I drove out to Cowbridge this morning to take part in Fr Derek Belcher's retirement celebration Mass in persistent rain under low cloud. There was a long delay getting through traffic lights at the Grand Avenue crossroads in Ely because there were roadworks in either direction and only one lane out of four was open. When I arrived, I had to park well away from Holy Cross Church, down in the cattle market. When I arrived, I was bewildered to find that the service was well under way and had just reached the sermon. I should have been there with five minutes to spare, except that I had failed to register that the usual service time had been advanced by half an hour. I slipped into a full church and crept to a seat at the back, feeling very ashamed of myself.
It was a cheerful celebration, with an appreciative tribute from Fr Martin Reynolds who preached and a final presentation to Derek and Pam, followed by a big buffet reception in church. They'll be living at Llancarfan Vicarage in a 'house for duty' ministry from now on, so Derek's remarkable gifts will not be lost to the wider church community in the dicoese. There were quite a number of retired clerics present, so there was an opportunity to greet several former colleagues before stepping out into the rain, and driving home for a lunch of fresh venison sausages and roasted veg, cooked by Owain. About three, the cloud began to lift and break up and the sun shone, day ending on a brighter note.
Now two and a half weeks into my Lenten blog, I spent the evening reflecting and writing on the role clouds in scripture. Even mostly sunny Israel/Palestine has its share of grim weather to mention. Also I paid my car tax for the year via the DVLA website. It's has a very clear and simple user interface, as is the driving license renewal page, which I did a month ago. Excellent no nonsense stuff. The Government may have problems about its IT strategy and expenditure in some sectors, but the DVLA certainly isn't part of that.
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