Ripon Road Trip 2026

You may or may not remember our long journey to Ripon last year; that post is here. This year‘s journey was also long and at times chaotic, but we arrived at our cottage in Ripon only about 45 minutes later than planned - still in full daylight, as opposed to 2025. 

But let me begin at the beginning:

I got up a few minutes past 4:00 on Monday morning (20 July). A coffee, a shower and a last check of everything later, I met my sister at Ludwigsburg‘s train station just after 5:30. A local train took us to Stuttgart Main Station, where we boarded a long distance train to Paris. 

We enjoyed that ride with views of the (rather parched) countryside both on the German and the Fench side, had a sandwich and Earl Grey tea (both provided by my sister) and arrived in Paris on time.

The short walk from Gare de l‘Est to Gare du Nord was quickly done, and going through border control for the Eurostar was smooth and efficient. 

We even found seats in the always very crowded waiting area and were safely tucked out of the way until boarding opened for our train.

Everything went without a hitch there, too, and although I could not sleep, I closed my eyes for a while to catch up on some rest after the very early start.

In London, transit from arrival at St. Pancras to departure from King‘s Cross is literally just across the road. But as soon as we reached the large hall, we understood that something was wrong - again!

Unsurprisingly, it is always very busy at such an important train station in a city as huge as London, but now people were literally standing shoulder to shoulder, many with luggage, some with prams or bikes, and everybody was trying to figure out where to go and what to do next.

Apparently, trespassers at Alexandra Palace were responsible for the major disruption that was felt on the railway system until the end of the day. Many trains were cancelled, almost all of the remaining ones running late.

We finally spotted the gate and platform for trains going to Harrogate on one of the screens and pushed our way there.

And indeed, the train we were booked for was waiting for us, with our seats close to the luggage rack, and I can tell you we were immensely relieved!

Several announcements and a bit under half an hour later than planned, our train left London and made its way up North.

We had of course texted my sister-in-law so that she knew when to expect us in Harrogate, and instead of 5:30 pm, we arrived there at about 6:15. Phew!!

It is always wonderful to see A., and you can imagine how the three of us were chatting away on the short drive to Ripon. A. had a cup of tea with us and then left for home. 

We popped to the Tesco five minutes from our cottage for some basics for tomorrow‘s breakfast and then had a quick walk across the small town centre to stretch our legs and catch a first glimpse of the cathedral, which looked especially glorious in the golden evening light.

It was still summerly mild and we would have loved a proper walk, but we had not yet unpacked and, frankly, were really really tired.

A few things have changed in the cottage: My bedroom has new wallpaint and curtains, there are new armchairs in the living room and we have a washing machine in the kitchen once more. The fridge is also new.

Neither of us was really hungry, but we nibbled on crackers and cheese with a glass of well chilled rosé before we said good night and retreated to our rooms.

By the way, as last year, we found all the staff at King‘s Cross and on the LNER Azuma train helpful and friendly, and the trainline app on my smartphone holding our tickets offered a Delay Repay button after we‘d crossed the half hour threshold. The refund was on my account the very next day - unlike in Germany, where you have to wait for days if not weeks for a refund, and are eligible for one only with delays of more than an hour.

Mid-July Week

On Monday (13 July), the morning was fresh at 16C but the day reached 33C eventually. My trip back from Offenburg was delayed all in all by about 25 minutes - could have been worse. 

The neighbour whose cat and rabbits I was looking after for two weeks a while ago came over for a coffee and a chat around lunch time, so that I could give her my keys. She'll be taking out my mail and watering my few house plants while I'm away.

Mid-afternoon I had my regular eye examination at the surgery just down the road from where I live. My sister wasn't well and so I went on an errand for her and delivered what she needed to her place before returning home. By then I felt I'd been walking enough for the day, especially with it being hot again, and remained home for the evening.

Tuesday and Wednesday (14/15 July) were spent working at the office in Weilimdorf. Tuesday was muggy and hot with a few useless drops of rain in the morning. 

But during the night, or rather early morning on Wednesday (1:45 am), I woke up from thunder, and then became aware of a wonderful sound: Rain! Lovely, not-too-hard, gentle but copious rain! It was softly falling on the leaves of the mulberry tree outside my bedroom window, which is usually how I can tell when it rains during the night. I was in my bed, listening to it and falling asleep again. 

Sunrise on Wednesday, as seen from my kitchen

The next day was slightly cooler with a max of 28C. Once I left work in Weilimdorf, I remained on the local train until the stop near the deer park and from there walked to Benningen. I was sweating, of course, but as I have said before, it is perfectly legitimate to sweat on a summer's day, and I enjoyed the walk.

