Sharing sad news

Another sunny day, up bright and early enough to join a small group of Wednesday people in the garden of St Catherine's for a socially distanced coffee hour, before returning to cook lunch. Clare and I walked around Pontcanna fields after our siesta. There was a stiff cooling breeze, but it didn't deter a dozen youngsters from swimming behind the weir.

I had a call later this afternoon from Jamie Williams, Paul Williams' son, asking me if I would officiate at his father's funeral. Paul and his wife Elaine both worked in Cardiff City Centre. He and I worked together in several different ways during the St David's Centre redevelopment, and during the life of Cardiff Business Safe, albeit not so closely over the past four years. I feel honoured to be asked by the family. I don't know if they have any church connections, but the bond of partnership working in the city centre over the years, decades sometimes, becomes a kind of kinship. Doing the funeral, even if it's likely to be a small private family affair, calls for a follow through.

A city centre memorial celebration for the scores of colleagues who won't be able to attend now under present circumstances will be necessary some time in the future. Ashley and I have already started thinking about how this can be arranged, but news of his death first needs to be out there on the grapevine. Few seem to have known how serious his illness was. He didn't talk about it.

Fortunately, Ashley is still active and knows many people in the city centre, so he'll be able to so something about this. He has been in touch with Paul's P.A Elaine, who needs help putting together a suitable announcement for the Council's media release. He and I spent part of the evening working on this, arguing about how much or how little needs to go in to such a communique which will actually pass editorial scrutiny. The acid test will be how much of it appears on the Wales On-Line news website.
  

Sight and vision in perspective

School Eucharist again at St German's this morning. I talked about St Paul's conversion and his travels thereafter. Hamid wasn't there. It's the first time he's missed in several months. Earlier this week there was some news controversy surrounding the issue of wrist bands to Cardiff asylum seekers to display their entitlement to free meals. It seems that some of the city's xenophobic low life characters had been verbally abusing people wearing wristbands, and they were quickly withdrawn. Disturbingly however, a photograph of the hotel which houses asylum seekers was printed by the Western Mail. Heaven only knows what impact that could have. Such a short sighted expression of the 'what can be seen must be seen' contemporary philosophy. What if it were your home in the frame Mr Editor? It's a violation of the privacy of vulnerable people.

I couldn't go around there and check him out after the service, as I had to drive straight to the School of Optometry for a further eye test, this time involving pupil dilation. It's the first time I've ever had this examinarion. Clare came to collect me from there, as blurring of vision resulting from the dilation left me needing to be driven, for safety's sake. Walking around Lidl's looking for a couple of items hard to find elsewhere was quite an odd experience, with both eyes focussing differently, reading glasses no help and no glasses just as bad. Apparently my eyes are in reasonable condition, with a little wear and tear to be expected at my age. I should appreciate this more and not take good vision for granted.