Cold Spring Week

Winter made a reappearance here last week; we didn't have snow in my area, but hail, rain and strong winds with nights and mornings below freezing. There was also some sunshine. 

This cold spell started on Wednesday and is still with us for a few more days, it seems - nothing unusual about it, really; we often have frost and the occasional snow flurry as late as April. It just hits many people unexpectedly when quite unreasonably they have cast aside their winter clothes with the first warmer sun rays. Add to that the pollen in the air, and hardly surprising there is a lot of coughing and sneezing around right now.

Monday (23 March) was still mild at 12C/53F and mostly sunny. Working from home allowed me to go for my almost weekly back and shoulders massage around lunch time, and because I had a conference call scheduled from 5:00 to 6:00 pm, I made sure to take a short walk of less than an hour before that.

I went to work at the office in Weilimdorf on Tuesday (24 March) because I had signed up to help with the election of our employees' representation committee, something that would have been impossible to do working from home.

Sunrise on Tuesday

The small cherry tree in my neighbour's garden is in bloom already!

And so are the magnolia trees in my street.

Afterwards, I was home for a little while before setting off to the pub. With my sister and one other team member being away, there were only four of us, but we still came 2nd, one point short of the winning team. It was good fun and as always, we had lots to talk about and some good laughs.

As mentioned above, winter returned on Wednesday (25 March). After a chilly but sunny morning, heavy grey clouds came rolling in during the afternoon. Leaving work in Weilimdorf, I was on my way to my Mum's when for the last 200 m or so I was caught in a hail storm - pea-sized icy balls hit me (and everything else outdoors) from all sides. Was I glad to reach my Mum's!

By the time I left (after a vitamin boost from a delicious fresh salad), it was long over and I arrived at my flat without as much as a drop of rain.

Thursday (26 March) was my 3rd day in a row of working in Weilimdorf, because we had a quarterly meeting where I like to be present in person, not just on a screen.

It was cold and very windy, but sunny until the late afternoon. On my way home, I continued on the train until Freiberg, from where I walked my customary route to Benningen. That felt very good after having been cooped up at the office.

Plum tree on the outskirts of Benningen

Back in Ludwigsburg, on my way home from the station

It was working from home again on Friday (27 March). Mid-afternoon was spent doing my cleaning and washing, and at 5:30 pm, two friends came to pick me up for the long-ish drive to Böblingen, where another couple of friends live. It took us well over an hour to get there, but of course three women in a car are not short of things to talk about - especially not when they have not seen each other in a while.

In Böblingen, we had a short walk to the restaurant our friends there had chosen. It is run by Uigurs/Uyghurs and serves their typical food, something none of us were familiar with.

Market square in Böblingen

The food was nice enough, although nothing so "special" or "exotic" that it felt entirely new. I chose a dish where bits of tender chicken meat came in a dark red-brown sauce with diced red and green pepper and some peanuts added. It was very similar to what I've had sometimes at Chinese restaurants, and it was more salty and less spicy than expected.

Unfortunately, although service was friendly, it was highly inefficient and unreliable - more often than not, a young man came just peeping in by the door and leaving again with a slightly confused look on his face. Other times, he came in and brought food to other tables where the people had arrived long after us. Of the four of us at our table, one got her food about 45 minutes after the others. Another of our group had to ask three or four times before her second bottle of lemonade arrived, and then it wasn't lemonade but ice tea (she drank it anyway, not wanting to risk another long wait).

So, yes, it was great to see my friends again and catch up with each other, but I doubt I will ever visit this particular restaurant again, and certainly won't recommend it.

The drive back was much quicker, and I was home just after 11:00 pm.

On Saturday (28 March), O.K. arrived a little before lunch time. We were both hungry and decided to have something to eat in town, since we wanted to go for an errand or two anyway. We went to the Thai place in the mall, and I really enjoyed my creamy spicy Thai curry and the quick service :-D

The sunny day then turned into a rainy one, and so after the meal and our errands we went home for steaming mugs of tea and a rest.

It wasn't appealing to go for a walk, and we stayed in for the rest of the day and evening, relaxing, having something to eat and later watching a comedy on TV.