I worked from home on Thursday (16 July) and wrapped up quite a few things in view of my upcoming holiday. After work, I was booked for a guided tour at the large construction site at my former school. This time, we were not allowed to take any pictures, because by now quite a lot of the future buildings is already partly there, and we were inside one of them, with the workmen still around.

It was very interesting, and I am convinced it is going to be so much nicer and better than what it was like when I went there. You can click here for pictures of the school as it was.

After the tour, I walked to my Mum's. My sister was already there, she had wisely decided against the tour, since she wasn't yet 100 % well. The day would have been my parents' 61st wedding anniversary if my Dad were still around, and also the 87th birthday of Mum's brother if he were still around. We had a commemorative meal together, and before my sister and I could leave, we had to wait for the rain to stop (yes, rain! again!!). A thunderstorm with high winds and relatively heavy rain held us back for a while, but when it let up a bit, we quickly made our way home. It was strange to walk under dripping trees and on wet pavement, after we'd not had any of that in many weeks!

Another thunderstorm and more, heavier rain followed on Friday (17 July), but unlike other areas in my part of Germany, we didn't have flooding, hail or falling trees hitting cars or people (one cyclist was killed by a branch crashing down on him).

For me, the day was spent quietly finishing work and then equally quietly pottering about the flat, cleaning and getting ready for the weekend with O.K., this time at my place obviously, since my sister and I will be off to Yorkshire on Monday morning. I even managed to hand in my tax stuff for 2025, and had a long overdue haircut. 

Towards the evening I thought I'd catch a rain-free window and started on a walk, but the rain soon returned, and so did I, ending up with only a quick turn around the block.

On Saturday (18 July), O.K. arrived a bit before lunch time. We first went on an errand at a nearby large supermarket and then had lunch at home. I had chopped tomatoes and added a little olive oil and spices so that we could have them as bruschetta on slices of toasted baguette. We had a large bowl of leafy romana salad with diced feta cheese along with it.

For dessert we went for ice creams in town, which was very nice, followed by espressos at our favourite coffee bar. From there, we walked to the palace grounds and had a leisurely stroll there. On we went through the deer park and down to the palace by the lake. By then, the sky looked threatening, and although it wasn't very hot, it felt oppressive as it does when a thunderstorm approaches.

We decided to turn back, but by the time we reached the outskirts of town again, it looked as if whatever had been heading our way had changed direction, and we decided on a refreshing glass of cider from the Irish pub at the outdoor seating on the market square. It was so nice to sit there after our walk, and do some people-watching. The not too hot weather brought many people; families with toddlers, couples holding hands, people with dogs or on bikes - it was busy but not crowded, and the general atmosphere was very relaxed on this Saturday early evening.

We then moved on to Kullman's Diner (where I had been only the week before with my Mum and my cousin) and enjoyed very nice burgers; mine was a vegetarian variety with a falafel patty and guacamole spread.

I felt so full afterwards that I suggested we go for a sunset walk on the fields, which was very nice. We spotted several hares, a few cats and many swallows darting about to feast on whatever flying insects they could catch.

In the very early hours of Sunday (19 July) a thunderstorm with plenty (but not overly heavy) rain passed through. It made for little sleep but of course the rain was still very welcome.

After a late-ish breakfast (in spite of us having been up early), we had a restful couple of hours before we were expected at my Mum‘s for coffee & cake at 3:00 pm. My sister and the two of us went to the cemetery together afterwards; it had been a while since my last visit to my Dad‘s and R‘s bird markers there.

We extended the walk in the late afternoon sunshine, with my sister going to her place and my husband and I to mine. A light meal with salad was quickly put on the table, followed by O.K. getting ready to leave. I went to the car with him to say good-bye for the next two weeks and then enjoyed the golden evening light on a walk until sunset.

Finally, I turned in and packed my suitcase for the annual Yorkshire holiday with my sister, starting the next day.

Read in 2026: 20, 21

Next Door

Blake Pierce

 

Sisters Chloe and Danielle are only ten when they witness their mother’s deadly fall down the stairs in their home – presumably at the hands of their father, who goes to jail for it.

Almost 20 years later, Chloe returns to live in their hometown, looking forward to getting married and her career with the FBI off the ground.

Meeting Danielle is part of that return, but unlike Chloe, her sister has been leading a troubled life, never settling with a job or partner for long, mental health problems and past drug abuse.

 

A body is found and the circumstances of the case bring up the old mystery of the death of the sisters’ mother.

Chloe practically works on the new and the old case at the same time while trying to hold things together with her fiancé and planning the wedding.

It doesn’t help that Danielle becomes the main suspect and does not trust her sister enough to reveal what has been happening, making Chloe find the vital clues almost too late…

 

But of course, it being the first book in a series with Chloe Fine at the centre, the reader can be certain to see the heroine solve both the current case and the mystery of who was responsible for their mother’s death, and why.

 

The story was gripping enough, and the characters were well portrayed. I just couldn’t really relate to either of the sisters to the point of caring about them, but I liked Chloe’s boss and his dealing with her and the circumstances.

This first book sets the stage for more, opening threads in both Chloe’s personal and professional lives. But while I found it an entertaining read, I am not going to buy the next books in the series.

 

The author was unknown to me, or so I thought. Turns out I have read one previous book by her, back in 2021. More about her and her work is here.

The Honeymoon Homicide

J. R. & Susan Mathis

Unlike most other free ebooks from Amazon’s Kindle store, this one wasn’t the 1^st in a series. Instead, it is well into a series about a Catholic priest (Tom) and his wife (yes, wife! – Helen) who solve crimes together.

A mutlitude of references to earlier books is made throughout this one, but I didn’t find it hard to follow the storyline without having read any of them.

 

The case: A well-loved deacon at a local church is found stabbed in the snow close to the church where he served. Nobody can think of any personal motive, so the first conclusion is a mugging gone wrong.

But then blood stains and a female hair are found in the sacristy, and it becomes clear that the victim wasn’t stabbed where he was found, and definitely not mugged, but sedated to the point of inability to defend himself…

 

Helen is the local Police Chief, and Tom the local priest. Through exceptional circumstances, it is possible for them to be a legally married couple in spite of his vocation. She has a no-nonsense approach to police work while he often provides a different, more personal angle and can reach suspects on a level that is closed to her.

Combining their efforts they set about solving this mystery, and while at first it seems that each clue leads to a dead end and each question answered opens up many more puzzles, of course in the end they find out what happened, and justice is served.

 

For a change – compared to other detective stories – the couple never are in danger of becoming the next victims of the murderer. We meet their families, colleagues and other local characters, which nicely fills in the background.

Their relationship with each other is vital to solving the mystery, and although they are very much in love, there are also situations where they have to work to overcome differences.

 

It made for a different read from most other crime mystery series I have been reading (or at least started), but sometimes the religious angle is just a bit too prominent for my personal liking. Still, it is part of the story, of the main characters and their lives.

I guessed at part of the solution relatively early on, but there were still a few twists and turns to surprise me.

 

The authors – completely unknown to me until now – are husband and wife in real life (but the husband is not and has never been a priest, and the wife not in Law Enforcement). Their website is here.

I imagine that the series about Father Tom and Chief Helen appeals to many readers, mostly in the US.

Best of Summer Week

Last week was mostly pleasantly warm without being too hot; only from Friday onwards the rising temperatures meant exhausting long days and short nights. Still, some of the best things about summer were happening for me that week.

On Monday (6 July), my usual morning trains home from Offenburg to Stuttgart brought me back from the weekend with my husband. The morning was a refreshing 16C/60F, and it didn't get above 28C/82F during the day.

My cousin from Nice/Nizza (France) had arrived on the Friday before, and the four of us - Mum, my sister, our cousin and myself - met after work at the Italian restaurant close enough to my Mum's place for her to get there and back on foot.

I managed half my pizza and took the other half home to fry up the next day for lunch.

We shared a pleasant and delicious meal at a table in the garden and then went back to my Mum's for cold drinks and more chatting. This cousin is from our Dad's side, and the three of us are very close in age; we spent a lot of time together when we were children, and the old thread is still there, even though I have visited her in Nice only once and she had not been in Ludwigsburg for 8 years.

I was working from home on Tuesday (7 July) and walked to Benningen after work in spite of it being 31C/88F; it was hot and I did sweat, but it IS summer after all, and a strong breeze kept blowing so that the heat didn't feel oppressive.

It was a bit cooler on Wednesday (8 July) at a max of 26C/78F, and the afternoon brought more wind and interesting cloud formations to observe on my walk home from Zuffenhausen after I had spent the day at the office as usual.

Thursday (9 July) was an exact repeat of Monday in terms of temperature. After work, I walked to my sister's to pick up my cousin; we walked to the American Diner (Kullman's Diner) near the train station where we had arranged to meet my Mum for a meal. Again, we had a pleasant chat and reasonably good food at an outdoor table in the shade.

