Read in 2024 - 27: Yorkshire

Yorkshire - A Lyrical History of England's Greatest County

by Richard Morris

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that I love reading non-fiction, and actually find I need to counterbalance works of fiction with non-fiction, just like I balance my (admittedly too high) consumption of chocolate with healty food such as fresh fruit, salads and vegetables.

I bought this book in the summer during our holiday in Ripon. I can't remember whether I got it at our favourite "Little Ripon Bookshop" or at Fountains Abbey's National Trust shop, but I remember that the cover caught my eye instantly, and it being a paperback, I knew it was going to go in my suitcase without increasing its weight more than I could handle.

When I recently started reading it, I was at first a little disappointed. I found it somewhat hardgoing, with a lot of apparent jumping between topics and no detectable thread. But I persisted, mainly because I really liked the choice of words and style of writing, and after a while, the thread I was missing at first began to emerge.

I started to grasp the set-up of the book and the author's intention, and the more I read, the more I liked it.

Several times on my blog I have mentioned how silly and unnecessary I find the many blurbs and snippets of reviews nowadays printed on book covers, back and front, and inside. This time, though, there are some that I want to partly repeat, because they echo my overall impression: "A quirky, personal history of the Ridings..." and "Reading the book is like watching the author sift through layers of time: whatever will he turn up next?", and last but not least "A restless, poetic, strange book".

According to the book itself, Richard Morris is "emeritus professor of archaelogy at the University of Huddersfield" and started to work on excavations in 1971, under York Minster. He lives in Yorkshire and has not only written several books but also composed music. His other books include "Churches in the Landscape" and "The Church in British Archaeology" as well as a biography of Leonard Cheshire.

The book contains numerous footnotes, photographs, maps and other illustrations. It is not strictly a book of reference, but can be used as such, while it can be just as well enjoyed as a front to back read, like I did. Probably not of much interest to readers with no relation to Yorkshire, but would certainly make a good gift for anyone who does have an interest in the county, its past and present.

An Up and Down Week

...weather-wise! We've seen the first snow flakes and for the first time this season had temperatures just below freezing point, but by the end of the week, an incredible 18C/64F made for a spring-like Sunday (apart from the autumn leaves and lack of birdsong, of course).

Monday (18 November) saw me on the usual trains from Offenburg to Ludwigsburg. It rained in the afternoon, and so I did not go for a walk after (or in between) work that day.

It was a little milder on Tuesday (19 November) than the days before, but windy to the point of stormy. I was working from home and managed to put in a brief (really brief - only about 30 minutes) walk before sunset.

As usual, Wednesday (20 November) was spent working at the office. The morning and evening were rather cold at 2C/35F, matching the season. It was sunny, though, and I got on with my tasks very well. When after lunch nearly everyone in my department said they were going to work from home for the rest of the afternoon, I followed suit.

However, once I'd arrived in Ludwigsburg, I didn't go straight home. Instead, I walked to Benningen, which was really enjoyable in the golden late autumn afternoon light. I spotted a heron and other birds, and was just generally happy to have had (and taken!) this opportunity.

After a brief stop at home, I walked to my Mum, where the three of us (Mum, sister and myself) had our dinner together. 

The first dusting of white of this season appeared on the roofs visible from my kitchen window on the morning of Thursday (21 November). It didn't last (and I have no photo to prove it), but the same temperature as the day before meant that my friend and I wrapped up well for our morning walk.

After work, I went into town for a few errands, some having to do with Christmas, plus getting my Mum's prescriptions for her. I posted my first two Christmas cards of this year, both to blogging friends in the US, hoping they'll get there in time and not mid-January!

Friday morning from my kitchen window; what little white there had been on the roofs the day before was gone.

Unlike other Fridays, on Friday (22 November) I did not do my full weekly cleaning after work. Instead, I packed my little red suitcase and was off to the train station several hours before my usual time. 

The reason was a 50th birthday O.K. and I were to attend, the celebration starting at 6:00 pm (normally, I don't arrive in Offenburg until 8:30 pm), which meant I had to plan for arrival at the station by about 5:00 pm. We could not be late to the party, as O.K. and most of the village band were playing in honour of their fellow musician's birthday.

By mid-morning, I found out that the middle one of the three trains I needed was cancelled. Re-planning was in order, and I ended up leaving even an hour earlier than I had intended - hence no cleaning apart from hoovering (and I had done the bathroom already in the morning).

