Summer Sunday under cloud

A cloudy day, mild rather than how. A much needed long sleep, then off to St Catherine's for the Eucharist after breakfast. Clare, still feeling poorly stayed home again. Fr Rhys presided, to enable Fr Sion to spend time with the Sunday School until they came into church together at Communion time. A congregation of about forty adults and about twenty children, quite a number of whom were under five. The Communion anthem was unusual, in that the choir was accompanied not only by the organ but a bassonist. A twentieth century anthem by someone I'd never heard of. It was a delightful innovation. 

I chatted with Rhys after the service, the first opportunity I've had since he retired from his day job as a GP. He's been a voluntary priest like me, since he was ordained. He told me that he's going for an eight day retreat at St Beuno's tomorrow, in an endeavour to discern what his vocational path should be hereafter.

After lunch another hour asleep in the chair. I don't know where all the tiredness comes from. Then a walk which took me down the woodland path on the west bank of the Taff down to Blackweir Bridge. It's on the verge of being overgrown with such luxuriant vegetation after months of rain. It's the first time this year to walk that way, as it remained unpleasantly muddy. Even now after a month of dry weather, there are still mud hollows in the path which haven't dried out. The same too in several parts of the park grassland where hollows have developed at places where the wheels of vehicles turning or parking on the grass excavate hollows, which are never filled in as part of grassland maintenance.

As I arrived at Blackweir, the familiar sight of four horses with buggies attached belonging to Cardiff's Traveller community were departing, after their excursion from the other side of town. Apart from cricket matches, few people were out picnicking, perhaps the dullness of the day being a deterrent. There was a county cricket match going on in the SWALEC stadium, poorly attended, to just by what I could see of the ground through gaps along the fence.

I whiled away the rest of the day watching the final few episodes of 'Hierro' series one. A well constructed plot with an exciting conclusion. There's a series two to watch when I get around to it.