Absolutely Anything Else

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Hard to please children these days with all the tech out there.
Still you gave it the old "college try"

You have some nice stories and tell them well. I for one am pleased to read them. Thank you.

Thanks, the old,"Glory Days".
Actually in "real life" I do try my hardest to live in the moment and take each day as it comes.
Just sometimes I feel I am stuck in "Ground Hog Day", same old same old nothing new under the sun etc.
I wish I could live long enough to see a real change in the world for all of humanity, not sure what it would take for that to happen though. Might be scary at first, changes are always hard, world wide changes will be shocking at first.
I suppose we all could start with being kinder to each other when we can.

SimonTrew wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Hard to please children these days with all the tech out there.
Still you gave it the old "college try"

You have some nice stories and tell them well. I for one am pleased to read them. Thank you.

Marilyn has plenty of stories and I agree, interesting anecdotes, so keep 'em coming.

And you know what I am going to say next Marilyn..............

............when is the book coming out?!!!

I'll leave it to you, you can title it" Odd people I knew in Hungary"1

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I'll leave it to you, you can title it" Odd people I knew in Hungary"1

But I'm not you Marilyn.  I'd be with Simon (and probably your hubby and others - you know who you are) in the shed discussing grubscrews, compressors, lathes, welding, decorating, tractor engine bolts and DIY.

Only you know what you experienced.

I'm mean, if people can do films like The Valley of the Dolls, they could adapt your book into the hit movie of the year - Marilyn: the early years, Marilyn: Aloha and Island life, Marilyn: Las Vegas, mud in your eye/all on red.  Enough for a whole series!

BTW, I was thinking about Facebook and wondered what would happen if FB failed as a business?  What would happen to everything on there? We've posted 100s if not 1000s of posts.  What will happen to our output?

When my brother departed this life, his kids deleted his FB account rather than freezing it. I thought that was truly astonishing.  I have kept all of his e-mails and I have archived to the cloud all of his directories on a PC I inherited from him.  We still not understand why they did that.

And what about your output Marilyn?  Save for posterity in a book!

fluffy2560 wrote:

And what about your output Marilyn?  Save for posterity in a book!

I was thinking that the other day actually. Marilyn tells a story and tells it well. Just keep telling us the anecdotes, don't worry about putting it into form yet, just tell the stories and then we can kinda put the structure on them. I Marilyn, you should write a book, but don't start at Chapter I, just write whatever you feel like and it will all come together heuratisaistically. And I get my 10% as agent, of course.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I'll leave it to you, you can title it" Odd people I knew in Hungary"1

But I'm not you Marilyn.  I'd be with Simon (and probably your hubby and others - you know who you are) in the shed

Hmm my shed is full of rubbish at the moment, waiting to get permission for a kontainert. I then need to give it a lick of paint, put the billiard table in and mount the optics (1/6 gill optics and rack I found on Nagykata market of all places) and so on, then get the pictures of dogs playing poker of course. I suppose in a hurry I could do it by Tuesday next, 8pm?

SimonTrew wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I'll leave it to you, you can title it" Odd people I knew in Hungary"1

But I'm not you Marilyn.  I'd be with Simon (and probably your hubby and others - you know who you are) in the shed

Hmm my shed is full of rubbish at the moment, waiting to get permission for a kontainert. I then need to give it a lick of paint, put the billiard table in and mount the optics (1/6 gill optics and rack I found on Nagykata market of all places) and so on, then get the pictures of dogs playing poker of course. I suppose in a hurry I could do it by Tuesday next, 8pm?

Oh dear, you beat me to it.  I was going to say I was an art collector (which is true) then say I have some "superb" artwork like Dogs Playing Poker, the green woman, the Haywain etc (which is not true).

Do you need permission for a container?  How long is it going to be there?   Couple of hours maybe you could do it unofficially. We're trying to get one but we can put it in the front garden and off the street. At the moment, no-one seems to have one available so now I have a large pile of junk and bags of rubble down the side of the house. Prices have risen.  6m3 was about 32-35K HUF but now we're seeing 45K HUF'ish for an "unsorted" container.

Hmmm...20h....I will be at 33,000ft next Tuesday over the Med.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Do you need permission for a container?

I do, I don't know whether you do, I am in XV  kerulet. The previous owners were nearly fined for having  container/skip. We have to get permission from the local council to have it there, however brief, and pay 3.500 or something for their kind words to have a kontainert there. The missus went there this morning (Thursday) but they are only open Monday, Wednesday, Friday so try again tomorrow. (We didn't know this, she was sent from THIS office to THAT office across the street, you know, the usual stuff).

It is OK apparently that on these narrow streets cars can park on the pavement all the time without needing permission, whereas I with my granny shopper has to walk on the road and get (the other day) hooted in Hungarian and shouted at get on the pavement - er, the pavement is blocked by cars one of which you appear to be sitting in, moron - but to get a skip we have to go to the council, get permission, then they allocate which days we may have a skip.

Then we actually have to phone up a skip company  (when we have the dates we are allowed to have one) who will, Psychic Simon predicts, tell us that all their skips are busy skipping and they can only make some other days for which we have not permission.

We only have a small skipful to get rid of that would take an hour our two at most to lumber from Si 'N' Fluff's Shed to the skip in the street. I did suggest to the missus that they can put the skip on the driveway inside the property, but she said they won't get in there. They bloody well will. I have got 7.5 ton trucks up a driveway half the size of this, the width of a truck and a cigarette paper on each side, it is not bloody difficult. I have driven double decker buses where I had to take me hat off to make the clearance (my brother for many years worked for London Country Bus, now of course all privatised, but he bought an old London bus and we as a family restored it,

Dad did all the paintwork he was taught by one of the best when he was younger, Uncle Terry Sharp, he was spot on with cutting in and stuff though he never was trade, Mum got all the seat covers off all 80 of them and stitched and repaired them on her old Singer sewing machine, my brother and I did some stuff on the mechanicals and my twin brother did... nothing as usual) A london bus is great for family picnics, lots of room on the bus. We had some great days out at bus rallies and so forth. Gearbox takes  bit of getting used to but swinging it rond th skidpan at Chiswick was nice. Those things just will NOT fall over until about 49.5 off the horizontal, you have (and they did) have to get a lot of airbags to push the buggers over.

