Colourful Week

Last week was full of autumn colours, in spite of it not being always sunny. I enjoyed several walks, which was all the more important because I had two full days of a conference where all I did was sit, listen, and eat. Some really beautiful sunrises and sunsets were true highlights, as well as another "super moon" (I have lost count of how many we've had this year).

Monday (14 October) was off to a rainy start, but the sun came out later. I knew that I wasn't going to get a chance for a walk until the weekend and therefore made sure to get out for my standard walk to Benningen immediately after work. It's the season where the nights are drawing in considerably, and I need to keep track of the much earlier sunset when I plan a longer walk - not much fun stumbling around on muddy, unlit fields after dark.

Pictures are in reverse order from the finish to the start of my walk:

At one time I even spotted part of a rainbow!

You know the orange padded vest I often wear on walks and hikes? It had to be discarded; there were holes in it, the zipper was broken and it had become too shabby. This blue one is its replacement.

For a change, I worked at the office not on Wednesday but on Tuesday (15 October). It was a productive day, but even better was the evening: My (much reduced) team and I met for the pub quiz at "my" Irish pub. Instead of five, we were down to three - a little disappointing, but it couldn't be helped and happened at such short notice that it was useless trying to find anyone else to join us.

And even though there were only three of us and many other teams were much bigger (giving them better chances at knowing the right answers), we came second!

We'll be playing one more quiz this year before the Christmas Market starts and the landlord suspends the quiz until mid-January.

On Wednesday (16 October) morning, I took two local trains and made it to a conference hotel near Stuttgart Airport in time for the 9 o'clock start.

I like such events, not only on a professional level, but also because some of the people I usually meet there have become friends over the 12 years I have been in this line of work. One of them retired two years ago but still comes to some of the bigger events just so that we can meet, catch up and reminisce.

The talks and discussions ended at 5:30 pm, and at 6:30, we all walked over to a second hotel next door for a festive dinner. The food was really nice, but I was also really tired and left at 9:00 pm when I knew I was going to catch a good connection. I arrived home almost precisely at 10:00 pm.

The conference continued on Thursday (17 October). It was sunny and very warm for mid-October - 21C/70F! 

After so many hours indoors under very bright artificial lights I was developing a kind of headache that started behind and above my right eye, making it really hard to even look at the stage where the talks and discussions were taking place. Officially, the program ended at 5:30 pm, but I simply couldn't take any more of the overly bright lights and left at 3:00 pm. (At lunch time, I did ask the technicians if it was possible to dim the lights for the audience; there were large windows letting in enough light for everyone to take notes anyway. But apparently, it was not possible, and so I had no choice but to leave.)

At home, I rested for a while with my eyes closed until I felt better. It is not usually my habit to skip parts of an event, and even less so when it is important and work-related, but my eyes were really giving me trouble.

The moon as seen from my kitchen window on Thursday night

Outside the conference center during lunch break

On my way to the station on Thursday morning

I was perfectly alright again by Friday (18 October) and left bright and early for an 8:30 appointment in Weilimdorf: The annual flu jab, offered by my employer. It was over in a few minutes, and I had no side effects whatsoever - not even a sore arm.

Because everything had gone so smoothly and I had more time than expected, I got off the train in Kornwestheim and walked the rest.

The side of the drive leading up to my house.

Between Kornwestheim and Ludwigsburg.

Back home, I worked until mid-afternoon and then started my usual cleaning round. It was then time to pack my little red suitcase and walk to the station for the second time that day.

My trains were more or less on time, with me arriving in Offenburg only 5 minutes delayed - hardly worth mentioning. O.K. and I enjoyed the evening over our customary meal of salad with cheese, bread and wine - we had not seen each other for two weeks, and so had been really looking forward to this.

O.K. spent much of Saturday (19 October) doing gardening and cleaning up jobs around his Mum's house. He works best when I am not under his feet all the time, and so I stuck to the cottage and did a few jobs there.
It was a mild day, and by mid-to-late afternoon we were ready for a walk. By early evening, the sun came out and made for wonderful mellow golden light and a beautiful sunset.

