For me, the beautiful month of May ended with another weekend at O.K.'s.
Friday, the 29th, was a busy day in terms of work; we had organised a meeting for about 30 privacy officers from our region. It lasted all day, and I needed to take care of household and other things afterwards, which meant I travelled to O.K. only on the Saturday.
In between the all-day meeting and starting on household work, for the first time since the whole Corona situation began, I had coffee with my upstairs neighbour. We sat well apart in her living room, and I left after half an hour, but it was nice to catch up with her after we've been chatting only very briefly when we happened to see each other on the stairs or in front of the house.
Saturday, May 30, was beautiful and sunny. I arrived at O.K.'s around lunch time, and we met with his parents, sister and her husband at their allotment for a BBQ. A quick sundowner for just the two of us on O.K.'s balcony followed, before it became too chilly to sit outside.
Sunday was sunny and warm again, and hiking in the woods offered welcome shade. We started in Ortenberg, climbing the hill behind the castle and went on a circuit of about 16 km until we were back at the car in Ortenberg.
View of Ortenberg castle from half way up the hill shortly after the start of our hike:
Foxgloves - there were many more growing along the way:
Monday, the 1st of June, was a Bank Holiday here. Therefore I did not have to travel back to Ludwigsburg in the evening, which gave us time for a relaxed BBQ on O.K.'s balcony with pollo fino and a nicely chilled rosé wine, very welcome after the hike.
Lovely skies. I've just spent 5 minutes switching between those last three photographs trying to reconcile their slightly different angles.
ReplyDeleteO.K. took a panoramic photo, but I am not very good at that, so I simply took in the same view from slightly different angles.
DeleteI'm not complaining. I don't know about panoramic photos - they sound a bit naff!
DeleteThey appear on some of my posts. When you click on them, they enlarge. But even though they can look really good, they can still not convey quite all of what the human eye takes in - plus the sounds, scent, general atmosphere. Our minds are so much better at processing "live" information, aren't they!
DeleteAnother lovely walk in beautiful countryside, you must have felt wonderful - if tired - at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteThe uphill bits really make me all sweaty and breathless, but otherwise I can walk for hours without tiring much. Anyway, the meal and drinks on the balcony later were very welcome!
DeleteThe countryside looks so pretty - I love foxgloves; I have a few in my garden - pink, white and white with pink spots. It has warmed up nicely here too although we are getting haar of the North Sea and it is slow to clear.
ReplyDeleteWe've been seeing plenty of pink foxgloves on our recent walks and hikes, very few white ones. I wonder what influences their colour.
DeleteIt is now much colder after the start of the month was very warm, if not to say hot.
You certainly are able to walk to some wonderful vistas with O.K. Just looking out over the valleys makes me want to breathe a sigh of contentment.
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, Mary, I sigh as well - as much with relief as with contentment after climbing up the hills!
DeleteSo beautiful! I love foxgloves and we don't have them growing wild here. They are so special.
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful, aren't they - such a splash of colour in the middle of the woods.
DeleteWow! Your hikes are always so spectacular! I love the views you share with us. How lucky you are to be able to get out and about in such beauty! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteIt means a lot to me. I don't know how I'd be able to keep my mental balance without such walks and hikes.
DeleteEverything is so beautiful! In fact, your third picture is now my desktop background. :) I love all those foxgloves. Do they just grow wild or did someone plant them?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got to visit with your neighbor, and had another weekend with O.K.
That's lovely to know, Jennifer, I feel honoured! (About one of my pictures being your current desktop background)
DeleteThe foxbloves grow wild, just like the poppies along fields do.
I did feel a little bad about not having a chat with my neighbour for so long; she is kind and friendly, and every four weeks she does my part of cleaning the staircase. I give her money for that but that's not the base of our relationship.
Beautiful photographs! I especially love the wooded views. Do the daytime temperatures remain comfortable for hiking in the summer there?
ReplyDeleteNot really, Bonnie. It gets hot there, too, but of course among the trees you will always find shade and it always feels a little cooler in the woods than in town, where the stone buildings and roads give off more heat.
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