Gone are the days when people could actully DO stuff and didn't brag about it. Now you have to put it all on facebook or something that you made a cake or something. Sorry but my life don't work that way.

So they  could sodding well put the skip in the driveway but the missus is being obtuse again. They can swing it round on the chains and get it set down in the driveway on our property. I have swung arond small russian tanks in that way to get them in position to be shot at. But the missus is being obtuse again and sometimes I just give up the fight.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Prices have risen.  6m3 was about 32-35K HUF but now we're seeing 45K HUF'ish for an "unsorted" container.

Yep, it depends what kind of crap you want to put in them. Fair enough I guess.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Hmmm...20h....I will be at 33,000ft next Tuesday over the Med.

I very much doubt it. You will be either at 37,000 or at 0 mean sea level if something goes wrong. I hate flying. Or rather, I don't mind flying at all, chance of a rest and no bastards on their mobile phones etc. Flying is just the easy bit where you get a sit-down and are allowed to have a gin and tonic at stupid oçlock in the morning.'Airports are hateful, though. We've had this one already with my passionate hatred of the let and hindrance, so I shall not continue farther. Hope you have a nice holiday.

When me mum came to visit us in Budapest, she was not a well woman really but kinda wanted her to come here one last time. at the airport  arrivals I had an enormous sign, like A1 cardboard, written on the front MUM. (THe taxi drivers having Mr Plimsoll or whatever on their little cards). I got quite a few smiles from people walking out of Arrivals and jst seeing this huge sign saying MUM. My mum is/was rather practical and said don't you want to put that in a bin somewhere? Oh, welcome to budapest,  mum!

SimonTrew wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Prices have risen.  6m3 was about 32-35K HUF but now we're seeing 45K HUF'ish for an "unsorted" container.

Yep, it depends what kind of crap you want to put in them. Fair enough I guess.

It's all crap at the end of the day, that's why it's going in the "kontener".   If there's anything useful, like metal, they'll sort it by hand if they can be bothered.  This time we've got furniture, rubble, bits of metal, plastic, broken glass and a few other bits. Surprising how easy it is to fill it up.

SimonTrew wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Hmmm...20h....I will be at 33,000ft next Tuesday over the Med.

I very much doubt it. You will be either at 37,000 or at 0 mean sea level if something goes wrong. I hate flying. ...

Well, actually I will be at 0 ft at 20h as we won't have taken off but just a bit later, we'll be at 33000 ft.  We need to go through that to reach 37,000 ft unless the Captain has a special trick I am not aware of.   If I was going on a private jet,  we could go up to say. 42,000 ft. 

I sometimes sit outside and on a nice warm and clear night, I use Flightradar24 to observe the planes passing.

SimonTrew wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Do you need permission for a container?

I do, I don't know whether you do, I am in XV  kerulet. The previous owners were nearly fined for having  container/skip. We have to get permission from the local council to have it there, however brief, and pay 3.500 or something for their kind words to have a kontainert there. ...... I did suggest to the missus that they can put the skip on the driveway inside the property, but she said they won't get in there. They bloody well will. I have got 7.5 ton trucks up a driveway half the size of this, the width of a truck and a cigarette paper on each side, it is not bloody difficult.

Any decent skip lorry driver will be able to get it in there. You could always do multiple trips with a mini-skip.  I've seen these here in HU but never seen them anywhere else.

Mrs Fluffy tried to get a paper but we were told we didn't need one if we put it on our land.  So we knocked the wall and fence down so we could get the trucks in. Easier really as we knew we would be replacing it.

SimonTrew wrote:

I have driven double decker buses where I had to take me hat off to make the clearance (my brother for many years worked for London Country Bus, now of course all privatised, but he bought an old London bus and we as a family restored it,.... A london bus is great for family picnics, lots of room on the bus. We had some great days out at bus rallies and so forth. Gearbox takes  bit of getting used to but swinging it rond th skidpan at Chiswick was nice. Those things just will NOT fall over until about 49.5 off the horizontal, you have (and they did) have to get a lot of airbags to push the buggers over.

Your Dad wasn't Reg Varney was he?  Butler!  ......Blakey and Jack....

Those were the days....

(US: this was from a very stupid but popular British sitcom called "On the buses").

SimonTrew wrote:

So they  could sodding well put the skip in the driveway but the missus is being obtuse again. They can swing it round on the chains and get it set down in the driveway on our property. I have swung arond small russian tanks in that way to get them in position to be shot at. But the missus is being obtuse again and sometimes I just give up the fight.

I agree.

Anyone with a experience with a large one,  knows how to accurately dump a load.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Your Dad wasn't Reg Varney was he?  Butler!  ......Blakey and Jack....

Those were the days....

(US: this was from a very stupid but popular British sitcom called "On the buses").

It gets repeated on Yesterday channel sometimes. It is worse than the first time. 1970s sitcoms really were awful on the whole.

Sunday nights watching Bullseye, look at what you could have won... a speedboat. (I believe one season the prizes were "donated" by the speedboat company, so it was always a speedboat. The IBA as was had quite strict rules for in-programme product placement, and strict prize limits, but they got around it that way. What a couple of players from Birmingham would want with a speedboat I don't know. 3-2-1 with its completely incomprehebsible cryptic clues.

SimonTrew wrote:

They can swing it round on the chains and get it set down in the driveway on our property.

Well the gate does actually open too... there is our house and the next door neighbour's house each side of the driveway, i.e. the walls of the house,  but it really is not that tricky to get it in. The bizarre thing is my wife has ordered skips before for our country place and they have squeezed down a street no wider than this and put the skip outside. I don't know what she is making all the fuss about but she has a bee in her bonnet so I just let her go with it on this one. Unusually, there is a camera on the lamppost at the corner of the street and that is how they "caught" the previous owners. I don't have a clue who is watching that camera. I expect it in the UK (although I very much dislike it, Big Brother watching me all the time) but it is unusual I think in suburban district of Budapest. I suppose I better start looking up and seeing how many others there are around.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Anyone with a experience with a large one,  knows how to accurately dump a load.

