Overcast today but fairly warm and no wind. Clare was up very early and out of the house at seven thirty in a taxi to take her to Llandough for a colonoscopy appointment at eight which was when I got up and made myself breakfast. This is her second recent weekend hospital visit, part of a diagnostic process now being speeded up by the local health board in a valiant effort to reduce waiting times.
She sent me a message to warn me about traffic diversions on account of the 10k road run today. At least this was what her taxi driver said. On such occasions the city centre roads close to traffic. Signs in the park this past week suggested to me that the route would be for the most part up and down the Taff and not really affect traffic going west from the city.
Anyway I decided to heed the warning. When Clare called me at nine I was still eating breakfast. I drove up to Culverhouse Cross and down the A4232 to the Leckwith junction to take the road uphill from there to Llandough. There was little traffic, but the diversion doubled the journey time, so it was quarter to ten by the time I picked her up. The road back through Canton was very quiet. The city centre road closure zone started on the other size of the road I was travelling home on. I could have taken the usual route to the Leckwith junction without hindrance. I think the taxi driver's advice was based on experience of the Cardiff Marathon, which certainly does call for road closures to the west and east sides of the centre. For them, any road closure is a nuisance, bad for business.
Clare went straight to bed to recover from the procedure, and I went to St Catherine's on my own for the Eucharist. We were three dozen this morning. I was amused by the surreal sight of a bar counter with half a dozen beer taps parked on the path outside the church hall when I arrived, remnant of a party booking in the hall yesterday, awaiting collection. It had gone by the end of the service, and another van was in the same place, crammed with inflatable playground equipment. I'm not sure if it was collecting or delivering. The hall is very well used for non church social events and activities and earns a decent and much needed revenue. Organist Colin has managed bookings for years but in now looking for someone to do the job in his place, a lot of responsibility for a volunteer.
Clare was up and about when I returned, lunch prepared and ready to cook, washing hung out to dry. She didn't take wrong to recover thankfully. An hour's sleep for both of us after we'd eaten, a walk in Llandaff Fields before tea and cake. Following the morning's 10k run, the park was already clean and tidy again, except for a couple of discarded soft drinks bottles to pick up and drop in the nearest litter bin.
Light rain was forecast, so Clare donned her rain trousers. It's often been the case that when she wears them it fails to rain - a little joke we share between us. Today, half way around our walking circuit we stopped so she could remove the rain trousers and hey presto! It started to drizzle. Fortunately not to heavily, but it did make us laugh.
Before supper I went out again for some bananas and Ryvita, but neither of the shops that were open had the crisp bread we habitually eat. I did spot packets of rice cakes however, which we eat as and when we can get them. They are usually stocked less frequently than Ryvita, so at least I bought something I'd forgotten we were lacking. When I opened by rucksack, I found a net of garlic bulbs under my purchases. The rucksack was on my shoulders while I was going around the store and only opened after I'd paid at the checkout. I must have bought them on a previous shopping trip, maybe some weeks ago, but I don't recall when I last used the bag. So strange!
In today's news, reports of the death of six hostages held by Hamas in tunnels beneath Rafah Gaza, killed it seems while fighting was going on in streets above. Israel states they were shot before rescuers could reach them. Hamas says they were killed by Israeli bombing. What the truth of the matter is will be determined by a coroner's inquest in due course. A humanitarian pause in fighting in Gaza has just started to allow mass vaccination of children under ten against polio, which has re-emerged due to prevailing conditions throughout the territory. Meanwhile security operations and killings continue in the Palestinian West Bank territory. Tens of thousands of Israelis have demonstrated against the Netanyahu government tonight in protest against its refusal to sign a deal for the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners as a first step in peace negotiations. I can't see this happening until this cruel extremist government falls and is replaced by one that acknowledges the humanity of Palestinians and accepts their right to have territory which truly is their own.
After supper we watched another very interesting edition of the 'Antiques Roadshow'. Then I watched the third episode of 'Sherwood' before turning in for the night with the sound of rain, the only sound to be heard in the silence of night.
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