Well we're now into August, Erika's getting very nervous as she has to attend a training course in Budapest for 5 days from Monday so we've tried to have a couple of relaxing days.
I've built another wardrobe in our bedroom and started building some storage. The weather's been ridiculously hot over the last few days but we're getting ther (slowly). The electrician's finished at our house in Sirok so while Erika's away I'll try and crack on with tiling and finishing the walls etc.

Well it's been a while since I last wrote anything but so much has gone on.
We're finally here in Hungary :o)
I sold my Lada Niva and bought a Ducati 900ss to take to Hungary.
We moved out of our house in Rossendale on May 30th, put the cats into a cattery and ourselves at my Mother's and Erika's mother's. Things dragged on a little longer than we expected due to getting totally ripped off with a people carrier that we bought... a £2,000 repair bill later and we were ready to go on May 30th. Thankyou to all those who helped in any way they could. It's been really hard to leave everyone behind and we're missing people very much.
We set off at 4.15am and headed for the 12 o'clock sailing from Dover to Dunkerque. Just before we boarded the ferry a warning light came on but I ignored it and it bother us again until we reached Brussels and the most horrendous traffic jam when the light re-appeared. To cut a long story short, we spent 2 hours on the hard shoulder waiting for everything to cool down and find out what the warning light was. It turned out to probably be the oil thinning due to excessive strain on the engine.
Instead of reaching Wurzburg for an overnight stay on the 1st night we only made it as far as a motel near Aachen. This was the 1st taste of freedom for the cats who'd been stuck in a large cage in the back of the car for over 20 hours.
The next morning I checked the oil level and realised that I'd slightly overfilled it the day before so we drove a few miles up the motorway then pulled in at a service stop. My intention was to slacken the drain bolt in the sump and let a small amount of oil out. Unfortunately the oil wouldn't drip out and before I knew what was happenining the bolt had come out completely and my hand was being covered in extremely hot oil so I had to watch 5 litres of oil pour all over the floor. After asking a few people for help with no success, I came across a friendly German who didn't speak English but understood that I needed to get some oil and he drove me to the next town then returned me to the layby. I filled the sump and we were off once again.
Later that day I contacted my insurance company to confirm some details with them only to find that they'd cancelled my insurance earlier that day due to a minor technicality. They said there was nothing they could do but I could re-instate it via the internet!!! Great when you're in a lay-by in Germany. Anyway I phoned the AA and sorted insurance out with them (I'm dreading my mobile phone bill).
We stopped that night at a motel near Linz in Austria having travelled the length of Germany and part of Austria that day. The next day there were no problems and we reached Erika's cousin's house in Maklar near Eger at around 4pm. We left the trailer there and headed home to our little house in Almar.
The following day we collected the trailer and drove it to Sirok to unload it. I managed to bend the towbar on the car as I reversed the trailer and it got stuck! Then rode the bike back to Maklar where it's stayed so far.
Since arriving we've arranged a plumber to finish off the work that Joe and I started last August so we now have flushing toilets and running water. We've also got an electrician to re-wire part of the house to suit our needs and he should be finished in the next couple of days. Joe, Anne and family have been over for a week and it was great to see them and drive around looking for a house for them. We've been introduced to the owner of a school teaching English to children and Erika starts her training in August ready to start work in September. Hopefully I'll also be able to get some work there.
The Hungarian Bike Week started In Sirok yesterday and w ewere due to go down today and pitch our tent but the weather's turned cold and very wet so we may not go, which is a shame as we were looking forward to it. Hopefully it'll pick up by the weekend as up to now we've had some ridiculously hot days.
Anyway that's enough for now. I'll try not to leave it so long next time.

Things have really moved on for us this year since returning from Hungary.

We finished decorating our house and put it on the market. We had a buyer for it in 3 weeks and are now looking at moving out by the end of May. We'll live with family for a couple of weeks before moving to Hungary in the middle of June.

I handed my notice in at work and finished at the end of April without returning. Erika is also off work sick and is unlikely to return before we move although she's applied for a career break which leaves her options open.

