08-VI-2024.
On fourth Stanley took to clean up, aka „detail out“ the Joda inside. He used some blue liquid he bought the day before, when we took him to Mere to see what's a russian shop like. He was amazed at the stuff one could buy for pittance. The car ended up incredibly clean inside when he was done, even the elbow stain on driver's door, which was present when I bought it, uncannily vanished and so did the cobwebs, which sprouts in our vehicles in two days.
On fifth we two went to the garden and picked two more buckets of cherries, cherries and those petty cherries. Maybe we could have picked more, but we already croaked (i.e. were dead tired). We didn't even try to run the water, some other time. We took the van, because Stanley took the Joda to Belgrade, to have a cork inserted over the implant they installed five years ago, to spread the gums to ready them for the crown.
By sunset there was a bit of rain, so the kids ran into the yard to watch the beautiful rainbow. I ran upstairs, of course, to take shots of it. Then it turned out that the current version of Hugin can't be installed on the current version of Mint, corresponding file in the repository was missing, and until that's done, no autopatch just when I planned to make one. Which I did on eleventh, when I looked up how to install it - well, there's a Flatpak build of it, that's independent of the version of the system.
On sixth Go went to the eye [doctor], i.e. daughter of one girl from IV1, who also has an office in Belgrade, so works two days a week in her office here. She also visited the neurologist across [the street], because it turned out that the eye was fine, it's the optical nerve which was somewhat inflamed, and that's what dentist said could be caused by a tooth, the one she extracted these days. So this is now considered done, the nerve should recover by itself, with a little help of chlorine dioxide, which we regularly sip these weeks. My wisdom tooth also recovered, here the whole week passed since last time it caused me a headache. It does remind me of itself for a few minutes, and then that tapers off, then gives no sign for several days. I drove her, in the van, as Stanley took Joda again to get his implant coronated. I left her there as the two visits were supposed to take about an hour and a half, and went on my assignment, to scout Peskara. Well, it's cleaned up for the season, all fine, can go there.
On seventh we distilled two batches of cherry-cherry-tinycherry, and got some incredible 8,1 liters out of those fiftysome kilos. A true miracle, usually those small things don't have much sugar. As it started, a good year.
Then after lunch we went to Peskara, parking was no problem, lots of lots, admirable. Neša was skulking and didn't go into the water, just sat on the towel and grumbled about boredom. She managed to find her swimsuit, it stayed in the laundry basket since last year, and I didn't find my swimpants, so dashed to the Chineses and bought new („fihundledfifty dinals“). Then I found the old ones, but never mind, the new ones seem to dry faster, and the old ones are who knows how old, at least six years. Neša comforted himself with a langoš, not with nutella but with chees, and Anita initially stayed at the water's edge only, then took her almost two hours to get used to it and go shoulder deep, and then didn't want to get out. But screw that, by that time everyone had enough, so we convinced her that we'll come more.
On eighth we had a big lunch in kaštel. We entered via the regular gate, as the waitress said so when I called to make a reservation, and went into the great hall - because terrace and yard were reserved for some wedding. Milena and Boba were already there, because she wanted to see how is the wedding arranged, she's started a little business with decorations for birthdays and other celebrations, and seems to be doing fine. Go tried to convince her on the spot to buy (her) a threedee printer, she's using those for some fisix years now, you can do a lot of stuff that way... By that time Lena and Milan appeared, so we just sat, ordered, talked at length. Milan is halfway through his negotiations with that finnish firm where she works, and it seems to be an almost done thing, just waiting for due process to pass. In Frankfurt, he is second oldest in the office, not counting the founders. Them trannies and commissars somehow fell off the truck a couple of years ago, guess when they saw the mass layoffs.
It was a bit stuffy in there, so I quickly met the waitress and asked if there was any ventilation possible. Well not just possible, they turned the AC on and „it will suit us as well, thank you“. Guess the wedding outside will need to have an ambulance at hand, can't imagine how will they fare in that swelter.
The grub was good, Neša swept off his ćevapčići, Go and I had finally had mlinci (wanted to see what it was), she had a gulaš, planning to be able to eat less than a half of it (came true) and that we'll have the rest packed to take out for Neša's dinner (same).
Then we went home and Boba drove Milena to the apartment, picked up what he kept for us from the old house and brought it to us - Go's old rollerskates („they finally fit“), some other old knickknacks and a bunch of photos to scan later.
