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Season’s Greetings!

May 12, 2013 in Camping News, Campsite Improvements, Fun Stuff, Organic Gardening, Team News by fullmonte | No comments

This season, I’m thinking blog posts will be short & sweet or not at all – since I’m hoping beyond hope that we are too busy with our happy campers for much else…  So I’m here to tell you we’re open for business in 2013 and have already had 2 sets of guests and 2 volunteers.

Our season has begun!

There was a load of stuff that had to be done before we were ready to open and we ran around like maniacs for a while trying to get everything done.  Here’s what we’ve been busy doing…

Maintenance of sewerage system: grey water baths dug out, cleaned out & mended – plug holes re-sealed, new pipe (for distributing the waste water more evenly around the bath to keep the plants moist) purchased & drilled (see photo below) – and each bath filled with fresh gravel & completely re-planted

Gardening: Steve had been nurturing veg & flower plants which had all outgrown their pots and were desperate to romp away in the ground.  Before we planted the tyre wall we first had to paint it:

The new cream colour blends in well with the stone surrounds but more importantly, the tyres don’t get so hot now they are painted a lighter colour. Aster, Sweet Pea, Snapdragon, Livingstone Daisy, Pot Marigolds, French Marigolds and Petunias have all been planted.  Waiting to join the flowery throng in the next few weeks are: Zinnia & Sunflowers (all self seeded and popped up in the compost) and Pansy & Lobelia which were sowed much later, are still growing on.

Flowers-to-be can also be found in the stream-side beds, the area just outside the building around the grease trap, my toilet garden (toilet bowls and sinks as planters in an area of shade below the main building) and, for the first time in hanging baskets.

In the beds we’ve planted out: the squashes & curcubits, tomatoes (5 varieties), capsicums, brassicas and aubergines.  Seeds for beans, peas, carrots & salad greens have all been sown and in some cases thinned and transplanted already…

The herb garden which was created last year but never used was planted with green manure over the winter.  This was dug in and left to rot down in situ and the soil was in pretty good condition.  It’s now been planted/ sowed with: coriander, basil (3 varieties), parsley (2 varieties), dill, marjoram, mint, lemon thyme, chives (2 varieties), tarragon and some edible flowers: Garland Chrysanthemum, wild pansy, borage and nasturtiums.

Cleaning and moving in: Floors, furniture, cupboards, shelves, showers, loos, sinks, tables & chairs were scrubbed clean in a 2-day marathon.  Bedding, tents, books, kitchen equipment, storage containers, towels, throws, games and loads of other stuff had to be carted down all the frigging steps at  our Topla house, loaded into the van and unpacked the other end.  We were pretty sick of walking up & down stairs & lugging stuff about.

Our first guest was supposed to arrive on May 1st.  The same Greek guy in his own tent booked to come last year and didn’t show up.  True to form, there was no sign of him this year either (next year we might just be fully booked when you enquire Mr Ionnis!) but mates Katie, Tim and their (& now our) friends Cath & Andy all the way from NZ turned up to more than compensate.  So did Jamie, our first volunteer.  He arrived late and we were all pretty wasted by the time he actually got to us and he had a great introduction to CFM – invited to share food, beer and a place round the fire, he joined the 6 of us in party mood.

Amazingly he did not surface until nearly 11.00 am the following morning and that was our first clue that he may not exactly be the greatest volunteer ever.  He was a harmless, but in many respects clueless, 21 year old, addicted to sugar and allergic to mornings – he even outdid Steve for the amount of time it took him to be ready to start work each day.  He provided the extra pair of hands needed to erect the gazebos and level the sofas and tables and he did a good job at strimming the grounds:

Our first guests arrived on May 2nd.  They had inquired but not booked, so we weren’t exactly expecting the 2 German bikers who turned up.  Timo & Katja were the perfect first guests – super people who fell in love with Daisy and the campsite and were fantastic company.

The day after they left, a Dutch couple arrived in their Landrover Defender with integral tent that had to be pitched in the only space for such vehicles, next to the workshop.  Not a pretty spot but they were glad of a place to make a base for the night as they travelled through Montenegro.  I wanted to take a picture of their South African designed tent, which enfolded from the top of the Landy but they were just too quick at de-camping…

And look who else has been visiting:

A Giant Peacock Moth!  This gives you a great idea of scale, as it’s perched on a full sized colander.  And right next to it, in complete contrast was this tiny moth – delicate and almost shell-like…

Jamie left us after a week and our next volunteer arrived.  Richard couldn’t be more different – he’s in his 60’s but fit and strong and very talented.  He’s a passionate naturist and spends as much time naked as possible.  He rises early and works late and doesn’t even eat us out of house & home.  So far he & Steve have: erected a new bookshelf in the basement & patched up the areas where water was seeping in (so hopefully we won’t lose any more books through water damage next year); dug out and concreted around a new drainage channel in front of the workshop; dismantled the boundary fence near the workshop (that was falling down due to weak posts and poor construction the first time around) and cemented in 4 new posts and as I left today he was drawing detailed plans of the new porch he’s going to build!  Thank goodness for his skill and experience – we are very lucky to be working with him.

