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Published: October 26th 2006
Berry Picking...
Up the hill... nice views but not many berries!Yes you can judge by the title that Lex is in completely recovered health... otherwise it would be something more serious!!
Unfortunately just Ez here again as the internet was down at the internet cafe (comeon... what kinda internet cafe has net that goes down!!) and lex got a bit tired and headed off for bed!
As i was saying... she made it through (with the help of a few wee pills called painkillers - marvels of modern science!) as she was in intense pain and we had a few sleepless nights and worried moments! Still not sure on what it was or what the cause was (though Zoki maintains it was sitting on coldstones which she did for all of a minute on a hot day!) Macedonians national sport seems to be: feeling cold and or talking/worrying about being cold!! That and handball (kinda like soccer crossed with basketball!) Main thing is that the pain has gone and we're back in action mode, and exploring and learning some more about this culture we're surrounded by!
The title of this entry is due to the continual reaction we get when people discover we, New Zealanders with 40million sheep
Berry Picking...
Oh-my-god sooooo cute Baba Sanda in her berry picking gear! do in fact... not milk them! (I'm very open to correction on either fact!!) But the reaction to this continuals to be one of shock/supprise/almost disapointment at our waste... some poople here's entire livelyhood is a flock of 100ish sheap that they milk and then make cheese from the milk!! Some of it is actually extremely good!!
EDIT I have been corrected.. JC has found
this site as an eample of sheep being milked in NZ! But not too common!!!
Anyway our last few days have been spent: Once Lex was confirmed (unoffically, by her) to be well, or mostly-well we were off on the visiting trail... these visits pretty much consist of this...
*Walk in, shake hands greetings all round - usually in macedonian with a few english bits thrown in for our benefit.
*Lex almost always gets told how either: a) she looks like one or other of her parents, or b) how our particular host knew or remembers meg... this usually leads into us being seated somewhere...
*Refreshments are brought out: something to drink, and some small nibbles (from salted peanuts to rasin bikkies to 'italian style mushrooms' (imaculately prepared to the visiting
italian embassy)
*Roll-up, Zoki and hosts smoke and talk in Macedonian, the occasional question being thrown our way...
*Sit around (usually in a smoky room) for several hours getting progressively sleepier... some variation here... from playing (and loosing to) the village chess champion to entertaining a 4-year-old 'Harmony' to chatting to a english speaking teenager to filling in New Zealand work visa aplication forms...
*Just as we're about to actually fall asleep... Time leave and repeat the process all over again!
So really its quite similar to visiting parents friends all over the world (possibly + or - a sp***f or 3)
Yesterday (Tuesday 24th) we were lucky enough to make it up to Lake Ohrid (probably the biggest tourist destination in Macedonia) we stayed the night there, and spent today enjoying the clean area surrounding the lake, visiting a c. 12/14th Centuay monastry (and according to Z. the first christian university of the world!) - was like a castle (minus the modern hotel built on top of it!) and v cool! I went for a swim - delish refreshing water (not as cold as it was made out to be) and everyone back
in strumica holds me in high regard for doing it haha! reminded me off lake pearson a lot!
Really glad we made it to Ohrid... would be amazing summer holiday destination! Then drive was... interesting in Corcho's 25year old car, but the hills are all looking amazing in their autum colours!!
By-the-way:
Wow about the meteor, thanks jalanda for keeping us updated!
Bigger wow: jim... stacey! hahahahahahahahahahaha - can someone tell jim to check his emails!!!
Oh I also forgot to mention... From here we plan to bus to Numberg, Germany where we will stay with Zoki, and his wife Silvia for a while... also plan to head up to Berlin for a week or so where we will (hopefully) stay with Jannis for a while!!
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JC
non-member comment
Some sheep are milked in NZ
e.g. http://www.riverterracefarm.co.nz/. I know I have had sheep milk fetta. But basically we eat meat and wear woollen jerseys.