Last Week of September

The last week of September saw me returning to work, which thankfully was not very stressful, with of my clients being on holiday now. That enabled me to finish early, so I could go to hospital and see my Dad almost every day. Of course I still have to work a certain amount of hours a week as per my contract, but starting as early as 6:15 some mornings and no meetings in the afternoons meant I could leave the house much earlier than what is usually possible.

On Monday, Sept. 26, the regular meeting for my volunteer work was canceled and so I had time for a hospital visit after that first day back at work. Afterwards, my sister and I walked through the palace grounds on our way home.

Tuesday, Sept. 27, brought the usual pattern of work, going to the testing station and then to hospital. 

I was meeting a friend at the ice cream parlour afterwards; she had invited me for an end-of-season ice cream, and it was really good to see her, even though the day was actually too chilly for ice creams. My friend has been in a similar situation with both her parents some years ago, but we also talked about our recent holidays, things happening in our town and so on.

In the palace grounds, after the rain

 

Nothing different on Wednesday, Sept. 28; I spent a quiet evening at home, not even talking to O.K. who has band practice on Wednesday nights.

I went home with my Mum on Thursday, Sept. 29 after hospital. It had been a good day for my Dad.

No hospital visit for me on Friday, Sept. 30 - I was invited to a wedding! It took place at an unusual location: The Straßenbahn-Museum (tramway/streetcar museum) in Stuttgart. 

The actual ceremony was held inside an old tram, and afterwards we walked the short distance to the restaurant where a late wedding lunch was held. The ceremony had been beautiful, the food was excellent, and meeting the other guests - some of whom I've known for many years, while others I had never met before - was nice. I also enjoyed dressing up, something I have done very rarely over the past two years.

After finishing my usual cleaning round on Saturday, the 1st of October, I went to my Mum's to help her with a few things before it was time for the daily Covid test and then hospital. Afterwards, my sister joined me for a walk - it was our first real walk in a long time, and I really miss that.

Sunday, the 2nd of October, was the day (or rather, night) of the wedding party. The couple had chosen that date not only because the following day was a public holiday in Germany and people didn't have to get up early, but also because it was the groom's birthday. 

I spent a quiet morning at home before going to the test station and to hospital. Shortly after 6:00 pm, I left home again so that I could be at the party for 7:00 pm. The train into Stuttgart unexpectedly ended one stop before my actual stop, due to technical problems, which meant a longish walk in the pouring rain.

But the party was really good, held in the underground rooms of the school where the groom teaches. Those rooms are not simply for storage (or teachers' parties), but the school's cellars are part of a system of rooms and tunnels that were used as a hospital and shelter during the war. I joined a guided tour through the rooms, which was fascinating - you know how much I love such exploring behind the scenes.

While at the actual wedding on Friday there had been around 45 guests, now there were close to 80 filling the various rooms set up for the party. Plenty of food and drink was provided, and a table football was popular with the children. After the children (and about half of the guests) left, we shifted some of the chairs and tables to make room for a small dance floor.

Time flies when one is having fun - I found that to be true and was surprised to realise it was nearly 2:00 in the morning when I left the party! I helped another guest to find her way to the train station and made sure she got home alright, and was in bed at about 20 past 3.

O.K. and I spent the weekend seperately; he had to play with the band at a trade fair in Offenburg and I was at the wedding in Stuttgart. Of course we spoke on the phone every day (sometimes more than once), and he is coming here again this weekend.

Sorry for the weird arrangement of photos in this post - somehow, blogger has been acting up for me this morning.