We got married on April 26th and barring a few minor incidents the day went really well. Erika had put in so much hard work prior to the event and it really paid off, she looked stunning. We then went away for a few days, spending 4 days in the Lake District in a small cottage in a quiet valley on the edge of the Grizedale forest, followed by 2 days in Leicester with Joe and family.

We now need to get cracking, sorting out our finances, packing, giving and selling our belongings and generally getting ready to move as I'm sure the next 4 weeks will fly by.

With us planning on moving to Hungary later this year we decided to drive over at the end of December 2007 and spend New Year tucked away in our little house in Almar. By driving we could take a trailer and transport many of the items that were already boxed up therefore leaving less to take when we move for good.

Getting ready for the trip was a nightmare with having to make a solid lid for my trailer, then I couldn't get hold of a spare wheel for it or any European breakdown cover for the trip. I also ended up without any van insurance for the whole trip but didn't realise this until I returned home!!

We set off for Dover on December 27th and sailed to Dunkerque at 12 lunchtime. The journey was straightforeward and we stopped in a layby off the motorway at 11.30pm somewhere beyond Frankfurt, having covered around 750 miles. Our intention was to sleep in the back of the van to save money. We overslept and awoke at around 8.15am but the battery was totally flat (I'd inadvertantly flicked the spotlight switch when climbing into the back of the van the previous night, thus flattening the battery). Many thanks to the kind German who jump started the van.

On through Germany, Austria and in to Hungary by mid evening, arriving at our destination at midnight. Due to the extreme low temperature (-8*c) the road surfaces were very slippery and the windscreen kept freezing up so we stopped at a relative's house on the 1st night.

We got up the following morning and drove to Sirok where we unloaded the van and trailer and headed back to Eger to stock up on food and drink for a few days. How fantastic it was to finally arrive at our house on the mountain.

The temperature for the next few days only fluctuated between -8*c and -6*c but we wrapped up well and locked ourselves away from the outside world. It started snowing on New Year's Eve and we celebrated on the terrace watching the fireworks and celebrations in Eger in the distance.

Overnight we had about 10cm of snow which brought some problems getting up and down the mountain, even with snow chains. The scenery, however, was absolutely stunning. We went for a couple of long walks through the forests on a couple of days.

Over the next couple of days we visited family and did a little more shopping, visited our Sirok house again and ate out on a few occasions. Unfortunately I couldn't dig the trailer out of the snow so had to leave it behind our house in Sirok. Hopefully it will still be there when we next go over.

We were up early on the morning of January 4th, loaded the van and left Eger at 7.30am with ta temperature of -10*c. Once again there were no problems until we hit the cobbled streets of Budapest where a suspension bush collapsed on the van. I had a look and decided that we should be ok to continue on. Across the border into Austria then on through Germany, only stopping for fuel and food. We finally bedded down near Aachen, only a short distance from the Belgian border at 10.30pm, having travelled around 850 miles.

The following morning we'd arranged to have a coffee with some friends in Tongeren (Hi Didier & Edith) then hit the motorway again towards Dunkerque, arriving at the port with an hour to spare before our ferry left. That night we were kindly invited to stay with Erika's brother and his wife in Leicester which broke the journey up nicely.

Now we're back home we need to crack on and finish the last few jobs on our house here so that we can get it up for sale.

After returning home for a few days I bought another bike, an older one which looked good for its age but turned out to be a bit of a dog.

On Friday night of August 10th I set off to Joe (Erika's brother) and Anne's in Leicester. We then loaded his people carrier and set off early Saturday morning on the long drive back to Hungary. Joe did all the driving . We stopped over night in a layby somewhere in Germany. We took sleeping bags and air beds and Joe had adapted the back of his vehicle so that we could sleep there, saving money on accomodation. We landed in Eger on Sunday evening after a long and tiring journey. The next 5 days were spent working on the Sirok house, installing a kitchen on the ground floor and creating 2 bathrooms, a walk-in wardrobe, a bedroom and a shower room in the cellar. Unfortunately we didn't finish the work but got well on with it and completed the hardest part. We worked long hours and made a huge impact. Thankyou Joe. Set off back on Saturday morning, stopped overnight once again in a lay by in Germany then briefly dropped a present in Didier's garage at 6am then hit the ferry port at 8am but unfortunately couldn't get on an earlier sailing than 2.30pm.

Arrived back at Joe and Anne's at tea time, ate then set off for home in the pouring rain on the bike. I arrived at around 11pm to a very surprised erika who wasn't expecting me until the following day :o). As much of a surprise was the tattoo I'd had done whilst in Hungary with her name in it.

Whilst in Hungary it became very apparent that Erika and I would not be able to move there in September due to finances. We discussed this when I returned and although incredibly disappointed we have decided to move next year instead when we will be in a better position to make it work.

After only being home a few days a colleague and I took 2 of the boys from work on a camping barn trip to Keswick in Cumbria. We were due to stay for 3 nights but decided to bring one of the young people back a day early due to his behaviour. At this point things went haywire and the lad who was due to go home became extremely abusive and threaned to stab my self and my colleague. After about half an hour of abuse he came to attack me and attempted to stab me in the head and face. He continued his abuse by throwing large stones at myself and my colleague. He was eventually arrested and charged with affray.

To cut a long story short, I felt unable to return to work and have now been off for nearly 3 months. The lad appeared in court and had his charges reduced, then appeared again and had his case adjourned!!

I'm now applying for another job as a countryside ranger which I hope will suit me better.

Erika and I have also set a date for our wedding. We are getting married on April 26th 2008 at The Sparth House Hotel near Accrington :o).

We then intend to leave for Hungary sometime after this but have not set a date. We will go when everything is in place.

Still hoping to drive over again in late December for New Year as I have sold my bike and bought a small van and a trailer. If we do get to go we will take as much as possible with us as there are many boxes packed and waiting to go.

Until next time..................

Back to Hungary for the Hungarian Bike Week

Erika in Germany

Paul outside bike rally

Nearly there! A welcome break in Hungary en route

Bike outside Sirok house

Well, we got there! We set off on Sunday morning at 5.30am and headed for Dover, arriving late and missing our ferry. Then across France, into Belgium and staying overnight with friends in Tongeren rather than making it to Frankfurt. A total of 500 miles. Monday morning we headed for Germany, several breaks and then into Austria. By 9.30pm Erika had really had enough on the back of the bike so we stopped overnight in Vienna. 650 miles today. Tuesday morning we headed for the Hungarian border, on through Budapest and out to Eger, a total of 300 miles.

The track to our house was treacherous, being very dry and covered in dirt and gravel.

We met up with Erika's brother, Joe and his family on Tuesday who'd been staying in Eger and travelled over to Sirok to make a list of fittings that we needed to buy ready for my next trip back in a couple of weeks.

Erika was seriously considering flying home rather than returning on the bike as the trip had been too much for her. We looked into bike prices and decided to put my bike up for sale in Hungary as it was worth more over there than in England. On Thursday we bought a tent and pitched it at the bike rally in Sirok. We stayed overnight there on Friday and Saturday and put a "for sale" sign on the bike. It sold within 3 hours! There were some great bands playing and good, cheap food and drink.

On Monday we exchanged money and documents with Tomas, the buyer of the bike :o( . Tuesday we caught the bus to Budapest and then flew back to England. It has been an eventful trip, enjoyable, relaxing and stressful all at the same time.lol.

Next year we should be living about a mile from the bike rally so it will be a lot easier to visit.

Not long to go now before we leave.

Things have been really hectic since my last post. We've nearly finished the kitchen and Erika's been busy painting other areas of the house. But there's still so much more to do.
We're due to ride out to Hungary on Sunday but my bike's still not back from the Bike shop that was checking some problems I'd been having. I'm off work sick with a really bad cold/flu and the weather's terrible. If everything comes together for Sunday morning we'll be heading down to Dover, across to Dunkirk then heading for Frankfurt where we'll stay overnight, a journey of around 600 miles on the 1st day!! All being well we'll set off Monday morning, continuing through Germany, into Austria and on to Hungary, arriving in Eger on Monday evening in time to meet up with Joe who set off last weekend. Tuesday should be spent working out what materials we will need when Joe and I return in August. The rest of the week we will buy these items in and get them to the house in Sirok. Hopefully we'll get time to spend a day at the Bike show. We set off back on the 30th, arriving home on the 31st, one day at home then back to work.