Sunday 5 March 2017

Lenten Musical discovery

As I didn't have an eight o'clock celebration assignment this morning, I didn't need to rise early, and got up after nine hours of refreshing sleep. As I drove to St German's I listened to a Latin Mass for double choir on Radio 3 by Genevois composer Frank Martin, he of 'Le Vin Herbe' fame. I found it inspiringly beautiful, described afterwards by an announcer as being one of the great a capella choral works of the twentieth century. An opinion I certainly agree with. I'd love to hear it performed live in St German's with its perfect acoustic for choral music. 

Numbers at Mass were down twenty percent today. Over the years I've noticed in other places how church attendance often dips on the first Sunday of Lent. Not for the first time did I muse about people giving up church for Lent.

Clare is still in Kenilworth, so I returned home and cooked lunch for myself, some spicy vegetarian dishes which went down a treat. Later I walked around Pontcanna Fields, and decided that since it's a Sunday, I could relax my lenten litter picking discipline. It didn't stop me from spotting and collecting two nearly full plastic water bottles along the path, neither of them too far from a litter bin with a fresh empty bag. Discarded by people in the throes of sporting activity, I guess. So careless towards other people and the environment.

Watched 'Good Karma Hospital' again, always engaging, sometimes funny, or sad. Often it's thought provoking on social and ethical issues seen from a medical perspective, with the added savour of being set in an Indian beach holiday resort. I never watch British or American based hospital dramas, but this has my attention because of the window it gives on expatriate life and work in a third world country.

  

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