Another day clouds, sunshine and occasional bouts of rain. A later start for me, driving to St German's for the eleven o'clock Sung Mass, and today it really was sung. Although mask wearing is still obligatory if the risk assessment okays it, muffled singing is possible. It meant I could sing all the priest's parts of the Eucharist and be responded to. It was so therapeutic! The combination of a well spaced congregation of 25 and a building with a very high roof made it possible to celebrate safely in the traditional way, and I also had support from the Parish ordinand as sub-deacon, a MC, thurifer and a boat boy. All beautifully done. I enjoyed it so much and look forward to returning during August to cover for Fr Phelim's final holiday leave, cover I would most likely have been asked to provide if he'd not been leaving.
It was quarter past one by the time I reached home afterwards, as socially distanced coffee and cake in the church hall followed the service. Fortunately, like the church it's big and has a high ceiling. In the eighteen months since I was last in the hall, the toilet facilities have received a splendid renovation. suitable for wider community usage. and it's being hired out to various community groups again, now that restrictions on class activities are being lifted. I just hope the interregnum isn't another long one.
The formal separation of the Parishes of St German and St Saviour was agreed upon at a meeting today, paving the way for the incorporation of St German's into Roath Ministry Area and St Saviour's into the Cardiff Bay Ministry Area, from Splott to Grangetown. There's a strong case to be made for engaging another community minded successor to Fr Phelim as priest in charge of St German's. It's possible that whoever is appointed may have to be a specialist part time, either serving Roath Ministry Area or the Diocese. We'll see.
After lunch, a walk in Llandaff and Pontcanna Fields. For the first time in a month I saw a heron fishing off the shoal of stones below the weir, and caught a glimpse of silver as it caught and swallowed a fish too fast to aim my camera. I could hear the tiny sweet bubbly sound of a bird as I walked down Llanfair Road on my way home. It was a tiny bird too, which was hard to spot perched on one of the rooftop TV aerials. I took a few photos which revealed in post processing that it was a goldfinch. A few weeks back I snapped a female chaffinch on an aerial the same side of the road. That says something about the back gardens of those houses being rich in the kind of foods finches enjoy. They're rarely seen in Meadow Street back gardens facing a different stretch of Llanfair Road.
This evening Clare wanted to watch a film on live TV. I opted to finish watching the final episodes of the latest French thriller 'Just one look' on More Four. Quite a convoluted plot with dramatic twists thrown in, and an even bigger surprise last act which brought the thing to a totally implausible end. Why ruin a good story-line like this?
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