Sunday (29 March) was still cold but promised to remain dry. After our usual late breakfast, we walked across town and made use of our new season's tickets (thank you, Mum!!) for the first time this year to enter the palace grounds.

A lot of artificial decoration has been put up, most of it not at all to my taste, nor do I think it is necessary - the grounds are beautiful without them, and real flowers and blossoms are the best anyway. 

Here are some of the decorations.

See what I mean? I don't get the point of these.

This is much nicer, and every flower here is real!

This doorway was quite nice and fits the palace theme.

I understand these "flower ladies", too, although I wouldn't miss them if they weren't there.

Sleeping Beauty's bed picks up on the palace and fairytale theme, too.

One of several storks nesting on top of the volière

Forgetmenots in a sheltered spot

A unicorn... again, unnecessary, but I suppose popular with children.

Why this green lady with the pointy ears looks so serious bordering on the unhappy I don't know.

We continued across the footbridge and through the deer park.

The much smaller palace in the deer park looked particularly colourful against the cloudy backdrop.

Back home, we made ourselves comfortable with coffee and some reading before it was time to prepare our meal for the evening. We'd not had Shakshouka in a while, and the cold weather was good for sitting at the table in front of a hot pan straight from the stove, still bubbling a bit.

O.K. left at sunset, which of course now is much later because we had the switch to Summer Time during the night. I accompanied him to the car and then went for another walk of about 45 minutes to stretch my legs and use the last of the daylight - the only advantage I can see in changing the clocks.

A Week of Spring Flowers

Last week was quite typical for March here with cold mornings and nights but often sunny with blue skies during the day. There was some rain on Saturday, probably very welcome to everything that wants to grow now.

On Monday (16 March), my trip back from Offenburg was a bit different from usual in that the direct train to Stuttgart wasn't running; I had to change at Karlsruhe but it all worked out, and I was home to start work at my usual time.

During an online meeting in the afternoon with two of the people I work with closely at the Literature Archive in Marbach one of them told me that he'll retire in a year. Of course I knew that this was inevitably coming, and I am happy for him to have more time for his family and his hobbies, but I will miss him, his expertise and his calm way to approach even the most complex situation. Over the past 12 years, we have found good solutions together, meeting the sometimes contradictory requirements of IT security and data protection.

After work, I walked to Benningen. It was windy and rather chilly, but I was sensibly dressed and really enjoyed the walk.

Magnolia tree, almost in full bloom

Between Eglosheim and Freiberg

Almost in Benningen, looking back towards Freiberg

I worked again from home on Tuesday (17 March) and had a back & shoulders massage afterwards. Next I went to my Mum's; we had salad and Wiener sausages (which we both love) and of course a good chat.

Wednesday (18 March) was my usual day at the office. It was winterly cold in the morning at 2C/35F but a beautiful sunny day. 

After work, I took a train into the centre of Stuttgart and walked roughly half an hour to a restaurant where I met a few fellow data protection officers. We had a good meal and exchange about current topics. I have known some of them for many years, and we also talk about (more or less) personal matters.

I was again at the office on Thursday (19 March) because we had our annual company-wide assembly. Full of information and the opportunity to ask questions, I do not consider such meetings a waste of time.

Leaving work, for the first time this year I got off the train in Zuffenhausen and walked the rest, now that there is enough daylight left in the late afternoon.

Friday (20 March) was divided into a morning of work and an afternoon of household tasks. O.K. arrived in the evening, and we discussed what was up during the weekend.

On Saturday (21 March) morning, I gave my windows a badly needed cleaning. O.K. and I then picked up the cake I had ordered from the bakery down the road, to be served on Sunday.

Next, we walked into town, where at 1:00 pm we were expected at the jeweller's to pick up our wedding rings. They were just as we had ordered them three weeks ago and fitted perfectly. We were offered to toast the occasion with sparkling wine, and we didn't say no.

A brief rest at home followed, then we wanted to go for a walk - but it started to rain, and rain properly with no sign of letting up soon, so we stayed in until a little after 7:00 pm when we walked into town once more.

I had suggested we meet my sister at the pub, have a meal there and then go back to my place, and that's what we did. As always, it was very noisy at the pub, so once we'd had our food, we didn't last all that long.

At my place, we passed the next couple of hours talking, and my sister and I attempted to play a board game - it proved to be too complicated for us to be bothered, and so we simply made up our own rules and had fun with that.

