Cloudy and mild again today. I was unaccountably slow getting going this morning, and was slightly late for my GP surgery blood test repeat appointment, but late enough to present a problem. The phlebotomist extracted blood with easy, as I'd made sure to drink enough water beforehand to ensure my forearm veins would be visible, as advised by the nurse who saw me last week. I went straight from the surgery across the road to collect my medication from the pharmacy, and was told that the order was incomplete as a new delivery was awaited, so I'll have to return to pick up the rest later this week.
Then I went to St Catherine's and celebrated the Eucharist with a congregation of ten, including a young mother with a nine week old baby who'd joined us for the service. I was delighted to have the opportunity to give the infant a blessing during Communion - a rare treat for me these days. After coffee and chat in the church hall, I picked up this week's veggie bag on my way home. Clare was out having a chiropracter treatment, but had left lunch for us on the stove, veggies and rice already cooked, awaiting the addition of cooked prawns to complete the dish.
I was disconcerted to find signs that Clare had left in a hurry. She was late getting back, and told me that she'd forgotten about the appointment until the therapist called her to check. As there was no following appointment, Clare dashed to the treatment room and arrived late home. She needed a long rest after we'd eaten, so I went and retrieved her Beanfreaks grocery order. Then, a walk in Llandaff Fields, just as the park was filling up with groups of men and/or women going for a run after work. I was surprised at how busy it was.
On the evening news the final report on the Grenfell tower block fire which killed 72 people seven years ago, describing in detail the extent of a systemic failure by a wide range of organisations to install fire safe cladding from government policy makers, safety regulators, building companies, material designers and suppliers, building companies, and those who marketed deficient products to the industry. The judge openly spoke of dishonesty on the part of some responsible. The Police have been conducting their own enquiries in parallel. It may take a year for them and the Crown Prosecution Service to reach a decision about bringing criminal charges. It'll mean a longer wait for residents who lost their homes, and bereaved families before justice is done. But how is it possible to indict an entire society with a culture willing to do everything on the cheap and cut regulatory corners designed to keep people safe?
After supper we watched another edition of 'The Repair Shop' a programme which values skills and high standards of quality workmanship. A real antidote to a throwaway society. Then I watched a couple of short episodes of 'The Golden Cobra', an animated cartoon series which rather crudely satirises dystopic Valleys culture, set in an Ebbw Vale curry house. Funny, sort of, but it left me with an unpleasant feeling that some content was borderline racist.
Before going to bed, I logged into my Inland Revenue account and filled in my tax declaration. With the list I'd made of various income calculations to hand, it only took me half an hour. It's a relief to have got this done in stages though it's relatively easy with due preparation. I have no new source of income, and revenue from church fees has diminished so HMRC's calculation was quite accurate. Nothing owing, just a small rebate. I can sleep now with a clearer conscience.
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