Mixed Week

Last week was a mixed week in terms of weather as well as of activities.

On Monday (24 March), I was working from home and having quite a productive morning until I realised that once again one half of my flat was without electricity, which in turn meant that the attic flat was completely without it, and we had neither hot water nor heating. We use gas for both, but the heating system itself needs electricity to switch on.

A frantic series of phone calls followed, and repair was promised for the following day. I needed to get out after all that, and went for a walk across the old and new cemetery, through the quarter of town furthest from mine, and back.

The weather improved after a rainy morning, and the afternoon was relatively mild at 15C; still, after hours without heating, my flat felt chilly, and I spent the evening wrapped in a blanket on the settee, NOT looking forward to the next morning when I knew I would not be able to have a hot shower.

But I was still able to have coffee on the morning of Tuesday (25 March); I simply set up the machine in the living room. Also, I plugged the kettle in there and thus had hot water to pour into the sink so that I could have a wash. The family in the attic flat, with two children of 3 and 7 years, had nothing.

Around lunch time, the electrician appeared. It didn't take him long to locate and repair the fault, but he did warn us that this could happen again - well, it HAD already happened "again", four weeks after the previous outtage. Anyway, my relief was shortlived - five minutes after he'd left, the electricity was off AGAIN!!

More frantic phone calls, and finally by late afternoon, he was back, and so was one of the two brothers who co-own the house with me. His is the attic flat, and the family living there are his tenants. After a little while, everything was back in working order, but the warning was repeated, and this time the electrician showed us that it was actually now in the hands of the provider; he had done what he could.

The co-owner and I tried to ring them, but couldn't get through. On their website, we found an email address, and sent a request there. Nothing else could be done that day, and I so needed to get out of the house and walk my frustration off. About an hour and 15 minutes later, I turned back in, feeling better and glad that we did not have to face another chilly evening and a morning without hot water.

I had been back from my walk only for a few minutes when indeed someone from the provider returned our earlier request. He wanted to know a few more details, and I sent him pictures that the electrician had taken. Someone was going to be in touch about an appointment... well, it's almost a week later now, and nobody has been in touch. I suppose I have to send them a friendly reminder.

Wednesday (26 March) was totally unremarkable - perfectly fine by me! It was cold and wet, not at all walk-friendly, and so after returning from a busy day at the office, I didn't do anything but rest.

A bit of spring in my bedroom

A good day followed on Thursday (27 March), with the sun conquering the morning's grey clouds in the afternoon. At 12C/53F, it was reasonably mild, too, and so after work I simply HAD to go for my standard walk to Benningen. It really did me good, with plenty of birds to hear and see, and signs of spring everywhere.

During the day, I had observed two buzzards circling above my neighbourhood, and a third one sitting on the top of the very high pine tree in front of my study window. The sitting buzzard called out, and the circling ones replied. After a while, the bird on the tree joined them, and all three took off where I couldn't see them anymore. While buzzards are by no means unusual in my area, it is rare for them to come right into town.

Friday (28 March) was the best day of the week, weather-wise. Sunny and warm, but I worked until just after 4:00 pm and was to leave for the train station shortly after 6:00 pm; no walk for me, therefore, but I needed the couple of hours between work and travel to do my cleaning and other household things.

The long-distance train from Stuttgart to Offenburg was delayed by 20 minutes. The reason was an elderly man who felt ill on the train; an ambulance was called, and the medics and his wife had a hard time to convince him to get off the train and have himself checked over properly. Thanks to his stubbornness, everyone else had to change plans or make other arrangements, especially those who had a connection to catch. 

Not me, thankfully! I texted O.K. and he simply drove to the train station 20 minutes later, and a little after 9:00 pm, we sat down to our customary Friday evening meal of bread, cheese, wine and salad.

O.K. was busy gardening around his cottage and his Mum's house on Saturday (29 March) while I was doing the ironing. It was rather windy and not very warm, but remained dry for most of the time. When O.K. asked me to fetch him a specific garden tool from his parents' allotment, I jumped at the chance to have at least that little walk up the hill behind the village and to the edge of the woods where the allotment is. It takes ten minutes one way, so was by no means a substantial walk, but better than nothing - and frankly, I didn't mind a few quiet hours to myself, just relaxing.

This is what we see from O.K.'s living room these days!

By 4:00 pm O.K. put away the gardening things, and after coffee and cake we changed, he into his village band uniform and I into a dress. We walked to church, where the band were providing the music for the Saturday evening mass. Afterwards, it was the village band's annual assembly in the church hall next door. Since I am a so-called passive member of the band (I pay an annual fee and help with events but am not a musician), I came along.

