Last Week of January

I know I say this all the time, but especially after the beginning of a new year, it feels as if time passes extra fast - can you believe the first month of 2025 is already over? Wasn't it just a few days ago that we celebrated Christmas and New Year? Outside work, which was busy but unremarkable, there were beautiful walks but also sad news.

At 11C/52F, it was still rather mild for January on Monday (27 January). Of the three trains back from Offenburg, the middle one was delayed so that I caught my connection in Stuttgart only running, and it began to rain just as I walked the short distance from Ludwigsburg station to my home. It was also rather windy, and although the sun put in a brief appearance later, I didn't manage more than an hour's worth of walking (which was perfectly alright). 

Tuesday (28 January) saw a similar mix of rain, wind and sun, but it kept dry all afternoon and evening, allowing for a good after-work walk, even though the strong wind (and my grumbling stomach) made me cut it short and turn home after less than an hour. My lunch break had been pleasantly spent on the massage table at the nearby day spa.

The hill in the distance is Asperg, where we went on the Sunday.

The now familiar Wednesday pattern of working at the office in Weilimdorf and then spending the evening with my sister at my Mum's was repeated on Wednesday (29 January). I brought Thai takeaway for the three of us, which was quite nice. The portions were so big that each of us had about half leftover; not a problem at all, since this type of food heats up very well in the microwave the next day.

It had gradually become colder, and by Thursday (30 January), the morning was close to freezing at 1C/33F. The sun came out, resulting in an afternoon high of about 8-9C/46-48F, and inducing me to walk to Benningen after work. On the fields, I spotted two herons, and as always when I see this type of bird anywhere (and I see them often), I thought of my Uncle Rainer - he and I had a sort of running gag going, with him saying how I saw herons almost everywhere I went. 

Thursday at 7:45 in the morning

Imagine my shock and sadness when at 9:00 pm, my sister rang to tell me that Uncle Rainer had died two hours before. He was my Mum's big brother, five years her senior. He'd had a stroke some time last year (or was it 2023?) but had recovered well enough to still be living at home with his wife. His mind had been clear all along, as I could confirm when we spoke on the phone. The last time he'd called wasn't that long ago, and although his voice sounded weak then, we had a little chat and I didn't think he was going to die so soon after that.

Our Aunt had also been in hospital and not recovered all that well, so to be honest I would have been less surprised if the sad news had been about her.

Anyway, Mum's brother and our Uncle is no more, and my personal loss is nothing compared to what his wife and my cousins are going through now. 

By the way, he was the one who told me about Monika Gwinner when I was a teenager, and my sister and I spent a snowy weekend with our aunt and uncle in 2015. For years, we regularly corresponded by email, and more than once he sent me photos he had taken and gave me permission to use them on my blog, such as the super moon and the "ice flowers" in this post. A picture of six-year-old Rainer can be seen in this post.

Friday (31 January) was my Dad's birthday; he would have been 83 if he were still alive. The day was beautiful and sunny, but cold. O.K. made sure to drive to Ludwigsburg directly from work and arrived just before 6:00 pm, about three hours earlier than usual. We walked to my Mum who had made my Dad's favourite food, and had a meal in his memory. Of course we also talked a lot about my uncle.

It was frosty at -3C/26F on Saturday (1 February), but sunny again. O.K. and I went for a late-ish breakfast at our favourite café in town and then for a long walk, taking in the market square at noon with the traditional brass instruments being played from the top of one of the church towers, the palace grounds, the fields and the cemetery. We became very hungry and walked back into town to have Thai food at one of the shopping malls, which was nice, followed by a quick espresso at an Italian coffee bar not far away. 

Zoomed in; can you see the musicians?

Is a bluer sky possible?

Back home, we had a bit of a rest before our evening meal, a salad of baby spinach leaves with feta cheese and cashew nuts, accompanied by crunchy bread and Italian salami. A silly comedy on TV was just right afterwards.

Sunday (2 February) was true to its name, but as cold as the day before. We had a sumptuous breakfast at home and then went walking with my sister. She had not been to the castle on the hill in Asperg for quite a while, and O.K. had suggested it too, so Asperg it was. 

The blue sky and sunshine made for good views from the top, and provided a great backdrop for the old stone walls.

Looking across the town of Asperg towards Ludwigsburg from the top of the hill (photo by O.K.)

We chose a different way back, stopping at a café for coffees and cakes. After that, my sister went home and O.K. and I had a quiet hour or so before I prepared a tray of vegetables to roast in the oven to go with the schnitzel I fried in the pan (I am sorry to say that, although I had stuck exactly to the instructions, the meat turned out rather dry). O.K. started the long drive home just before 8:30 pm, and as always, I was glad when he called to let me know he was home.