The only substantial walk I managed was on Monday (9 December) mid-afternoon to Benningen, under grey skies and with relatively strong winds blowing across the fields. Still, the walk did me good, and I was able to work productively before and after.
During my lunch break, I went to post the bulk of my Christmas cards for a sum of close to 17 euros in postage. But maintaining friendships across the miles is worth every cent, I believe.
Tuesday (10 December) saw me working from home and only leaving the house for a quick shop at the nearby Aldi, which amounted to a 5-minute walk there and back.
Unlike usual working weeks, I did not go to the office on Wednesday (11 December) but worked from home. Afterwards, my Mum, my sister and I met to visit the Christmas market together. We enjoyed our traditional food and drinks, and a look around. Also, I bought two packs of Christmas cards for next year, having used up almost all my stock for this year.
A day at the office in Weilimdorf followed on Thursday (12 December). And just like on Thursday the week before, once again the power went off early afternoon! This time, there was no fire alarm, but the majority of us still decided to leave and either take the rest of the afternoon off or continue work from home, since we simply can not do anything without electricity.
At least one person got stuck in the lift when the outtage happened - I am glad it wasn't me! I hardly ever use the lift in our building, unless I have to carry something heavy or awkward, which happens very rarely.
We learned the next day that the previous week's repair had been done only provisionally, not meant to last for more than about two weeks, when a proper, more thorough repair was scheduled. Well, the makeshift repair lasted exactly one week... the proper repair was rescheduled, and I hope that when I return to the office tomorrow, we'll be able to put in a full day's worth of work with no unforeseen interruption!
Friday (13 December) was busy without being stressful. I worked, got a hair cut, went to Aldi for some groceries for the weekend, did my weekly cleaning and ran an errand in town.
For the 2nd weekend in a row, I was home on my own, due to O.K.'s Christmas do from work on Friday evening and me and my Mum attending a concert on Sunday afternoon.
It made things more relaxed that way, and of course O.K. and I spoke on the phone every day.
On Saturday (14 December), for the first time that week the sun put in an appearance! It lit the paper stars in my bedroom window up nicely, and lasted all of two hours... Still, better than nothing :-)
Around lunch time, my sister and I met up at the Christmas market with our volunteer group. We had a good chinwag and of course something to eat and drink. One couple came with their two children. Their daughter is 4, and their son was born this autumn. It was a joy to watch little Frida on the old-fashioned roundabout!
Back home, I spent part of the afternoon putting up my battered old Christmas tree, something I really enjoyed.
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| I met this cat who was VERY into being cuddled and played with! |
I left the house again just after 3:00 pm and walked to the bus stop opposite the palace grounds, waiting for my Mum.
Like we've done over the past few years, we were going to the Christmas/Advent Sing-Along concert, something we really love.
It was a beautiful concert, uplifting and touching, with six choirs and a full orchestra on stage. The choirs take turns in performing, and for every other song, the audience are encouraged to join in.
It is quite an experience when around 350 people on stage plus the entire audience of well over 1,000 join their voices and musical instruments to sing Christmas songs! (I don't know how many were there exactly, but the tickets had been sold out 3 weeks before the event.)
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| The stage with the 6 choirs and orchestra, as seen from our seats. |
We went back to my Mum's afterwards for a drink and to review the beautiful evening we'd had together.
Once I was home, I lit the three candles on my Advent wreath and sat down with a book in front of my Christmas tree.
Oh, rhat concert! How much I would have loved to have been there! Your Christmas markets have always been a special thing to dream about attending. Guess what, the USA has copied you! Oh yes, I've noticed there are more and more Christmas markets here and I wonder if they are reading your blog! (Perhaps in areas where more Germans settled they have always been here, but not in the South!) I am one of the lucky ones who gets Christmas cards from you! Thank you it is so lovely. (Expect you sent that earlier to get to the USA!) Your Mum is so pretty! Tell her I said so!! Oh, and glad you didn't get stuck in a lift either! I did once when I was in England. I was the only American. The phone in the lift didn't work and the polite, quiet folks wanted to wait. I said, ""I'm yelling!". I was heard! Have a peaceful, lovely Christmas x. P.S. My comment is a chinwag! Richard's Mom used to use that word and also "natter". If you wonder what her accent was like, it was much like Mrs. Potts from "Beauty and the Beast"!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, Kay - glad my card arrived well in time for Christmas, and not some time in February :-D You just never know with postal services, do you.