At midnight, I popped open a bottle of sparkling wine and we toasted my birthday. Some time later, my sister left, and we called it a day, too.

Sunday (22 March) was my 58th birthday. Unlike last year, I didn't want a big celebration; although our upcoming wedding does not require much planning and organising, and I am not at all stressed by the preparations, it is a very big and important step and mentally dominating for me at the moment; and so I only wanted to have the simplest of celebrations for my birthday.

O.K. and I had a leisurely breakfast the kind I enjoy twice a year (on New Year's Day and my birthday), with fillet of smoked trout with horseradish cream and a glass of sparkling wine along with our usual Earl Grey tea and tomato juice.

Once the kitchen was in order, we went for a walk in the sun; then it was time to prepare the coffee table. My sister arrived first, followed shortly by my Mum and friend R, who brought a home-baked apple pie.

I opened my wonderful presents, and the afternoon went by quickly talking and laughing. 

There were two phonecalls for me, but most of my friends sent text messages or emails, plus I had several cards from the family in England and blogging friends.

In the evening, I ordered pizza, and then O.K. had to leave. It took him about twice as long than usual to drive home; there was a lot of traffic on the motorway and several hold-ups. On those evenings, I wait up until he lets me know he's made it home safely, and when he rang just a few minutes before 11:00 pm, I was very relieved.

Now the last week of March has started, and Easter is almost here!

Read in 2026 - 9: The Babbling Brook Naked Poker Club Series, # 1

The Babbling Brook Naked Poker Club, # 1

Ann Warner

As is often the case, I found this ebook at Amazon’s Kindle shop for free; it is the 1^st in a series, and of course the idea behind the freebie is to make readers buy the rest of the series.

And also as is often the case with such offers, while I really enjoyed the book I doubt I’ll buy the following ones.

 

The setting is a retirement home where a group of residents are drawn into investigating cases of petty (and not so petty) theft in their midst.

Sounds familiar?

Maybe at first glance it does, but let me assure you that the story and the characters have nothing in common with the Thursday Murder Club books.

 

For one thing, it all happens in the US, not in the UK. Also, there are no former spies involved, and nobody dies.

 

The main character is Josephine, who could very well still live on her own but whose somewhat estranged son puts her in the home. She does not want to let anyone into her apartment and is not keen on socialising with other residents, but ends up playing poker with a group and cautiously begins to establish friendships with both residents and staff.

However, things start to disappear from people's rooms, and Josephine is clearly not the only person at the home harbouring a secret…

Eventually, with a resident who becomes her friend, a trustworthy staff member and a helpful police detective, she gets to the bottom of it all.

 

I am not going to tell you more, in case you’d like to read the book yourself.

 

It is well written with chapters switching between the characters, but you always know who’s “talking”.

Most of what’s happening is plausible, and the ending is neat enough to satisfy the average reader while also keeping enough storylines open for the series to continue.

 

The author's website gives you more information about her and her books.

Mixed Week

Last week was quite the mix both in terms of activites and weather-wise. We had everything from mild spring sunshine to winterly cold, blustery winds.

Working from home on Monday (9 March) allowed me to start early so that I could take out an hour mid-afternoon to speak on the phone to a long-time blogging friend in the US. I was our first conversation, and really very nice to hear her voice. 

Later, I asked my sister if she wanted to join me for my standard walk to Benningen, and she did; I think it was only the 2nd time that she came along on that particular walk. It was sunny and relatively mild at a high of 16C/60F.

Tuesday (10 March) started sunny as well but the afternoon brought rain, and my sister and I were quite soaked by the time we arrived at the pub where we were booked for the quiz night.

Our team had 27 points, but three teams reached 29, and so we left without a prize - still, as usual, it was a good night out with friends, and we laughed a lot (when we weren't angry at ourselves for not getting an answer right that we thought we should know).

It rained again on Wednesday (11 March); not a problem, as I spent the day at the office anyway. After work, I got off the train in Kornwestheim, hoping I'd catch a dry window to walk to my Mum's, but a cold drizzle fell, and once I reached the fields between Kornwestheim and Ludwigsburg, the wind blew that drizzle right into my face. I walked faster than usual, taking only 40 minutes from Kornwestheim's train station to my Mum's.

