Visiting the old neighbours - Pigs, pigeons and Spider

We then walked across the road to see if Veronika, one of my mum's best friends, was home. It was an unannounced visit and I pushed their doorbell not knowing if anyone would answer. A black Hungarian Puli dog ran up to the gate and stood his ground on the other side of the gate and with an impressively constant rhythmic and very loud "bark bark!"

Just as I was starting to think that perhaps they weren't in, I heard a familiar voice calling out from the back telling "Bogar" the dog ("Spider", in English) to shush.

It was Veronka, one of my mum's best friends from school days, and despite us having turned up unannounced, she opened her arms and kissed us both, radiated nothing but warmth towards us.

Once Spider had realised that we were no longer a threat, he quietened down and disappeared to the back of the garden whilst we were ushered in to the house where it soon became obvious from the fact that Pista, Veronka's husband was lying down on top of the sofa in just a pair of shorts, that they had both been taking an afternoon nap!

I apologised for disturbing them, but they would have none of it. We were shown into the front room and sat down on a pair of comfy chairs whilst Hungarian Palinka (Peach Schnaps) was poured out for both of us.

It was really potent stuff and in the heat we had to decline a second helping lest we pass out!

We sat and talked for a while, Veronka also getting us some nice cakes to eat, and me doing my best to translate to the other half so that she wouldn't feel out-of-sorts. The translation process was easier said than done, though, as Veronka and Pista moved from one topic to the next without pause, obviously trying to cram the last two years happenings and then some into our brief visit.

Afterwards, the other half told me that even though she didn't understand a word, she had managed to follow lots by observing how Veronka and Pista had been speaking, laughing and gesticulating throughout the conversation. They are a close couple, having been married for fifty odd years and it really shows in how comfortable they are with each other.

Before we left, they gave us a guided tour of their small menagerie of animals in the back. We saw their well fed, free range chickens running around in a large area in the back, then their house pigeons, and a sweet baby pigeon, something I'd never seen before. These pigeons were nothing like the scrawny, dirty things I've always seen in cities but well fed birds with clean and tidy feathers with a nice colour and sheen to them.

Finally we saw their huge black Hungarian Mangalica pig that they were fattening up. It was feeling particularly hot this afternoon, so it waddled out into the corner of its pigsty, relieved itself over the floor then proceeded to roll around in it's own pee. Lovely!

As a more hygienic alternative to this, Pista sprayed water over it and we watched as it lay on it's side and squirmed and squealed in obvious delight, something that made us all laugh.

It was after this that I looked at my watch and realised that we'd been away from my uncle's place for over two hours, so we bid our farewells and made our way back but now with a grin on both our faces at the memory of that happy pig...