Last October Week

Last week brought out more of the classic "Golden October" weather. Nights and mornings were cold to match the season. I was less busy than the previous two weeks and glad for the respite before another flurry of activities starts this week.

Monday to Thursday saw me looking after my neighbours' pets, which means me going to their place (in direct line of view from my kitchen, but on foot having to walk around the corner and into the next street) twice a day to fill their dishes, clean the rabbit hutch and - if he's around - play/snuggle with Neo the cat.

Monday (26 October) was a hassle-free day of working from home until I left early enough to walk to Benningen, getting there around sunset and taking the train home to Ludwigsburg. It was dark by the time I reached first my neighbours' house and then mine.

Moonrise from my kitchen that evening

Another golden day followed on Tuesday (27 October). Because with all the conferences I had accumulated some extra work hours, I took a couple of them off that afternoon and walked to the palace by the lake.

Reflections for Monica!

A bit more work followed before I met an old friend at 6:00 pm near the station for a meal at the American Diner on the other side of the road. It was nice to catch up but a little worrying that neither of us could remember exactly when we'd last met - a year ago? Two? More? Time goes by so quickly I sometimes get the years mixed up.

When I popped in to check on the rabbits and the cat afterwards, Neo was home and very insistent that he snooze on my lap for a while.

I worked at the office in Weilimdorf on Wednesday (28 October) and, as is frustratingly often the case, the trip there took almost an hour instead of the scheduled 17 minutes. The trip back was a little smoother, and I arrived at my Mum's a bit before my sister. The three of us enjoyed a delicious meal of fluffy cheese omelette and spinach.

Thursday (29 October) started with fog so dense I could only see as far as the houses in my immediate neighbourhood. The photos do not do the somewhat mysterious atmosphere justice.

It brightened up eventually, and my after-work walk took me to Pattonville, where I'd not been since the end of March.

It was a cold morning at 3C/37F on Friday (30 October) but sunny. 

After work came my usual cleaning round and then a bit of pottering about until it was time to leave for the "Blauer Engel" (blue angel), a restaurant maybe ten minutes from my house in the city centre where a table was booked for a group of former school mates of mine. We meet a few times a year, but I had not been to any of the meetings yet this year. They didn't know that I got married in May, and I happily gave them an update.

The food was good and service friendly and efficient, and I enjoyed talking to most of the group (there were ten of us), but it was VERY noisy at the restaurant (it's all tiled floors and concrete, steel and glass - no curtains, carpeting or cushions to muffle the soundwaves a bit) and I was the first to leave.

On Saturday (31 October) I took a series of three trains to Offenburg. The connection between #2 and #3 didn't work out, as the second train arrived in Karlsruhe exactly one minute AFTER the third train departed there, as you can see on this screenshot from the railway "navigator" app on my phone: 

All in all, I was almost an hour late - but only almost, which was good for the railway company but not for me: After a 60 minutes delay, you are entitled to a refund - at 59 minutes, you are not!

Anyway, as it was a beautiful afternoon, I enjoyed the last leg of the journey, looking out at the beautiful colours of woods and vineyards along the way. 

My husband picked me up as usual and we had enough time for a very welcome mug of coffee before he drove us to a nearby village where we met with a couple of friends for a meal at a restaurant in yet another village, a place I'd never been to. Again, it had been a while since we'd last met those friends, and we enjoyed catching up as much as the food.

Sunday (1st of November) was All Saints, an important day in the Catholic church. The village is predominantly Catholic, and it is tradition there that on this day an open air service is held at the cemetery with the village band providing the music. The priest walks around blessing the graves, and the people sing and pray and light candles on the graves of their loved ones. 

As I've been coming to the village for more than ten years now, I already know several people who have found their last resting place there, among them my father-in-law and a fellow band member who died a few years ago before her 50th birthday. To gather as a community to remember our loved ones can be helpful with grief, and for some, such traditions steeped in their personal faith are important. Admittedly, I wouldn't be there if it wasn't for my husband playing in the band - and neither would he.

It was not freezing, but cold enough with an unpleasant wind so that we were happy to go home and warm up over mugs of steaming hot coffee and a piece of walnut pie before we set off again, this time for a walk to take in the beautiful late afternoon light.

A cosy evening at the cottage followed, and as usual an early bedtime in view of Monday's early start. Another month gone and only two left of this year!