It hasn’t been ALL work though – as well as the very pleasant diversion provided by mates on May 1st, we’ve also had an evening with Blazo, Dado and Vedran with much booze and food and laughter.  Maja, Keith, Charlie and Richard came armed with goodies for an evening picnic and we had a super time – it was wonderful seeing Maja visibly relax as she sipped her chilled Rose and wallowed in the loveliness of the evening.  And yesterday Fi & Dave came to visit after some 2 years absence and they brought Fi’s Mum to see the campsite for the first time.  Evelyn was totally enamoured by the place and as a naturist herself in years gone by she vowed to come back and camp another time.

Right, time to pack up and run back to site to make pizza for the hungry boys…  A month in review to follow at end of May, if you’re lucky.

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From snow to sunburn…

April 26, 2013 in Den, Team News by fullmonte | No comments

After 4 months adrift, me & my blog are reunited and I don’t even know where to begin to fill in the story.  What follows is the best I can do with the time, energy and selective memory I have at this moment and then let’s put it behind us and crack on with the future…

I went to the UK in January to save children’s lives.  Well, OK, I worked for Save the Children UK in their head office as Interim Training Manager but we all connected to the ‘higher purpose’ .  It was hugely satisfying work – often frustrating, but ultimately I made a big impact in a short space of time and it felt really good.  What didn’t feel so good was enduring the UK’s coldest winter for 40 years, living out of a suitcase for 2 and a half months and being beholden to the goodwill of kind friends for all that time.

Thank God for dear friends Ditsch & Vince who shared their (conveniently located) home with me and made it all possible.  The journey was such a doddle from Walthamstow to Farringdon that I would get up at 7.00 am and be at my desk by 8.00 am.  V & I alternated the food shopping and cooking and I learnt to cook in a sliver of a kitchen with blunt knives, without grumbling aloud or severing any digits.

My weekly routine went like this: Monday to Wednesday was ‘the daily grind’ (commute, followed by an 8.00 am to 4.30 pm shift eating breakfast and lunch at my desk, back in Walthamstow by 5.30 pm ish, either cook or wash up, watch an episode of Breaking Bad, go to sleep).  Thursday morning I’d take a rucksack into work with clothes for the weekend and take a train out of London Thursday evening, usually arriving at Stoke Mandeville station around 6.30 pm where John would pick me up and take me back to Mill House Farm.  There I unfolded into the welcoming warmth of a blazing fire, hugs and banter and fusses from the dogs.  I visited friends and family most weekends so I didn’t clutter up the farm or abuse the generosity of the Applegarths.  Friday after lunch I’d jump in the trusty Nissan and pootle off round the country ahead of rush hour.  I’d return to MHF on Sunday afternoon and either return to London that evening for a roast dinner with D&V, or Monday morning & straight to work.

Memorable experiences include (in no particular order): meeting up with local friends in London & seeing Alena 6 months pregnant; fun times in Warks getting blasted & savouring delicious food and company; a spa weekend, with swimming, pampering and gourmet cuisine during which time my exhaust fell off and I tied it back on with a pair of tights; visiting Sue’s grave; a great night out in a ‘proper’ Northern English pub with ex-wwoofers of Camp Full Monte: Nina, Stefan and Hattie; tasty grub in the Derbyshire peaks and the best bath EVER at Lawson Cottage; puking my guts up in Princes Risborough High St after having inexplicably developed an allergy to lentils; and a visit to the William Morris museum in Walthamstow, followed by a top night out with mates in Islington.

