The futility of force

More blue sky and sunshine today, it really lifts my spirits. I find I don't need to sleep for quite as long and don't suffer as a result. I woke up to bad news all round however.

Hamas continues to declare resistance to Israel's unilateral cease-fire plans, continuing to favour mediated negotiations by Arab League delegates.  Areas of Palestinian land in Gaza are being annexed and occupied as 'security zones', its population forced out. The aid blockade has been going on now for a month and military activity on the ground as well as in the air intensifies. It's ethnic cleansing pure and simple. It's against international law. It's happening with American support. No good can come of this.

Trump's regime is imposing high import tariffs on foreign goods, a move sending shock waves through the global economy. It'll have a negative impact on the USA just as much as every other country, Tariffs on British goods and services are relatively low in comparison with other countries, but it's bound to affect businesses here, and wreck government budget plans that already threaten people on low incomes. If the country was in an economic mess at the start of the new Labour administration, it's worse now, and more unpredictable due to Trump's kind of leadership. 

Economic analysts are highly critical of Trump's policy, saying that has never worked and is damaging. Trying to impose change forcibly never works, but we're now in an era where those in power have abandoned persuasive discourse for political bullying. Despite election promises, we can expect higher taxes and further deterioration of living standards over the next few years, not least because of stagnation in economic growth.

Anyway, after breakfast, I worked on making the video for next week's Morning Prayer, and uploading it to YouTube. Clare started making bread and then went to the shops. By the time she returned the dough had over-risen and urgently needed knocking back and putting in baking tins just as we sat down to lunch, causing us a moment of chaos. Yeast seems to work a bit faster in mild spring weather conditions. After lunch it was my turn to go to the shops with a big rucksack for replacement stocks of different flours and plant milks. Then a walk in the park. Regrettably the sky had clouded over, though it was still 17-18C

Preparation has started for the annual Urdd seven a side rugby tournament for boys and girls teams in Pontcanna Fields next week with several tents erected in cordoned off areas, and covered paths laid out for vehicle access. I remember this event from a previous year, but don't recall such extensive arrangements being made. It's happening from 7th-11th next week, with tournaments for school years 7-13 from all over Wales. Perhaps the event has grown. We'll see.

After supper I found series three of 'Arctic Circle' a Finnish crimmie has appeared on Channel 4 Walter Presents, and spent the evening watching a couple of episodes, and then heading for bed. 

Surreal confirmation 45 years on

Another wonderful clear blue sky sunny day with gusts of chilly wind, but around  15-16 C like yesterday. I posted the YouTube link to today's Morning Prayer just before Thought for the Day, and got up to make breakfast. It took me an hour and a half to get to sleep last night, as I was so tense after my dramatic disorienting day in Derby. After breakfast, I re-visited Google Maps, not for an inquest, but to use street view to locate the snack bar van in Howden's car park Ascot Road Derby, and examine the image patiently from different angles to find the side of the van on which Sarah's kitchen displayed a mobile phone number. Then I was able to send her a thank you text message from her, and received a prompt appreciative response. 

Today's the 45th anniversary of the St Paul's riot. It's also the 45th anniversary of Amanda's confirmation, which was happening in St Agnes while police confronted rioters in streets nearby, so I sent her a message. "It was the most surreal experience I ever had." she replied, having stood after the service in her white dress with others at the top of Badminton Road watching the bank burn. Worse civil disorder has followed on occasions since then, days of rioting in disadvantaged areas of discontented Britain. So little has really changed since then.

I finished Bishop Rowan's fine book before taking it to St Catherine's to lend to Rachel as I expected to see her at the Eucharist with Seb. There were nine of us today. Seb is now crawling and sitting upright like a Buddha, full of playful smiles. Our little midweek congregation ranges in age from nine months to ninety one.

After a drink in the hall, I collected the veggie bag from Chapter, and found Clare cooking tofu burgers and roasting potatoes and root veg for lunch. Still feeling tired from yesterday's excursion, I tried to sleep in the chair but failed to doze off and eventually went walking instead. I spotted a cormorant and an egret, plus a pair of goosanders fishing in the same stretch of river. Maybe it's a spot where elvers are hatching at the moment. The egret opted out of the hunt and flew up to perch on a tree branch instead. I've not seen an egret perching above ground like that since my locum spell in Mojácar in 2017. I heard but couldn't see a green woodpecker in trees above the river's west bank. I saw at close range but couldn't take a photo of a blue tit, and watched a kingfisher speed upriver in a straight line just above the water. Best of all, a couple of photos of a speckled wood butterfly, one of several I spotted flitting about along the edge of the river. Altogether a very interesting walk today.

After the day's football matches, discarded bottles and cans scattered about, needing to be escorted to the nearest bin. I picked up half a dozen and there were more out of reach once both hands were full. I wrote until supper time, and again after supper. Before turning in for the night, I recorded next week's reflection on Boenhoffer's life and anti-nazi witness, linking it to the Passiontide theme of next week's Gospel.

Disoriented in Derby

The necessity of an early start got me in bed by eleven, but I lost an hour's sleep, waking up at six to a blue sky just before dawn. I walked to the station by seven and caught an 18 bus from Cowbridge Road to ease the effort and get me there with extra time to spare. The seven forty five train to Derby left punctually and arrived on time. Going north east, the sun was in my face throughout the journey but not unpleasantly so. The train wasn't full when we left, but filled up completely from Gloucester onwards with students and staff commuting to Birmingham University. Then it filled with another batch of commuters leaving Brum for stations up the line to its Nottingham destination. 

