Wednesday 21 December 2022

A Walkless Week

Walkless does not mean I did not use my feet at all during that week. But every time I did walk, it was to get from A to B, to meet someone or to do something, never just for the sake of walking; no distance greater than maybe 15 minutes, and all within town or village. And I so missed a good, long walk! But the week  was again full of good things.

Monday, the 12th of December, was a cold day with the sun making it through the clouds only around lunch time. After work, I met up with an old school friend to visit the Christmas market. We have known each other since we were 9 years old, and although we still live in the same town where we were born and went to school, it is not always easy to find the time for a meeting. But when we do meet, we always have plenty to talk about. 

The thermometer showed -8 C (17.6 F) on Tuesday morning (Dec. 13). I was back at the Christmas market after work, this time to meet my Mum and my sister. We enjoyed our visit, and on the way back, my sister and I walked through the brightly lit and decorated mall, browsing two or three of the shops (but buying only a bit of stationary), something we had not done in a very long time. It felt good!

Wednesday, Dec. 14, brought snow - proper snow, and enough of it to even cover the roads and stay there. I had an appointment at the hairdresser's after work, and later, my upstairs neighbour came for a chat. She brought me a dish of her home-made hummus, which I later had with my evening meal - very nice!

View from my kitchen window around lunch time...

...and just before 5:00 pm
On Thursday, the 15th, I had to travel to a client's in spite of more snow. My sister spontaneously invited me to her place for the evening, sharing her meal of oven-roasted veg and dumplings with me. It was delicious, and I brought a bottle of red to go with it. 

Thursday morning


Each khaki/kaki/persimmon has its own little snow hat!
I worked quietly from home on Friday (Dec. 16), then did my usual round of cleaning etc. before packing my little red suitcase for the weekend. My trains were almost on time, and I arrived at Offenburg station at around 8:30 pm. As usual, O.K. picked me up, and back at his cottage, we had our customary Friday night meal of salad, bread, cheese and wine.

Friday lunch time
Saturday, the 17th, was an important day: The village band's gala concert was scheduled for 8:00 pm, and there was still plenty to do before that. We were up at the village hall at 9:00 in the morning and worked for about 3 hours to set things up for the evening. A quick lunch of hot soup at the cottage and a bit of a rest were next before it was time to change into our finery (the festive uniform for the musicians, and a nicer-than-jeans outfit for me as the presenter) and walk back up to the hall in the icy dark - at -12C (10.4F) it was the coldest night this year so far. 

For the band, the next hour and a half was one last rehearsal, while I sat quietly and listened, going through my presenting notes one last time.

The doors were opened and the audience took their seats, the lights were lowered, and the concert began. I gave a short presentation before each piece, and before a 20-minute break, some of the musicians were honoured for their long-standing work with the band - one gentleman has been with the band for 60 years. Quite an achievement!

The second half of the concert was maybe even more beautiful than the first. Everyone gave their best, and big rounds of applause with the occasional "bravo!" shouts followed each piece.


The stage as seen from about the middle of the hall.

I was given a beautiful bunch of flowers for my contribution, and then the lights went back on, a few tables were set up at the back of the hall, and everyone was welcome to stay on for snacks and drinks. We did, too, chatting with friends and neighbours as well as with the other band members, before we finally wrapped up warmly again and walked home very carefully through the icy night, reaching the cottage at around 2:30 in the morning.

Do you know that weird feeling when something you have been preparing for weeks or even months is over?

Of course, there was no lie-in for us on the 4th Advent Sunday - we were back up at the hall at 10:00 am to pull down again everything we had set up the day before. There were enough helping hands to have the hall empty and clean again in about 1 1/2 hours; during the week, it is used for PE by the schools, and many other activities take place there regularly.

We were home before noon and had a quick snack before preparing the Advent coffee with O.K.'s parents, his sister and brother-in-law. At 3:00 pm our guests arrived, and we spent a pleasant afternoon together. We'd not really had time to sit and chat in many weeks, so this was a welcome occasion for me to catch up with them.


