Good. I was afraid for a while there that we might get cooped up in the hotel or spa, but the weather is great, cold but sunny, so we are heading off to do a bit of exploring.

It is my first time in Hungary and one of the first things I’ve noticed is the large number of extra-wide road signs, necessitated by the ridiculously long place names. Wonderful! Just don’t ask me how to pronounce them. What a language! I cannot even begin to try to understand it, but it is lovely to listen to, soft and gentle. Like the Hungarians themselves. They appear to me to be very relaxed and easy-going.

Another striking detail is the fact that there are dental clinics on practically every corner. Dentistry is big business here indeed. But I’d strongly suggest you check out your Hungarian phrase book first. This is not a dental clinic … it’s a tyre centre. I must remember to point that out to the Oldies when they are even older and gummy and in search of a good Hungarian dentist. It could be a bit embarrassing if they went to the wrong place!

Our first stop was at Keszthely where we took a stroll around the grounds of the very grand Festetics Palace. Nice, though it baffles me that anyone would need a house with 101 rooms. I’m not complaining though. It was fun to explore the beautiful gardens – they must look fantastic in summer – and I even got to hitch a ride with a Hungarian Hussar.

Before venturing down to the shoreline of Lake Balaton, we first headed for the hills to get a good view of the lake from the vineyards. I really like the thatched houses around here. To me they are reminiscent of birds’ nests. I’m glad to see that you humans can learn something from us birds! Wow, the Balaton is a seriously big lake. His Lordship tells me that it is almost 80km long, the largest freshwater lake in central Europe. Now, if you could just add a pinch or two of salt to it, you could almost imagine that you are at the sea.

Her Ladyship had a case of cold feet the other day at Lake Héviz. Now it was my turn – literally. I was quite amazed to see that, in spite of its size, the Balaton was partly frozen. There’s lakes for you. Very badly behaved! You won’t catch the good old Irish Sea freezing over like that. It’s good fun though, I must admit. It’s quite a novelty to be able to stand and slide around on the water. It doubles up as a mirror too. Now, let’s see. Are my tail feathers straight?

These humans seem to be having fun too. This is on the southern shore of the Balaton. It must be more sheltered than the north shore because a lot more of it is frozen here.

Also on the southern shore is the town of Siófok. Here I found a lighthouse, just the right size for me. Or so I thought… His Lordship tells me it is actually a water tower and my mini ‘lighthouse’ is just a model. The real thing is great. You can take a lift to the top where there are viewing platforms and a revolving café. Now that was fun – sipping drinks while the landscape revolved around us. As effortless as wheeling around on a thermal. Now the Oldies can understand why we birds enjoy flying so much.

I miss my beloved Irish Sea but I have to say that I cannot complain. These past few days I’ve had H₂0 in all sorts of shapes and forms: freshwater, cold water, hot water and frozen water. I’ve even had musical water. You would not believe how loud the clinking and chiming of the ice is as it moves on the surface of the lake.

Water music. I sure can Handel that!