Sluggish system

Overcast with drizzle again this morning. I didn't sleep as well as I hoped I would. Shoulder pain made it difficult to get comfortable and settle. No Saturday breakfast pancakes today, as Clare was focused on her trip with Gail to the Steiner school year end gathering for leaving students. I recorded and edited Morning Prayer and Reflection for two Wednesdays hence as I had the house to myself. I need to plan ahead as I can never be certain how well I'll feel to do this at short notice. It's consolation for not preaching these days and I enjoy preparing and writing Reflections. 

 I made the video slide show and uploaded it to YouTube, then it was lunch time. As I was on my own, and didn't know when Clare was due to return. Assuming she was going to eat at school, I steamed potatoes and cauliflower and opened a can of tuna for an improvised lunch. I fell asleep in my armchair after eating. Later Clare arrived home and cooked herself an omelette. If only I'd known I could have cooked for both of us.

It was dull overcast and windy, when I walked for an hour and a half in Llandaff Fields at tea time. It's not at all like summer. When I checked my distance on the Google Health phone app it forced an elaborate security check on me to establish who I really was, using the Fitbit Versa and new software I didn't ask for and isn't as user friendly was the app it replaced. I've started coming across complaints on-line about the functionality and accuracy of Google Health. It feels more like a work in progress than a reliable asset. 

The security checks convey the impression that Android and Google are insecure about device ownership. The phone unlocks now with either a pin code or face recognition which is irritatingly slow and erratic in action. I've noticed the Android operating system is getting slower as time goes on. Background internet calls to send or receive all kinds of data automatically, essential or not, plus additional reliance on AI, mean an increased volume of data traffic makes demands on processing power and connectivity. The phone runs warmer sometimes and the battery doesn't last as long. No matter how powerful it is, traffic congestion is going to slow the device down.

We had a call from Rachel. Her cat Zeek is sick, maybe dying from toxins in their urban environment. It's upsetting for her, as Zeek is a communicative creature who likes company, except that now he disappears into neighbourhood gardens, and Rachel doesn't know if she'll see him again. She's planning to return to Cardiff to celebrate our diamond wedding in August, despite the uncertainty surrounding flight reliability and costs due to the war.

Middle Eastern peace talks seem to be getting nowhere. America attacks Iranian vessels blockaded in the Straight of Hormuz, and Iran launches missile and drones at US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. Trump is facing increasing opposition to his policies. In the House of Representatives some Republicans joined the Democrats in passing a measure that seeks to halt moves by Trump to take further military action in Iran. It puts pressure on the Trump administration to find an end to the war, as US economic damage becomes more evident with rising prices. Trump's White House ballroom vanity project spending is likely to be obstructed by Congress, another sign of disapproval. A poor result for Republicans in mid-term elections could put even more pressure on him to change policy or lose support completely.

In the light of recent successful drone strikes on facilities in the St Petersburg area, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has called on Putin to engage with him in talks. Putin has dismissed the invitation, but it may be seen as an embarrassment, implying that Putin's war hasn't achieved subjugation of Ukraine, despite the loss of life and cost to the Russian economy. Ukraine is demonstrating its ability to hit long range targets and inflict strategic damage to the Russian economy, as well as striking Moscow, something that's bound to unsettle Putin's loyal supporters. Each day I wake up wondering what's going to happen next. I hope and pray these foolish tyrants realise it's not in their best interests to continue waging war and consider an exit strategy from their futile acts of aggression. 

Google imposes unwanted upgrade

My right shoulder is weak from ski injuries thirty years ago and I strained my right shoulder carrying travel cases on our Tenby trip. Lying in bed on my back last night was painful. Propping myself up to get out of bed for a pee several times made it worse. I tried swapping direction - head to toe - so that I could prop myself up with my left arm instead and that helped, but I still lost four hour's sleep after ten in bed, and thankfully didn't feel worse for wear after taking my meds, just tired, as if I was on a long haul flight. A message from Ann said that her phone charger had arrived in today's mail. Next day delivery from West to East with first class post is still possible it seems.

I recorded and edited next Wednesday's Morning Prayer and Reflection before lunch, then slept for a while before an hour's afternoon walk in Llandaff Fields. I walked again for half an hour after supper. When my legs and brain are tired, I try not to push myself too hard or in too sustained a way. 

When I checked my fitbit phone app for the first time today, I was shocked to find it had been supplanted by the Google Health app. There was a warning notification a few days ago that this would happen, and it didn't say the user had no choice about this. The fancy user interface is not as simple, and it takes time to find your way around. I noticed that the phone app showed an estimate of an hour and three quarters more sleep than the Fitbit's smart watch dial. How long I wonder, before Google ends support for the device and effectively turns it into another piece of electronic waste?