Oooh er missus....

The missus got  skip/kontainer permission cost 500Ft a day we got it for a week just so we're fairly relaxed about it, I am not skimping on the odd 500Ft and then rushing around. We get a sticker to put on the skip (yeah, as if that is going to stick on...) and paperwork of course and 3.400Ft for some stamps. Now all we have to do is order the skip... which is hardly difficult, there are loads around here so a short walk I will probably have the names of four or five skip companies.

I would just have had them deliver it and sod the paperwork, but the missus is kinda adamant we need the paperwork so I just gave up on that one. The neighbour is chucking out a hell of a lot of stuff from his house too, and the neighbour opposite well it is essentially an empty plot (which of course turn into being rubbish dumps) he is trying to clear up to sell, so I am sure that the skip would not be empty for long and my neighbours would not object to it being there. But the missus sometimes has to make a song-and-dance about things so I just gave up arguing on this one.

SimonTrew wrote:

I have driven double decker buses where I had to take me hat off to make the clearance

Do you know where open-topped double deckers come from? Not all, but a fair majority come from them hitting bridges where the bus is not quite as low as the bridge is. Wymondley bridge between Hitchin and Stevenage is good for this one, 14'3 I think and one type of double-decker was 14'2 and another was 14'6. Please do not get the wrong type of bus out of the depot... whack. One more open-topped double decker. Usually of course it is a fairly simple job to fix but when you have  large fleet of old buses you might as well just sell it and use the money towards your new buses.

The railway bridge near Hitchin station is also quite low, one day I was walking back from the station and thought hmmm no traffic what's up. A Swedish lorry driver had noticed just in time that his truck would not go under that bridge. (The sign is in both metric and imperial so he had no excuse.) Now traffic is backing up and people are doing silly things, because it's a long way round the houses if you can't get through that bridge, they're trying to pass into oncoming traffic etc. I just took control and stopped the traffic, walked up all the queuing cars telling them to reverse and turn round, cos they're not going anywhere until that truck can reverse back up. But I need to get to the dentist etc well you have to go the long way round, reverse up go left at that roundabout blah blah and it will bring you out by the police station blah blah the miracle of SatNav of course nobody actually learns their local geography. Well in about ten minutes I had all the cars out truck driver could reverse back do a three point turn on the junction to the college, and off he goes with a merry wave, everybody's happy. No police involved, no having to call out the Army, all done in about ten minutes. I thought that is how life was supposed to work? I suppose other people would just say soddit not my problem.

If you can help, you must. You can't always. But if you can, and don't, you're just an arsehole.

SimonTrew wrote:

....The neighbour is chucking out a hell of a lot of stuff from his house too, and the neighbour opposite well it is essentially an empty plot (which of course turn into being rubbish dumps) he is trying to clear up to sell, so I am sure that the skip would not be empty for long and my neighbours would not object to it being there. But the missus sometimes has to make a song-and-dance about things so I just gave up arguing on this one.

If you leave a skip in the street here, everyone will be having a look to see what they can have and it'll fill up mysteriously on its own during the night.   I think you may need to put a flashing light on it as well, especially if the street is narrow.  We were told we had to do that. As we hadn't got one, it was another reason not to bother with the paperwork by getting it off the street and into the garden.

fluffy2560 wrote:

If you leave a skip in the street here, everyone will be having a look to see what they can have

I don't mind that at all. That's the best kind of recycling.

fluffy2560 wrote:

and it'll fill up mysteriously on its own during the night.

That has never been my experience. That happens in Britain of course, you wonder do people keep their old toilets specifically to wait for someone else to get a skip, but usually in Hungary the experience has usually been more taking out than throwing in.

fluffy2560 wrote:

I think you may need to put a flashing light on it as well, especially if the street is narrow.  We were told we had to do that. As we hadn't got one, it was another reason not to bother with the paperwork by getting it off the street and into the garden.

It is kinda two cars and a bit wide. but then cars have got wider, so that's rather less than accurate, I would say about 15' from kerb to kerb. (I should go out and measure it I guess). There is a verge and pavement /sidewalk and I suppose they will lump it there anyway, on the driveway outside the house, therefore blocking the pavement which is, er, what I didn't want to do in the first place.

fluffy2560 wrote:

You may have to get a yellow flashing lamp.

Not sure. However there are some other skips around the corner and they don't have them on, so I don't think so, and I guess they would have said when the missus went to the council this morning. Of course it would be entirely unethical for me to take one from someone else's skip... I don't think we do need it, no others have it. However I do have a variety of yellow flashing lamps and traffic cones etc that I have, em, permanently borrowed, on my nocturnal walkabouts. I'd have to get a new battery/elem for the lamp though. Perhaps you can use the stamps to buy the lamp from the council I will check, thanks for the heads-up on it, but I don't think we need it. If so I suppose the skip company can provide one, I use the big batteries inside them in series to get me some oomph when I am tracing the leccy, which is the usual vermicelli in this place.

SimonTrew wrote:

.....
It is kinda two cars and a bit wide. but then cars have got wider, so that's rather less than accurate, I would say about 15' from kerb to kerb. (I should go out and measure it I guess). There is a verge and pavement /sidewalk and I suppose they will lump it there anyway, on the driveway outside the house, therefore blocking the pavement which is, er, what I didn't want to do in the first place. ...

That's a load of room.  Easy to get a 6m3 one in. 

We've just ordered ours, 40K HUF which more than normal but will do.  I think we'll have it for the weekend now assuming it comes.   Plenty of time to find stuff to fill it up with. 

I really need a digger for the weekend but I think I'd only need it for about 1h to level out some lumps and dig out some tree stumps. But where can I get a self-drive digger from?

Time does move along fast doesn't it?
Listening to my music mix and Nox is playing.
A de funked Hungarian folk/rock/ dance group.
Our next door neighbors son was one of the male dancers in the group. Spent years taking ballet and dance lessons.
Well yesterday I saw him and wow, all grey now and not a slim as when the group was traveling the world.
Just found it a bit shocking although he still looks fit, just getting older like all of us are.

