Wednesday 26/8 started with a School Mass and was followed by a meeting to discuss the possibility of putting on a whole parish performance of Tales of Wonder by Marty Haugen. During the afternoon I had an emergency visit to the dentist following the disintegration of another tooth. I have insurance but still had to part with $500 as a part payment for the crown. A temporary was put in place and after two hours I was back in circulation for the first choir practice of the new season.

Thursday became a day off as I had both a funeral and a wedding on the Friday. There was another funeral on the Saturday so it was a good weekend for my bank account.

The weekend involved the usual run of Masses but I suffered a flare-up of the neck problems which I would have to mention at my next physio visit on Tuesday morning. After the Saturday Vigil Masses one parishioner invited me to dine with him at a top steak restaurant in Tampa. Had I been paying I would have baulked at the prices but it was an excellent meal. On the Sunday afternoon I tried out my new grill and did a fine ribeye steak myself.

On Monday I kept an appointment to have my eyes tested. Everything was so thorough. An assistant did all the usual tests and then in came the doctor to check her results and do an examination. In the course of his feedback he relayed that I had choroidal folds in one eye. This is a rare condition in which the retina appears like a rucked carpet. The condition can be caused by a tumour behind the eye, by thyroid disease or merely be congenital. Clearly the first of the options was more disturbing and I was referred to a retinologist on Wednesday.

Fr Chuck, our newly ordained priest, was celebrating his 27th birthday on Monday so I joined colleagues at Ulele Restaurant. The place was converted from an old Water Works and is a splendid setting. Some of my colleagues remarked privately that I seemed a bit preoccupied and left earlier than they had expected. I suppose unconsciously I was worried about the optician’s diagnosis.

I returned home needing to sleep well and as chance would have it one of my neighbours was having a party into the wee hours and that was a bit frustrating. I had not experienced this kind of noise before.

On the Tuesday morning (the start of September) I drove out of the apartment village and saw two dead ducks on the road. this was not the best way to start a day of special prayer for the Care of Creation! During the physio session they did some particular work to adjust the flare up with my neck.

At work I did some more work on the Papal Visit materials I had been preparing. I had arranged to meet with the Deacon to discuss these and they were enthusiastically received.

On Wednesday after School Mass I attended the appointment with the retinologist. After 2 hours of tests he was able to assure me that there was no tumour behind the eye and to order further tests which might assist with the identification of the cause. I returned to work much relieved and shared the story with them and my family.

Later that evening we had a great choir practice and looked at the idea of using Chris Walker’s Communion Antiphons resource.

Thursday became a day off transferred from Monday so I went in search of Visionworks to complete the prescription for my new glasses. Later in the afternoon it became sunnier so I dropped down to the beach and joined friends at Charan’s Bar.

Today Friday I awoke later than usual and visited the centre to report issues with my air-conditioning. As a Brit I have no idea what to do with a/c so it is good to have workmen attend to issues without further payment from myself. He was able to explain that my unit is about 30 years old! I may get a replacement.

There was an almighty storm this morning so I have decided to tidy the apartment and do housey things. Later tonight I will be joining a parish family for dinner. Elizabeth plays violin at church and Danah is a concert pianist. Her husband makes virtual organs so the conversation should be amazing!