Computer delivered

Holocaust Memorial Day with the Chief Rabbi on 'Thought for the Day', and an array of witness stories in several programmes on Radio, and probably TV as well. A ceremony of remembrance in Auschwitz attended by King Charles as well as other international leaders, broadcast live on radio.

A day of wind and rain threatened, but it didn't turn out like that. It was mild and sunny all morning which was a blessing, as I'd arranged to home deliver Owain's new Dell Inspiron desktop computer. First, Clare needed dropping off at UHW for an eye test prior to another appointment tomorrow, then I could continue to Bristol, with the computer held safe in the back seat with cushions padding a seat belt. 

Listening to Radio 3 while travelling, I became aware that 'Composer of the Week' programmes for this week are showcasing Jewish composers murdered during the Holocaust, six of them altogether. It's taken decades for some of their compositions to come to light, as they were hidden away when persecution started, often disguised as non Jewish work to avoid being destroyed by Nazi 'cultural' activists.

Although there were lane restrictions on the Severn crossing, it wasn't too busy and traffic flowed freely. I arrived around eleven thirty. Setting up the computer took a while as Owain needed to reactivate a Microsoft account he hadn't needed to use for years a very fiddly process. The Dell behaved unusually on powering up, as it did for me yesterday. A delay of more than five minutes before initiating the self-test regime, but then booting to desktop in about a minute. It's consistent, there has to be a reason for this. I need to find out and let Owain know.

Owain cooked a spicy fish soup for lunch. While we were eating the sun disappeared behind rain clouds and a downpour began. It didn't last long, so we went out and walked a circuit of Greenbank Cemetery. It covers a large area of hillside in the middle of a district of working class terraced houses. It's seldom used for burials now, many of its graves are overgrown and headstones are no longer upright. It's minimally managed to ensure public safety and largely left to re-wild itself, a haven for birds, flowers, butterflies and other insects. I noticed that it was fairly free of litter. It may be that neighbourhood groups help look after their local green oasis.

I set out for home after our walk, and soon enough the rain returned. Again I was fortunate that the traffic flow was good. I reached home at five, and despite the rain went straight out for a couple of circuits of Thompson's Park in the dark, in order to relax after the trip. After supper, this week's double episode of 'Silent Witness' on iPlayer. A tense drama of deadly sickness on an international flight, with the best part of two hours spent finding out it was a contact poisoning driven by outrage over toxic emissions, not even a political assassination attempt.