I celebrated the Eucharist at St Catherine's yesterday morning, using the altar in the Lady Chapel for the first time, an eastward celebration too, which the congregation of eight enjoyed it seems. Today, I celebrated also at St John's.
On both days I had a nursing appointment, just as the clinic reopened after lunchtime. Yet again this month the shorter working week due to another Bank Holiday has led to disruption in the clinic medical supply chain. We're getting by at home as we've kept a small assortment of dressings of different sizes left over from previous occasions, just in case, so we can try out alternative methods.
Thankfully I need a change less often as healing progresses, and can even manage with just light cover to allow the air to reach it, and encourage drying out. It must be difficult for the nursing staff, however, as some of their regular patients heal very slowly, if at all, due to the impact of diabetes on them. I complain on times that it's all taking far too long to get better, but must admit just how fortunate I am compared to many others.
This afternoon I was driven to Thornhill to officiate at Sheila's funeral. My driver told me that he's only recently started a part time job with Summers funeralcare, having retired from working in IT at the National Statistics Office in Newport. What a change of profession! I took with me the beeswax candle given me by Laura to light during the service. Clare ingeniously fixed it in a small glass tea-light candle holder, using a tea-light to provide a stable base. During the welcome, I lit it and said a brief prayer intending to explain its provenance to the congregation of two dozen later. Sheila's sons John and Paul spoke about their mother. Paul mentioned his mother's friendship with Laura and explained the candle, so I didn't need to.
The funeral ahead of us in the Briwnant Chapel overran by fifteen minutes. As we waited to take over the chapel, I was astonished by the number of people who came out of the chapel after that service, perhaps double the number of seats, and some people stood outside as well. No wonder the delay was quite so long. Our service took thirty five of the forty five minute time slot. I was bothered that we should pass on the discourtesy of overrunning, but it turned out the funeral after ours was running late, because of traffic conditions.
Last night and again tonight BBC Four's Storyville series screened a two part documentary which was recorded live over the past two years of brexit negotiations in and the office of Guy Verhofstadt, former Prime Minister of Belgium, now a key European Parliamentarian. He heads the team on the EU side of the process. The documentary was remarkable for its openness and candour, showing the disciplined effort required to maintain a unified approach with 27 national governments, the European Parliament and Commission, while the British approach from the outset seemed undisciplined, chaotic, lacking clarity. I guess this is a reflection of the Prime Minister's strapline 'Brexit means brexit' a phrase with which anyone can conjure whatever meaning they choose, guaranteeing no consensus, despite parliamentary efforts to create one which everyone can own.
It was good that Michel Barnier was filmed speaking with clarity and passion about the European project to build a community which is peaceful prosperous and able to live with differences, admitting it's a constant work in progress. He insists on maintaining due respect for British political endeavours on the part of EU despite politicians and negotiators being bewildered by all the chopping and changing and the inability to reach a UK consensus on what they want and where they want to do. It sheds even more bad light on flight from moderation in Britain over the past decade. To be seen as other see us. Will British political leaders watch this and take a hard look at what they've let the populists get away with these past five years? And repent of their weakness and folly.
After Storyville, the latest episode of 'Berlin Station' was live on More Four. It gets more layered and interesting as it goes along. Worth staying up late for. Oh, I nearly forgot. Our European Parliamentary election postal ballot papers arrived today. I can only hope and pray that people will show by their voting that the last few years have been a nightmarish mistake.
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