Similar, yes, but not identical, as even the same place never looks exactly the same twice, with subtle changes happening with the time of day and year.
As usual when we go on that walk, my Mum and I took the train to the nearest small town with a train station and walked the rest of the way, which takes us about an hour. This time, it took us a bit longer, since the day turned out to be really warm - hot, even - and we were not prepared for that. In the morning, it had been raining and it was chilly and overcast, so we were both carrying cardigans and wearing shoes (not sandals) and did not have any water with us.
Tackling the hilly bits of our walk (and some of them are rather steep), my poor Mum was panting behind me, causing me to want to ring my Dad so that he would come and pick us up with the car (he did not have his mobile switched on anyway, I later learned), but Mum said it wasn't that bad. Instead, we rested on several benches along the way, and once we arrived at the allotment, both drank a LOT of water before we were ready to do anything else.
We had been invited to join one of the allotment neighbours for coffee and cake (it was his birthday), and after enjoying their hospitality for a couple of hours, I went off on my own again for another hour of walking.
This one is for my sister, who I know likes this house very much:
 |
The pictures I took then are, I guess, really quite similar to the ones I took last year, but not exactly the same. I would have liked to walk further, but I was expected back at the allotment at a certain time so that we could go home - my Dad had been on the allotment since the morning, and certainly was ready for a shower and a meal.
The tomatoes are, of course, from my Dad's greenhouse, while for a change I did something besides walking and picked the blackberries myself. Some of the tomatoes I have already had last night, with fresh basil leaves from the potted basil on my windowsill, and balsamico cream; of the blackberries, I have just enjoyed a handful for breakfast on my muesli.
It was possibly the last time this year that we went on this particular walk, which is one more reason for me to hang on to the memory by writing about it and looking at the pictures.
Some lovely countryside views there, Meike. We had an unusally warm day for the time of year here yesterday too. I've never seen (wild) blackberries around here, I know they are more common at the coastside though. But I also remember them from my visit to south Germany 30 years ago (which was this time of year)! :)
ReplyDeleteMy Mum turns the blackberries into home-made liqueur and jelly, and there is still plenty there to be picked and eaten "just like that", which is my favourite way of eating all fruit anyway.
DeleteI always love to see baskets of autumn fruits. We've just been in the country and have gathered a load of blackberries too. They seem to grow very well around West Berkshire!
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea to photograph the same things on different years. I am often surprised at how differently I have my back balcony each year - it's all pot plants so nothing is permanently there.
Now I wish I'd have put my bounty into a pretty basket instead of the plastic container I transported them in.
DeleteOh, so beautiful. I feel a bit homesick for Germany. I can have this feeling for the US, Hungary, and Germany! I love the UK, but I guess I haven't been there enough to develop that.... I love your photos. Isn't one of a Rowan tree? I'm surprised the berries have no red/orange color yet. Or is it something else?
ReplyDeleteI greatly admire your mother for continuing on even though it was hot and tiring for her.
Not sure, Kristi, but I think you are right about that one being a Rowan tree. I didn't know that those berries change colour later on, but it makes sense; hardly anything stays green at this time of the year, does it!
DeleteIt must be a joy to be able t go out there and make such wonderful memories with your parents, even when there are difficulties.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely is a joy, which is why I never seem to get enough of this particular walk and taking the "same" pictures over and over again :-)
DeleteOh my, I feel for your Mum in that heat walking for over an hour! Good thing you had some spots to rest along the way. Funny how the weather can be so cool and then can heat up so much, it can catch you off guard.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that photo of the basket of blackberries and tomatoes. I bet they both tasted great.
They still do, Kay! (Taste great, I mean.)
DeleteMy Mum says I got the time wrong; it never took us just one hour to walk from the train station to the allotment. Even without breaks (or just one short one after the first uphill bit), it would at least have taken us closer to two hours. She is probably right; I don't wear a watch and therefore was only estimating how long we'd been walking.
Interestingly Meike I was oblivious to what the tomatoes and blackberries were in because my eyes were drawn to the fruit without distraction. In particular I was drawn to the yellow tomatoes. I cannot recall ever having a yellow tomato until Saturday. I had bought some in Inverness on my way home. I always enjoy your walks through your photos. Whilst I am very happy doing many things on my own I do not like walking long distances alone: a legacy from my teenage years.
ReplyDeleteYou bet I always go for the few yellow ones when my Dad offers me to help myself to what he has picked! Yellow is my favourite colour, and so it is no surprise that I prefer yellow peppers and yellow tomatoes.
DeleteI don't mind walking long distances on my own. Nothing better to get one's head sorted than a run or a walk.
Meike I am so impressed with your walks. In an effort to get my tired old body some outdoor exercise I went for a walk in the neighborhood the other day...a measured mile in my car previously...and I walked the mile in 30 minutes which I thought was pretty good for an old lady. I'm shamed to read of your two-hour walks very sure I'd be collapsed on the side of the path awaiting a rescue squad!
ReplyDeleteI (and the same goes for my Mum) have been used to walking all my life - to kindergarden, to school, to work, to the shops, and so on. And since we have never really stopped for long, our bodies are not complaining too much :-)
DeleteBut this time was different because the weather became so warm so unexpectedly. And after a long winter, during which I only walk the short distances to the station and the shops and my parents' house, my legs and feet want some adjusting before I can go for longer walks again.