Day Off Week 51 2024

There was the now usual walk and some reading (Christmas Carol). From early evening we were joined by our friend Malcolm McGregor, visiting the seminary, and my son Gwion and his wife, Lydia, who are here for the week.

A Few Days in South Wales

Cardiff/Cwmbran

Last Monday we left London and headed for Wales. First stop, Newport and my sister's. Two of her daughters were there with their husbands and young daughters to that added to the interest and we had a short but enjoyable time. We then went on to Cardiff where we are staying in my son's house (they are all on camp in West Wales this week). In the evening, we had a lovely meal with Eleri's Cardiff based sister and her husband and son. Nice evening. Tuesday Eleri and I drove into town and had a little wander. We had a cuppa in the museum and then lunch at Shake Shack. Lovely time. In the evening I did some blogging and then we entertained some Cardiff friends who are getting married in November and that was a good time too.

Eleri has spent today and yesterday at the National Eisteddfod, which this year is in Pontypridd, half an hour from here by train. She is helping man the stondin for the Welsh school but it is also a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and she has been having a great time, I think, although today has been rather wet.

I have been spending my time mostly reading and drinking coffee. Yesterday I headed into Whitchurch on foot for a coffee then caught a bus into town. I don't know Cardiff and so I enjoyed little things like the way all the stops are announced bilingually on the buses these days. (The route took us past The Earl Haig Club where I saw Focus in 2022 and the Velindre Cancer Centre where my mother had been a regular back in the nineties). I wandered around town and had lunch in the Caffe Nero in the St David's Centre (Focus also once played the St David's Hall and had someone play the organ for La Cathedrale). I then bussed back here before picking up Eleri. We popped over to Eleri's sister again later.

Today I took Eleri to the station then met up with my sister for a nice breakfast in a nearby Harvester. I then headed to Cwmbran where I enjoyed another coffee and an undercover wander in the rain. I sat in the Library which I now notice has similarities to the Swiss Cottage Library. I had luch in a  MacDonalds on the way to Pontypool and then headed back to Cardiff. (Kept my eyes peeled for anyone I might know but saw no-one. I like hearing the local accents, especially hearing people say by here and by there for here and there). In t evening I did a bit more wordling and reading and we watched the news an a couple of episodes of The Turkish Detective. Tomorrow we are off to Aberystwyth.

Lord's Day July 21 2024

I was again away from Childs Hill last Sunday. We spent a lovely weekend with friends in Pembrokeshire. On the Sunday, I preached in Penuel Baptist Chapel, Roch, where they are members. I've only preached there once before. On this occasion I preached in the morning on Zechariah 3:2 and then in the afternoon we looked together at Proverbs 24:15, 16. The small but changing congregation was joined by a few visitors. We also visited family on the way there and back.

Focus in Cardiff

Photo Credit> Barry Morris

Focus's latest London gig was on a Sunday so I decided to head to South Wales to catch them in Cardiff. They were at the Earl Haig Club in Whitchurch, Cardiff. I have several family members nearby, although most were away. (New definition of agonising - Focus come to a place near you and you are in California!). Anyway I stayed with my son and his family and had some quality time with my grandson and his parents. We were able to have a McDonalds breakfast the next day before I left, which was nice. It was also nice to meet up with my oldest friend Steve who was there with his wife and sister and her finance. (We enjoyed chatting - his new hip, when will retire, etc). Focus were on form. Not everyone present was a true Focus fan so they missed out La Cathedrale and went straight to Harem Scarem. Enjoyed Focus 7 and Song for Burt, the less familiar items, and plenty of AQQA in the encore. Great stuff.

Two Days Off Week 37

Two of my grandsons enjoying doughnuts at the wedding

There is an argument for saying not only that  a day off is good for a minister but that two consecutive days off a month can also help. I have tried that once before but it is hard to find time. This month I have been able to do that as we were at a wedding in Wales last Friday and then on the Saturday we went to a birthday bash in Wiltshire. In between we managed to meet up with family and friends. So the wedding was that of Eleri's cousin's daughter Anya to Luke Foxhall from Nantwich. That was a great day in Newport and Cardiff. We saw family there and the next day briefly. I also called in on my sister in Newport briefly as she was having a coffee morning and chatted to my oldest friend. The birthday was a postponed sixtieth for my former elder Robert Strivens in Holt, near Bradford on Avon. So two days of good food and lots of conversation.