Colloge changes

Finally yesterday, the car exhaust repair was completed, at great expense, but it's great to have it back again outside the house, to use on those occasions when public transport won't work. 

This morning I had an appointment with the Dental Hygienist and drove to the Llandaff North surgery, in order to be able to return in time to then walk back to Llandaff for for catch up chat with Fr Mark Clavier, Vice Principal of St Mike's. Sadly he's leaving in the New Year to become Vice Principal of St Stephen's House in Oxford. Proposed policy changes for the future role of the College in Church in Wales ministerial formation imply a different sort of future for residential training than the one envisaged when Mark was appointed, before Peter Sedgwick retired. In such circumstances, Oxford makes him an offer he can't refuse, one which will make full use of his gifts. 

It's sad that the Church in Wales loses a gifted scholar and pastor with enterprise and imagination to bring to ministerial formation. Stephen Adams, another long standing staff member is also moving to Cowbridge after ten years at St Mikes. I wait with interest to see who will be appointed in their places, to implement the required changes.

Thanks KwikFit

Last night I, as we set out for the Millennium Centre, our car, which had started fine in the morning, failed to start. The battery is losing charge, and is at least four maybe five years old, therefore probably dying. This damp and rainy morning, I hooked it up to our battery charger for several hours, and succeeded in getting the car to start. I drove straight to our nearest KwikFit centre on Cowbridge Road, and was delighted they could deal with it immediately. The manager loaned me an umbrella, so I could walk home and have lunch while I waited for the job to be done, alternator health check, battery health check, and replacement. By the time I returned, the job was done, a great relief as I resume Sunday duties tomorrow. 

We went for an afternoon walk into town and back in the rain for tea in John Lewis'. Down the Poncanna side of the Taff, we saw a flock of starlings feeding in the wet grass under the trees alongside the avenue. We were serenaded by a wren and a blackbird, oblivious to the depressing dampness of the hour. As we crossed the footbridge, scores of swifts swarmed over the river, darting in every direction feeding on midges in the air as they flew. Sometimes on this walk you're lucky to see a handful of crows and pidgeons, and then the mood of dull day can be a handful of surprises. 

The city centre was in festive mood, with a live soul band playing in the drizzle outside the Castle, and tens of thousands of good humoured rugby fans making their ways into the Millennium Stadium for the Heineken Cup final. As the match was under way, streets were quiet when we made our way home after a look around the store and tea. The second instalment of 'Wallander' was on BBC4, portraying the detective as growing increasingly forgetful about ordinary things, attributable to his profound concentration on the case in hand, but shades of things to come, as the series moves to his end.