Scandi night in

A cold but sunny start to the day. Clare was up early, and had cooked pancakes for breakfast by the time I  got up. It's a sign that her gradual improvement continues. She's able to manage without pain-killers now, but still uses ointments and heat treatment, as she's not pain free yet. Standing for any length of time is still painful and tiring.

I did some more work on Rachel's Chocolate video before going out for a walk before lunch. Clare had started cooking by the time I got back, so I took over and finished while she had a rest. Mussels with rice and an untired selection of vegetables - squash, radish, onions and sweetcorn, stewed with a little miso. It seemed to work surprisingly.

Rachel sent me some more photos to include in her video, so I added them to the project file and edited all the timings for the third time. The video for looping on her Chocologie website is ready for approval. The slightly longer version for YouTube remains to be done.

After tea, I went for a walk through the woods on the west bank of the Taff. I made several birdsong recordings to edit into a single five minute MP3 file for Rachel as a souvenir of home. Perhaps she'll play it on her return flight to help her to sleep.

When I went to prepare a sermon for tomorrow I found the Sunday page in my diary was empty. I had forgotten I have no duties tomorrow. It's the Eurovision Song Contest tonight. There's even a social event at St John's to watch it this evening with large screen viewing promised, but the music and performances hold no interest for me whatsoever. 

When I was grounded in Ibiza two years ago, Kath set up a special WhatsApp group for family and friends to make a lockdown virtual Eurovision party. A great morale booster at the time, just to see that so many people were having fun and communicating despite the dire isolation. But that did nothing to enhance the quality of the music. The occasion I recall vividly, the music was all forgettable.

Instead, I had a Scandinavian evening's viewing, first watching a Rick Stein programme about Nordic cuisine, set in Copenhagen, then another episode of Swedish crimmie 'Beck', always well crafted and plausible, even if sometimes the story lines are complex. Sara's husband Gunnar came from Gothenburg to watch the Cup Final. I wonder what he felt about a drawn match decided on a penalty shoot-out, with Liverpool as the winner, just?