A Walk On The Wild Side.

A forest excursion on Easter Monday.

It was mum's idea and a good one. A walk through the forest ending up with lunch in one of Czaterberg's Buschenschanks. The weather was better than expected and apart from t-shirts we only took one thin jersey. Bob was euphoric as he wore a pair of shorts. Yes, summer is upon our doorstep.

We set off mid-morning and had a nice walk amid the forest behind our house and found our destination fifty minutes later. Easy peasy and we were rewarded with a great lunch sitting outside in the Easter sunshine. My folks, a friend and the two of us. My folks of course were clever as they had the car there to take them back home but we youngens in high spirits after a couple of glasses wine decline their offer to drive us home. No, we wanted to walk back...the same way we had come.

About twenty minutes after my folks left we three set off back home. Soon after that Bob had the brilliant idea to do a short cut. A short cut he had never been on and a short cut in the local forest. Well, they do say all roads lead to Rome and I had it in my mind that all unknown walks in a forest go around in circles.

Bob, old tech style used the sun for orientation and kept on mentioning for us to walk in such a way that the sunshine touched the right side of our face and as he usually is spot on with directions, I tamely followed. Well, let's just say that we all walked off our lunch and impending supper as it took us close to two hours to get home. After a while all paths look familiar even though they were not.

All is well that ends well and of course we got home safe and sound albeit extremely tired. Just like swimming on a full stomach is eschewed, so should walking with it be. As we turned into our driveway ( almost dropping to our knees to kiss it ) we happened across our new neighbours. A young couple who asked us where we had gone to as they had seen us leave earlier on and also why there were three not four people coming back! Oh well, the neighbourhood watch is alive and well...

Our tour guide is dressed casually for summer!!!

One of the few proper paths we found. A lot of uphill indeed which possibly meant that we did walk in circles. The two of them almost left me in the dust...

Apart from anything else it was a treat to walk among the splendour of trees, ferns and the sheer specter of tall trees clad in greens...what a lovely adventure we had this afternoon.

Biggi

And Just Like That The Hooks Of Opulence Have Found Its Prey.

All it took was Easter...

Honestly, by now I am all chocolated out and you might as well call me Sweet Cheeks! What is it about those tier one holidays that make us lose all sense of time, and willpower and yet at the same time hone our orientation skills?

Like bloodhounds we can locate any and all morsels in our larders, kitchens, fridges and beyond. A back up plan or rather the one place open during this holiday is imprinted in the back of our minds.

Our Easter breakfast started off rather humbly with eggs, ham and homemade bread but morphed into a much more opulent occasion with my parents bringing a whole lot of goodies, and a rather nice surprise too.

Before they were both through the door, I heard a shout of

* " Oh, darn ! " ...or something along those lines!

accompanied by the shattering sound of a bottle. As no one was hurt, I took it for what it was...another christening of our home. A good luck ceremony one step better than the champagne bottled bow. Our delightful home was blessed with a bottle of green gold or rather Pumpkin Seed oil...and yes, just in case you are wondering, the front step is a tad bit on the shady side of green.

But back to the breakfast table which was now laden with salmon, boiled eggs, chocolate eggs, bars of chocolate, homemade blackberry jam, freshly baked rolls and a glass of white wine to chase it...eh, it was more of a brunch. Quite literally I was sitting at the table not too sure what to eat first, next or even last, but like the trooper I am, I did lighten the load.

Are you also afflicted with that strange phenomena of being hungry not even an hour after an opulent meal? In a way it might be the lure of a fully stocked fridge, stocked with ready-to-eat goodies ( the original finger food ) calling my name and of course Schatzi's too. Amazing how nimble of foot he gets when he tries to sneak a peak at the fridge without me knowing!

The time change is still afflicting my behaviour and I blame it for my trying to eat yet another Easter egg at four in the morning...How scandalous indeed! Oh well, in the words of Scarlet O'Hara:

" Fiddle-de-dee, tomorrow is another day "

Biggi

The Riddle Of The Annual Flux Of Time, Gets Me Every Time!

Easter Sunday with an added twist.

Honestly, that wasn't a good time to change the clocks. Summer time and Winter time sound more like a Fred Astaire ditty from the 1930's than the annual irritating time change overs.

