Duty Free Sunday

A free Sunday to enjoy! Breakfast half an hour earlier this morning, to enable me to get out and walk to church for the ten o'clock Eucharist. Clare and Kath decided to go for a walk on the beach instead. I met Fr Roger, the priest taking the service on the way up the path to St Illtud's Parish Church. He's retired as I am, and a member of the Gower Ministry Area team of seven clerics with house-for-duty license. There are seventeen churches in this largely rural ministry area, quite a challenge to organise. We were fourteen at the service, with a thoughtful sermon from Fr Roger and beautifully crafted intercessions from a layman. Once more I was welcomed and our previous visits over the past few years remembered. A lovely experience of worship in a beautiful ancient setting overlooking Oxwich Bay.

I met up with Clare and Kath after the service, and before we drove out to the Gower Inn for lunch Kath and I walked up the steep hill behind the village to take a look at Oxwich Castle from the outside only, as it's not open on Sundays. The Sunday Roast Dinner was rather disappointing. It wouldn't have been quite so disappointing if it hadn't been served up inundated in thick brown gravy, obliterating other flavours. The slices of roast pork I ate were good enough, but had to be rescued from the gravy to be tasted. It was the nearest think to a school dinner I have had in years. Too much reliance on pub mass catering supplies microwaved for any of the components of the dish to be tasty anyway. Not our kind of food sadly.

Kath set off for Kenilworth from the pub. I'd driven our car there to take us back to Oxwich after lunch. Then, another long beach walk, taking in the hide overlooking the pond. While we were there watching the sunset reflected in the water, a man came in, who was a local nature lover, who comes over each day to keep an eye on things and feed the birds. He brings a small bag of Tesco muesli to feed the small birds around the hide - a bossy robin and a pair of timid Dunnock. At last I know what a Dunnock looks like, as we saw one. It was lovely chatting with such a knowledgeable enthusiast for the area and its wildlife.

Then, back to the hotel for a picnic supper in our room, and photo upload session in the downstairs lounge where the wifi signal is less flaky than where our room is situated, before settling down for the night. I'm amazed we walked nearly eight miles today, having done over ten yesterday, and so far the leg muscles are not unbearably stiff. But maybe tomorrow they will be. No gain no pain? Unlikely.