Record-breaking Week

Last week started off chilly and wet, but by mid-week things started to feel very spring-like, and Friday held the record of high temperature for a February day in Germany.

Monday (23 February) was uneventful. I worked from home, and from 2:00 pm onwards I spent all afternoon in a video conference organised by my professional association. By the time we finished, it looked like rain and was not long enough from sunset to allow for an enjoyable walk. 

Unlike most weeks, I went to the office not only on Wednesday but also on Tuesday (24 February). It was another wet and chilly day, and I didn't do any walking other than the under ten minutes it takes me to get from my house to the train station and less than five between the stop in Weilimdorf and the office.

We had an important meeting to attend; more about that at a later stage, since what we were talking about has not yet been finalised.

Wednesday (25 February) brought about the turn to (early) spring: After a foggy morning, the sun was out for the rest of the day, and it got as mild as 15C/59F! Leaving work at 5:00 pm in full daylight felt good, and when I reached Ludwigsburg and walked from the station to my Mum's, it was still light.

My sister was also there, and the three of us had a nice meal and good chat.

It was even warmer on Thursday (26 February) at a max of 17C/62F. After two days at the office, it was good to work from home again. 

View from my kitchen at about 6:30 that morning...

...and less than half an hour later.

In the morning, I met my friend and former running buddy for an hour of walking, and after work, I went to Benningen (on my own, as nearly always). These two walks in one day made up for the lack of walking at the start of the week, and with the sunny and mild weather, it felt really good to be outdoors.

On the fields between Ludwigsburg and Freiberg

On the way to Benningen, looking back towards Freiberg. It wasn't as dark as it looks!

On my way back from the station in Ludwigsburg, I came across the black cat I showed you in my next-to-last post. This time, young Neo's curiosity got the better of him, and he allowed me to pet him. He's very sweet and would have liked me to stay out for some play time, but by then I was getting hungry (and needed the toilet). I am sure it wasn't our last encounter!

Friday (27 February) was here, and with it the record-breaking day I have mentioned in the introduction of this post. In Ludwigsburg, it got as warm as 20C/68F - not a record, but still amazingly warm for February. 

Only a short drive from O.K.'s village is the village of Ohlsbach. There, a "scorching" 23C/73F were registered, the warmest temperature known in February in Germany since records began!

I worked, spent my lunch break having a massage, cleaned and late afternoon went on a 2-hour walk, which I greatly enjoyed. That time of day, birds of prey are often very active, and I heard and saw quite a few buzzards and a kestrel.

Click to enlarge to see the moon.

You've seen this particular spot many times on my blog.

Sunset behind one of the farms out there.

O.K. arrived in the early afternoon on Saturday (28 February), still a mild day at 14C/57F but not quite as warm as Friday. This day marked the 10th anniversaroy of our very first meeting, and for the evening, I had booked us a table at a posh-ish restaurant.

My main course was a slice of tender pork covered in fried mushrooms, diced bacon and grapes, a dumpling and a heap of Spätzle, of which I managed less than half, with a generous pouring of gravy.

Before it was time for that, we went to the jewellery shop where we'd been looking at wedding rings a few weeks ago, finalised our choice and placed the order.

By Sunday (1st of March), it had cooled another two degrees to a max of around 12C/53F, and the blustery wind kept blowing grey clouds across the otherwise blue sky. But it remained dry, and when we set off for a walk across the fields to Kornwestheim after our late and leisurely breakfast, I wore my sunglasses for the first time in months.

On the way back, we stopped at the Torhaus (gatehouse; click here and scroll to the bottom of the post to learn more about this particular building). 

The small volunteer-run museum is open every 1st Sunday of the month, and volunteers serve coffee and cake. It was my sister's turn that day, and we decided to pay her a visit. My Mum arrived only minutes after us (although we had not made arrangements), and so the whole family ended up sharing a table and enjoying the delicious cake my sister had made (chocolate and orange).

For the evening, I prepared a leafy salad with yellow pepper followed by pasta with pesto and grated cheese. We ate relatively early so that O.K. would not arrive home very late at night.