I can't say that I am brilliant, but at least I can still add in my head which comes in jolly handy while in the supermarkets or restaurants, which is nothing to be scoffed at...Yet, this simple and rather simplistic time change has me stymied! Are we ahead or behind time? Sad but true!

Did you also love learning the time ( oops, sorry about the pun ) tables as a child and asking all and sundry to test you on the 8's, 9's & 10's?

Let's get back to this Sunday morning, a day squashed into the middle of a long weekend and of course a main Holy day for some and a major holiday for the rest. Bob and I are quite excited and happy to have my parents for a long, leisurely Sunday breakfast at our house. One of those delightful affairs where eggs, bacon ( oh drat Bob, we've forgot the bacon ), ham, homemade bread, chocolate, etc. will grace the table.

As to the ham, it is a special one because it survived three days unopened in our fridge! Bob, every time he opened this appliance, uttered his " Ooh, look what I found! " which almost had me put a sticker on the packet: Hands off! Sunday breakfast fodder.

The best laid plans usually don't get off the ground. As both of us tend to hover mostly in the
Oh, let's do everything at the last moment corner, we now seem to have lost one hour in which to do everything...that is unless my parents are also confused with this time change and perhaps arrive an hour later? Although I think they will be led by their growling stomach, and choose the right time.

Why is a simple one hour so difficult to work out and into the day? Those who don't have digitalized time instruments ( TV, computer, alarm clock ) will have to be alert to get to the church on time...Imagine getting married today and not being sure if one has been stood up or has the pleasure of marrying a timeless classic.

Biggi

Spring Cleaning Into An Abundant Kellerstoeckl Season.

The joys of spring do involve a bucket, water and organic cleaning material.

Somehow it has established itself as the season for visitors to imbibe in the manna of our bit of Burgenland. Sunshine, nature, wine and peace coupled with quiet. April to October is almost set in stone, yet for me, Winter has many aspects of a beautiful holiday wrapped in it.

As cute and small as the Kellerstöckls are, a spring clean is still a spring clean and takes time and energy. At first it always seems a bit daunting, knowing that each and ever corner of it will be brushed, washed and polished but after a few minutes, memory returns and it is almost fun and the best part is being with my mum. The two of us have established a nice cleaning routine and apply it throughout the season.

Imagine spending a few days in this charming, cute, romantic and affordable holiday cottage in the middle of a vineyard...

Easter is not far off and it has been whispered that the thermometer might reach into the 20's. How fabulous! Vienna only being a hop skip and a jump away, I think that there might be a few clever Viennese coming to spend a long weekend with us in Burgenland.

" Dear Viennese, just imagine stocking up on the divine Burgenland sunshine & wine straight from the source. "

Now that spring is officially stamped on everyone's calendar, the hills are alive with the music of wires being pulled, people chatting while tending the vines and the clicking sound of the Nordic walking sticks.

Today, is another nice working day coupled with wine making...filling the bottles of wine. This will be Bob and my fifth year of helping with the wine making process and it is another nice tradition to have.

Memories have already been imprinted and as always I will think of my uncle who passed away two years ago. He always had a sense of humour second to none and it was great fun filing the bottles of wine alongside him. He, no doubt will be watching us from a comfortable chair up above, while sipping the wine from there... ( gosh, I do hope they serve wine up there... ).

Biggi

Easter Sunday & All That Goes With It.

A time to spend with the family.

Easter Sunday was a special day and it started off with a long walk for us. Bob did so want to
' not-walk ' but I persevered and the two of us were ambling over the beautiful hinterland of Eisenberg. The only compatriots on our walk were a herd of deer and numerous birds. Oh, and I almost forgot....sunshine and blue skies.

We knew that a lovely Easter brunch was awaiting us at my parents and was sort of a reward at the end. You'd also call it a reward when you'd see the breakfast table bend under the heavy weight of hams, eggs, homemade mayonnaise, cheese, fresh bread rolls and a few vegetables to ease the conscious.

But all food aside, it is a special time to have breakfast with family. For Bob and I, later on in the day, we had lovely Skype hours with our respective parents across the oceans and continents. Bob said later on:

" Wasn't it great that we were able to spend time with all three of our parents? "

As we drove home from breakfast in Deutsch Schützen, I noticed that every other house had a ring of cars in the driveways. Yes, families gathering for this special time and the various number plates coming from far and wide as usually happens with family being sprinkled all over.

