Our late summer evening walks with Nolen

By the end of summer, we had an everyday seance with my younger son. An evening walk with the same route in the nearby, putting in different stops. It was something that he claimed and insisted on at the end of each day. It is something that we did not abandoned and do it regularly.

Leaving the house, we always start with turning left. First stop is the driveway of the new house built next to us, where nobody has moved in yet but the echo of its driveway is perfect that we always try.

Then comes the advertising board that we have to read, word by word, day by day. Further along, we reach the manhole cover. The water level is thoroughly examined and tested by dropping into some little rocks. At this point soon after we can see the automower on the left hand side, working unhurriedly, precisely. 

Then let's walking along the roadside, and let's collect some nice rocks that we bring with ourselves for a while and save to drop into the runnel later. We're continuously checking the status of the apartment houses under construction and soon reach the steep slope, with the church in the background. 

We arrive to the runnel, drop the rock, and I am immediately asked for plums in different colours which are the harvest of the trees standing along the runnel. 

Turning left, further constructions can be found and fortunately they store the remaining building material outside. It takes more times to go on because Nolen has to feed his sheep with the gravel. 

 

He discovers the neoncolour little spot (if not, we have to look for) which is the sign of his godfather (he is a geometer). 

We admire all the construction vehicles that are already ended the day and are about to go to sleep. Another slope down slightly and we reach the untroubled nature, the dam. Here even wild pigs can be seen. It is not a huge area but it is green and we love it. Sometimes Nolen ends as a neckwear here, at the last stop. 

Two third of summer (JUL-AUG/2021)

We took this summer not so serious and it was spent without any special planning. We did not plan any foreign trip just like last year. We saw all our friends on FB checking in from different countries, and different parts of the world. Everybody wanted to go abroad this summer to compensate the missing holiday from 2020. And as a result, the fourth wave of the virus is knocking. But at the same time, we read about the first countries that cancelled all covid measurements regarding differences between vaccinated an non-vaccinated, mask wearing and all restrictions.

I slowly started to go back to work. Till now only on those days when my colleague is on holiday. It did not seem that more than 3 years passed since my last workday at DEXON. Some things changed (most of the employees keep on home officing), some didn't. The office is quite empty but I don't feel like working from home after staying home for 3 years. I felt endless energy to start/continue my work with endless efforts and as a result, I was quite tired by the end of the first week. It was good to return, I got warm reception from my colleagues and our clients as well. And the best thing is that I'm only a few days away to enjoy my full salary!

We made a Balaton round tour within a weekend on 4 wheels, accomodated in tent in a camping with good location, near a fun fair and circus, the beach and lot of sgopping facilities. Then we continue tenting in our garden and often slept outside with Nolen. We also used the tent when my godchildren or Dominik's classmates came to us. 

We celebrated some round anniversary within our extended but close family: my brother-in-law turned 40, my mother's eldest brother's (Jóska) 70^th birthday, my cousin's younger son's (Levente) 18^th birthday.

There are some returning events that we repeat year by year, creating family traditions. One of them is Vonyarcvashegy where Dominik's best friend's has a weekend house. They invite him every year to spend couple of days at Lake Balaton. They usually pick up Dominik and go there together and at the last day of their holiday we travel there as well and spend a full day at the beach together.

Other event is the Mátra tour organized by Decathlon (sport equipment store). This tour is about full-day hiking on different distances, while collecting stamps at the check points. Many years ago we started when Dominik was very young. This kind of organized hiking gave me secure then to hike without any fear with a child alone in the forest. But this year, I was thinking that this is not the best way of hiking when the forest is full of other hikers. No calm, no silence, no animals. So the reason why I chose this way of hiking years ago, obsolated. 

This year the children's birthdays were Mexican themed. So we made a taco-party with tremendous number of (250+) taco shells and other Mexican food and drink like empanadas, guacamole, salsa, then sweet corn, chocolate fountain, tequila (not for the kids). As a decoration, there was a huge inflatable cactus, and some other inflatable furniture as an armchair, a sofa, a bouncy castle and of course authentic Mexican melodies sounded.

We made a day off full of thumbs up programs with long-seen friends and also spent a gorgeous day on our Foundation Day in downtown by bike ended with great fireworks that attracts many people to the banks of the River Danube.

 

Dominik is 14

My firstborn is a very nice person and always has been. I know, I see, I feel it. This fact is also confirmed from different sources, mainly when he is out with someone else and that someone else tells me his/her experiences with him. He is truly a nice, conflict-avoiding person.

He elongated in the last year and became taller than me. He became not only tall bit also thin. I'm not really satisfied with his appetite recently at all. He is a loving bro of Nolen. I really like his youthful aspect - I learn a lot from him.

