First Full October Week

Last week left nobody here in any doubt about it being autumn. It wasn't overly cold yet, and there was still plenty of sun, but the hours between sunrise and sunset are considerably reduced now, and we've had some nights and mornings as cold as 6C/42F. Also, I've been wearing my red wool coat for the first time this season, as well as ankle boots instead of my beloved New Balance trainers.

My trains home from Offenburg were more or less on time on Monday (5 October), and I worked from home until it was time to pick up my new specs from the optician at 4:30 pm. After that, I didn't have long before I left again, this time to meet a former colleague who has retired earlier this year.

We met at the train station and walked to the pub where we spent a lovely chatty evening. It was good to see her, and see her so well! Her last couple of years at work had been quite stressful, but almost as soon as her retirement party was over she and her partner went on a long trip to Japan. She told me a lot about that trip, and apart from the scary experience of an earthquake it all sounded very good and quite fascinating.

Tuesday (6 October) was sunny throughout and mild at a high of 22C/71F after a chilly morning of 10C/50F. Once again I worked from home, and afterwards enjoyed my customary walk to Benningen.

I spent Wednesday (7 October) at the office in Weilimdorf and went to my Mum's afterwards. We sat on the balcony for a while as it was still mild and sunny-ish when I arrived but retreated indoors to eat the semolina dumplings soup I had asked my Mum to make for us some time now that cooler weather was here.

By the time I left, rain was imminent and did indeed catch up with me about half way home. But it wasn't a problem, since the entire distance doesn't take me longer than 10-15 minutes, and at home I could get out of my damp clothes right away. After the long dry months we've had, I'm still at the stage where I welcome every drop of rain!

Thursday (8 October) saw me taking a long-distance train to Cologne. I was there for a workshop about the use of AI in the insurance industry, and while not every topic was equally interesting (or well presented), overall the event was important and useful for my work. Also, everything was well organised and the catering was excellent - always a plus, although of course I don't attend workshops or other events merely for their culinary benefits :-D

The rooms were we worked were on the top floor of a modern office building with access to a roof terrace from where some of Cologne's most iconic buildings were visible. The first three pictures were taken during coffee break, the sunset one after the workshop ended at about 6:30 pm.

On the way in, my train was 50 minutes late which wasn't a problem because I had planned very generously. On the way back I had a long wait at the station in Cologne but eventually arrived home with only 40 minutes delay; sometimes the long-distance trains can make up for some of their delay along the way. I was home shortly after 10:30 pm, glad to shut the door to my flat from the inside.

It was cold on Friday (9 October) morning - 6C/42F - but sunny until grey clouds came rolling in, bringing the odd shower in the afternoon and proper rain at night.

Mid-afternoon, my book-swapping friend A. came for a mug of tea and of course to swap books. It is interesting how sometimes we feel exactly the same about a book when at other times we recommend something to each other that the other person doesn't enjoy at all.

Before that, I'd been on an errand for my Mum, and afterwards I did my usual weekly cleaning.

My husband arrived a bit after 9:00 pm, and we enjoyed the start of the weekend with a meal of steak and salad. I'm not very good at preparing meat, but I was quite happy with how the steaks turned out; they were of good quality, organic and accordingly expensive, which is perfectly alright for me (I don't buy cheap meat and rather don't eat any if that's the only option, such as at the canteen at work).

Saturday (10 October) was off to a leisurely start and a breakfast of eggs on toast before we headed into town for an espresso and a stroll at the palace grounds first and then, because it was very crowded, away from there and to a quarter of town where recently a new park has been opened and a new neighbourhood is being developed, with the buildings all supposed to be to high standards in terms of climate-friendly materials, energy consumption and so on.

The least crowded part of the palace grounds

Autumn flowers in the palace grounds

We had a look at the new park, where nobody else was around, and walked along the fence around the large construction site to give us an idea of it all. No doubt we'll be back to check on the progress.

After a brief rest at home, we left for my Mum's again. On the ground floor in the same house lives family friend R with her brother, her two cats and most recently two baby turtles. R's birthday had been in late September, but she did not celebrate on the day. Instead, she invited all of us - my Mum, sister, O.K. and myself - for dinner that evening.

The food was very good, and the animals - mostly the cats - provided extra entertainment. It is just never boring or dull when animals are around, is it! The male cat is a Maine Coon mix with the size and fur of that breed. He is very friendly and took an instant liking to my husband, laying on his lap with his face turned up towards him, purring and being VERY warm with all that fur, for the time we sat in the living room until the meal was ready.

It was a nice evening and made even better by us being able to walk there and back, not having to think about a parking space or the many roadworks dotted around town.

Sunday (11 October) was another autumnal day. It started wet and chilly but eventually the sun came out.

The four of us (Mum, sis, O.K and I) were invited for coffee and cake at 3:00 pm at my godmother's in Tamm, a nearby smaller town. I had last seen her two years ago at my Mum's 80th birthday, and she had wished for us to visit her since I had told her of our wedding. She's in her mid-eighties and not very well, but her three children (my and my sister's age) take turns in looking after her, and we were delighted to find that all three were there, too.

It's like this with people you've known from earliest childhood; no matter how many years you have not seen them, you instantly "know" them again, and there was no shortage of things to talk about as well as plenty of laughter around the table.

After a couple of hours O.K. drove us back to Ludwigsburg. The early evening sun made me want to stretch my legs and catch some daylight, and so my husand and I went for a quick walk around the fields in the neighbourhood before I prepared a frittata for our evening meal.

O.K. left for the long drive home at about 8:45 pm, and I snuggled under my blanket in front of the TV, watching "Sunday Best" on Netflix (a documentary about Ed Sullivan, both the man and the show).