122 days to go

The rain has been doing a lot of good for nature but today it has turned cold as well. Even the girls dressed in anoraks got cold waiting for me to pick up Luna at the half way point in the 3 house hamlet of Krautenberg. I did see the English owner of one house dressed up in his beekeeping gear at the far end of the garden. Would have liked to have introduced myself and have a chat about bees. I noticed they have got rid of their Ifor Williams horse trailer and bought a new snazzy German or French one.

Luna and I took off for Ottobeuren for me to get a few provisions. I was hoping she would be quiet/relaxed in the boot of the car in a car park but no, as soon as I was out of sight, she started howling. She can't bear the girls being out riding without her. She luckily didn't jump out of the open top half of the tailgate and by the time I got back was asleep.

In the supermarket saw that Xmas (not Christmas) has arrived, one 5m long stack of shelves not full of Stollen and all those chocolate covered cinnamon cakes and biscuits. The advent calenders and chocolate Father Christmas's will no doubt appear on Monday.

Germany has and used to have lots more, seemingly silly laws on packaging and display of foods but I would gladly support a ban on such Xmas stuff until at least after All Souls/Saints/Halloween.

The afternoon got no better and in fact seemed even cooler. At one point Angie said it was 12°C and if she wasn't feeling quite so lazy would go to Ottobeuren for a sauna. I lit the fire and that made the evening bearable.

Tonight I cooked a very rare dish - lamb. Not Angie's thing at all, so we very rarely have it. I seem to remember cooking a Leg of Lamb for friends back around 1998. The lamb tonight was just steak. I can't think what cut it is in English but called here Huftsteak or Hipsteak. It had been on offer this morning in the posh supermarket where I get my alcohol free beer. Along with a bought cauliflower, carrots and potatoes from the garden whipped up a white sauce and had a lovely winter meal.

During the night it snowed on the Nebelhorn mountain (2,220m).

So exactly 4 months till Christmas and counting. Could be the last time the UK has "traditional" German Christmas Markets up and down the land. So stock up on your Gluhwein and Stollen, my countryfolk. And I know where you can hire a couple of donkeys from for your "living" nativity scene. Or perhaps you have enough of your own Asses.