Episode 41

Space Tractors

Episode 40

Back from the jungle

It's been so long. Toooooo long...
So many days have passed in the capital but the quest to defeat the 8 exams in month and a half was successful. And finally I'm back again in the saddle.
Beautiful weather welcomed us, and finally the song of birds.

But there was no time to rest, garden is still invaded by the dug up soil that has to be evacuated. There are still tours to be be made and scouted for the people who want to come and visit us. And many repairs around the house....

Today I had to fill up the hole made by water under the porch. Removal of the traditional hex shaped yellow bricks went perfectly but then I realized that some of the bricks were fixed by mortar and that I have o chisel them out. Ha! Another first timer for me!!

So after some tens of minutes of chiseling I finally managed to make them loose enough to take them out.
But that was not the end of the story. What comes out must come in again, pardon my language. Thus, when I finished filling the hole with soil and thumping it with stone and a thump:), I had to put the bricks back. I made the mortar out of the sand and clay from

the garden in the old fashion way. Much like making mud bricks. And finally managed to finish before the rain.

Here is one puzzle Agricola style :)

Garden is flourishing! All those vegetables that I've sown in the autumn are rising towards heaven and are producing very sweet fruits. Spring onions are so sweet that it is strange, but I heard no one complaining :). Next comes the spinach and garlic.

And Peas are on their way, climbing the ropes.
Soon I'll plant the peppers, tomatoes, carrots, turnips (I'll have my great big turnip in the countryside :) ) and many more....

Episode 39

Home Sweetest Home

11pm, finally our house's gate is in site! After successfully finishing two exams I jumped on the bus home... And when I got got home my darling cowgirl was still awake waiting for me with a big smile. She made me a cosy small late night with some chicken and homemade sour cream. I brought some wine that I bought on the Tourism fair. True home made wine to sooth the soul.
Next morning, the festival of happiness! Little Leo woke up and saw his father! He started shouting, jumping and hugging me. I brought him a balloons, cause I know he adores them.






Sun was everywhere so we decided to open the outdoors cooking season. I got all the summertime cooking utensils. Cut some onions and some meat, lit the fire and in a couple of minutes the lunch was on the table.
The smell of wind, smoke and the song of birds made me feel alive again. Peas,garlic and onions are grasping the first rays of sun.
Spring is fighting the winter. Felt like in the Botticelli's Primavera. Ah again too much of art history :)
And getting on my bike and riding to get the milk for cheese, life again.
I have to enjoy it while it lasts, cause soon I'll be back in Belgrade for the second round of exams.
And here are some more photos of the tourism fair in Belgrade. Thanks to Bojana from Tourist Organization of Sombor.

Episode 39

Miles from nowhere....

Three very successful days on Belgrade Tourism Fair left me with mixed emotions. First exaltation and happiness of being the part of such a great manifestation and meeting so many beautiful and interesting people. Fantastic organisation of the fair, placing it amongst the biggest fair in the world. We were riding on Saturday from stand to stand from USA to Croatia, than sailing from Hungary to Cyprus. And everywhere we went we were greeted well.

And after all that noise and crowds something inside started to long for home...

Sun is up and it shines on the gray and painted concrete all around. Sound of Cat Stevens guitar rings and calls me back to our village. So I decided to skip hop on the bus the moment I finish my exams on Tuesday and go back home with some orders for more cheese (which became a hit in Belgrade).

Can't wait to see my family and my garden. I hear that peas are already getting to the first pole.

See you there!!! Peace train holly roller.....

Episode 38

Come and feel the noise!

Well sitting in this concrete jungle and reading tons of books while my family and garden is far away is not my picture of fun. But some things are meant to be endured for the greater good.

Well the actual subjects of those books are not that uninteresting, just the reading and the pressure are the thing that get on my nerve. Especially cause finally the weather is perfect for going for a ride or walk in the woods!

BUT, this is not the subject of this episode.....

The reason is that tomorrow I will be attending the Belgrade's Big Tourism fair representing our beloved Backi Monostor. We will be in the Hall no. 4 if you want to come and visit.

