Farewell sofas and national commemorations

I watched part of this morning's service from Glasgow Cathedral for the start of the national day of commemoration of the centenary of the outbreak of World War One. A sombre occasion, made even more sombre by the realities of current conflicts in Gaza, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Southern Sudan, Libya and Ukraine.

At  lunchtime, a local house clearance firm called Second Hand UK sent a furniture van around to collect a couple of sofas that have adorned the lounge in the succession of homes we've made since we first bought them fourteen years ago in Geneva. The accompanying armchair was disposed of when we downsized for retirement. 

Now at last, with a new pair of sofas on order from Scotts of Stow, not quite so large, and anatomically more of a match for our need to support ageing bodies, we're moving from stylish Italo-Suisse leather to traditional British upright fabric design, a decent height, comfortable with a straight back. They'll arrive in early  September. How often I have snoozed on the larger of the two sofas, up until yesterday, after lunch. No more lounging in the lounge now. The new arrivals are just a little shorter, but they'll make the room feel a bit more spacious.

Clare and I sat and watched together the second commemorative service of the day, the Wales national vigil broadcast from Llandaff Cathedral. Preparations for this have been going on over the past couple of years. I had to pass over the opportunity to be involved in it, on behalf of the Royal British Legion, as at that time I'd just accepted to do my first long locum in Costa Azahar. It was good to see how well the planning efforts worked out, and how broad a representation of people in public life and service was achieved. 

Archbishop Barry preached very well, and bi-lingually. In fact the whole service embraced both our national languages, incorporating a Welsh poem 'Rhyfel' (War) by wartime poet Hedd Wyn. He was killed in action before he knew that he'd been awarded the national Eisteddfod chair for another much longer poem. The service also included an appeal to world leaders for reconciliation and peace-making  from two members of Urdd Gobaith Cymru, the Welsh young people's organisation which champions cultural life and creativity in a remarkable and enthusiastic way.

In response to the Royal British Legion's national call for 'Lights out' as it got dark, from 10-11.00pm, recalling UK Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey's remark on this evening when war was declared a century ago tonight, that the lights were going out all over Europe, we sat and watched with just a candle in the front room window. I peeped out in the street near the end. We appeared to be the only household doing this. I guess many people are just too busy to look back and wonder how it all went wrong, and why we seem to have learned so little from the conflicts of the twentieth century.