A very early start this morning, twenty five past seven to get to Holy Cross Cowbridge for eight o'clock Communion. Just before I reached the turning to descend Primrose Hill from the A48 into town I was stopped by Police motorcycle escort riders accompanying a very large wide slow moving vehicle which was climbing the by-pass road ahead of me. I was warned that it could be ten minutes delay, and began to worry it could make me late.
I took a side road in the hope that it would take me on a back lane and avoid delay, but the un-metalled potholed road terminated in a walking track, and I had to return to the main road, fortunately, just as the giant vehicle was passing. A low loader lorry was carrying a huge silvery metal capsule, towering thirty feet above the road, and twenty five feet feet wide. I guess it was a reactor vessel destined for a chemical plant, possibly in Barry. I can't imagine what route it would take to avoid bridges. Anyway, I arrived with five minutes to spare and then proceeded to Llandough for nine fifteen and then to Ystradowen for eleven o'clock services. Last Sunday, former incumbent Stanley Mogford's death was announced. This week the deaths had to be announced of Llansannor Churchwarden and organist Margaret Edwards, and former St Hilary Churchwarden and deputy Lord Lieutenant John Curteis - the latter quite unexpected while at a meeting. Cowbridge benefice will certainly miss two such good and faithful servants.
It wasn't raining when I arrived at Ystradowen, so I left my mac in the car. By the time I came out at midday it was pouring down, so I had to run precariously down the slope of the church path to avoid a soaking. Today, the Riverside Market Garden, located in Coed Hills, just outside St Hilary, was holding an open day for supporters with lunch provided. Instead of shopping for veggies in town as usual, Clare found herself a lift and we met up there in one of the greenhouse poly-tunnels.
The rain didn't stop until after we'd finished lunch in Coed Hills House. It's an amazing fertile and bio-diverse location, with a huge field given over to organic horticulture. It has developed remarkably well in the three years since the project was launched and there's more to come. Already forty families obtain their weekly veggy box order from there. We returned with several bags of vegetables taken straight from the ground. Beetroot, fennel, broccoli, leeks, squashes among them.
We then went out to meet Sarah Rowland Jones, the Vicar designate of St John's city parish, at the invitation of Glenys, who is giving her hospitality during her flying visit from Cape Town where she's currently working as an advisor to the Archbishop. She has a strong background in international affairs from being a British diplomat before ordination, and activity in global Anglican and ecumenical affairs since then. Last week she was at a World Council of Churches meeting in Geneva. She's just the kind of person who can flourish at St John's and continue to participate on behalf of the Church in Wales and the Anglican Communion in international affairs. She has the kind of enthusiasm that will go down well with a congregation that will take an interest in her wider role. And that's not something you can say of every church in these uncertain times.
After supper and 'the Archers', we watched the second episode of 'Young Montalbano' from BBC iPlayer with laptop connected to the TV via the cheap HDMI cable I bought last weekend from Asda. It works a treat, and provides a low resource alternative to subscribing for digital TV recording services. We could afford it, but it's hardly value for money when you have so little spare time for entertainment on demand and such a satisfying life without it.
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