O.K. and I spent the evening quietly on our own, and I was tired enough to be in bed by 10:00.

The last week before Christmas was about to begin!

18 comments:

  1. It sounds like a lovely Christmassy week! I enjoyed reading about it very much. Your Christmas markets in Germany add a real feeling of festivity to the season. I realised I haven't been to Germany for years at Christmas. I think that in the run up to Christmas, celebrating in various small ways with family and friends is one of the nicest things. I hope the day itself is wonderful for you too!

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    1. We were so disappointed last year when our Christmas market was cancelled only a few hours before the official opening, and this year with all the grief we have been experiencing as a family, we went there any chance we had. The lights, the sights, sounds and scents certainly helped, as did doing something like that together - normal and yet feeling so special.

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  2. So you were compere at the village band's gala ?
    And on the coldest night of the year !
    Had I known I would have flown in just for the occasion.
    It would have been like entering the pages of an enchanting novel.

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    1. Yes, I was the whatever you call this role - MC? Conferencier? In German, this role or job is called moderator, but I understand the term has not the same meaning in English.
      I enjoyed doing that on top of my customary contribution of helping with the setting up and dismantling; it made the whole event even more "my own" than usual. If they want me again, I'll certainly do it. Working out what to say based on my research into the pieces and their composers was only half of the fun - actually delivering my lines was the other half.

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    2. German music-makers have held the world in thrall.
      German snow is in a class of its own too.
      Why didn't my god Bach write a cantata to German snow?

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  3. Glad the concert went well and congrats to you for being the presenter! Your week sounds fun and festive.
    I found out last weekend that my oldest grandchild is taking German in their high school! It is one of their favorite classes!

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    1. Thank you, Ellen! See my reply to Haggerty; I will definitely do it again if they want me to.
      Nice to know your grandchild enjoys learning German! I know it is not the easiest of languages to learn, and am actually glad I did not need to learn it formally. I'd have a hard time if I had to explain our grammar to a non-native speaker!

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  4. I like the red berries!

    It looks so cosy there, and cold.

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    1. Thank you, Sandi! It was both - cosy and cold.
      I had to check the pictures to see what you meant by "red berries". In daylight, they are a bright orange, like a Hokkaido pumpkin, and their size is that of a large tomato.

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  5. Great job moderating the event! Sounds like a busy week! I hope you are doing well, certainly has been a hard few months for you!

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    1. It was fun, Laura. Yes, a busy week (as usual). I am doing alright but have the occasional tearful and dark hour; hardly surprising.

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  6. You've been very busy! I'm glad you enjoyed moderating the event (good job!), and I always enjoy reading about your Christmas markets. I hope you have time to relax, now, and can take your walks and spend time with your loved ones. Merry Christmas, Meike. xx

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    1. Thank you, Jennifer, and the same to you and your beautiful little family!
      I have the weekend off and Boxing Day (the 26th), that's all this year. But that's ok; I have been away on holiday three times this year and now there are simply no due days left. Also, I expect those four days between Christmas and New Year won't be all that busy at work, with most of my customers being on holiday.

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  7. Nice that you were able to attend the Christmas market more than once this year :) I don't think we've had much of a Christmas market in the town square here this year - but then I've not been into town much myself during December, as I got my own few errands done early...

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    1. I just checked my diary and counted 10 visits to the Christmas market this year, 9 of which were proper visits (with food and drinks) while one was merely crossing on the way back from a walk.
      Your snowy walks made for a very Christmassy atmosphere without any markets, Monica!

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  8. How I wish I could have been at that concert!! Any of your snowy photos could be made into a Christmas card. Stay warm, my friend and have a lovely Christmas! xx

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    1. With your great singing voice, you would have been on the stage at that concert, not in the auditorium, Kay!
      My snowy photos for Christmas cards? You should see (and probably will) what O.K. sent me from a walk around his village during that week, with the Black Forest hills and the vineyards in the snow.

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    2. And of course you, Richard and Christopher have a lovely Chrismtas, too! xx

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