St David's Run

1 March
6 miles - 48.44 minutes.

St David's Day - Welsh national day.
Best wishes to all my friends in Wales.

This is a day when saints smile on us: I took to the road in slashing wind and spluttering showers. But a few minutes into the run the weather changed abruptly and there was full joyful sunshine all around - what a beauty...

Radio 4 is running a program on St David's birthplace, the westernmost tip of Wales where Daivd's mother landed in Britain amid stormy weather, surounded by gales and rain - but, miracle, all around her it suddenly was quiet as though God was protecting her and her soon to be born baby David.

I felt like this today, thanks David.

Miracle or not - it happens in maritime climate. Coming from a very continental Moscow I was once absolutely amazed to see something similar happening in the maritime Leningrad (St Petersburg.) I was visiting a friend of mine, Jewish. We were standing on a bridge over one of the many canals in that city, often refered to as the Venice of the North, and discussing, of all things, the issue of Russian anti-semitism. Suddenly a downpour came, heavy dark clouds were flying low in the sky in shaggy bundles. People were running for cover over the bridge next to the one we were standing on, not more than a hundred metres away... But over us the sun was still shining. My friend showed me his necklace with sexagonal 'David's Shield' - the star of Israel, and said 'See, David is protecting us even from the rain'.

David of the Hebrews, of course, has nothing to do with David of the Welsh except that daffodils do look like the six-pointed star of David.

Welcome spring and sunny weather!

Photo of the daffodils in my garden was taken today.