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Back on another trip away from home to keep some sort of existence in my profession, I notice how much further behind I get with current trends and I guess I don't mind. Fed up with 'must have new' attitude that is drummed into us to feed the oil companies and Chinese economy. Looking at tablets, i-things, and bright young things with too much pocket money, I think I'm getting old fast.
Back home, I live in a country which is not afraid to ask how much money do I earn, because presumably they don't think they do earn enough. 
Over here in the London, as the pace quickens even more for the Olympics, the appreciation is more on consumerism as a way of enjoyment and escapism. Although I do prefer our new life away from all of this, my only doubt is the ever-widening gap between the two. 

Old ways

As a casual observer and as a complete beginner to living 'foreign' it's quite fun to watch what goes on around.
My current obsession is to predict which bank note the customer in the shop will use to pay for their shopping. Coins are rarely handed over unless asked for. The euro still hasn't taken off yet even after three years, there is still confusion when the customer is asked for any change by the shop assistant and usually shows a huge handful of coins with no idea what to use. 
Whilst not always agreeing with our neighbour's views of how good it was under communist times (not that I can argue either way on this topic!), it is still noticeable how modern bad habits from our Western European neighbours are creeping up and changing things even out in the sticks of where we are.. 

Progress?

Easy to answer, yes.
Slowly but eventually there are signs we will bring some normality to the cottage and some growth to the garden, and not just weeds.
The dogs are content, although another hard winter older. The car is still running, just about.
We have made some good neighboury friends, cautious with us and our motives probably at the beginning, but now we are part of their lives.
Who's for eggs this morning?

Growing

It's been a while, but we are still here!
A hectic few weeks trying to get things to grow, sorting out an overgrown half acre back to some sort of resemblance of a vegetable patch and finally completing the biggest building project outside our house so far, the polytunnel.
So what else has been happening?
A surreal bus trip into town listening to two of our elderly neighbour friends discussing sexual innuendo (apparently) to tune of 'Drive me Crazy' by Shakin Stevens on the radio.
It rained for a day.
Our bathroom has a floor.
Still no plumbing.
Garlic and onions and beans doing fine. 

Hole

Our new entry into our new room, a bathroom!
Whilst we may have occasionally enjoyed the quirks of outdoor washing and toiletry I think we were beginning to miss having one. Yes, the odours haven't always been pleasant. The nearby lake and extended warm summer helped significantly our sweaty palms (parts?). But the Winter months meant visiting family was more than just a visit, a wash day too!

Sunrise

Waiting for the ground to thaw, the sun to rise more often and the temperature to increase.
Picking up all the defrosting dog poo from the Winter, preparing what to seed first for the garden, listening to a fox wailing in the distance and finally being able to open windows in the house for fresh air.
Providing for the hungry builders once more, we have got to get a move on now, we want to get some things finished here at last!

Pictures

A couple of recent pictures taken nearby. In the coming months there will be plenty more of these of life around us which I will introduce to http://davidpotterphotography.blogspot.com