Wednesday, 29.04.2020
I travelled to O.K.'s by train, having to wear my mask (see a few posts back) from the moment I crossed the street to the train station until we arrived at O.K.'s car when he picked me up, for about 3 hours. It is not much fun wearing a mask, especially not when you also wear glasses, but after the first 10 minutes or so, I found breathing easier.
There weren't many people about at the stations or on the trains; about three other passengers dotted across the car I found a place in, so it was easy to keep one's distance, and I had no qualms removing my mask a few times to drink from my water bottle.
Early afternoon we met on the large terrace behind O.K.'s parents' house, where we had coffee and cake with them. Only the immediate family was present (the parents, O.K. and I, his sister and her husband) plus one neighbour who had come unannounced - something I would not have done, to be honest, but nobody sent her away and she left after a glass of sparkling wine.
As the afternoon slowly shifted to evening and it became chilly, we went inside - still keeping our distance from the others - and had a delicious meal there. A nice start to my holiday, feeling almost "normal" but not quite.
Thursday, 30.04.2020
The next day brought rain that was both very necessary and welcome. We made a slow, relaxing day of it, with O.K. doing a spot of shopping while I remained at the cottage. There was a short walk before it rained again.
Friday, 01.05.2020
The 1st of May is a bank holiday in Germany (like almost every else, I believe). Weatherwise, it was a mixed bag with sun, clouds and some rain. We rested, I spent some time reading, there was a walk, and O.K. grilled lamb steaks and sausages in the evening.
At 6:00 pm, all members of the village band were encouraged to step out of their houses, on their balconies or play out of their windows. The song chosen was "Der Mai ist gekommen", German for "May has arrived".
The days before, almost everyone in the band had filmed themselves playing the song on their own, and sent the videos in so that one video was put together. You can see and hear it here:
When it was played live, I could not hear much of the other band members - the village is small, but not that small! Still, it was a touching gesture, and definitely something special.
Saturday, 02.05.2020
Again, a sprinkle of rain; we mainly spent the day cleaning and tidying, but there was a walk as well and I had time to read and rest.These two pictures were taken during our walk and show well how unsettled the weather still was.
Sunday, 03.05.2020
O.K.'s birthday was here, and of course we had no proper party planned.
Unexpectedly, two friends turned up in the morning - we did not send them away but did not ask them in, either. Instead, we talked outside at a distance. They brought presents, and our chatting made the same neighbour who had come for O.K.'s Dad's birthday come out of her house and join us - something we definitely had not planned on.
In the evening, his parents, his sister and her husband came over; we sat dotted around the living room as far away from each other as possible, sharing a bottle of sparkling wine and ordering pizza.
Although the pizza itself was something of a disappointment - it was almost cold by the time it arrived - it was nice to spend time with the family and make the day special.
What a wonderful start to your holiday! How fun that you got to celebrate two special birthdays too. The band video was a nice way to get people together on a special day. I love the two pictures from your walk. What is that red flower? The gently rolling hills in the second picture are just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThe red flower is a poppy, Bonnie. Yes, the countryside around the village is really beautiful, which is one reason why I like spending my weekends there :-)
DeleteHappy Birthday to OK and to his DAD! (A little late wishes but please give them to them anyway!)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the song and that they recorded separately and then, put it together. It sounds so good!
And I am glad that you wore a mask! I know what you mean about wearing glasses with a mask. In fact, I am looking things up now about ways of making a piece in fit inside that will make the mask more "fitted" for my nose...this involves pipe cleaners, pieces of tin foil, the plastic bits around a loaf of bread...wish me luck! Just one of those, not all of them all together! Wish me luck! :-)
Thank you, Kay! Good wishes are always appreciated.
DeleteWhen I heard about what they meant to do with the song - recording it seperately and putting it together afterwards - I wasn't sure it was going to work, but it did, didn't it.
On my trip home from O.K.'s, I wore my mask for 2 1/2 hours, and my glasses weren't fogging up; it was a warm day. When I went shopping the next day, it was cold outside, and the fogging up was so bad I had to take both my glasses and my mask off briefly because I couldn't see a thing.
