You already know how this year started for me, and that I was at O.K.'s for New Year's Day.
On Monday, Jan. 2, O.K. took me to the train station as usual, and I am pleased to say that both trains were on time, allowing me to start work early enough in order to go for a walk afterwards (or, rather, in between) while it was still daylight. I walked to Benningen enjoying sun and clouds and very mild temperatures of 12-15 Celsius (a max of 59 F).
The photos here were from that morning's train ride. I love watching the sunrise over the Black Forest hills on my way to Stuttgart, but getting a decent picture from the high speed train, with the window's reflection (and often dirt), is difficult.
Tuesday, the 3rd of January, was cooler but sunny. It was actually a fabulous day but work did not allow for a walk. My sister came over for the evening; I had prepared a meal for us (couscous with a coconut-based sauce of steamed carrots and ground ginger), and we watched one of my Christmas gifts to her: a virtual tour of Castle Howard* in Yorkshire, a place we both love but have so far managed to visit only once.
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View of the night sky from my kitchen window at 6:15 pm, shortly before my sister arrived.
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It was still christmassy at my flat.
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It was very windy with some rain on Wednesday (Jan. 4), but still not really cold at 11 Celsius. I spent my lunch break at my Mum's, enjoying her cooking and her company, and after work went for a walk in a part of town I had not visited in quite a while.
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A sunrise like this (as seen from my kitchen window at 8:15 that morning) often means wet weather later in the day.
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Thursday, the 5th of January, was the last working day of that first week of 2023. In my part of Germany, the 6th is a holiday (Epiphany/Three Kings). My upstairs neighbour was going to stay with her elderly parents in Turkey for a month, starting the following Monday, and so we made sure to meet for an hour or so and a good chat after work. I also managed to fit in a quick walk around lunch time but somehow did not feel well; not ill, sick or in pain, just really exhausted and a little wobbly and weak.
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Another beautiful night sky, just after 7:00 pm.
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I was grateful, therefore, to be able to stay in bed two hours longer on Friday (Jan. 6), and felt fine when I got up at 8:00. Traditionally, Christmas things are put away that day in my family, and I had just enough time to do that and pack my little red suitcase before heading to the station.
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The tree, the cards and the star in the window are gone, and my yellow armchair is back in its usual corner.
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I forgot one single item - everything else is packed away in the basement, waiting to be brought back up in about 11 months.
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This time, my train journey to O.K.'s started on the dot, but the last of the three trains I had to take that day was delayed by about 20 minutes. It made the whole trip a bit more relaxed, as the 7 minutes I usually have in Karlsruhe are a bit tight, and it was the last leg of my journey anyway, but of course others weren't so lucky.
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Clouds over the Black Forest, as seen from the train that afternoon
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O.K. picked me up and we even had time for a quick coffee before setting off to a nearby village, where friends had invited us to a winter BBQ. Of course, conditions here are not all that wintry at the moment, but we were outdoors, and after a few hours, the cold creeps up from the ground, no matter how warmly you wrap up. Nevertheless, it was nice seeing some of the friends I had not met since the wedding in July.Another winter BBQ with a different group of friends was planned for Saturday, the 7th of January. This time, we were to go just across the road and did not need the car. The gathering was in the evening, and so we made use of the sunny day and brilliant blue sky by going for a 12 km walk in the afternoon, straight from the cottage, to the next village and back in a large loop among vineyards, orchards and fields - mostly dormant this time of year, of course, but in a sunny spot near a beck I spotted my first crocus of this season! Their white, yellow and purple blossoms looked so promising.
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Birch and hazel look as if it were late February or March.
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Can you believe that azure sky?
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After that beautiful day, it was hard to believe the forecast for Sunday (Jan. 8) - but it turned out to be true, and apart from a few hours in the afternoon, it was raining almost all day. We used the rainless period for a walk; nothing big or special, just around the village and only about half the distance we had walked the day before. The first week of 2023 ended with a quiet night in at the cottage.*The link leads to the first of a series of posts about our 2015 visit of Castle Howard. Just click along to the next posts, or type "Castle Howard" in the search box of my block, if you want to see more of that fantastic place.
Looks like spring in those photos with the blue sky! :)
ReplyDeleteIt felt that way, too, especially when I spotted those crocus, and there were so many birds about.
DeleteIt seems like a pleasant, peaceful start to the year. I don't think I have been to a wintertime barbecue. It must be a German thing.
ReplyDeleteMany people I know love barbecues. But since the pandemic began, meeting friends outdoors even in mid-winter has replaced much of what used to be invitations to people's homes, for birthdays and so on.
DeleteI just looked back through your blog to see how long you and O.K. have been a couple. I think that you two found each other in 2016. I am glad you are still enjoying happy times together. Any big trips together planned for the New Year?
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Ellen - we started out together late February 2016.
DeleteOur holidays are usually in the first half of May and again in September. So far, we have not fixed anything, but we love our trusted combination of hiking during the day, spa late afternoon and then a good meal, all based at a hotel in a region with mountains (or at least hills) and woods. We're not keen on flying anywhere or long-distance trips.
There will also be the customary Yorkshire holiday with my sister, some time in the summer.
That sounds like a pleasant start to the year (after New Years Day itself), and glad you got over the slight feeling of being ill. Here, everyone seems to be going down with various winter bugs. A winter BBQ sounds rather brave. I think I might attend one as long as there was a warmer place to retreat to nearby! Those blue skies are wonderful, and seeing a crocus was a nice little bonus.
ReplyDeleteThose winter BBQs weren't all that wintery, as it was as mild as an average day in March or even April, and of course everyone was dressed warmly. But as I said, when you don't move for a while, the cold from the ground does creep up.
DeleteNow we're in for a cold spell; temperatures are forecast to drop quite a bit on Sunday afternoon, and there will be snow higher up in the Black Forest.
Having read and not commented (doubtless because I got distracted) I've just re-read and remembered your comment about feeling a bit unwell and 'wobbly'. It's quite weird because it's exactly how another friend described her situation recently. She is also always running hither and thither (but is considerably older than you are). I wonder sometime when I've been doing the same if we just occasionally need to 'chill' and take stock for a moment or three. You are one of the most 'sensible' people I know so I'm sure you'll work it through for yourself but I'm always interested in 'coincidences'.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Graham for calling me one of the most sensible people you know - I take that as a compliment, knowing full well that for some people (not for me!) sensible translates as boring.
DeleteThe last months have been taking their toll on me, too, even if I may not have been as directly and severely affected as my Mum and my sister. It shows in bouts of sadness and tiredness, not always at the same time. I get up in the morning full of energy, and three hours later all I want is going back to bed, as if someone had pulled the plug, and all energy leaves my body.