Strict measures

This morning I drove out the San Rafel to attend the nine o'clock prayer prayer meeting, led by Sarah. It was my first time to navigate my way to the church since Sarah took me there to show me on Wednesday before going to the house, and I was only a few minutes late finding my way there. It was nicely structured around the Common Worship Office of Morning Prayer with almost an hour's detailed intercession list for the chaplaincy's people and ministry, the diocese and the wider world. Time well spent in my opinion.

The village church, dedicated to the healing angel at the crossroads (as in the deutero-canonical book of Tobias) holds about a hundred and fifty people, and has a fair sized porch area outside where open air activities can be held in a sheltered open air space. Simple but effective social design. Afterwards the six of us went to the bar/restaurant in the main street for coffee and bread covered with tomato pulp and olive oil, the standard Spanish breakfast snack. We chatted for an hour then went our separate ways.

I'm getting into the habit now of cooking for lunch every other day, enough for two, as I would at home. I don't mind the repetition, and sometimes add extras second time around. Then I went for a walk along the Cala Bassa road, just to look at the landscape, although I didn't go all the way there as I didn't want to over reach myself. On the way back I stopped as Es Cuco, to buy some chicken, breast which I fancied for a change, and cooked it when I got back. That will do me several meals I suspect.

Clare called me while I was at the shop, and we talked while I was walking and then at home for over an hour on WhatsApp. Before early bed, I have to prepare for tomorrow. Instructions about communion and the coronavirus have just been issued by the diocese in Europe, banning intinction so what we thought we'd do tomorrow must now change. The Church in Wales instructions are just as strict. The CofE instruction allow a little discretion for people in unaffected areas, I suppose. European chaplaincies are on the front line. Genoa chaplaincy, I understand, has stopped meeting  and is video streaming worship to member's digital devices instead. I hope it doesn't come to that everywhere. I quite like the idea of using the international deaf sign language greeting of peace as social physical contact is now discouraged if not banned. How many outgoing people will forget, I wonder?