Unusual encounter

I celebrated the Midweek Eucharist again at St Catherine's yesterday morning. After lunch a phone call from Jacquie, the UHW Patient Care Coordinator, told me I've been booked to see Mrs Cornish the surgeon on 14th November, six weeks from now. It's a long time to wait, but it does mean that we can now book a fortnight's holiday over half term.

Rachel posted a photo on WhatsApp of her lounge pile high with boxes waiting to be unpacked. This week she has moved from a condo apartment into a house with a garden, somewhat nearer Jasmine's new school, I think. I hope it'll give them both the space they need.

I celebrated the Eucharist at St John's this morning, then went to the surgery at lunchtime for a 'flu jab. It rained heavily thereafter, which was annoying as I had  bereavement visit to make at five thirty on the other side of the Parish. I walked there, clad in my new waterproof trousers and jacket. I was given a lift back, although by that time it had stopped raining, but it meant I was back in time for the Archers and supper with Clare.

The deceased who lived in Canton her entire life, apart from a spell in the Womens' Army Corps in the early fifties, had five children. Unusually all of them still live locally. Auntie Carol was also there, sister of the deceased. I soon learned that she was the Minister of Cardiff's Spiritualist church, located in my old Parish of St John's. In contrast to her sister, she seems well travelled, due to her ministry.

Co-incidentally, her husband died yesterday in La Marina on the Costa Blanca, where they had a holiday home for some years, and where he preferred to spend his latter years than in Cardiff. It's the next settlement down the coast from las Salinas de Sta Pola, a favourite bird-watching haunt of mine.

She joked about sitting next to me as we chatted; "In the old days your lot would have preferred to burn me at the sake." Rather than say we're more tolerant nowadays, the best I could manage was "No we can't be bothered any more." I wanted to say 'Health and Safety', but couldn't get it out, as people were already laughing.

She won't be at the funeral as she needs to go to Spain straight away and deal with all the legal formalities concerning her husband and his remains, but thankfully she's able to help draft a eulogy for a grandson to read before she goes. It's one less task for me to take on.

During the day I received an e-mail asking for the reference I volunteered to give to me friend Rufus who has been shortlisted for a job in Hereford diocese. I spent the rest of the evening working on a draft to send to him for fact checking. It has to be returned by Monday.