Home turf

Yesterday, at the meeting I was attending in the College on Cumbrae, I was pointing out that we were all too familiar with a particular line of business when dealing with ecclesiastical property and policy and heard myself saying, not really in the kind of company that would appreciate it, ..."Baby, we've been here before ..." At least Himself gave a quiet snigger...

Anyway, that's by way of saying of course you've all seen photos of this location before. It just happens to be the only photo I took today, in the rain and the gloom of a day that began drizzling and became wetter and only now, after 11pm, seems to be dry. I took it with thoughts of showing Holy Trinity Church in action, as it were, to someone I know who visited yesterday and left his name in the visitors' book - someone whom I felt I knew online for several years through his photos of lots of the places round here that I love to walk in until one day our paths crossed (actually as we crossed a bridge over the River Eachaig and met in the middle) and there was one of these moments of mutual recognition ... Hugh, if you read this, I hope one day you'll come back when we're all there! This was a quiet moment as we prepared for prayer; the church felt warmer than it has for several weeks because there was some heating on.

Di is away on holiday, so there was no chatting over coffee as usual - the coffee was there, natch, but not the blethers. We both fell asleep after lunch - yesterday actually took it out of us, even if we weren't singing. Then I had a long phone chat with my daughter-in-law; we don't seem to have had one for ages and it was great to catch up. This meant that Himself was sitting playing the piano in his waterproof trousers waiting for me to join him in a soggy couple of miles before dinner - we got out eventually.

And that was it, really. Dinner was rathe good (she said, modestly - a southern Italian easy dish with chicken pieces cooked in olive oil, butter and white wine on top of the stove, with rosemary sprigs and a couple of cloves of garlic). And then we watched an old movie - Captain Philips - till I couldn't keep my eyes open. (No, no - I'm not typing with them shut: I'm making an effort!)

I have an early start. They want more bloods off me. I'll have an empty arm ...