|
Jacquie's Diary for 8th June 2008
Hi everyone,
It has been another busy week, and the 'things to do' list is growing by the day. Lew has had his good and bad days, the tablets are still settling down.
Monday First job feed the chickens and the chicks, as I walked over to the chick run I saw that all was not right. There were no chicks in the run, they had been taken overnight, by animal or human we are not sure but I think human because there are no feathers. I was cross all the work, time, and money gone! The 'if-onlys' started, but 'if-onlys' don't help and I had to get on with the rest of the feeding. I had to milk this morning Lew was still asleep. I felt really down, I was tired and the jobs were piling up, the list never seems to get any shorter. But, I couldn't stop Snowy had to go into the vet again today. He had another five injections, he really is a big woos; he made a fuss over everyone. Now he has another lot of tablets to take for ten days, he is keeping the boss company. I took the washing machine belt back to the services but they say it is the right one for the washing machine, they then say get an engineer, to come out to Siminoc - yes! I rushed home to get the diary finished. I kept looking out of the window at the empty chick run - I need to put the incubator on again. While I was finishing the diary we had a visit from Livu, he is one of our Romanian readers, he was in the area so came to see how Lew was doing. It was good to chat with him. I had problems down loading the camera, I worked it out in the end, the date had changed to 2017 and everything had loaded into that date. The pigs managed to break two of their gates today, I had to feed them all in the yard, Lew couldn't do anything without new hinges and locks. This evening I had to leave all their gates open and hope they didn't break anything else.
Tuesday was a bright sunny day. We ran out of goat food; Lew went to collect the feed, only 100kg of pork and 50kg of goat and I carried it in bit by bit. Lew fixed the two gates with new hinges a different type to the ones we usually use. I finished cutting the weeds on the side of the animal house where I am hoping to plant Sian's beans; it is a small area, which I can fence and keep the goats out. The main vegetable plot is still to be fenced again. The mum chicken has begun laying eggs again and her two little chicks are more independent, they have moved themselves into the chicken house. Alex came over to borrow the pick-up again, they have more visitors arriving in Bucharest, while he was here he managed to get the belt on the washing machine but we had no water to test it.
Wednesday I spent most of the day cleaning out Cariad and Bory, it was hot and sunny and it was good working inside. It was four wheelbarrow loads then have a drink. Lew put the washing machine on but it is still not working he thinks something is stopping the drum from going round. We are letting the animals back out in the evenings again now, it is cooler and they enjoy munching away. The animals were put to bed about nine o'clock and the last job of the evening is to give the kids their bottles, some when between ten and eleven o'clock. I find that job very relaxing, whether it is because it is the last job of the day or perhaps it is just because the kids are baby animals, I'm not sure, but it is a good end to the day.
Thursday How many beeps are in your day? Beeps that wake you up, beeps that tell you something in the microwave or oven is ready, beeps for the next appointment and so on … Time means little here and days run into each other. But the beeps on my mobile phone remind me that the next stage of the day is about to begin. If I don't set the beeps we get lunch at four o'clock because time runs away, then we don't get dinner till ten o'clock and going to bed at one and getting up at six can only be done for a short time. So, how many beeps in my day? Seven beeps on my mobile phone keep my day on track and everyone feed when they should be. The water came on about eight o'clock but by nine-thirty it was off again. Tica came to say the Premiers Office need the wheat papers again but they are with the accountant and she is in Bucharest taking exams, so they will have to wait. This afternoon I emptied the flower wheelbarrow of its bulbs, the goats had enjoyed the tulips, but I didn't have time to plant it up again.
Chip came to see us, Lili his mum has moved from the bakery where she was working and is now working in Constanta sorting screws, small, medium and large as they come along a belt from the machine room. Their goat Lily, who stayed with us for a while back in the summer, has died but the kid she had is doing fine, this means they have no milk. I had to change the teats on the goat bottles this evening; they had chewed the others to bits. Cuddles took to the new kind but Duddles didn't want to know, so now he has his milk from a dish. Cariad gave two litres of milk this evening, she regularly gives us three and a half litres of milk a day, today it was nearly four litres, she is a good goat.
Friday After feeding this morning I cleaned out the rabbits and moved them to the summer home. Now you may remember a couple of years ago during a severe downpour of water several rabbits drowned at the summer home. This year we have raised the rabbit's hutch off the ground and there is a ditch between the field and the rabbits, so they should be safe. Lew helped me move the small rotivator round to the side of the animal house, where I want to put Sian's beans. But, I could not start it so Lew had to start the machine. However, it is no good, I haven't got the strength to hold the machine so that it can do its work. I decided to dig it by hand, so to speak, but when I tried to put the fork in the ground I found the ground to hard to dig. I think the beans will have to go into bigger pots for the time being.
