I can’t believe that three weeks ago we were swimming in the lakes. Now it’s about 10 degrees Celsius during the day and less at night! The cold weather sets in quickly here. Last week we had a brief respite from the lowering temperatures because I had a work meeting in Siena and afterwards my husband joined me for a long weekend travelling around Tuscany (3 October is a public holiday in Germany). However now we are back to face the cold. As usual the transition to winter with the rapidly decreasing light hours and cold temperatures makes me tired. However, here are a few of this week’s small pleasures. Thanks to Mani for hosting the blog event Weekly Small Pleasures.

1) Soft shoes. Now that the autumn wardrobe is out, I am wearing different shoes. I’d forgotten how soft and comfortable these shoes are. Winter clothes can be quite cosy!

2) Enjoying Tuscan and Sicilian treats for breakfast and tea. We picked up some almond cookies in Siena and Montepulciano, and some cannoli at a Siciilan shop in Bologna airport. If you’re ever at Bologna airport do try these cannoli, they’re delicious!

3) Cooking lasagna. After visiting Bologna I was inspired to make lasagna for dinner one night.

4) Getting a lot of work done. Somehow it was a very productive week at work as I had time to do some things I’d been meaning to do for a while. There are often so many demands on my time at work that I don’t get a chance to do the things I really want to do.

5) Parlotones concert. This South African band was back in Berlin again for a concert!

6) Afternoon with a friend whose mom is visiting Berlin from Cameroon. First we got to try some authentic Cameroonian food, then we went for a walk around the Charlottenburg palace gardens. Next we went for amazing hot chocolate at the cafe of the chocolate shop Fassbender and Rausch on Gendarmenmarkt and finally we took a drive around to look at some of the festival of lights, in which some of the monuments in Berlin are lit up.

That’s it for this week. Have a good week!