By the time I got around to printing my sermon, first thing the morning I was satisfied with its content, and use the thematic headline 'Blessed are the space-makers, for they shall be called God's people' to introduce it. Conscious of not being on my best form physically, I was a tad nervous, but fine once I got started. To make this occasion special for me personally, I wore the white stole with blue satin Greek crosses on it which Clare made for me to wear for both my ordinations from a piece of her wedding dress silk. It's travelled with me and been used in many places, and its most frequent use has been in taking the Sacrament to the sick and housebound. Amazingly, it's still in good condition, and responded well when it was given a gentle wash some time ago.
Having Emma distribute Communion worked well. We were thirty four adults and four children, a steady number now from week to week, everyone masked up, taking seriously each other's need to be safe and secure. At the end of the service Emma presented me with a mini party cake and a bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne - plus an IOU a party card of congratulation. A lovely touch bearing the promise of better safer times to come, when there will be lots for us all to celebrate together.
Clare was feeling under the weather and didn't come, but stayed in bed, in self quarantine, to be on the safe side. So I was glad to be wearing the stole she made for me beneath the green chasuble of the day. She suspected she was starting a cold in Friday so we kept apart. Often over the years, she's gone down with a cold in and around her birthday, but I don't. She speaks of it now as the time of year when her constitution is at its weakest, and has taken all the required precautions about her business away from home. Sure she'd be happier if she could get eliminated with a covid test., but when she checked the website the nearest test bookable was Taunton. It's a joke, a shambles.
A good walk in the park in the afternoon, then in the evening on BBC Four - an Australian arthaus film called 'The Ghan'. It documents the 3600 mile train journey from Adelaide to Darwin, featinging one of the largest passenger trains in the world over its fifty five hour trip. There's very little commentary apart from the train conductor, no interviews, and the sound track consists solely of the music the train makes as it travels through different environments. The terrain is awesomely beautiful, even if largely flat. It's compelling to watch. Such historical and cultural narration as there is is carried in text messages which float into view as the journey progresses. When historical matters are considered, the film goes into black and white mode. It's slow TV, a feast for eyes and ears, restful and fascinating at the same time. It made me think of the long train journeys we've made across Europe. Will we ever repeat them again I wonder?
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