Last of September, First of October

Last week saw the end of September and start of October, in some ways almost the same as the end of summer and start of autumn. It is a time of year I love particularly, as for me it combines melancholy for the summer that was, joy and pleasure at the colours and abundance of autumn and anticipation of Advent and Christmas.

Monday (28 September) was still summerly warm at 29C/84F and sunny. I arrived home from Offenburg on time but then shut myself out of the flat, leaving the key inside - something that happens maybe once in ten years, if that! Fortunately, I had my mobile phone with me and could ring my Mum to make sure she was home; among the three of us (Mum, sister and myself) we keep keys to each other's flats. It cost me only a total of maybe 25 minutes, walking to my Mum, picking up the keys and walking back, but I was quite angry with myself.

The rest of the day went by without any further incidents, and I enjoyed my after-work walk to Benningen in the evening light.

I worked at the office on Tuesday (29 September) and chose to walk home from Kornwestheim afterwards. Later that evening, for the first time since the spring my team and I met at "our" Irish Pub for the quiz. Only four of us could make it, but in spite of being such a small team, we did well, coming second with just one point less than the winning team. It was good to see the others after the long break.

Wednesday (30 September) was my second day at the office, and like most Wednesdays I went to see my Mum after work. The day was so nice and the evening still warm enough without being too hot that we sat on the balcony, surrounded by my Mum's beautiful flowers, enjoying food & drink together as much as our chat.

Last Sunrise in September, as seen from my kitchen

Thursday was the 1st of October, and although it was still warm-ish at 21C/70F, a grey sky and a succession of showers made for more of an autumn feel. I wore my rain coat for the walk to Asperg after work, but only for the last third of the walk did it rain properly. The feeling of wet clothes and partly wet feet was quite unfamiliar!

After a little rain, Friday (2nd of October) turned into another sunny day. After work and cleaning my flat, I took the trains to Offenburg where my husband picked me up; I was only delayed by about 8 minutes, but the train had been VERY full, and a young woman in the seat behind me was permanently snivelling and coughing. (So far, it looks as if she has not managed to pass her cold on to me.)

On Saturday (3rd of October), O.K. drove us into Offenburg for a walk in a quarter of town we quite like. We finished the walk with ice creams in town, possibly for the last time this season. 

Offenburg

Late afternoon we drove to the nearby village where O.K.'s sister and her husband live to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday. The food was delicious!

Sunday (4th of October) called for a hike. We started straight from the cottage and opted for a tour mostly on flat terrain with hardly any ups and downs. 

Through the neighbouring village of Zunsweier along the river (Kinzig) to a beer garden for a refreshing shandy in the sun (which by now was warmer than what we had expected from the forecast), then skimming Offenburg by lake Giffiz, leaving town and walking past the small air field and another lake back to the village.

We found this caterpillar crossing the path. It was as long as my finger, and according to photo identification on my phone most likely a hawk moth (Agrius convolvuli).

We made sure it reached the other side of the path safely. According to wikipedia, though, its chances of survival are slim, as this is the second brood of the year and it won't be "finished" in time to leave for warmer zones before winter sets in.

"Großer Deich", the place where we stopped for a shandy

At the cottage, we had my mother-in-law's home-made apple cake (from her own apples) and coffee on the balcony. For our evening meal, my husband prepared a zucchini ratatouille with couscous.

Phew! I have finally managed to catch up with most of my back log of posts since our holiday in Austria. From now on, there will mostly be one post a week from me, not one almost every day. I still want to write up a couple of book reviews, but generally I am now "on top" of my blogging again.