Sorry - the pictures have loaded in reverse order, and I find it bothersome to shift them around:

See the heavy grey lid of clouds? This was what it had been like all day.

Sunday (20 October) was the village's patron saint's day, St. Gallus. I have talked about that special day a few times on my blog before, for instance here. It is one of my favourite festivities in the village throughout the year, mainly because it is small, cosy and not at all elaborate, and it does not require a huge effort.

The sky remained grey, but it was dry, and the square between the church and the vicarage was full of people, chatting, having snacks and drinks and listening to the village band.

Pictures are in reverse order again, from the square full of people to the half hour before, while preparations were under way:

We were back at the cottage well before 1:00 pm. O.K. changed out of his uniform and we crossed the street to his Mum's who had invited us for a family meal. We enjoyed her delicious home-cooked food and the company of family. A brief walk for all of us followed, with coffee and raspberry cream cake next.

Exactly an hour until sunset O.K. and I went for another walk to take in the evening sky. It was a fun round during which we met a group of five or six cats of various ages, sizes, colours and shapes - the youngest was probably less than half a year old and typically playful.

A quiet evening wrapped up this beautiful October week for us.

Read in 2024 - 24: Die Abenteuer des Alexander von Humboldt

Die Abenteuer des Alexander von Humboldt

Graphic Novel by Andrea Wulf / illustrated by Lillian Melcher

A while ago, my sister lent me her copy of Andrea Wulf's biography of Alexander von Humboldt. Clicking here will take you to my review of that great book.

Recently, she found out that there is a graphic novel about Humboldt's adventures, written by the same author and illustrated by Lillian Melcher.

She ordered it and lent me the book when I was housebound last week because of a cold. Her clever reasoning was that, if I had something to really capture my attention, I would take more time off work and get more rest, which in turn would help me getting well soon.

Of course she was right (mothers and big sisters often are), and I thoroughly enjoyed the book, not only because I'd read the biography relatively recently.

As a kid, I loved comics. Well, I loved ALL books, really, and still do. I simply loved reading, and comics were for reading AND looking at pictures. Graphic novels are like that, too, although I understand they intend to be a bit more than a comic.

In this case, just holding the book in your hands will appeal to the true bibliophile - it is big and relatively heavy, beautifully made with cover shimmering with brass and copper, and a dark green ribbon serving as a book sign. Most pages look like collages, and the author explains that they used facsimiles of Humboldt's diaries and letters as well as photos of the plants and other things he and his companions collected during their expeditions.

Here is an example of a double page:

The book focuses on Humboldt's South American adventures, touching his visit to the (very young) United States of America only briefly, and mentioning his other travels and work more or less to add context to what is described in more detail.

It is a book I can recommend to anyone, no matter whether they are interested in Natural Science or not. It makes great reading but is not too "heavy".

Once again, a big Thank You to my sister for lending me her copy (and therefore contributing to my health)!

Sick Week

All of last week, I was down with a cold, coughing lots and generally feeling sorry for myself. But I worked several hours every day (exclusively from home, of course), taking long and frequent breaks in between tasks and meetings, and feeling much better now - at 80 %, I'd say.

My first day back at work after our fortnight off was Monday (October 7). I was surprised to find I only had to deal with a total of 144 emails (as opposed to 288 after my July/August holiday) - until I learned from my colleagues that people were sick with colds and flu and Covid left, right and centre.

Sunrise last Monday, as seen from my kitchen

On Tuesday (October 8), my sister paid me a surprise visit, bringing me a beautiful bunch of sunflowers, fruit, cough syrup and a medical herbal tea. She didn't stay long as my boss kept trying to reach me on the phone, and eventually, I gave in.

More or less the same time on Tuesday morning.

I was getting stir-crazy by Wednesday (October 9) and went for a walk the first time since returning from the holiday. It wasn't strenuous, and I walked slowly, making it about 1 hour 15 minutes when that circuit would normally take me more or less exactly one hour. It felt good but I knew I was nowhere near "well" yet.

