Distraction

Another dismal day of intermittent rain. There was an amazing half hour programme on Radio 4, called 'Singing in Gaza' that told the story of the Edward Said Conservatory of Music in Gaza, destroyed by Israeli assaults but its musical mission kept alive by its staff, most of whom were made homeless and internally displaced by the onslaught. What an amazing inspirational piece of journalism! The sheer joy of musicians surviving, living not just to tell the tale, but make music, after having had their instruments destroyed violently - and making music teaching children to sing together from memory, using solfege. The embodiment of resurrection life and energy. No time for rage or despair driven by the creative urge to make the most of whatever life they have. It moved me to tears..

There were nine of us for the St Catherine's Eucharist. After collecting the veggie bag from Chapter, I cooked lunch when I got home - chicken and chorizo in a spicy sauce for me and fish for Clare with millet instead of rice. In the veggie bag a stalk full of brussels sprouts with one the size of an apple at the top. This on its own cut into quarters provided our greens for the day and any early taste of festivity to come.

I went to the Post Office to mail a calendar to Connie and Udo. Due to its unusual size and weight it cost £850 to send to Germany. Incredibly expensive! Then, a walk under the brolly in Llandaff Fields as the drizzle of rain intensified. My shoes and trousers were pretty wet by the time I got back. Then I wrote a reflection for New Year's Day Morning Prayer until it was time for supper, and afterwards I watched the finale of 'Strike' and a couple of episodes of Crá, the Gaelic crimmie with English subtitles, until it was time for bed, grateful for the distraction, and being in the warm, out of the wind driving the rain through the night time streets.

Security scandal

Another very cold night under a clear sky which stayed clear all day, sun shining and the temperature around one degree until nightfall, when dropped below zero again. Wonderful, as long as you're dressed up for it. June my sister called on WhatsApp as I was getting up at eight thirty. She's getting used to using a mobile phone, as a replacement for her landline, on which reception deteriorated over a few weeks before going dead a few days ago. 

Landlines for all the apartments in Wexford Lodge are all fed from the same input to a distribution box in her front garden, last accessed a couple of weeks ago by OpenReach engineers and accidentally left open. I suspect her particular line was partly dislodged from its terminal connectors and has worked loose since then. Getting anyone to attend to this is proving to be a nightmare. It's a rehearsal for the day when copper based connections are finally switched off, and there's no alternative to a phone connection, made through a wired or a wireless connection to the router, or directly to a 4G signal.

The King was giving the opening speech to the COP28 gathering in Dubai while we were eating our breakfast. He's the only head of state ever to have been asked to address the seventy thousand strong gathering, including many heads of state of the 130 nations attending. It honours his fifty prophetic years of conservation advocacy, warning the world about biodiversity loss, pollution, and more recently climate change, during which he has often been mocked and derided. He has earned respect for his authority, and is never heard saying "I told you so", but always proposing ways forwards. 

Another roofing contractor came by this morning to examine our roof and give us an estimate for a full replacement job in the new year. While we can still afford it out of savings. I returned to the task of understanding how to send a Mailchimp subscription invitation with Owain's help in finding a YouTube video link. From this I figured out how to do what I needed, and found it worked by sending an invitation to a new subscriber. Then I started on my Sunday sermon, though I had to stop to cook lunch, and continued writing after we'd eaten and made a couple of loaves of bread.

After taking the bread out of the oven, I  started my afternoon walk in perfect winter sunshine, again a bit later than planned, and saw another glorious sunset half way through my park circuit, arriving home in the dark, somewhat chilled. While walking the return stretch I listened to the early evening news. I was amused to hear that Rishi Sunak was photographed at COP28 with the King who was wearing tie patterned with the Greek flag, bought on a trip to Athens, one of many in his wardrobe. The media commentariat are taking this as a message of silent rebuke to Rishi Sunak for his childish refusal to meet with the Greek Prime Minister this week after he mentioned the return of the Parthenon sculptures rescued then stolen by Lord Elgin. 

How dare His Majesty express his opinion like this! But hang on, the King had a great grandmother who married the King of Greece, and became a nun in later life. That's a fair enough reason for wearing such a tie, in my opinion. Funny nobody mentions this, as controversy is needlessly stirred up yet again. Haven't the opinionated commentariat got better things to write about?

