On the Monday, both trains taking me from Offenburg to Ludwigsburg were on time. My cherry tree was in full swing and allowed me to pick a small bowl for my elderly neighbour; she'll be 90-something on July 6, and in previous years I brought her cherries for her birthday - not anymore, since they ripen much earlier now.
I went for a good long walk after work but did not take photos.
Tuesday was spent at my client's office, where I went on a short walk with my client during our lunch break. On my way home I got off the train in Zuffenhausen, walking from there via Stammheim and across the fields back to Ludwigsburg. I enjoyed that walk of about 10.5 km - taking just under two hours - very much, as it is one I have done only once before (some time last year), and the weather was very pleasant.
I had to take an early train into Stuttgart on Wednesday morning for my regular appointment with my eye doctor. My operations are now a year ago, and my doctor is still very happy with how it all turned out - and so am I!
After work, I went to see my parents.
Thursday was a public holiday in my part of Germany - Fronleichnam (Corpus Christi). O.K. and I spent the day separately, as he had to play with the village band for the procession through the village (it is a mainly Catholic village), and we were both working the next day.
After a morning of doing household stuff, I joined my sister at her allotment for the afternoon and went for a walk on my own quite late, returning home at 10:30 pm.
It had steadily become warmer during the week, reaching almost 30C by Friday. O.K. arrived at my place relatively late, so we only had a light supper with two bottles of well-chilled beer.
Saturday was hot at about 33C, but we so wanted to go for a run and knew it had to be early. And indeed we managed to get up so that we could catch the relative fresh morning air. We'd not been running together since February, which was the last time I had done any running at all - it showed, but the 5 km went well enough. We spent the afternoon with my sister at the allotment, enjoying the shade of the large trees and cool drinks.
Then it was time to go home, freshen up and change: We had tickets for a wine tasting at our favourite wine bar, a birthday present from my Mum. And a very pleasant night out it was! The tasting started at 7:30 pm and lasted until 10.
When we left the wine bar, it was still very warm, and many people were out and about. Of course, we had come to the wine tasting on foot, and our way home lead us across the market square. For a minute or so, we just stood still on the square, taking in the atmosphere - the soft murmur of a multitude of people chatting, laughing, clinking glasses, and the night-blue sky above the square. It was quite wonderful and had a mediterranean feel to it.
Hopefully, the above video works for you - I have not uploaded videos here in a long time.
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| Glimpse of one of the churches on the market square through a gate to a court yard off the main road |
Sunday, June 19, was too hot at 35C to do anything much. We went to see my parents at 10:00 in the morning, which was just the right time, and had a late breakfast afterwards. The rest of the day was spent relaxing in the darkened living room, sipping water, watching TV, reading and snoozing.
When O.K. left at 9:30 pm, I caught the last of the evening light and the sunset on a short walk on the fields, returning home an hour later.
The whole week was what summer should be like, only the Sunday was a bit too hot for my liking. I enjoyed the night out with O.K. very much, and one of the wines we tasted is definitely going to make a good present for someone I know :-)
I picked a bowl of cherries every evening that week for my desert, and shared some with my parents and my neighbour.
The video worked for me. So beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it did - thank you for letting me know, Sandi.
DeleteI enjoyed the video! I love pictures and videos of your home, Meike. Everything is so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHow I envy your fresh cherries! It's far too hot to grow them here (or, rather, there aren't enough chill hours in the winter for the trees to fruit properly) so they're terribly expensive when they show up in the grocery store. I did get a call from one of the teachers at my school, letting me know that the blueberry bushes in our wildlife/pollinator garden was loaded with berries. When I was up there yesterday checking on the aquariums I picked several cups worth and brought them home. They're so sweet and delicious! I can't wait for the young blueberry bushes we planted at our home get big enough to start producing. Blueberries aren't as good as cherries, but they're pretty good!
It sounds like you're having a very pleasant summer. I'm glad! It's always good to hear about what you're doing. :)
Thank you, Jennifer! I like blueberries, too, and often have them on top of my muesli or just on their own. Who looks after the garden at your school during the holidays? I guess that during the school year, it is the students' responsibility; certainly a good way for them to learn.
DeleteSo far, my summer has been good - and now yours is, too, after the miserable start you had.
I didn't realize that Germany was so religious and many of your national holidays are church-related.
ReplyDeleteI liked your video and it was fun to hear the busy sounds of people enjoying an evening out!
You certainly seem to make the most of your life, Meike. You are a good example for me!
Thank you, Ellen - you make me blush; I usually do not see myself as an example to others, as many people would call me selfish.
DeleteMost of our holidays are indeed church-related, with the exception of May Day and the 3rd of October which is when we celebrate East and West Germany's reunion.
The majority of people here do neither know nor care what holiday it is, as long as they get the day off!
You sound to have had a really pleasant Summery week - here it has been rather chilly and at last we have had some rain.
ReplyDeleteIt was mostly pleasant, apart from the Sunday, but even that was made pleasant by us just resting; fortunately, we did not have to "be" anywhere or "do" anything.
DeleteNot sure who you are, Anonymous - is it Pat?
Those buildings look so beautiful and haunting all lit up!
ReplyDeleteThe market square is one of the most beautiful parts of Ludwigsburg, apart from the palaces and palace grounds, obviously. I don't know how long exactly you have been reading my blog, but maybe you have not yet seen the square all decorated and lit up with the Christmas market; there are pictures of that on my blog, too.
DeleteWhat a really lovely and heart-warming post. The video reminded me of many happy times years ago mainly in France and Italy on holiday. I am very sad to say that from what I have been told our own towns tend to be very rowdy places on Friday and Saturday nights these days. I can't say from personal experience because it's more years than I can recall since I was last in a city centre at night.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Graham!
DeleteThere definitely was a holiday atmosphere about the place that night, so your comparison with France and Italy fits.
I keep hearing that about city centres in the UK at night. Even a small city like Ripon seems a very different place at night, not the cosy small-town atmosphere you get during the day. Many years ago, my late husband and I regularly went to Scarborough on holiday. One evening we were out a little later than usual and walked back to our B&B via the centre. It was very rowdy and I was appalled at the behaviour of some very young, very drunk and very un-dressed people.
What a beautifully written post. I can just see that night sky, feel myself dozing in the heat and taste those fresh cherries. Now, if only I could walk the long distances that you do!
ReplyDeleteNot on that day we didn't!
DeleteThank you, Kay, for saying that. I always hope to bring across what I want to say, and it is good to know that I succeed every now and then :-)
Loved the video, it sounded very lively. Your neighbour is lucky to have you and the cherries. An enjoyable read.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cathy! I am lucky to have her as one of my neighbours, too. Hopefully she will be around for many more years… but she‘s in her 90s now.
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