The first part of the assembly dealt with reports and formalities; band members who had passed away during the last year (such as O.K.'s Dad) were honoured, and music was played. Snacks and drinks were provided, and we ended up chatting until around midnight before we walked home.

On Sunday (30 March), like everybody else across the EU we had to deal with one hour less sleep thanks to the useless switch to summertime. It wasn't too hard, though, since we didn't have to be up at a specific time.

The morning was chilly at only 6C/42F, but by the time we left the house it was milder at 12-13C/53-55F. It was windy and cloudy, but we still enjoyed the walk to the nearby village where O.K.'s sister and her husband live. We were invited there for coffee and cake, which was very nice of them - and the invitation included the offer to drive us back afterwards.

It took us about 1 1/2 hours to cover the 8+ km, partly through woodland and by a lake, and all of it entirely flat. Not a challenging walk, but for a change, nice to walk paths we don't know inside out.

We spotted a deer more or less here (but of course it was long gone by the time I took this picture).

Back at the cottage, we settled for our usual quiet Sunday evening. O.K. cooked pasta with fried fennel and dried tomatoes, very nice and spicy. An early bedtime followed - and not only the week, but March was (as good as) over.

Birthday Weekend

On Saturday, 22 March, I turned 57.

O.K. had arrived the evening before, and so when I woke up on Saturday, of course he was the first person to wish me a Happy Birthday.

Having a birthday is fun! Especially if the day starts with spring sunshine and birdsong, and presents brought right to your bed by the man you love :-)

After our first mug of coffee, we got ready to go out for breakfast at a café in town. Apart from New Year's Day and one or two other occasions throughout the year, we do not have booze for breakfast, but we had a glass of prosecco each on that day.

Tummies well filled, we strolled across the sunlit market square and bought flowers for the party venue. Next stop was the bakery where I had ordered savoury food and a cake. We carried those things to the gatehouse, and O.K. had a little tour of the place - it was the first time he was inside, since he had not been at either the party last autumn nor my sister's in January.

In the meantime, I did the flowers, and we went back to my place, where we rested for a bit; I replied to messages on my phone and emails and then prepared some more food for the evening's buffet.

I had ordered a giant Brezel (typical Swabian food) from the bakery.

Usually, a regular Brezel is eaten just as it is, or with butter. But for a party Brezel, all sorts of things can go on it.

My colour scheme was supposed to be yellow and pale blue, but there weren't any pale blue flowers, so I opted for these freesias to go with the yellow tulips.

We both changed into more party-like outfits and were back at the gatehouse a little after 5:00 pm, which gave us plenty of time for the final preparations before the party officially started at 6:00 pm.

My guests started to arrive, bearing flowers, gifts and (my sister and my Mum) contributions to the buffet.

Originally, I had invited about 20 friends and family, some of which I already knew weren't coming, mostly for health-related reasons. I still expected there to be 14 of us, but I didn't know there were going to be two surprise guests - only my sister knew: My cousin and his wife! Now, that may not sound all that surprising, but let me explain: They live in Paris, and the last time I saw my cousin was in 2022 when he came for my Dad's funeral. The last time I saw his wife was even longer ago. My uncle, about whose death I wrote in February, was his Dad. They had just been at the village where my aunt (his Mum) still lives, to help sorting things in the house etc., and were on their way back to Paris, stopping in Ludwigsburg just for the one night, and putting in a surprise appearance at my party.

When I saw my cousing walking in, for a moment I was so overwhelmed that I had to cry a little.

And remember how I also told you about our closest childhood friends, a pair of sisters as well, who lived next door in the terraced house, and how two years ago we rekindled the old friendship, and they went to the Heaven 17 concert with us? Anyway, the two sisters and their husbands were also there (not as a surprise, this time!), and the four of us re-created a photo from our childhood, trying to assume the same poses we took back then, when the youngest of our quartet was only 4, and the oldest 8. This was fun, and I would love to show you the old and new picture to compare, but the others don't want to be published on my blog.

Anyway, it was a good party, and we left with the last guest at about 1:30 am. I was in bed at around 2:15 am but, as is usually the case after such an event, didn't sleep much.

We got up early again on Sunday (23 March) and were at my Mum's for 9:00 am, because my cousin and his wife were going to pop in there before starting on the long drive to Paris. It was so good to catch up with them.

My sister, O.K. and I then went to the gatehouse to clean and put everything back in order. It took the three of us only a couple of hours, and after we had taken everything that was mine (much of the drinks were left, and of course there were my presents and flowers) back to my place in O.K.'s car, I had a nap - actually, I was on my bed for about 1 1/2 hours, drifting in an out of sleep.

