Chris and her team blog HERE is featuring a campaign at the end of August that supports making reading more easy and available for kids. This is a program of her homeland, and she wants to do a small research on what kind of books would kids love to WRITE.

I'll be interviewing my kids and will be sending the answer via email directly to Chris. I'm asking you to do the same: ask kids and support this movement.

For details, go over to Chris's blog at HERE.
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In the meantime, we (me and husband) are working on our house. DH is building the chimney and various inner walls, and also he's laying the floor on the second floor of the house.

I have just finished treating the wooden planks with a special, copper-based natural liquid against fungal infection and damn, my eyes hurt...Not only that liquid smells putrid and acid, it stings your eyes, nose and whatnot.

But it turns wood into a nice greenish-blue :)

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My kids are having their holiday with their maternal grandparents. They booked an apartment for a week beside Lake Balaton and I bet they are having more fun than we do at home.

Once the kids are back home again, they'll be helping us again.

Their help involves cleaning the bricks, helping out with the chicken, harvesting tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley leaves, basil, and making salad. My son has learned using the pancake machine and has twice made a complete dinner for four people.

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Here are some more photos of our canoe trip. I hope you enjoy them.

This is what we see from the inside of our newest tent. Yes, we have more than one. Actually, we have three. Putting up this one only takes a minute.

My son and my daughter rowing in front of me. By the end of the third day, they both rowed quite well and sufficiently. My son is stronger, but if you take a closer look, it is my daughter who rows regularly. She likes to keep the rules :)

This photo was made in Sárospatak by my daugher.

The only time we had lunch in a restaurant. This is celeriac cream soup with croutons.
And yes, this is a family, too. White storks: landmarks of the Hungarian countryside.

A photo update

Dear all,
So, we've returned safely and survived canoeing.

We had some rain and some sunburn, and we're back with sore muscles and dirty clothes. But most of all, with lots of photographs.

Since my Guess The Movies contest proved uninteresting, I quitted. I may return with it. For those who entered: Ropi, Aine, IllMan, Vesper and Ello - your points are stored and will be counted upon once the time is ripe enough to continue the series.

In the meantime I put up some pictures.

The ferry on River Bodrog at the small village of Felsőberecki, between 47 and 48 kilometres. The zero kilometre is at Tokaj, where Bodrog meets River Tisza.

Boarding at Sárospatak. Please note the castle at the other bank.

The clock tower on the innermost yard of the castle. Some part of the castle is left ruined, some are restored - those serve as a museum.

The main entrance.

A railway bridge accross River Bodrog somewhere below Sárospatak.

Morning lights at Bodrogolaszi, where we camped the second night.

The second day was mostly sunny. This photo above was made hours before a short shower came. It depicts a canoe and a friendly bank with lots of summer sky.

This is me swimming in one of the backwater branches of Bodrog, near Tokaj.


We are approaching Tokaj, my daughter is in the front of the canoe, the other kid and is mother are our friends.

Contest entry

It is strange what different ideas are ignited by one single photograph in various people's heads, isn't it? Some people go romantic, some thriller, some go into descriptive vignettes some into surprising actions in suspense pieces - all coming from one photo. It is interesting how many language and style Muses speak.

It's like entering the very same substance into various machines in a row and the outcome is so diversified you have hard time noticing the sameness of the input.

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My version is titled The white room and is available for reading at Jason's site.

Please go over and read as much entries as you can - they are exciting and well written.

writing contest and some update

Jason at The Clarity of Night is having a writing contest titled 'Running Wind'.

I don't think I'll enter, head exploding, and nerves decomposing, but I'll be sure to be there to read the entries.

There are always lots of inspiring, clever and sometimes, heart-breaking, but most of all, nicely written stories of all kinds.

I suggest you to visit this great contest! You may also enter with your ideas - the community is welcoming, too.

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Also, I won't have any Internet connection between 17-20 July, as we are heading to a canoe trip on the River Tisza with friends and family. I will supply you with photos.

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In the meantime we are working on the renovations and building of our house and I don't have much time and patience for blogging. Nor do I have the quietness needed to get the hints from my Muse :(

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Have a great summer, I'll return whenever I'm in an absolute need of saying something. In other words, I'm taking a nap from blogging.

Guess The Movie - Round Four

Although many of my frequent visitors gave their best at guessing the movies, I was just about to get slightly disappointed by the low success of this series, when kind Vesper's praise brought my faith back.

Even if not for creating an overly popular series, these helped me to learn to convey the athmosphere and meaning of a film into words. In other words: from what I saw to what I feel.

I really enjoyed writing the installments, and yes, I have all the ten ready... I toyed with different types of interpretation, from a close first person POV to a general view of the events...

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Summer is difficult for parents: school's closed and it's the parent that has to entertain the kid. Unless said parent wants said kid to be entertained by computer games and the like. It's not that my kids can not play with the computer - oh yes they can. But then there's the limit which I am to keep, and to make them learn to keep for themselves.

How's your summer going?

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About the series:

for the rules, go back HERE.

Round One

Round Two

Round Three

The solutions will not be given away, not until the tenth is over. It means that anyone can go back to get more points.

There are hints, now given out upon request.

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The fourth is here!!!!

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A smallish box with worn lids lies unopened. Small hands are reaching out, they are opening the box.
We have a long stare at the treasure: a few crayons, an old, broken watch with a metal chain, glass balls, beads, filler pen, coins, two dolls made of soap (a couple), a magnet from a fastener, a metal whistle. Everything’s small.
A child is humming. She starts drawing with one of the dark crayons. The crayon seems large among her fine fingers.
What is she drawing? A flower? Set of waving lines?
It is a bird.
She laughs and tears the bird out of the paper.
There’s black emptiness where the bird used to be.
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A suburban area with a row of houses with trees.
...back in those days, days lasted 24 hours, but seemed longer. There was no hurry, nowhere to go, nothing to buy, no money to buy it with, although we have been told recently that we have nothing to fear but fear itself. That summer I was six years old...
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The girl jumps off the tire she’s been hanging on to greet a man in his 50s. He’s carrying a large sack, half full to the back of the yard. The sack looks heavy. The man’s movements are rough; he’s tired.
Good morning Mister C-.
Morning, Miss.
He does not want to bother him.
The girl would like to call her father to help the man out so she keeps running towards the backdoor. She wears jeans and has a boys’ haircut. She calls inside for her daddy.
A man is his late thirties, wearing a suit and a tie appears in the doorway. He’s busy tying his wrist cuffs.
Good morning Walter he says and starts getting down on the steps towards the older man.
The old man hands over the sack and leaves in a slightly confused way.
The young man asks her daughter not to call him next time Mr C- comes. The daughter does not understand. Her father explains that the old man probably does not like to be thanked. They leave the back door and go round the house to enter from the front. But they stay on the front porch. The girl toys with the dry stems of a rose that grows onto the porch; her father picks up the morning paper.
Why is he bringing you this stuff?
That’s the way he pays me for some legal stuff I did for him.
Why does not he pay in cash?
That’s the only way he can. He has no money.
Is he poor?
Yes.
Are we poor?
We are indeed.

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Beware: this music video is completely unrelated. I put it up b/c I love Nina Simone. That's all. I hope you enjoy 'My man's gone now'.