Rachel called us from an airport departure lounge in Las Vegas early in her morning, waiting for a flight to Sacramento in California to spend some time relaxing and making music with a percussionist friend. She used her accumulated Air Miles to cover the cost of an internal flight. It's amazing when you think about it, and useful in a time when Trump's war  with Iran has pushed up prices, and brought the western world to the brink of aviation fuel shortages.

 

Live Aid at 40

I woke up at five, having slept six hours undisturbed by a full bladder. I can't remember when I last slept so sweetly - seven years perhaps? I went back to sleep straight away, and got up at a quarter to eight for another hot blue sky sunny day. 

My fitbit refused to recognise the extra two and a half dormant hours, obliging me to add the time period and let the app work out how much of that time I was awake or asleep. It's an annoying inconsistency, which calls into question how accurate all its recordings are. They can only be taken as a rough guide. I hate it when the app tells me to take it easy as its measurements determine I'm not ready for exercise. While it's occasionally true that the app is consistent with how I feel, after such a refreshing relaxing night of sleep, I had a clear head and plenty of energy, the measurements were unreal, inaccurate. I wish I could switch off its 'coaching' pop-ups, which presume I am engaged in fitness training. All I need is to check I'm walking and sleeping enough each day. I don't need a cheerleader.

We went to St Catherine's for the Eucharist, leaving Jasmine and Louie to get up for breakfast when they felt like. I counted a dozen children at church with their parents, and three dozen adults. All the doors were open and sunlight streamed into nave. Thanks to stained glass windows, the interior isn't well lit by nature, but with open west and south doors there's an added warm hue to lift the spirits. We came straight home after the service so Clare could prepare lunch. Jasmine and Louie didn't expect to eat at midday however and hadn't long had breakfast. Louie still has a bad stomach. We ate a little later than usual, with Jasmine keeping her apple crumble for later.

After a short siesta Jasmine and I went blackberry picking around the fringes of Llandaff Fields where we noticed enough ripe berries to make it worth the effort. We returned in under an hour with a pound and a quarter ready to make into jelly or jam. Later Louie went out with Jasmine for another round of foraging, bringing the total to two pounds. I went out again after supper to enjoy the cool breeze as the sky clouded over, and completed my daily distance.

I joined Clare watching a documentary on the outcome of the 1985 Live Aid concert, interviewing pop star activists, musical entrepreneurs and politicians involved at the time and in the 2005 Live 8 campaign and events. What started by drawing attention to famine in Africa moved from just popular fund raising for famine relief to drawing attention to the AIDS pandemic that needed urgent attention not only to prevent it spreading, but also research to find effective treatment. Chronic widespread poverty, the root cause of all Africa's dire problems then became the long term focus of attention and debt cancellation the main aim of campaigning celebrities and the politicians whose attention they could grab - successfully, it turned out by the time of the G8 Gleneagles summit in 2005 with pledges of $50 billions' worth of debts to be cancelled. Another twenty years on, $30 billions' worth has been delivered.

Over the past twenty years there's no doubt this has made a substantial difference to economies across Africa. Agricultural development, improved medical care have led to longer life expectancy, and economic improvement, but the gulf between the very rich elite and mass poverty persists. In the digital era Africa has become a place of interest because of its rare earth mineral and precious metal resources, as these are essential for components in every electronic device the world relies on. There's fierce competition to mine, conflict over ownership and exploitation rights not only within African nations, but internationally. 

Yes, Africa has benefited economically and socially from the internet, but much of the wealth derived from the mining of minerals is exported. European nations colonised and exploited Africa for two centuries, now China and Russia are welcome investors in African countries with resources and expertise, in their bids for power and influence in determining who runs the world and how. Those who have the rare minerals hold the global future in their hands. 

Twenty years on, global heating is precipitating a crisis which will affect Africa and maybe cancel all the gains made by the forty year long international campaign to ensure justice for the poorest of the poor. Bob Geldof, Bono and other celebrity advocates interviewed all look forty years older and insist that a new generation will rise up and carry on campaigning in their own ways. But how will future advocates of justice exert pressure on political leaders when everyone is enmeshed in the same global communications system over which nobody has full control, and a relative few massively powerful corporations determine global priorities in ways which benefit themselves and not the poor?

Forgotten

I woke up at seven fifteen and posted today's Morning Prayer link to What's App, then dozed until I got up at eight. By the time we'd eaten breakfast the rain stopped and the streets quickly dried by the time I was ready to go to the St Catherine's Eucharist. 