DeleteMy Mum will probably read your comment and your compliment for her!
I have never been stuck in a lift and am not keen to find out what it's like, but the ones in our building have an emergency button that should connect directly with the company who maintain the lifts, and someone will talk to whoever is in the lift and make sure they're ok, and send someone to fix it.
Chinwag and natter are words I hear and read often, and while I don't know what Mrs. Potts sounds like (it's not a film I have seen more than once, and I think when I did, it was on German TV with German voice-overs), but from the photos of Richard's parents you showed us in the past I can imagine that she sounded as British as she looked.
Sounds like a pleasant week even if the weather was gray. You bring your own sunshine with you, Meike! I've had a bad cold and so have got to get my energy level up to finish my Christmas prep. I can't believe it is next week! How the time flies...
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you have been out of action, Ellen. Don't stress yourself too much about Christmas prep - it'll come, whether you're "ready" or not :-)
DeleteThank you for saying that about sunshine! Usually, I don't mind overcast days, but when there is nothing but grey for an extended period of time, and all of a sudden the sun does break through, I realise how much I've missed it.
This blogpost confirms what a lovely, wholesome and healthy life you continue to live Meike - aiming to keep it all as simple and manageable as possible. At least - that is my impression. By the way your Christmas card arrived today - thank you so much. I have not posted you a card this year but please watch out for my special e-card.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Neil. I do consciously aim to keep things simple and manageable, and refuse to let work or other things unduly stress me, and create time and space for myself when and where I can, be it in the shape of a walk or just a quiet evening on my own. Vital for my mental and physical wellbeing, and I can't be of any use (either at work or with my family and friends) when I am not in balance.
DeleteYour Christmas Market looks festive as usual. I haven't been into town here in the dark this December - and will probably continue to avoid it if I can, as I really prefer to be out in the daylight now... Are the stars on your bedroom windows new? I can't recall having seen those before. I like how it kind of looks like they're attached to the tree branches outside!
ReplyDeleteFor walks, I prefer daylight, too, but it is dark anyway by the time I finish work, and the Christmas lights look really beautiful then.
DeleteWell spotted, Monica; those stars are indeed new to my place. A friend of my Mum's has made them, and they are actually "old" - of the kind we used to make when we were children, and I love them! My Mum's friend has been culling her Christmas things - she must have so many boxes full of decorations that she could probably single-handedly decorate her entire street, and when my Mum visited her the other day, she was encouraged to take whatever she liked.
I love your "battered, old" Christmas tree! :) Your apartment is always so pretty and simply decorated. I love it. And your mom is pretty, too.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jennifer - for all of this :-)
DeleteI love the old tree, too. I would never buy a plastic tree for myself, but since it already exists and has been produced, it is much more sustainable to use it as long as possible instead of having a new one every year. Of course real trees are much nicer (and smell better!), but this one has become my own over the years.
By the way, I just finished Fox 8 and really enjoyed it, Meike. I liked how the author wrote it and message he sent. Such a good tale for our times.
ReplyDeleteIt is, isn't it! Thank you for letting me know, Ellen.
DeleteIn a way, Meike, your Christmas is déjà vu all over again! I find that very comforting.
ReplyDeleteFor me (as probably for most people), Christmas is a lot about traditions. Some are old, have been passed down (with slight alterations) over generations and are observed by many people. Others are unique to a family or even to just one person, and may have been created only in recent years. I find them all comforting, which is the original idea of Christmas, if one looks at the biblical message behind it - comfort, hope and love.
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