I woke up and half past six and couldn't get back to sleep, so I posted the Morning Prayer YouTube link on What'sApp, listened to 'Thought for the Day' and got up for breakfast earlier than usual. I had a voicemail from Mother Frances at eight thirty to ask if I'd celebrate St John's Eucharist, as she was afflicted with a severe migraine. I walked there early enough to shop for food bank items in Tesco's on my way to church. Most of the regulars were away. It was just David and I when we started, but my sixth sense was at work, telling me our number was incomplete. Half way through, another person arrived, who attends from time to time when her work schedule permits. Two or three gathered together around the Lord's Table. Funny how this happens.
I returned home, feeling tireder than usual, losing an hour's sleep. I rested in the chair but couldn't doze off, so I got up and worked on next week's Morning Prayer video, while Clare cooked lunch. I had stopped to eat lunch then completed the job and uploaded the video after eating.
Father Stewart emailed me the dates of Sunday duties he wants me to cover in the third quarter of the year. It won't be weekly as his regular pattern of duty cover required me to fill fortnightly slots, so I can offer the remainder of dates to Area Dean Fr Dyfrig, in case they are useful to him for covering our local double vacancy. According to this week's parish newsletter, he's going to be the interim Ministry Area Leader until an appointment is made. As if he didn't already have enough work on his plate with Eglwys Dewi Sant, Welsh Language Advisor and Area Dean in his brief!
Anyway, it looks as if I'll be able to celebrate Christmas in the parish this year rather than crossing the city to St German's, as I have done previously. We're hosting the annual festive banquet this year. Then, a few days later, Kath and Anto are off to Australia on a long planned visit to some old friends of theirs.
Clare succeeded in getting a full coat of paint for the shed out of tin we bought, but another is needed for a second coat, so I walked down to Cowbridge Road and took a 17 bus to the top end of Heol Trelai in Caerau then walked the last half mile uphill to B&Q to buy one. I was lucky to wait only five minutes for a 96 bus outside Western Cemetery, which brought me back into Canton, and a fifteen minute walk home. Before supper, I went out again and walked to Thompson's Park, where I checked out the fig tree which overhangs a back garden well next to the park.
It was covered with baby figs which will take a year to grow and ripen, plus a couple of dozen large figs on overhanging branches unreachable high up. These had over-ripened to the point of going rotten and attacked by wasps. But I found one big nearly ripe fig concealed by leaves on a low hanging branch, which I took home and left to finish ripening next to a large nectarine, due to be eaten tomorrow. A small treat, thanks to our warmish wet summer weather. Next year's fig crop from this tree should be fantastic, if they survive long enough to ripen.
Just as I was going out to the park, Pete the tree surgeon husband of Mandy, a school friend of Kath's came by to inspect the Damson tree in our garden. It's suffering from an infestation which is causing its leaves to curl up. No chance of fruit this year I suspect. Investigation and diagnosis is now under way.
After supper we watched the first episode of 'I Claudius' on BBC iPlayer. It's a classic TV drama made in 1976 with a stellar cast, and amazing acting. I'm not sure we had colour TV when we saw this back then. It was shot on videotape according to Wikipedia. It's acclaimed as one of the best ever TV dramas from the BBC and still looks surprisingly good, especially when you consider its age.
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