My sister once flew into Vegas for a visit with us about 20 years ago.
I had not physically seen her for a good 15 or so years.
I walked right past her at the airport because she looked so different then I remembered.
That was scary, I covered it up after she called out my name, either I haven't changed too much or her eyes are better then mine.
When my male cousin and his wife arrived 2 summers ago at Keliti station from Austria on the EU vacation, I knew who is was right away and I hadn't seen him since I was 4 years old, over 58 years!
I just hope my next visit to my boy doesn't shock me to death, he takes good care of himself but 2 years is awhile.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Time does move along fast doesn't it?
Listening to my music mix and Nox is playing.
A de funked Hungarian folk/rock/ dance group.
Our next door neighbors son was one of the male dancers in the group. Spent years taking ballet and dance lessons.
Well yesterday I saw him and wow, all grey now and not a slim as when the group was traveling the world.
Just found it a bit shocking although he still looks fit, just getting older like all of us are.

Imagine if one is a film star and looks back at one's younger self on the screen. 

Full of regret or a life lived well maybe?  Growing older gracefully.

Shades of Dorian Gray with the help of a plastic surgeon or cosmetics? 

Skip/Kontener update:  6m3 not available, so 4m3 delivered, 30K HUF.   Now I look at it, 4m3 should be enough.

They would have to pay me to get plastic surgery, it's painful as heck and you are stuck indoors while in recovery.
A HU guy my husband has known since the guy was 17  posts photos on FB. It is more then obvious he has had some work done, has that odd looking cat eye look now.
He is a couple years older then me too.
He and his wife come to HU all the time, think they got their work done here as well.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

They would have to pay me to get plastic surgery, it's painful as heck and you are stuck indoors while in recovery.
A HU guy my husband has known since the guy was 17  posts photos on FB. It is more then obvious he has had some work done, has that odd looking cat eye look now.
He is a couple years older then me too.
He and his wife come to HU all the time, think they got their work done here as well.

My sister had it done but all that she looked like was herself with a bit of Cleopatra and with a semi-perpetual surprised but taut look. 

We all commented that she'd actually  been replaced by a poorly done clone.  The aliens weren't fooling anyone.

After about 10 years, she looked the same as she did before.   Almost a rental.

Been receiving several not so good messages from friends and family.
My friend in Hilo, Hawaii wrote me yesterday just after the eruption in Puna.
She and her husband are ok but if the wind direction changes they may get allot of smell or toxic air.
My cousin just wrote informing us that his sister who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer just had a serious auto accident and broke her ankles in 3 places.
Going in for surgery to have rods put in.
Poor thing, really upsetting news.
Going to spend the day outside in nature I think and clear my head so I will be able to send her some positive energy from a good happy place.
Everyone have a great day, never know when you know what can hit the fan and change everything.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Been receiving several not so good messages from friends and family.
My friend in Hilo, Hawaii wrote me yesterday just after the eruption in Puna.
She and her husband are ok but if the wind direction changes they may get allot of smell or toxic air.
My cousin just wrote informing us that his sister who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer just had a serious auto accident and broke her ankles in 3 places.
Going in for surgery to have rods put in.
Poor thing, really upsetting news.
Going to spend the day outside in nature I think and clear my head so I will be able to send her some positive energy from a good happy place.
Everyone have a great day, never know when you know what can hit the fan and change everything.

I was looking at the news videos of the volcanic eruption there in Hawaii.   I find those sort of things fascinating to look at but I can imagine it's really not nice for those in the middle of it all.  Just shows how powerless we actually are - just specks on the surface of the planet.

If they catch the breast cancer early enough, then she might be OK.  Look at Angelina Jolie - she took precautions.  They are also pretty good with rods and screws.  But not a very nice thing to happen to anyone anytime. 

Weather is warm, so outside is the place to be.  But even so, my FIL had a bit of skin cancer recently from outside working, so wear a hat and keep covered up.   At least there's a bit of a breeze.

I was hearing about Trump's "knives" speech on the radio.  Definitely a good idea to keep away from  the news today if one wants lower blood pressure some karma.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Been receiving several not so good messages from friends and family.
My friend in Hilo, Hawaii wrote me yesterday just after the eruption in Puna.
She and her husband are ok but if the wind direction changes they may get allot of smell or toxic air.
My cousin just wrote informing us that his sister who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer just had a serious auto accident and broke her ankles in 3 places.
Going in for surgery to have rods put in.
Poor thing, really upsetting news.
Going to spend the day outside in nature I think and clear my head so I will be able to send her some positive energy from a good happy place.
Everyone have a great day, never know when you know what can hit the fan and change everything.

I was looking at the news videos of the volcanic eruption there in Hawaii.   I find those sort of things fascinating to look at but I can imagine it's really not nice for those in the middle of it all.  Just shows how powerless we actually are - just specks on the surface of the planet.

If they catch the breast cancer early enough, then she might be OK.  Look at Angelina Jolie - she took precautions.  They are also pretty good with rods and screws.  But not a very nice thing to happen to anyone anytime. 

Weather is warm, so outside is the place to be.  But even so, my FIL had a bit of skin cancer recently from outside working, so wear a hat and keep covered up.   At least there's a bit of a breeze.

I was hearing about Trump's "knives" speech on the radio.  Definitely a good idea to keep away from  the news today if one wants lower blood pressure some karma.

Thanks for the words of encouragement, my cousin is one tough cookie but enough is enough.
Good thing her bro and SIL just over from SE Asia, they are staying in her home, guess they can help her get around until she heals up.
I have a feeling she is on a "bummer" with her cancer and got careless driving.
She is a sweet person but has a temper on her, total east coast girl from the projects. Has a mouth on her at times, we had a falling out about 2 years ago.
She won't take sorry as answer from anyone, oh well, still worry about her, she can be too prideful at times.
Of course I sort of had it coming with her getting upset with me, I mentioned to my space case sister that this cousins father was a "creepy uncle" he grabbed me one time when I was 12, told my mom but she didn't make waves since we lived 3,000 miles away. He got weird on a family visit and I may of over reacted, later quit the booze and found Jesus. Not sure why some people have to go to extreme measures to act "normal".
He had been odd with his own 3 kids so it wasn't like I was saying anything that wasn't true.
The truth hurts sometimes though.
If anyone recovers it will be her, she is too stubborn to go down without a fight.