The three of us (my sister was there, too) shared a large bowl of salad, and of course we're never short of topics to talk about.

On Thursday (12 March) after work I packed my little red suitcase and walked to the station - not because I mistook the day for Friday; it was all planned. My train arrived in Offenburg four minutes early; this seems to have become a habit, one I certainly won't complain about!

The reason for my arrival on Thursday evening and not as usual on Friday was the appointment we had on Friday (13 March) morning: O.K. and I had to complete the formalities at the registry office so that everything is ready for the 8th of May when we'll get married.

Stork on his/her nest above the village square

Tree in the garden of O.K.'s neighbour, as seen from O.K.'s cottage

In preparation for the appointment, I had asked twice what documents we needed to bring, and twice the answer was "none except your ID card", since all the other things such as birth certificates etc. were going to be collected online by the lady who is responsible for our case. And guess what - it turned out that there was just one document she still needs... It means I'll have to go to Ludwigsburg's townhall or apply for it online, which involves activating the digital PIN on my ID card and install an app on my phone... (sounds familiar, Monica?)

It's not a problem, since there is still time, but it's somehow typical, isn't it!

Anway, a chilly wind was blowing, but it was a sunny day, and after we'd had something to eat at the small market that is held at the village on Fridays (and which I hardly ever get to see), O.K. drove us to Ortenberg from where we set off on a good long walk in the vineyards.

Magnolia tree in Ortenberg village

Ortenberg castle

Ortenberg castle as seen from the viewing tower

Unusual-looking plant; according to wikipedia, Equisetum arvense

View across the Rhine valley towards France and the Vosges mountains on the horizon

One of the wineries was open not only for buying wine but also operating a wine bar. To mark the special day, we enjoyed a glass of sparkling wine, the views and a chat with the manager, who was very knowledgeable but in a nice way, not flooding you with expert talk that would only be interesting and comprehensible to other experts.

All in all, we were out for 4 hours, and a rest was welcome when we arrived back at the cottage at about 4:30 pm.

On Saturday (14 March), the cold, wet and windy weather kept us indoors. After a few jobs in the cottage (me) and O.K.'s Mum's house (O.K.) we decided against a walk and opted for coffee and cake instead.

In the evening, O.K. drove us to the nearby village where his sister and her husband live; they had invited us for a family meal, which was very good and very pleasant.

Sunday (15 March) was still cold and mostly grey, but not wet, and we managed a walk around the village early afternoon.

Later, we met with a couple of friends in Offenburg to try an Italian restaurant that had only opened a few weeks ago. The food was good and service friendly, if a little slow... and one of our drinks was forgotten until we reminded the waitress of it, and one of our desserts was the wrong one (but O.K. ate it). It was all forgiveable, especially since they were rather busy and obviously still new at it.

It was time to go home then and almost immediately to bed with the alarm set for 5:20 the next morning.

A Sunny Week

Not a single drop of rain fell all of last week. In fact, the last time it rained here was on the 24th of February. Nights and mornings are still cold to the point of frost, but the days have been warming up nicely, most days reaching about 14 to 15C (57-59F) with Saturday being the warmest at 18C/64F.

On Monday (2nd of March), I went exploring: My usual walk to Benningen can be done on different paths, and I felt like trying one that I had not followed before. Quite unexpectedly, I came across a small hollow that looked like it might have been a quarry at one time, but it is possible that it is a natural feature. That was quite a treat for me.

A new path!

Not been here before - it's just on the other side of the rail tracks where I walk about once a week.

Man-made or natural? The pond is of course man-made, but I am not sure about the rocky walls.

It was very quiet there with only birdsong to hear, and of course the occasional train.

On more familiar ground again, with Benningen on the horizon.

I worked at the office in Weilimdorf both Tuesday and Wednesday (3rd and 4th of March). On the Tuesday, I got off the train in Kornwestheim and walked the rest; on Wednesday, my sister and I met at our Mum's for a chat, a meal and helping with a few things (mainly stow away the very last of her Christmas things).

On the fields between Kornwestheim and Ludwigsburg on Tuesday late afternoon.

Sunset, just before I reached Ludwigsburg on the Tuesday.