Saturday It was cloudy this morning but still warm. The water didn't come on this morning and I was down to one barrel by the time I had finished feeding, we were also down to about three litres of water for the house. No washing up till the water comes back on again. The green tank has been emptied but the cleaning of it is still on the 'things to do' list, so at the moment is out of action. I am supposed to be seeing Georgiana at two o'clock this afternoon and I am filthy. Working with the pigs is not a clean job, even when it is dry; the pigs carry the mud from their mud bath everywhere and are always brushing past me. Where was I going to find the water to wash? I had bought two-one litre bottles of carbonated water so that we could use the bottles in the fridge (we don't like the bottled water - Romanians rave about bottled water, as far as I'm concerned it tastes disgusting). I used that water for washing. Lew says he is fit to go and get the feed from the feed merchant, they always load the pick-up it is just a case of driving there and back; I have it organised that we go down twice a week at the moment then I haven't too much to unload at one time. Then it is off to Medgidia to the Rusu family, we helped them get on their feet when we first arrived in Romania and of course we keep in touch. I picked up a tray of eggs just as I left. Roxanna opened the door to me and her eyes lit up at the sight of the eggs, she called Georgiana. I am welcomed as always, but unusually am not offered coffee or tea. Elena (Georgiana's mum) is not feeling well. I know that Georgiana is in the last year of her course at the professional school. I want to ask her if she would like to come and work for us, her English is good enough for her to be able to help us with translation. During our conversation I find that George (she prefers George) is returning to school next year to complete high school, something not usually done, she also hopes to go on to university later. Her summer vacation is also booked; she is going to Bucharest (where her boyfriend lives) and is helping in the church mission work there. I ask after Marion (George's dad), there is a small conversation between George and Elena and I am told he has gone to Venice to work; he left during the week. When he first set up his business (he is an electrician, if you are a long time reader of the diary you will remember we helped him set up the business) he was kept busy but the rise in food prices over the last eighteen months means that ordinary people are not spending money on none essential electrical work. The family were beginning to struggle again and he did not want to go back to that situation. So as he has all the papers he needs to work as an electrician he has gone abroad to work for six months. Of course it has taken all their spare cash for the coach ticket (I was not told this but things began to make sense). Marion would have to work a month before he can send any money home. Elena realised I was beginning to put 2 and 2 together and she apologised for not being able to make a coffee. I asked what they needed. Elena assured me they were fine. It didn't work, I knew different. I asked her what was in the kitchen cupboard - only the eggs I had brought. I said we had better go shopping; Elena said she could not spend my money. I told her if I went shopping for them I would probably buy all the wrong things so she would be better coming with me. George and Elena came with me and we stocked them up enough to last them the week. At the same time I did the shopping for Nicoletta and us. I asked George if what I was buying the family was the right thing, she said it was fine. Elena, Madalin and Roxana are going to look for work when school breaks up in three weeks time; I think they will probably work in the fields with the grapes. Costel will stay at home and look after Emi the youngest. They just need a boost to get them through the first couple of weeks. I take them home with the shopping but I have to rush off because I need to get home to feed. I have a coffee and pick up another tray of eggs and deliver the food to Nicoletta; we should soon have her contract of employment in place and she will then be on a wage and will be able to shop for herself. (I have to thank you all for your support of the family, we are nearly up to the £200 a month needed - we are going ahead with everything - somewhere along the line the rest of the money will come). Nicoletta is looking really well. The children were all outside playing, only Andrea the three-year old was at home. Nicoletta was washing her hair, not the time to have visitors when you only have one room, so I didn't stop to talk.
Sunday The rain drumming on the roof and the knowledge that the water would not be back on till about eight kept me in bed later than I should have been. The water came on while I was having my first cup of coffee, but it was definitely a two-cup morning. The early morning rain had just dampened the surface of the ground and although we had light rain for most of the morning the ground was dry again by two o'clock.
What's been happening in the village this week? The election fever has died for a bit the second round of the election won't be till next weekend, I will be better informed for that one. The older children are sitting exams and the younger ones are out playing. The teams are busy in the fields supa-ing the weeds. The vines in the gardens are growing well, we are having more rain this year; that, the hosepipe watering and the beautiful sunny days means there should be a good grape harvest this year.
Well I think that's all the news from Siminoc this week …
So I'll say cheerio for now …
|
|
