Thursday 8 September 2022

Last Days of August, First Days of September

The week spanning August 29 to September 4 was busy, which explains why I did not go on many walks and only have a few photos to share.

My trip back from O.K.'s on Monday (August 29) morning involved a last-minute change, as my usual train was cancelled - luckily, O.K. heard about it on the radio while I was in the shower, and we made it to the train station in time for me to catch a connection half an hour earlier. Apart from work, I went on an errand for my parents which meant going to my parents' first to pick up medical documents, then to their GP, then to the pharmacy and then pack to them.

Like Monday, Tuesday was bright and sunny all day and rather warm. I managed a nice long after-work walk of 2 1/4 hours. The anticipated evening light was not quite as golden as I had expected, but the grey clouds building up in the west made for interesting skyscapes.




Wednesday was a mix of clouds and sun. My sister and I went to see our parents after work.

On Thursday (1st of September), I worked on site at my client's, now firmly installed in "my" "new" office (it is neither really mine nor is it really new, but you know what I mean). It was the hottest day of the week, and my client and I only went for a very short walk after lunch, sticking to tree-lined paths as we would not have been comfortable in the midday sun in our business clothes.

It was also the day my Dad was admitted to hospital again, this time for a planned operation that was going to take place the next day. 

On the way back from work, I got off the train one stop before Ludwigsburg and walked the rest of the way across the fields; it was cooler then and it only takes about 45 minutes to reach my parents' place. My sister had already been there for a few hours, and I joined her and my Mum in sorting and shifting things; my parents have now swapped bedrooms so that my Dad has everything on one level and my Mum sleeps upstairs. She can manage the in-flat stairs, my Dad not anymore.

Friday after work saw me and my sister back at Mum's to continue the work begun the day before. We learned from the hospital that Dad's operation had not quite gone as planned and had to be aborted half way through; the most important part had been done, though, and he was awake and breathing on his own. My Mum was allowed to visit the next day.

O.K. arrived at my place at around 8:00 pm. For our evening meal, I made a kind of Asian inspired stew of vegetables and wok noodles in a creamy coconut-oil based sauce with red curry paste and cashew nuts. Chilled rosé fitted it well.

We went out for breakfast on Saturday late morning (actually it was around lunch time for most people), sharing our table with up to 8 wasps at a time. They were particularly drawn to the apricot jam on my plate, and as long as they were feeding on that, I was fine. Still, it wasn't the most relaxed breakfast I ever had! Afterwards, we remained in town for a round through our favourite shops, stopping for an espresso in between, before returning home for a couple of hours. 

At 7:00 pm, we met with my Mum and my sister at the Indian restaurant round the corner from me. It was very busy and extremely noisy, but we had booked the table and were hungry enough to stay. The meal was excellent, as always, and after a while, the noise subsided somewhat; conversation was only really possible with the person directly in front of you. Still, it did our Mum good to be out for a meal and talk things through with us; she'd been to see our Dad in the afternoon.

On Sunday, my breakfast order of freshly baked croissants and rolls wasn't there - someone must have gotten to it before I did! It's been about two years now that I have been ordering with that service regularly; it was the first time this happened. Of course I didn't have anything else at home for breakfast, and so I had to get dressed and walk to the bakery (the same one where I order from) and buy everything again. 

We went for a round of slow jogging/quick walking of about 8.3 km on the fields, then after showering had our late breakfast. A bit of a rest was in order then, before we set off for an afternoon walk. For our evening meal, I pepared the Hokkaido pumpkin as described in my previous post. O.K. left just before 8:30 pm and was home about 1 1/2 hours later in spite of busy motorways.

14 comments:

  1. Your first four photos were as autumnal as an old song.
    Angelina Jordan *The Autumn Leaves* YouTube.
    The third photo (big sky, look-out post) held me spellbound.
    John Donne said it will always be autumn in heaven : I see Heaven as May-June.
    For me the Fall as the Americans call it, is too sad for words.
    *I hate to see the summer go,* Lee Remick said in Elia Kazan's Wild River.
    Take the first sentence of A Moveable Feast. *Then the bad weather came.*
    No writer described autumn in Paris, with its winds and rains, like Hemingway.
    Your new office has a real view, though I know you work too hard for window gazing.
    I enjoy upstairs restaurants like the top floor of Bewley's Cafe Dublin (YouTube).
    Your office unit would be my ideal German cafe in autumn: coffee & cake.
    8 wasps, apricot jam & an espresso in between could be the start of a haiku.
    Call it Hokkaido Pumpkin.
    You might enjoy the novel *Sweet Bean Paste* by Durian Sukegawa.
    Jack Haggerty

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    1. That path along the hedge with the look-out is a firm favourite with my after-work walks. I love it in all kinds of weather and times of day.

      Late summer/early autumn always makes me feel torn between wanting to hang on to summer and loving the abundance and richness in colours, fruit, nuts and berries of autumn. I want to keep having long walks in daylight but I also like cosy early nights in with good books to read, TV to watch, games to play, food to eat and red wine to drink (as opposed to the chilled rosés and whites of summer).

      Kaffee und Kuchen in a café in autumn or winter, looking out at the world outside and people carrying umbrellas walking past, is a very nice pastime.

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  2. Hope your Dad is able to return home soon. Sorry the surgery didn't quite go as planned. It is wonderful for your Mom that you and your sister are nearby.
    The weeks certainly fly by but you certainly them with lots of activities.

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    1. Today I am going to see my Dad for the first time since he went to hospital last Thursday. We are not allowed to visit all three of us at the same time; my Mum is going every day, of course, and my sister has been with her for three days in a row now. He tires quickly and visits do not last long, but it is important that he sees familiar faces (as far as our masks allow) and hears familiar voices.

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  3. Sorry your Dad is having a bumpy road just now and hope he'll soon be able to come home. Having the room change will be a big help to both of them. I like your new office.

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    1. Thank you, Jill. It's early days yet, only a week since his operation and he is still in IC. I will see him today and hope that, like my sister has done during the week, will be able to cheer him up a little.

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  4. Sending good thoughts for your father's recovery and strength for your mother, your sister and you as you meet the challenges ahead. Never easy, but so glad you have each other. Mary

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  5. I loved the word "skyscape" but I cannot recall every using it myself. As for lunches, I am currently cooking traditional Swabian egg noodles that I bought in Lidl - naturally thinking of you! We will have them with leftover bolognese sauce from last night. They'd better be good!

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    1. I was not even sure whether the word skyscape is real, but it seemed fitting as opposed to landscape.
      I don‘t shop af Lidl, simply because my nearest supermarket is Aldi, so I have no idea what their noodles are like. As for Swabian egg noodles, if they mean Spätzle, nothing beats handmade ones, and they are really easy and quick to make.

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  6. I hope your dad rallies, it is so upsetting when someone is in and out of hospital and it was a very good idea to take your mum out. It sounds as if you had some lovely meals and things to eat. Shame about the croissants. I have not heard of bakeries offering that service in England but I am assuming it is a local independent baker. It's a good idea.

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    1. It is still only one and a half weeks since my Dad‘s big OP, and early days with plenty of room for improvement. Not easy, to be honest.
      Not sure about bakeries in England offering home delieveris; here, this particular bakery (independent business with 11 or so shops dotted around Ludwigsburg) has started their Brezel Taxi during lockdown.

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  7. You do go on beautiful walks!

    I am just catching up now, sorry to hear things did not go great with your dad's op, but hoping we will recover well, I am thinking of him and your family.

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    1. Thank you, Laura. Your kind words are much appreciated.

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