Writing the blog every day is an opporunity to reflect on things of inteest and imprance to me. It's also a way of exercising my memory, recalling mundane detail. But sometimes a minor distraction can act like a trip-wire into forgetting. I put my Fitbit on charge while I said the Office, and left home without it due to a non routine call on my atention. It's the first time I've done that in the two years I've worn it.  A full charge lasts less than half now of the three days it originally did. It's the same too with my phone, now two and a half years old, and with my Chromebooks and Windows laptop.

There were eight of us plus baby Sebastian at the service. His mum Rachel sat in the same pew as me, and Seb gave me big grins until he got wriggly and restless. He can stand in a wobbly sort of way, but then he gets frustrated and wants to crawl and haul himself up if he can. He's so keen to get moving. He's very popular with those who come on a Wednesday. Pam was with us today. She finds the Sunday service too long for her now. There we are together, from nine months to ninety years with three of us octogenarians in good repair, enjoying each other's company. We talked about Mike, former actor and theatre critic who died peacefully at home on the weekend, remembering how beautifully he read scripture when he was still well enough to be on the rota.

After coffee and a chat, I collected this week's veggie bag from Chapter. Lunch was ready by the time I got home and strapped on my fitbit and adjusted today's step/distance goals to take into account the three uncounted kilometers already walked, just to make sure my daily exercise quote is consistent. Some days I find the last few kilometers hard work, for no apparent reason, and prefer to make sure to make the effort on the 'use it or lose it' principle applied to mobility.

We had a cottage pie made from a ready made Quorn concoction for lunch. It tasted as if it was made from Bisto gravy to resemble meat I suppose. It gave me dyspepsia and took ages to digest. To be avoided in future. I'd rather make my own sauce to cook with the dehydrated version.

After lunch I made the video slideshow to accompany next week's Morning Prayer, and uploaded it. I needed to update the photo that identifies me at the start of the video now I look different with short hair, but couldn't take a selfie with my phone camera as its screen lens doesn't work properly since the last time I dropped it. Then I remembered the laptop camera. First I had to find out how it works, as I've not used it before and googled to find out how to. 

I walked in Llandaff Fields for an hour and a half, visiting the tree with the hollow stub of a branch, where I spotted a blue tit coming and going, and with patience succeeded in getting a photo of it. It pops in and out of the hollow so rapidly there are many more failures than successes with a hand held camera with a telephoto lens. It's not a very sharp picture as a result, but the bird is recognisable. The first time I noticed small birds frequenting this tree, thought they were nuthatches, similar colouration at a glance, but I was mistaken, as the photo confirms.

After supper I watched the episode of 'Panda' then one of 'The Good Doctor' before heading for bed.

Creative spurt

I woke up, feeling the worst of the virus was past, still exuding a lot of thick catarrh, but not congested by it or coughing a great deal. Much less worse, and not up to a last minute drive to Kenilworth to attend Rhiannon's 21st birthday this evening. Clare didn't feel ready to go to church, so I went to St Catherine's for the Parish Eucharist on my own under my brolly as it was raining and windy too. There were about thirty adults and just a few children. It's still half term, and people tend to go away rather than attend church. I didn't hang around after, but came straight home, taking Clare by surprise, being an hour early for lunch on a Sunday.

I waited in vain for the rain to stop to go out for a walk after lunch. When I thought it had reverted just to drizzle, I ventured out without the brolly, and was soaked when I'd walked for an hour, and had to return, change coat and shoes and have tea before going out again to walk some more with my brolly in hand. I've fallen short on my daily distance this week, and now making an effort to return to normal. No reason to let my fitness level decrease. At least when the wind blew it wasn't cold.

While I was out, I noticed an odd malfunction in the working of my Fitbit. It was showing wildly incorrect step data being sync'ed between app and watch. I restarted both devices when I got home and it made no difference. Curiously the phone app's data analysis on the page beneath the home screen showed what I thought was the distance I'd walked. After several hours without further my tinkering, the system self corrected. I suspect the initial distance walked to church and back wasn't properly over-written by new data, due to a latency issue of some kind. After all, the watch takes data direct from GPS for measurement and relays it via Bluetooth to the phone, which then uploads it by internet to the Cloud storage Samsung uses to store and check data. It's sophisticated stuff, and amazingly consistent, normally. Until it isn't, and that's pretty rare. It's only happened a handful of times in the past couple of years. 