If you want to come and found out what is new with us and how we spent our first winter in the village, do come and ask! And we'll chat :) I must say that our house is built perfectly and is very energy efficient. My personal opinion is that modern engineers should come and learn how to build house of the future. And rest of you can come and taste our version of jacket potatoes and taste my newest discovery, that is I found out how my late granny made Luftstrudl.

For the end of this episode here is what homesickness made me do, hope you like it.

Ta form your's truly,

City Cowboy

Episode 37

Buried in Snow

Long time no see again but so many things happened and will happen that prevent me from writing....

First of all the weather... Well this winter proved to be colder and snowier than expected. Even sitting at home is a difficult business when you are dependent on wood as your main source of heat. Getting to the shad and chopping wood in those crampy conditions is a story by itself. I said: If God intended for wood to be chopped in a shad it would make Canada small and with a roof over it.:) And since Canada is large has and no roof over it so is my frustration with the matter of chopping wood.
Well wood aside, sledges and biking through snow are bright spots in these cold and cloudy days.
Second thing is that we are getting our plans ready for the forthcoming spring/summer/autumn season for our visitors.
I'm in a process of getting the license to be a professional tour guide, some renovations are in plan, new tours are shaping up and a lot's more.
On 26. and 27. February in Belgrade, we'll be representing our village on Belgrade Tourism Fair
on the stand of Sombor. So if you want to meet and greet your favorite City Cowboy please do come!

That is all for now, till next time (in spring)

All the best,
City Cowboy

Srecni Praznici/Happy holidays

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Episode 36, Cowgirl's turn to write

Hi there friends,

It is I, L'Cowgirl :) writing this time.
Well, after our dear friends Vladana, Milos and Vanja from Belgrade left, we had fog and rain

and pretty gloomy weather which lasted for a week or so...And, than came the Sun.

It sprinkled it's magic only for a couple of days, but it was so beautiful and energizing after the gloomy weather and the certain mood to suit it.

My cowboy used the sunny days to work in our organic garden and he planted some more seeds for veggies.



One of those sunny days, I decided to have a little walk with Leo and Vanja(a naighbour girl of 4, Leo's little friend)...What was planned to be a little walk, turned out to be quite a long one, so we ended up walking 3 or 4 km to the red cross camp and back. The camp was unfortunately closing, so we couldn't go inside and have a rest on the benches, but we found even better solution to have a rest...we spread our jackets on the grass and sat on them..


lovely feeling..and amazingly, the grass was still green..we probably caught the last days to enjoy that greenness. Vanja and Leo off course loved the idea to lay on the grass and pick up leaves in the nearby forest. Vanja was especially thrilled with the boats which we saw passing by the shipyard Brodoremont...she was even saying that next time she'll bring along all of her friends to see them and off course she will be boosting around cause she was the one that saw them first :)

The past two weeks I was attending a creative workshop in handcrafts...traditional handcrafts like knitting and embroidering. I met a lot of new people, most of them high school girls who were attending the same workshop. I showed them the cards I make (Christmas, birthday cards...) and they liked them very much. they were especially thrilled by a special technique I use with glue on paper-towels so I asked them if they would like to learn how to do it and they were delighted by the idea, so we arranged to meet every Wednesday and make cards...so now I have an extra activity..and I'm very excited about it because I always have fun with children and teaching them something new and creative is always my challenge. And this also feels good for the reason that Im doing something for my self, and have some time for myself only...which I forgot to have lately because of all the reasons that make me a wife, and a mother of a one year old. So my sweet cowboys stay at home and play together while I go to the workshops :)


Or they help me (especially the little one), to pick some ideas for the workshop, while preparing to go).



