Working and Walking

The headline pretty much sums up what last week was like for me.

On Monday, the 17th of April, I worked from home, and the evening was dedicated to the fortnightly meeting with my volunteer group. In between work and the meeting, I had a long-requested conversation with my downstairs neighbour.

Tuesday (April 18) was Quiz Night for my team at my local - "Towers", the Irish pub where I hang out quite a lot and where I celebrated my 50th birthday five years ago. One team member couldn't make it, but another asked his 20-year-old son plus girlfriend along - and they were, as we'd hoped, most helpful with the two questions about current songs (our musical expertise ends more or less with the 1980s) and actors and other celebrities. We walked home with the 3rd prize, two bottles of sparkling wine.

As on most Wednesdays now, I worked at the office on the 19th of April. The day was very unsettled weather-wise, but when I left work, I was pretty certain about it remaining dry for my way home. I therefore decided to get off the train in Zuffenhausen and walk the 10.35 km to my home, which took me 1 hour 50 minutes and was very pleasant.

There was even more walking in store for me on Thursday (April 20). I was scheduled to give two talks/trainings about the basics of data/privacy protection to the staff of the German Literature Archive, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. Walking from Marbach train station to the archive takes about 15-20 minutes. 

Both sessions were really good (it is a part of my job I enjoy every much), but I was more than ready to stop talking and listening for a while after that, and so the decision to walk home all the way from Marbach was easy to make.

It was sunny when I arrived in the morning. This is the view across the river towards Benningen, where I often walk to after work.

View towards Ludwigsburg with the rocket half way between the two towns - see further down for a close-up.

The modern and original Literature Museums are part of a complex of buildings housing the German Literature Archive, library and Schiller museum.

For the first half of that walk (13 km altogether), I had grey skies but no rain. Then a fine drizzle began and did not let up until I was home. Never mind - it still was much better to walk than to sit on a stuffy train.

You have seen the "rocket" many times from afar; here it is close up.

River Neckar from the foot bridge between Neckarweihingen and Hoheneck. It was raining by then.

A friend I had not met in a while had asked for a phone call that evening, and I rightly suspected something was wrong. Turns out my friend has a brain tumor. She is several years younger than I, has never smoked or drunk much alcohol in her life. One really wonders how cancer starts. Her doctors are optimistic about the outcome of radiation therapy which is to start soon; the tumor is not spreading but sits in a place that makes it inoperable.

After the call, I needed a good cry to sort my feelings out. It was last year in April when the series of deaths within my circle of friends and families started, and a lot of how I felt during those months came back. I hope I can be at least of some support for my friend, even if it is "just" a listening ear.

Friday, the 21st of April, was busy with a combination of work, housework and preparations for a workshop on Saturday moring (more about that later). The day was sunny and rather mild after a cold morning, and while O.K. was on his way to Ludwigsburg, we had a thunderstorm. 

Morning fog on Friday, as seen from my sister's

Friday evening after the thunderstorm, just before sunset, as seen from my kitchen.

White wine risotto with green asparagus and - surprise! - white wine (Riesling)

O.K. arrived around 20 past 9 pm, and we sat down for a meal of creamy risotto based on white wine and freshly steamed green asparagus on top, accompanied by the same wine (a dry Riesling) I had used for the risotto, and using the new Riesling glasses O.K.'s sister and brother-in-law had given me for my birthday. Dessert was salted caramel ice cream with a splash of Bailey's.

Saturday (April 22) was forecast to be the warmest day of this year so far, and temperatures did indeed reach well over 22 Celsius (71.6 F) in the afternoon, probably  24-25 C (mid-70s F) in sheltered sunny spots. As always, some people cast off nearly all their clothes with the first sun ray, and it was the same that weekend; I saw folks in shorts and sleeveless tops in town, making me wonder what they are going to wear in the summer.

Anyway. We had our workshop at the train station in the morning and then went for lunch with my Mum and my sister. After ice creams in town with my sister, we went our separate ways, O.K. and I taking a stroll in the palace grounds before going home for our evening meal.

We went for a good long walk on Sunday, the 23rd of April, but this will be the subject of another post.