Dydd Gwyl Dewi

Unfortunately, observance of the First Sunday of Lent takes precedence over the fiesta of our national patron, so the Church Catholic is out of step with the nation, celebrating Dewi tomorrow instead. I'm sure he wouldn't mind Lent observance had been going on for about a hundred and fifty years before he was born. He'd give it priority over all else, quite naturally.

I celebrated and preached at St Paul's Grangetown this morning, with a congregation of over forty adults and children. A couple of youngsters read the lesson. A lad of about seven read the story of the Fall with some difficulty. It was a good effort for someone learning to read, halting with occasional stumbles, but nobody minded. The congregation followed from a pew sheet provided, happy to see one of their kids confident enough to get up and try reading in public. Many of them wouldn't have the confidence to do that. It's marvellous that small children are encourage to have a go and try hard things. Clearly it works. The second lesson from St Paul on the second Adam is a closely argued text. It was read with clarity and impressive comprehension by another lad, nine or ten years old. We gave both of them a round of applause. Such a joy!

Before lunch I walked to Tesco's to get a bottle of wine, as Sunday is not a day of Lenten observance. The length of Llandaff Road was closed off for re-surfacing, and a fleet of lorries came with tarmac and left empty. The heavens opened and soaked me on the way back. Huge clouds of steam rose from the newly rolled surface after the rain. The smell is so evocative.

A walk to Blackweir after lunch revealed river water levels only slightly higher than usual. The fields have also drained of surface water very quickly. The force of the water flow over the past week has shifted hundreds of tons of pebbles into a long tear drop shaped island in the middle of the riverbed. In fact, its shape today was different again from what it was earlier in the week. Two cormorants were perched on stones on the furthermost edge of the island, surveying the waters. The entire tree that was washed downstream under the bridge last week has disappeared. The riverbed seems quite clean and bare after a couple of weeks of heavy rain. At first, huge amounts of wood was carried downstream on the flood, timbers from industrial pallets and crates, tree branches and logs, plastic crates bottles, containers. All of this ends up in the Bay where hundreds of tons of rubbish has to be removed daily as part of the effort required to release water from the marina into the Severn Estuary.

After the walk, I made an effort to sort out my possessions and pack them for travel. First, making a pack of wound dressings to occupy a corner of my case - this time last year, I recall us taking a large separate bag full of medical stuff with me to my sister Pauline's 90th birthday celebration in Weston. Progress! Next, trying to decide which gadgets I'm going to take, and finding the chargers to go with them. Then selecting clothes, and then assembling just the right amount of blood pressure medication packs to cover the time away. Next, sorting out essential documents in addition to passport tickets driving license and IDP. Usually, I'm doing this on the day I start travel, but this time I'm unusually nervous and keen to get it all right in advance. It's eighteen months since I last travelled abroad, and it's less easy to get going than it used to be.