When I emerged from Derby station with the 20min walk to the Cathedral I had Google Maps open on my phone. I still can't work out what went wrong, but when I followed the instructions given it took me in the opposite direction. It gave me names of streets but on half of them no street name signs were visible. A townscape of industrial warehouses and five storey buildings on flat terrain made it impossible to see the Cathedral's 200 foot early sixteenth century tower on a 30 foot rise above the level of the river, at any time while I walked for half an hour. I thought I was following the prompt on the map, but evidently not, despite checking several times as I walked. 

When Google told me eventually that I had forty five minutes to walk, it meant I would arrive after Geoff's funeral had started. There were very few people on my route to ask for directions. I stopped at a refreshments van called Sarah's Kitchen parked on the forecourt of a Howden's kitchen depot to confirm the grim truth. In distress I explained to the lady in charge why I had to be at the Cathedral by noon.

"Can you afford a taxi?" she asked. "I'll call one for you." Kitchen service halted while Sarah and her work mate Ali rang several taxi firms to find one which would be free to pick get me to the Cathedral urgently. After several tries, she looked up, said "Five minutes" smiled and returned to sandwich making. Five minutes later I was on my way for the ten minute drive around the ring road and back into the city centre. After crossing the river Derwent was I able to see the Cathedral tower on the promontory above for the first time. Thankfully, I was half an hour early. Geoff's friends and associates were already arriving. We were well over a hundred in the congregation, with Bishop David Hamid presiding of the Requiem Mass for Geoff, a former colleague and good friend. His eulogy did Geoff justice. The service was beautifully conceived with the Cathedral choir singing the Kontakion for the Departed as part of the Commendatio Animae at the end.

Apart from Bishop David and Judith, former churchwarden of Nerja where Geoff's European chaplaincy ministry started, his wife Carol and his children Becky and Simon, there was nobody there I knew. After I'd greeted them all, I wasn't in the mood for looking at the city centre or trusting myself to wander around town in the extra hour I had before my bargain train ticket determined I should travel on. I returned to the station to get something to eat at the Gregg's snack bar there, looking for and not finding street name signs on the way, asking passers to check I was going in the right direction. 

At least this time the map gave me an overview that made sense but at first sight it was tricky to relate it to what I could see. I thought that routes from city centre to train station would be way-marked adequately. Vehicles yes, but pedestrian signs not as obvious. Cycling signage was fit for purpose and that saved me from taking a wrong turn. I was hungry, thirsty and stressed out by the time I reached the station. Vegan and veggie options were scarce and had to be hunted for on the lower shelves of the display rack. Strange I thought in a city with a strong second and third generation East Asian component of the population, whose kids also eat European fast foods. I got by with a vegetarian sausage roll and a curried veggie pastry slice, waiting more than an hour for the appointed train.

Delays were announced for other trains headed south west. Commuters with more flexible fares than mine piled on to the train after I'd found a seat, filling the aisles to capacity as far as Birmingham, then re-filling for the second leg to Cardiff, despite the number of students getting off at the University stop. I made the wrong choice of seat as I had the setting sun in my eyes all the way to Cardiff. The young man opposite, as well as being tall like me took up floor space between our feet with his travel bag and laptop, reluctant it seems to entrust them to the overhead rack despite the exhortation over the tannoy to do just this. It wasn't a comfortable trip, but I did listen to a couple of episodes of the weekly Archers podcast meanwhile. And there was a 61 bus home within minutes of arriving at Cardiff Central. I walked into the house as tonight's episode of The Archers was starting. 

After a light supper I went out for a short walk at sunset to de-stress myself then went to bed, tired at ten. I'm so used to navigating my way around any new place relying on what I can see in the environment as well as a map, that today's experience was distressing. Not something I want to repeat. On the positive side, I experienced the kindness of two strangers going out of their way to get me to the church on time to say goodbye to a dear friend and fellow pilgrim, from the Halesown where we met, to the Costa del Sol. May he rest in peace.

Eye test

Another sunny day with high cloud making the sky less clear. I got up early, had breakfast at eight, then walked to Thompson's Park and back to get some fresh air and brief exercise, to see what difference it would make to the day, leaving Monday housework chores until I returned. 

I had an hour long phone call with Ashley, which had us both reminiscing about the variety of traders in food and household goods that used come street to street or even door to door when were kids seventy odd years ago. All are now a thing of the past, and in this new millennium have been replaced by online trading and delivery services of quite different nature. Cooked food, groceries, clothes books, and all kinds of electronic gadgets imaginable are now bought without going into a shop and arrive at your home. While we were talking a large bunch of flowers for Clare from the children arrived at the door. The covid lock-down led to a huge expansion of services which existed beforehand but are now available on such a scale that high street shop closures have impacted greatly on the town centre economy.

After lunch, I walked over to the School of Optometry for my annual eye test. The cataract in my right eye hindered the scan of the retina, so I had to book another appointment so the test can be done with the pupil dilated. Still no idea of when I can expect a second cataract operation.

I had an email from cousin Dianne this evening giving a positive verdict on the revisions I made to grandpa's story. That means I can circulate it to family members now.

Clare went out to choir practice at six. After I'd eaten, I set to work on preparing recording next week's Wednesday Morning Prayer. As I'm going to Geoff's funeral in Derby Cathedral tomorrow, I will lose a day's work time, so it's good to get ahead. I now have increasing domestic duties to relieve the pressure on Clare whose hip joint pain has slowed her down significantly.

Bed early tonight, nervous about not waking up at half past six, wondering if I'll have enough time to have breakfast and be out of the house by seven.