Wednesday, June 27, 2012

It's almost Castel Gandolfo time again.........

Just the Pallium Mass on Friday, and then privacy, peace and rest from labour awaits our dear Holy Father at Castel Gandolfo, well at least for the month of July.

Its been a long gruelling day here. Up at seven to do some housework before breakfast; time to read overnight emails before the General Audience; and then for the first time, some people came to view the house. Astonishingly they turned out to be newly retired teachers  from a village in Devon quite near to where I once lived, close to Newton Abbot..(The wife was also called Jane.) I don't think they'll make an offer and I doubt that all future viewers will be as pleasant as they were. Letting go of the house and its memories is going to be unconscionably difficult but it will have to be faced eventually. (Your prayers please.) Returning to the computer I realised with a shock that this morning's General Audience was the last one before the Castel Gandolfo recess.. Throughoust the day I also conducted an email conversation with an old friend about the recent appointments of Bishop Roche and the new bishop-elect of Wrexham. However  I spent the later afternoon pottering in the garden and did the watering when the sun was 'over the yard arm'. Then it was time to cook supper.

It all sounds idyllic I know, but there is no security now, and I'll have to get used to it.
I forgot to mention that this morning the postman delivered a bottle of Crosse and Blackwell's gravy browning, courtesy of Amazon, and an expected letter from my beloved Monsignor in Rome..

The two best things about today, are first that when I was showing the Devonian visitors the garden, I pointed out the 'Compassion'' Rose which is in a riot of bloom at the end of my 'Via Crucis' pergola. I don't know what came over me but I said. that I thought the rose was well named because it is so generous in its blooming and also has a divine scent. This touched some nerve in my namesake and she picked a bloom and offered it to me.

The second thing is that after all the recent brouhaha about the SSPX, our Holy Father has done everything he can and very shortly will have  more time to pray.

We are so blessed in him.

No comments: