Empty nest again

I woke up at ten past five, hearing the voice of Jas downstairs, an figured her taxi had arrived. The next sound I heard was the front door shutting behind her and Clare, so sadly I didn't get to see her leave. Clare went with her to the Megabus stop, then walked back home, and went back to bed. It took me a while to get back to sleep and I didn't get up until ten past nine despite the bright sunshine streaming into the room. It's been lovely having her with us. Now we have to get used to a quiet empty nest again.

I drove to St German's to attend Sunday Mass. There was a congregation about three dozen, despite half a dozen regular members being away on an excursion. It's good to see numbers are picking up under Fr Jarel's leadership. A couple of RWCMD singers have joined the choir. I believe it's part of their training in church musical leadership. One of the women, with a fine soprano voice sang Faure's 'Pie Iesu' during Communion. When I talked with her afterwards she told me she was from Phoenix, and had lived for some years in Tempe. What a coincidence! The sun shone throughout the service, and I enjoyed a beautiful relaxed experience of worship being on the receiving end, content not to be on active service.

I has hoped to see Basma there, but she was unwell and didn't turn up, so I didn't stop for coffee but went straight home for lunch. Clare benefited from a long morning in bed while I was out. After lunch and a siesta we walked over to Bute Park and back. It was nearly supper time when we got back. Afterwards I watched a double episode of 'The Turkish Detective' on iPlayer. 

It's set in Istanbul, and gives a vivid sense of the beauty of vitality of this eurasian crossroads city - in some senses highly modern, but in others still very traditional and even eccentric. One of the main characters is a senior detective inspector who knows the city and its communities inside out. He's a shrewd mentor to a new Turkish recruit trained in the UK's Metropolitan Police, and his observant style interrogatory stay is reminiscent of detective 'Colombo' in the long running American crimmie series. This one is certainly a different optic through which to view the world and its many variations of fallen-ness.

I ended the day with a short walk for a breath of fresh air under a cloudless sky. A group of teenagers were walking around, singing enthusiastically to hip hop emanating from someone's phone linked up to a small portable loudspeaker. They were neither rowdy nor trouble making, but happy to be out together enjoying this magical hour in a carefree way. The sun was already below the horizon and the western sky filled with twilight glow. Just above the tree line in the direction of Llandaff Cathedral, the thinnest possible sliver of a setting moon was visible Lovely, enchanting, so peaceful.