The seven days of truce in Gaza came to a violent end this morning. A hundred women and children are home free, but others are still unreleased, and no Israeli citizens or soldiers captured. Hamas is being blamed for the breakdown in the midst of proposal for more hostage exchanges and days of pause in the fighting. I wonder if they know where all the women and children are being held, as there are different factions holding some of them, who may be dictating their own terms for letting them go. Some may well be dead and this is not yet common knowledge. Fight on rather than lose face? It's stupid in the face of certain defeat in this cruel inhumane war.

News is arriving of an American journalist's well researched report into the story behind Israel's already admitted failure to realise the strength and imminence of the Hamas attack. Analysis of intelligence reports from observers on the border of the covert military activity taking place the other side of the Gaza border fence had been presented to security chiefs, but not taken seriously, rather considered only as a theoretical possibility. These reports came from observers using CCTV cameras along the fence. It's said this was a unit of trained women reporting upwards. If so it will shake to the core a male dominated military and government, in a society which thinks it's egalitarian. It'll come out in the post war public enquiry, hopefully.

The return tonight of 'Astrid - murder in Paris' on Channel Four's Walter Presents platform. Very original mystery stories that celebrate the potential of neuro-diverse people and what they can offer to society when given the opportunity and right support. We've seen the first two series of sixteen episodes so far, and there are another sixteen to go. Hopes were dashed of anything new however, by the showing of the first double episode instead of the start of the third series. What a disappointment. 

I was however able to finish watching the finale of 'Hors Saison', which maintained interest right up to the last ten minutes, when an ending destined to reveal evidence of a top cop's serious perversion of of the course of justice is suppressed in the light of the false confession made by an apprehended murder who commits suicide, perhaps because everyone feels sorry for her because of the trauma she has gone through. Also disappointing. 

Beware the speedy green man

A cooler cloudy day to wake up to. News of the increasing death toll in Israel and Palestine and more and more victims' bodies from the weekend slaughter are found, and more become victims due to the bombing of Gaza city by Israel. Twelve hundred Israelis are known to have died. Over three thousand Gazans including the Hamas fighters killed early on The denial of electricity and fuel to Gaza will lead to hospitals no longer able to function within this day. More will die untreated from injuries sustained during the prolonged bombing which is destroying whole blocks of city high rise buildings. Both sides acting without mercy. How can good come out of this?

There were just six of us for the Eucharist at St Catherine's, the situation was the focus of our prayer and our conversation over coffee afterwards. Roger, who has friends living in the north of Israel spoke about the messages he's received from his friends, living far from the sources of present danger, but sharing the grief and distress of the whole nation. 

Anger is being expressed by some at the concessions Benjamin Netanyahu has made to far right political parties in order to retain his hold on power, leading to increased injustice and oppression of Palestinians. There is no consensus supporting this. At the moment, Netanyahu is negotiating to unite all political interest in a government of national unity, but how much will it be possible for its members to agree on? All agree on the need for national security and stability, but opinion could be divided about how to achieve this, both in the short and long term. The world outside watches, concerned about escalation of the conflict beyond the Holy Land.

After coffee, I collected this week's veggie bag from Chapter. Clare was half way through cooking lunch already, with a delicious gammon steak for me. Later in the afternoon, I did the week's grocery shopping at the Co-op, and then went for a walk in the park. Finally, after four and a half months, temporary traffic lights at the pedestrian crossing on Penhill Road have been removed and the new set of lights installed a few months ago are finally working. 

The only problem is that the green man flashes to tell pedestrians when they can cross only allows ten seconds to cross the road. In effect, if you can't walk at one meter per second, you're at risk from traffic. People pushing buggies or wheelchairs and people with walking sticks are not always able to walk that fast. A twenty second interval would be preferable for safety's sake. When I got home I tweeted about this an appeal which I hope the Council will pick up. If nothing happens, I'll have to contact a local council about it.

Clare went out after an early supper to her Plygain singing group. I recorded and edited my reflection and Thursday Morning Prayer for next week and then watched the second episode of the money laundering mystery drama 'Payback' on ITV. An intriguing plot is developing. Then the news, reporting on the Israeli troop buildup around the Gaza Strip. Regrettably, whatever the Israeli government says about the urgent necessity of utterly destroying Hamas, the death of so many civilians in the razing of sections of Gaza city, and the deprivation of energy, food and water supplies, looks like the collective punishment of the entire civilian population. There are indications tonight however, of negotiations with Egypt to open the Rafa crossing into Gaza, one Israel doesn't control, for emergency aid food and fuel to be delivered. And now to bed.