A bit of autumn mood in my kitchen on Wednesday, with the sunflowers from my sister.

On Thursday (October 10), my Mum and my sister came for lunch. My Mum had cooked a pot of delicious vegetable soup, and the three of us shared that. Afterwards, I rested for a bit and never went back to work that day. Instead, I went on a short walk around the neighbourd; after half an hour, I had enough (that alone tells you that I wasn't well yet).

Friday (October 11) was easier in that I did not have any appointments but could work very much at my own pace, which I did for a few hours. I then did the basic cleaning (no "extras" such as cleaning the windows, which is really, really necessary) and had a well-deserved rest afterwards.

The mild, sunny afternoon made me long for a walk, and I made it down to the lake and back, feeling alright throughout (still walking not quite at my usual pace).

It was the 2nd anniversary of my Dad's death on Saturday (October 12). After a quiet, leisurely morning, my Mum, my sister and I went to the cemetery in the early afternoon. Back at my Mum's, we had coffee and delicious home-made cake together before my sister and I went home. I was still coughing a lot but slowly feeling my energy return.

On Sunday (October 13) I slept in and spent the morning blogging, playing my favourite computer game and reading. 

Some time after lunch, I walked to the suburb of Pflugfelden where my Mum was having a stall at an indoors jumble sale. I sat with her for a while but like many other sellers, we decided to pack up about an hour before the official end - there simply wasn't enough footfall, and those who came, were more interested in plastic toys and clothes for babies and toddlers than in my Mum's hand-knitted and crocheted items. It was the least successful sale she's ever had, but it was a new venue for her, and next year she knows she won't need to participate.

My Mum's friend R picked her up and drove her home, and I went for a walk across the sunlit fields. 

It was windy, but mild, and a perfect "Golden October" afternoon. I spotted families flying kites, and there were a few cyclists, dog walkers and other people about, but not too many. At one time, five or six buzzards were circling above, and a young lady on a light brown horse was galopping past. There was almost a picture book quality to it, and I was grateful for feeling good enough to have undertaken that walk, arriving back home much refreshed.

Read in 2024 - 22: Agatha Raisin Dead on Target

For my review of the previous book I have read in this series, click here.

Agatha Raisin - Dead on Target

by M.C. Beaton with R.W. Green

You may or may not remember that my Mum and I love the Agatha Raisin books. We also enjoy the TV series, but because it differs greatly from the books, we have come to regard that as something separate. Still, now that we know the series, it is sometimes hard to switch off the mental images from TV when reading the books, and the two simply don't match.

Anyway, "Dead on Target" is one of four paperbacks I took home with me from Ripon this summer. My Mum read it first, and without telling me too much, she said she was sure I was going to like it. And I did.

This time, Agatha delves into the world of archery. Her highly competitive streak ensures that she learns a lot about this sport in an amazingly short time. But she can't help it - after all, it was she who found the local landowner dying in the woods with an arrow in his chest when all she wanted was a fun day at a village fête.

As usual, her investigation is hindered on all sides, last but not least by the victim's family. But of course she gets help from her loyal friends, and in the end does not only solve the murder but also sees an infamous head of organised crime behind bars.

Like with the previous book, written actually not "with" but "by" R.W. Green, the dialogue is sometimes laugh-out-loud witty, and characters remain true to the form the late Marion Chesney gave them.

The book manages to mix the traditional look and feel of a "Cosy Mystery" set in an English village with modern-day issues. The only criticism I have is that the endless bickering between Agatha and DCI Wilkes was getting a bit much, and was sometimes downright childish.

There is no doubt I am going to look for more when I'm in Ripon next year!

Read in 2024: # 21, 23

Is my Read # 22 missing? No, but it's worthy of its own post and therefore, this one will cover two "lesser" reviews.

# 21 The Girl from Silent Lake

by Leslie Wolfe

You guessed it - here was another free 1st book in a series, meant to get readers interested in buying the following volumes. And as nearly always, in my case it didn't work as intended. I found the 1st story gripping and written well enough, but not quite enough to make me want to continue with the series.