On ninth we went to Peskara again, just Go, Stanley, Anita and I, and this time it was tough to find a spot to park, it was tight just as if it was august. Still, managed to find a spot near the exit, not too far away, just had to exit through the right door, which is no problem in the van (because the handbrake is by the door and the shift is on the dash, there's nothing raised between front seats), and not in Joda either (handbrake and shift both automatic).
We stayed less than an hour, because the klinceza had some floating bit touch her lips, which she spat right away, but than she started yelling, increasing the sound to near the point of screaming. I stopped that by having us leave the place immediately and go home. In the evening Stanley and I again watched another episode or two of Stari Drek, with apple or pear [rakija].
On tenth we went to the old house, because Go had an idea to take home some of that wedding brandy. When we got there, saw that the house is in chaos. We had thieves, don't know what for because they couldn't have had much luck, nothing valuable remained there. They snatched the 1990 whiskey and the 1977 cognac, and two thirds of that brandy. Of the three casks of 50 l each, which dad distilled for granddaughters' weddings, each still had half. Now there are two, one empty and one left uncorked, so it aired for who knows how long... Our enlarger was left on the floor, well everything they rummaged through was left more or less scattered around. At least they took Chuchill's and De Gaul's memoirs, which I never had any intention of reading, nor hat the heart to offload to anyone. There, fuckit.
The butkice we had for lunch were cleaned up for dinner, just like the kvašenice vanished the other day. And the baker's potatoes, which she now makes by frying them shortly in the pan and then finishing them in the frajer, finally come out the way she wanted. Anita couldn't stop eating them, and then Neša swept the rest. Really, they both have solid appetites and don't slouch with their food, it's only that she sometimes asks for something and then doesn't eat it, because she devoured two of those burek-like swirls from Mere, which are also baked in the frajer, 15 minutes for a batch of four (it's a small machine, can't fit more). He eats the other two but also slurps up the čorba or whatever there is.
On eleventh we hopped to Čankovo to see whether there were any apricots - well, were. We picked up and picked some, about 20kg altogeter, not quite enough for one still, but we added old cherries and cherrie from the freezer the next day, so will suffice for one. In other news, our long green hose was stolen.
Neša again made almost thirty hours awake, and then when he went to sleep, he still had the presence of mind to get up and go take a leak when it came to him. He's incredible.
Almost every afternoon a playout is playing, on double connection. Nina parks a phone and Go a tablet, so they establish a video chat over Telegram, and then Anita, Linda and Sanda log on their tablets/laptop into the same game in Roblox and then hit it for a few hours. Sometimes they get into a shouting match (mostly the twins among themselves), but the main reason for the noise is if one of the five machines loses the čorba and disconnects - needs recharging. Anita speaks to them loud and clear, while to us she mumbles somewhat, didn't quite catch whether she swallows consonants or speaks with as if stuck nose, can't discern, but barely understand her.
On twelfth we barbecued again, fast and experienced, I even took out the old ashes out of it and again scrubbed the grille with wire brush. We got lucky, the drizzle began just when we were finished. We ate that the following two days, because it's pointless to start the fire for less - two kilos of ćevapčići, a kilo of steaks, half a kilo of sausage. Both kids neatly leaned on both čorba and meat. For the čorba I sacrificed one small pepper from my pet plant, a gooood one.
Stanley went to the supermarket on the corner in the evening again and I guess took a beer... He was doing that every afternoon or evening, even had to go return the bottles, just once as he was usually taking cans. He'd take a different one each time, to try them all out. He'd practice the language, some by reading the labels (though, „theres a whole shelf in all english, wasn't so last time“), some by listening to the shop talk, and sometimes in conversation with the cashier. And he was doing well... felt like watching myself in august 1994. And even new words, when first met written, he pronounces correctly. Okay, apart from the stress, which is unpredictable at times, I remember having the same problem in my youth, but when you pronounce it for him, he gets it right by third time and says it correctly henceforth.
On thirteenth they both got up early and straight to the bakery by the community [center], bought about a whole plate of burek, half classic and half the swirly, which looks like a wifi network icon, and a liter and a half of yogurt. Finished it only for dinner.
Neša's spirits were down. As unwilling as he was to come, he's now even more unwillingly packing to leave. Because kittens...
