The Wedding Practice

Now that I no longer have a parish it's always fun to do weddings. That's because it's only people who really want you to do their wedding who will invite you to marry them (so to speak). That's nice. It's one of those ultimate compliments and it's really appreciated.

This afternoon, I spent an hour or so in the middle of a fairly busy day helping Leah and Eilir practice their wedding in Llandaff Cathedral. Eilir is brilliant at leading choirs - especially the famous Welsh choir CF1. Our two families met years ago on a holiday at a caravan park in Scotland for "spent vicars". We've remained friends ever since.

It was during one of those holidays that the owner of the caravan park taught me how to fly fish in the middle of a field. Don't worry I didn't catch anything when I fished by water either. Eilir's dad, who was another spent vicar (or minister in his Presbyterian case) was good at golf - that is, if beating me is a measure of being good.

Leah is just brilliant but had the misfortune of being one of my parishoners for eight years. She and her family survived the experience and have been so kind in their friendship that they now want me to do tomorrow's wedding.

I'm really looking forward to it. There is no greater honour than being asked to share people's special moments. So here's a big thank you. Tomorrow will be brilliant and fun!

Women Connect First

I knew that I would enjoy today. After spending a couple of hours with my colleagues at the Cytun office I spent most of the day enjoying an inter-faith tour day arranged by Women Connect First in Cardiff.

With a number of Welsh Assembly Officials I went from an Indian Centre to a Synagogue to a Gurudwara. I gave the Mosque a miss because I ran out of time.

It was a really good time but I was reminded that secular society has watches and faith communities have time. That's why faith communities have their focus on eternity I suppose.

Back to Work Gadgets

Today was my first day back to work, and to be honest, I wasn't looking forward to my holiday coming to an end. It went OK though and I worked hard to get rid of what seemed like hundreds of emails.

Just before the break I had got myself a fantastic O2 Triton which does everything except breath. My colleague Sion did me a huge favour by putting all my work emails on Microsoft Outlook which means that I can now get rid of my emails on trains and at meetings where the word eternal seems inadequate. I won't have to come back to them at the end of already busy days.

The truth of it is, I really enjoy gadgets. Some people think that I play with them all day. I don't. I work on them all day and make sure that I enjoy the experience.

Twin Torture

I had huge fun today talking for three quarter of an hour with Sian Thomas on Radio Cymru. She's a joy as a presenter and good fun when doing interviews.

Sian wanted me to talk about me. I can do that without really trying.

Towards the end of last week the producers of the show thought that it might be a good idea if I got my twin sister to appear with me. Thankfully, she would rather be buried several times over.

When I say she is unlike me that's what I mean!

As children, however, we used to suffer sympathy pains. Thankfully, that habit stopped long before she had children. I couldn't cope with having phantom giving birth pains.

I still torture her however when I go public about things like how old I am. It's tough on twins if you are not that keen on people knowing how old you are.

Anniversary Mat

I did remember today that, tomorrow, Marie and I will have been married for thirty one years. A long time. That's good for a man I'm told. Remembering that is!

We've always had a pragmatic approach to gifts. One Christmas I brought her half a dish washer. She brought me the other half.

For our anniversary this year I wanted a book on criminals (I just can't read novels) and she wanted a pair of binoculars for our South Africa trip in October. We got neither after spending several hours in Cardiff shops.

Marie did buy a door mat though. It wasn't an anniversary treat.

Rugby Shirt Sabbath

Eating my low calorie lunch today in KFC in Queen's Street, Cardiff I suddenly remembered yesterday's repeat of the Vicar of Dibley.

It was the disapproving comments on the street of someone I used to know concerning my wearing of a Welsh rugby shirt on a Sunday with its Brains Beer advert that made me think about the hit TV show.

I like my Wales rugby shirt because that's just what most men who go to see Wales on an international day do. I also like my rugby shirt because my son and his fiancee, my almost a daughter in law, brought it for me as a Christmas present.

Poor Geraldine in the Vicar of Dibley had acquired a certain media profile after appearing on the Terry Wogan show. She was thrilled to bits but David Horton, the pompous Chair of the Parish Council, chastised her for apparently putting herself above the community she had come to serve.

She was damned by the terse words: "That's not why you came here." She then went on a guilt trip and abandoned her widely commended media work.

Much to the annoyance of some over the years, I don't do church guilt trips. They flow usually from actions that are really just bullying or harassment by another name - even the gentler form.

It's just exercising power over others to get them to do what they otherwise wouldn't do. It's not at all like asking someone not to do what is genuinely offensive or hurtful.

When I went to church this morning for communion, I noticed that all the readings were about what to do on the Sabbath. Jesus upset the religious types of his day by daring to make people better on a Sunday (Saturday for him of course). Man was not made for the Sabbath, it was the other way round.

Telling anyone else to take an article of clothing off is just rude. Telling middle aged men to take their shirts off in a public place is not really a good idea. Sabbaths are generally not made for such sights.

I'm posting today's blog defiantly from the Millennium Stadium with my shirt on as Wales come to the end of their game with France. I'm in the good company of some 30,000 other fans who haven't taken their shirts off - thank God!

Good game. Pity about the result though. The French will be a team to watch. We are getting there though however slowly - as in very slowly.

The X Factor

The early morning interview with Radio Wales went OK. On the way in I shared a studio with a fit looking young man in a Welsh rugby shirt.

His interview was good and funny. Everyone in the studio took an instant like to him. So did I. The producer allowed his interview to overrun. I'm pleased it did.

He looked fit because he has to be fit as a soldier. But he was there by his own admission to talk about a far more frightening experience than soldiering - appearing on the X Factor.

I must admit I have grown a little tired of this expression of humiliation TV but I'll still watch it especially as they get to the really talented stage. Whatever happened to Leona though?

Ryan didn't tell us then whether he got through or not. He certainly did though with an unanimous vote. I watched him tonight.

He'll go far I think. He'll get lots of votes - especially Welsh ones.