It snowed on & off and was bloody freezing for most of January, February and March.  When all was said and done I was mostly chilly and a long way from home.  I missed Steve, Daisy and all things Monte badly and found the only way to cope was to immerse myself in work during the week and pack the weekends with places to go, people to see – generally not giving myself too much head space to be melancholy.  The skype chats with Steve were both wonderful and horribly painful – the agony was relieved somewhat by a surprise visit from him on Valentine’s Day…

London-living was bizarre.  I joined the throngs of focused people, packed into trains and tubes, reading the Metro in the morning and the Evening Standard on the way home, resolutely trying not to touch people or stare or let one’s guard down for a moment.  Adorned with bobble hat, scarf & gloves I trudged to & fro St James’ Street station, past the Halal shop and the greasy fast food dive, past the row of houses that reek of cannabis and the silent woman in her Burkha.  At night I watched the news, even though it depressed & angered me and once I watched a car explode outside my window – another unwanted car gets torched and V says: “Oh no, not again…”.

Meanwhile, back in Monte Steve sowed seeds and  made kiwi chutney, lemon marmalade, lemon syrup & lemon pickle and tried not to lose the plot whilst the rain fell and his ache for my company deepened.

Mid March I wrapped up my work at STC and headed home.  I had more work commitments to fulfill in April but we had 3 weeks together before I had to leave again.  I got back in time to say goodbye to the inimitable Lane family.  Matt had a job in the US and they were all headed there for 5 months before ending up in Spain to start a new life proper.  It was the right decision for them but we were sad to see them go.  We spent as much time with them as we could, hosting a meal one night, baby-sitting for the kids, helping to pull off the biggest leaving do for them…

I flew back to the UK the day Thatcher died.  I made it to Scotland (just), with my Mum in tow, as they partied on the streets of Glasgow.  I stayed in Edinburgh with the Dunlops and met wee Donald for the first time.  It was a joy to experience the finished house and to soak in the enormous bath.  And of course to do some jolly good work for Duncan…

Back in England, I returned Mum safe and sound and headed for MHF.  The 2 x 2-day workshops I ran the following week in Milton Keynes for Carrie’s clients were challenging.  I had sleepless nights followed by early mornings and evenings re-gigging my timetable and planning strategies.  But I survived, took a cab at 3.30 am on Saturday morning to Gatwick and was back in Monte by 10.00 am.

It’s a joy to be home: to join my husband’s brown face on the pillow; to run with Daisy on the beach and smile at her tail-wagging happiness; to watch in awe as the locals go the wrong way round a roundabout to avoid a queue; to prepare salad with fresh greens from the garden; to gaze in wonder at the stunning scenery that surrounds me, to be free of clothes and fears and feel my skin turn pink in the sun.  I’m sunburned and happy…

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A quarter of things…

December 28, 2012 in Campsite Improvements, Den, Fun Stuff, Team News, book review by fullmonte | 1 comment

It’s official.  This is “Den’s blog”.  Steve’s October update never materialised and 3 months has passed without a word from the great man so it falls to me to stop the story unravelling at a loose end.  These days, after 2+ months in the UK and 2+ months there to come, I’m feeling a bit disconnected from our Full Monte dream and somehow writing about it keeps it alive…

Here we are, a handful of days away from a fresh new year, so it’s time to round up the last quarter.  I need to reflect before I can move forward.  This is one several changes I’ve noticed about myself since living the UK life again.  After 4 years of moving to the beat and pace of our own drum, with different values governing my daily patterns, stepping back into a relative ‘rat race’ highlighted some things about my character that felt different.

I’m not as ‘driven’ as I was 4 years when I last adopted the Working Girl disguise:  I will ‘make do with less’ rather than ‘have more‘; me & my ego are not trying to prove anything, I don’t feel the need to compete and earning funds for Team FM is important but not paramount.   Even in Montenegro, money makes the world go round, but over here sunshine (in all it’s forms…) comes a close second.  I did an OPQ test as part of an interview process in October and found the feedback fascinating, especially with my Social Psychologist’s hat on (“What’s the impact of nature vs. nurture on personality traits? Discuss.”).  I have a very rare profile because it’s so well balanced.  Most folk have tendencies to extremes on some dimensions, thus giving the classic bell-shaped curve.  Me, I’m flat-lining I’m so even.  This wasn’t always the case.  And during my regular check up at the ‘Well Woman Clinic’ the nurse was at pains to tell me how normal my blood pressure was (“It’s amazing, it’s just spot on!” ).  Either I’ve got more chilled out or high blood pressue is way more prevalent now – both probably…

And what does a girl who does this for a living need to sustain her ?  Regular exercise; time in the great outdoors as much as possible, healthy eating, her own space & time.  Time to stop & take a breath; time to read; time to consider the way of things and time to muse on what’s behind as well as anticipate what’s ahead.

I leave you to draw your own conclusions as to how my new shape fits into the holes available in the UK…  Now on with the tale-telling!