At Stuttgart main station, a blind man got off the same train as I. The announcement for which side to get off the train was wrong, and of course he was unaware of that, as he could not see that we were pulling up at a different platform. I alerted him to the change, and he thanked me.

Once we were on the platform, he asked me whether I could see anyone from Bahnhofsmission (a volunteer organisation helping anyone who is in need of assistance at the station), since he had telephoned them in the morning to request help with his change of trains. There was nobody there, though, and I walked up and down the length of the platform, making sure we had not missed them.

The blind man very politely asked me whether I had a mobile phone and could ring the organisation; he knew their number by heart. After two phone calls, finally someone turned up, thanking me for having waited with the blind man. The blind man himself shook hands with me, said "thank you" and "you are an angel!" before we parted ways.

Fortunately, I'd had half an hour to wait anyway, what with the change of plans and the cancelled train. Otherwise, I guess I would have only made the phone call and told the volunteer where to find the man. Still, I was glad I could wait with him; during that time, he told me where he was headed and that he was doing a computer course to brush up on skills he'd learned 10 years ago, for an internship with the council of another city.

Finally, the alternative train I had chosen arrived. We were packed like a tin of sardines, and the hour I spent on it was not very pleasant. In Karlsruhe, I had another 20 minutes to wait, but finally the last leg of the journey was done, and O.K. picked me up at the station in Offenburg.

Christmas tree at Karlsruhe main station

We both put on additional layers of clothing and then walked to the birthday do. The brass band played a few pieces while the other guests were listening and clinking glasses with the birthday boy. Food and mulled wine was offered outside, a bit like a mini Christmas market, then to be taken inside the large garage, very clean and nicely decorated for the occasion, with tables and benches; a woodburning stove was in one corner, making for a good, warm party room.

The village band performing for the 50th birthday of one of their members.

Inside the garage/workshop, everything was as usual... not quite!
Where they keep small parts (Kleinteile) such as nails, screws, washers etc., the lowest shelf contained sweets and choccies - a hit not only with the youngest guests :-)

We enjoyed the food, drinks and conversations with other guests as well as with our host and his family and were back at the cottage a little before 1:00 am.

On Saturday (23 November), we did a few small jobs in and around the cottage and ran an errand for O.K.'s Mum. At about 2:30 pm, O.K. drove us to Ludwigsburg, where we arrived 1 1/2 hours later. 

At 6:00 pm, my Mum and my sister arrived for dinner as per my invitation. I cooked spaghetti with fennel, onions and bell peppers in a creamy white wine sauce, adding diced bacon for those who wanted it, and freshly cut chive from the pot on my windowsill sprinkled on top. With the meal, we drank the same white wine I had used for the sauce.

It was a nice evening and probably the last time O.K. was here until after Christmas, which was one reason for us to invite my Mum and my sister; he'll be busy for all of the coming weekends, mostly to do with the village band, such as preparing for the annual concert just before Christmas.

We had a leisurely breakfast on Sunday (24 November), the day being sunny and with a spring-like high of 18C/64F - and that only two days after I had been on a train through snow-covered fields between Karlsruhe and Offenburg, and the night of the birthday party had been just below freezing!

Of course we did not stay indoors on a day like that, but walked to Asperg and on the top of the hill overlooking the small town, visiting Castle Hohenasperg ("high Asperg"). Many people were out and about, enjoying the unseasonally warm and sunny day.

On our way back, we stopped for coffee and cake (not a very good cake, I'm afraid) at a café. Back home, we rested for a bit before I prepared our evening meal. O.K. left just after 7:30 pm, and although the motorways were very busy, he was never stuck and arrived at his cottage before 9:00 pm.

A Week of Going Out

Last week, I was out and about four out of five nights. It was a bit much, but it was all good - and of course I could have said "no", but didn't want to. This week will be quieter - at least after work! ;-D

Monday (11 November) was grey and cold with rain in the evening. I could not have gone for a walk anyway, since I was in an online meeting all afternoon from 2:00 to 6:00 pm, and it is now pitch black dark here at that time.

I was lucky, though, to get an early appointment for a back & shoulders massage at the day spa round the corner from my house, and with my favourite therapist, too.