Ash Wednesday's biblical reflection has been on my mind, so I devised a special order of service for Morning Prayer then found an idea to begin writing about and a draft came together quite quickly. This got me into full creative mood. After supper, I continued editing and revising Grandpa Jack's tale, non-stop for three hours until bed time. We started receiving lovely photos of the family dining out and singing Happy Birthday to Rhiannon. Hard to admit that our presence there was sabotaged by an untimely virus that left us feeling we couldn't take the risk of travelling. Thankfully Kath is coming down next weekend and will be able to take Rhiannon's present home to her.

Nice to go to sleep feeling satisfied with something hadn't expected to achieve on a very wet Sunday.

Woollen support

Despite spending a long time in bed I didn't sleep well so it took me a long time to get going this morning. After the usual Monday housework, I cooked an early lunch using tasty Greek gigantes beans, as we had a two o'clock hairdo appointment with Chris. While Clare was having her hair done I went for a walk, first up the hill to inspect a post box crowned with an interesting looking example of 'guerilla knitting' spotted on the inbound journey. This delightful adornment features a mini rugby pitch with a Welsh Dragon lining up to convert a try. A fringe of letters underneath says 'Come on Wales' - supporter inspired art! Sadly it made no difference to the Welsh team's run of thirteen successive international match defeats.

From there I walked a long circuit down to the lake in Parc Trederlech, before returning to the salon. As I washed my hair yesterday and my scalp is in good condition, Chris needed to do very little to tidy me up, and we were on our way home by half past three in surprisingly heavy early traffic. After a cup of coffee and a piece of cake, I walked for an hour in the park as the sun was setting.

Worked on preparing next Wednesday's Morning Prayer and Reflection before and after supper. Then read my new Spanish novel, intending to go to bed early. Then I noticed an email notification from Samsung about a firmware update for my Fitbit, apparently to remedy a tendency to overheat. I followed the instructions which said it would take at least twenty minutes to complete. It took from eight until eleven to download and a few minutes to complete the installation process so I could switch off. So I end up going to bed at my usual time.

Valued invitation

A cold sunny day after a better night's sleep than my less than smart Fitbit tells me. It simply can't cope with reverting from summer time to GMT and stopped recording time at rest (whether awake or sleep) an hour before I woke up and looked at the time on it. I recall this happening last year on this day too, and a few other times in the year for no reason, losing 2-4 hours recording time. It fails to synchronise with the phone app too, even though it says it's bluetooth connected. 

I woke up at approximately my usual time to judge by the rising sun, now a quarter to seven instead of a quarter to eight. After an early breakfast I went for a walk in park for half an hour before church, to take advantage of the sunshine. The Sunday Park Run crowd were out on Llandaff Fields putting on some kind of running activity for children - a good hour before the Sunday morning sports training tune up. Physical activity is the new secular society substitute for Sunday School and churchgoing, I reckon.

There was no Sunday School at St Catherine's in any case today as it's half term, so there were thirty of us for the Eucharist, celebrated by Fr Rhys, as Fr Sion and Catherine are in Bologna, visiting their daughter, studying there at the University. The church hall is still disguised for use as a film set, hired out for two weeks to a TV company shooting a children's series. The back room annexe is off limits at the moment as it's filled with film set props and lighting equipment. At coffee time we were allowed a peep into the room to satisfy our curiosity.

After lunch, I was relaxing hoping for a snooze when the phone rang. It was Sir Norman Lloyd Edwards, ringing on behalf of the United Services Mess to find out if I'd be willing to officiate at the Remembrance weekend Mess dinner in two weeks time. In years past, the previous Mess secretary Tony Lewis rang me a month or so beforehand to book me in. It's a duty I've performed most years since I became Vicar of St John's, except for a few years when I was on autumn locum duty in Spain. I wondered why I'd not heard, and admitted it was possible a new Mess Chaplain had been appointed. 

Until a few years ago the Mess was a gentlemen only organisation, the exception being women on active service. The only women guests were the Mayor, Lord Lieutenant or High Sheriff. None of the three women clergy who followed me at St John's were recruited as Mess Chaplain, so I remained by default, a sort of legacy Chaplain unless this had changed and I'd not been informed. I was wondering about calling the Mess to check this out in case it had been overlooked. Coming to the night accidentally without having a Chaplain on board wouldn't be looked on favourably. Military folk follow meticulously their traditions and necessary formalities. Most may be non-religious, but respect for the status quo is part of respect for each other. Informality and comradeship still have a secure foundation in customary observance. 