Used to see Mauna Kea from the kitchen window when we lived in Hilo.
It is very creepy to know your on a Island and the volcano is active. Sometimes we got small earthquakes which are scary.
Not a strong as the ones we got in S. Ca. but still scary knowing it could set off a lava flow.
I'm actually happy we aren't living in Hawaii now, only place there we really like is Honolulu or perhaps Maui.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

.....
Used to see Mauna Kea from the kitchen window when we lived in Hilo.
It is very creepy to know your on a Island and the volcano is active. Sometimes we got small earthquakes which are scary.
Not a strong as the ones we got in S. Ca. but still scary knowing it could set off a lava flow.
I'm actually happy we aren't living in Hawaii now, only place there we really like is Honolulu or perhaps Maui.

I just looked at the video on the latest HI volcanic eruption.  Spectacular but looks pretty bad for folks.   I cannot imagine anyone can get insurance for their houses and property. 

Closest I've ever come to a volcano was Mt Teide on Tenerife (worth a visit!). Not Hawaii but still interesting to see the "new" moon like landscape.  It's where1M years BCwas filmed.  Stupid movie but Raquel looked good in her fur bikini.  Laughable and stupid but probably a cult movie now.

I am also old enough to remember reports of the settling down  of the new Icelandic island of Surtsey and the eruptions on Heimay.

Something else!  Always wanted to visit Iceland but I've only ever been to the airport.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

My friend in Hilo, Hawaii wrote me yesterday just after the eruption in Puna.

Sorry to say, I haven't kept up with the news much. I'm glad all your family are OK.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

he and her husband are ok but if the wind direction changes they may get allot of smell or toxic air.

Sulphur/Sulfur, usually.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

My cousin just wrote informing us that his sister who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer just had a serious auto accident and broke her ankles in 3 places.

Well she shouldn't go to those places

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Everyone have a great day, never know when you know what can hit the fan and change everything.

And you Sassy Tassy.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

just specks on the surface of the planet.

I wondered where I left my specks... they are definitely somewhere on the surface of the planet.

It is rather odd, really, considering how much planet there is above us and below us, that we choose to live just on the surface of it. I mean, it would make far more sense to live in an ocean or in the atmosphere really rather than to be stuck on the surface. We do make life hard for ourselves, sometimes, the human race. We know more about outer space than what is at the bottom of the ocean. It is very odd, really. We have songs about "reaching for the stars" or "fly me to the moon" and so on, but there aren't many songs about "take me to the bottom of the Marinias Trench, it is quite deep and dark down there (you may not stand the stench)" or anything like that. Not very romantic, apparently, the bottom of the ocean.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

If they catch the breast cancer early enough, then she might be OK.

Yes. In the UK there are breast screening programmes but many women do not bother. Usually after treatment you get five years remittance for the all-clear. Unfortunately a good friend of mine, she worked in the National Health Service, she was clear until her fifth year appointment. We lost her.  Her mum lived next door to me, she was quite old and so I used to keep an eye on her and every other week cook a Sunday lunch and so on, we were good friends of the family. I took the mum to her daughter's funeral. That was quite a sad occasion, I mean, nobody expects to lose a son or daughter do they, I felt quite honoured that the family asked me to drive mum up to the funeral rather than doing it themselves (they were going of course, I think they kinda just wouldn't know what to say with Mum on the ride, whereas Mum and I just nattered about all kinds of useless stuff as always). So I will pray in my own way for your sister's health if that is OK with you. I am not sure it does any good but it can't do any harm.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Something else!  Always wanted to visit Iceland but I've only ever been to the airport.

Yeah, I don't think that kinda counts does it... like people say I was in Chicago and with a bit of digging they flew threw O'Hare airport, that doesn't make you Al Capone.

(I was once flying from London Gatwick via Chicago to Houston, and at the gate at Gatwick a chap had a violin case. The stewardess or whatever you are supposed to call them now asked "what is in the violin case?" and rather than saying "a violin" he said "a machine gun, obviously". He and his violin case were swiftly escorted away and didn't make the flight. Not the right time for jokes. At Stansted, once, I had to take off my boots and the security woman, putting them on the tray thing, said hmmm what is that I smell? I said "sarcasm". Thank you sir (grinning), off you go.)

I hear that Iceland, I think this was on that "click" progamme they have on BBC news channel, is now one of the hotspots (literally I suppose) for people mining cryptocurrency, because it takes so much power, and power is extremely cheap (all thermowossname power) so companies are setting up in Iceland specifically to mine bitcoin etc. Now the words "bubble" and "burst" spring to mind on the old cryptocurrency front - the fact you can't actually spend it anywhere useful might be a clue - but I suppose the Greater Fool Theory works as always.

SimonTrew wrote:

klsallee wrote:

SimonTrew wrote:

I thought I would start a topic on what I want the UK to be like after Brexit.

Really scratching my head, how is this an expats in Hungary topic. 

Maybe better in one of the UK forums.

Maybe, maybe not. That would be presumably what immigrants in the UK think of Brexit, which is not what I wanted at all. Most British expats in Hungary have a right to vote if they bothered to use it (I voted 'Leave', by the way). ..... not put it on the "Everything else" thread. If you don't want to contribute, nobody's forcing you to. The aim really was to say "what do you like about Hungary and are glad you moved away from?" or something like that, but hey ho. I'd assumed "Brexit" is a well-known phrase outside of just the UK community.

Looks like the other thread got deleted as off topic.  I was in the middle of writing a reply.....  I will continue a thought here....

I take a different view and that I really do want to know what HU immigrants to the UK think of it and I really do want to know about UK folks here as well. 

On the 31st March, 2019, do we all have to report in to the immigration for processing?  I have had an on off/in and out kind of relationship with the place as I've sometimes been resident elsewhere for work purposes and then I've been back here again.  What does that mean longer term and Brexit wise?

