Happy homecoming

An uneventful Thursday, with just a visit to the wound clinic, another six mile afternoon walk, and more episodes of 'Keeping Faith' in the evening. For reasons unexplained, BBC iPlayer will not show the final episode at the moment, which is rather annoying.

This morning I took a funeral in St John's. This was unusual in that the family asked to have the Committal in church at the end of the service. It's commonplace to do this in rural areas where there may be and hour or more journey from church to crematorium, also in many parts of the diocese in Europe. Funeral directors are happy with this as they can schedule their activities more to their own convenience. All that was required of me was to escort the hearse from the churchyard after mourners had left the church and were gathered outside. It seemed just a bit strange to me in this setting.

Thornhill Crematorium chapels are currently undergoing a make-over. A large marquee has been erected in nearby to serve as a temporary chapel. This entails a change in practice, as there can be no final leave-taking curtain. The coffin is removed after mourners have left, then transported to the ovens behind the chapels. This arrangement is scheduled to last for just a couple of months. It will be interesting to see how it impacts on usual custom and practice. I don't think it influenced this family's choice, however. They'd planned for the wake to take place in the Liberal Club, around the corner from the church, and it made better sense for them to go straight there.

When I got back, an appointment letter from Llandough Hospital was waiting for me, confirming 5th September as the date for operation number three. Let's hope this'll happen as planned. After lunch, I walked up to Llandaff Weir again and got some more heron photos though still not the good ones of the bird in flight which I'm after. Watching them take off and land is such a spectacle, it happens so quickly and quirkily that it's hard to aim and focus accurately in time. But, practiee makes perfect.

Early evening Katherine arrived from Kenilworth with Rachel, after a few days spent together. It's so lovely to enjoy having them together, with supper out in the garden, despite the scaffolding and mess from building work, and then some music making. Rachel loves to be re-united with the Grandpa's 'cello, and bonds with it again blissfully. It's so good to have her back where she's most at home.