Last Week of May

The last week of May is over, and here we are in June! 

Just as I am typing this, I realise that I have not yet turned the calendars in my flat: a local history one in my Third Room/study, an "every year" birthday calendar and a calendar printed with my own photos in the tiny hallway, a Yorkshire calendar in the kitchen and a small stand-up one with photos of guinea pigs on the book case in my bedroom (an ongoing joke between my sister and me).

[...]

Right! Job done, calendars sorted, and back to this post :-)

Weather-wise, it was still hot with most days reaching temperatures around 30C/86F, and not a drop of rain until Sunday afternoon. Work-wise, it was quiet-ish in that it's a fortnight of school holidays and many of my co-workers who have children are away (less meetings with and less emails from them).

I was never bored, though, because since Sunday afternoon I have been looking after my neighbours' pets (a cat and two rabbits), and although they are certainly not a lot of work, it is a regular, at least twice-daily task to fit in; cleaning the rabbit hut and open-air cage as well as the cat toilet, feeding them all, and of course making sure that the cat gets his playtime and cuddles.

Monday (25 May) was Pentecost Monday, a public holiday in Germany. It meant O.K. was still here instead of having to drive home on the Sunday evening. Because it was another hot and sunny day, we opted against a more strenuous walk and limited ourselves to the palace grounds and deer park.

Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

in the palace grounds

The rhododenron were glorious and will be as good as gone by now.

Looking for shaded paths as much as possible :-)

Favorite Palace in the deer park

After coffee & cake at home we rested for a bit and then made filet steaks to go with the tabouleh I had prepared the day before. When my husband left for home at around 8:00 pm, I knew I still had almost 2 hours of daylight left, and the temperature was really pleasant; I waved good-bye to him and then went walking on the fields until sunset.

Just before 9:00 pm

Ten minutes before sunset...

...one minute left...

...and a quarter of an hour later, last look back before reaching the end of the fields and the first houses.

Working from home on Tuesday (26 May) was uneventful; I went to take care of the pets three times that day, spending part of my lunch break playing with Neo the cat who was clearly missing his family.

Wednesday and Thursday (27 and 28 May) were both office days. My office in our 1990s building (= no A/C) faces north and never gets direct sunlight, which is nice in the summer because it remains bearable even on hot days. Not so good in the winter when I rarely feel really warm enough there.

Neo was waiting for me by the front door of MY house (not his!) when I came home from work.

He loves to roll around on the ground and be cuddled!

Unlike many Wednesdays, I did not walk home from Zuffenhausen (too hot) nor visit my Mum after work, but I saw her on the Thursday when we met for "Wine After Work" by the lake, which would have been much nicer had it not been so packed. 

The queue at the drinks stall was so long that we opted against a second glass of chilled white or rosé; instead, I walked home (which was nice because it wasn't too hot anymore) and my Mum and her friend R drove home together.

I spotted Neo sleeping on another neighbour's terrace the next morning, but he came running immediately when I called him, and ate his breakfast at his own home.

I gave the rabbit hut a good thorough clean on Friday (29 May) morning ,and after work it was my flat's turn before I went back again to refill all the pet dishes and spent some more time with Neo. Next was packing my bag and going to the train station - for a change, my trains were on time, and we were sitting on the balcony for our customary late "welcome the weekend" evening meal, the moment I had been looking forward to all day.

At around 11 pm, we went for a short walk in the village, enjoying the balmy night air and starry skies until turning in just a little before midnight.

Saturday (30 May) was so hot we did not go for a walk at all, but in the morning it was still pleasant on the balcony so that for the first time this year we had our first coffee there. We then did various jobs in and around the house, aiming to finish before it was going to be too hot. 

A rest in the relative coolness of the darkened living room followed, and in the evening we had a barbecue with my mother-in-law in her yard, where by then we could sit comfortably in the shade there.

As usual, O.K. was responsible for the grill, and we also had a rucola salad (home grown) and a tomato-feta one plus some other bits and bobs, not to forget the delicious crusty bread we usually have, bought by O.K. at a small village bakery near his work place.

Charly, O.K's Mum's cat, was around the entire time.

On my plate: Merguez (spicy sausages), rucola salad, tomato & feta salad, crusty bread.

We had arranged for lunch with friends on Sunday (31 May) at a restaurant; it was their wedding gift for us. The food was superb and the service excellent, and it really was a very nice treat and an enjoyable few hours with them.

Our table was outdoors, and a few times during the meal we shifted our chairs in order to either avoid a shower or the glaring sunlight. By mid-afternoon when we said our good-byes the long awaited rain arrived properly, and it was very cosy to listen to it fall on the roof windows in O.K.'s cottage while we were having a nap.

We took advantage of a break in the rain and walked around the village, taking in the evening light. More rain fell during the night, and it was quite a relief from the hot dusty 1 1/2 weeks we'd been having.