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.