The round of nights out started on Tuesday (12 November) with my team and I playing our last pub quiz for this year. My town's Christmas Market starts on Nov. 26, and since the pub is tucked in one corner of the market square, it is a popular place for folks to retreat to after the market finishes at 9:00 pm each night, both stall holders and visitors alike. All through the Advent, Christmas and New Year's period, no pub quizzes are held there, but we'll definitely be back in January. 

With one of my team members currently travelling the world on a sabbatical (and he really knows a lot!), the rest of us did as best as we could. We had the third highest number of points, but because two teams had the second highest number, they had to answer a tie question for 2nd and 3rd place, and we left without a prize. No problem; we'd had a fun night with friends, which was just what the doctor had ordered after the anxious days following the US presidential election and the crashing of the German government.

The day had been off to a good start, too, when I met my friend for a morning walk before work.

Wednesday (13 November) was cold in the morning at 2C; that's just a little above freezing point. I worked at the office all day and then got off the train from Weilimdorf and walked into town centre for an event where I was meeting my Mum. 

Every year, a volunteer organisation dedicated to telling the life stories of ordinary people living in our town present four such individual stories. Usually, the people behind those stories attend the event, too, and each story is introduced with a piece of music chosen by them. The stories sometimes tell of hardships beyond my grasp; sometimes they have funny moments, but are always touching - and I believe there is no such thing as an "ordinary" life. Everyone has a story! 

This time, one lady whose story was read wasn't there. She died recently after having lived with a donated heart for 29 years after the operation, and her story dealt mostly with how she coped with the time leading up to it and the aftermath.

I was back at the office on Thursday (14 November), among other things giving a short lecture in data protection basics to a group of employees who have recently joined the company.

After work, I met my sister at the local train station half way to our destination for that evening: Wilhelma, Stuttgart's large and beautiful zoo. (I know - zoos are something most people, including me, have mixed feelings about.)

This time, we didn't come for the animals, but for the lights. For some years now, every year from mid-November onwards, the zoo's extensive parkland is turned into a "Christmas Garden". We'd never been before, but got free tickets from a friend who works there with the animals. 

It was Opening Night, access for employees and their friends and families only  making for an amazingly large number of visitors.

We followed the signposted trail in order not to miss anything. My photos can only give a superficial impression of how beautiful it really was. Clicking here will take you to the official website (in English) with more photos, including an areal view which of course I could not provide myself.

Is anyone else reminded of „Momo“?

 A life-size elephant made of lights

The enchanted forest was my favourite part.

I arrived home just as the bells of the nearby church struck 9:00 pm.

On Friday (15 November), for a change I did not board a train to Offenburg. Instead, after work (which finished unusually late for me for a Friday afternoon), I had only a bit of time that I used for a rest - the three nights in a row that I'd been out after a full day of work were catching up with me.

But I soon recovered, and took a train to Asperg, where I walked to a friend's house. She had alerted me to a dance party we'd visited together in the past (pre-pandemic years), where only music from the 1980s and 90s is played. I was a teenager in the 1980s, and so the music from that time is the soundtrack of my youth.

We had a fun evening, dancing whenever the music was to our liking (it wasn't always, of course), having a drink or three and chatting when we weren't on the dance floor. By 11:00 pm, we both had enough - something that would have been unthinkable in our teenage years, when our weekend clubbing rounds more often than not didn't start until that time and lasted well into the small hours.

Anyway, I had to decide between waiting for 20 minutes at the train station in dubious company or walk home, and you can guess what I did :-) (It's only 5 km and took me about 50 minutes to arrive home.) The full moon was beautiful, and it wasn't as cold as I had feared, and of course I was walking swiftly.

It was nice to sleep in on Saturday (16 November). My weekly cleaning and washing was next, before I finally walked to the station and started the journey to Offenburg. Believe it or not, the last of my three trains arrived two minutes early!!

O.K. met me at the station, and we decided to have a meal in town instead of heading straight home to the village. The first restaurant was packed and had no space for the two of us. The second was shut, but the third was welcoming, and so we settled for that one.

On Sunday (17 November), for the first time this year we met for breakfast in town with a group of friends we used to see more often, but we all know how these things go and before you know it, another year has gone without managing an appointment when everyone can make it.

It was really nice to see them again, and our sumptuous breakfast was good, too.

O.K. and I went for a walk afterwards and still had enough time back at the cottage for a little rest before he had to don his village band uniform. They were playing at a remembrance ceremony held every year on account of everyone who has died in the village. I opted to stay home, and once O.K. returned, we popped over to his Mum for a brief catching up. 

