For most of us, the end of an old and start of a new year is a special time, often marked by festivities, and equally often leaving us somewhat suspended in mid-air, out of our regular weekly activities, not knowing what day of the week it actually is unless we have appointments to keep.
O.K. and I spent the week together until Saturday lunch time, when I boarded the first of three trains to take me back to Ludwigsburg.
Monday (29.12.2025) was sunny but cold at -6C/21F. Wrapped up warmly, we braved the cold for a walk but didn't stay out for much more than an hour.
By 3:00 pm, we were at my Mum's. She was hosting a gathering of family and friends; there were 9 of us in total plus three dogs - a rather lively afternoon and evening, as you can imagine.
There was coffee and cake, followed by enough time for part of the group to walk the dogs and visit the cemetery while the others (me included) stayed behind, clearing the long table of coffee cups and plates and setting it for the evening.
My Mum had made two large lasagnes, one with and the other without meat. For starters, we had antipasti made by my sister. Everything we ate and drank was delicious, and conversation was flowing freely. Of course O.K. and I told them our news and happily received congratulatory hugs.
It began to snow late afternoon/early evening.
Tuesday (30.12.2025) was equally cold and sunny.
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| The view from my bedroom that morning... |
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| ...and from the kitchen. |
A few days previously, a good friend and former colleague had texted me about the recent death of a former colleague of ours, and we arranged to attend her funeral together. I had liked this colleague very much but had not remained in touch after I'd left the company in 2003. The funeral was moving, and from the priest's eulogy I learned some surprising things about the colleague. The music was beautiful. Standing in line on the cemetery, waiting our turn to throw a handful of flowers into the open grave, we were very cold, no matter how warmly we were dressed.
We were glad to be back at my place for a coffee before my friend left. I quickly packed my things, and then O.K. drove us the 150 km to his place for the rest of the week.
New Year's Eve (31.12.2025) was another bright sunny day. We took things easy and slept in. In the afternoon, we went for a walk. It was good to be out and not too cold as long as we kept to sunny paths; we walked for about two hours before eventually the cold caught up with us and I wanted nothing but to get back to the warm cottage.
The two of us spent the evening talking, watching some silly TV and eating a fine meal. For my birthday in March, a friend had given me a small bottle of real champagne; we raised our glasses at midnight with that and watched what fireworks we could see from the cottage. O.K.'s idea had been to climb one of the hills around the village and watch the fireworks from there, but I chickened out - it really was very cold.
On New Year's Day (01.01.2026) we took it easy again, only going for a walk in combination with two errands and back after an hour or so.
Every year on the 1st of January, O.K.'s Mum hosts a traditional family meal, and this year was no exception. For us it only meant to cross the road, and we enjoyed the food and company as always.
It snowed some more on Friday (02.01.2026), and if I remember correctly, once again we were out only briefly, if at all. How good to have a warm house to retreat to, with a well stocked fridge and comfy settee in it, and to top it all off, with the man you love!
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| View from O.K.'s cottage towards the main village road that morning. |
On Saturday (03.01.2026), we had arranged to meet friends for breakfast at a café. We had last seen them in October, and it was nice to catch up.
I then had a bit of an adventurous trip home; the first of my three trains was delayed so that I would not catch my connection in Karlsruhe, which caused us to dash to the station half an hour earlier than planned so that I managed to catch an earlier train and reached my connection in Karlsruhe.
That first train was VERY crowded, and for the 50 minute journey I only had standing room squeezed between the stairs to the upper level and - thankfully! - a window. Someone not far from me reeked of sweat, and there was much coughing and sneezing - urgh!
The second train from Karlsruhe to Stuttgart was such a relief; it was maybe half full, I had plenty of room, and nobody smelly was close by. In Stuttgart, things were (as usual) a bit chaotic, but eventually I made it home with a total delay of only 15 minutes. Still, I was too exhausted to do more than unpack, start the washing machine and do a very quick shopping of essential groceries.
From the train, I had been watching it snowing on a monochrome landscape, and it was still snowing lightly by the time I got home.
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| On my way back from ALDI that afternoon. |
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| This is not the midday sun - it was the night sky as seen from my kitchen window at 9:18 pm. The moon was intensely bright! |
Sunday (04.01.2026) was cloudy and windy, but a little warmer than the previous days, with the thermometer reaching a max of maybe 2C/35F. I spent most of the morning pottering about the flat, then went for a walk with my sister before going to my Mum's for a coffee on the way home.
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| Sunrise on Sunday |
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| Big sky over the fields the same afternoon. |
The rest of Sunday evening I was just relaxing, trying to imagine that work was really starting again the next morning, and of course O.K. and I talked on the phone.
I like the sound of both lasagnes that your Mum made! (Notice I spelled it the way that you tell us is the correct way!) Walking for two hours in the cold, I am most impressed! Of course, everyone must be thrilled for you with your wedding engagement. Do you sometimes just give yourself a little hug of happiness thinking of it? Love seeing your photos as always, you do live in such a lovely spot. Take care. x
ReplyDeleteI've noticed, Kay - thank you! It's odd how that wrong spelling of lasagne has become so firmly established in the English speaking world... especially in the US, I would expect more than enough people around with Italian roots who know the correct word! :-D
DeleteSometimes when on my own, pottering about in my flat or out for an errand, all of a sudden the bubble of happiness rises in me, making my face break out into a big smile, and I think to myself: We're going to marry!!
