Valedictorian Jasmine

Another windy day with cloud cover gradually breaking up. Last night Rachel sent us videos of Jasmine's high school graduation ceremony, featuring a procession of leavers wearing academic caps and gowns to receive their certificates. Much to our delight Jasmine was appointed by her class mates to make a farewell speech on their behalf to the assembly of parents, teachers and students. She spoke in a relaxed, confident, thoughtful and appreciative way, making her family proud to see her growing into a young woman with a promising future. I was intrigued to see her carry her alto sax with her on to the stage and place it next to the lectern. She didn't play it, but it ensured audience attention, as well as identifying her in the eyes of her audience, many of whom will be familiar with the sight of her playing in the school jazz group. As she's a keen artistic photographer she well understands the use of imagery in messaging! I stitched together both little videos into one to post on YouTube

We went to the Eucharist at St Catherine's as usual along with three dozen adults and seven children. With Fran and Mark coming for lunch we decided not to stay for coffee. I went to Tesco's for a bottle of wine on my way home. Interesting to see that on Saturdays and Sundays pavement tables outside two new eateries on Llandaff Road are full of people enjoying food or a drink, taking advantage of slightly warmer weather, wind notwithstanding. Both are part of the old industrial laundry site redeveloped for the housing named  Tair Erw Gaen. Both the food businesses set up there initially failed in the first year and were taken over more than once. Now it seems when the weather is favourable at least, footfall is picking up.

Fran and Mark arrived at half past one, bringing the icon so I can inspect several small detail changes that are key to its composition. There are still a few more additions to be made - a coating of linseed oil, and means to hang it securely on a wall, and some Greek lettering. Such a painstaking process. Before we parted company we recorded ourselves singing a happy birthday greeting for Veronica, with Mark on violin and me on guitar, ready to send in the morning. I wonder if the card I sent last Tuesday has arrived in L'Escala yet?

We went out for late afternoon walks, me to Thompson's Park and on to Llandaff Fields, Clare just to the latter. After supper, I watched another episode of 'Krimi aus Passau', a complex story about a biker gang seeking repayment for a load of World War II Nazi memorabilia sold to them by an expert forger, linked to a story of loot buried by American soldiers stationed in Passau at the end of the war, one black and one white, whose offspring, now in their late seventies, get to learn about the different fates of their fathers. It was remarkably well done in a mixture of Bavarian German, English and German spoken with a Texan accent. A surprise historical reflection on lives endured in the heartland of Nazism in the aftermath of war.