Hens

Met up with D, A and B to visit M and J and their hens. Not only did the hens make new friends but we saw three elk in the next field and a deer. Wolf and Friga, the dogs, were also pleased to see us and we were also shown M's splendid recent pottery, much of which is still wet ware. Some cats and a rhino appeared out of the kiln too. So, all in all, a menagerie of a day. Thank you M and J for your hospitality!

Local election results for Poland were disappointing and some people are worried that things will slip back into the pockets of the populists. Locally results also not brilliant but at least in our council, A will be a councelor and so it should be OK. Sejny town looks a bit grim but there are a rew second stages for leaders, so we shouldn't give up all hope. Elsewhere it is probably worse and the county level result is worrying. This is eastern Poland and it's generally stuck in the dark ages.

Here, the infrastructure is somewhat excessive. For 20,000 people there are 5 local councils and a regional council. The local councils have very small wards with very low numbers of voters, so winning with 50 votes is quite normal. When I joke that there is more infrastructure than people, they sometimes tell me to shut up. It is sometimes even a source for family employment, which can easily impair transparency.