But I felt rested enough afterwards to arrange the flowers and presents and take these pictures:

Of course I did not leave all bouquets on the coffee table, I just put them there for the photo, but now one is in the kitchen, another one in the study, and one in my tiny hallway.

We had coffee and leftover cake, and then set off for a sunset walk across the field, briefly stopping at the cemetery where I left a small heart-shaped natural rock at my Dad's bird.

By the time we were back, it was dark, and I prepared a light and quick evening meal for us while O.K. packed his bag. 

After he left for the long drive home, I spent the rest of the evening on the settee, watching the news first and then a Danish series I have recently started on. Once I knew that O.K. had arrived home safely, I went to bed, happy after such a great birthday weekend.

Birthday Week

Last week was busy (surprise, surprise!) and culminated in me celebrating my 57th birthday. The day certainly deserves its own post; therefore, this weekly report ends on the Friday.

Monday (17 March) was sunny, but cold and windy. My trains back from Offenburg in the morning were on time, and working from home was unremarkable (which is how I prefer it mostly). After my lunch break, I was again on a train, this time to go into Stuttgart for my regular eye examination. All went well there, too.

The first two birthday cards arrived that day! You can tell the senders know me well - yellow colours, birds and a fox :-)

After work, I walked for about 2 hours. The first part of my walk was the same as when I go to Benningen, but this time I did not intend to use public transport for the fourth time that day, which I would have done for the way back home. Instead, I walked in the quiet outskirts of Freiberg, the small town half way to Benningen, and then returned to Ludwigsburg in a wide loop across the fields, the evening light and birdsong making it very enjoyable.

I was working at the office in Weilimdorf on Tuesday (18 March) because I was to attend a meeting with the top management. AI is the current "Big Thing" almost no matter what industry you work in, and it certainly is for my employer, an insurance company. On both EU and national level, new regulations regarding the use of AI have been introduced last year, and to make them manageable for us in our day to day work, I wrote AI guidelines for the company. At this meeting, our big bosses wanted me to present those guidelines, and all four of them gave their OK. Another check on a long list of tasks I have been working on recently.

Straight from work I went to "my" Irish Pub where my team was playing the quiz that evening. There were six of us at the table, including my sister who has become firmly established as part of the team. And guess what - we won :-) First prize was a bottle of whiskey, and after we'd all had a shot, the bottle went to a young lady who was a guest player with us for the first time and got several points for us.

A long day, leaving the house before 8:00 in the morning and returning well after 11:00 pm, but it had been worth it!

Wednesday (19 March) was sunny, but the frosty morning (just below freezing) meant I needed my padded coat, scarf and gloves for the way to the office. It was milder by the time I left work, and I made use of the spring sun by getting off the train in Kornwestheim and walk the rest.

It warmed up even more on Thursday (20 March): The official beginning of spring was a picturebook perfect spring day here, sunny and with a high of 19C/66F. 

I was working from home, spent my lunch break getting a back & shoulders massage at the nearby day spa and after work met up with my sister. She helped me with the drinks shopping for my birthday party. I do my regular shopping on foot, but when you want to buy drinks for a party, a car comes in very useful.

Shopping done, we went for a walk together. It was getting close to sunset, so instead of the fields we chose to stroll along the familiar streets where we grew up and went to school. I walk there quite often, but my sister less so, and we talked of the people who used to live in those houses when we were kids, and what memories we have of them.

Friday (21 March) was the best day of the week, weatherwise: wall to wall sunshine and around 20C/68F during the afternoon, warm enough for me to be out and about without a coat.

At the end of my lunch break, I met with the lady who gave me the keys for my birthday party venue, the same one where my sister celebrated hers back in January.

When Ludwigsburg was growing into a garrison back in the 1700s, it was deemed necessary to enclose it in a wall - not to stop unwanted elements entering, but to keep the military recruits in. Often, recruiting methods were questionable, and not all the young men drawn into military service were happy about their lot. Therefore, the wall was built, and each gate had a gatehouse were guards were posted and had modest living quarters as well.

Six of these buildings are still standing, and one of them is ten minutes on foot from where I live. It is a listed building and not generally open to the public, but the small museum on the upper floor can be visited once a month. On those days, the ground floor serves as a café. Both the museum and the café are run by a group of volunteers. We know some of them and were invited to a birthday party there last autumn, which gave my sister the idea to celebrate her birthday there, which in turn gave me the idea to have my party there as well.

After having received the keys and a few instructions (no candles!!!), I went home and did my own cleaning and washing etc. before returning to the gatehouse. My sister joined me for the cleaning and setting up tables and chairs the way I wanted them. We really like that building and enjoy being there, even if it's just to clean :-)

After a couple of hours we were satisfied with our preparations and went home.

O.K. arrived at my place at around 9:00 pm, by which time I was really ready for a meal, and very much looking forward to tomorrow.

Trains Week

If the last week of February deserved to be called "Public Transport Week", this past week qualified even more. But since the only means of public transport I have been using were trains (and no bus or anything else), I have decided on "Trains Week" for the headline of this post.

Monday (10 March) was the only working day when I was using no means of transport but my own two feet. Working from home was busy with a few appointments, and the weather was sunny at first before turning to rain, and it was chilly and unpleasant enough for me not to want a walk - besides, I'd been walking 20 km on the Sunday, so didn't actually feel a pressing urge to walk.

Instead of just the Wednesday, last week I also spent Tuesday (11 March) at the office. Once again, it was sunny for part of the day but rain arrived in the evening, but not before I was almost home; I got off the train in Kornwestheim and walked the rest. The late afternoon/early evening light was particularly beautiful against the backdrop of dark inky clouds, and for the first time in months I heard the distant rumble of thunder.

The golden-ness was even more golden, and the dark clouds darker than what my phone captured.

Wednesday (12 March) was cold and wet, and I did not feel as if I was missing out on something by sitting in the office all day. The rain was badly needed, but actually not enough to really help the thirsty trees and everything else out there that wants to grow this time of year.

I had to get up very early on Thursday (13 March) in order to catch a train from Stuttgart to Frankfurt, where I was spending the day at a work-related event. The trains known as ICE (Inter City Express) in Germany only take about 1 1/2 hours to cover the 200 km between the two cities, and since the event started at 10:00 am, I didn't need to arrive the evening before and spend the night.

With about an hour to spare and less than 30 minutes away from the venue, I walked from Frankfurt main station through part of the city centre, across the river and along some beautiful houses to the event location, which is an arts centre but the ground floor can be rented for meetings and other events.

I had enough time for some photos along the way, enjoying the morning sun after a very grey start in Ludwigsburg.

This beautiful house was next door to our event location.

The conference was good, with expert speakers and some useful information for me as well as meeting people in similar positions as myself. Last but not least, the catering was also really nice, as were the people I talked to during breaks.

We had an hour over lunch, and I used half of it for a brief walk along the river. The event ended with drinks, snacks and more pleasant chatting to the other attendants before I made my way back to the station - now in the rain.

Frankfurt main station must be one of the very few places in Germany where you will find a Prêt à Manger.

The villa where I spent the day.

My train was 40 minutes late, and I was glad to be home when at 20 to 10 pm I finally shut the door to my flat from the inside.

Friday (14 March) was again grey and cold. I hosted an online meeting of the regional group within the association of data protection officers I am a member of; this took up the first half of the day.

After lunch, I finished a few work-related tasks, did my usual cleaning and washing and then packed my little red suitcase. 

It was the 1st anniversary of O.K.'s father's death, and his sister and her husband had invited us (and of course O.K.'s mother) to spend the evening together to commemorate. We did so with delicious home-made food and drank to the absent family members.

O.K. had an appointment at 10:00 am at his optician's on Saturday (15 March) to have a pair of sunglasses made. I came along and was trying a few frames on just for fun. And guess what, I ended up buying one! Which of the three do you think I chose?

Alien?

Huge?

Doris Day?

I can't wear them just yet, since I want my optician to adapt them to what my eyes need, and right now I do not have time for the lengthy appointment that is necessary for that, but the frame is here and waiting.

Our next stop was a men's clothes shop where O.K. has been a customer for many years. He found a couple of new shirts and other things. We were back at the cottage in time for lunch and later, after a rest and coffees, we went for a short-ish walk around the village; the day was grey and cold so we weren't up for a proper long walk or hike. A brief visit with his Mum followed before we were ready for our evening meal.

Sunday (16 March) was still cold and grey, getting no warmer than 7C/44F. It was nice to sleep in, and after a leisurely morning, we went for another walk around the village. At the moment, at least 5 storks' nests are dotted among the houses, and I took pictures of three of them.

One of the bakeries is open on Sundays, and we got something from there for our mid-afternoon coffee.

From about 5:00 pm onwards, I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening on my own; it was a fellow musician's 70th birthday, and O.K. and a few others from the village band were playing for him.

O.K. was back home in time for a meal with me, and our customarily quiet Sunday evening with early bedtime.