You too take care, Kay! x
I often find out a great deal more about the people I thought I knew, at their funerals! And, yes, after the meandering holidays, gearing back up for work is always quite hard. I'm thankful not to have to do that now. ( I can still hardly believe my good fortune to be retired - and not yet old or infirm enough to be into a different set of difficulties.)
ReplyDeleteI do like my work and my everyday life, but the break felt good - it was longer than what I usually have this time of year, and now I am quite ready for things to turn back to normal. My retirement is still about ten years in the future, depending on what ideas our government has until then...
DeleteLong may you continue your walks and photo outings, Jenny!
Heavy snow, lasagne supper. Bracing walks, and a glass of champagne.
ReplyDeleteYour fiefdom is the great good place ... Der verlorene Domane or Die verlorene Domane ?
People sneezing on trains. In winter I avoid public transport, pubs, cinemas, churches.
The funeral did not leave a shadow. Flowers on the grave - symbolise the Resurrection.
Et tu in Arcadia Vixisti
Snow, yes, but not heavy in my area (fortunately). Die verlorene Domäne.
DeleteIf I were to avoid public transport in winter, I could not go to see my fiancé (there! I've used this term in connection with O.K. for the first time!) or to work... Of course a mask is always an option, but they are so cumbersome with specs.
The flowers provided for us to throw into the open grave were white hellebores on a bed of fir branches.
Fiance, Fiancee.
DeleteFrench 'fiancer' to promise. Latin 'fidere' to trust or pledge.
Iain Banks at 59 married his partner knowing he was dying.
It brought home to me the importance of marriage even in cynical times.
I interviewed Iain upon the publication of his first novel, a bestseller.
A very decent man who loathed the right-wing government of the day.
White hellebores on fir branches : A lovely glimpse of eternity.
I wonder what flowers there will be at your wedding to O.K. ?
Not hellebores, that's for sure! It will largely depend on what date we settle on.
DeleteRose. Tulip. Gardenia. Jasmine. Peony. Sweet Pea.
DeleteOur Lord gazed at the tiny Lilies of the Valley and said that Solomon's wives were not arrayed like one of these. A dry joke I have always thought.
Solomon's 700 wives and 300 concubines came from outside Israel and
turned his heart away from the Lord.
Jack
I'm afraid I have been too sick for the last week to keep up on the blogs. This flu has been the worst I can remember and I was back to the doctor today to get more meds and I hope I can be done with it. 24/7 cough and sore throat does not make is easy to sleep much. So I lay in bed most days feeling pretty miserable! Don't catch this flu, Meike!
ReplyDeleteYour holidays sounded lovely and you had much to celebrate! Congrats again to you and O.K.!
Thank you, dear Ellen!
DeleteI am sorry to read that you've been so ill. Flu is not to be taken lightly, and you were wise to get more meds. Please allow yourself all the rest you can get right now. All that coughing takes a lot of energy from your body, as does the fever (if you had it). I've been vaccined against flu, but of course that is no guarantee I won't catch a different strain.
I had the flu vaccine also but I guess I caught a different strain!
DeleteKarlsruhe appears to be an important city in Baden-Wutterberg with museums, visual art museum in particular, and law courts of importance and a substantial population. Do you go there for leisure walks occasionally? I don't recall you writing about it. (I Googled it when I saw that your train was crowded until it reached Karlsruhe because I wondered why so many people alighted there). Your New Year celebrations were a good mix of families and friends and also time spent with O.K.
ReplyDeleteKarlsruhe has all that, and I have occasionally been there to visit a special exhibition in a museum, but usually only pass through on my way to or from O.K.'s, as all long-distance trains and many regional ones stop there. More often than not, I had to slalom-dash with my suitcase between throngs of people, trying to catch a connecting train within 2 or 3 minutes, with stairs involved on both platforms and having to cross almost the entire width of the station from platform 12 to 2.
DeleteYou can see pictures of the main hall of Karlsruhe main station at Christmas time in this 2023 post of mine:
https://librarianwithsecrets.blogspot.com/2023/12/first-advent-week.html
You've had a fair bit of snow. We have had none in London, although it did try today, but didn't settle. Funnily enough I made a vegetable lasagne last week too! I normally make the meat kind, but was trying to be healthy!
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough tomorrow at the office, our canteen offers vegetable lasagne, too...! Of course a canteen meal is no comparison to my Mum's home-cooking, but I'll go for the lasagne anyway; it's reasonably good and in any case a better option than a dish with meat when I don't know where the meat is from.
DeleteYour weather has been a bit like ours, with slight variations on certain days. Your New Year's skies look like the ones here yesterday and the day before -- bright, clear blue and super cold. We haven't had as much snow as you, at least not here in London.
ReplyDeleteI laughed at your line about the Stuttgart train: "I had plenty of room, and nobody smelly was close by." We don't ask for much on our urban trains, do we? :)
No - all I want is a bit of peace and quiet, enough leg room, somewhere to put my suitcase (when travelling with luggage) and, if the journey is longer than half an hour, a seat is welcome. Most of all, though, I appreciate my trains being on time - and that seems to get harder and harder to achieve in this country.
Delete