bag to find their present, a coffee set; Mirela has a smelly candle, incense sticks and a small puzzle; Daniel jnr. has the wooden games set; Bogden had a dog puzzle; Lacromioora has a doll's tea set and a puzzle. The family have a games set, a table decoration and crackers. There was another young lass there and Father Christmas dug in his bag and managed to find a box of crayons. (I should have come better prepared for such eventualities). After a long day we wound our way home.
John helped set up the ariel we had bought, mum has bought us a television for Christmas. We vegged out in front of the TV (I wish) I spent the evening wrapping presents.
Christmas Day and it was up to feed as usual, well not actually. Lew did the feeding today and I turned over and went back to sleep. I decided to have a shower when I did surface, but Romanian fuses and me do not get on and the fuse on the shower circuit trips in the middle of my shower! Oh, well back to boiling the kettle. We had the traditional pork for Christmas dinner but not cooked Romanian style, English style roast pork, roast potatoes and parsnips, brussel sprouts, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. After Sian had finished the washing up (a tradition in the family that the youngest does the washing up and I have a coffee in my hand before we open Christmas presents), we open presents. Sian has a new jumper, to replace the one that in which the mice have made a hole; new gloves, to replace the ones Patch chewed; her favourite chocolates, lucky I can get them here; make up, well no young girl can have too much; hat and gloves, essential wear out here; a new blouse and scarf for the disco nights; and new pjs, no not all from us, Lew and Sian had brought back presents from England. Lew had a new diary, he does like to have a diary; aftershave, my grandfather used to say it was one stink to cover another, he kept pigs as well, but it is a very nice 'stink'; a clock calculator, he does like his gadgets; a puzzle, two German Shepherd dogs, his favourite; a Ferrari; and English chocolate, he does like his dairy milk. I had a new diary, a big one in which to put the notes I use to write to you; some make, up to make me feel human again after I have been cleaning the pigs out; the Friendship Book by Francis Gay, that Sian always buys me; a scarf, hat and gloves, as I said essential wear here; some hankies, Sian knows I like to have hankies and a Dorset calendar from mum to remind us of our other home.
No, I don't mean Lew had a real Ferrari, a model sports car, red with black upholstery.
Then Lew and I watched an English film with Romanian subtitles and Sian went down to John's to spend the evening with her young friends, Stelica and Anisoara had gone to Constanta for the evening.
Boxing Day and its my turn to feed again I make up the pig food go down to feed, then scream and shout for Lew and Sian to come NOW. There were not the usual two pigs, but, seven. One of the sows had had piglets during the night, they were up on their feet wandering around the house. First job for Lew is to make a creep for the piglets to get away from mum's bulk when they need to. Then run the electric down to the pig house to keep the piglets warm. I bring down extra straw. Having made sure the piglets are settled, we get ready to go out for dinner at John's mum's. We have traditional Romanian Christmas dinner, cabbage rolls, pork and 'salata' (pictures for you). We give out the presents we have bought the family and they seem pleased with what we have chosen. Sian and the other young people went into Constanta to a pop concert, I am not sure what time they will be home. We sat and talked for a while but I needed to get back to write to you.
What's been happening in the village this week? Well, the children finished school for the holidays on Tuesday. Everyone has been busy with the preparations for Christmas, the cabbage rolls do take a lot of time to make, each has to be rolled. The young people from the church have been busy carol singing every night this week, I think some are suffering from sore throats.
Check the web site on the 31st of December for a look back over the year, well I thought you might like some then and now type pictures with a few words thrown in. See you then.
Well, I think that's all from Siminoc this week ...
So I'll say cheerio for now ...
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