I am currently sitting in the upper balcony

I am currently sitting in the upper balcony of St. Andrew's Cathedral in Victoria, front bench on the right. Mom is beside me saying her rosary. The tower bell begins its ringing ten minutes before mass. Taped to the railing is a notice that "Recently, a child threw a toy over the balcony railing." The bell has stopped ringing.

To my right I see the top of a 4-metre-high stained glass window. It is a sea of green and gold - a backdrop of grass green, lime green, forest green; a cross of pale gold and iridescent gold.

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For my "Artist's Date" [Vein of Gold], I visited the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria for the first time in 20 years. The first exhibit had baroque paintings; the second had modern works (horror embroidery, if you can imagine that); the third had paintings combining Christian themes and Japanese style; the fourth, paintings by our province's best known artist, Emily Carr. Only four rooms of material; nevertheless, I was tired at the end of it. But I'm glad to have gone - I came away with ideas for my own art and work.