Sir Norman, through his office as retiring President of the Friends of St John's was able to obtain my contact details from church rather than Mess records. It seems the new committee didn't inherit them. As he was in charge of assigning top table places, including the Chaplain and the banquet Master of Ceremonies, he spotted the omission and made the call, while I was still thinking about checking this out. I'm happy to accept for perhaps the twentieth time. It's an honour to be in the company of veterans as well as serving members of the armed forces, despite never having done so myself.

Clare was still snoozing when I went out for a walk in the afternoon sunshine. She called me an hour later, we met in the park and went to Coffee#1 for a drink before returning home before sunset, for a change. It's completely dark before six now with the sun setting at six minutes to five, and that's on a sunny day. After supper, I watched an episode of 'Lolita Lobosco', set in sunny Puglia, with some lovely romantic stories running alongside a series of dark criminal investigations. Serious, but also laced with good humour and spiced with wisdom or quotations from the Classics. It helps keep at bay the autumnal darkness we now have to live with for the next four months.

Not consistently smart

I was in bed just after eleven last night, fell asleep immediately and slept quite well. I was annoyed to find that my Fitbit watch failed to record the first hour's sleep altogether and refused to record the missing hour manually. This happens occasionally in a random way. The worst thing is that all the clever statistics and so called coaching advice the thing generates is based on a watch telemetry failure. Smart watch? Huh! 

I drove Clare to UHW for another eye checkup after breakfast, but couldn't stay with her. I had food bank shopping to do before the Eucharist at St Catherine's. We were six men at the service this morning. There was no coffee and chat in the hall afterwards, as it had been hired for use as a film by a S4C production company, to judge by the few scenic additions made to the hall exterior. Four of us went around the The Wardrobe coffee shop in King's Yard instead. As it was sunny we were able to sit outside and chat. On my way home I collected the veggie bag from Chapter. Clare was cooking a curry for lunch when I got back.

After we'd eaten, I started preparing the text for Morning Prayer the week after next. I've made an effort to archive texts of the reflections written and published on WhatsApp for each Thursday morning since I joined in doing this regularly when I returned from Ibiza in May 2020. I've done this in fits and starts and only once since the beginning of this year. I spent an hour copying and pasting texts into my archive file until it was up to date. 

I don't know how much longer I'll continue doing this, given there's no feedback and nobody new has offered to fill the existing gap, so others have to double up. I used to do this but seem to have less time to offer these days. Three lay and two clerical volunteers contribute, but the full time clergy don't. I think it's a legacy affair they'd rather not have to deal with, so it just drifts on with nobody willing to take the lead and ask questions about what we're doing now and why let alone whether we could be improving the offer of daily prayer from and for the parish.

I went for a walk at four, once around Thompson's Park, then across to Llandaff Fields for another circuit and a trip to the Co-op. It was nearly dark by the time I got back.

After supper I spent the whole evening writing a reflection and editing it down to the right size. Some days this task comes quick and easy, other times, like this evening, not.

Heron Haiku again

A dull damp Sunday. We went to the Eucharist at St Catherine's, with fifty others, Sunday school children included. After lunch, a siesta in the armchair for over an hour. I had in idea for a reflection on the passage from Acts to be used in next week's Thursday morning prayer, and very quickly wrote it before going for a walk in light drizzle.

My course included the east side stretch of the trail along the Taff down to Blackweir. I spotted a heron standing in a storm drain which crosses beneath the path, an unusual place to stand, as the light is poor, so the photos I took weren't all that good. Then the bird took to the air and flew up to a branch on a nearby tree. It was about ten feet above my head, but again the light was poor. Interesting to see a heron in such a shadowy place under the cover of trees where even with the keenest sight it wouldn't be easy to spot fish if there were any in the shallow waters of the gully fifteen feet below. This gave me an idea for composing another heron haiku, which I did while walking, dictating it into my phone, leaving the writing until later.

Heron in tree takes / time out from the river bank / rain stops prey today

When I went to check my Fitbit app, after walking, I was surprised to be told to log into my account again, something which hasn't happened since I installed it and set it up at first use. It was an annoying rigmarole. Login details were memorised by my phone, but it kept on reverting to the opening page, with no error message displaying. It did however offer the alternative of logging in with Google credentials and once I did this, the app resumed normal functioning. Then I remembered seeing a tech news items a few weeks ago, stating that Samsung was phasing out use of its log in credentials for Smartwatches for those who use a Google email address to log in with. I guess it's a way to enhance security, but to do so without giving an explanation is no way to increase trust in the system.

Yesterday in an exchange of messages with Rachel, she told me about a new digital guitar amplifier she proposes trying out today. She reported back how pleased she was with the one she tried and bought it on the spot, so we've decided to pay for it rather than imposing a burden on her credit card.

