After my many and varied birthday-related activities, the working week was short at only three days. It meant I had to catch up and squeeze as many of my regular tasks into those three days, so by the time the weekend (and O.K.!) was here again, I felt as exhausted as after five days of work.
The Dalesman's March issue arrived on the 23rd, looking very Easter-like. The magazine regularly features a walk, and this time it was OUR walk - the one from Ripon to Fountains Abbey and back, a walk I could do in my sleep (and actually sometimes walk in my mind to help me getting to sleep). It made me quite nostalgic, wondering when I will have the chance to be there again.
On Thursday, I met Mr. and Mrs. Easter-Bunny a few minutes before sunset on a bit of open woodland at the edge of town, discussing logistics as to where they should start distributing chocolate eggs and other treats this year.
On Friday evening, O.K. and I made use of several of my birthday presents at once: The red wine was part of my parents' large gift box, the cheese board and knife were also from my parents, and the cheese itself was bought using vouchers for a specialist cheese shop in town given to me by my sister - my idea of the perfect start of the weekend!
Saturday was rather cold with very strong winds and fast moving clouds, but the sun lured us out. We wrapped up warmly against the wind and went walking to Asperg and the castle on the hill that you have seen many times before on my blog.
Signs of spring are everywhere now, even if the trees are still mostly bare. We took a different route on the way back, passing the lake. The clouds were getting darker, making for a rather Gothic atmosphere around the ruins of the church on one of the small islands in the lake.
Sunday was much warmer, and saw us out on the fields in our running shoes before a very late and leisurely breakfast. It was also the day the clocks changed for us (same as in the UK, I think).
And since Monday, we have been having the nicest spring weather you can imagine, a bit warmer every day, with 23 Celsius forecast for today! It won't last all over the long Easter weekend, but I hope to make the most of it when and if I can.
It's not easy to squeeze a five day work week into three days is it? I'm sure it was worth it to enjoy your long birthday weekend though. I enjoyed these pictures and especially Mr. & Mrs. Bunny making their Easter plans! You have some interesting and beautiful sky pictures there too. Our weather has been something like yours, feeling like Spring one day and then several days of cold, wet and windy weather. We'll all get there eventually. I hope the remainder of your work week is good!
ReplyDeleteIt's been a rather good week, work-wise. Some meetings were cancelled, opening up a few time windows to actually get some work done! Also, the weather was (and is) so beautiful, my walks have felt almost summer-like.
DeleteJust as Athene sprung from the head of Zeus, so will spring burst out suddenly in your glorious Germany.
ReplyDeleteToday in Glasgow, Scotland, it was cold and greyish too.
I attended vespers in the Greek Orthodox Cathedral (St Luke's) near my home, and afterwards I noticed small leaves scuttling along the street in the wind.
It felt more like autumn, reminding me of Hemingway's description of *the goblin spring* of Paris in his book A Movable Feast.
Belated birthday greetings. Many Happy Returns !
Glad you have good reading in The Dalesman.
J Haggerty
Thank you, John!
DeleteSpring has sprung almost straight into summer, it seems; we've been having temperatures around 24 Celsius and wall-to-wall sunshine this week. Apparently, we're in for a bit of a roller coaster over Easter and next week, but that's what April is usually like here.
Good to hear you are having some nice weather and were able to make the most of it. After reaching 28c last Friday, we had torrential rain on Sunday and yesterday and now we are in for a few cold days with highs around 4c and lows of 0c along with very high winds. Will have to cover some plants on my deck the next two nights. Next week looks a bit better with 17-20c for highs. Up and down, up and down.
ReplyDeleteThat is a rather extreme up and down, Mary! I know we could see the odd snowflake before April is over, but right now it feels so balmy I don't want to think of putting my winter coat back on once more! As I will be away until Tuesday morning, I wonder whether I should bring my mini garden indoors, just in case...
DeleteBy all means bring it in. Better safe than sorry, so the saying goes. Will it fit on your kitchen windowsill?
DeleteYou are right, Jill, better safe than sorry. I will move it to the Third Room where it won't be exposed to direct sunlight without me around to water it every day.
DeleteDear friends and readers,
ReplyDeleteA nasty spam comment was left on this post - not for the first time, and most likely it won‘t have been for the last time. I do not tolerate spam on my blog, and delete such comments as soon as I spot them. A genuine comment was left in reply to the spam comment - I had tomdelete that one, too, because it would not have made sense as a stand-alone comment.
Please do not react to spam comments by replying to them. They do not deserve your attention and time. In other words: Don‘t feed the trolls.
Thank you, and happy Easter!
Very belated birthday greetings Meike. Sorry I have not called round for a little while. Sounds like you had another lovely birthday celebration. Did you know that in English someone who is addicted to cheese is called a turophile? Hypnotherapy may help you to subdue your cheese addiction - assuming of course that you wish to do that.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Do trolls eat cheese?
Thank you, Neil!
DeleteSo far, I have not found my cheese addiction to be a problem - it is easily available, I can afford it without having to resort to criminal activities, and it is largely accepted in society.
And yes, I believe trolls eat cheese. They will grab whatever they can get.
"The Dalesman" is a nice sort of magazine, and I hope too that you will be able to return to Yorkshire before long. I'm glad you have obviously been having such a nice Easter. This weather pattern of warm and cold days seems to be almost worldwide at the moment, at least in the Western Hemisphere! What a super bunch of presents, specially the voucher for the cheese shop. It is always a thrill to be able to buy something that you otherwise might not for cost reasons. What beautiful ruins in your "Gothic" picture! I hope you enjoy Easter Monday.
ReplyDeleteOh, one thing I was going to ask is, do Germans celebrate April Fools Day? I know the French have "April Fish" and we have "April Fool" and so it looks as if we might have got the idea from the French rather than the Germanic side of our culture.
Yes, we do know April Fool‘s Day in Germany. Here, it is called sending someone into April when you pull a prank or play a trick on them. I must say I am not at all a fan of it, but sometimes our local paper comes up with a rather funny story which is an April Fool‘s prank - most of the time, rather obviously, but sometimes quite clever.
DeleteI cannot pass by this way without saying that your weekend started perfectly in my books!
ReplyDeleteIt certainly did, David! And this past weekend, the Easter weekend, did too. Back to work tomorrow ( Tuesday).
DeleteLike you, I walk along the seafront in Eastbourne like you walk in Yorkshire-just in my own mind! And I truly love the sound of that cheese. Something else I appreciate in England is cheese! 😊 Do you know when I have to give instruction at work to a co worker and it is something that must be done only on its own...all by itself...I will sing "The cheese stands alone!" It is from a game we played as kids but I'm old so nobody knows it! I'll have to look it up.
ReplyDeleteThe cheese stands alone? That sounds like a fun game :-)
DeleteI remember when I was little, some of the kids at kindergarden hated cheese with a passion - something I could never understand!
Jenny Woolf said I would like your blog and she's right. She'd recently shared with me some info on Fountains Abbey and after seeing that -- and your post -- I know I must add it to a one-day itinerary (hopefully 2022). I can see why you make that walk in your head to offer a peaceful vision before sleeping! Much joy in your new birth year. I am delighted to follow!
ReplyDeleteHello Jeanie, and welcome to my blog! How kind of you to pop over from Jenny Woolf's, taking the time to read and comment.
DeleteFountains Abbey is one of my favourite places in the entire world. Not that I have seen the entire world, but you know what I mean.