But the day did arrive, we got around five (she five minutes before her nokla sounded as alarm clock), and drove off at 6:06... We were at the airport parking at at least 7:16, which means an incredible hour and ten and that with the van, what with the regular congestion at those four lights between Pupin's bridge and the highway. At the Trkiš Erlajnz checkin there was a long queue, 45 minutes, but there it was, we came early enough for this to pose no problem, got everything on time. The wait we split in shifts - first they went out for a smoke, then we two. And look, there's a bench to sit. While we sat and smoked, some madam came to scratch for a cigarette, says „I'm getting used to not smoking“ (guess that's the reason she doesn't carry). We gave, of course, we didn't have a scratcher in years, and were curious to see how will this go, because „these are homemade, may be a bit stronger“. She lit it and „ay, it is strong indeed“. She quit after less than half... well this ain't Mali Bora* to burn in two-three minutes, this one takes at least ten.
Then we watched an urgent aid van come, sorry, no such thing in existence anymre, an ambuelantzeh coming, and it had to wait for the entrance barrier to let it in. Then Go said it must have come for that lady, strong was the cigarette... On the way back I lit one at the light by Pupin's bridge, and finished it before the forest at Besni Fok, that's 18km. Now that's a long cigarette.
They mean to come next year too, so I'm not selling the van.
We two spent the rest of the day on near nothing. By lunch (homemade cubes soup, overyester's barbecue) I did the photos between after Sokobanja and now, hung them on Dropbox, just while they were changing planes in Carigrad [czar's city aka Constantinopolis aka Istanbul]. Then I took a nap and then we somewhat moved things around the house, putting them back in place, turning off whatever was left on. I took to programming, didn't for quite a while, wrote a routine to restore initial edit dates on articles in Byo, which worked well enough on next morning, so now I have this date in bottom right corner (v. Version 1.3).
In the evening we selected a combination of the remaining quince from the upstairs bottle and the 21.3 tutifruti (of which just two-three liters still remain). One shot of quince for starters, and half a shot in the end, as the taste is too much if we drink quince alone, the fragrance lingers in the nose for two more days.
In the morning of fifteenth, we saw on Telegram they got home, all in order. One kitchen drowned in that vat. All cats try to drink from it sooner or later, they actually love to drink from it, but it never happened that one would fall in, this was the first time.
On sixteenth a surprise in the garden: our hose, which was stolen, has been returned. A miracle... Or the thief gentlemen think that it pays better to leave us with means to water our garden and have some crop for them to pick. Deal... the plan is to, if we just notice that tomatoes go missing, just mow the whole row. We have tomatoes at home, some of its fruit is already of 70mm in diameter, we guesstimate it to ripen in a couple of weeks, so we can afford some spite.
On seventeenth finally a frendz parti, there wasn't one for two months. It was considerably hot, but I somehow managed to not be all sweaty by [the time we got] there. Borko waited for us by the light at the community [centre], so we arrived together at Dragana's. We quit the regular sitting layout half an hour later, when Dragana finally turned the AC on, and sat at table's end to avoid stream of cold air over her back, which I welcomed and took her place. The evening passed just so, nothing special, and the ten minutes when we tried to sort out the shit about the music for parastos we cut short, because my dear was already complaining about that kind of talk. Some plans for a vacation together were laid out, we could even go to Albania, nothing wrong with that, though I think that will come to nothing. And my dear pronounced that we two won't be going to the sea at all, ah well, she already forgot her own proposition, and that we agreed to go visitt Lajna in Istra. She made no contact for more than a month, and now, just the next day she chimed in with „are you already near Pula?“. We'll see, my best guess is we get there in late august. In the evening we talked with Lena - her regular tuesday term - and they're fine, doing quite okay. She gets short of breath sometimes in the morning when she gets up, but then few hours later had no trouble walking the fourteen floors up, the elevators are dead, and so is the old man who maintained them. They still haven't collected enough reserve cash (the whole building, that is) to buy new ones. The Infostan is giving them a loan, though, so this is just the start money, but that's 100K€ at 11% interest... she could just finance that herself (OK, with Milan joining) and take the interest...
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* Little Bora, cigarette formerly known as Marlboro
Mentions: Anita Jennifer Berger (Anita), burek, butkice, Byo (Byo), Čankovo, čorba, ćevapčići, Dobrivoj Gunaroši (Boba), Dragana Vitas (Dragana), frajer, frendz parti, Gorana Sredljević (Go), homemade, Jelena Sredljević (Lena), Joda, kaštel, kvašenice, Linda Sredljevich Aquilla (Linda), Mališa Borkovski (Borko), maturski parastos (parastos), Melanija Merćep (Lajna), Milan Nastić, Milena Požarić, Nenad Berger (Neša), Nevena Sredljević (Nina), nokla, Sanda Sredljević Aquilla (Sanda), Stanley Berger, Version 1.3, yogurt, in serbian
13-VI-2024 - 19-VI-2024