Kay Sharp is a highly qualified profiler with the FBI - one of their best. And yet, when her brother back home, the only living family she still has, is in trouble, she gives up everything and travels back to the small woodland community where she grew up.

Very quickly, she gets involved with the case of a missing young mother and her little girl, apparently vanished into thin air straight from their car in the vicinity of Silent Lake, a popular destination for lovers of nature and an area Kay is familiar with from her youth.

As if that weren't enough to keep her on her toes, there is the trouble with her brother, and a secret buried in their childhood threatens to come to light. Add the recently relocated Sherrif to the mix (no need for me to tell you that he and Kay have instant chemistry but are of course in denial) and Kay's old home town not having changed for the better, and you have a multi-strand story that is indeed rather gripping.

Sometimes, there is a change of perspective from one chapter to the next, but Kay is the main character. And as is nearly always the case in such stories, in the course of solving the mystery (and hopefully getting her own life back on track), she encurs mortal danger herself - something the authors of similar books could actually do without. Why bother when the reader knows from the start that it is the 1st book in a series built around that very same character? It does take away some of the tension, but is rather unnecessary when put in the context of a series.

I wasn't a fan of Kay Sharp or anyone else in the story, but still found the read good company on many train trips. You can find out a lot about the author and her work by clicking here (the link leads to her official website) or here (wikipedia).

# 23: A Death at Seascape House

by Emma Jameson

Two things made this book (yet another 1st in a series) a bit more interesting for me than many others: It is set on the Scilly Islands, a place I know very little about, and the main character is a Librarian.

Again, we found the well tested approach that someone returns to the place of their childhood and youth, where some dark secret or other still lurks.

In Jemima Jago's case, it is the accidental death of a friend of hers when they were 13 years old, reckless teenagers who didn't know better.

She has not returned to get involved in anything more mysterious than the contents of the library of one of the oldest families on the islands (which is mysterious enough in itself), but of course it doesn't take long before she is thrown in at the deep end - it is her who discovers the body of a known and much-hated busybody, making her as much of a suspect as a number of other people who had reason to want the person dead. 

Therefore, not only does Jemima want to find out what really happened for her own sake, it is also vital to her professional future and to restore peace in the small community where people start to suspect each other, especially when a second body is found.

Do I need to mention that the investigating detective is as new to the island as he is attractive and witty? Or that Jemima keeps bumping into people who used to be her friends (including her first boyfriend) but have changed after so many years?

It all adds to the mix and makes for a good read, and I must admit I did not foresee how it was all going to end (except for one part).

This author has her own website, too; you can visit it here.

First October Week

For us, the start of October meant the end of our holidays. After our last hike on the last day of September (see my previous post), we left Naturns after breakfast on Tuesday, the 1st of October.

View from our balcony at 10 to 8 that morning.

It was raining as we left, but over the six hours of our journey, we saw all sorts of weather, and quite a bit of snow - I now wish we'd stopped for photos during the part that lead us across the Swiss Alps, namely Ofenpass (Fuorn Pass, see pictures and information here on wikipedia) and Flüelapass (click here for the wikipedia article).

The drive went so smoothly that we never really stopped for more than a toilet break, and were at O.K.'s at around 3:30 in the afternoon, just in time for coffee and the croissants we had picked up at the village bakery.

After unpacking and loading the washing machine, we went across the road to see his Mum. It had been a long day and we were both reasonably tired early-ish.

There was rain on Wednesday (2 October), but it let up long enough in the afternoon for a walk of a bit over an hour around the village. Otherwise, the day was filled with jobs in and around the house, and O.K. did some groceries shopping for his Mum and for ourselves.

Thursday (3 October) was a public holiday in Germany. The day serves to commemorate the reunion of East and West Germany, now 34 years ago.

It is also usually the day when the village band play at a trade show in Offenburg, and I come along for the day with other family and friends of band members. 

