It’s been a couple of long weeks for Mrs J, but she’s finally able to go for walks outside. Next week, she’ll try running again. She’s itching to go.

Taking it slow has its advantages though. You see things that otherwise you just run or rush by without noticing.

In Mrs J’s village the commune and local historical society have recently designed a couple of historical walks. There’s a marked route and if you follow it you regularly come across an infotablet-cum-modern-art installation. They may not be Mrs J’s cup of tea design-wise. But they are interesting.

Today, for example, Mrs J learned that the English garden that is now the village park was originally designed by a famous landscaping master who was also the chief gardener for the city of Paris. How about that!

Mrs J took this photo in the park last summer. There was a party in the park the day she quit her job.

Also, it turns out Goethe stayed in the old millers house in the village on Mrs J’s birthday in 1792.

Truth be told, Goethe seems to have stayed in just about every village in the area at some point.

But not on Mrs J’s birthday.

However small the place, there’s always history. There’s always a fun coincidence or an interesting bit of trivia. We all live right in it. We even make it. Even if we don’t always go slow enough to see it.

And on that note, Mrs J proudly presents the first snowdrops of 2012 in her village. Spring is coming!