Frosty Week

All of last week, the termometer did not reach above freezing point. We had cold nights and mornings, -8C/17F being the coldest I experienced. No new snow fell after what came down last Sunday night, but because of the cold, it simply remained where it was, hardly melting under the sun. Yes, the sun! Several sunny days in a row were really enticing for walks, but never very long; the cold eventually made itself felt, no matter how warm I dressed.

My longest walk last week was on Monday (8 January) when I took two hours out of work in the afternoon, not having any meetings, and walked my standard route to Benningen. At -3C/26F, it was not too bad as long as I was moving.

View from my kitchen window at 1/4 past 8:00 that morning...

... and at 1/4 to 2:00 in the afternoon.

On the way to Benningen

An uneventful day was spent at the office on Tuesday (9 January); waiting at the train station was not very nice at -7C/19F, but I survived :-)

Maybe some of you have noticed that I work at the office mostly on Wednesdays, not Tuesdays. I changed that last week, because train drivers were on strike from Wednesday to Friday.

Wednesday (10 January) was another sunny but crispy cold day. 

After work, my sister, my Mum, two close friends and I met at our favourite Italian restaurant to celebrate my sister's birthday. That place is our favourite not because of the food (although it is good, I wouldn't call it excellent), but mainly because we like the familiar atmosphere and the nearness - we can all walk there within 10-15 minutes from our respective homes, and are made to feel very welcome, no matter how busy.

It was nice to bump into two friends of mine who happened to be there, too; we had a brief chat, but of course I was there for my sister and so we really kept it brief.

The thermometer showed -4C/24F on Thursday (11 January), and it was sunny again. I made use of that late afternoon, walking on the fields for 2 hours and taking in the sunset. By the time I arrived home, I was really glad to get back to the warmth of my flat.

A shady figure!

There's the shady figure again!

View from the opposite direction of what is one of my favourite places.

O.K. and I were spending the weekend separately; we both had separate and time-conflicting appointments and so decided to remain each at our own place.

Friday (12 January) saw me working as usual, but already at 3:30 in the afternoon, I had to leave in order to be on time for a meeting related to my volunteer work. 

As part of a group of around 40 people, I was invited to view and evaluate different plans and ideas for how the former industrial area next to the train station could be opened to the public for different uses. I wrote about that area on my blog a few times, for instance here.

The event lasted until after 7:00 pm, by which time I just wanted to go home and settle in front of the TV for a quiet evening.

With an early bedtime on Friday, I was up early on Saturday (13 January) and finished all my cleaning etc. before meeting my Mum and my sister in town at 11:00. After a few errands, we were glad to be out of the cold and sit in a café for an early spot of lunch - very nice (the café and the food), very full (the café) and very filling (the food) :-)

My Mum took the bus home, while my sister and I walked first to her place to drop off her groceries etc., then on to my Mum's. We helped pack and put away most of her Christmas decorations; a lot of climbing up and down a ladder to the attic is involved, much easier for us than for her.

Coffee and a remainder of Christmas cookies were welcome before going home, where I spent another quiet evening relaxing, reading, playing my favourite computer game and watching TV.

Sunday (14 January) was just as sunny and cold as it had been during the week. I fully intended to go for a long-ish walk, but was back after only 1 1/2 hours - actually, not as much because of the cold, but mainly because I needed the toilet, and since no shops are open on Sundays (and I was not near any shops anyway), I had no alternative but go home.

Now let me treat you to photos O.K. sent me - he spent Sunday afternoon walking in the Black Forest near the village for nearly 15 km, and look how beautiful it was:

I just wish I could have been with him! My urban walk - apart from being only half as long and far as his - can't compete:

But don't get me wrong - I really like my hometown, which I hope is obvious from when I blog about it.

Such a largely quiet weekend on my own is not standard for me, and of course I love spending time with O.K. either at my or his place, but every now and then it is quite welcome. And of course we spoke on the phone every day, sometimes twice, to keep each other updated with what we'd been doing and how our various events went.