Somehow, I can imagine that most Mum's ( whatever age ) were busy making personal favourites for their children. All of us have a fond memory of that one dish that our mothers made for us, either when we were ill or when we were good.

For those mothers with seven to eight children, it might have been a better option to be taken for lunch by the children as otherwise they'd have been busy all day making each one's favourite dish. You don't think that sibling rivalry ends at childhood, do you?

Biggi

Everything but the tree's blossoms contributed to this picture. Blue skies, green grass and a newly painted memorial...

The herd of deer. They were so busy trying to expel one of their number, that they let us get rather nearer than usual. The line of trees you see, is the Pinka (the border between Austria and Hungary).

Eisenberg church seen from the back, yet, it is rather nice like that!

Again, the Eisenberg range from a distance and all very pleasing on the eyes...

Easter Sunday, A Day Of Family, Reflection And Sheer Joy.

Easter has so many levels.

For some it is a long weekend of doing nothing more than lounging around with an appropriate beverage nearby, for others it's a chance to converse with the man above, for some it's a time of being with family and for the younguns' it is an eagerly awaited treasure hunt in the garden.

Strange how we've all been young yet we have sadly forgotten the sheer excitement of espying a shining object shimmering through a layer of green grass. Goodness me, hiding Easter eggs in the garden is not as easy as it sounds for parents.

If they hide the Easter eggs too well, they'll grow mouldy and only the odd ant might have a taste during the year, and if you hide them in plain sight, the kids get bored with the hunt. Oh dear, what a dilemma. Now that the lawn mowing season starts again, I could well imagine a few shiny well hidden Easter eggs getting the chop!

Easter, akin to Christmas, has the same subconscious need in most of us. We follow that beacon that gets us home to family. Some of us drive endless hours and some of us walk a few meters but the result is the same. Spending quality time with our loved ones. Is there anything nicer than that?

In a world that seems slightly more turbulent and not so nice, it is a pleasure to re-focus on the essence of life. What else is there apart from being with family, having a roof over our heads and enough food to eat.

Health, the great equalizer of society ( even The Pope has been told to stop eating too much pasta due to health reasons ) is what we all want and often miss by our deviation onto life's stressful highway of enough is never enough. Those odd few days in each year, like Easter, which we go and spend with family, help to nudge us back to what is really the essence of life...Family.

There is an old adage seems appropriate again in our modern hectic lifestyles:

You can't take it with you!

Biggi

Happy Easter everyone...yes, this is last year's photo. This year the tree is not in bloom yet. Perhaps Easter was later last year. But, the Deutsch Schützen ladies did a fabulous job with this couple.

Egg-cel-lent How Abundance Shows Up.

An Easter bunny with a difference.

At Christmas and at Easter, our village's Leben Im Dorf / Living in the village organizes a treat or two for elderly folks who have no one. Christmas cookies at Christmas and an Easter size Chelsea Bun for Easter ( Sorry, but I don't quite know how to translate an Oster-Strietzel into English ).

I was fortunate enough to be have nine of them to deliver in our part of the village. Fortunate, because it is such a marvellous feeling to see eyes light up at this unexpected treat. Nobody is too old for an Easter surprise! Having someone think of them is of course the major reason that the eyes light up.

Anyway, I was on to my third ' drop-off ' and the wind was blowing gales. My hair, even though it was caught in my usual clip atop my head, had a lot of strands yield to the call of this wind and I am pretty sure, that I resembled Edward Scissorhands or Struwelpeter. Never mind, at least I gave everyone a bit of a chuckle.

Stefan, who I gave one of the Easter surprise to, was so chuffed that he instantly went and got a tray of eggs for me. Real free range eggs, eggs that his numerous chickens ( who I saw parading and braving the wind behind me in his yard ) had laid. A treat indeed and an honour for me.

But just to backtrack to earlier in the day. I was at my parents house and as I was leaving, my mum asked me if I needed any eggs. It turns out that she had bought a whole lot and Murphy's Law, her neighbour gave her a tray of eggs that her chickens had freshly laid. Gosh, isn't life grande? Now my mum had 30 eggs and luckily for us, we got 10.

Organized as we are living in the country Bob and I had stocked up on eggs and our larder was stocked with 10 but after visiting the best Supermarket on earth

Chez Mama, where the prices are amazing!