This new workshop led to the idea of organizing an exhibition of Christmas cards just before Christmas so now we are in the process of producing Christmas cards and organizing the event. The idea is to make this exhibition of a selling kind in order that we can gather some money to buy new material for new cards. I thought that we can have some nice Christmas music, cookies, Christmas costumes...and there is the Christmas spirit which I so much would like to feel every year...I don't know... it somehow reminds me of childhood and of snow falling and of me and my brother and my cousin standing by the window in the cozy, worm living room of my grandparents where my grandma is adding some more wood to the stove in order to make lunch for us. We were always singing a song to the snow so it can fall faster and faster and make everything white so we can go outside and take our sledges for a ride :)

Ha, childhood...it stays with us...and it is so vivid sometimes, and it feeds our imagination, and it makes us strive for more... and it makes us chase our dreams. Which we often forget in life...and that's why I love this christmas spirit because I think that it reminds us so much of childhood and of believing in magic. So you are off course all invited to join us on the 22 of December at 19:00h, in the village library to find that lost magic again...
Presently I do not have any photos of our workshops, but I promise that I will have for the next write.
Nighty night everyone and have sweet magical dreams...

Episode 35

Building a Stage

I was asked to help build something that will upgrade the villages culture life. Of course I accepted!!!There is music festival which has a seven year tradition. The festival promotes youth and ecology and is aptly named "Reggeneracija" (Mix between Regge and Regeneration and Generation). We were lacking a stage and managed to get financing to get the building materials for a STAGE!! Yeah people, we are building a concert stage!!I hope that more people around the world will come to our festival. Cause there will be good music, good people and good energy!! And most of all you will prove that the nature is still our home!!!




















And the garden, thanks to the beautiful spring weather in November, got some newcomers. Parsley and Radishes for the second time.




We had more guests, more people who wanted to feel the life of city cowboy. Very nice and pleasant couple Vladana and Milos with a boy named Vanja. Leo was so happy to have a friend who is of his age. We had a beautiful walk in the now autumn dressed forest by the channel. The nature never stops being amazing!!!














From this episode there will be a what you missed section:

Here is one recap of the beautiful cultural event held in the village every October in thanks to God, for preventing destruction of the village in the second world war.
The event is called "Zavitni dan" and is celebrated in the church with a mass and with traditional dresses and dances.
Here is something special for Juliette.

Episode 34

Digging the Third Channel



Well, as you might have already found out, Monostor is surrounded by water and forests. Two of those waters are man made. Those are Great Channel built between 1793 and 1802 later named Franz Jozef Channel and Danube-Tisa-Danube built in 1960's through the old flow of Danube. And these days your truly City Cowboy found some sunny days to build another channel.
To cut the very long story shorter,the rain water was flowing to one corner and from there under the house. To solve that problem I had to dig a a channel under the fireplace and lead the water through the pipes to the garden.
Sounds easy, well I thought so, but I didn't plan at that time that after breaking the concrete and digging for some time I've hit something hard. Cleaning the dirt I've noticed that it is not just a single brick but it was a 50cm thick wall made of brick wall. I called my neighbor to ask him how to mix concrete (cause as a city cowboy I never did that of course), and he was amazed that there is such a thick brick wall under ground. He said that bricks were always expensive and that no one in his right mind wouldn't build anything that thick if it wasn't very important. Still we couldn't find out what was that.








Second day I got some help from the youngest member of the family. Digging a hole under the other pillar was a bit more difficult cause i had to get the decline right.
after putting all the pipes underground and testing the whole system. I left the concrete for the third day.













Well everybody told me that mixing concrete without the mixer is very hard. Well I got to work. I put the amount of all of the ingredients as i was told, and started mixing with the shovel. I found out that it was not much more tiring that mixing the pizza dough. So to all the people who want to become cooks first try mixing concrete :)

And the last day was pure and simple mental work. Shoveling sand and earth back in the dich and cleaning up the yard. And of course giving the finishing touch to the concrete and fixing some holes in the old concrete slabs.

Well that was the short story about the digging, pipe-laying and pouring concrete which i did for the first time every in my life.



As there was some time left I've sown some parsley and radishes.





As from today I'm gonna update the situation in my garden, so you can watch you favorite vegetables grow. It is all presented on the board for one of the best games ever: Agricola. That game is one of my greatest inspiration and i hope that the author won't mind me using the artwork for my presentation. You can see the little symbol of what is happening to the certain plant currently.After all this is Agricola Live!! So come and visit us and taste the organic veggies from our garden!!

At the end I mad a little treat for us. A pate with some interesting spices!!!














Oh yes and cheese will be ready soon, but that will be in some other episode....