Ministry upheaval

Fortunately, no rain today, warmer with the sun peeping through the clouds occasionally. After the daily reflection upload, breakfast and prayers, a walk to the GP surgery to get my medication prescription and then pick up the pills from the pharmacy opposite. After lunch and a snooze, a walk around Thompson's Park and Llandaff Fields. On my way home, I saw a young girl with what I thought was a tiny sausage dog on a lead. When I looked more closely, I realised the creature was a handsome sleek coated ferret. It's something I've never seen before! 

The weekly Parish newsletter arrived this afternoon, announcing the departure of Fr Benedict, who is to join the Whitchurch Ministry Area for the rest of his curacy. In addition Mthr Emma is being seconded for three months to Fairwater Parish at the other end of our Ministry Area, for an interim ministry until a new parish priest is appointed there. Mthr Frances is still on sick leave. For her to return to a situation in which two colleagues have departed, leaving her as the sole full time priest is, to my mind, an insensitive move. The three of us who are retired clergy living in the Benefice will doubtless fill in some of the gaps in the everyday duties of ministry, but the burden of responsibility for the three churches still remains with the Rector. Surely there could have been a better way to deal with the situation?

After supper we sat and listened to the early Miles Davis album Walkin' together for the first time. Owain sent it to me in MP3 form last spring in Ibiza, along with several others of Miles, and that was the first time I'd listened to it since I was a teenager. When Clare went up early to bed, I watched another episode of 'Inspektor Falke' on my Chromebook, a morality tale about what happens to a neighbourhood watch group when vehement social media activists make it mutate into a vigilante group capable of criminal acts. We need reminders of the dangers of social media operating in a climate of uncertainty and fear, over all kinds of common concern.

One more step on recovery road

Sunshine and showers today, and it's a bit warmer, more like May is expected to be. I uploaded today's reflection, audio and text to WhatsApp shortly after eight. After breakfast, Clare went off to Cowbridge with a friend for a study session in a group member's garden. A pleasant outing for her. I went to the GP surgery with my prescription request and collected Clare's eye medication from the Treganna Pharmacy before cooking lunch. 

I drove to Llandough Hospital for an ultrasound scan this afternoon. On my way back I went to PC World at Culverhouse Cross to buy a new cartridge for my lazer printer but found the store no longer stocks lazer ink cartridges, so I'll have to order one on-line instead. The Currys PC World in the city centre closed for good during the pandemic. Now they only have superstores on the eastern and western sides of Cardiff. So much of their business has moved on-line in the past couple of years. The superstores are in effect giant showrooms for all kinds of consumer goods, and are not well frequented by clients. I wonder how long they will last? Interestingly enough there are dozens of ink-jet cartridges available in store. These truly are money spinners, as they don't last long. In contrast, a lazer ink cartridge can deliver ten thousand copies and last several years. Anyway, there was an Aldi next door, so I bought a couple of bottles of wine to take home instead.

For the first time since last summer the Fountain Community Choir in which Clare sings met to practice at St Catherine's, following all the covid secure requirements which the Parish sticks to religiously. Also the Parish Brownie pack met again, in the church grounds rather than in the hall, but these small steps are welcome hopeful signs of return to normality. Once my last operation is done, I'll consider a return to singing again. I've not felt able to sing with others this past few years. It calls for a certain energy that I have lacked, whether its physical or emotional I don't know, but when the time is right and the Spirit moves, it'll be possible.

While Clare was out I watched the last episode of the second series of New Amsterdam, which finally showed up on the More Four home page, and then a long episode of 'Inspector Falke', dealing with a case that involved asylum seekers, covert gay relationships in a homophobic setting, drug dealing and police corruption, not to mention the murder of a woman during a police hunt - very complex and a last minute twist in the revelation of which copper was corrupt.