Christmas racing towards us

After a late lazy family breakfast, we drove back home to Cardiff yesterday morning. The roads were remarkably clear, although the city centre was very busy with shoppers when we went out later in the afternoon. In the evening, I finished off my Sunday sermon, and watched the list three episodes of 'Witnesses - A Frozen Death' on BBC Four, one on iPlayer catch up, the other two live. To my mind, it was disappointing, and the ending fragmentary, incoherent, implausible and unresolved. I hope it doesn't mean that there'll be a Series Two set of episodes.. Oh dear! I just discovered from IMDB it was Series Two, with Series One having been aired on Channel Four. I missed that. Would it be any better, or worse? I wonder.

I celebrated and preached at St John's Canton this morning, then set about creating my annual digital Christmas card to email with our family newsletter. This will be emailed to old friends in Costa Rica, Italy, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, and Tasmania as well as the UK. Our little sample of the global village. I found an icon of the Nativity to use that was traditional but which had splendidly vibrant colours, and added a lovely quote from St John Chrysostom to it.

He became flesh. He did not become God. He was God.  

Wherefore He became flesh, so that He Whom heaven did not contain, 

a manger would this day receive.  

He was placed in a manger, so that He, by whom all things are nourished, 

may receive an infant’s food from His Virgin Mother.

The Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the virginal arms, 

that the Magi may more easily see Him. 

Since this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; 

and the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star.

Later in the afternoon Clare and I went to St Catherine's for the Parish Carols by Candlelight Service and Nativity Play. It was very nicely done with dozens of kids taking part. This is only the third Sunday of Advent, and next Sunday is Christmas Eve. December is accelerating past me, and already I'm having to think about getting ready to fly to Switzerland four days after Christmas, for my next locum duty assignment there.

  

Dodgy Business

Thurssday morning, I didn't get ready early enough to be able to walk to the dentists for the second day in a row, and took the car, leaving myself half an hour to drive there. Just getting out of our street and on to the main road took half an hour. I began to think it wasn't a good idea, but the rest of the two mile trip took me fifteen minutes. It can take double this amount of time if there's a sudden hold up. The repair didn't take long, and I was home again just after ten. Clare had an appointment half an hour after mine. She used public transport and returned half an hour after me, lucky to find the traffic free flowing despite the rain and cold.

In the afternoon, I visited the CBS RadioNet office, where I found Ashley and Julie much disturbed by announcement from the 'For Cardiff' Business Imprevement District launching a competing radio network to ours. As if they haven't got anything better to do, trying to re-invent and reproduce as high a quality system for lower cost The process by which this decision was reached is alarming because of the lack of professional integrity shown by key players in two separate boardroom dramas, but I shall say no more. We have asked the City Council formally for an enquiry, and await a response.

Russel and Jacquie came to lunch yesterday, and we enjoyed a couple of hours good conversation.  Owain has gone to Geneva for a long weekend, and sent photos of himself and school friend Ludo enjoying a fondue in a hostelry on the snow clad Col de Sainte Cergue. It's twenty five years this months since we first took him up there, as a family newly arrived in Geneva. That was when I met the challenge and delight of ski de fond for the first time. I wonder if I'll get to do this during my new year sojourn in Montreux?

Today, with my sermon finished and printed off, I went for a pre-lunch walk around Thompsons Park and took some photos with my new DSLR, to help me get a fuller idea of its capabilities, especially in winter light. Later I went into town to buy Christmas cards, but felt disinclined to keep up the momentum, printing off labels and stuffing envelopes. Thinking abut an early morning Sunday start, I only watched the first of the two episodes of French crimmie -  'Witnesses - Frozen' on BBC Four. It's failing to sustain my attention with its suggesions of esoteric witchery. When you stop caring about the lead characters, it's time to go to bed. There's always catch-up in the week, maybe.