For dessert, we went to a nearby icecream place where unfortunately it was VERY noisy from the busy road (many of our town's bus lines go through there) and people naturally talking at the top of their voices to override the road noise. We didn't last there longer than it took us to finish our icecreams/drinks. My cousin and I accompanied my Mum to the bus stop and, once she was savely on her way home, I walked my cousin back to my sister's and then went home.

It had been a very nice evening, and my cousin and I welcomed the opportunity for some more catching up.

Friday (10 July) was a very busy day for me, but pleasantly so. 

I played host to a meeting with colleagues from my professional association at the office in Weilimdorf. My boss, who had planned to attend and hold a presentation, was on sick leave all week which meant I had to do it all on my own. No problem... but until everything was set up AND my guests (about 20 of them) were all greeted and settled, it was a bit rushed for me - especially once I found out that my order for coffee, mineral water and snacks had not gone through with our in-house caterer! Fortunately, the caterer's employees are all professionals and were able to whip up the requested catering at the last minute. I was truly grateful to them and said so.

The meeting itself went very well with various presentations/talks, lively discussions and good conversations during our lunch break.

I had to make sure to leave on time and arrived home mid-afternoon with about 40 minutes to freshen up and get changed before I was off to the station again, where I met my sister and our cousin.

We accompanied our cousin to Stuttgart's main station and then got on another local train with her, making sure she was on the right one to the airport; she was flying back to Nizza that evening.

My sister and I got off after one stop and walked back down to Stuttgart's Schlossplatz (Palace Square) where we waited for a friend of my sister's. The three of us had tickets for the Jazz Open, an annual open-air music festival that draws big names every year, with tickets very much sought after and often sold out quickly. Our tickets were for Lenny Kravitz, mine was last year's Christmas gift from my sister.

Lenny Kravitz caught my attention in the 1990s, and I have been losely following his musical journey ever since. This was the first time we were going to see him live. And what a concert it was!!! Two hours straight of song after song, during most of which he accompanied himself on the guitar. He changed guitars about 10 times, and his brilliant band were a force on their own. I could go on and on about how great it all was; his voice, the music, the stage presence of a true artist and exceptional musician.

Our tickets were for the standing space, and as the concert was sold out, we were standing among a crowd of people - all of us sweating away in 34C/93F on a paved square in the middle of a big dusty city. I don't need to describe the... erm... scents wafting around, and that part of it wasn't exactly pleasant, but believe me - at some stage I managed to block most of it out, and only what was happening on stage mattered.

Neues Schloss (New Palace), Stuttgart.

Schlossplatz, Stuttgart

A young woman was translating into sign language the songs' lyrics and whatever Lenny said to the audience. She was positioned at the side of the stage, and he made a point of going over and personally thanking her for making his songs come alive for those hard of hearing or deaf. My sister told me that in an online article she read about this year's Jazz Open, apparently he was the only artist who acknowledged the presence of a sign language interpreter, let along thank them (there was one at every performance). That, in my opinion, says a lot about Lenny as a person.

You can read more about the festival (in English) here.

The three of us managed to catch a local train after only a very short wait, and I was home at about 11:25 pm.

On Saturday (11 July) morning, I did only part of my usual cleaning round, packed my little red suitcase and took three different trains to Offenburg, where O.K. picked me up at lunch time.

We had a quick light lunch at his place and in the afternoon went to see one of his uncles and his wife a short drive away. They had invited us after O.K. had told them of our wedding in May. I'd met the uncle before but not his wife, but once we got talking over cold drinks in their garden, it was as if we'd known each other for a long time. She was very pleasant to talk to, and I am glad we went to see them.

Back at the cottage, we chose to have our evening meal indoors; it was still too hot out on the balcony. Once the sun was behind the houses, we spent the rest of the evening out there, sipping well-chilled rosé and observing the stars emerge in the darkening summer night sky.

Sunday (12 July) allowed us to sleep in, but of course with the hot weather and all windows open, nobody stays in bed very long, and we were sitting on the balcony with our coffee mugs early enough to still catch a bit of the morning's freshness. 

I ironed before it became too warm while O.K. prepared our breakfast of fresh fruit and yoghurt. Early afternoon, we drove to a nearby village where the village band were booked at a small but very nice village fête. It was held underneath large old lime trees on the village school's playground - very welcome on what was another hot day of about 36C/97F.

We had a drink and a chat with some fellow band members afterwards and then drove home where we enjoyed a light evening meal of rucola salad and a platter of tomato and mozzarella.

Dining al fresco, open-air concerts, spending time with friends and family, never worrying about what to wear against cold or wet weather - it really was a week that brought some of the "Best of Summer"!