Laszlo has told us that today we will be bird watching, but after breakfast we had to a local kindergarten to watch him give a presentation about environmental conservation to about 40 children, who all watch the pictures of wildlife and listen to Laszlo very attentively. It's great seeing Laszlo in action and he laughs along with the kids in Hungarian which obviously we cannot understand. We admire some of the arts and crafts the children have done before having a coffee and a biscuit, and then head to the car to begin our days bird watching.

Driving through Laszlo's favourite bit of countryside, we stop occasionally to catch big birds through binoculars and to admire the scenery. Although I don't know a lot about birds, it's especially interesting to hear Simon and Laszlo talk about them. We drive to Varghis, the town near the gorge we are due to investigate next week, and stop at the town hall where me and Simon talk about busking whilst Laszlo attempts to have a meeting with the Mayor who is unavailable. We drive on and look at a Unitarian Church which was recently built by a famous Romanian architect as well as limestone kilns by the side of the road. We stop for lunch at St. Paul's lakes, an amazing haven for birds and frogs that bellow out their cheeks to make noises. I am astounded by Simon's ability to spot and identify birds and Laszlo shows us an ants nest with acidic ants in it. It really is a beautiful place and we see the following birds; Honey Buzzard, March Harrier, Stork, Heron, Osprey, Lapwing, Oyster Catcher, Stone Chat, Reed Warbler, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Yellow Wagtail, Red Start as well as hearing a Bittern and a Cuckoo.

On the way home we pass through Varghis again, which has a Stork's nest on every telegraph pole and even a grand one on the top of the church. We are also lucky enough to have the road blocked off by sheep being herded through town. After a trip to the supermarket for barbeque material (it's finally on!) we head home and begin the preparation. Me and Simon do a beer run and get hammered for tax on bottles (you are meant to return them for recycling, but we don't) and then we build a new barbeque pit as the existing fire pit has an ants nest in it. We get the fire started for 6pm accompanied by beer and The Slackers on Laszlo's speakers until Laszlo and Paul are the first guests to arrive. Laszlo has also invited Jozsef and Andrea, two of his friends from a partner organisation who are married and terrifically hippyish. They have also brought with them an amazing little black dog called Turpan ('dwarf' in Hungarian). Paul's girlfriend also arrives and we all chat and cook food whilst drinking homemade plum schnapps. Jozsef shows us how to tell the flavour of the schnapps by pouring some onto your wrist, letting it evaporate and then smelling what remains. After it gets dark we sit around a log fire and show Andrea's son how to toast marshmallows, which he gets way too excited about. I repeatedly chase the dog around the garden and Jozsef replies "the problem is when it becomes a reality" to a joke about a 'warm tip', which we're not really sure how to take. He also has an evil laugh apparently, which I do not remember. Anyway, after lots of revelry at our house Simon persuades me to go and see an Irish Hungarian folk-punk band at G-Point called Firkin. Me and Simon head down to the front to experience the band face-to-face despite everyone else sitting down and us merrily sloshing beer all over the place. Firkin play some Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphy covers which me and Simon love and sing along to with pumping fists nearly invading the stage in the process. Then we go home, bang on the girls' door shouting "Lasses!" for a while and singing Irish songs before delicately clambering into bed.