He is able to arrange a lot of things on his own - in English. Eg. it happened several times that his gamer accounts were hacked, last time even his gmail address, deleting all the emails proving his legitimacy. Presumably these were hacker attacks from Russia. He uses his brain and is creative enough. Creativity means different thing nowadays than years ago. Recently, I heard his cousin Noel telling him: "If I didn't know you personally Dominik, I would ask for your signature for sure". Cute! He creates and cuts videos and uses many applications that I do not know and didn't hear about them.

Nolen is 3

The youngest family member turned 3 on the 13/July – which also means the end of the maternity leave and that I’m on the DEXON staff again from 14/July, administratively. In fact, I start with my paid holidays. We are fully ready for the nursery ages.

There was a solid celebration on the day with grandparents and unfortunately with missing members. Dominik spent his holiday with his friend at Lake Balaton, my sister’s family was also at Lake Balaton and beyond doubt, grandpa Gabi was the most depressed not being able to present himself on his granchild’s third b-day. He broke his heel-bone and needed to be operated.

Let’s see what kind of child is Nolen at the age of 3. I can bravely declare that he is still high above his age mentally – comparing the ones in the same age or something elder. He is full of beans, always on the move and is always on the right spot where something happens. He doesn’t want to miss any important or less important moment. He constantly has a pair of wide open ears and seriously listens to all the conversations between adults and often asks the question „what is actually happenning” or „what eventually happened”? This makes his father mad. Nolen’s body structure is absolutely well-proportioned and shapeful. He started speak already at the age of 1.5 and told long multiple complex words and by now, he has a rich vocabulary that often makes several people amazed. He memorizes and use the right word in the right situation. As he started to speak very early very clearly, or for other reason, who knows, there is a break in the development of speaking. Most of the times he wants to express himself very quickly and therefore he stutters and repeats the first syllable several times. This also makes his father crazy.

 

Threatening is not his cup of coffee. In case we say something as a penalty eg. „I hit your tushy” so that we dissuade him from some monkey-trick or mischief, he immediately replies „NOW!”. What I do not support at all is the sleeping between us. He does. His father likes it. I don’t. His choice, their choice. This is not according to my principles. His favourite number might be Nr 5. He uses it in each situation. We explain how many years old he is in vain. He shows three with his fingers but always says five and smiles. „How many pieces did you eat from the biscuits?” „Five.” „How much money should we bring for shopping?” „Five.” etc… Althuogh, he can count from 1 to 10 without any mistakes. He waves to each and every motorcyclist on the road, either standing or speeding.

One third of summer (JUN/2021)

The last summer came when I have unlimited time with the guys. No school, no work. Originally, I'm supposed to go back to my workplace on the 14th July, as soon as Nolen turns 3. To tell you the truth, no part of my body feels like returning during summer. I agreed with my boss to go to the office on those summer days when my colleague is on holiday and otherwise I take all my free days I entitled to, and will be back once the adaption period is over in the nursery. In addition, the marketing personnel was quitted, so the transferring and taking over the knowledge was already succesfully completed online, right after my final exam. 

 

 

Regarding the university, I have my degree certificate in hand, certifying that I having completed an approved master's degree programme and fulfilled the academic requirements of the Edutus University and was duly admitted to the degree of Master of Science in Marketing and have qualified as an Economist in Marketing. Overall classification of the qualification: excellent. I'm proud to complete each of the 4 semesters summa cum laude. What I want to always remember out of the big day: after my presentation, degree defense and answer of the thesis dragged out, I was said that I know everything and then the teacher whispered to the prorector sitting next to him "What a feeling if your student knows the curriculum you teached her!" whereupon the upcoming examinee "What a feeling to follow her!..."

So it was another memorable successful day of my life. So much time and energy were invested into this school. I took it seriously, like everything. My teachers and my classmates both encourage me to start further education, to doctorate. But I don't feel like loosing neither my sense of reality nor want to be elitist. Not even a minute. I orientate myself in another way. 

What also in June happened: father's day spent at Lake Velence (of which fish stock was decimated due to the extremely sudden warm up of the water), the very first and not the last garage sale (decided to utilize the purchasing power of the anyway unpleasant crowd parking in our street, attracted by the flea market next to us), a 60th birthday celebration, getting a box of surprise (due to my performance at the conference of Council of Student Research Societies), a dress show organized and invited by one of my girlfriend (known from an Italian holiday) and the usual sister-kids country holiday at my godparents' place. Memorable funful days we spent there and there are always a couple of things left we definitely want to do next year.