Nearly everyone knows someone somewhere else in the EU.

Mrs Fluffy's cousin was in the UK for some years and has now left there and gone to the USA but is thinking of going back to the UK.  She's very highly educated in an extremely specialist subject and would be a very strong asset back in the UK. She should get her skates on because if she's not resident there on the 31st March 2019, she'll no longer be in the transition arrangement as far as I know. 

As for Mrs Fluffy, we thought about some how registering her there, just so she can have a foot in the door.   The Fluffyettes are OK as they are all UK passport holders but who knows for sure.  Just look at the Windrush debacle.

I was listening to LBC and some guy phoned in  - his son with a British passport had his citizenship revoked after 11 years because he was born in Tanganyika to British parents. His brother was OK because he was born in the  UK. And that's even though the parents were totally British.  It's just lunacy in the UK Home Office/Immigration.  It's a byword for incompetence and racism.  Do we trust them to have any sense when it comes to Brexit either for HU or UK citizens?

As the time approaches, we really need some solid info on what will happen.  I personally did not get a vote - another annoyance - as once you've been out the UK for more than 15 years, you are not entitled to vote.  I don't think that was a fair thing either.  So many people outside the UK want their voices to be heard and they were denied it.

Aldi cheese discussions can easily go into Anything Else.  I'm quite annoyed Aldi is no longer selling cheap salmon!

fluffy2560 wrote:

I take a different view and that I really do want to know what HU immigrants to the UK think of it and I really do want to know about UK folks here as well.

Oh I'd be more than happy to hear from HU immigrants to the UK. The first thing they should do is buy "How to be an Alien" by George Mikes (Mikes Gyorgy), a Hungarian immigrant to the UK in the mid-1930s. Very funny and not much has changed. His chapter on sex is, in its entirety, "Continental people have sex, the English have hot-water bottles". There are chapters on the art of queueing (An Englishman, finding himself alone at a bus-stop, will form an orderly queue of one) and so on. Very funny and very telling, also very slim. Nicolas Bentley drew the pictures.

I have friends of many years who have kinda done it the other way round, moved from Hungary to the UK, they are doing well, the bloke lodged with me for six months or so and we got him on his feet, he is doing really well now and his missus moved over with him, but then that is a kinda rather biased view or rather he would be far too polite to say what he thinks about the UK in case he thought I were offended.

fluffy2560 wrote:

On the 31st March, 2019, do we all have to report in to the immigration for processing?

Come 7 April 2019, I can get Hungarian citizenship. Lived here longer than that but got my cards etc on 7 April 2014. So I am crossing my fingers that if I put my application in BEFORE the end of march, by the time it goes through the sausage machine it will be 7 April and I should be all right. But it is a very close-run thing, I agree.

fluffy2560 wrote:

she'll no longer be in the transition arrangement as far as I know.

What transition arrangement? Brexit means Brexit, May said so. Surely you believe the Prime Minister?

fluffy2560 wrote:

As for Mrs Fluffy, we thought about some how registering her there, just so she can have a foot in the door.

fluffy2560 wrote:

The Fluffyettes are OK as they are all UK passport holders but who knows for sure.  Just look at the Windrush debacle.

Well who knows any more. The Windrush débacle has been rumbling on for years and years but has just somehow recently got national attention. I remember watching documentaries on regional news ten years ago pointing these things out, but it never quite made the national news and, as far as I know, Private Eye who are usually good on these things didn't have much to say on the matter, and I tend to read it cover-to-cover perhaps they did but anyway somehow it never got much attention. The Home Secretary eventually resigned far too late, but the policies for these things were put in place by the then-Home Secretary, Mrs T. May.

fluffy2560 wrote:

I personally did not get a vote - another annoyance - as once you've been out the UK for more than 15 years, you are not entitled to vote.

That would be fine, if you can vote in Hungarian nationals. Like, you should be able to vote in one country's nationals, bit seems fair to me that if you have not lived in the UK for that long, you shouldn't hbe able to vote there, ''provided'' you can vote  wherever you do actually live. I couldn't vote in the US even though I lived there, for example. Perhaps we should go back to the old Hungarian feudal system, where it is your Count that votes.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Aldi cheese discussions can easily go into Anything Else.  I'm quite annoyed Aldi is no longer selling cheap salmon!

Nah, they sell cheap salmonella instead. Aldi is pretty good but Lidl do a better range of "Sugarland"(own-brand) sweets like wine gums, now called "crazy grapes" for some reason. Bacon for a fry-up the best you can do is Spar but of course not quite the same as English back bacon.

Eggs are much fresher in Hungary than in England, I think. (I say England instead of UK as I have visited but have not lived in other countries of the UK. I am well aware that England Is Not The United Kingdom)

fluffy2560 wrote:

I really do want to know what HU immigrants to the UK think of it

Then, don't you think, the ideal place to discuss this is in one of the UK forums, where current Hungarian expats, that are most affected by this topic, may respond?

Hungarian relations and former UK expats are probably pretty uncommon in the Hungarian forum. Just saying there are better locations to get the results you want.

fluffy2560 wrote:

and I really do want to know about UK folks here as well.

That is fine. But maybe a British expat forum would be a more direct line to that question and would generate a larger, more dynamic discussion population. 

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

I really do want to know what HU immigrants to the UK think of it

Then, don't you think, the ideal place to discuss this is in one of the UK forums, where current Hungarian expats, that are most affected by this topic, may respond?

Hungarian relations and former UK expats are probably pretty uncommon in the Hungarian forum. Just saying there are better locations to get the results you want.

fluffy2560 wrote:

and I really do want to know about UK folks here as well.

That is fine. But maybe a British expat forum would be a more direct line to that question and would generate a larger, more dynamic discussion population. 

I think it's a fair topic to discuss Brexit in the Hungary forums.     

HU people in the UK are expats as well and could equally be here in this forum.  They have votes here so their opinion matters here more (theoretically) than those of us who have no vote. 