I couldn't wait to tell Bob of our fortune of suddenly having 20 eggs at our disposal. Pure luxury and Bob was already thinking of making a banana bread.

Eggs are appreciated by us as they were a luxury in the beginning ( emigrating has a few challenges ). Can you imagine how wonderful it was to come home after visiting Stefan and tell Bob that now we were the owners of 30 eggs. Like giddy teenagers we did a few egg-scenarios:

• 7 Fry up breakfasts ( If you do your maths, Bob will have to forfeit an egg or two).
• or 15 salad lunches with hard-boiled eggs on top.
• or 6 banana breads
• or 5 pancake days!
• or just a feeling of having the option to make whatever and whenever...

Abundance covers many things, and for us this Easter is abundant already even though we are still a day off...

Biggi

Actually, to be quite correct, we are now abundantly rich with 34 eggs.

The Darling Buds Of March Are A Sight For Winter Weary Eyes!

Goodbye dear Winter...

These beautiful harbingers of Spring are in my parent's garden and are aptly called Snow Bells. Don't they look like little bells of happiness?

Remember those posters in the 1990's, where you had to stare at it, in order to see something else? Well, look and tell me if anything pops out for you - if not, simply enjoy the farmlands.

These do remind me of Easter and the Easter Egg hunt to come. Chocolate surprises all over the garden...

Our part of Südburgenland is the proverbial paradise for walkers and wine lovers alike...most of these routes do pass by and end at our area's treasures:Buschenschanks

A pop star on his stage...as soon as the sun's up, tweets and chirps are heard.

Another perfect day in the Weinberg...vintners were out and about pruning their vines.

Biggi

Easter Breakfast Or Lunch With Family, Isn't It Nice?

A day to savour being with family.

There are a few days in the year that we all spend with family, think of family or contact our family. Nowadays it can be virtual or in real life. Either way is nice. Nice enough to remind us what is important in life and to ground us again.

Many of us have forgotten the real religious reason for certain holidays, but despite that, we are doing what these holidays were intended for. We are spending it with family and put them first. Isn't being a family one of the cornerstones of religion?

We had an Easter breakfast or rather a brunch and it was nice. Spending time with family is a treasure. Is it not family that sticks with you through the good times as well as in the not so good times...! Family adores you despite any faults. Friends are not often as forgiving.

Driving through the village yesterday we saw so many family " reunions ". The driveways were packed with out-of-town cars. Especially here in Austria, the number plates are distinctive and clear. Clear enough to spot the non-locals...not that we are spying or anything like that!

Easter breakfast had plenty of delectable stuff. Yummy. Bob and I pigged out so much that when we got home just before lunchtime, both of us dozed off in front of the television. Before you scoff at this, remember that it is a compliment to the food had, if you do the ' nap ' after the meal. Bob even changed into his comfy stretch pants...

Those stretch pants of Bob's have seen better days. In fact they are tatty in looks and reality. Before Bob adopted them, they were my work out pants that I bought before Bob came on the scene. Oh yes, they are old and have holes where there shouldn't be any. With wifely ingenuity I try to hide them from Bob but to no avail. Like a tracker dog, he unearthed them. When I organize a pile of clothes to give to away, he ( almost in a state of panic ) looks to see whether his comfy pants ( or his old cameo pants! ) are in the pile. As if I would be so stupid....Maybe the washing machine will gobble them up soon?

Yippy, I received a nice big chocolate Easter bunny from my parents. Gosh, it has been yonks since I got a chocolate Easter bunny. Bob has been amiss slightly, don't you think? Oh, but frankly I haven't bought him any either. Okay Bob, you are off the hook ( on that one ).

The bunny got attacked as soon as we got home and I am ashamed to admit, that this chocolate bunny is headless at the moment. Sorry Bunny! At least I am part of a general trend. The social platforms are awash with photos of offspring searching & finding hidden Easter eggs etc. Some of the more detailed pics show the happy chocolate trail on their faces. I tried to be more grown up and avoid the chocolate smeared face, but my fingers did get their fair share of chocolate smear...

Easter Monday is great too because you can lounge all day and finish off any left over food. Or in my case the headless chocolate bunny...Happy Easter and I hope you could spend it with your loved ones.

Biggi