We made an effort to walk into town this morning despite the heat, to find a new Eco-store called 'Modus Vivendi' just in the process of opening, according to a publicity flyer we picked up. It's close to the bus station, whose make-over is almost complete. The sun shade canopies are now in place, but work on pavement tiling still has to be done. Perhaps it's deemed to hot to work.
We chatted with the young couple Ian and Nieves whose eco-project the store showcases. They are still in the process of stocking the store, having only taken it over a couple of weeks ago, and their website is still a work in progress They not only offer food and wine, but also a source of seeds, plants, gardening equipment and information for people taking an interest in growing food on their own fincas. There's also a social space for people to meet and learn about environmental issues and organic horticulture. A very imaginative concept.
We stocked up on veggies, wished them well, and plodded home in the heat, stopping on our way to buy some fresh fish for lunch - some small merluza plus a couple of oreos a smaller fish with big eyes, which the fishmonger threw in, for us to try, after I asked their name. One minute in the frying pan. Delicious snack while cooking a paella to host the merluza. It seemed we had a lot of fish to eat, but together with the amount of veg and rice, it was just right for two people.
Later in the afternoon I walked back into town for the wedding blessing in El Salvador of the couple from Alesund in Norway. I've been corresponding with them for several months determined to learn a few suitable liturgical phrases to say in Norwegian as part of the service.The couple had a year old toddler, looked after by one of the bridesmaids, except that he toddled around and joined mum and dad every now and then. He couldn't be separated from them during the vows, but they managed very deftly by one holding him while the other took the hand and spoke the words, then swapping the boy for the reverse process. The rings were a little more of a challenge, so he was briefly collected for a circuit of the side aisle, then returned for the nuptial blessing. All done without embarrassment, with natural dignity.
The couple wanted musical accompaniment from a string trio, and it worked very well. Despite the fact that a couple of the pieces of music were new to them, the three young women players delivered well. The big surprise however was the bride. In between scripture readings she sang an a capella song to her husband, whose words she'd written, with a traditional tune. The melody was hauntingly beautiful. Her pure clear voice filled the resonant acoustic space of the church perfectly. It was quite impossible not to be moved. Afterwards, I asked if she'd been trained or sang in a choir, and she said not at all. She said she only sang in the shower. Without rehearsal, she'd tackled a demanding melody, with some long sustained notes, in perfect pitch throughout, and thought nothing of it. That was my day's reward for making the effort with those Norwegian phrases. More literary than colloquial sounding, if I understood the feedback aright which I received after.
After the intensity of quite a simple, but different ethos of service from ones I've conducted lately, I was quite drained. Clare same down to meet me half way, and we stopped for a drink at a bar on the return trip. Another one of those days when the heat makes me feel my age.
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