I'm interested to know what issues they face and we face conversely as rights will probably be reciprocated by the HU government.  Maybe it's a systematic design issue here - presumably there's no "grouping" for countries and cross border issues, e.g. an EU forum, an ASEAN forum, GCC forum and so on.   

I know it doesn't matter much to people from other countries and I realise this is not a UK centric forum but it is of interest  to some posters here. Presumably we'll become 3rd country nationals and we'll be in the same boat as others.   And it's also generally of interest for current affairs as a hot issue, just as Trump, North Korea, the Hawaiian volcano and OV  might be too.

I had no intention of posting my comment in here but the Brexit thread disappeared while I was typing. so I stuck it in here as I didn't want to lose it.  I think the Brexit thread has been restored now so the discussion can  go back there.

But it's also voluntary to be involved in a particular thread so no-one has to follow it if they are not interested.  Naturally posters should have self control about where they comment.  I admit I am guilty of that for sure. 

Just my 2 forints worth.

It might be interesting to see what is going on on a UK ex-pat site as far as Brexit goes.
I have no clue, don't follow it much since I am neither a UK citizen or a HU citizen.
I doubt they will do anything radical fast and have hoards of people going back home, more I would think they will charge some sort of fees to stay through immigration, something like that anyway.
Just another way to make money off of people.

I had to pay fees and charges here in HU to stay so that's probably going to happen to UK citizens here as well.
You will probably be treated just like the rest of us 3rd worlders, have to prove you have a good reason to be here and pay for the privilege. No more "special treatment".
Loads of fun filling out paperwork and getting translations.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

It might be interesting to see what is going on on a UK ex-pat site as far as Brexit goes.
I have no clue, don't follow it much since I am neither a UK citizen or a HU citizen.
I doubt they will do anything radical fast and have hoards of people going back home, more I would think they will charge some sort of fees to stay through immigration, something like that anyway.
Just another way to make money off of people.

I had to pay fees and charges here in HU to stay so that's probably going to happen to UK citizens here as well.
You will probably be treated just like the rest of us 3rd worlders, have to prove you have a good reason to be here and pay for the privilege. No more "special treatment".
Loads of fun filling out paperwork and getting translations.

I agree, it'll be a charging fest for this that and the other.  And shedloads of useless paperwork. I hope the transition period - I think until 2022 - will give some breathing space.   

We don't even know what will happen to our EHIC health cards (we use them to get emergency healthcare treatment in other EU countries).   

If the UK makes a fantastic success of it all, I expect other countries will want to leave as well. Maybe even Hungary given the anti-EU verbiage going on here.   Only takes one domino......

fluffy2560 wrote:

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

I really do want to know what HU immigrants to the UK think of it

Then, don't you think, the ideal place to discuss this is in one of the UK forums, where current Hungarian expats, that are most affected by this topic, may respond?

Hungarian relations and former UK expats are probably pretty uncommon in the Hungarian forum. Just saying there are better locations to get the results you want.

fluffy2560 wrote:

and I really do want to know about UK folks here as well.

That is fine. But maybe a British expat forum would be a more direct line to that question and would generate a larger, more dynamic discussion population. 

I think it's a fair topic to discuss Brexit in the Hungary forums.     

HU people in the UK are expats as well and could equally be here in this forum.  They have votes here so their opinion matters here more (theoretically) than those of us who have no vote. 

I'm interested to know what issues they face and we face conversely as rights will probably be reciprocated by the HU government.  Maybe it's a systematic design issue here - presumably there's no "grouping" for countries and cross border issues, e.g. an EU forum, an ASEAN forum, GCC forum and so on.   

I know it doesn't matter much to people from other countries and I realise this is not a UK centric forum but it is of interest  to some posters here. Presumably we'll become 3rd country nationals and we'll be in the same boat as others.   And it's also generally of interest for current affairs as a hot issue, just as Trump, North Korea, the Hawaiian volcano and OV  might be too.

I had no intention of posting my comment in here but the Brexit thread disappeared while I was typing. so I stuck it in here as I didn't want to lose it.  I think the Brexit thread has been restored now so the discussion can  go back there.

But it's also voluntary to be involved in a particular thread so no-one has to follow it if they are not interested.  Naturally posters should have self control about where they comment.  I admit I am guilty of that for sure. 

Just my 2 forints worth.

I don't think you will have any problems staying here in Hungary.
You've been here a long time and have children and a wife that are Hungarian.
I wouldn't worry much if I were you, you have a very good case to stay.

I thought owning property and being married to a HU citizen would make it easy for me to get my resident permit, I think someone just dropped the ball with me because it was a real nightmare.
I think they were"picking on me" for some reason but it's in the past now so I'll let it go.

Most people may think just owning property in Hungary makes it automatic that they can stay over 90 days, well that's not the case.
Need more reason then that to stay here as a person from a 3rd country.

My cousin , 3rd cousin was born in Hungary and is a HU citizen, her husband is also a HU citizen but they have lived and both work as doctors in the UK for over 25 years.
Their daughter was born in the UK, I am not sure they themselves have UK citizenship, I sort of think not.
I really don't think they have a care about having to return to Hungary as they are well established in Kent and their girl is going to medical school in the UK.
Every case will be looked at and every situation is different.
Overall they just don't want people to come in who may need gov. aid later on.
They don't want more dependents here, they are looking for people who are self sufficient.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

.....
Their daughter was born in the UK, I am not sure they themselves have UK citizenship, I sort of think not.
I really don't think they have a care about having to return to Hungary as they are well established in Kent and their girl is going to medical school in the UK.
Every case will be looked at and every situation is different.
Overall they just don't want people to come in who may need gov. aid later on.
They don't want more dependents here, they are looking for people who are self sufficient.

If her parents are Hungarian, she is too, even if they are British as well.   She might as well just get her HU passport so she's got it for EU travel.  Could be easier for her.

I actually think it's more insidious than people who have dependents.  OV has a view which can only be described as racist.   They want their money but to be honest, why come here? If you have the cash, then other places are far better and have  more diverse populations accepting of ethnically different people.  And during the winter a lot better weather too (hard to believe it was winter a  few weeks ago).

