1675 My Guardian Angel

One touch of her hand than an eternity without ever having done so, it the best line from City of Angels, the Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan film of whimsy, the second within two days. Given my agnosticism about the concept of a human form of God. It will appear whimsical that I have felt the existence of a personal guardian angel pointing the way out of dark places that I have sometimes explored and generally indicating the way ahead. Today guardian angel was much in evidence, to an extent that I became anxious about what disaster lay immediately ahead. Whereas yesterday I had a sense of a lot to do and insufficient time to accomplish, today I kept asking why I felt so relaxed and why there seemed so much time available to accomplish the tasks in hand. Such was my concern at this wondrous situation that I went around checking to try and work out the obvious things missed which usually happens and so far the response has been zero.

I was expecting someone to call this afternoon and I wanted to be ready to go and needed to collect a book of stamps from the mantle to the fireplace and which involved stepping between two laden small tables and a pile of completed work volumes waiting to be photographed. On existing I stumbled caught my leg on the hard edge of the sofa which I felt onto, a soft landing as they say, which could have been a lot worse, remembering what happened when I went to explore a new corner shop earlier in the year, cut my nose laving and scar and having to spend several hours in hospital while they checked to ensure there were no serious after effects. By coincidence I after calling in at the newsagent I made my way to the post box which was opposite the said corner shop and as I turned away having completed the posting I stumbled on the uneven paving stone but this was slight and regained my balance without the risk of falling. So two down and one to go. I hoped I did have a guardian angel.


I had been out earlier to the supermarket earlier for salad (lettuce, tomatoes and cumbers) fresh fruit salad, a mixture of melon, mango and grapes, an ideal portion for me at £1 when on the go, but expensive given the number of portions which could be made up from buy grapes and melon separately plus a mango. I also bought croissant for breakfast and a couple of Danish pastries as treats. I enjoyed my food today with a Danish and coffee mid morning breakfast, a concoction for lunch stir fry of onion and green pepper with noodles and Thai made up sauce with added ginger and half a melon. Shell on prawns and decaffeinated tea mid afternoon. Tomato and basil soup and brown finger roll for evening meal, followed by a sald mix with a small piece of salmon and a larger piece of smoked mackerel followed the second half of the melon plus decaffeinated coffee.

Sewed button to front of trousers to secure the waist band, undertook a washing machine small load, dry and ironing. Paid credit card outstanding in full and checked account. Checked and responded to emails, some personal others general.

The Prime Minister is away addressing the European Parliament so Harriet Harman took on William Hague and Vince Cable. Harriet was well prepared and in a combative mode. The main strike against the government was to raise the recent public intervention of the Independent Governor of the Bank of England against a new, second or further Government intervention involving tax cuts or additional borrowings. This was followed today with the inability to sell all the Gilts available on offer. The Bank, probably in league with the Treasury are pulling the stops to prevent the Prime Minister forcing developments with which they disagree to make a voter friendly budget and win votes.

I have enjoyed the second series of Ballykissangel which has seen the departure of Father Clifford and Assumpta of Fitzgerald’s. He is away on a Retreat with Father Mac trying to prove he can operate the parish as well as his own and save the cost of the Curate while Assumpta is running a bar with a friend in Dublin. In this episode Brian Quigley has put all his financial eggs into his development programme for the village and which involves a deal with South Koreans for whom he plans a traditional authentic Irish experience. The shrewd managing director and chief executive plus interpreter arrive early, as is their want. in order to test the locals and things go badly until they stumble on a party at the former village hall and have a great time. Brian believe all his efforts are wasted as the decision is said to have already been made in favour and Glasgow area bid. I do not think this in the case, but will miss the episode tomorrow. Alas I was wrong and the deal is already made elsewhere and Brian is forced to sell his House and his car and lay off his two sidekicks. When he discovers that his son in law‘s mother, who he cannot stand, has money, he changes his approach, according to the notes on tomorrows edition.

The premise of the film, City of Angels, is that angels cannot feel or experience sensation as human beings. A premise I reject but without which the film falls apart. Nicolas Cage is a messenger taking people who die to heaven. They can be everywhere simultaneously where there is the possibility of death. He and the other angels, who amazingly appear to be all male and in human form, and allocated to The City of Angeles, Los Angeles, use the City Library as their base, but manage to assemble every dawn and dusk by the ocean to commune with God.

Nicholas is present when surgeon Meg Ryan desperately tries to save the life of a patient and gets very upset when she fails. For some reason because of her questioning God and his attraction to her, she gets sight of him and because of his interest and concern, a non feeling concern you understand, he is able to appear again and became directly acquainted. She is able to touch him but he continues to have no feelings. She invites him to attend the party of a patient she has saved and the man reveals that he too was an angel who wanted to have human experience and he realised that God had given angels free will along with human beings and that it is possible for angels to fall, that is, to become human, with human feelings and experience, including an eventual physical death. The man is married and become a grandparents with a tendency to over eat. When a photo is taken which does not show Nicholas, Meg becomes suspicious and later cuts his hand and find there is no blood so he reveals all. Understandably this blows her mind and she runs off and Nicholas is also upset by the predicament. There are two complicating factors. The first is that she has been having a good relationship with a colleague who sensing something has changed decides it is time to propose. The second is that the saved man who was an angels to her that if Nicholas is prepared to give up his role and immortality as an angel he can become human.

This something Nicholas decides to do and one of he best moments in the film si where eh experiences the normal feelings and sensation we are all accustomed to unless we have been deprived in some form. Getting to see Meg again is also hazardous and involves being mugged. Eventually they meet up and he finds that she has turned down the marriage offer so there is nothing preventing a union in which the earth moves. For the second film day in succession just when the joy has no boundaries, she is killed while out jogging and he learns the nature of human grief and loss. However when asked that question, his answer is that all human being s are able to give, except in those moment of despair, grief and loss, unless of course you were previously an Angel.

Did my guardian Angel prevent a third mishaps turning into a disaster. Alas not quite. More on that on the morrow.