I celebrated Solemn Mass for Trinity Sunday at St Timothy's Ely yesterday morning. The regular sacristan cum server was away on holiday, and with no substitute, I had to arrange everything liturgical apart from readings and intercessions - a DIY job - and I'm not all that used to it these days. However, I managed to fire up the thurible without incident, and used incense as prescribed simply by parking the thurible in easy reach on the floor beneath the altar. My little improvisation worked without embarrassing moments, and having extra things to attend to didn't seem to inhibit preaching, so perhaps I'm getting more relaxed about things as I get older.
After an early lunch, I headed down to Cardiff Bay on the bus, in bright sunshine for the afternoon performance of Wagner's 'Lohengrin', an opera I've not seen before. It was such a nice day that I wasn't looking forward to spending the next six hours indoors. Also, with Clare in Arizona, I had a spare ticket. Nobody I asked was able to accept the offer. I queued at the Millennium Centre box office, in the hope of re-selling it, but had left it too late. If I'd bothered to go down on Thursday last I might have had more luck. Such a shame about the ticket. Nevertheless the performance of this amazing opera was so good it was worth walking away from the sunshine for. In fact, would have been worth paying double to see. It was a world class event without doubt. And, as if to prove it, the BBC broadcasted it live.
Bank Holiday Monday today, saw the return of rain and cold weather. A day to get up late, mooch around the house, upload photos and talk with Clare and Rachel on Skype, enduring forty degree heat out there in Arizona. Rachel has been using the Viber app on her iPhone to send me photos, so that I don't miss out, bless her.
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