******************* STEVO & THE GODS OF WATER ******************

A week after I left Monte it rained.  Heavily.  By the time it stopped and Steve got up to the campsite, this is what had happened:

Relentless rain + debris washed down & blocking drainage channels + a crazily swollen, stream building pressure = a deluge strong enough to raise the iron supports of the fence spanning the stream from their concrete footings and push the sheets of metal mesh & palm leaves over!

The fence had to be secured, if not for curious passers-by then definitely for roaming livestock which would damage trees and plants if they got access.  This meant opening up the workshop door.  Which meant moving the Fiesta (whose primary role these days is as a burglar deterrent parked tight up against the workshop doors).  Which meant getting it started…  Steve tightened the battery connectors and it revved, reliably into life.  The headlights protested though, as the bonnet was slammed shut one of them popped its glass onto the driveway.  Steve had to meticulously pick up all the lethal shards before attempting to move the car.  He managed to  unobstruct the workshop without punturing the Fiesta’s tyres.  Only to find it swimming in water.  It had to be completely emptied & dried out:

Then Steve noticed the hatches of 2 of the compost toilet chambers had popped off and the chambers were soaked.  It’s unclear whether the weather had somehow forced the wooden covers off or whether pressure had built up inside the chambers through water ingress and pushed them off from the inside out but it did highlight the fact that the tap to the compost tea tank had been left shut.  When Steve opened it he released a plume of water some 2 metres high!

Remarkably, the basement in the building seemed dry – all our hard work earlier in the year sealing all the holes where the reinforcing metal poked through seemed to have paid off.

But if he thought that indicated an end to the water dramas, he was wrong…  Trying to take a picture of the damage by the stream with the camera on his phone, he stepped back lost his footing and dropped his phone in a puddle.  It is now officially beyond repair.

The following day he noticed water dripping from the shower room ceiling when the safety valve on the hot water tank blew and flooded the top floor of the house & he wondered what he should do to appease the Gods of Water…

Meanwhile, back in the UK…

… life passed by in a blur of dog walks, various job-seeking activities and socialising with mates whenever possible.  And I finally made it back to my spiritual home: Othona at Bradwell-on-Sea for the first time in over 7 years, with dear friend Ditsch.  We were there for Fireworks Weekend and the weather was glorious.  We walked on the beach and breathed deep and long.  We sat in the chapel & wallowed in the peace there – I thought about my wedding day and wished Steve was there.  We were reunited with old friends and made new ones.  Within hours of arriving I was singing harmonies in rounds with a bunch of folk I barely knew and songs I’d never heard before.  I took part in a yoga session and came out feeling taller and full of energy.  We ate amazing food – healthy, homecooked and full of flavour.  The evening was perfect for fireworks, clear & dark.  We oohed and ahhed as the rockets soared and the sky was filled with sparkling colour.  Then it was off to the beach for a huge bonfire, the burning of many Guys and hearty singing of all the good ole songs.  Thanks be to Kate with her fiddle and her amazing capacity to get everyone singing along.  It felt so good to be home and hard to leave again.

I had a happy reunion with an old buddy from my TK Maxx days.  The intervening years seem to fall away when we’re together and we act as if we’re still 20 something, getting totally hammered.  Haven’t been that wasted for a long time – the day after our session was a total write off but totally worth it.  I made it up to Liverpool (a day late due to impassable hangover) to see Jess, Nick & Molly and made it in time for a lovely walk and Sunday lunch with Ray who by happy chance was visiting too.

Money was going out with nothing coming in.  Mum’s old car, the trusty Nissan Micra, needed the CV joints replacing and 3 new tyres – costly but MOT’d for another year.

A day’s work came up in November helping Carrie with a workshop for a big client of hers.  And then an offer of work from an unexpected source.  Duncan, now Chief Exec of Who Cares? Scotland, invited me to facilitate an away-day event for him & his entire team at the beginning of December.   It was just enough cash to justify me being adrift for 2 months plus a chance to visit Jess, Dunc, Islay & Mila on their home turf.  The full implications of visiting Edinburgh at the beginning of December didn’t really dawn on me at the time.  I said yes.

I was counting down until Steve’s arrival on 15th November.  On the evening I drove to Gatwick Airport to pick him up, I got confirmation of a short-term contract with Save the Children UK starting 2nd week in December.  We celebrated the happy reunion & the new job with fish & chips & a tipple or 2.

