Thursday 23 December 2021

Next Stop: Christmas!

Here is my little red London bus, on the way to its next stop: Christmas! 

Today is my last working day for this year; I will only pick up work again on the 10th of January. Two weeks off - such luxury, and so very welcome! 

And tomorrow is Christmas Eve, with my schedule looking like this: 1) Only get up when you've slept enough and are ready. 2) Open last door of Advent Calendar; Coffee; shower; dress. 3) Iron Thursday's washing. 4) Dust, hoover and wipe. 5) Wrap gifts. 6) Visit Hobbes (see further down). 7) Ring Mary (my mother-in-law in Yorkshire). 8) Put gifts in large bag and/or rucksack and walk to my parents'. 9) Celebrate Christmas Eve with parents, sister and friend.

I guess there will be a quick sandwich somewhere between 5) and 6), and probably a mug of coffee at around 7). It will be a busy day, but all at my own pace, not dictated by meeting schedules and calls from clients. Somehow, I find it hard to believe that Christmas is really already here again.

Most of December has been grey and wet here, but we have enjoyed the odd sunny day in between. Last Friday was such a day, and my sister and I met for a lunch break walk. And although I have been walking every day, it just felt so much better under a blue sky:


Another day, we met up after work for some errands and a walk in town. You already know that once again, we have no Christmas Market this year, in spite of the square being all lit up. Imagine our surprise when we rounded a corner at one of the two churches and saw - a stall!!! We were quite excited, wondering what they were selling - until we came closer and spotted the sign and saw the person behind the counter. 
Turning a Christmas market stall into a Covid testing station is symbolic for this entire 2021 Christmas season.

Remember what 6) on tomorrow's plan is? Meet Hobbes:


Hobbes is 17 years old and the last remaining of originally three feline siblings living with my American friends V and G. V has been my running partner for many years, and both of them have been part of my pub quiz team for just as long. A week ago, they have packed their suitcases and their two little girls and travelled to the US to be with their families for the holidays. 

They live only 5 minutes away from me, and so I have been walking over there every day since they have left. I place all their mail (and there is plenty) on the dining table, feed Hobbes, clean his toilet and take a quick tour of the ground floor flat, making sure all is in order. Then I take my paperback out and sit on the settee for a while. And although Hobbes allowed me to stroke him from the first day, it took until Day Four before he jumped up on my lap and settled for a good long cuddle. 

It is nice to look after a cat for a while. We have had cats living with us almost as long as I can remember, but since my last one died of old age in 2013, I have been without a pet. And to be honest - opening the smelly cat food and cleaning the smelly cat toilet reminds me of the few things that are not so nice about having a cat. Also, my clothes have not been full of cat hairs in a long time, and I need to replenish my sticky roller thing for cleaning up; after all, I will be visiting Hobbes until New Year's Eve.

The last set of pictures were sent to me yesterday from O.K. He started and finished work early enough to catch a bit of daylight and a beautiful sunset. It had been a frosty night and day with temperatures around -6C in the morning, and everything was covered in glittering frost, looking very beautiful:




I don't think I will have the time to write another post tomorrow, therefore let me now wish you all Merry Christmas today! May you and your loved ones all be safe and well. Thank you for sticking with me another year, reading and commenting on my blog.

32 comments:

  1. Hobbes looks enormous. Are his paws really thicker than your wrists?

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    1. As with so many things in life, it's all a matter of perspective.
      Hobbes is of average size, while my wrists really are a bit on the thin side.

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  2. Enjoy your holiday. Please keep showing us your lovely photos. Merry Christmas.

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    1. Merry Christmas to you, SueJay!
      As long as I (and O.K.) can go for walks and take photos, some will be shown here :-)

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  3. Hobbes looks like a treasure. I know one day I will be without cat (hopefully not soon) and I will miss that terribly. Have a very merry Christmas. It sounds busy -- but "good" busy!

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    1. It took me a while to get used to living cat-less, Jeanie, but then I was away a lot of the time, both for work and leisure, and it would have been very unfair to have another cat join me here.
      You too have a very merry Christmas!

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  4. Lovely post to close out the year dear Meike. You are such a wonderful blog friend in so many ways. My hope for the future, Bob's too, is that we can all meet in person some day, know we would have a lot of to talk about and it would be fun!
    Germany remains near the top of our travel list, we want to come back again very much.
    Meanwhile, life here is different this Christmas. Like last year we are not having a big Open House on Christmas Eve for several reasons, but Jasmin and her boyfriend will come by for a while to exchange gifts, raise a glass, eat the usual holiday nibbles I rustled up in my kitchen, and pull crackers! Christmas Day Bob and I will celebrate quietly together. That's OK with us though and it feels like just another part of the passage into old age. Thankfully we have good memories of busy, bustling holidays of Christmases past!

    Hobbes is gorgeous and your care schedule mimics mine when caring for Nala next door when my neighbor travel. I find it enjoyable always as I miss having my own kitty (our last one Tiny was with us for 21 years!) and then we starting traveling more.
    Enjoy the days of Christmas, and that nice long break from work, you've earned it this year! Bob and I send best wishes to you, O.K., and your families. Eat, drink and be merry as we celebrate the true meaning, and hopefully you will have nice weather and be able to take your lovely walks with O.K. and enjoy the sunsets. . . . . . . and sunrises, together!
    Happy Christmas Meike, and best wishes for the coming year.
    Hugs - Mary

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    1. Thank you, dear Mary, and the same to you!