We had our customary evening meal of bread, cheese and salad and then concluded the evening watching a documentary about the Black Forest - a subject close to our hearts.

First Full Week in November

Last week was very November-ish with cold temperatures, cloudy skies and fog, but we saw some sun during the week, and Saturday was glorious.

My journey home from Offenburg on Monday (4 November) was uneventful. I spent the day working from home, interrupting at lunch time for a 25-minute back and shoulder massage at the nearby day spa. 

After work, my sister and I met at our Mum's for a delicious traditional Swabian soup, just the kind of comfort food one wants on a dark, cold November evening. There were a few little jobs to do, such as putting summer dresses up into the attic space and bringing down winter coats and knit dresses.

Tuesday (5 November) was the 15th anniversary of my husband's death. Of course I still think of him often and wonder what he would have said to current events - the US presidential election, and then on the same day the crash of our government here in Germany. Strange times, like something out of a film script.

The morning was cold at 3C/37F and foggy, but once the fog lifted, the sun came out, enticing me to take a good chunk of the afternoon out from my work day (I had no meetings lined up, luckily) and walk to Benningen. 

Sunset over the fields between Freiberg and Benningen

Back home after dark, I put in another couple of hours of work, finishing at 7:30 pm when my tummy told me it was definitely time to get something to eat.

On both Wednesday and Thursday (6 and 7 November) I worked all day at the office with no chance for a walk. On Thursday, I popped in at my Mum's, bringing her a little something I had spotted while shopping for groceries: My Mum's favourite brand of chocolates, only available in the colder half of the year. It had just arrived back on the shelves, and so I got a box for her.

Friday (November 8) was grey and cold enough for me not to mind too much that once again I didn't have time for a walk. After work, I got everything ready for the weekend, and O.K. arrived at around 20 to 9:00 pm. 

I had prepared Shakshouka, another dish I enjoy particularly on a cold dark evening, and I must say the Merlot went with it very nicely.

The sunny Saturday (November 9) saw us browsing the shops (and finding most of the Christmas presents I want to give this year) before we stopped for a snack on the market square, where the farmers' market was just packing up. Across the road to the palace grounds was next, where we caught the last of the afternoon sunshine, before leisurely making our way back home.

No trick - the sky really WAS this incredible sapphire blue that afternoon!

A (kind of) shepherd's pie seemed to be a good choice for food that evening:

The weather reverted to grey, cold, wet and foggy on Sunday (November 10), but we still went out for a walk in the afternoon, at least for about an hour.

Later, we met up with my sister and walked into town with her. My Mum had given us tickets for a guitar concert at Ludwigsburg's Friedenskirche ("Church of Peace"), which I have shown you on my blog before, for instance here.

The guitarist (his name is Volker Luft - it really was just the one man with his acoustic guitar) has been an acquaintance of my Mum's for many years. Originally, my Mum wanted him to play at her 80th birthday in August, but he was away at the time. Now we sat back and enjoyed his music for about 1 1/2 hours. Every piece was introduced with a poem and a short explanation by the guitarist. Some were his own compositions, but there were also some well-known pieces I remember having once learned to play on the piano or the guitar myself. The concert was called "Saitenpoesie", roughly translating into "poetry on strings".

Volker Luft's website is here. It is all in German, but if you scroll down a little, you will find two videos and a link to more videos - you won't need to understand German for them.

The concert was beautiful, but I must admit no matter how warmly we were all dressed, we felt cold after sitting still for such a long time in the large unheated church. Therefore, we didn't hang around for long after the end of the concert. 

My Mum went on with her friends to a restaurant where they had booked a table, while O.K., my sister and I walked across town centre, briefly stopping at the square where Ludwigsburg's synagogue once stood. In remembrance of the terrible events of the Reichskristallnacht (please look it up if you don't know the term) and the horror that followed, and the impact it all still has today, a gathering was taking place there, with speeches and music. We listened for a bit, but we really were cold through and through (and getting hungry as well), and so we moved on.

Not many restaurants and other places to eat are open in my town on a Sunday evening, but you can always count on "my" Irish Pub - and that's where we ended up, having our meals and drinks before walking home.

I was quite glad to change into cosy home wear, but O.K. had to pack and face the long drive home. All went well, though, and he arrived at his cottage 1 1/2 hours after he'd left my place.