A bicyclette! Au revoir!

It's nearly August and, with the parish and the Vicarage in good hands while we're away, the Vendée beckons. There comes a point, particularly if it's not been possible to get away for about twelve months, when a certain amount of tiredness and ennui set in; when even the daily parish round becomes a little bit of a struggle, when blogging is just a chore and the news and comment - from all quarters - seem flat and unprofitable.
So, no laptops and no internet, just a pile of summer reading, our bicycles and my breviary (well, along with paint pots, brushes, lawnmowers, hedge trimmers...... you get the picture.) 
But it really isn't such a bad idea simply to shut up once in while before one gets too smug and self-satisfied both with one's own opinions and with those of people of a like mind.
So it's time for some R & R and, with a bit of luck, some reliable sunshine (or, to paraphrase Belloc, good red wine under a Catholic sun) and the chance to catch up with friends across the Channel.

Having said that, I had my early morning cup of coffee today, sitting on the small terrace outside the Vicarage kitchen, a little oasis awash with scarlet geraniums and olive trees in pots and full of the smell of citrus flowers. Despite the continuing uncertainty and even the gathering storm clouds, this is not such a bad place to which to return to work at the end of the summer.

While the blog is quiet for the next few weeks, you could do worse than keep an eye on the Welsh Ordinariate site (link on the right). A usually reliable source tells me to expect some kind of announcement about future developments after the middle of the month.
See you in September!

'A Bicyclette' by Yves Montand to set the tone.
All right, maybe not quite the cycling I had in mind, but it's a good song full of wistful longing for a lost youth  ............ no, get a grip; I just need some sunshine!





Back in September!