Saturday 19 May 2018

Normal Life Resumed

Well, almost. I have not yet been to the gym (but I really mean to, very soon - hopefully next week), and I am not yet allowed to go swimming or use a sauna, but both of these are not at the top of my activity list anyway.

My eye is still getting better, sometimes I notice it, sometimes I don't. It depends very much on how tired I am and how much I have already been reading and writing (i. e. working) that day.

This week was my first proper week back at work. Never in my life have I missed work for such a long time for health reasons! My customers all told me how happy they were to see me back, which was nice (and I think they really mean it). Of course the workload has not eased over those four weeks, quite the contrary. But I am determined not to let things get on top of me, and still take my occasional breaks when my eye(s) feel tired.

I have been running three times since I've been allowed sports again; every time went better. My fitness level (which for me is crucial to my wellbeing) is still far from what I'd like it to be, but I am optimistic about slowly but surely getting there.

It feels good having my normal life back, even though the last 1 1/2 weeks of my enforced break were really good, after I was allowed doing again most of what I like. The regular check ups with my eye doctor are at larger intervals now, and I only need drops twice a day instead of every couple of hours.

Weather has been a very mixed bag for us this past week. We have had some much needed rain, and the mornings and evenings were really chilly. This weekend is a "long" one in Germany, with Monday being a public holiday (Pentecost) and schools closed next week. A lot of people have gone away for weekend trips or more, and many of those staying at home are planning hikes or garden parties, barbeques and the like. The forecast is not ideal for any of this, but hopefully, the weather will hold out for this afternoon's and evening's family gathering at the allotment of O.K.'s parents - yes, a BBQ after coffee & cake!

I am leaving to catch my train in about 15 minutes and just wanted to give you this brief update with a few pictures I took during my time off. 

Left: Mum's home-made quiche with green asparagus and a glass of rosé,  for lunch at my parents' one day. Right: walnut cream cake and coffee at a café on Ludwigsburg's market square; this was one of my first outings after the OP.

Palace grounds, 11th of May. My type of garden, the less formal one.

Train schedules have changed; the connections that were most convenient for me have been abandoned. I now have to change trains twice instead of only once, and the trip is longer by about 20-30 minutes. Keep your fingers crossed for me that it all works out, and O.K. can meet me as planned at the train station just before 2:00 pm!

12 comments:

  1. Yes, I hope it all works out and that you were able to meet up with OK! Sound the trumpets! (Inside joke there!)
    Love the photos! Your Mum's quiche looks especially good to me!
    Take care of yourself, I have my EYE on you! HA HA! :-)

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    1. All the connections worked out and we met as planned :-)
      That quiche was very nice, but then of course everything my Mum cooks or bakes is.
      Haha Jay, you really manage to crack me up 😀

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  2. I would love lunch at your Mum's with that asparagus tart - just my kind of food.

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    1. Just my kind of food, too. I made greean asparagus with roast spuds and lamb last weekend for OK and myself, which was nice, too.

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  3. So glad your life is getting back to normal - a bit better every day. How delicious that quiche looks! I think I will be inspired to make a quiche today...I've begun blogging again. Inspired by others, including you.

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    1. That quiche was as delicious as it looks, and yes, normal life feels good although the first week back was really exhausting. I slept in much longer on Sunday morning than I did for many years!
      I saw your new blog post shortly before I saw your comment here - glad you blog again!

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  4. I'm so very happy for you!! And I'm with you on not-formal gardens. I love what they call the cottage style. All kinds of flowers mixed together without spaces between them. Hope you had a nice time, but sorry about those darn schedules.

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    1. Thank you, Nan! It's been a lovely weekend so far, and not over yet, as today (Pentecost Monday) is a holiday here. The weather is sunny and warm without the stickiness a hot day in high summer can have. As for the schedules, they are a bit inconvenient but still doable, and I will probably going to get used to them, too.

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  5. I'm so glad that you are building up your fitness again and getting back to normal with your life. T I don't envy four weeks' worth of catching up though! But I bet everyone is glad to see you back at work. I imagine you'll get used to the new train schedules before long. The more familiar the routine, I find, the less I notice it.

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    1. That's true about routine, it just happens without thinking much about it after a while. The only trouble with the new schedule is the one connection going back which is rather tight; if my first train is only 2 or 3 minutes late (which is no exception), catching the second one becomes an adventure!
      Catching up at work was exhausting, but I am now in my second week and things are turning to normal now, the usual mix of meetings and working away silently at my desk.
      Running is also starting to get better - slow progress, but progress!

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  6. Just catching up after a little hiatus with visitors etc. I hope your progress is continuing. I'm sure I'll find out in the next post or two.

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    1. There are times when it feels as if the eye is not improving at all, rather the opposite. And then I have days when I think "oh, wow! This is good, really good!" It depends on how tired I am and how much I've been reading already during the day. But my doctor is still very happy with my progress, and therefore, I am not worried about the "bad" days.

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