A Saturday Walk

We've been having an unusually warm and sunny March and April, with the exception of a few chillier and less bright days. For this weekend, rain and lower temperatures were forecast, and when I got up on Saturday morning, I was not at all sure that my Mum and I would be able to go on the walk we had planned.
By the time I'd finished cleaning the flat and getting my groceries shopping done, though, the sun was coming out and it looked like we'd stand a good chance of having our walk without getting wet.

So off we went, across the fields to the nearby town of Kornwestheim, where I so often get off the train one stop earlier on my way home from work in order to enjoy the rest of the trip on foot.

We went to the cemetery where my maternal grandparents' urns are in a columbarium. This month, my grandmother would have been 99 years old. We are not frequently visiting the cemetery and rather remember our dead family members in other ways than placing flowers or lighting candles, but we'd not been there in quite a while and so thought it a good idea to have a look and make sure everything was in order.

Chestnut trees are in full bloom now

On our way there, we stopped at a children's playground so that my Mum could have a little rest on a bench. There was not a single child in sight, and so I tried the swing. As a child, I absolutely loved swings, and in my memory, I have spent hours and hours on a particularly favourite one, very high, at the playground in the palace grounds. Of course it probably was never hours, but you know what it's like when you're a kid; your concept and perception of time is quite different to when you are grown up.

We arrived at the cemetery and found all our relatives' graves in order. I took this picture of the beautiful azalea and rhododendron shrubs, knowing full well that I have taken nearly the same picture last year (you can see it here), only that it was the end of May then - and the new picture is 5 weeks earlier, calendar-wise. Just goes to show what a difference this very mild winter and early warm spring makes.

Our next stop was the town park (Stadtgarten), which also features in the post I have linked to above. There, we sat on a bench near the fountain for a while; it was peaceful and quiet, with only few people about.

The pond is full of goldfish, and we watched this heron catching and swallowing some - I was too slow with the camera to show you that.

A loose feather was sticking up on the back of the heron. After he'd finished his snack, he walked off across the daisy-covered grass, and the feather moved downwards until it fell. Until we had worked out what it was we saw sticking up, I was a bit worried the heron might be hurt, but he behaved so unbothered that we just kept watching him until we were sure he was alright.

The upper part of the Stadtgarten is laid out in beautiful flower beds. This was our last stop before we went to have a cold drink at a café near the train station, where we later took the train home. It had turned out to be a very warm and sunny day, and I was dressed for chilly and possibly rainy weather, so the cold drink was very welcome.

Last night, finally, there were thunder and lightning, and the long awaited and sorely necessary rain arrived. Gardens and fields, parks and woods will look all the more beautiful for it.