Getting ready

The village band at work

While they played, I roamed the halls but was quite underwhelmed, really. There was just such a lot of low-quality clothing, ugly deco, dubious health and cosmetic products on offer that I really wondered how the sellers of such goods make a living. If you were a houseowner, farmer or owner of a vineyard, you could find many useful services, machinery and tools, but I am neither. And so I was quite relieved when the band finished and we could go and find something to eat - there was plenty on offer, it was just a question of deciding where to go.

We were home for a while after that, enough time for O.K. to change out of his uniform and me into something a little more elegant for the rest of the afternoon and evening - we were invited to a family birthday with excellent food, nice drinks and good conversation.

O.K. drove us to Ludwigsburg on Friday (4 October); we arrived at my place after more than 2 hours on the roads, which were very busy. I had woken up feeling less than brilliant; the first symptoms of a cold I had noticed the day before had become worse, but thankfully, I was still well enough to unpack, load my washing machine, and get my shopping done (with O.K.'s help) for the weekend.

Originally, we had intended to see my Mum and my sister that afternoon or evening, maybe for a takeaway meal from the Indian restaurant round the corner, but it was not feasible. We still ordered Indian, which was alright but not as good as we'd anticipated, and I went to bed early.

On Saturday (5 October), O.K. went to the pharmacy for me and we had breakfast together, but he left soon afterwards; he needed to get ready for the working week, and I needed to nurse my cold which was by now in full swing.

I was still hoping that a day of complete rest on Sunday (6 October) would do the trick and set me back on track for the return to work the next day, but it wasn't so. 

We spoke several times on the phone, but I didn't do any of the many things I had wanted to do - it was a very different ending to our holiday, and I felt rather sorry for myself. Still, the holiday had been beautiful, and we had created another set of great memories together.

View from my kitchen window on Sunday afternoon. Not even this glorious sunshine could induce me to go for a walk - a sure sign that I am not well.

Monday Mountains

Monday (30.09.2024) was our last day in Naturns - we'd be driving home the next day after breakfast.

View from our balcony last Monday.

The weather looked a bit unsettled, and it wasn't clear on which side of the valley one would have the best chance at catching a bit of sun - turned out we chose the "wrong" side, but I didn't really mind. We still had a great hike up and down the mountains, through very varied terrain and with wonderful views across the valley and the city of Meran.

As before, we started by bus, getting off at the valley station of the Texelbahn on the outskirts of Partschins/Parcines. The Texelbahn is another one of the funiculars dotted around the area, and it allowed us to cover a difference in height of over 900 m within minutes.

Too early for us to stop, but I liked the name!

From the top station, we walked past Giggelberg to Nasereit and then on to the Tablander Alm, one of the summer farms that offer hospitality as well.

The paths were extremely rocky in parts and not always easy to manage, but I fared better with the uphill bits than I had feared, and enjoyed the mysterious dark green woods and big moss-covered boulders and rocks very much.

We often stopped for the views (allowing me to catch my breath at the same time), and most of those pictures are O.K.'s; I didn't take all that many.

Nasereit. The flag of South Tyrol usually indicates that a place is open for business.

This little block house tucked away from the main path belongs to the Anglers' Association.

At the Tablander Alm, a warm welcome by a friendly host awaited us, and we did not only order our customary shandy, but also had a bowl of soup each.

Tablander Alm. The stork sign near the door indicates that the family have a new baby.

We then tackled the descent - without using the funicular, meaning we covered over 1,000 m of height difference hiking downhill on foot. It was challenging in parts, but we made it, and our knees were hardly protesting. It probably helped that we'd already been hiking up and down the mountains for over a week!

Tabland, a small settlement outside Partschins

There, we spotted the largest parasol mushrooms I have ever seen - my pack of tissues is for size comparison.

Typical mountain farm house for this area.

And guess what - the sun appeared just as we were nearing the end of our hike!

The hike was about 13.5 km long, not all that much in terms of length, but the terrain required good sturdy hiking boots and the leg power to match.

After a relatively short wait, the bus took us back to Naturns. As it was already 6:00 pm by the time we arrived at the hotel, there was no coffee and cake for us today, but we had ample time to shower and change for our last dinner here.