The next 3 weeks together flew by.  We decorated John & Anita’s living room as a ‘thank you’ for putting up with us:

Here we are in the newly transformed living space (finished bar the curtains & these were put up before Steve left) scoffing a delicious Chinese feast on our last night all together at Mill House Farm:

Throughout our my time at MHF, John has kept us fed with delicious meals and tempting loaves, so here’s a photo of the master chef & baker in the kitchen doing what he loves best:

We made ourselves scarce at weekends to give the family some space and had great fun in Northampton with the Barnetts and then in Lavenham with at  the Cock Inn, where Val & Gav gave us the usual warm welcome & we watched the last qualifying session of the F1 season, drunk real beer & cider and ate delicious homecooked food.

The following week I made an unscheduled trip to Clacton again to attend the funeral of school-friend Becky’s Mum, who had been suffering from Alzheimers for years.  There wasn’t a dry eye at the Crematorium, where tributes from Becky and her sister Kate were read out.  This was followed by a service at the Church just down the road from the family home, where I had spent so much time with my buddy as a teenager being hugged by Mrs Ransom and plied with peanut butter & lettuce sandwiches.  It was a trip down memory lane for me &  incredibly moving  – Rita was a much-loved wife, mother, grandmother and teacher.  I was so glad to be in the country and be able to support Becky.

Before we knew it our time together was nearly up and it was time for the last big family weekend in Wales.  We left late so the journey on a Friday afternoon was horrendous.  But ’twas all forgot when finally at Dawn’s lovely house, stuffed with risotto and endless cups of tea, warming our toes by the fire.   We had a great evening and a slow wake up the next day.  We pottered into the next town, did some shopping and had a pint in the  Harbourmaster.  Then we drove onto Llanilar to visit Steve’s parents.  The following day was Gerry’s birthday and the birthday meal was a family Christmas dinner (on account of it being Devember and us being there!) with all the trimmings cooked, wonderfully as ever, by Pam.  Dawn & Ruby joined us but so did Leon, Steve’s nephew, an unexpected surprise all the way from Winchester.  It was a very happy day.

On Monday Steve & I made the big trek back down South and after big hugs & reassurance that in a couple of weeks we’d be back together in Monte, he dropped me off at Luton Airport where I flew to Edinburgh to begin my next adventure.

I arrived on a freezing cold evening but to a warm welcome from Duncan & Jess amidst the chaos that was their home at the time, with building works being completed on an extension.  I spent the next morning with Jess, Islay and Mila on a nice big walk in the icy park before Duncan returned from his meeting and drove us up North.  Not far out of Edinburgh it started snowing and didn’t stop.  The last few miles to Aviemore were pretty hairy.  It was totally surreal driving snow-bound roads with Duncan in Scotland when I’m used to seeing these guys in Montenegro in the sunshine!

The venue at Aviemore was great – better than we all expected I think.  However the first night I was violently sick after eating the curried lentil soup.  Dunc & Jess & Islay had suffered from a vomiting bug a few weeks before so I assumed it was a left-over germ I’d picked up but I did start to worry when Curried Lentil Soup was on the lunchtime menu the following day.  Thankfully no-one else was ill and my bug, vile though it was, only lasted a few hours.  I woke the next morning feeling a bit feeble but no longer sick.

The week with the gang from WC?S was challenging but rewarding.  It was a bit like herding cats at times and it was hard enough to get Duncan to focus at times, never mind the 40+ others too but we got through it and achieved everything Duncan wanted to.  Everyone left on a high, feeling inspired and full of hope for the future and Dunc & I were still talking to each other, which was Jess’ only stipluation about us working together!  Thankfully the snow had stopped by Friday and the journey back to Edinburgh was fine.

We had a great weekend together notwithstanding my poor timing in relation to the building work .  Highlights for me: getting to know Islay better; an awesome Indian feast & meeting their truly BONKERS friend, Ali; belting out Christmas carols in McEwan Hall in Edinburgh with 1000’s of others; a fabulous Sunday morning walk despite being up to my knees in mud at times and a day of culture & impromptu shopping with Jess.  Dunc gave me his sister’s book to read and it was my constant companion for the week ahead.  A cracking good read and funny to have Jess & Dunc mentioned in a book!

I flew back to Luton on Tuesday evening and got back to MHF in time to pack a bag for my 4 days in London before grabbing a few hours sleep.  My first day at the new job went well and that evening I made my way to Walthamstow to move into the spare room at Ditsch & Vince’s place for that week as a trial run for staying in January.    We all rubbed along fine, despite Vince being ill and Ditsch being knackered.  The journey to Farringdon was really easy and pretty cheap (get me & my first ever Oyster Card!).  I could get up just before 7am and be at my desk by just gone 8.00!