      Yes, it's different for most people this year, although pretty similar to last year. Our government has banned all meetings above a certain number of people, no matter whether they are vaccinated or not. I shall have my booster jab next Monday.

      I love it when you post pictures of Nala! You probably did not have to catsit this year as much as before, "thanks" to the pandemic.

      Meeting up when you come to Germany next is a MUST! As you say, I am sure we would not run out of topics to talk about :-)

      Love & hugs
      Meike
      X


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  5. Enjoy your time off and have a wonderful Christmas!

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  6. Merry Christmas! I've been so busy that I've barely had time to read blogs or write posts or do anything much online. Today is my last day of running around getting things done, and also I'm going to see my parents and have lunch with them. Tonight I will finish some last minute baking and then tomorrow......relaxation and FUN! :) I hope you have a wonderful time with your family, and I'll see you on the other side!

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    1. Merry Christmas to you, too, dear friend!
      How wonderful that you can actually have lunch with your parents - not so long ago and they were both so ill.
      Enjoy your time of relaxation and FUN! :-)

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  7. Thank you for another year of reading your almost daily blog and feasting on your delightful photographs. Have a lovely Christmas and here's to an eventual Covid free time in the new year.

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    1. Thank you, dear Pat! I wish I could post as frequently as you - sometimes an entire week passes and I don't get round to it.
      You too have a lovely Christmas, enjoy that great meal your carer's mother will prepare for you, and stay safe & warm with your books, phone calls and TV programs.

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  8. Frohe Weihnachten und ein gluckliches neues Jahr, Meike.
    Schone Festtage !

    I can see the Adventskranz on your door or your neighbour's door, and hear the children singing carols in the rainy night.

    Felix Mendelssohn's Hark the Herald Angels Sing is everyone's favourite along with Stille Nacht.
    Jesus Christus the Saviour has come even if this selfish world has forgotten about Him.
    We wait in hope for His return. This is not a legend or a myth. It is reality.

    May your days be Merry and Bright.
    Jack (John) Haggerty

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    1. Thank you, Jack (John)!
      I was worried about you since your comments ceased to appear all of a sudden. Now I am glad to see you are still around.

      No Adventskranz on my door, but there is one on my coffee table, hand-made by the gardener where we usually buy our wreaths.
      It would be lovely to hear people singing carols in the night, but I'm afraid what I hear when I open my windows in the dark is the odd car passing by and not much else. We'll have to do the singing ourselves tomorrow night at my parents'.
      By the way, Oh Du Fröhliche is one of my favourites. Stille Nacht is of course irresistible, and there are many more that never fail to bring tears to my eyes.

      What a lovely wish. May your days be Merry and Bright as well.
      Meike

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  9. Hope you have a lovely, well-paced Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Thank you for sharing so many wonderful photographs, tales of the Black Forest (lol) and some of your life and times on the blog.

    Peace be with you, O.K., Mutti, Vater and Schwester.

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    1. Thank you, Mary, and peace and joy to you, too!
      I am glad that my somewhat repetitive tales of the Black Forest, pictures of sunsets and so have not yet bored all my readers to the point of leaving :-)

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  10. Merry Christmas to you, my dear!! I am looking at the lovely card that you sent to us. It is so lovely, thank you so much. I do hope you have received our card but if not, perhaps it will bring you joy when it does!
    Peace and Love!

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    1. Merry Christmas, dear Kay, to you and your family!
      Your card is not yet here; maybe it will arrive today or then after Christmas. But no matter when, it will always bring me joy to know that someone so far away whom I have never met in person has become my friend!

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  11. Happy Christmas Meike and have a lovely time. I enjoyed reading your post today and about how you are looking after Hobbes. When I look after my brother's cats I always sit for an hour with them and read too. Although I do not comment here very often I pop across from time to time to see your walks and photos and, of course, I always see your comments on Weaver's blog. Rachel

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    1. Hello Rachel, and Merry Christmas to you, too! Yes, Weaver‘s blog is how we know each other. Nice to know you do that, too, read and sit with the cats.

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  12. Looks like a really busy day, Meike. Dropped in to wish you ac vrery Merry Christmas. Stay safe and have a lovely time. Thank you for reading ABAB and leaving such lovely comments!

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    1. Thank YOU for reading and commenting here, and for putting together such great posts on ABAB, always very interesting, informative and entertaining! Believe it or not, although I bought your ebook ages ago, I have not yet gotten round to reading it.

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  13. Merry Christmas my dear friend! How sweet of you to look after Hobbes. He looks like a very loving cat. I hope you and your loved ones all have a wonderful Christmas! Thank you for your friendship!

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    1. Thank YOU, dear Bonnie, and a very Merry Christmas to you, too!

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  14. And I thank you for brightening my world.

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  15. Hope you had a lovely Christmas, and have a relaxing break. Cats are lovely, especially if you borrow them.

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    1. Thank you, Cathy, I did! I hope your Christmas was lovely, too.

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  16. Hope you had a good Christmas! The frosty photos from OK are lovely, quite magic!

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    1. Thank you, Monica, I did! That‘s what I thought when he sent me the photos.

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