Spring?

I thought it was finally safe to say Spring is here but I'm sad to report that it's cold again! Temperatures dipped unexpectedly last week and the sun hid behind gloomy skies for several days. Yesterday it was sunny again and the temperatures went up to the mid-50's but this morning it's cold, damp, and dreary. Snow showers are forecast for Sunday!

Farewell, ice cream.

I'm disappointed in this turn of events. All of the chairs set up outside of cafes to celebrate warmer temperatures are empty now. We were having so much fun riding our bikes and eating homemade ice cream from a neighborhood cafe. I'm tired of wearing boots and jackets. The only consolation is that it doesn't get dark until much later now, but if the sun doesn't come out all day it's difficult to notice the difference.

I am attempting to learn German in earnest. I considered trying Dutch instead but decided that, for now, it's more practical to focus on German. In some ways, the languages are similar so if I learn German perhaps I can make educated guesses about Dutch. So far I've learned useful statements such as, "The horse is black and white," and, "I have a red ball." I've learned to ask, "Are you eating rice?" And I can definitely say, "Guten Tag" with some authority now. I'm paying more attention to passing conversations and sometimes I can understand the gist of what people are saying. They are never talking about horses or rice, incidentally.

In other news, I've committed to running a 5k in May. It seems like there are races here every weekend. Seeing all of these exceptionally fit Europeans happily sprinting through the countryside has inspired me to become one of them. My husband is already an avid runner so I have a good role model to follow. So far, training hasn't been very easy. I don't particularly like running so I'm just hoping that I don't finish last.

We have big plans for the weekend! Even though the weather forecast is dismal, I've lived here long enough to know that it could (hopefully) turn out sunny and beautiful even though it's cold and rainy today. After all, it was just two weeks ago that we were riding our bicycles through green fields, working up a sweat with the sun beating down on us.

Here's to hoping the weather will be like this again very soon!