Truth be told I had been dreading those few days in London.  I was nervous about the new job – full of self doubt about my value to the organisation and whether I could really pull this stuff off after 4 years out of the game.  Any worries I had were allieviated when at the end of day 2 my boss expressed relief and delight in having me there and asked me to stay another month!

It was with great relief that I made it back to MHF on Friday evening.  I had booked a massage & aromatherapy session as a treat to myself and Ruth, the amazing therapist did an awesome job at de-stressing me.  The weekend was a blur of washing, packing and enjoying the last of my time with Applegarth-Ellingtons in 2012.  And finally, thankfully it was Sunday evening, I was back in Monte and in Steve’s arms again.

Being home was wonderful: a super-excited Daisy, a warm fire, the luxury of space and our huge bed and the awesome views.  We had a chilled week doing crosswords, catching up with friends and walks with Daisy along the beach.  We spent a day at the campsite gardening and dealing with the urgent stuff (the leak in the basement, protecting citrus trees from the wind & cold weather sure to come) and it was great to get re-connected.

On the Winter Solstice we packed up our stuff & drove to Dobrota for our annual Maxi-sitting gig and prepared for Christmas.  We had Katie & Tim over for dinner on Saturday night and had a fab evening – so good to be reunited with my buddy after 3 months!  On Sunday we went for a big dog walk with all the gang who we’d be spending Christmas with – a chance for Carrie to meet one of our hosts, David, for the first time.  Katie donned her wet suit and went for a swim whilst we marched around Plavi Horizonti with Carrie, David, Michelle, Tim and the 4 dogs: Daisy, Aoife, Louis & Mollie.

We did our usual Christmas jigsaw, a virgin puzzle this year (bought by Ditsch for Steve’s birthday) and really tough, despite only being 1000 pieces.  The light at Danny’s house where we are now staying is appalling – few windows so little natural light and dim bulbs – so it was a mission, squinting at the pieces and trying to match the colours.  But we did it, finally finishing it just as Christmas Eve turned into Christmas Day…

Christmas Day was bright & sunny and we made it over to Plavi Horizonti again in time for our traditional 11.00 (GMT) toast on the beach with Katie & Tim and a bottle of Port.  The dogs raced about & wore themselves out and we had an energising stomp about.  It was glorious!

We drove to Muo, scooping Carrie up en route and were greeted by Father & Mrs Christmas and delicious mulled wine:

The Christmas dinner was stupendous, as always…  A smoked salmon & prawn starter, followed by turkey breast stuffed & draped with bacon and loads of veg including a delicious braised cabbage dish prepared by Katie to Delia’s recipe, all washed down with fizz.

We were bellied and had to have a break before tackling the Christmas pud.  We had a lovely evening, slowly getting tipsy, opening pressies, playing games and stuffing our faces with Quality Street.  We were all pretty sensible since us & the Monty B gang had an invite to lunch on Boxing Day at Ann & Richard’s house up above Kamenari which meant an early start.  Despite it being a bit of a mission to get up there (a scary drive on a road that barely clings to the hillside as it winds it’s way ever up and then a 10 minute walk up an old Austro Hungarian path with lots of steps) it was an entertaining afternoon with some real characters and stacks of lovely food.  The desserts were particuarly note-worthy: Maja’s chocolate & sour cherry trifle; Nadia’s walnut pie and pumpkin cake and Robin’s apple crumble.

Now we’re enjoying the last days of the year together, watching films, doing crosswords and walking dogs whenever the weather’s fine.  I only have a week left here before I have to pack up & fly back to the UK so these are precious moments which will sustain me over the next 2 months separation from my home.  I’m not particularly looking forward to the first couple of months of 2013 but I am looking forward to the freedom from financial worry that the money I earn will afford us…

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October in Review – Part #1

November 8, 2012 in Den, Fun Stuff, Making & Baking, Nature, Team News, book review by fullmonte | No comments

Part #1 – Den’s Story….

Growing Green

You’ll have to wait for Steve’s installment for any news on the garden.

Baking & Making

The squash harvest at MHF put our measley gains from the campsite to shame…  Huge Turks Turban pumpkins that you can barely get your arms around, courgettes as big as my thigh, and a variety of other green & yellow squashes of impressive length & girth! And in the poly tunnel, I dicovered bucketfuls of green tomatoes left to go barmy too.

