Election news

Another damp overcast day, but I had a good night's sleep, and posted today's YouTube Morning Prayer link to WhatsApp when I got up at nine. I went to the Eucharist at St Catherine's. There were a dozen of us this morning. I collected my medication prescription on the way home and cooked a savoury veg and tuna dish for lunch. Afterwards, Clare went to Peter for an acupuncture appointment and I went to Clive for an osteo-massage appointment. Somehow an element of chaos crept into the situation, starting with the fact that Clare had double booked herself for both. I took on her appointment with Clive as I was intending to have a treatment on my strained shoulder joint. So far so good. I turned up to his place, rang the bell but got no answer. I called him to check if I had the time right, got his answering machine and left a message explaining that something had gone wrong, then walked home. 

Half an hour later he called and offered me an appointment in half an hour's time. I retraced my steps, rang the bell and got no answer a second time. I realised something else must be wrong and called Clare again. Only then did I discover I had the incorrect house number in my appointment diary, and my Contacts file had no address for him at all! Anyway, this time he was expecting me, and gave me a treatment which was beneficial to both shoulders. His practice website is marked as closed. I think he may be winding down towards retirement and isn't taking any new clients.

When I returned I found Clare in bed. Her hip is giving her a lot of pain despite this afternoon's treatment. I took supper upstairs to her on a tray. I felt a bit nervous about doing this as I was feeling light headed, and a bit unsteady. Maybe it was just tiredness after quite a physical treatment. It's made a difference to my shoulders, that's for sure. Hopefully I'll feel better after another good night's sleep.

Traffic is moving through the Straight of Hormuz. Global oil reserves are critically low and will take months to replenish, also for the industrial economy as a whole to recover from shortages of other raw materials and export commodities. The US blockade on Iranian ports has  been lifted, and Iran has agreed to abandon its nuclear weapons programme. Negotiations about the destruction of its enriched uranium stocks overseen by the International Atomic Energy Agency will take place during the sixty day truce agreed in the 'Memorandum of Understanding' as the context for peace negotiations. Details are being slowly released, but it won't be signed until Friday. 

Things could still go wrong, and meanwhile Trump issues coercive threats to Iran to 'behave'. It's such foolish and demeaning talk when Iran has shown it still can close the Straights and perform retaliatory attacks to paralyse American supporting states in the Middle East. Uncertainty continues to prevail, as it has done for months.

The election of the Dean of Bangor Manon Ceidwen James as the next Bishop of Bangor was announced this evening. She was instrumental in the establishment of the St Padarn's Institute for ministerial training in the Church in Wales, the successor to St Michael's College in the same buildings in Llandaff. Following a troubled period in the life of Bangor Cathedral and Diocese she was appointed to help restore the Cathedral's reputation. She is now elected to the same role for the diocese, regarded as a safe pair of hands no doubt, entrusted to the sensitive task of rebuilding trust and confidence after a period of contention and dismay over the failure of leadership and erosion of authority in recent years.