Saint Rupert of Ottobeuren

Wanted to take our old hand-pushed lawnmower to Ottobeuren for repairs so loaded up the small trailer and added loads of cardboard boxes and assorted plastic and metal for the recycling dump.

Turned out the garden equipment shop is only open in the afternoons so ended up bringing it back home. It was given to us around 18 years ago by our friends Michi & Christa when they sold their house and moved to a property without a lawn. It has done great service but now the petrol line is cracked and the front axle won't stay in place. Could fix the petrol line myself if only I could get the screws loose holding the air filter which hides the connections I need to get at. Spare parts for the now 20-year-old mower are not available but am sure the garden machinery people will find a fix for the axle.

We continued on to do one of our Ottobeuren walks alongside the river and over open fields. The weather forecast this morning claims we are entering a very stable weather pattern, unseen since the record hot dry 2003. This should mean at least 2 weeks of 30°C+ temperatures and could even extend to the whole of August. Later this week we should be hitting 40°C. Naturally, there will always be the odd thunderstorm, the first one due on Tuesday.

Well, hope Saint Rupert of Ottobeuren fulfils my wish that at least the middle week of August is hot and dry. This wayside cross was erected in 1973 in honour of Rupert who is said to have lived to the ripe old age of 120. Abbot of Ottobeuren monastery from 1102 until his death in 1145, he was responsible for major reforms and "tidying" up the monastery which had become pretty chaotic under the previous weak abbot.

The inscription reads:
Blessed Abbot Rupert. Bless and protect our people, animals and land.