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

I really do want to know what HU immigrants to the UK think of it

Then, don't you think, the ideal place to discuss this is in one of the UK forums, where current Hungarian expats, that are most affected by this topic, may respond?

Hungarian relations and former UK expats are probably pretty uncommon in the Hungarian forum. Just saying there are better locations to get the results you want.


That is fine. But maybe a British expat forum would be a more direct line to that question and would generate a larger, more dynamic discussion population. 

I think it's a fair topic to discuss Brexit in the Hungary forums.     

HU people in the UK are expats as well and could equally be here in this forum.  They have votes here so their opinion matters here more (theoretically) than those of us who have no vote. 

I'm interested to know what issues they face and we face conversely as rights will probably be reciprocated by the HU government.  Maybe it's a systematic design issue here - presumably there's no "grouping" for countries and cross border issues, e.g. an EU forum, an ASEAN forum, GCC forum and so on.   

I know it doesn't matter much to people from other countries and I realise this is not a UK centric forum but it is of interest  to some posters here. Presumably we'll become 3rd country nationals and we'll be in the same boat as others.   And it's also generally of interest for current affairs as a hot issue, just as Trump, North Korea, the Hawaiian volcano and OV  might be too.

I had no intention of posting my comment in here but the Brexit thread disappeared while I was typing. so I stuck it in here as I didn't want to lose it.  I think the Brexit thread has been restored now so the discussion can  go back there.

But it's also voluntary to be involved in a particular thread so no-one has to follow it if they are not interested.  Naturally posters should have self control about where they comment.  I admit I am guilty of that for sure. 

Just my 2 forints worth.

I don't think you will have any problems staying here in Hungary.
You've been here a long time and have children and a wife that are Hungarian.
I wouldn't worry much if I were you, you have a very good case to stay.

I thought owning property and being married to a HU citizen would make it easy for me to get my resident permit, I think someone just dropped the ball with me because it was a real nightmare.
I think they were"picking on me" for some reason but it's in the past now so I'll let it go.

Most people may think just owning property in Hungary makes it automatic that they can stay over 90 days, well that's not the case.
Need more reason then that to stay here as a person from a 3rd country.

My cousin , 3rd cousin was born in Hungary and is a HU citizen, her husband is also a HU citizen but they have lived and both work as doctors in the UK for over 25 years.
Their daughter was born in the UK, I am not sure they themselves have UK citizenship, I sort of think not.
I really don't think they have a care about having to return to Hungary as they are well established in Kent and their girl is going to medical school in the UK.
Every case will be looked at and every situation is different.
Overall they just don't want people to come in who may need gov. aid later on.
They don't want more dependents here, they are looking for people who are self sufficient.

For those that are already here won't have a problem, it will be those want to move over will have a fee to pay, possibly obtain a visa. No one will be kicked out.

I agree, would be way too hard and crazy to toss people out.

Hungary is sometimes very cool and other times not so much so.
We have experienced clerks and others being nice until we speak some English, then it's like we are aliens.
Sort of burns my husbands soul since he and his family actually built Hungary by sweat .blood and tears.
Poor boy, not home here any longer and in the US people ask him almost daily, "Where are you from"?
How annoying that gets!

I know a US lady who is of color and she gets allot of rude questions and comments her way here in Hungary.
It's sort of sad.
Great to be proud of ones culture
but not so great to dis other people.
A bit too many small minded people around for my taste.
People should enjoy the people they relate to without outsiders judging from some twisted attitude of my "tribe" is better then your ,"tribe".
I personally try very hard to respect the Hungarian ways and how they do things, don't wish to rock the boat but at times...
I am glad I physically,"fit in" for the most part and do not experience out right racists remarks.
In fact when people stare at me , my husband often says, Guess they never saw a ,"white women" before. I am sort of "lighter" then average here, burn like crazy in the summer.
Sort of funny considering my mother and her family were  treated less then perfect for being native American.
Once  time it was rather funny, I thought, old friend hung out at a market near our apt. which had a backroom drinking bar.
Not legal at all but "insiders" knew of the pub.
One day we were off to do some business so I dressed in business attire and was holding a folder with our papers inside.
I waited outside on the st. for my husband to say hi to his friend inside the pub.
Well, funny enough, the owner of the market was having a slight heart attack, he thought i was a gov. agent inspecting his business.He noticed me standing outside and was in a panic.

Made me laugh inside since that is about the last thing i would do for work.
My husband set hm straight and told him I was his wife. We asked him what he thought I was and he said, "American". Like we have a "look" of our own.
Not sure the pub is still operating or not, never go in that market any longer.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I know a US lady who is of color and she gets allot of rude questions and comments her way.
It's sort of sad.

Not many black people in Hungary, I am sorry she gets racist abuse, but I myself do kinda a double-take when I see a black person, not because I care as such but just because it is unusual. In the UK I wouldn't blink an eye because there are far more black people, but I probably see, what, one black person a month, so I must admit that I do a bit of a double-take did I see that right?

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Great to be proud of ones culture
but not so great to dis other people.

Indeed. The jokes I poke at "Hungarians" are meant only as kinda little poke-in-the-ribs kinda fun things, as if Hungarians were all the same, they're not meant to sound nasty. If I didn't love the country and people I wouldn't be here.

And of course there are a diverse mix of people in Hungary. The Roma/cigany/gypsies get quite badly treated.  (I have relations who are cigany. I am just very lucky, I am white, male,  heterosexual, astonishingly good-looking, rich and clever so I never get any personal abuse at all. Others aren't so lucky.)

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

My husband set hm straight and told him I was his wife. We asked him what he thought I was and he said, "American". Like we have a "look" of our own.

It was probably the hula-hula skirt over stars-and-stripes bikini, cowgirl hat with spurs on your stillettos, and carrying a machine gun in a violin case that did it.

SimCityAT wrote:

....
For those that are already here won't have a problem, it will be those want to move over will have a fee to pay, possibly obtain a visa. No one will be kicked out.

It's going to be a major hassle.  Two speed citizens - those with  and those without - even those with property and relatives here.   It's just going to be nightmare with queuing for passport stamps ad-infinitum.  Pages and pages of stamps and a passport cost every 2 years. Terrible.