Monday, 23 December 2024

Last Times Week

Last week saw several things that happened for the last time this year - a week of "Last Times", at least for a while:

I went to work at the office for the last time, had lunch with my colleagues at the canteen for the last time, visited the Christmas market for the last time, took part in a video call for work for the last time, saw one of my old school friends for the last time and had an appointment with my eye doctor for the last time this year.

All of this (and more) will be picked up again in 2025, of course.


On Monday (16 December), we had a mix of sun and clouds at a high of 9C/48F - very mild for December, but not unheard of. I managed to work around a gap of two hours early afternoon, which I used for a walk that was very welcome. In the evening, I met a retired colleague and his wife for food, drinks and catching up at the Christmas market.

These pictures were taken on my way home, when a dramatic moon lit up the nightly sky and made for a rather "Gothic" look:


The view from my kitchen window that evening.

I was up early on Tuesday (17 December) in order to catch a train into Stuttgart in time for my 8:15 appointment to have my eyes checked, something I need to do four times a year. All went well, and on the way back to the train station, I briefly stopped at St. Fidelis, a church I have blogged about before; click here for more pictures from this unusual and beautiful place.

The rest of the day was spent working at the office, and the evening saw me back at the Christmas market, this time to meet an old school friend.

Wednesday (18 December) was my usual day at the office. We had our weekly meeting with the department, but turned it into a bit of a Christmas celebration, with cookies on the table and our boss giving each of us a bag of gifts:

The morning had been chilly, but during the day, the temperature rose to a spring-like 13C/55F. 

My most intense working day of the week was Thursday (19 December); so many things had to be finished or at least prepared in a way that they will be easily completed in January. No walk, no Christmas market, just working from home all day. But I managed to do all I had lined up for that day.

Another day working from home on Friday (20 December), with my last visit to the Christmas market for my lunch break, meeting up with my Mum and my sister. After the mild first half of the week, it was quite cold at a max of 3C/37F, with a nasty wind making it even colder.

Back at my flat, I worked until late afternoon and had time only for a quick superficial cleaning before I had to pack my little red suitcase and head to the train station for the trip to Offenburg.

No sleeping in for us on Saturday (21 December) - it was the day of the village band's annual concert. 

This year's motto was Ireland, and although many pieces sounded somewhat similar (based on traditional Irish folk music), there was enough variety to keep the audience interested. That particular event means a lot of work for musicians and associates (such as me) alike.


We started Saturday morning at 9:00 by setting up the stage, chairs and decorations in the village hall. At 6:00 pm, we were back at the hall; the band had one last play through, while I sat and listened and made some last-minute decisions about what to say about each piece (I was the MC).
At 7:00 pm, the hall doors opened, and people started to flock in. This year, so many came that we had to quickly set up two additional rows of chairs.

The band getting ready

My "work place" for the evening, next to the Christmas trees.

At 8:00 pm, the lights were dimmed and the band took their places on stage.
I switched my microphone on and welcomed everybody before I announced the first piece. It is a task I enjoy, from preparing to actually speaking on stage.

I spent several hours researching all the pieces and their composers, so that I was able to give the audience a bit of context. 

There is of course a fine line between saying too much (and bore the audience to tears) or not enough (and give the band no time to breathe and sort out their sheet music between one piece and the next).


Everything went swimmingly, and afterwards, we stayed on at the hall, having snacks and drinks (I won't mention the whiskey bar that we had set up just for that evening at the back of the hall; it's up to your imagination) until it was time to go home at about 1:30 am.


A few hours later on Sunday (22 December) morning we were back at the hall to tidy up and clean everything. O.K. and I then had a couple of hours of rest before getting things ready for a visit from his family.

We spent a lovely cosy afternoon and evening together, with delicious food and drink, and as usual, we cover a large variety of subjects, laughing a lot but also having serious things to talk about.


The 4th Advent Sunday was over - only two more sleeps until Christmas Eve!



I probably won't blog again until after Christmas. Therefore, here is my Christmas Wish to all of you who have been reading my posts, with our without commenting:

May your Christmas be all you wish for, filling your rooms with love, your hearts with joy and your souls with peace. 

It won't be everybody's favourite day, or easy for those of you (like O.K. and his family) who will be sorely missing a beloved family member or friend - I still find it hard to believe that it's already the 2nd Christmas without my Dad, so I know what that's like. And yet, it's Christmas...

2 comments:

  1. Lovely to read - I hope you and your loved ones have a lovely Xmas and can remember your lost special family members and share treasured memories of their place in your hearts from previous years.

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  2. I agree, this was a very lovely read. I always enjoy the last week before Christmas. We just wrapped up our last big carpet cleaning for the year and are now ready to relax with family and get ready for a great 2025.

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