After supper I watched another episode of 'Grace' using headphones, while Clare was viewing a proms performance of Mozart's Requiem, accompanied by a group of contemporary dancers. An imaginative idea but it was unsatisfying. It was beautifully performed but the choreography often seemed disconnected from the music. Movement I glimpsed occasionally out of the corner of my eye didn't adequately express the moods and emotions of this final masterwork, one of Mozart's greatest. A challenging creative project, but it needed more than it could deliver to express the solemnly sacred ritual progress of a Requiem Mass channelling powerful emotions behind its liturgical text. And so to bed.

Morning Recital

Another cool and cloudy start to the day with periods of rain, though it the sun did put in an appearance in the evening. we started the day with Clare's pancakes. Eight and a half million computers needed a hard reset after yesterday's chaos inducing network catastrophe. Full recovery will take several days, though for the most part big well managed systems are already up and running. Down-time in airline scheduling and any service reliant on just-in-time logistics are now playing catch up. Public warnings have been issued of scammers contacting individuals and offering them help they don't need with computer problems. As ever the biggest problem individuals have is ignorance of how complex any digital device is. Great or small. 

We drove to St Edward's in Roath for a violin recital given by Marc and accompanist Chris. It was an hour of superb music played with a smile of enthusiasm to a packed audience of about a hundred. Every time I applauded after in item, I noticed that my Fitbit recorded several steps, when I hadn't walked any. The same happens when cooking, with the watch on my left arm, as I chop things up with the knife in my left hand. It seems the Fitibit accelerometer which records body movement isn't smart enough to recognise the difference between an arm movement which covers a horizontal distance and one which is within a negligible radius. It may be a matter of what you pay for is what you get. It has too many smart features I never use and the one I need doesn't work as well as it needs to.

Fr Stewart was there, meeting and greeting people afterwards at the door. It was good to see him. He now succumbed to walking with a proper arm support to help him cope with his knee while he awaits surgery. We talked briefly about the medical funerals both of us have done this week, observing that both of us are waiting to be paid - no doubt something to do with the fact that the cremations were commissioned by the University Medical School. Notoriously slow payers. Now there's the added excuse of the internet crash to add to the delay.

We returned for lunch and a siesta, then it rained for several hours. I went out when it slowed to a drizzle towards tea time. Clare followed me out about an hour later, and our paths crossed when I was on my way back. Then I went to Tesco's for a couple of things missed on the week's shopping list. In the evening I watched a couple of new episodes of 'The Wagner Method, series three set in scenic Strasbourg, a mildly comic and rather lightweight crimmie with its hypocondriac lead detective whose mother is the Mayor - an unlikely story.

Mishaps and troubleshooting

Back to a clear sky start to the day by the time I got up this morning gone eight o'clock. More news from Ukraine about the impact of flooding from a breached dam on the Dnipro River, a border line between Russian invaders and defenders. Over 230 square miles of territory have been indundated, impacting occupiers and defenders. Each blames the other in the propaganda chess game of modern warfare. This will make the region unexploitable to both sides as a battle ground for armoured vehicles. Russian occupied Crimea will suffer, as much of its water supply depends on the Dnipro. 

It seems to me a tactical decision was taken to breach the dam to make the road across it unusable to the Ukrainian counter offensive. The power station and section of the road on top of the dam were destroyed a few days ago, evidently weakening the dam. Now the breach gets wider and the extent of flooding increases. It was a decision taken without thought for consequences, a Russian own goal, blamed on the defending forces. It's sick and delusional. How long can the criminal Kremlin regime survive in the light of such a foolish action?

After breakfast, I joined eight others for the Eucharist, coffee and chat at St Catherine's, then came home and cooked prawn risotto for us, while Clare had another acupuncture treatment. My fitbit emailed me a warning to re-charge it, at 20% after four days of use. It seems a shorter time than when I first had it, but maybe that's something to do with the display settings, as I prefer an always-on dial display. I took it off to charge it while sitting in the lounge armchair writing on my Chromebook after lunch. It takes a couple of hours normally. This time after half an hour, I found it wasn't charging. The charging interface on the back of the watch was caked with enough sweaty residue to prevent a charging connection. Who'd have thought it? A quick wipe and it was working again normally. Something to think about every time it needs to be charged in future.