It's a little late, but please pass along my very best wishes for a Happy Birthday and Many More to both O.K. and your dad! I'm glad you got to see your family and O.K. and a few friends, even if it was from a safe distance!
ReplyDeleteI've had a tough time with my glasses fogging up whenever I wear a mask. Nothing I've tried seems to help much. I CAN wear contact lenses, but I feel safer in glasses when I go out (I think it's less likely that I'll unconsciously touch my eyes when I'm wearing them).
Speaking of family, my mother is mad with me. She wants me to come visit, and since her and my dad have NOT been socially distancing I don't feel like I can take the chance. Part of that is for their protection, as well. They both have health problems (especially my dad) and I could be a carrier. My mom thinks this is all overblown and that I'm being silly and she all but accused me of using the virus as an excuse to not see them and "act like part of the family". Sigh. Cherish your good relationship with your parents, Meike. You're very lucky.
Thank you, Jennifer! As I have said to Kay, good wishes are always appreciated.
DeleteI have no choice but to wear my glasses, I'm blind as a mole without them!
Sorry to hear about your mother's unreasonable sulking. I do indeed cherish the good relationships within my family, it is worth so much.
It isn't fun wearing a mask all the time anywhere you go. It actually mask me depressed but here in the US to isn't going to change anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteI find it very odd to see only the upper half of people's faces. Also, I notice with myself that I am a lot less talkative than normal when I wear a mask. But I, too, guess masks will be part of our daily lives for quite a while.
DeleteI'm impressed with the video. Not being all that musical myself, I can't imagine how one gets that to work. (But then I wouldn't be able to play in a band in the first place...)
ReplyDeleteThe "secret" was in that the band's conductor sent out a video of himself playing the song before, along with the sheet music, so that they all knew exactly how it should be played. The young woman who put it together did a nice job, didn't she, with the photos of blossoms and so on.
DeleteAh, I suppose I should have thought of that (video conducting). Somehow my mind just went blank trying to understand how they could get "in sync" with separate recordings... Yes, I agree that the whole visual layout is very nicely done too. :)
DeleteIt was the first time they have ever done anything like this, and although there is room for improvement, I think everyone did really well.
DeleteIt looks as though your vacation got off to a very good start. Lovely photos. I am surprised at the neighbor who kept showing up, but perhaps she was just lonely. I really enjoyed the video of the band. They are quite good! Being part of such a group is a fine thing to do....Someone suggested to me that putting the glasses on after the mask might work better, but I am sure it has something to do with the size of the glasses.
ReplyDeleteThe neighbour showing up was just curious, I believe. She lives with her husband, her grown-up daughter and her grandson in one house, plus she still goes into work every day, so she is probably not lonely.
DeleteI always make sure my glasses cover the rim of my mask and not the other way round. Still can't avoid fogging altogether, especially not when the air outside is as cold as it has been this week.
I think the wonders of modern communications have been brought into our everyday lives so much more. Having a son who lives away half the time and The Family in New Zealand I've been used to it on a one to one basis but now we all do it for our virtual coffees and seeing the bands playing as one is really an achievement however simple you may make it sound. When I think of the days when we had to book a phone call to speak to someone abroad (which was the case when I was young) this instant visual communication for a meeting between people in different countries is really astonishing.
ReplyDeleteI well do remember the time before the internet, before mobile and smart phones, too. Instead of online shopping, we filled in an ordering postcard from a catalogue (do Argos still print catalogues, I wonder?), and wrote letters to friends and family (which we still do to an extent, of course).
DeleteAs for the band video, I know it wasn't that simple, but they did it, and everyone who contributed did their best!
How times change - and now everyday occasions such as birthdays, have taken on a life of their own. We see lines of cars go by with streamers, balloons, writing on the windows, people tossing gifts etc. - for social distanced children's birthdays, anniversaries and such. Nice but noisy!
ReplyDeleteI can imagine how noisy this must be, but as you say, such occasions have taken on a life of their own. Hopefully, there are not too many drive-by celebrations in your street; it would drive (!) me mad :-)
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