Last Week of August

It is Sunday, 30 August as I am typing this, and in a couple of hours O.K. and I will be off on our way to Austria for a bit more than a week of hiking in the mountains. Once there, I might not be inclined or have the opportunity for much blogging (reading and commenting or writing), so you know why if you don‘t see me around much for a bit.

On Monday (24 August) I returned from my husband‘s as usual. My first job of the day was to check on Neo the cat and the two rabbits. They had survived the weekend without me very well, but it was obvious that Neo was more interested in his breakfast than in getting cuddled. We did that in the evening, though, after I‘d been for an after-work walk to Asperg.

Working from home on Tuesday (25 August), I found it so chilly in my flat that for the first time in months I made myself a cup of tea mid-morning, just to warm up! It felt quite nice, really.

Later, I went to see my Mum. On the way home from my Yorkshire holiday, one of the wheels on my suitcase had split, and for our upcoming holiday I wanted a new one. Knowing that my Mum‘s attic is a treasure trove of all things imaginable, instead of going into town to buy a new suitcase I asked Mum if I could have a look at the ones in the attic. I chose a large suitcase and an almost as large bag, both with a handle and wheels; as I travel a lot by train, I need to be able to transport my luggage from my home to the station, then there are often rather long stretches to walk on the large stations where I change trains, and sometimes from one station to the other, such as in Paris and London.

On Wednesday (26 August) I worked at the office as usual. Neo wasn‘t there when I went offer to feed and clean, but he had been eating his food.

Skirt I bought at a charity shop in Ripon this summer, worn to the office for the first time on Wednesday.

After the first half of the week had been relatively cool with some rain, Thursday (27 August) was hot again at a high of 33C. I didn‘t go for a walk after work but did the washing and went for some errands in view of my upcoming holiday. Again, Neo wasn‘t home when I went round, but had eaten.

Sunrise on Thursday

Friday (28 August) was largely spent cleaning, once I had wrapped up work; first my flat, then the rabbit hutch as well as their outside enclosure, as well as the cat dishes. 

Early morning, a thunderstorm had passed through, with very strong wind in its wake. When I arrived at the neighbours‘ house, I found several potted plants blown over, as well as the umbrella that stands next to the rabbit hutch to protect it from the worst of the sun. Much to my shock, one of the flaps to the hutch was open, and one of the two rabbits was sitting outside!!

I approached him very slowly and talked to him as I usually do when feeding the rabbits or cleaning their hut, getting ready to grab him if necessary, not knowing of course whether I‘d succeed or just scare him away. I said: „Hello Oskar, what are you doing out here? Don‘t you want to go back in? I‘ll bring fresh food…“ And guess what - he turned round and hopped back inside!

Quick as a flash, I slammed the flap shut and checked on the lock; it wasn‘t broken but probably the umbrella‘s stand knocked it open when it fell. I nearly cried with relief!! Oskar‘s sister Daisy had been in the outside enclosure all the time. Phew!!

Late afternoon I went back, and this time Neo was home, too. He ate a lot and then went out.

I met my Mum and my sister at the pub for a good-bye-drink in the evening.

Afterwards, I went to check on the animals once more, accompanied by my sister, who took this picture of me and Neo.

I got up early-ish on Saturday (29 August) and of course first thing made sure Neo, Oskar and Daisy had all they needed. Their family was going to return from their holiday later that day.

Next, I packed my things, choosing the bag and leaving the large suitcase in the basement. Just after 10:30, I left for the station. Three different trains took me to Offenburg. It was adventurous in that my original connection was cancelled, and then the alternative connection fell through, too. I had to make an entirely new booking last minute, but eventually it worked out and I was in Offenburg at around 2:00 pm.

In the evening, the five of us (my mother-in-law, sister-in-law + husband, O.K. and I) went to a restaurant in the next village for a meal to celebrate my mother-in-law‘s birthday; she had turned 86 earlier in the week. The food and drink were good, and it was a nice, relaxing start of our holiday for us.