A (Somewhat) Quieter Week

After the very busy week and weekend (see my previous posts), the week from June 17 to 23 was somewhat quieter. Weather-wise, it was a mixed bag of sun and rain, with highs of up to 30C/86F and a lot of humidity.

On Monday (17 June), my trains home from Offenburg to Ludwigsburg were almost on time, and I was able to start work as usual. My last video call for the day started at 4:00 pm, and a little after 6:00, I was ready to set off for my standard walk to Benningen. 

Most of the time, I simply walk without checking which train I might catch for the way back, but that day, I looked it up and found that if I paced myself well, I would reach a convenient train; missing that one would mean a wait of half an hour. Since I was getting hungry and didn't feel like waiting, I sped up and made the walk in record time: about 1 hour 40 minutes, when usually it takes me about 10-15 minutes more than that, depending on the number of photo stops, red lights at busy roads, and so on.

I worked at the office on Tuesday (18 June) on what was the hottest day of the week. My office faces north and does not get direct sunlight, so it was good to open the windows in the morning and let fresh air in (no A/C in that part of the building) and still have a pleasant temperature in the room during the afternoon.

No walk after work that day, since I had two ladies coming to my place at 7:00 pm to talk about the service we wanted for the house, cleaning the staircase and the small outside area. They (mother and daughter) arrived a little earlier, and we soon agreed on the terms for the daughter doing the regular weekly cleaning, while together with her mother she would start with a thorough cleaning on Thursday. I was very pleased with our arrangement and liked the two women instantly.

Another day at the office on Wednesday (19 June); afterwards, my sister and I watched the Germany - Hungary match at her place (so far the only match of the European Championship I have watched properly).

Thursday (20 June) was another warm day of much humidity. I was working from home, awaiting the two ladies for their first thorough cleaning. They arrived as arranged, and after only a sip of water (my offers of coffee or tea and, if necessary, using my toilet anytime were declined) they set to their task, working a solid 3 1/2 hours - the stairs, front door, basement room where we all have our washing machines, and the area around the house have not been so clean and tidy in a long time! They also cleaned the windows in the staircase and did a really good job.

I had to leave them to it about an hour before they finished, since I was meeting  my Mum and friend R at the small palace by the lake for the weekly Wine After Work. 

It was nice, but the music from the stereo was a little too loud for our taste - we wouldn't need any music there at all; one of the nice things about the place by the lake is that it is peaceful and quiet, and birdsong provides enough background music for us. But apparently, many other visitors are of a different opinion. When I went to the wine stall and asked them politely to turn the music down a little bit, they did so immediately. A little later, someone else must have gone and asked to turn it up, because it was louder again. Never mind - we still had a beautiful evening, and as usual, I enjoyed the walk home.

On Friday (21 June), I hosted a web conference from 9:00 am to a little after 1:00 pm. After something to eat and a brief rest, I wrapped up work, did my weekly cleaning and packed my little red suitcase for the weekend.

The train to Offenburg was only about 3 minutes late, and by 9:00 pm, O.K. and I arrived at the cottage.

Saturday (22 June) started off nicely, but heavy rainfall in the early afternoon meant a drop in temperature. O.K.'s work place had their annual summer fest; spouses, partners and families were invited, and so I went along as well.

A good variety of food and drink were on offer, and a large tent meant we were sheltered from the rain - at least from above! There were puddles under nearly every table, and one really had to place one's feet carefully.

We went on a guided tour of the building (which O.K. of course knows like the back of his hand), had something to eat and drink, talked to O.K.'s colleagues and their families, and left a bit before the official end.

Instead of driving directly back to the village, we stopped at a big shop for sports clothes and equipment. O.K. needed a pair of trainers for everyday use (and found them), and I couldn't decide between two pairs and therefore bought both.

Back at the cottage, we prepared three glasses of our favourite summer cocktail (Apérol Spritz) and took them across the road to O.K.'s Mum, which was a nice start of the evening.

For the first time this year, on Sunday (23 June) O.K. and I had our morning coffee on the balcony in the sun - it wasn't too hot yet, and dry for a change!

We then set off for a walk in the Black Forest, straight from the cottage, our rucksacks filled with our standard fare for walks and hikes: flasks of water, sandwiches, raw red pepper cut in strips, quarters of apple sprinkled with lemon juice, and a small container with tomatoes. We liberally sprayed ourselves with mozzie repellant, resulting in only a few stings and bites along the way (mainly where we'd washed or sweated off the repellant in the course of the day).

The place names won't mean anything to you, but I record them here for my own benefit: Hucken, Niederschopfheim, Riedmühle, Diersburg, Lendersbach-Hütte (where we had our sandwiches), Pionierstein, Rebmesserstein, Gutta-Hütte (where we stopped for a shandy and sausage), Kammweg, Barack, outskirts of Zunsweier, and back to Hofweier.

It's a good year for wild poppies.

Also for cornflowers.

A poppy field, soon ready to be harvested.

Foxgloves line many paths in the Black Forest.

We ended up with about 29 km (18 miles) under our belts (or hiking boots). It was the longest walk/hike we've been on in a long time, and I enjoyed all of it - even the uphill bits, where I habitually puff and pant like an old steam engine. Of course we were tired afterwards, but tired in a good way; not the kind of drained exhaution you get after a long day at work or from lack of sleep.

We watched the football match Germany - Switzerland, but only half-heartedly, and went to bed straight afterwards, since Monday was going to be an early start.