It was five when I went to do the grocery shopping at the Coop. Clare asked me to call at Beanfreaks to exchange a big bottle of washing liquid for one of fabric softener. Somehow the cap had been loosened, and it leaked into the shopping trolley. When I took it out of the bag in the shop there was liquid soap all over the place. It had dripped into a plastic bag in the bottom of the trolley and not affected the bag, but when I moved the bag it dripped all over the floor, most embarrassingly. Fortunately the shop was due to close, so no other customers were affected. Younis the manager gave me some kitchen roll and I mopped up the spill apologetically, then made the exchange, which left me in credit, so I bought a rye load and two packs of lemon and ginger tea, which covered the credit and left me paying the difference, although I did get things we needed.

Then when I got to the Co-op checkout later, I realised I didn't have my keys with me, so I couldn't get the Co-op card points. When I got home, I found the keys in the front door lock. Heaven knows why, but at least I didn't lose them, and was able to register them at the Co-op website on Clare's computer. But in using Clare's computer, the only Linux one in regular service, I realised it needed updating. Normally it is very straightforward, but there was a broken library link preventing updating. Fortunately I was able to fix this by following the on screen instructions, and followed this by adding a device that enables a phone's filesystem to be read on the computer. Clare can now transfer files from one device the other.

After supper, I spent the evening recording and editing the audio for next week's Morning Prayer and completing Friday's extra prayer video and uploading to YouTube. All in all quite a busy day. Before going to bed I went out for some exercise to clear my head ready for sleep. I did a circuit of Llandaff Fields, and was surprised that the air was milder tonight under a clear sky than it has been so far this year with the cold wind coming from the east. Here's hoping it stays warm.

The park was completely empty when I set out. All of a sudden on the return stretch groups of people were walking past me, up towards Llandaff. On the main road there were queues of cars normally seen at evening rush hour. Then I remembered there's been a concert in the stadium tonight, the second of two night's of gigs by Cold Play.

Fitbit Versa 3 after two weeks

The night sky was clear, and at sunrise it was somewhat chilly. I got ready to be taken to Thornhill for the funeral I was scheduled to take and stood outside in the still cool shadow of the house. When the car didn't turn up on time (as it did once before with this particular funeral company), I started to fret and phoned the office. I was told the funeral is tomorrow not today. Indeed, when I looked again, my diary confirmed this  was the case. How did it happen? I wondered. 

A bank holiday disrupts weekly routine. Nervousness about a repeat instance of un-punctuality. A careless glance at the diary. Not memory loss, but a loss of focus on what day of the week it actually is. As we're both pretty active, no day of the week is the same as another, so days don't normally merge into each other because each is the same as the other. This is what can lead to people living alone with uneventful lives to lose track of time.

Once I'd recovered from my bewilderment, I picked up on what usually happens on Tuesdays and went to the Coop to do the weekly grocery shopping. Clare had an acupuncture appointment, so I cooked the lunch and listened to a consumer phone-in programme about the technical challenges of making homes energy efficient, with listeners sharing their experience of solar panels and air source heat pump installation, both benefits and unforeseen problems. With energy prices so high, the question of saving money is more of a concern than carbon footprint. What's interesting is the finding that energy conservation by improving insulation standards is key to the success of any alternative heating system. The government has recently launched a campaign to promote and facilitate insulation improvement. Will it deliver significant change? It remains to be seen.

In the news, Moscow was hit by a drone attack last night, not the first in recent weeks, not causing much damage. Immediately the regime alleges this attack is of Ukrainian origin, which Ukraine denies. This was said when there was an attack on the Kremlin recently. This was followed by nightly drone attacks  on Kyiv. Is this a 'false flag' attack, giving an excuse for escalation?  There have also been a few cross border incursions allegedly by Russian militias opposed to Putin's regime. These have not been of much military significance but they send a signal to the Kremlin about government control over the population, by sowing seeds of doubt about how safely distanced from the war Russian people feel they are. Small uprisings and acts of resistance occur and get suppressed, but the more there are, the more it suggests dissatisfaction with the status quo.

It was nearly two by the time we finished lunch and had a siesta. Then another grocery shopping trip to Tesco's before walking in the park together enjoying the sunshine. After supper and putting out the rubbish I decided to sit and read Carlos Ruiz Zafon's novel 'La Sombra del Viento', while my Fitbit was on charge. I've had it now for sixteen days. It took me a while to figure out how to get what I want from the device. It tends to nag to to set up every facility it provides, on top of a link to my phone to record the few essentials I need and suppressing ones I don't want to use is still a minor annoyance. 

The touch screen on the watch is ingenious, but took several weeks to fathom out from scratch. I'm not sure I found the first use instructions, and most of these things are straightforward to get working. The most irritating thing about the phone app is how encourages you to set health goals, like or not, and if you don't it imposes a default set. Any goal it thinks you've achieved, it send you childish congratulatory messages, as if it were a grown-up coaching children. I detest this patronising intrusion. 

