Electoral farce

Yesterday, I celebrated the Eucharist with seven others at St Catherine's in the morning. I had a phone call when I returned about officiating at a funeral the week after next, at the Vale Crematorium. Our friend Russell's funeral is there on the Saturday morning just before. A double slot has been booked for this, as the funeral ritual of the Anthroposophical Christian Community calls for more time. After this the Wake is being held in the Penarth Pier Pavilion. I imagine this idea would have given him much pleasure. 

After lunch I walked to an acupuncture treatment at the Natural Health Clinic, and then a walk around Pontcanna Fields. Recently, I've been feeling drained of energy, and walking for an hour has been an effort. This kind of treatment makes a difference I find, as it works on stimulating kidney function in this instance, and this seems to help disperse low level toxins in the blood which sap energy. It reminds me to put into practice lessons learned from Tai Chi / Chi Gung about massaging the kidneys and drinking lots of water. Things I'm at risk of forgetting. 

This morning, I celebrated the Eucharist at St John's for a dozen people, including Emma, who was pleased to sit in the congregation, saving her energies to officiate at a wedding following the service. On my way from church to the clinic for a wound dressing, I kept seeing unusually smartly dressed men in suits and ties, and women in glamorous outfits looking conspicuous among the everyday mix of shoppers and workers about their business. I wondered if this sight aroused curiosity among more mundane pedestrians?

The European elections take place today. Clare and I dispatched our postal votes a week ago. News talk is all of the likely majority of seats being taken by Farage's brexit party, a single issue movement taking seats they have no intention of occupying, but are dedicated to removing from the political map due to the UK's withdrawal from the EU. If further delays leads to the newly elected taking their seats, no doubt their presence and behaviour will end up causing offence due to the contempt they exhibit for European institutions. This fills me with disgust and shame.

In the evening another engaging episode of 'Berlin Station' on More Four. The story-line concerns the rise and rise of a populist far right party in Germany, encouraged by subversive conspirators inside and outside the country. The CIA is monitoring the situation and unofficially getting involved in trying to forestall a terrorism element in the equation, but elements in their own government may also be involved in the conspiracy. It's complex, but also very contemporary, written in and for the Trump era, even if he doesn't get mentioned by name. I think series two is quite an improvement on series one, which I found complex and hard to follow.

  

Meeting the bird man of Pontcanna

I had an early clinic visit today, from which I came away with a different kind of dressing to try out, as regular stocks have still not been replenished, well maybe later is possible I suppose. I feel sorry for the nurses. I went to Berry's the butcher's in search of some fresh chicken to cook and freeze and came away with four huge legs, more than I expected to get, but it'll be good for 6-8 meals and fulfil the recommendation that I eat meat to promote tissue building. True or not it makes a change for me on a semi-vegan pescatarian diet these days.

Once I got home I realised I'd forgotten to visit the bank as intended, so I had to go out again, and once out, remembered those other shopping items which slipped my mind earlier. We make a list and keep it on the fridge, but usually I forget to look at it. I should make a to do list note on my phone, but can't be bothered. I make an effort to train my memory, which works well enough, as long as I'm not distracted.

I cooked the chicken pieces before lunch. Clare came back from her gym session with two big fresh tuna steaks, one of our favourites, so the chicken was left to cool before freezing later in the day, and we had dish for lunch instead. 

Later, I completed my postal voting form for the European election,  I decided to vote Lib Dem, to support candidates of the party that took an unequivocally clear pro-european stance as a matter of policy for many years. I popped our ballot envelopes in the posting box on my way to walk around Pontcanna Fields.

On the riverside path, a young woman seated on a bench enjoying the sun greeted me, as if she knew me. I think I recognised her, but am unsure from which part of my life. We chatted about the pleasures of the environment and bird life along the river. I started to tell her about 'Bird Man' whom I see regularly in the distance feeding the crows.

Within seconds the man himself appeared on the path, surrounded by a dozen or more birds, chasing the last remnants from his feed bag. As he passed, we engaged him in conversation. He told us that he walks both sides of the river daily and the crows spot him from afar and seek him out,. They recognise him even if he's riding a bike, regardless of what he's wearing or which bag he is carrying. I was so glad to have met him face to face at last.

As I approached Blackweir Bridge, I was thrilled to glimpse several swifts high above, wheeling around aerobatically as they fed on insects. Just to think, these birds would have been making their way up the Iberian Peninsula from Africa a few weeks ago. Summer is a-cumen in!