I have made a small dent in the bounty by roasting a few squashes & a huge courgette  in a little oil with sage, thyme, onion & garlic.  There were quite a few  green tomatoes that were split or damaged – these were chopped & roasted with a little oil, garlic, balsamic and basil.  When everything was squashy (!) and well cooked, I freed the flesh from the skins (though I didn’t bother doing even that with the green toms, whose skins were so thin), popped the garlic from their roasted sheaths and chucked it all into the food processor.  Last night we had the pureed delight hot with our homemade burgers, I made pots of soup for Anita’s lunch and kept some puree for me to spread cold on my rice cakes.  Yum!

The remaining kilos of green tomatoes are lined up on the windowsill like some bizarre decorations!  November’s project will be to process them all – green tomato chutney ahoy!

Feelings & Musings

October has been a strange month for me – in the UK, missing Steve, Daisy, our land, our friends and Montenegro; and stepping into another world where grown-up networking and job-hunting is my main focus.

Thankfully I am with people I love in a beautiful place and some of the things that anchor me remain the same.  I still take Daisy for a walk every day, although this Daisy is a black & white splodged terrier, accompanied by Mutley the chocolate labrador and Minnie the neurotic collie-cross.  I still enjoy great home-cooked food – John is an outstanding cook who even stretches to puddings (his chocolate mousse is to die for).  His passion is for bread & pasta-making though, so my gluten intolerance has saved me from a continual carb-fest (though he has made bread with 100% spelt flour which is very low in gluten and therefore had to be tasted!).  I still enjoy a laugh with my mates over a glass of wine, though the wine is usually Rioja and far superior to anything we could get in Monte for the same price.  I still retire each evening to a comfy bed with a good book, but I am very much missing Steve’s warm body beside me.

I am used to promoting our campsite, but I am unused to promoting me.  I have had to sell myself to acquaintances old & new – appearing confident, skilled, in control… even when I’m not.  At times it’s fun and challenging, at other times terrifying.

As well as a big shift in mental attitude, this trip is physically challenging.  I had forgotten what it feels like to sit for hours at a computer or in a car.  My back problems which are mostly a distant memory in Monte return with a vengance if I do not discipline myself to keep moving, changing position & having at least 1 long walk a day.  I never thought I would say this but I actually miss the endless walking up & down steps that I must do unthinkingly every day back home!  Different muscles are aching from walking on flat fields for miles in wellies in the mud though…

Reading

Erin Morgenstern’s ‘The Night Circus’ is, as the sleeve notes proclaim: “Dazzling” and “Enchanting”.

It’s a thoroughly enjoyable, fantastical romp and I mean this not in a flippant way; not in a “it’s a lot of silly nonsense & I don’t care about it” way…  I do care about it.  I care about Bailey and Poppet & Widget and Friedrick and Isobel and most of, I passionately care about Celia, whom even I am a little in love with by the end.  Marco strangely compels me less – I care about him by virtue of Celia loving him and vice versa but he doesn’t get under my skin in quite the same way.

It’s beautifully written.  Descriptions are not cumbersome or overdone but they are impressively over-the-top in a strangely acceptable way (it sounds mad; you’ll just have to read it to understand).  The imagination that created these words is astonishing.  I want to live in the world that Ms Morgenstern has conjured and she brings it to life so palpably that you can almost taste its deliciousness! *sigh*

The details in this book are divine – intricate ideas one can barely even dream about are aplenty here but it all works beautifully.

The ending (& beginning?) is very clever, very poignant.  I finished it, reluctantly, but with the happy feeling that stories have to keep being told to keep the magic alive…

S J Watson’s thriller was a change of direction and pace, very slow to build.

It was an easy read but I sort of guessed what was going on from the outset and didn’t really care.  It had moments of thrill but it lacked atmosphere and didn’t have me on the edge of my seat with wonder & suspense.  I’m actually struggling to think what else to say about it so I guess that speaks volumes…

Work

In between networking with ex-colleagues, attending an interview, applying for jobs online, emailing agencies & travelling about for the fun stuff, I’ve been helping things run a little smoother here at MHF.  Whether it’s cooking, cleaning, walking the dogs or helping J with Rent-a-Hen business development stuff, I’m trying to repay the enormous debt I always feel to these lovely friends who have been so generous to us over the years.  I am so lucky to have a comfy bed and a place to unpack my things for a month or 2, never mind having a home to be part of.  J&A and the ‘kids’ (using the term loosely ‘cos they are sooo not – gorgeous grown-ups-to-be more like!) are so kind and welcoming.  We eat together, rant & rave together, take the mick, watch X-Factor & Downtown, have some laughs & some strops occasionally too and I feel blessed to be part of this wonderful family.