All I need is simple information about my daily walking habits plus date and time. At least it has a decent watch face with a minimal always on setting showing only the time. And the strap on it is decent and comfortable. It takes two hours to charge and a charge lasts ten days, but it starts nagging to recharge when it's still 20% full, in effect about two days left. That's a bit annoying too. 

I read thirteen packed pages of the book while waiting for a full charge, and was able to appreciate the humour and the atmosphere of story-line, again, despite the obscurity of some vocabulary which defeats Google Translate. On the other hand the app can be helpful in listing secondary meaning and contextual uses arising from colloquial turns of phrase and this can bring interesting little surprises to light. For example in English we'd say a very rich person was 'loaded', in Spanish it's 'lined' - in both cases with cash. Anyway, that's enough for tonight!

 then printed off a couple of poems I've been asked to read at tomorrow's funeral. Bed early tonight.

It's not over until it's over

A slightly warmer pleasant day of clouds and sun. I woke up feeling that I still hadn't got to the bottom of what had caught the problem June had with her computer. We went for a walk for an hour around the park after breakfast and then cooked lunch. I rang to check if all was well, and learned that when June switched on her laptop, another Yahoo notification popped up. I thought I'd eliminated this possibility but had not been successful as I'd omitted to clear the browser cache containing a contaminated cookie.  I googled to find out if others had experienced the same issue, and discovered the Yahoo search engine is used to transmit an actual virus via Chrome hiding in a Yahoo search tab, not necessarily detected by the Windows Defender anti-virus system. Heaven knows why. I told her to switch off until I found a work-around solution.

The web provided instructions for removing this virus from Chrome, involving a reset of the browser removing all cookies and the full browsing record, then it re-starts as if from new after a few first use steps. If only I'd found this yesterday! I phoned June and told her this, realising it was too much to expect her to reset her Chrome browser, but maybe Tim from the Boys Club could oblige when he got in contact with her, but I had another idea. 

As guardian of her Gmail account I created a user with her details on my Chromebook. The browser will synchronise its settings across all devices with the same Gmail account. I could then perform a Chrome browser reset that would reproduce itself on her computer and leave her free of this pernicious vulnerability. In preparing, I discovered that switching between search engines in the top search window is effected by pressing the space bar before typing. Thursday morning she did ten searches and in just one had touched the space bar accidentally causing Yahoo to be used, with distressing consequences. Changing the internal setting from space bar to Tab key reduces the risk of this accident. So I did this as part of re-setting Chrome. All this I did after lunch and then told June she could switch on again. 

The synchronisation process worked but required completion as if from new on her laptop. Meanwhile, the virus laden cookie was still throwing up a notification. This was so disconcerting, she couldn't face completing the Chrome set up process, so I emailed Tim the director of the Boys' Club and explained all that I'd done in detail, and asked him to visit of finish the job in person. It was clear he didn't need to run any diagnostic tests if my instructions were correct. A few hours later, he made a brief visit, and in a few minutes the job I started was completed. And the nightmare was over.

Meanwhile, Clare and I went into town for a free drink and a piece of cake in John Lewis', as Clare has occasional free treats with her JLP loyalty card scheme. Then I bought  a Samsung Fitbit Versa 3 smart watch. Since the demise of my classic ancient Casio watch last week, and the strap breaking on my Huwaei step counter device whose display is hard to read without specs I felt it was time to get something new to combine both functions with a decent readable display. It was eight times more expensive offering more features than I'd ever need, but could be configured to serve the purpose, so it doesn't attempt to run my life for me, and the fees from doing two funerals paid for it. It was fiddly to set up but I got what I wanted from it and nothing more, eventually. The package even includes a spare strap!

Before the Eurovision song contest we spent an enjoyable hour watching a 1980's Simon and Garfunkel life concert. It was so pleasant to the ear in contrast to the two hours that followed. The performances were brilliantly executed from a technical standpoint, but the use of such bright flashing coloured lights and strobe effects I found so distressing I couldn't watch for long, and listened to two thirds of it from the middle room while I finished my sermon for tomorrow. So many songs which sounded similar and derivative, little that was ear catching and original. I liked Spain's entry because it was original and so Andaluz in character.  I doubt it will win, as it wasn't catchy run of the mill pop ear candy. I wish we'd stayed listening to the second hour of Simon and Garfunkel;s concert. But then I may not have finished tomorrow's sermon. An early start in the morning.