Eclipse time

Yesterday, I had to stay in and miss going to St John's for the Eucharist so that a handyman could take a look at our oven door and see if the problem we have is fixable. It turns out a roller catch that keeps the door closed is broken, and needs replacement. It's easy enough to order on-line, but installing it is tricky as it involves dismantling the front of the oven first. It's no longer the kind of thing I can tackle as my rheumaticky hands don't function with enough sensitivity to hold on to small things or turn tight screws any longer. I understand well the meaning of the phrase at the end of Psalm 137 where in one translation the poet says "If I forget you O Jerusalem, may my right hand lose its skill." 

On my afternoon walk in the park today, I saw for the first time in a couple of years a family of long tailed tits foraging on the bare branches of the avenue of trees leading down to Blackweir Bridge. I only got one photo worth keeping. The little things move so fast. In Bute Park, I saw a Jay foraging on a tree trunk way above me, and got several photos, the best of this bird I've ever got. I noticed that the daffodil shoots which first appeared after Christmas are acquiring heads, and may flower before the end of this month, a lot earlier than normal in such a mild winter. It's been 8-10 degree for weeks except for the occasional day near freezing. 

Almost at the end of my walk I met briefly with Ashley and Julie at Riverside surgery where he was collecting medication. RadioNet business has altogether ceased now and winding up the company formally has started, thankfully without debts. All that remains is to complete the clearance of the office prior to surrender and dispose of radio assets, then by the end of next month it will be all over,  apart from submitting closing accounts, almost eleven years since the service first launched. I believe we served the city centre very well indeed in that time, but our best efforts were eclipsed by self interested political gamesmanship, rather than by a genuine concern to maintain highest standards of service. Nobody will thank us for what we achieved so consistently for so long. Amnesia is rampant the business world, which is why so few lessons are learned when mistakes are made or con-tricks succeed.

Walking home from our meeting, I saw the January Full Moon, aka Wolf Moon above the rooftops in a cloudless sky. A wonderful sight. There's an eclipse of the moon tonight, a special moment in the lunar year, when sun earth and moon are in perfect alignment and the moon is swallowed by the earth's shadow. Unfortunately there's a veil of clouds tonight, so the visual effect of the dimming of the moon's light by the earth's shadow won't be obvious. Stymied again by the weather.

I sent my euro PTO application by email this afternoon. Next I must obtain the Spanish police check certificate to add to the process. My Llandaff PTO on CRB check runs out in April, so I have asked to be sent application form for this one as well, rather than wait to receive a notification. Next thing after that will be a passport application. Not that I want a new blue post brexit one, but mine runs out in September this year, and the chances are that I'll be away as the expiry date approaches, making things that much more fraught if there are delays, which seems inevitable with such a major change in view. And there's the International Driving Permit to obtain also. Sad and sorry things in my life.