Play

We managed to fit some fun stuff in & catch up with friends before I left for the UK:

  • A lovely boozy late lunch with T and Igor – delicious food, intoxicating bubbles and a real chance to get to know T’s future husband a little better.
  • Had Nik over for dinner on one of the rare times he was actually in town.
  • Managed to see most of the gang from ‘the other side’ at Cess & Marjan’s BBQ.
  • A lovely do at Sladjana’s.  The great hostess’ Chicken curry was divine; the wine flowed; the cake was too good to resist and we got into some interesting debates about the development of society as Shana read people’s coffee cups…

Now in the UK, I’ve been lucky enough to have some really good times with friends & family, including:

  • A ‘girls night in’ with my Mum and sister Chris – an Indian takeaway, random alcohol from the drinks cupboard until Mum was tipsy and lots of gossiping!
  • A reunion with 2 old school friends Becky & Paula, with kids & partners & all.  Bex cooked a yummy Boeuf Bourguignon which we washed down with far, far too much red wine.  I felt like hell the next day so good job all I had to do was crawl over to the Pettitt-Vines and drink tea.  Nik took Hugo & Lil for a shopping trip whilst Mick & I watched the Grand Prix together and the rest of the day was a blur of good food, hot drinks, an open fire and a cosy glow from being part of the family for a day.
  • A lovely day with my parents, incorporating a walk with Dad & Sammy in the morning and Mum & Sammy in the afternoon.  I got them hooked on the BBC iPlayer too.
  • An evening with the W-B’s, with Matt working his usual culinary wonders.  This time it was lamb rack (pink & moist) with rich, creamy potatoes and crisp veg and this was on top of a delightfully fresh fishy appetiser from Charlotte.  Bubbles for the starter and red wine with the main.  Nowadays we’re sensible enough to stop short of overindulging as we all agree we’re too old for hangovers, but we still chatter on into the wee hours catching up with the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahhs’ in each others lives…
  • Lunch in Richmond with ex-boss, now dear friend, Alison & her beautiful adopted daughter, Rose.  It was wonderful to see the love between them, to see the joy they have brought to each other.  Alison’s life has been transformed in the 4+ years since last we met and I listened in awe to tales of the incredible journey she’s been on.
  • Sunday roast in Northampton with the Barnetts: the best crackling I’d had for years; apple crumble & custard that was crispy and soggy in all the right places and most delicious of all, time spent with these lovely friends.
  • A ‘Homes & Gardens’ tour which began in Derby with ex-colleague & friend Edith admiring the incredible house she & her husband had designed & had built.  It was striking, classically modern (if there can be such a thing?), spacious & brilliantly concieved.  The plentiful windows kept the house flooded with natural light and provided stunning views, across fields to the front and into the garden at the back where purply trellis glowed against green lawns, punctuated by a riot of colour even in October.   We then travelled on to Matlock for lunch Chez Carrie, to admire an equally impressive but totally different home: a renovation of 3 cottages.  It was a heady mix of ‘ye olde’, traditional farmhouse cosyness and modern style and the attention to detail was stunning.  I brought Pumpkin Soup (surprise, surprise), Edith brought Date & Walnut cake and Carrie provided endless cups of tea, fresh bread and stacks of yummy cheese.  We gossiped, did some business networking and thoroughly enjoyed being together.
  • Dinner in Churchover with Kate & Roly whose local pub has an Italian chef.  I had steak in a rich sauce with chips and veg washed down with some cider.  Then it was onto the village social club for a glass of Port with the locals and back to The Old Stores for more Port & giggles & gossiping.  I slept like a log that night.  Breakfast was smoked salmon & scrambled egg followed by a hearty walk in the country by which time we’d worked up an appetite for the Pumpkin Soup.

Nature Watch

Apart from a few wet & miserable days, the weather’s been OK.  A shock to the system after Monte’s mildness of course, but it could be worse!  The fiery colours of leaves burning out and long walks through wide open fields full of horizons make the chilly temperatures bearable.  We’ve had some cracking Autumn days with bright sunshine that zaps everything with a seasonal intensity:  the skies are vividly cold steel blue; the green of the grass glows so deeply it almost makes you wince and shimmering about everywhere are the reds & golds & oranges of leaves going by…

Me & the dogs regularly see squirrels, rabbits, pheasants & deer on our daily walks, with a Kite or 2 hovering gracefully above.

There are so many photos I would love to have taken to visually share my October with you.  However our sole camera remained in Monte with Steve so let’s hope he’s got some interesting pics for us!

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