Mercifully, I had a fairly good night's sleep. With the effect of the covid vaccination diminishing and my stiff neck and shoulder no longer painful, a better start to the day. Overcast, with the odd rain shower this morning. I had an email notifying me of a letter from Welsh Water, with no indication of its subject. I had to log into my on-line water bill account to find it. It wasn't straightforward as it was necessary to hunt for a web page location, not flagged to attract attention, in order to download a .pdf to read. It was information about a forthcoming change of water meter. Why not just send me an email directly? They have my email address. I use it to log in. Come to think of it, the NHS app uses a circuitous route to deliver letters too.
I walked to Llandaff Cathedral to attend the Good Friday Vigil at the Cross at twenty five to eleven. I was surprised to find the service had started. It was ten past eleven. I assumed it would take me twenty five to thirty minutes at my usual pace. Even allowing for the strong cold wind blowing I had no idea I'd slowed down so much. When I approached the cross for the act of veneration and went to kneel My sense of balance is still good but my quad muscles without pain are uneven in elasticity. I have a tendency to wobble when bending my knees. Extra support needed. There was nothing within easy reach to offer stability. I had to settle for a deep bow instead, to avoid keeling over. A second indication within the hour of how old I am rather than how old I feel.
As I was leaving after the service, I was tapped on the shoulder by Mother Jan Gould and Father Peter. It's the first time we've seen each other since she took early retirement. They are living happily in St Nicholas Parish looking east from the escarpment above West Cardiff, and both looking fit and well. They expressed disappointment at the long delay in appointing a replacement priest at the 'Res', a church community which relies on pastoral continuity and having its priest living locally. It reveals just how vulnerable a poor working class community can be if there's nobody for people to look up to, nobody to speak for them. It's not inevitably about personality dominant leadership. A community champion can also be self-effacing, working quietly in the background enabling others to step forward and take the lead. It takes time for a new pastor to know people and be known, less easy if there's a team of clergy serving on rotation.
When I got home I found fish and chips from the local chippie waiting for me. Clare bought them for a late lunch on her way home from the Good Friday service at St John's. The rich batter in which the fish was cooked was slow to digest, so I went out and walked a circuit of Llandaff Fields to help it on its way and make room for supper, fortunately without ill effect. I can't fast like I used to. I get light headed and feel that it impairs my judgement. I don't want to have an accident because of this.
Iran is doing deals to allow shipping that meets their criteria through the Straight of Hormuz and charging for this. It will give them a revenue stream other than the one which Iranian oil provided. It can be used for continuing to wage war, or for urgent infrastructure repairs. Discussions are taking place on the other side of the conflict divide to construct a pipeline to take oil out of the region to shipping ports that can be protected, eliminating the Straight of Hormuz entirely.
A coalition of European nations is seeking to negotiate a re-opening by diplomatic means rather than by force, while Trump presses on with threats to bomb Iran back to the Stone Age by destroying its industries and infrastructure and seizing its oil wells unless his demands are complied with. Such belligerent rhetoric simply results in another oil price rise which will further diminish his popular support. He's not only a loud mouthed bully but a fool if he persists in a war of words he cannot win. Even his own military experts doubt this is achievable. Iran has shot down an American war plane. One pilot is missing, the other has been rescued. Despite the military onslaught against it, Iran and its allies still launch missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf States. It still has military capability and its government, albeit repressive and cruel is still functioning. So much for the war ending "real soon" as Trump is fond of saying.
I spent the evening after supper watching Semana Santa processions broadcast live from Malaga in the 'Malaga Hoy' news streaming channel. I have such a strong memory of witnessing this in the flesh eight years ago, it seems very recent. Does time flow faster as we get old? Rachel called too. She's been reading the collection of Reggie Rabbit stories I wrote for her when she was a kid, going over them with an editor's eye. I hope she's not too disappointed nearly half a century later.
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