What you see here is not the sun, but the moon rising a bit before 8:00 pm on Wednesday.

Thursday (5th of March) I took part at an all day online course for work. Originally, it was meant to take place in Ulm; I already had my hotel room and train ticket booked, but the week before, it was announced that the course was now exclusively online with no possibility to attend "in person". That was a shame, but I was able to cancel both the room and the train ticket.

The course was interesting and helpful for some questions I have to deal with at work, but oh my was it intense! There were only five of us plus the trainer. One of the participants was the type who love hearing themselves speak, and apart from asking some valuable questions the answers to which were interesting to all of us, he commented everything else at length... and when I say "at length", I mean it! He kept explaining what they did in his company back in 2013 (not at all relevant to what we were learning now!), and just wouldn't stop talking... I was a little disappointed that the trainer didn't stop him. Instead, she rushed through the last two items on the agenda, and one of these was of particular interest to me.

When we finished about 20 minutes later than scheduled, I shut my computer, grabbed my shoes and jacket and practically fled the scene - I HAD to get out, preferably before sunset! I managed my Asperg-Eglosheim round, walking off some of the tension, but mentally feeling really exhausted.

It was my turn to host an online meeting that lasted until lunch time on Friday (6th of March). Apart from a few technical hiccups (we are all used to them by now, but that doesn't make them any better), it went very well. 

I did most of my cleaning in the afternoon, and early evening walked into town. We have many clothes shops but very few left that you could call "house of fashion", where you get good quality items and the staff is qualified to advise you and often goes the extra length for you. They have been around for decades and still enjoy very good standing in my town.

A couple of times a year they host a fashion show, and my Mum, her friend and I love attending. This time, I went with my upcoming wedding in mind. The show was good, and we had a lot of fun; however, none of the outfits presented by the models was what I could see myself wearing to the registry office. But after the show (the shop was closed to the general public by then), we were allowed to browse, try on - and of course buy - until 10:00 pm, and I ended up buying a pretty dress which will serve me well not only on the 8th of May. At about 9:00 pm, the three of us left, tired but happy.

Some more household stuff needed doing on Saturday (7th of March), but at about 1:00 pm, I left for the train station and took a train to Marbach. I walked my usual Steinheim walk; the previous time was in December and you can see the pictures of that beautiful day here.

Early March looks and feels different to December, and I was happy to spot the first anemonae in the woods, among other things. This time, I did a wider loop and walked almost 19 km altogether. I had brought a sandwich and my water flask, and stopped for short breaks on sunny benches when I felt like it, making it a very enjoyable afternoon.

First anemonae!

The pictures have loaded in the wrong order, I'm afraid - this is actually the start of the walk, looking back just after leaving Marbach.

The river Murr

Historic house in Steinheim

Church spire in Steinheim

Abandoned vineyard

This was a perfect spot for my (late) lunch - it was 2:00 pm.

The village of Lehrhof

On Sunday (8th of March), my federal state of Germany (Baden-Württemberg) held a General Election. For a few years now, my sister and I have been volunteering at one of the polling stations in our town; the last time was in February 2025. This time, we were at a different location, at an elementary school closer to home - it takes only about ten minutes to walk there from where I live.

Don't I look all serious and official?

Two regular booths for voters to make their crosses on the list, and the lower one on the teacher's desk at the right height for wheelchairs.

That way, we knew quite a few of the people who came voting, including our Mum and her friend. We worked the morning shift, starting at 7:15 and leaving at about 12:45 for a few hours to rest and do other things (I spoke to O.K. on the phone as well as to Mary, my mother-in-law in Yorkshire, who turned 92 that day) before returning at 5:45 pm.

The election officially ended at 6:00 pm, and that's when the job of counting the votes began. It wasn't overly complicated this time but still took our team of seven about two hours - everything is done VERY carefully and double-checked to make sure no mistakes are made and nothing happens that should not happen. We all signed at the end to confirm that we were reporting the correct numbers of votes, then we put the class room back in order, and at 9:00 pm I was home.

My sister and I find this good work, and we enjoy it - doing our bit for democracy in our country. The right to vote is important and not to be taken for granted, and to live in a country where you can go to a polling station and cast your vote without fear of pressure or violence is something to be grateful for.